1982 430CR Restoration

ensure you get some vent/overflow tubing as well as ensure the passages are clear and clean

I researched a lot of options for suspension service and ultimately went with Drew Smith of Works Enduro Rider. I found a lot of positive comments about his work and I know he’s been around for quite a while – a friend of mine had a W.E.R. steering damper on his ’94 Yamaha WR250. One of the great things about this bike is the quality Ohlins at the rear and it was clear to me that mine were pretty sacked-out. I realized that at this phase of the rebuild I wanted to invest the most into the suspension. Drew was great to work with over the phone and ultimately, aside from rebuilding the guts of the shocks also replaced one pitted shaft and recommended reducing the travel to make it equivalent to a 430WR (I don’t remember the exact amount of reduction he made). I was apprehensive when he pitched me on this but as I would be riding more off-road than motocross he said the reduction would make the bike turn better without losing stability.

Out front, I wanted to match the performance with the Ohlins in the back so I opted for Race Tech Gold Valves. Drew said he has had great results with Gold Valves so I felt I was getting a good, balanced package.

The gold rims are on the faded side but both wheels are in really good condition. For tires I went with the readily available 17” IRC Vulcanduro in the back and a Michelin S-12 in the front.

i think you made a wise choice

Another pic of the progression. This was several weeks ago – stock handlebars repainted gold are mounted. I don’t exactly like the idea of running the stock steel bars. I asked Phillip at Husqvarna-Parts and he recommended Renthal 7/8” Desert Vintage High Bend as a replacement – something to look into.



The pipe bolted-up real nice as did the muffler (repainted gold). The muffler is such a great looking piece and I wish I could run with it but, unfortunately, the stock muffler is not a spark arrester. I purchased (what turned out to be) a rather beat-up Husqvarna style spark arrester. It needs a lot of attention and is about twice as long as the stock unit that came with the bike. I then found a FMF Turbine Core on eBay. It is nice and compact but an old pipe with a curved bend was welded into the inlet. It will take some creative handiwork to make it fit right.








The rear fender in the photo is a UFO brand made for a 1996 YZ250. It was on the inexpensive side and the fender will fit but it has a large gap under the seat that looks bad and also doesn’t allow the fender mounting threads in the seat to be utilized. I have a reproduction stock fender on order.

The bike is very close to being done.


Happy New Year Café!

LOOKIN GOOD

Happy New Year first of all!
Second,where can I buy the green connector hose between the pipe and silencer?
No hose at any auto parts store I have found works very good. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

there are places online that sell silicone hose in various sizes by the foot, im betting a size would be available..

Not sure what was used above, but I use high temp turbo charger hose. Cheap and easy to find on line.

The connector hose on mine is what was on the bike. I believe it is the stock connector.

I finally got around to taking pictures of the complete bike. I had the stock tank painted by a local guy and not only did he give me a great price, he gave me the '83 tank as it sitting in his shop collecting dust for years. I also picked up a Malcolm Smith and a Clark tank. The MS tank has about a 2" transition at the seat where there is a threaded bolt hole – not the safest. I like the look of the '83 and will probably use it as a rider.

Show tank


Rider tank


Clark tank


MS tank

Great job!

Very nice, I like the 82's.

Great job! The bike looks amazing. Nice options with the multiple tanks.

Just curious, after a couple of years, how is the bike doing?

an ACERBIS NOST rear fender is what you need for that bike. you should be able to score a new one for around $30. ditch that yamaha fender.

The bike has been a blast. It gets ridden a handful of times each year mostly with the large white Clark tank. It shares duty with a 1986 400 Enduro I purchased in late 2016. Both bikes are equally fun to ride but I prefer the 400 for the woods as I can ride it with less effort (less prone to stall).

I raced a couple of hare scrambles on the 430 mostly when I was still figuring it out. I’m looking forward to doing some more but I’m a fair-weather rider – I like conditions just so. Our local riding area is host to national hillclimbs. My son noted that he, on his KDX200, had a harder time keeping up with me on the 430 than on the 400. It could have been the brand new IRCs on the 430 versus the trials tire on the rear of the 400. The 430 is fast but fast like good 250 not insane like a Honda CR500. But it does take a lot of effort to work it around tight off-camber single track.

I dropped in a 3.0 slide in the carb which smoothed out the jetting. I also added a primary gear, clutch, and kick start gears from a ’86 400. This really helped with starting and will hopefully prevent me from getting dead last starts at the races. I also know I have some case rot going on. I had oil leaking near the drain bolt so I had the magnesium welded. It’s held for over two years. At some point I’ll go in and do a complete rebuild. I took a gamble and have been riding it since I got it without so much as taking the head off. It runs good.


The bike is a lot of fun and it turns a lot of heads.

Excellent to hear and thanks for sharing.