Looked at a 93 DR350 yesterday

It's in ruff shape; filthy, gas tank dent, no turn signals, etc, etc. But it's dirt cheap and I'm sure I could part it out and make a little money if I can't get it running. Here's the thing, the owner said it 'just died' while he was riding it and he pulled the clutch in and stopped. The kickstarter wouldn't move at all, but the tranny will shift into gear and neutral. I asked if he'd tried to bumpstart it and he hadn't so he tried it and the kick starter worked for a few kicks then froze again. It sounds to me like a problem with the kick starter instead of the motor locking up. What say you guys?

Sounds like way more trouble than it's worth.

Pull the plug, open the timing cover and put a wrench on the crank and try to turn it over while listening and feeling. --or-- Pull the plug, put it in gear and try to turn the rear wheel. If you do pick it up, take a magnet and put it in the oil drain pan and drain the oil. Examine the magnet for hangers-on.

How much is the owner paying you to haul off his trash?

Rough crowd this morning! I don't think the motor is locked up since the kick starter did work for a few kicks after he tried to bump start it, but I could be wrong...it happened one time before..well maybe twice! Anyway, for what I talked him down to I could probably sell the wheels and make my money back.

not2shabby said:

Rough crowd this morning! I don't think the motor is locked up since the kick starter did work for a few kicks after he tried to bump start it, but I could be wrong...it happened one time before..well maybe twice! Anyway, for what I talked him down to I could probably sell the wheels and make my money back.

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We just call em' like we see em'. :lol:

Offer a case of beer and call it good!

Bugnatr said:

not2shabby said:

Rough crowd this morning! I don't think the motor is locked up since the kick starter did work for a few kicks after he tried to bump start it, but I could be wrong...it happened one time before..well maybe twice! Anyway, for what I talked him down to I could probably sell the wheels and make my money back.

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We just call em' like we see em'. :lol:

Offer a case of beer and call it good!

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+1, Gunny; Good Call Doug, I wouldn't pay more than $100 for the DR350 not2shabby is describing. You can pick up clean, farkled and cherry Suzuki DR350's all day long in Phoenix for $1K tops:

Well, I've got him down close to that. It's the street legal version, they go for a little more. I figure if I can get it running for around 3-400 total, it'll be worth it. If not, the wheels, frame, forks, shock, carb, etc. will all go on fleabay and I'll make a few bucks.

Now...has anybody ever had a kick starter go bad? From what I've researched, it's possible and the cases don't have to be split to get to it. I have found DR's do have an issue with a bolt coming out right behind the clutch basket that causes problems.

Hmmmm, found another possible issue.

https://webpages.charter.net/jrandall/dr350/dr_crank/dr350_crank.html

not2shabby said:

Hmmmm, found another possible issue.

https://webpages.charter.net/jrandall/dr350/dr_crank/dr350_crank.html

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not2shabby I am really not trying to sound like your wet blanket Irish Uncle, but the DR350 in the condition you have found it in and the way that you have described it has really given me the chilly willies!

I just have a bad feeling it will take at least $600 to get the beast you have located up and running. Once again, here is another DR350 in Phoenix on Craigslist that can be had for a grand; plus, this one is farkled to the max with great aftermarket offroad gear!

All the nice ones around here are going for $1200 at least and usually 1500 or higher. They get snapped up pretty quick too. Seems like a lot of people want dual sport bikes these days.

I'm gonna do some more research and sleep on it again.

Oh just buy the damn thing then ask the guys over at ADVrider to help.

BikerGeek99 said:

Oh just buy the damn thing then ask the guys over at ADVrider to help.

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I did...the guy called me last night soon as I got home from work asking if I wanted to meet at the bank so we could do the title...wasn't expecting him to call till tonight. Anyway, I didn't get it home till 7:30 or so and drained the oil. Hmmm, the oil that came out of the frame resevoir looked pretty clean. The oil out of the engine drain...not so much. It did have a few metal flecks in it, but nothing real bad. I think someone might have fibbed about keeping the oil level checked. So next I go to remove the clutch cover which requires removing the kick starter. Got the hex bolt off that holds it on and spray the splines with Liquid Wrench and let it sit a few minutes...then it will slide about half an inch then stop. WTF! I can't figure out what's keeping it from coming off. By now it's getting late so I said F-it and took a shower and went to bed. Guess I'll stop at Autozone on the way home and pick up a small gear puller to see if that'll work. Anybody ever have this happen to them? the last bike I had with a kick starter was when T-rex stillroamed the earth. Hopefully I'll get the prolem figured out tonight, the next few days I have to tear all the tile, laminate a carpet out of the house! I think the wife unit is gettting even for all the $$$ I've spent on bikes in the last year! Right now, there are 4 in the garage, the Honda XR100, Kawi KE100, DR350 and of course, the Feej. Hmmm, all of the big 4 are represented!

I did take a pic of it with my Droid and tried to upload it to Photobucket, but only about 5% of it uploads...dam phone.

Did some more disassembly tonight and it just might be a cheap fix. Finally got the clutch cover off and all seems well in there





Then I removed the cam cover/rocker arms combo and found a problem.



See the exhaust valve pad the cam rotates against? Compare it to the intake side which is convex. Hmmmm.



One more view. Here's the cam and valve springs. Not too bad. Notice the exhaust cam has some wear on the opposite side of the lobe.









When it's in neutral I can turn the clutch basket about half a turn in either direction and then hear and feel a clunk. I guess the next step is to take the head off and see what the valves look like. Hopefully they haven't pulverized the piston or bent the con rod. It'll be a while before I get to it, gotta start working on the flooring tomorrow.

Not too terrible yet and the cam may be salvageable.. A little over $200.00 in parts for the cam and rocker valve arm from Bike Bandit.

UberKul said:

Not too terrible yet and the cam may be salvageable.. A little over $200.00 in parts for the cam and rocker valve arm from Bike Bandit.

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It's still unknown why it won't turn over though. I'm thinking worst case, it dropped a valve. Hopefully it didn't trash the piston,con rod, or the head. I think the cam is still ok, but not sure why the wear is on the opposite side of the lobe. My goal is to get this running for $500 total or less. I need to get a shop manual too, maybe the decomp mechanism is to blame.

Ok, back to work on the floors!

Keep up the good work here not2shabby, I am very interested to see what the final fix will be on your DR350!

beemerdons said:

Keep up the good work here not2shabby, I am very interested to see what the final fix will be on your DR350!

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Thanks! I was really expecting to see the cam and journals schorched from oil starvation. Big relief to not find that cause it's almost impossible to get a used cylinder head for a DR350. Pretty popular bike right now I guess. I'm thinking about pulling the cylinder head off later when I 'run out steam' on this home improvement project!I am ahead of schedule, already got the laminate up in the kitchen/dining room and busted up all the tile in the foyer. If I can get a room or 2 of carpet pulled up, I'll be in good shape.

Ok, break time is over...back to work!

This repair report is as good as a ride report. :lol:

Stick with it, my son has a 1999 Dr-350 and that little bike rocks. There are also still plenty of hop up parts available if you want to go that route. 441 kit, bigger cams, exhaust, pumper carb, better suspension, larger fuel tank. It really is a good bike in the woods. Over at ADVrider do a search on "DR350 Thread" and you'll be pleased with the amount of info available.

Canadian FJR