new texan member who blew up his gt380

[nateryan]

like the title says im new here. i recently seized my 72 gt380 due to a huge leak in the 2 cycle tank.

which brings me to now. my crank is destroyed. well just the center rod and we all know how much rebuilding a crank cost and also there isnt anyone in texas that can fix it apparently.

so if anyone knows of a good shop in the usa that i can send my crank to or someone that has a center cylinder for sale.

also any good sources for a full gasket kit as well as procedure for starting a newly rebuilt two stroke as i am quite new to the world of 2 stroke triples. any info would be appreciated. im well aware of the break in process but wondering of any tricks or tips while putting the motor back together so that i dont blow it up again when i get it back together.

one more thing. want new suspension as we all know the gt380 is a lump and could use some new shocks when it was new not to mention in its 40 year old state.

[tz375]

Check the FOR SALE section for a complete rebuild "kit" at bargain prices.

[pearljam724]

Bill Bune in regard to the crank. With the suspension, I suggest refilling the front forks with thicker motor oil. I weigh 180 pds and I like the firmer front end feel on my 550 using 20/50. But, I like to ride a little fast in turns. So, that suits my riding style. It may be too thick for your riding style and weight. I don't suggest that viscosity if you like to ride in the cold. The thicker oil helps a lot to dampen the compression and rebound of the soft oem springs. The other and best option would be to buy heavier aftermarket springs. But, there is really no need with the heavier oil. I would also highly suggest raising both ends of the bike. You can raise the front, by dropping the forks through the triple trees anywhere from 1/4 to 5/8 inch. You can raise the rear with aftermarket piggyback shocks. Not only can you raise or lower the rear. They allow a lot more flexibility in adjusting the proper rebound, compression and sag depending on your specific weight and riding habits. I bought these off of Ebay for 100 bucks for my 750 and really like the way the bike handles in turns, now that I have raised it considerably. There are gasket kits all over Ebay. I suggest oem head gaskets. The others are not that important to be oem. Any will work fine. In regards to not blowing up the bike. I suggest not riding down the road with a big hole in your oil tank.

[nateryan]

Bill Bune in regard to the crank. With the suspension, I suggest refilling the front forks with thicker motor oil. I weigh 180 pds and I like the firmer front end feel on my 550 using 20/50. But, I like to ride a little fast in turns. So, that suits my riding style. It may be too thick for your riding style and weight. I don't suggest that viscosity if you like to ride in the cold. The thicker oil helps a lot to dampen the compression and rebound of the soft oem springs. The other and best option would be to buy heavier aftermarket springs. But, there is really no need with the heavier oil. I would also highly suggest raising both ends of the bike. You can raise the front, by dropping the forks through the triple trees anywhere from 1/4 to 5/8 inch. You can raise the rear with aftermarket piggyback shocks. Not only can you raise or lower the rear. They allow a lot more flexibility in adjusting the proper rebound, compression and sag depending on your specific weight and riding habits. I bought these off of Ebay for 100 bucks for my 750 and really like the way the bike handles in turns, now that I have raised it considerably. There are gasket kits all over Ebay. I suggest oem head gaskets. The others are not that important to be oem. Any will work fine. In regards to not blowing up the bike. I suggest not riding down the road with a big hole in your oil tank.

haha thanks alot ill try that one next time.


as for the fork oil, im not sure if motor oil works that well.
i went with bel ray 10wt, ill see if its heavy enough on the front when i get the motor back together.

i got the cheap emgo shocks, gonna see how that pans out. i can always buy better shocks later. but at the same time have never ridden a bike newer than the 78 kz750 that i had so im sure the difference ill notice between the new rear suspension and the old will be huge.

i ended up buying another motor off of ebay and it was full of muddy water when it got here so ive disassembled it and am trying to get the crank rebuilt. ill probly do bill bune as ive heard thats the place to take your crank.

ive also got a blasting cabinet now and have learned to polish so ill be throwing up some pictures soon.

pretty bike btw. are those jemco chambers?

[pearljam724]

Thanks. No, they are Higgspeeds. I dedicated a ton of hard work and time into it. If you would have only seen it at the start. It was a bloody mess. Any oil works. Fork specific oil is a sales gimmick. Unlike a motor crank, transmission, etc. The oil does nothing to lubricate any specific parts in the forks. The only thing that matters is the viscosity of the oil you choose. Motor oil has been used in forks long before fork oil specific was popular on shelves.

[tz375]

The only thing I'd add is that on teh 750 at least, you can't fit longer shocks with stock pipes - there's a "negative clearance" issue. They are fine with almost any aftermarket pipes though.

I suspect that stock 380 pipes are the same in terms of tight fit, but if you fit chambers, it shouldn't be a problem.

[nateryan]

Thanks. No, they are Higgspeeds. I dedicated a ton of hard work and time into it. If you would have only seen it at the start. It was a bloody mess. Any oil works. Fork specific oil is a sales gimmick. Unlike a motor crank, transmission, etc. The oil does nothing to lubricate any specific parts in the forks. The only thing that matters is the viscosity of the oil you choose. Motor oil has been used in forks long before fork oil specific was popular on shelves.

i guess i never thought about it like that, thanks!

either way its easy to change fork oil so ill try it next time i need to change it.



oh man, i didnt think about the exhaust position after getting longer shocks. well see what happens.

[nateryan]

it keeps telling me that the board attachment quota has been reached when i try to add a picture?

[tz375]

It does that. Try uploading to Photobucket or similar and just link to that using the
"[img]your%20link.......[/img]"

[nateryan]

It does that. Try uploading to Photobucket or similar and just link to that using the
"[img]your%20link.......[/img]"

haha just tried that and my photobucket had been closed i guess for non use,

so i tried to make another account and it went well until it asked for my zipcode and just kept kindof freezing on that page. everything worked but it just wouldnt let me move forward.

[pearljam724]

If it helps, my crank cost somewhere between $250-300 for parts and labor, plus shipping. If, I remember correctly. I think that's fairly reasonable. Also considering the parts cost nearly 100 dollars.

[nateryan]

If it helps, my crank cost somewhere between $250-300 for parts and labor, plus shipping. If, I remember correctly. I think that's fairly reasonable. Also considering the parts cost nearly 100 dollars.

thanks, i looked up bill bunes pricing and it was very reasonible,$150-$200 for triple cranks. i might try to reuse bearings if i can. i have 2 cranks now and most of the bearings are still good, have main seals coming soon. where did you find all the parts? ive been looking around but cant really find a good place or they have seemed really expensive, like more than $100 for seals and bearings.

[pearljam724]

Suzuki, still sells the bearings and seals. That's the where you'll get the best price. Everyone else out there will mark up the price after buying them from Suzuki. You can get away with replacing the outer bearings as you can just replace them on your own once and if the outers go. You'll definitely want to replace the inners at the time of rebuild as those are pressed on I believe. I bought my parts through Bill Bune. He made about a 20% mark up on the parts. I wasn't worried about that, being the over all price I felt was fair.

[nateryan]

oh awesome i didnt think he would have them, i guess ill see when i call them in a couple days. wish i would have known that before.
thanks for the help, i would have probly searched forever before i even called them.

also if anyone knows more about this, i bought new pistons and rings and just wondering if deglazing them myself would be a good idea or if you guys think it would be a better idea to send them to a shop with the pistons for a good honing?

im looking at pretty much the end of the money i can throw into it right now so if it doesnt make a HUGE difference id rather buy the hone and do it myself.

[sportston]

Fork specific oil is a sales gimmick. Unlike a motor crank, transmission, etc. The oil does nothing to lubricate any specific parts in the forks. The only thing that matters is the viscosity of the oil you choose. Motor oil has been used in forks long before fork oil specific was popular on shelves.

You can get away with engine oil, but strictly speaking the oil you use should have good anti-foaming properties. ATF or powersteering fluid works ok, some types of engine oil can work fine but others will work for a while then after a few miles may get too many bubbles in it and stop doing the job so well. But for the money you may as well use fork oil. It aint that expensive on ebay. Gasket kits on ebay are only about £20 too.
You can also find cheap piston kits on ebay. £58 for a set of three with rings is a bargain! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251303823544? ... EBIDX%3AIT