The XR’s new rear.

Today I had a chance to get onto the XR75. I started it last night, but it got to dark before I could finish so today, I wrapped things up.

First thing to come off was the rear tire. I was very surprised to see that the rear tire was only barely being held on. The axle wasn’t even finger tight and the cotter pin to keep the castle nut on was missing! Thank goodness that it hadn’t come off when Issac’s boys had been riding it! The chain tensioners were also only finger tight, the entire rear wheel could move back and forth with no problem!! Even the brake arm cam was loose, they could have lost their rear brakes with a jolt. There were also a good number of very loose spokes.

With the rear off, I cleaned all the parts I came across. I was planning on replacing the rear wheel bearings, but I forgot to order new oil seals… DOH! I have them on order and will get back to them once they arrive. I tightened all the loose spokes, and cleaned off as much rust as I could from the bolts, tensioners, swing arm and frame. The rear brake pads weren’t as bad as I thought they would be, but they still looked like they needed replacing. I tossed the old rear sprocket into the yuck parts bin and put on a shiny new one.

The bolts holding the crank case cover over the front sprocket took a lot of work to loosen and get out, but eventually they gave in. I gave the cover a good cleaning and replaced the front sprocket and lock washer as well.

While I was at it, I took off the rusty banged up chain guard and had a go at it. I cleaned it with soap and water first, then went at it with some steel wool to get off as much rust as I could. I put on thick layer of rust stripper over it and let it sit for twenty minutes, washed it off and then cleaned it with TPS. Once all that was done, it was clean as a whistle and showed no visible rust at all. I sprayed it with Rustoleum primer and then two coats of semi-gloss black and two coats of clear coat. It came out looking really nice!

While the chain guard was drying, I put the new chain on. I have finally figured out how to get the master link on and off easily. Naturally, I didn’t figure this out until I had stabbed myself in the thumb with a small screwdriver. I put the master link on backwards first… DOH! Then took it off and put it on in the proper direction. I then set up the rear wheel with the proper tension on the chain and hooked the rear brake up.

Once the chain guard was dry, I went to put it on and realized, it can only go on with the rear tire off. When it’s on, there isn’t enough clearance to slip it over the chain. Oh man…. Out came the tools I had just put away and all my careful prep on the rear wheel was out the window. Off it came again, the chain off the rear sprocket for a bit more room and the chain guard slid back into place. Once more, I reset the back wheel to it’s proper distance and made sure everything was good again.

The final thing for today was to get the new air filter in. Easy as pie, removed three screws and then wasn’t the least bit surprised to see there was no old air filter in there. It had been running with air going straight to the engine with nothing to filter out the dust and debris. Sigh.

I figured while I was at it, I might as well give the bike a cleaning with a degreasing agent and check all bolts I came across. I took off the seat and was pleasantly surprised to find the old tool set still under there. When I was finished the careful cleaning, I aired the tires up to spec, opened the backyard gate and started it up!

I zipped to the end of our street and back, reaching third gear no problem! WOOT! COOL!

Next on the list is a tune up with new points and an oil change. I know I should have done that very first, but I couldn’t resist the lure of getting it out onto the road. I am still waiting for the new points and couldn’t stand the wait any longer.

I also have to replace the oil and seals in the leaking front forks. The front brakes and wheel bearings, the throttle cable and new grips. Once those things are done, the bike should be in pretty good shape. At least, good enough for now.

Onward for this newbie!