250-500cc 1994 wxe360 --> 2011 wr300 plastics & radiators

*** For those wondering, you can't just swap parts and get this done. In addition to the pile of parts, you will need to cut and weld on your perfectly good frame. ***

This is my build thread. The title tells the plan. I'll post pics as it goes along.

This all started as an attempt to get the bike ready for two days of riding at Big Bend Ranch State Park. I was worried about having a hose issue out there. I've bought several used sets of the radiator hoses for the 1994 over the past several years since they are NLA from Husq. I have never had a hose fail, but with the 360 pipe sticking way out there to hit as many things as possible while riding, I've had to bend the pipe away from the Y hose a few times. All the Ys I have are slightly melted from this contact. Later radiators and a Chinese hose set seemed like just the ticket. Best I can tell, I'll need to change up the mounting points, but with the new hoses, hopefully everything will work out.

Then I decided I'd like the bike to look newer. That is when the money started falling out of my ass.

My current order of operations: Get everything here, and attach what attaches. Once the bolt on stuff is in place, I'll work my way along attaching things until...well, everything is attached. In addition to the radiator mounts, I'll need to fab new tank mounts. I think I should have the rear section in place and use those to position the tank fore/aft. I'll mount the tank and radiators at the same time so I can use the shrouds to generally line things up before welding.

The most frustrating thing I've encountered so far is backordered parts with no expected delivery date. I must have a functioning bike before we head out at the end of January, but the seat and left tank shroud are MIA. Ebay only has crap seats, but as time goes by, they will look less crap. I'm trying not to use aftermarket shrouds since I have all the rest new oem. Come jan 12th or so, I'll have to order something regardless.

I currently have a 3.4gal IMS tank purchased from the classifieds on here, gpi radiators, and flatland racing rad guards/braces. Everything else aside from what I list below is on its way.

So, as I wait for things to arrive, this is my list of needs:

OEM 2011 left tank shroud 8000H3977 - backordered
Seat, black 8B00A8334 - backordered
Tank/Seat mounting hardware as pictured. I ordered everything but item 8 because it was ridiculously priced, but half of it was backordered. I cancelled it all. If you have this setup from a bike you parted, hit me up.

So there we are. I'll post updates as parts show up. Tank and radiators are not that exciting right now. They basically don't fit, but that was expected.

How about using the 2010 tank shrouds

I am not opposed to 2010 shrouds. I already have the right 2011 coming. Have a pair cheap?

After looking the 2010 shrouds are more expensive than the 2011 so they are probably not an option. How about plain shrouds.

U still need a pic of that part taps?

If you could, yes. A few dimensions would be ideal too. I found one pic on ebay, but it is in a pile of other parts and hard to tell sizes. They wouldnt sell it without the triple clamp. Seems most of the people parting the bikes don't bother listing that item. Thanks.

And yeah, I'll likely order a set of aftermarket shrouds early January if they have not shipped the shroud by then.

Bolts 100mm m6 I think(8mm hex head). Spacer thing is 45mm long n 23 mm at skinniest, 27mm at widest. Has a rubber oring type thing where sits in tank recess

27mm where oring is 23mm at bottom wat I meant. Black tape jus my pov job to stop seat movin on post much

That is extremely helpful. Thanks!

No worries mate. Can't see any real reason for the machined spacer type thingy. Block of rubber around a steel/ally sleeve would do the same id imagine jus put thick washer top n bottom. Obviously need the reduced bit for seat/post attachment. Good luck dude

If U nd more exact measos let me know

You drop something on the bridge of your foot dude..

Summer mate-thong rash!

We spent 2-3 weeks in Australia during February a few years back hitting Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney. Although we don't get much winter here in Texas, I would be willing to take some of your summer again right now. It was 78F and rainy last night, and we woke up to 31F this morning.

I made a little progress while I'm waiting on my orders to roll in. Pay no attention to all the crap in the background of these pics. My garage is always a mess. Wife makes me keep the house clean, but she leaves me alone out there.

1. Made the radiator standoffs



They are about 3/4" diameter to match the mounting rubbers and havea tapped 6mm hole. If I remember right, they are just over 1/4" thick to match the height of the original mounting brackets. I can thin them if need be, but with the current thickness, I won't need to drill holes in the frame for bolt clearance. 4 of those will get welded directly to the frame, and I think 2 might need supports behind them since they could be floating in space. Can't really tell until I get the final position for the tank.

2. made the main fuel tank bumper mount tube



Didn't pay attention to the dimension on the length. Simply made it so that it put the rubbers in the proper place. I did drill it all the way through just for good measure. You know, saving weight and all.



That is about where the mount is on the later frames, and I can't imagine needing to drop the tank any lower than it is now. I plan to make brackets like the original mount (still attached to the upper section of the frame in this pic) that will let me position the tank wherever it needs to go.



The height on the tank as it sits looks about where it needs to be. I'd ideally like the radiators positioned a touch higher than this pic, but if the tank goes there, that is where they will have to sit. The hoses to the lower radiator nipples are quite cozy with the engine, but I'll put some nylon sleeve over the hose where it crosses over the power valve. At least the current position clears the pipe and tank - and should also clear the fender.

I hope to have the subframe, hoses, rear side plastics, and one tank shroud this week. Not sure when the rest will roll in, but that should let me get the tank position finalized.

My Delorme inReach SE shows up tomorrow too. That won't help me finish the bike, but it is one more step in getting ready for the coming trip!

Good work my man.

Wats goin on taps were doin a resto here n that pipes still dirty?!! Those tanks did leave a fair gap above top frame tube on the later year bikes I believe. We never did get a decent oversize tank for the 300/later 250s n 360s

Haha, I had a similar thought. It is sort of burned on at this point, but I have "paint pipe" at the bottom of the to do list. I figured I would wait until the bike is ready to be put back together before cleaning up the exhaust. Besides, I might need to heat and tweak the pipe a touch before this is all done. I'd really like to find a gnarly pipe eventually, but my wife would not be thrilled if I spent that money right now.

I was happy to find a 3.4 gallon IMS at a reasonable price, and that is the only reason I considered doing this swap in the first place. I rather like the look of the 92-94 plastics, and I really liked the 3+ gallon original tank. The later factory tanks were a no go, but even with the aftermarket tank, I plan to carry extra fuel.

BTW, I look forward to being able to access the plug without removing the tank. Also look forward to some more modern ergos. The stock setup was plenty comfy for trail riding, but it felt more like I was riding a KLR than a semi modern KTM.

Question: Are the two rubbers and the odd tank/seat bolt the only places the tank touches the frame? I don't see anything else in the breakdown that would lead me to believe I'm missing a piece of rubber or something at the back of the tank, but I want get it as close to a factory type install as possible. The bottom of the hold down hole in IMS tank doesn't look like something pushes up there, and if it does rest on the frame at the back, I'm surprised there isn't a piece of rubber like they use on some of the other bikes. TIA

There should be two top hat shaped rubbers in the rear of tank with a m6 spacer in the middle.
The idea being it can done and flex but still be solid.

It almost sounds like you are describing the thing I took a pic of in an earlier post - items 9, 18, 19. Or are there others somewhere else?

And the only rubber thing in the bolt assy is the o-ring #30, right? So does #2 go under the tank, #9 on top (is that really the same as the other rubber #9 from below the tank?) with #8 using the #30 o-ring on top of that? And it is #8 that the seat hooks into, correct?

Sorry if I'm making this overly complicated. It doesn't help that the drawing and shawbagga's pics don't look very similar.