Bought a Winter project

[Tarmacsurfer]

It's been stood for ~10 years but I'm told the engine was 'professionally rebuilt' before this

Not quite sure what to do with it yet. Originally I thought a Walter Wolf rep but every man and his dog has done one. So maybe a road legal track bike as it already has an after market front fairing.
Ideas?

[KungFooBob]

I had a Mk3 Gamma, it seized solid at an indicated 90mph in the fast lane of the M18.

Left a very long skidmark...

[Yorick]

I had a Mk3 Gamma, it seized solid at an indicated 90mph in the fast lane of the M18.

Left a very long skidmark...

That's what the clutch is for.

[Tarmacsurfer]

I had a Mk3 Gamma, it seized solid at an indicated 90mph in the fast lane of the M18.

Left a very long skidmark...

In your pants!

[KungFooBob]

I had a Mk3 Gamma, it seized solid at an indicated 90mph in the fast lane of the M18.

Left a very long skidmark...

In your pants!

I set them up, you knock out of the park

Totally destroyed the engine. I sold the rolling chassis for more than I bought the bike for!

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Not quite sure what to do with it yet. .
Ideas?

Prepare to spend a lot of money

More seriously
1. Decide if you're going to keep the Gamma engine or spend £3K on a YPVS 350 engine and associated carb, exhausts and electrics
2. Assuming you keep the Gamma engine, make sure it has a spark, the cdi and coils are hideously unreliable on Suzuki two strokes of the 80s when they get old - a bad earth can make them fry the cdi and coil.
3. You've got a spark, take the top end of the engine apart and see how bad it is.
4. If the top end is rusty, so will the crank.
5. Check the frame and swingarm for cracks
6. Work out how much everything is going to cost before you start, double your estimated cost and be prepared to spend more.

Good luck

[Skub]

Not quite sure what to do with it yet. .
Ideas?

Prepare to spend a lot of money

More seriously
1. Decide if you're going to keep the Gamma engine or spend £3K on a YPVS 350 engine and associated carb, exhausts and electrics
2. Assuming you keep the Gamma engine, make sure it has a spark, the cdi and coils are hideously unreliable on Suzuki two strokes of the 80s when they get old - a bad earth can make them fry the cdi and coil.
3. You've got a spark, take the top end of the engine apart and see how bad it is.
4. If the top end is rusty, so will the crank.
5. Check the frame and swingarm for cracks
6. Work out how much everything is going to cost before you start, double your estimated cost and be prepared to spend more.

Good luck

You'd need to love it considering that lot.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Not quite sure what to do with it yet. .
Ideas?

Prepare to spend a lot of money

More seriously
1. Decide if you're going to keep the Gamma engine or spend £3K on a YPVS 350 engine and associated carb, exhausts and electrics
2. Assuming you keep the Gamma engine, make sure it has a spark, the cdi and coils are hideously unreliable on Suzuki two strokes of the 80s when they get old - a bad earth can make them fry the cdi and coil.
3. You've got a spark, take the top end of the engine apart and see how bad it is.
4. If the top end is rusty, so will the crank.
5. Check the frame and swingarm for cracks
6. Work out how much everything is going to cost before you start, double your estimated cost and be prepared to spend more.

Good luck

You'd need to love it considering that lot.

Indeed, because you'll never get back what you spend on it if you do it so you'd want to ride it.
Gammas aren't fetching the stupid money that LCs are (but they're not far off), but they're a lot rarer, so the parts can be more expensive and harder to get hold of, do it for the enjoyment of doing it, not to try and make money.
Once it's rideable it'll be a nice bike for Classic Track Days.

[Bustaspoke]

As has been said, If it's your dream 2 stroke you can throw loads of money at it & have a nice 250 Gamma or fit a 350 YPVS motor in there.
If it's not your dream bike,just get it running ,sell it & put the profit towards whatever bike you really want.

[Tarmacsurfer]

Ah so I should take the top end off the engine anyway you think?
Ive rebuilt a few engines in my time but never a 2 stroke. I guess the crank isn't in oil like a 4 stroke.

I'm leaving the gamma engine in.
It's probably a keeper but having done a near concourse slabby before I'm not going down that (very expensive) route again!

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Assuming it turns over

Check for a spark first, it doesn't need a battery to create a spark, it needs a good generator, cdi and coil (and the wiring between them), if it doesn't spark find out why, the cdis are hard to find, I'm guessing you could fit an Ignitech ignition if you can't get a CDI.

If you've got a spark, take the head off and have a look at the state of the cylinder head and barrels, post pictures if you're unsure of anything.

If it doesn't turn over, take the head off and have a look why.

If you decide it's worth reviving join a Gamma owners face book page, everyone will be really helpful, expect a lot of piss taking.

The Gamma engine is very much a water cooled X7 engine, they're pretty easy to work on apart from the kickstart spring, which is an arse to change because you have to split the crankcases.

Gammas ride lovely for a 1983 bike, but they are light and not as durable as the YPVS 350, check the frame carefully for accident damage and cracks, they can be repaired, not sure whether they can be straightened if it's bent.

[Tricky]

Not quite sure what to do with it yet. .
Ideas?

Prepare to spend a lot of money

More seriously
1. Decide if you're going to keep the Gamma engine or spend £3K on a YPVS 350 engine and associated carb, exhausts and electrics
2. Assuming you keep the Gamma engine, make sure it has a spark, the cdi and coils are hideously unreliable on Suzuki two strokes of the 80s when they get old - a bad earth can make them fry the cdi and coil.
3. You've got a spark, take the top end of the engine apart and see how bad it is.
4. If the top end is rusty, so will the crank.
5. Check the frame and swingarm for cracks
6. Work out how much everything is going to cost before you start, double your estimated cost and be prepared to spend more.

Good luck

@Le_Fromage_Grande You are such a little ray of sunshine, you must be an absolute joy to live with
-How's your LC coming on BTW- not seen anything posted on it for ages?

@Bustaspoke in all seriousness, yeah, it is definitely cosmetically challenged and could be a money pit but depends on what you want at the end of it I guess, and it won't necessarily be as severe as our resident grump says.

Assuming that you're not going for a total ground-up restoration, and also assuming that it turns over and has some compression, as a starter ( ) I'd drop the pipes, have a peek up the exhaust ports and down the plug holes, and if all looked semi-reasonable and there's a spark, I'd give the carbs a good clean, treat it to a new set of plugs and a few drips of oil down the plug holes see how she runs and go from there- keep us posted

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

My YPVS hasn't been given any attention for months, I had my usual burst of enthusiasm followed by losing interest, not helped by buying a modern bike that's really nice to ride.

I don't mean to be negative but I want Tarmacsurfer to be aware of what he's letting himself in for.

Got to get the 1982 Kawasaki out this weekend for a clean up and a start up, as it's off to a show next weekend.

[Tarmacsurfer]

I think Fromage is a realist so I'm ok with that lol
Appreciate the advice chaps. Yeah I'm not a novice at this but as mentioned, never done a smoker!
It turns over on the kick-start but no idea of spark or compression. I need to make room in the garage first before starting work on it.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I'm actually a bit jealous

[cheb]

Nice one. I'd drain the carbs, run some premix through the fuel system and see it would start, possibly with the assistance of a bit of carb cleaner.

Knowing it runs before stripping it is a great help IMO.

[Bigyin]

I had a Mk3 Gamma, it seized solid at an indicated 90mph in the fast lane of the M18.

Left a very long skidmark...

How the feck did you fit on one of them, i tried one round Knockhill and nearly ended up binning it a few times as my knees and elbows kept getting in each others way as the bike is tiny and you are taller than me i think

[Tarmacsurfer]

Knowing it runs before stripping it is a great help IMO.

Good call

[Supermofo]

If the engine is junk can't you fit one of them Banshee engines with mega HP for proper fun!

[cheb]

I'd hold off a bit before I threw some petrol in and started it, I've done that and ended up with a seized bike and scored barrels.
Even a sticky piston ring will knacker you up sooner or later. I lost the dowel out of my piston, the ring spun around and got stuck in a transfer port and gouged a massive chunk out, which resulted in a knackered cylinder.

If it's a keeper (and not a do-er upper and sell quickly) then personally I'd get the head and cylinders off, send to Grampian motors for a measure and new pistons or rebore as required. This early work could save a lot of pain later and even if it wasn't actually buggered you'll still know that now you're good for 10k miles.
Check the crank - IME unless it looks knackered and there is obvious play, then it's probably ok.

Taking the cylinders off is so easy that it's not worth not doing, IYSWIM.

Whilst that's being done you can check the frame, if you're not sure then Maidstone Motoliner can advise you on that.

And whilst that's being done I'd junk the cdi, coils, whatever, and associated crap and fit an aftermarket system, like an ignitech, they're so much more reliable and you get a tiny flywheel so it spins up faster. Check the loom over and make sure you have continuity everywhere, old looms get stress breaks in them sometimes, I just literally bell it out from one end to the other to make sure it's all connected.

There isn't really much else to go wrong other than the obvious running gear that just needs TLC, new seals, etc.

Alternatively you could do what I did with my LC. I was reasonably certain that the engine needed a rebuild, but I wanted a bit of fun first, so I fired it up anyway and rode it until it broke, then rebuilt it. Although I know that LC parts are very easy to come by and even cylinders can easily be relined, etc.

That's a fair point, most of the non running bikes have been fit only for breaking if they didn't run.