72 Buffalo

[turnofftheradio]

I thought this site disappeared a few years ago?
Since then I have not had any progress on my bike. I had bought this buffalo from a buddy a few years back, no title $100 with a box of parts. hadn't run in at least 15 years according to the plate on it. I managed to sort it out to the point of running/driving but I'm pretty sure the crank seals are toast as the crank oil gets all foamy after a bit.
The good news is that recently I have acquired the paperwork needed to get a proper title and registration, so my interest is renewed, not to mention the return of this board, which is a huge resource for me, and a motivator to get some work done when I see everyone elses

On to pics!








It appears to be a mix of bikes, the cylinder is from a newer gt, along with a variety of odds and ends, but the frame and tag at least match.
Thanks for the help so far! never would have made it this far without this board and a few other dedicated 2 stroke fans!

[two-stroke-brit]

so whats your plan of action ,
where are you going to start.
the gages still look good and i like the blue paint.
mark.

[turnofftheradio]

Unfortunately, I'll have to strip it down to the crank. not sure if the crank itself is worth attempting myself so I'll probably farm that work out. once the engine is out I guess all bets are off and it will most likely be a mostly original resto, that can be driven, not just stared at, so there should be some modern upgrades involved. I like it just fine the way it is, but there is a lot of cleaning polishing that needs to be done, and it would be silly not to paint the frame and related parts while it is apart. Hopefully I can find some of the 72 specific parts that are missing here to keep it more accurate. I'm excited to have my interest renewed in this project, and I have a nice new big garage to complete it in

[two-stroke-brit]

I am with you on the useable restore !
That was my theme with my 73 .
You can do a lot to update without detracting from the overal .
Taper head stock brgs,Newtronic ignition,progressive suspension, are all simple but effective .good luck
Mark

[tz375]

Cylinder looks like a late 72 model and is probably original. I'm not sure when the change from bolt on flanges to spigot mount carbs happened, and my parts list is clearly now 100% accurate.

For the crank, our Go-To guy is Bill Bune in Anoka MN.

[turnofftheradio]

After reading all the info here about bill, I am very comfortable sending him my crank. and am confident I can build a nice crank box too

[two-stroke-brit]

talking of crank overhalls ,i got all the brgs from here and on ebay and such, but would have been better just sending it to bill as i had removed it . they will examine it and just replace whats needed if you want.
and they do a great job .
mark

[evol02]

I recently picked up what appears to be a 1972 engine by the serial #. Turns over and goes through all gears without issue. I'm in California if you would be interested in it. I do see that TZ says yours might be a '72 after all.
Either way, good luck!
(I need to send my T500 crank to Bill!)