Rebuilding the Yellow Hornet

After the whining sound started at Corral Canyon, I rebuilt the top end and replaced the clutch pads in the Yellow Hornet. When we took it out to Sequoia, after a little while, something popped and it started making the high pitched whine again. My speculation is that the top end connecting rod bearing (or worse, the bottom end bearing) are burned out and/or the piston ring has broken again causing the noise.

One way or the other, the engine needs to be looked into. As such, I have decided to do a complete rebuild. As of this writing I have gotten most of the parts (all new bearings and seals, pistons, rings, clutch basket, etc) and am preparing to rebuild the engine. This time I will have the cylinder bored out to the 2nd os, and will probably also install the original oil pump (which the previous owner had taken off in lieu of pre-mixing).

So this, as yet unstarted, and unfinished web page will be dedicated to documenting the process of rebuilding the motor on the 1972 Yamaha LT2 that we call "The Yellow Hornet". Keep Watching!