[bushwesl]

Instead of tearing into my Dad's original untouched 86 engine, I ended up picking up an entire ESR 310 engine from a member here that was completely fresh from top to bottom, not even ran yet.

Everything was great about the transaction until I I took off the head to swap out the dome only to realize there was carbon on top of the piston - clearly NOT fresh. Aside from not being as fresh as it was described as, there were a few other little things that didn't line up with the initial description.

It turned out that the builder that did the work and assembled everything wasn't quite as honest as he should have been. The member had never looked into the engine (why would he) or ran it after he received it from the builder (it had been sitting on the bench for a build he never completed). I don't blame the member/seller, I blame the original dishonest builder that said he did things that he never actually did. Thankfully, the member went out of his way to make everything right and refunded a portion of my money to get everything addressed.

Here's what I'm starting with:

 

[bushwesl]

I had originally planned on just running it as-is, but since I really wanted the engine to be as fresh and new as the rest of the build, I've having a bit more work done to it.

I took the cylinder off and had it vapor blasted by DBC Racing before dropping it off with Bob at RB Racing to work his magic on the previous TRX7 porting. He's also boring the cylinder to the next size up and cutting a custom race gas dome. It's annoying to have to fix someone else's dishonesty, but I'll be much happier in the long run knowing that it's done right. And let's be honest, it was a great excuse to get some more power out of this cylinder 🤟

 

[SandSlinger]

Very nice high quality build.

 

[Idaho_R_quads]

Yea very nice. Seems we hear these stories all to often about buying a fresh motor or quad, and someone getting had. Good thing you pulled the head and got some cash back. Always nice knowing what you got for that piece of mind. 👍🍻

 

[The Norm]

Tough situation for sure! Cool that you got some money back, but unfortunate for the seller that he was screwed by the engine builder. Hopefully he can get reimbursed by the builder if in fact he was screwed over.
Your build is looking great. Keep up the good work!
Loren

 

[acecarlos]

I had originally planned on just running it as-is, but since I really wanted the engine to be as fresh and new as the rest of the build, I've having a bit more work done to it.

I took the cylinder off and had it vapor blasted by DBC Racing before dropping it off with Bob at RB Racing to work his magic on the previous TRX7 porting. He's also boring the cylinder to the next size up and cutting a custom race gas dome. It's annoying to have to fix someone else's dishonesty, but I'll be much happier in the long run knowing that it's done right. And let's be honest, it was a great excuse to get some more power out of this cylinder 🤟

Unfortunately, there are a lot of ‘unknowns’ when purchasing used engines; the builds are almost never as described by the seller. My conclusion over the years is that a lot of sellers suffer what I call “degenerated convenient loss of memory” …. good that you got to fix and rebuild correctly.

Carlos

 

[scrappy]

Sorry to hear about the engine debacle but good catch. It's usually safe to assume an engine isn't fresh regardless unless you personally know the seller & or the engine's history.... I picked up a cherry 83 xl200 from my cousin many years ago with a new left case half & fresh top end built by a "bike mechanic". The piston was installed backwards & the alignment dowel on the inner cam race was cocked & out of alignment but the head was tightened down anyway. There were a few other problems so from that point on I always figured it would be a good idea to open up new engines & check them out...... Have fun with the build, it's turning out beautifully!

 

[bushwesl]

I'm FINALLY updating this discussion with some progress.

RB Racing ported the cylinder and cut a race gas dome as mentioned above, but was able to get away with honing the current 72mm bore. I went with a new piston/rings just to be safe and to know that it's all fresh.

After installing the engine, I initially had some concerns with no spark since I couldn't visually see any. All of the components checked out per the service manual, but I still couldn't see spark. My assumption was that my CDI was bad, like so many others. I read some old discussions on here that the spark can be really difficult and even almost impossible to visually see. Taking that bit of information, I decided I'd finish putting everything together and attempt to start it, just to see what would happen. To my surprise, after the second real kick it fired right up! Amazing!

I still have a couple of pieces that I'm waiting on to technically finish my build, one in particular is my Rob Selvy/Kenny Roberts hand-coned pipe😁, but here are some updated pics of the close to final product.

 

[bushwesl]

 

[bushwesl]

 

[SandSlinger]

Stunning!!

 

[Action69]

great Job!!

 

[BENCH]

Great tribute. Looks amazing. Congrats!

 

[F-Red]

View attachment 64701

Great resto job!


I love the sticker you made for DAD! 👆

Now I would say go park it in the garage. But Dad wouldn't want that. Go ride and enjoy!

 

[bushwesl]

Thank you, all!😊

Here's a before and after picture taken ~5 months apart at the same location.

I absolutely love how it turned out😍, it‘s everything I was wanting and more. The end result certainly isn't what my Dad would have wanted for himself, but I know he’d be happy with how much enjoyment I've gotten out of this project. And, not to mention, how much enjoyment I’m going to have with it going forward😊

 

[bushwesl]

I took it out this past weekend for the maiden voyage with a friend and his son. We ripped the trails and open fields in our area - it was a blast!😎🤟 Here's some proof that it actually gets ridden. From garage queen to rider - bye bye white plastics🥺 #worthit

 

[Idaho_R_quads]

Bad ass resto!! Glad you got her out and ripping. It looks amazing!!

 

[kellmx147]

Great build, looks amazing.

If you don’t mind me asking, what bend did you go with for the Tag bars, and what make are those bar ends.
Rich

 

[bushwesl]

Great build, looks amazing.

If you don’t mind me asking, what bend did you go with for the Tag bars, and what make are those bar ends.
Rich

Thanks!

The bars are Tag T2 'Fourtrax' bend, I picked them up used. Unfortunately, I don't think Tag makes them anymore. The grips are ODI Rogue lock-ons, which include the bar end/plugs that you're seeing. They're available just about anywhere.

 

[Greenpumpkins]

What length swingarm did you go with?