When I was 10 I was issued a dirtbike. Or, well... Dual sport.
It was a 1983 Suzuki SP100. Street legal cousin of the DR100. Produced for one year when Suzuki only sold like 13 of them in the US.
I rode this bike every day almost, until I was about 16, and my interests changed. Then it was my pickup, and what girl ws in the passenger seat.
I beat the piss out of this bike. Id ridden it as fast as it would go, most of the time (55mph). This was a time when people didn't loose their minds when a kid rode in the neighborhood, as long as they stayed out of their yard, and weren't passing their house 50 times in an hour.
Not to say me and my best friend didn't find trouble to get into, me on my sp100, and him on his ct70.
We got permission to ride on this guys land that was situated behind my neighborhood. It was 70 acres of terraced hills, cedar trees and oaks, and tons of fun trails by the time we were done with it. We called it 'The Mountain' and also camped out there every weekend.
Some of my fondest childhood/teenage memories were out there, and on that bike.
It also spawned what would be a life long lust of riding dirt bikes (legally) on the roads to trails.
So this dual sport thing, I came by in the truest sense of it.
I finally burned up the clutch in the sp100, but with a newer yz125, and a pickup truck, and a girlfriend, I wasn't too concerned. Bike got put in the shed.
After highschool I joined the navy, did six years of that, and the Suzuki still sat, patiently in the shed. Waiting its time, for me to repay it.
A few years out of the navy, I was at home visiting and decided to dust the old bike off.
I cleaned the carb, put some fresh gas in it some fresh oil, and I'll be slammed if it didn't start the first time I kicked it.... Like it ALWAYS had, without fail.
I couldn't NOT go on a little ride.
Long story short, the cam chain broke. (At the time I didn't know what had happened, just that it lost compression, and wouldn't run)
I figured the resulting damage would be huge. I kept an eye out on eBay for a new motor, though I'd not yet even taken this motor apart.
It's like this bike and I were meant for one another.
I found a good bottom end, and "won" it for $35 shipped. Guy probably lost money on this thing.
Anyways, I recently got the bike to my house, along with all the other carp I've bought for it over the last few years. Clutch pack. Chain guide. Some other miscellaneous doo-dads
I got the motor apart, and this is when I learned the cam chain had broken.
I feared the head, and cylinder were trashed. Not the case. The piston did not contact a valve. The chances of that are almost nil when a cam chain breaks. But like I said, we were meant to be together.
On top of all that, this engine, cylinder and piston included show almost ZERO WEAR. I've measured the bore several times, the correct way, and there is zero taper, zero out-of-round, and not even a slight wear line in the bore, or on the piston.
What's so weird about this is that I never took very good care of this bike. I can remember changing the Oil a handful of times. I always checked the oil, and did add some from time to time. I never cleaned or replaced the air filter but only a couple times.
Basically this bike took care of me.
Now it's time for me to repay the favor.
Bottom end I bought----
Bottom end that came out of the bike---- (zero play in the rod, will reuse)
Comb chamber-----
Valves still seal----(fluid test with solvent)
Piston-----
The bore. I actually laughed when I saw this----
Anyways, that's it for now. I've got parts on order, and stuff arriving daily.
Here's the bike in stock form---
It was a 1983 Suzuki SP100. Street legal cousin of the DR100. Produced for one year when Suzuki only sold like 13 of them in the US.
I rode this bike every day almost, until I was about 16, and my interests changed. Then it was my pickup, and what girl ws in the passenger seat.
I beat the piss out of this bike. Id ridden it as fast as it would go, most of the time (55mph). This was a time when people didn't loose their minds when a kid rode in the neighborhood, as long as they stayed out of their yard, and weren't passing their house 50 times in an hour.
Not to say me and my best friend didn't find trouble to get into, me on my sp100, and him on his ct70.
We got permission to ride on this guys land that was situated behind my neighborhood. It was 70 acres of terraced hills, cedar trees and oaks, and tons of fun trails by the time we were done with it. We called it 'The Mountain' and also camped out there every weekend.
Some of my fondest childhood/teenage memories were out there, and on that bike.
It also spawned what would be a life long lust of riding dirt bikes (legally) on the roads to trails.
So this dual sport thing, I came by in the truest sense of it.
I finally burned up the clutch in the sp100, but with a newer yz125, and a pickup truck, and a girlfriend, I wasn't too concerned. Bike got put in the shed.
After highschool I joined the navy, did six years of that, and the Suzuki still sat, patiently in the shed. Waiting its time, for me to repay it.
A few years out of the navy, I was at home visiting and decided to dust the old bike off.
I cleaned the carb, put some fresh gas in it some fresh oil, and I'll be slammed if it didn't start the first time I kicked it.... Like it ALWAYS had, without fail.
I couldn't NOT go on a little ride.
Long story short, the cam chain broke. (At the time I didn't know what had happened, just that it lost compression, and wouldn't run)
I figured the resulting damage would be huge. I kept an eye out on eBay for a new motor, though I'd not yet even taken this motor apart.
It's like this bike and I were meant for one another.
I found a good bottom end, and "won" it for $35 shipped. Guy probably lost money on this thing.
Anyways, I recently got the bike to my house, along with all the other carp I've bought for it over the last few years. Clutch pack. Chain guide. Some other miscellaneous doo-dads
I got the motor apart, and this is when I learned the cam chain had broken.
I feared the head, and cylinder were trashed. Not the case. The piston did not contact a valve. The chances of that are almost nil when a cam chain breaks. But like I said, we were meant to be together.
On top of all that, this engine, cylinder and piston included show almost ZERO WEAR. I've measured the bore several times, the correct way, and there is zero taper, zero out-of-round, and not even a slight wear line in the bore, or on the piston.
What's so weird about this is that I never took very good care of this bike. I can remember changing the Oil a handful of times. I always checked the oil, and did add some from time to time. I never cleaned or replaced the air filter but only a couple times.
Basically this bike took care of me.
Now it's time for me to repay the favor.
Bottom end I bought----
Bottom end that came out of the bike---- (zero play in the rod, will reuse)
Comb chamber-----
Valves still seal----(fluid test with solvent)
Piston-----
The bore. I actually laughed when I saw this----
Anyways, that's it for now. I've got parts on order, and stuff arriving daily.
Here's the bike in stock form---
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