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1966/67 Yamaha YDS3 250cc Catalina resto project

41K views 54 replies 23 participants last post by  Virgil Haataja 
#1 ·
This bike was my grandfather's, and he sold it to my dad when my dad was 17. My dad has had it since, but it hadn't been running since '82. I recently started working on it again, and the first thing I concentrated on was getting the motor running. It took a bore job of .75 over and then some decent honing to get the cylinders in shape. New pistons and rings, a good cleaning and check over, and she was up and running!

I cleaned out the carbs, but didn't actually tune them or rebuild them. I did just have to rebuild the clutch, as the plates were stuck fast and wouldn't release. I got some plates off of eBay and went to town with it :D.

It still needs (that I know of):

New tires
Some wiring done
New exhaust gaskets
Replacement brake shoes (purchased, but not yet installed)
A decent tune-up
Air filters!!!

I had a whole post set out with pictures and everything, but I can't post it because they're hosted on my site and I can't link externally until I have 15 or more posts. That's an odd rule, IMO, but I'll go with it!
 
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#4 ·
Go down to "New Member Introductions" you can post your web address there. The idea of the rule is not to force people to post but rather to stop those who just go from site to site trying to drum up traffic for their own shindig. So far as I know anyone can post photos even in their first thread the fact that they're hosted on your site shouldn't make a difference. Just hit the paperclip icon.
 
#8 ·

The bike with the engine out, before cleaning


The frame after a little elbow grease was added.


Gauge faces


Needless to say, the motor was in rough shape.


Errr.... they're supposed to look like that, right?


Oh yeah, those look better


So sleek and sexy!


Engine back in.


If it had a headlight, it'd look like a bike!


"Pleeeeease take me for a drive?"

http://www.king-nerd.com/dood/image...thing is running and working, 11-19-06&page=1
 
#9 ·
You know when you get it all done thats going to be a real sweet bike, it is now. It is deffinatly different and something you don't see everyday. Looks like it's in decent shape from the get go meaning nothing is bent or dented up.
 
#10 ·
Well, I spent a little more time on it this evening, getting the point gap right. I had replaced the points earlier, but just threw them on and didn't bother checking the gap. Haha... won't do that again.

The left cylinder was at least opening and closing, but it wasn't opening enough, so I set that (point gap of .30mm). The right cylinder wasn't closing, at all! It was open slightly, and not even touching the rocker when it came around... the spark was just arcing the gap. No wonder that cylinder would only fire every 3rd or 4th rotation at idle!!!

Got that all straightened out and now it runs GREAT. At idle, both cylinders are firing dead on. It sounds so much happier now. I had to turn the idle way down since both cylinders were synched up. It was dark out, or I would've taken it for a spin. Tomorrow I definitely will, though.

Also, I need to get my shifter figured out. I need to rig something up, because the splines on both the shaft and the pedal are stripped. I'm thinking two quick tack welds on the outside ought to hold it in place... then I can grind them off, too, if I need to. Any other suggestions are most welcome. You can see in the above pictures that I'm using vise grips to shift at the moment.... I'm limited to first and neutral!
 
#11 ·
You might be able to cut a bigger slot in the pinch part of the shifter to get it to grip tighter though the weld beads would work too, just have to grind them off if you need to take the shifter off. You could drill a hole down through both the shifter and the shaft and run a small bolt through it. Too bad you couldn't find another shift shaft and shifter.
 
#12 ·
Okay... worked on the bike for quite a while today. I ended up being very pleased with what I got done.

Firstly, I finally checked the head bolt torque with a proper torque wrench. Most of them read around 100 in/lbs to start.... torqued them all to the spec'ed 400 in/lbs. Needless to say, it runs much, much better now!

Moving on to other things, I called on the assistance of my neighbor. I wanted to fix the shifter problem, but had not been able to by conventional means. He suggested drilling and tapping a hole in the lever, so as to make a spot for a set screw. So we did this, and I got the shifter on there and took it for a ride.... all I have to say is... WOW!!! It feels so good to be able to shift this bike!

However, this brought up a new set of issues. Upon returning to the garage, I found that I couldn't keep the bike running... it was only running on one cylinder. Upon checking things out, I realised that something was preventing the right cylinder from getting fuel. So, I drained the fuel tank, pulled all the lines off, and started checking things over. Found two fittings that were completely blocked with junk (I'm glad I have fuel filters before the carbs!). Cleaned everything up, but decided not to put it back together yet, because I wanted to work on the next thing...

... which is, TURN SIGNALS!!! I've been on a hunt for some 6v turn signals, and I finally found some. Not on the internet, either! My local old-bike shop had a set, 4 lights, wiring, flasher, and switch, for $50. I went out and nabbed them the next day. The two for the front were easy. The headlight shell on this bike is held on by two bolts, one on each side. Take stock bolts out, drill the holes out just a smidge, and the new lights go right in! Looks perfectly factory.

The rear lights were going to take a little more modification, but they weren't too bad. Drilled two holes (getting them as close as possible in location) in the fender, popped the lights in, and away we go! Now, I just need to do the permanent wiring, which will hopefully happen tomorrow.

I'm HOPING to get the wiring done, the fuel system back together, and get it back out for a few test runs, all tomorrow. We'll see how the day goes, though, and what time I get into it tomorrow morning!

Here's some shots of the new lights:



and

 
#13 ·
Hey I like those signals. Nice and small and fit tight to the bike. Looks like old Yamaha signals too.

You might want to look into this stuff for the tank called Kreem. It's more or less a liquid tank liner that dries if you have trouble with rust in the tank. I've never used this stuff myself, some guys like it some don't. In a way i can see how it would help but in a way I can see where it could hurt.

http://www.instantop.com/CyclePage/Kreem.htm
 
#14 ·
Hey CB750F,

I've already treated the tank with a product much like Kreem on this tank. I think it was some leftover crud from the process (me not cleaning the tank out enough) that gunked up my fuel system. So, I'm going to throw it back together and hope for the best :D
 
#15 ·
Still working on this bike, of course. Things have been put on hold because I've decided to buy a house. I'm now hoping to have the bike on the road sometime before the end of summer, but that might get pushed to next spring depending on what happens.

I did just pick up an original air box and filter from ebay, used, for about $75. They're an odd setup, and fairly rare, so I'm glad I snagged one. I may have to replace the paper on the filter at some point, but I'm not too worried about that.
 
#22 ·
That thing is pretty cool. The big brother to my new scoot.

Its a '68 YCS1 - 180. I tried to post a pic but it says I need 15 posts or more! lol.

Besides some cold plug fouling and a slipping clutch, it runs like a champ. I have a new clutch on the way. After that's taken care of, it'll be a great lil urban death machine!
 
#24 ·
cuperblasto- my bike isn't fast at all. It's stationary. Most I've had it up to was around 40, I think. I still haven't gotten new tires on it, so I didn't want to push those old dryrotted hunks any more.

I was over at my dad's the other day, where the bike is garaged, and wishing I had the time to get it running again. Maybe one of these weekends I'll force myself to take a day off work and go over to fiddle with it.
 
#29 ·
This thread took me back in time



Hey YDS3guy, I'm a new member,so I just found your thread about the old Yamaha. My first mcy was a 1966 YDS3C -- the 250 Big Bear Scrambler. Mine was red and white. I had completely forgotten that Yamaha used a blue paint scheme, like in your pics.

As far as speed goes, I sort of remember wrapping out through the gears as I was starting down a long, steep hill, lying completely down on the seat to cut wind resistance, and getting up to about 90 mph. That would have been when the bike was about five years old.

There is a very good picture of a YDS3C in a book called, "Japanese Motorcycles 1959-2007", by Doug Mitchel. I bought my copy through Ogden Press, but it should be available other places as well. I was really impressed with the quality -- about 400 pages of color pics, vintage ads, etc. Your bike is on page 298, except the picture in the book is red/white like my bike was.

I actually found an old picture of me with my Big Bear Scrambler, and have it on my computer. I'll try to put it in an album on the forum later.

Good luck with your ride!
 
#25 ·
just got new tires put on. I am changing the fluids and got new spark plugs and im going to try and set the carbs at the same idle.

It kinda sucks because my shifter spline is stripped so i found a guy with a whole motor that he is gonig to hook me up with and i hope it will be an easy fix.
 
#28 ·
cuperblasto- seems like a common problem. These things sometimes shift hard, and the original parts certainly aren't getting any newer. The shifter shafts are hard to come by on ebay. I recommend trying to drill through and put a set screw of some sort in.

I kind of wish I had taken mine all the way to the frame and gotten it painted while I had it apart the first time, but I had neither the money nor the patience.

The bike has been moved to my carport now, but initial attempts at ressurection have been unsuccessful. I need a new 6 volt battery before I can tinker any further, and my daily rider, an '83 xs400, has taken center stage, needing a tuneup and a new rear tire + inspection. Maybe by the end of the summer I'll have the YDS 3 running again.
 
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