Beater/project Yamaha WR450f

[anderson750]

Seriously, that is looking very nice Now the next logical step is to get out and ride the 5MOH

I fixed it for you.

 

[Rot Box]

Man she's really coming together now

I'm a big fan of the Maxxis IT's--good buy that's for sure.

 

[Gravy]

Once you finish it you should sell it to me at a loss. like your other projects


Sorry, couldn't help it
Looks great Greg! Nice work.

 

[Greg]

Man she's really coming together now

I'm a big fan of the Maxxis IT's--good buy that's for sure.

Thanks, it looks like a different bike! I like the Maxxis dirtbike tires as well, loved the 6006's, but they quit making them. I ran an IT on my DRZ and it seemed like a great tire.

Once you finish it you should sell it to me at a loss. like your other projects


Sorry, couldn't help it
Looks great Greg! Nice work.

Actually, I've made money on more than half my 'projects'... The last bike I bought, fixed up and sold netted me a few hundred, well worth the time & effort.

I'll sell it to you at a loss, but I'll be including my hourly wage of $90, in my total. And I've already spent 3 full days working on the WR, so you might not like the final price.

 

[rholbrook]

New seat cover, I want to add some foam and then I'll put the new cover on.-

Best mod of the bike, I guess you don't like sitting on a 1x4. I will be interested to see where you go with this. My ass still hurts from my last ride/crash in November.

This bike will be BETTER than new. You still have money to be made in selling it. I have a friend looking for one right now.

 

[Greg]

Best mod of the bike, I guess you don't like sitting on a 1x4. I will be interested to see where you go with this. My ass still hurts from my last ride/crash in November.

This bike will be BETTER than new. You still have money to be made in selling it. I have a friend looking for one right now.

Yeah, that seat is a KILLER... really makes me wish my legs were stronger, so I could stay on the pegs longer. If the seat were any better, it would be easier to spend long days in the saddle.

I have some ideas of what I'm going to do, but the new seat cover doesn't have that much material in it. I might be able to add 3/4" of foam, which would help, but it won't be much wider. I have toyed with the idea of taking it to an actual upholsterer and have them work some magic, but that's no fun! I want to do this myself.

I'm hoping I can keep my grand total under $1800... I haven't added up the numbers yet, but I think I'm in that neighborhood. Pretty good, IMO. All fixed up, the bike should be worth around $2200+ IMO.

 

[rholbrook]

Or more, it looks brand new nearly. Nice build.

 

[Greg]

Or more, it looks brand new nearly. Nice build.

I want to ride it and keep it around, I think it's going to be a great addition to the other bikes.


So you guys ready for this? I'm blown away with how great this beater now looks! Hopefully it runs and rides just as good.

My Acerbis 3.3 gallon tank arrived today, I bought it from a guy that purchased it new, pulled it out of the packing and decided he liked the smaller, stock tank. The price was right, well under retail for the same thing. I bolted up the fairings and decided I really liked the Acerbis tank! I just hope that the tank gets me close to being able to ride the 150 miles of the Kokopelli trail without extra gas. Probably not, seems the WR's don't get the best fuel mileage.

I wanted a more comfy seat, I'd like to be able to spend long days in the saddle and the stock seat left a lot to be desired. Hopefully my quick fix will be a valuable change, I HATED the seat on my old WR250F and WR400F. The seat on this WR450 was just like those other 2 bikes... thin foam. I have never done this before, but was excited to give it a go.

I headed to the upholstery store and picked up some 1" thick dual density seat foam for $15 and foam glue at $5, then hit up Harbor Freight for a $15 electric staple gun, then WalMart for a $10 Black & Decker electric meat carver. Let the fun begin!

And the trimming and shaving began! My goal was to leave the front of the seat narrow and add a little width to the middle and rear. I used the meat trimmer to get the general shape I wanted, then used the grinder with a used flapper disc to shape and smooth.

Test fitting the seat and cover. -

At this point the stapling began... I bought some 1/4" staples, as I thought that smaller would be better. I didn't take any pics of the process... just the final product.

And the final product! I'm still waiting the Highway Dirt Bike hand guards that I ordered only yesterday and have some minor things that I will button up tonight, but it looks like the bike is ready to ride!!

And a before photo, just for comparison. -

 

[anderson750]

:thumbs: Time to hit Chimney Rock

 

[Spork]

Wow doesn't even look like the same bike. :greg: So are you going to plate it?

 

[Greg]

:thumbs: Time to hit Chimney Rock

Sounds good to me! I need to get a few trial rides in first though, make sure everything is mechanically well.

What's Chimney Rock like?

 

[Taco4life]

That seat turned out awesome! Your attention to detail is always fun to watch. That should be a nice bike for you.

 

[Greg]

Wow doesn't even look like the same bike. :greg: So are you going to plate it?

Yeah, totally different bike. I really went out of my way to clean up and fix the stuff I could, rather than replacing it. Obviously the plastics needed to go, but that made the bike. I put in a lot of time cleaning, scrubbing and grinding... in the end, all the hand work paid off.

I am going to plate it, it's already titled, all I have to do is go to the DMV, pay taxes and pay for the plate and it's done. No inspection, no blinkers, etc! Gotta love Colorado!

 

[Greg]

That seat turned out awesome! Your attention to detail is always fun to watch. That should be a nice bike for you.

Thanks! It was a great experiment and I think it will be very worthwhile! It was surprisingly easy to do, took no more than 2 hrs to R & R the seat. I would imagine paying an upholstery shop would cost 2-3x more than I had into everything.

 

[anderson750]

Sounds good to me! I need to get a few trial rides in first though, make sure everything is mechanically well.

What's Chimney Rock like?

You can handle it.

 

[Rot Box]

If you didn't know any better you wouldn't be able to recognize that one! Killer!

Tank looks great too. I've always loved how snug the Acerbis fit the Yamaha's they hardly even bulge out.

Seats are a double edged sword for me. I loved my old KTM and ATK for having an unbearably hard seat, it kept me off of it--alert and on my toes. At the same time I love my CR500 as it has a lazy boy and its makes me... well lazy because I always want to relax and sit down That said soft is where its at for the long haul! LOL!

 

[Caleb]

Seriously, that bike has turned out incredible. If you decide to sell it in the future, let me know That would make a great second/loaner bike.


I'm curious about Chimney Rock as well. A guy I work with wants to go ride it, I honestly had never heard prior to our discussion. I hear it's some awesome single track.

 

[Spork]

What's the V shaped thing on the seat?

 

[plaidfro]

I am going to plate it, it's already titled, all I have to do is go to the DMV, pay taxes and pay for the plate and it's done. No inspection, no blinkers, etc! Gotta love Colorado!

Probably the main reason that I would love to look for my next career in Colorado. If anything in healthcare administration comes up over there send me a PM

 

[Greg]

If you didn't know any better you wouldn't be able to recognize that one! Killer!

Tank looks great too. I've always loved how snug the Acerbis fit the Yamaha's they hardly even bulge out.

Seats are a double edged sword for me. I loved my old KTM and ATK for having an unbearably hard seat, it kept me off of it--alert and on my toes. At the same time I love my CR500 as it has a lazy boy and its makes me... well lazy because I always want to relax and sit down That said soft is where its at for the long haul! LOL!

Thanks Andrew, I'm amazed at how well this thing cleaned up! The tank is perfect, I think its a perfect size for the bike too.

I hear you on the seats... I'm used to the massive Corbin seat on my DR650, it's super comfortable. It makes me lazy and I sit more than I should... my legs aren't what they used to be, and my fat ass doesn't help the situation. If I were in better shape and lost a little weight, I think I could be a much faster rider. :-\

Seriously, that bike has turned out incredible. If you decide to sell it in the future, let me know That would make a great second/loaner bike.


I'm curious about Chimney Rock as well. A guy I work with wants to go ride it, I honestly had never heard prior to our discussion. I hear it's some awesome single track.

Thanks for your help with the parts Caleb! I'll keep you posted if I decide to sell it, Catherine isn't happy with me, now that I want to hang onto the bike.

Perhaps we need to put together a RME dual sport ride to Chimney Rock, if Paul is willing to show us around?

What's the V shaped thing on the seat?

That's the One Industries logo and seat vent, I think. There's a small bit of mesh in there, I would imagine moisture could escape.