1981 Yamaha Exciter 185cc Project

A

avsjack

Well-known member
Hello all,

I picked this up from Craigslist last week for $100. Maybe some of you are interested maybe some of you are not, but I figured I'll post anyway. I know these have a reputation for being crappy bikes, but I am hoping running this for 12 months will make it easier to insure my DRZ/KLR next year :cool:.

The bike has not run for around 5 years and has been stored outside for some of it. I plan to get it running, change the necessary parts and have some fun on it this summer!

Parts on order so far are:

1) Battery
2) Chain and sprockets
3) Tyres
4) Front and rear brake shoes

Everything else seems to be ok so far, just a little surface rust. I am going to paint her matt black, fit some dirt handle bars and have a blast! It would be great to hear any suggestions of how I could make it better, I'm pretty new to the Toronto scene.

This how I bought it:

As%20Purchased%20(sm).jpg


Front Shoes de-bonded:

Brakes%20(sm).jpg


Chain was so seized, the bike would barely roll!

Chain%20(Sm).jpg


More Pics to follow....
 
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There's no rubber diaphragm in that carb, it's a Mikuni round slide. You will need new o-rings and probably a float valve. This bike is dead simple, you'll get it running in no time.
 
Hi RetroGrouch,

Thank you for the details, the carb is last on the list but I have a spare one, needles and jets etc that came with the bike. I plan to get the rest of the bits on so that it is ridable and then assess the situation.

Thanks again for the input! Very much appreciated!

Jack
 
It looks like a nice little project. Have fun. Have you checked the frame for any twists? Is there any rust in the tank?
 
TorontoBoy said:
It looks like a nice little project. Have fun. Have you checked the frame for any twists? Is there any rust in the tank?
Click to expand...

Hello TorontoBoy,

Yes, that was my first concern too, frame looks to b straight and believe it or not, the tank is as clean as a whistle inside! Looking forward to getting it running as soon as I get a battery for it!

Thanks!

Jack
 
Rusty rear shocks, the RH is far worse as the LH one is covered in chain oil and cleaned up like new! ha

Rear%20Shox%20Rusty.jpg
 
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Complete, now everything in the future is getting painted Matt Black. It is quite possible the easiest process ever! Well after years of spending days at a time preparing vehicles for conventional automotive paints, this goes on in seconds.

The bike owes me around $450 before safety and plates! I am very happy with the outcome, I may change the piston and ring this winter....

Complete%202.png


Complete.png
 
Your bike looks awesome!

I also have a Yamaha Exciter 185 - I am having carb problems! Where can I find how and how much to adjust the carb? Also is there a repair manual for download?

Thanks
Nesh
 
Lol, I have no idea. This was years ago. I literally just threw out a spare carb last week.

I have no idea to be honest, you can find along online.
 
Hey Avs. That bike looks amazing!

Not sure if you'll come back to this old post, but i'd love to hear what you thought of the bike once complete.

I'm looking at one of these (also an 81) on CL for a similar project, but found almost zero info about the bike. The Cycle Chaos entry for this bike is the briefest I have seen:

"The Yamaha SR185 is a motorcycle produced by Yamaha from 1981 to 1982." - yup that's it.

Would appreciate your thoughts for this for a new rider/wrencher.

Thanks!
 
ember said:
Hey Avs. That bike looks amazing!

Not sure if you'll come back to this old post, but i'd love to hear what you thought of the bike once complete.

I'm looking at one of these (also an 81) on CL for a similar project, but found almost zero info about the bike. The Cycle Chaos entry for this bike is the briefest I have seen:

"The Yamaha SR185 is a motorcycle produced by Yamaha from 1981 to 1982." - yup that's it.

Would appreciate your thoughts for this for a new rider/wrencher.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Their last login was four years ago so outlook not so good on them returning.
 
LOL, should have looked at that. Thanks!

Probably should be looking at a slightly more common machine anyway. If they made it for two years and no one has spoken about it since, that probably tells you something...
 
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