Kawi2strokes.com Forum

Full quote:
Who the hell bid 350 bucks for this pile of dog poo???
Looks like the whole mess was stuffed in a giant biscuit tin Rick.


The bike above was posted on the old forum from an ebay ad:
http://kawasakitriplesworldwide.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=59427&hilit=250+s1&sid=4d8b967a4f97b372c527773c8149553a
Confession time. It was me. I bought the pile of dog poo. There, I feel better. In my defense, I bought it the night I got home from gall bladder surgery, loaded up on pain killers and feeling on top of the world. A week later, having doubts on my purchase and not knowing anything about triples, I found the old forum and stumbled across the above topic! It just confirmed what my drug weaned brain was beginning to tell me: "You bought a pile of dog poo."

Ok, confession time is over. Now the build begins! Since there isn't much to work with (as the picture shows), I decided to make it into a custom rather than a full restoration. Money was also a factor in my decision. Parts for a proper restore would really add up!

It's getting late, so I'll be signing off. Hopefully tomorrow I can post some pics of what I've done so far.

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Chong

Well, that does look like a challenge - but if you have an engine and a frame, you can do anything. Good luck, and keep us posted!!

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"One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." : anon.

Im with Rod , you would need new forks and shocks anyway , and a good set of chambers wouldnt go astray so a good astarting point and the heads and barrells are worth what you paid , good luck on your build , urs Al

If there's a title with it $300 would be worth it, otherwise parts and/or a starting point for a build - I say GO FOR IT!

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This is true. Where I grew up the hills were so steep and long, when your ball rolled down the hill you just said "screw it"...

You don't get much for $350 now days. I agree, if there is a title? Good deal.

I'm sure it looks much better in person.

Thanks for the kind words. That's what I figured: $350 for an engine and frame isn't so bad. Here are some pics of what I've done so far. I would have taken more pictures, especially at the tear down, but all my attention was on the job at hand:


Out of focus phone camera pic of the lower engine case in the sand blasting cabinet. Once the corrosion was removed it looked good as new! that was a load off my mind!


Upper engine case. Not bad. There was some minor pitting in the aluminum. Not sure if that's from the casting or the corrosion.


Heads and cylinders. Oh, on a positive note, the engine turned over freely and there was no sign of damaged pistons or cylinder liners.


"What's this?" you say? See pics below...


The only pic I have showing the frame before powdercoating. Frame was fine. Just surface rust. The mystery item is below the tank.


Now it's coming together! The mystery item is an oil tank! I could have bought a tank off of ebay, or do something different with some sheet metal I had laying around. I still have to provide a breather for it. I was thinking about a lid with a breather in it. That's a battery box on the right that fits under the "seat hump." As you can see, I chopped the tail section so the solo "cafe" seat would fit. Purists start wailing now! Bought the seat hinges, latch, and, latch plunger off of ebay. I made the seat pan.


Here's another view which shows the rear fender that I shortened to fit (ebay).


Now, here's the only drawback I found when buying a bike that's been sitting outside for god knows how long. See the spotting on the cover? Can't miss it. This is after I sanded out most of the imperfections and then used polishing wheels to shine. It looks like I'm going to have to take off more aluminum but I'm afraid the staining might be too deep. The clutch cover looks the same. Maybe it's time for some replacements off of ebay?

That's all the pictures I have for now. I've done a little more than shown. More pics and updates to follow.

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Chong

well you have been busy.

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she will never be pretty but she is a fun ride.

73 KAWASAKI H1 (Sold).
82 YAMAHA RD350LC
2000 KAWI KDX200H
2001 Triumph TT600

Dude - that's amazing! You totally scored and agree - you've been busy . You never mentioned if you had a title or not - or I missed that bit.

I dunno about the pitted stuff, I would think about maybe anodizing or even powder coating them if you're really concerned. Chrome is badness to me - always polishing. The old board had a lot of threads about that kind of thing. I made a trailer hitch assembly for my Harley a few years ago and had it nickle plated - came out great at a fraction of the cost of chrome.

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This is true. Where I grew up the hills were so steep and long, when your ball rolled down the hill you just said "screw it"...

Yes, I agree title would be the icing on the cake..

Do you have it..

Peace/love/triples