Taking a risk on a bike resto, thrill seeking!

[Liamthedevastator]

I picked up a 1972 Yamaha R5 350 for $800 today... as a student I can not afford this but I reached a kind of pre-life crisis where I am searching for some kind of risk. I suppose I figure it would just be good to get pushed out into a situation where I really have to bust my arse to make sure I don't get screwed by my decision. It kind of feels like a Chuck Palahniuk kind of situation except I haven't shot my face off and I'm not a terrorist insomniac!

The bike is all together, and for the amount of rust on it it's in remarkable condition. Corrosion is unbelievable but the inside of the tank looks almost completely mint except for the diarreah lookin' sludge in it. I'm going to get a hold of some acetone and ATF to unstick the bolts and tear into this thing while the XS is getting it's valve seats cut. On the plus side, the engine also turns over and it's getting compression so I am skeptically, but giddy-ly, optimistic about this bike!

I'll be living on the edge of trouble for a bit, but I'm excited to be getting outside of my comfort zone. Here are some photos for you guys to, uh, barf over I guess Enjoy! Oh yeah, 9000 original miles. This thing is a two smoker

 

[OleDoc]

Good place to start. Ringa ding ding

 

[xschris]

Lots of rust in bad places. It can be done but will cost you a lot of money.

 

[Liamthedevastator]

Loooots of rust, but I'm hopeful that it is only on the outside. I peered into the crankcase and it didn't look rusty, oil came out dark honey coloured, but almost everything is seized.

As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day! My goal is to spend as little money as possible so I'm getting settled in for a ridiculous project, which I know is ludicrous considering condition and age. But still, I think it'll be a good looker if not a good runner.

I get possession of the bike tomorrow morning if all goes well and I'll get right to the task at hand. I'll try to post some more photos later