250-500cc Opinions on potential '92 WXC 360 purchase

[Dauer]

That's very helpful, thank you. I figured I'd take a good look at the kickstarter and cycle it through a few times to ensure the operation is as should be. It does look clean so as you mentioned I'm hoping the internals are just as clean. It's a bit of a gamble but I agree that I should be able to break close to even if I have to part it out, but I really want to ride it!

 

[2premo]

take a 5mm allen wrench with you, pull the mag cover
twist the mag back and forth it will alert you to any loose parts between the crank and the piston
lift the mag up and down, there should be no play you can feel by hand
the above advice in the kickstarted is handy
buying used means be prudent and get what you get
i do agree it seems like a low hours bike, but garage kept means the plastic would look this good regardless of miles
the upside is mechanical parts are easier to source than the plastic which looks good
enjoy the ride

 

[Dauer]

That is also very helpful. I realize buying used is always a risk, as you said the more prudent you are the better. As much as I want the bike to be great I understand I need to approach with caution and objectivity. You guys have been extremely helpful, I'll report back promptly upon the outcome.

 

[Dauer]

Well, I did it. I'm the proud new owner of a '92 WXC 360. Made the 130 mile trek each way (that's far when you live in Rhode Island) in a snow storm. Upon inspection in person the bike isn't as clean as hoped but it's complete and a solid foundation for a 23 year old dirtbike. Aside from the no-spark condition the clutch seemed to not be functioning as it should (bike wouldn't roll with clutch disengaged), seller said it's because he had 80w in it and it was 10 degrees out but I'm calling BS on that. None the less the topend had great compression and the crank was very tight, no play what-so-ever. It has an FMF Fatty and a dyno port silencer.
The seller wouldn't budge on the price, he knew he had the upper hand given the time/distance I had invested already, I wasn't going to drive home with an empty truck bed for $100. Not to mention a NOS enduro kit was included in the deal. This kit is sweet, never opened with the lights, lighting coil, associated wiring, odometer, hub drive housing for odo, cables, mounts and decals. All from circa 1992! Pic isn't the greatest because it was dumping snow and the garage is a little tight but here it is:

 

[justintendo]

great! wouldnt worry too bad about the rolling in neutral thing yet, many bikes wont if they have sat. looks like you have a great project there! once you adjust the clutch internally in the basket, get it running and put some lighter oil it will likely be ok.

 

[Dauer]

Thanks, that's some reassuring info. According to the PO the bike hasn't ran since last summer so hopefully some adjustment and an oil change will be all it takes. Plan to trouble shoot the lack of spark, if it is in fact the stator I may spring for a PVL ignition. Before I get to that point I want to really go through it and get a solid assessment of it's overall condition before I really start throwing parts at it. The information and help provided by fellow forum members has been invaluable, many thanks.

 

[juicypips]

pvl some dont like im curious as i would like to make my wr a cr ignition set up, these things are a love hate relationship at times, change ht lead n plug cap first. go from there then buy lectron and dont look back. yes parts are hard to aquire but thats some of the fun rod kit previously mentioned pro-x do one and i have a 360-380 ktm 1997 one in my 360 as we speak its a perfect match bar the lube hole in the small end. good purchase buddy look forward to seeing more of it in the future.

 

[justintendo]

probably not a really tantalizing prospect but at some point i would pull the clutch cover and then the basket and inspect the kick idler gear. the gear rides on a shaft that is bolted to the cases, this bolt likes to back out and cause damage. it is not a big job and can be done with the motor left in, im sure you want to flush and drain coolant anyway..just food for thought. when or if this bolt backs out it wrecks the cases and clutch basket. this is why i wanted you to check kicker operation. i dont want to scare you and say do not ride till this is done but something to think about, and you for sure need to do it if you do any other work in that area..when i bought mine i had to install used case as mine was already skipping when you tried to kick it. i didnt know to look for that. these motors are an anvil otherwise...

 

[Dauer]

Thanks for that. Being a '92 and unique in it's ignition setup it seems my options are limited, I could rewind the original or retro-fit a later model stator. Would be interested in people's opinions on the PVl but again I'm getting ahead of myself. Will start with the plug cap and go from there.

 

[justintendo]

the only negative i have heard about pvl was lack of spark at low kick rpm. this a problem on older swedes like 430 and 500 that seem to fire only once for every full kick. the 360 has different kick gearing and spins a bit faster, so im not even sure if that applies to it. never heard of reliability issues with pvl. i still have motoplats on my older huskies and my 360 has a kokusan. have heard lots of good about the electrex/hpi.

 

[Dauer]

Again, you guys are a fountain of knowledge. Seeing as there's a 2' blanket of snow covering everything time is on my side and as much as I want to ride this thing I don't want to rush anything. Anything I can do to ensure a healthy 360 is time well spent IMHO.

 

[justintendo]

the 360 is a bizarre engine, especially ours with have the earlier porting. they run like a four stroke almost down low then as the mid range transitions they become a 2 stroke then when the power valve opens they become a hyper 250! its down the road but i will lsay the lectron is a great carb and i will never shell out money again for anything carb related that doesnt say lectron on it. very sweet versatile motor

 

[Dauer]

After hearing how great the power band on these early 360's are the anticipation is killing me but I know once I get this thing whipped into fighting shape it'll be worth it. The little I know about the Lectron carb is all positive, I will definitely be taking a look at one once she's up to snuff.

 

[juicypips]

Admittedly i did seize my 93 cylinder and new wossner piston but the 17hours it was running for on full chat was warp speed 9 captian fecking loved it!
Dunno if tolerance piston to bore was too tight but she cold seized on a cast liner so probs my fault.
Get it running right you will be in luuvve

 

[Miezie666]

... to mention a NOS enduro kit was included in the deal. This kit is sweet, never opened with the lights, lighting coil...



Does that mean you ve got all the parts with the bike to get it back running?

 

[Dauer]

Sadly not, just the parts needed to convert a MX/XC to an enduro model.

 

[justintendo]

weird..cant you post a pic of the goody bag stuff?

 

[Dauer]

here it is, I could be confused about what I have. Perhaps to guys can provide some insight.

 

[justintendo]

i see, i was just wondering about the lighting coil, as that would mean you had another stator. the stator on the bike is already capable of powering a light but i see the kit comes with the voltage regulator/rectifier. very cool that all comes with the kit tho! definitely sweetens the pot!

 

[Dauer]

Yup, chalk that up to ignorance on my part. I think I was under the impression that the WXC wasn't equipped to run lights because the aftermarket PVL ignition for the bike wouldn't run lights. I'm just basing this on info I read on huskyclub.com regarding the PVL. Again, pardon my ignorance if this isn't the case. I thought the kit was pretty cool though.