kickerfox

Boys will be boys and this project brings back memories of the hodge-podge dirt bikes my friends and I rode as kids. None of us had alot of money back then (1985?) so we'd rig together whatever would could to get a motor and two wheels moving including a 3.5hp Briggs and Stratton engine bolted to a piece of wood that was hose-clamped into an old Yamaha street bike frame I found in the garbage.

The project-of-the-month goes to this 1986 Husqvarna WR125. Someone was selling this on Craigslist. I ended up swapping an older computer for it. The bike is mostly complete and in great shape for being 26 years old but the top end of the motor is shot as well as worn shafts everywhere. Kickstarter, output, and shifter shafts are all wobbley. Crankcase also has cracked off pieces like the clutch cable mount and front sprocket guard mounts. It's "well used".

For only being a 125cc, the frame on this thing is huge. It's in the back of an S10 pickup and barely fits from corner to corner. If you take a look at the engine you can see just how large the frame is. It has a nice large engine cradle that's a perfect candidate for an engine swap.

I chose an old CB360 engine for the swap. Not a race winner but it's still a Honda twin and could sound neat with the right exhaust. It's also air cooled which would eliminate some weight like the radiators. In the end I'm sure it will still be heavier then the 125cc engine but with the right rear sprocket I'm sure it'll move.

The CB360 engine has electric-start which is a plus. The unfortunate part is the chain, like most bikes, is on the left. The Husqvarna is backwards with the kick on the left and the chain and drum-brake on the right. Fortunatly the frame is somewhat symetrical and I found a old RM250 wheel with a left sprocket and right drum-brake. Perfect. The swing-arm -may- have to be flipped upside down (for rear sprocket clearance). It will bolt to the frame that way but I'll have to cut off and flip the shock mount.

A final thing to make note of. I have the original 1986 title for this bike. I'm thinking... street legal motard? Next time a car cuts me off I'll just drive over it.

kickerfox

The Sawzall attacks.

Started some mods to the frame. I have to drop the engine cradle about 1" in order to get the engine sprocket in the correct location. This is due to the large sump on the CB360 engine. The foot pegs also need to be moved out about 1.5" and a custom brake lever.

I'm trying to source some 30-32mm slide carbs. The most common ones I can find are 2-stroke snowmobile carbs. Those typically have a wide range of jets available.