Rick Sieman's monthly "Don't Ask" column doesn't go live on the Off-Road.com editorial site until next week. But I've decided to reward all our loyal Community members, and you get it here first!  Here's just a taste, you can read the whole thing over there next Wednesday.  Brace yourself!

SUBJECT: YAMAHA ENDURO CLUTCH PROBLEMS

Mr. Siemen,
First, let me tell you that after nearly 25 years of reading your stuff throughout my formative years, I finally have cause to write you. I will, no doubt, sound like so many other sniveling brats that have plague you with questions about their bikes, but I do so at my own risk.

I recently purchased a 1976 IT400C with 768 original miles on it. It has sat for four years with minimal use, and quite obviously, saw little use before that as evidenced by the actual mileage. The bike starts first or second kick, idles beautifully, and cycles through the gears with no problem. I do, however, have one issue.

When the bike is not running, and in gear, I pull the clutch in and attempt to roll the bike and the tranny catches. The clutch will not disengage. My first attempt to remedy the problem was to adjust the freeplay out of the cable at the perch. This helped, but did not cure it.

I took the case cover off and removed the clutch/friction plates after draining the oil, which it had plenty of. They look fine, but they do stick together in a mass when I squeeze the clutch, of course there is no centrifugal force to spin them apart because the motor is off. When I pulled them off the basket they separated with little effort.

The bike will start in first gear with the clutch lever pulled in. Do you think this is something as simple as the cable? Could it just be that I need to run her a bit with some light oil and get the clutch moving again? Finally, could the fiber have swelled and now be out of tolerance?
I appreciate your time and expertise.

Yours,
Matthew Buzzell
Beverly, NJ

The cork swelled up from all those years sitting in oil. You probably need new clutch plates, but before you buy them, try this. Take the cork plates out and clean them thoroughly with contact cleaner. Then, put a sheet of 200 grit wet/dry sandpaper on a small sheet of glass. A piece of glass from a picture frame works fine. Next, rub the plates on the sandpaper a bit (both sides) and after this, hit it with the sandpaper again. Let the plates dry a full day, then re-install. The plates will either work, or the cork will disintegrate. It's worth a try.


***

SUBJECT: MAKING A 2002 CR250 SHORTER

Im writing this with reservation that my spelling/grammar may not be up to par. However, I do have a question regarding motorcycles, and as you may have figured short people. Im 5'7 , 23, and recently bought a 02 CR250, my first bike. Ive been riding for just under a year now and I really enjoy my bike, Ive been riding the Oregon dunes along with doing some minor trail riding. Obviously I need it to be lower; as you said anyone under 5'10; will experience problems, Im no exception. Ive read your article regarding shaving your seat foam down, and thats one option that I will take.

I was curious; are there any other avenues that I could explore regarding the issue? Some more experience riders have told me that you can soften up the front and rear suspension to effectively give you a shorter bike, but, warn it can severely change your ride. How much can I change my suspension without it changing my ride drastically?

On a final note, Im the third owner of this bike; is there a simple way to tell if your bike has been bored out? I wonder because the bike has a myriad of bolt on goodies including V-force reeds, FMF exhaust, etc. Finally, what should I take with me for parts, and do you have any insider knowledge- I should know- regarding the late model two strokes?
Thank you!
Short Guy
Tacoma, WA

Cutting the saddle will make a huge difference. Then you can raise the forks up in the triple clamps a bit (13 mms or so). Combine that with backing off the pre-load on the shock to 110 mms or so, should let the bike settle down a bunch. If you were going to race the bike, this would affect the turning of the bike, but for play/trail riding, it should be no problem. To tell what size piston you have in the bike would require that you take the top end apart.

***

SUBJECT: NO SPARK IN A YAMAHA TTR225

We bought a Yamaha TTR225 that has no spark. Everything checked good by the shop manual specs except the stator checked no good. We installed a new stator but still no spark. Previous owner replaced the coil but the old one checks good. Do the stators sometimes take out ignition modules when they fail?
Thanks.
Kirby
Lafayette, TN


Chances are quite high that you have the wiring hooked up incorrectly. Check out all (and I mean all ) of your wiring for a dead short or a faulty connector. No, stators do not "take out" ignition modules when they fail, as a rule.

***

SUBJECT: WHAT’S AN OLD YAMAHA IT465 WORTH?

looking to get back to enduro, friend has IT 465 ,not running for 6 months says minor issues what is a fair price to offer??? thanks
Mike
Gettysburg, PA

That's a tough question. In good shape, in average condition, a Yamaha IT465 would go for$700 to $1000, depending on details. The "minor issues" could be electrical in nature, which means big bucks. Or the bike could use a top end job, which should cost under $100. Find out what these issues are and deduct what it would cost to fix them from the price I gave you.

***

SUBJECT: HAH! YET ANOTHER WEIRD BIKE

I just bought a Baja Motorsports dirt runner 50cc 4 stroke 3.8hp 2005 dirt bike off a free listings website when i went to see the bike it looked good. It started right up this is when i figured out this guy was putting mix oil in the 4 stroke bike. it went pretty good didn't even smoke that much. it has very weak low end power you have to find the sweet spot to get it to start revving up then it goes to about 5500rpm it starts bogging and you have to pulse the throttle to get it to rev to its max 7500rpm. if you don't give it the right throttle it just holds a bog and eventually dies i bought it for 150$ when i got it i drained the gas and put 94 in it opened up the carb and cleaned it good with throttle body cleaner and brake cleaner. the flout looked good and the high flow jet is clear i sprayed some throttle body cleaner right in the engine thew the intake cranked it let it sit then poured gas right in and cranked it then it would rev up a bit pretty cool with no carb. after all that it runs a farly bit better but still has no low end and bogs a lot the bog is usually consistent to cetain rpm i don't really know what to do next please help thx
Super Devon
Oakville, CANADA


Hmm, this email was far above the norm in degree of difficulty, so we enlisted the Divine Intervention of Father Matt Cuddy. After all, he's an expert in weird bikes and your bike qualifies. So here are his thoughts:

I thought Super Devon was glue, and it came in a tube … whatever.

Devon, here's my unsolicited thoughts on your Baja Motorsports "bike":

Since it is only fifty cee cees, and has less horsepower than most lawnmowers, you have to "go big" with a hop up kit to get the displacement to at least 600cc. You can do this by getting an electric drill and a hole saw, and attacking that puny cylinder with gusto. Just remember, when the fins fall off the barrel, you've gone too far. If you've managed to "bore" the cylinder out to a respectable 700 cee cees or so, you now have to find a piston and set of rings to fit. Might I suggest a piston from a 1923 Hispano Suiza? They work great, and the high silicone content in the cast iron piston insures long life between re-bores and ring jobs. The lord gives us these trials to overcome, and become a better person, or in this case a better Baja 50cc (ahem) "motorcycle".

Now about cleaning the carb with brake cleaner, that's a no-no. You should have used oven cleaner, and a nice big sponge. NEVER EVER use brake cleaner on a carburetor; that would be like using aquarium cleaner on a car bumper, or chrome cleaner on a poodle. Get the right tool for the right job Devon, er, Super Devon?

Maybe you can just get rid of the carburetor all together and run the gas line directly into the intake manifold, It ran OK when you did it last time, right? Maybe you've invented some kind of new fuel-infesting system, that needs no moving parts, or has been untouched by human hands. Amazing stuff there, Super Devon.

Now about the "BOG" you're experiencing, it might be that the motor's clogged up with cranberries. Get it? Bog? Cranberries? And if, in fact, it is cranberries causing the "bog", you can get one of those super juice machines from the Juice Man and squeeze up some Cranberry Juice that's good for the urinary tract. See, when life gives you bogs, make juice! Ha! That's a good one...

So Devon, er, Super Devon, I give you these thoughts so you can achieve greatness with your little Baja Bike, that I'm sure will one day be as fast as a top fuel dragster, and have all the torque of a Massey Ferguson tractor.

Send me five holy cards and say 15 Hail Marys.

Yours Truly
Fr. Matthew Cuddy
St. Finbar
Burbank