Semi-Noob, Now with a Ride!
Posted: 28 Oct 2011 11:03
I’ve been lurking here for a few years but haven’t been much of a contributor due to the fact that I didn’t have a bike. Years ago when I was young and immortal, I used to race motocross and always thought it was about as much fun as a person could have. Since that time, I’ve always kept street bikes in my garage, and I restore/customize old bikes as a hobby. I guess you can never really get riding out of your blood.
Now that I have kids old enough to ride, I’ve wanted to get back into the dirt side of the sport. I’ve been pressuring the wife on the issue for a few years, but she’s been less than enthusiastic. Then a few months ago, friends of yours bought a four-wheeler and a dirt bike to ride on their relative’s farm. They invited us out one weekend, and that turned out to be the tipping point. My son enjoyed it so much that my wife wasn’t able to withstand the combined force and finally gave us the official okey dokey.
I started shopping for some inexpensive used equipment that would fit our budget. I finally found a 1998 Honda TRX300ex for the wife and kids to ride and a 1990 DR350 for me. They both needed a little work, but for less than $2k, I was able to get both of them into good shape.
So, about a month ago, my son and I went to Oakland for a shake-down cruise. We had a blast! It’s all my boy could talk about for a week, and it was a great bonding experience. He’s hooked. Then a couple of weeks ago we packed up the family and our friends who got us stared and went to Finger Lakes for a weekend of camping and ORV action. We had perfect weather and the trails were excellent. We also took a few turns on the motocross track. I think that was my son’s favorite part, and it took my back to my glory days. However, I think my old ’83 YZ125 had better suspension than my DR. I don’t recall bottoming that hard (ouch!).
But it wasn’t all good. About half way through the last day I had a low speed crash. I got my front wheel caught in a deep rut on a steep downhill and dropped the bike on myself. I didn’t know it at the time but I broke two bones in my right foot, one a compound fracture. It hurt a little but I finished the day, even took a few more laps on the track. I can’t imagine kick starting that pig was good for it though. Also, on the way back to camp on our final outing, my bike died and I had to be towed in. It’s not getting spark, but I haven’t identified the culprit yet. I guess there’s no hurry since I’m out of commission for a few more weeks.
Anyway, I just wanted to say hello, and I hope to run into some of you (pun intended) on the trails in the spring. I know a couple of the forum members, and the rest seem like a pretty good bunch.
Now that I have kids old enough to ride, I’ve wanted to get back into the dirt side of the sport. I’ve been pressuring the wife on the issue for a few years, but she’s been less than enthusiastic. Then a few months ago, friends of yours bought a four-wheeler and a dirt bike to ride on their relative’s farm. They invited us out one weekend, and that turned out to be the tipping point. My son enjoyed it so much that my wife wasn’t able to withstand the combined force and finally gave us the official okey dokey.
I started shopping for some inexpensive used equipment that would fit our budget. I finally found a 1998 Honda TRX300ex for the wife and kids to ride and a 1990 DR350 for me. They both needed a little work, but for less than $2k, I was able to get both of them into good shape.
So, about a month ago, my son and I went to Oakland for a shake-down cruise. We had a blast! It’s all my boy could talk about for a week, and it was a great bonding experience. He’s hooked. Then a couple of weeks ago we packed up the family and our friends who got us stared and went to Finger Lakes for a weekend of camping and ORV action. We had perfect weather and the trails were excellent. We also took a few turns on the motocross track. I think that was my son’s favorite part, and it took my back to my glory days. However, I think my old ’83 YZ125 had better suspension than my DR. I don’t recall bottoming that hard (ouch!).
But it wasn’t all good. About half way through the last day I had a low speed crash. I got my front wheel caught in a deep rut on a steep downhill and dropped the bike on myself. I didn’t know it at the time but I broke two bones in my right foot, one a compound fracture. It hurt a little but I finished the day, even took a few more laps on the track. I can’t imagine kick starting that pig was good for it though. Also, on the way back to camp on our final outing, my bike died and I had to be towed in. It’s not getting spark, but I haven’t identified the culprit yet. I guess there’s no hurry since I’m out of commission for a few more weeks.
Anyway, I just wanted to say hello, and I hope to run into some of you (pun intended) on the trails in the spring. I know a couple of the forum members, and the rest seem like a pretty good bunch.
Looks like I'm in the market for some new parts (pff!). I think I can get everything off ebay for about half of what I paid for the bike in the first place. 
You can see the damage to the stator windings and the rotor in the Photobucket pictures below. The screwdriver is pointing to the culprit in the first stator photo.
