"New Baja"

noseoil

noseoil

Active Member
#1
#1
Got a "new" to me Baja MB165 yesterday, it's a 2004. It needs a bit of care, but it runs, so it's good. Did an oil change this morning & it looked like 8 ounces of gooey graphite came out of the crankcase, nasty stuff. Put in some new oil & ran it a bit, so it's much happier now. It sat for a year, so the idle is a bit lumpy (sorry, no cam). Drained the old gas & added some fresh stuff, hopefully it will clean itself out after a tank or two. Has anyone added some injector cleaner to a tank of fuel to help clean things out?

Thinking about the TAV conversion for a smoother & quieter ride, along with new brakes, they seem a bit strange. Wondering if the shoes are still intact.

Would post pictures, but that's not happening now with my membership yet, so will have to edit the thread once I get permission. Looking forward to meeting some people here. In my second childhood & enjoying it!
 
Raskin

Raskin

#3
#3
Hi..if oil that bad maybe get a seafoam spray type product because valves probably all crusted with carbon..take gas tank off and empty,blow filter out maybe get new carb.they're not expensive or try cleaning it.new or clean plug..i had an engine lock up and put seafoam type product in sparkplug hole and let sit overnite and if freed up..good luck..:thumbsup:
 
noseoil

noseoil

Active Member
#4
#4
Will try the Seafoam stuff & see how it works. I hadn't heard of it before, so it might be worth it if I don't have to take everything apart to make it run smoother. After reading about it online, looks like it's what I'm looking for to clean things up inside the carb & motor itself. I'm pretty sure sitting in the heat with fuel in the carb is what caused it to run badly. "It ran great last year when stopped riding....."

If that doesn't work, a Predator from HF might be the best thing for it. Have a coupon for the $99 sale price on a new one. Starter is getting wonky as it just grabs out at the end of the pull, a carb replacement & one other thing to fix would make a new motor seem like it's worth the $. Bigger displacement, more ponies & better running in general might be the way to go. In for a dime, in for a dollar? Is there any problem with swapping a predator motor into this bike, or is it all the same & just drop it in?

Here's the cleaned up version, getting better. Replaced the old handle bars with a straight 7/8" tube & black paint.
Bars-s.jpg
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#5
#5
noseoil said:
Will try the Seafoam stuff & see how it works. I hadn't heard of it before, so it might be worth it if I don't have to take everything apart to make it run smoother. After reading about it online, looks like it's what I'm looking for to clean things up inside the carb & motor itself. I'm pretty sure sitting in the heat with fuel in the carb is what caused it to run badly. "It ran great last year when stopped riding....."

If that doesn't work, a Predator from HF might be the best thing for it. Have a coupon for the $99 sale price on a new one. Starter is getting wonky as it just grabs out at the end of the pull, a carb replacement & one other thing to fix would make a new motor seem like it's worth the $. Bigger displacement, more ponies & better running in general might be the way to go. In for a dime, in for a dollar? Is there any problem with swapping a predator motor into this bike, or is it all the same & just drop it in?

Here's the cleaned up version, getting better. Replaced the old handle bars with a straight 7/8" tube & black paint.
View attachment 96351
Click to expand...
You can try this stuff. Its available at Home Depot. I have seen it there and they say they use it in there rental equipment when it wont run right.... Sounds good in theory anyway.

Mechanic in a Bottle 24 oz. Synthetic Fuel Additive-2-024-1 - The Home Depot
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#6
#6
noseoil said:
If that doesn't work, a Predator from HF might be the best thing for it. Have a coupon for the $99 sale price on a new one. Starter is getting wonky as it just grabs out at the end of the pull, a carb replacement & one other thing to fix would make a new motor seem like it's worth the $. Bigger displacement, more ponies & better running in general might be the way to go. In for a dime, in for a dollar? Is there any problem with swapping a predator motor into this bike, or is it all the same & just drop it in?
Click to expand...
Yes the Predator will fit and by adding a torque converter at the same time you wont regret the effort. Much better ride and power.

Here is a link to the toque converter you need. I and everyone else on OldMiniBikes will recommend you buy a Comet belt for it.

https://www.OldMiniBikes.com/torque-converter-3-4-bore-41-chain.html?category_id=1710

Be forewarned, the Baja brakes are just fair you can use replacement Honda shoes for a better brake.

EBC Grooved Brake Shoes Rear fits Honda CT125 Trail 125 1977 | eBay


Doug
 
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Raskin

Raskin

#7
#7
What Doug said ↗..↗ ..think tc will fit without cuting away frame parts and you don't have to block engine up from what I've seen..the guys here will help you with install advise
 
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Kooncie23

Kooncie23

New Member
#10
#10
Raskin said:
What Doug said ↗..↗ ..think tc will fit without cuting away frame parts and you don't have to block engine up from what I've seen..the guys here will help you with install advise
Click to expand...
You will have to cut away the bottom of the TC if you go with the predator. Just heads up. Really easy to do.
 
noseoil

noseoil

Active Member
#11
#11
Thanks guys. The "little dude" did the install, so if he can do it, looks like I could figure it out as well. Going to be busy for a bit, but I'll check back in when there's something to show in the way of progress. Thanks for the tip on the Honda shoes. The standard ones look like junk compared to them.
 
noseoil

noseoil

Active Member
#12
#12
Picked up the HF 363 motor & wondering about valve cover clearance at the frame on the rear tube with my frame. Does it fit as is, or will I have to shim the motor up or change the frame a bit (the trusty "hammer" modification)? Still need to order the torque converter, but they had the hemi motor in stock today when I looked & I had a coupon, so figured it was worth it.
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#13
#13
The 2 engines should be a simple swap. I haven't put a 212 in one of my Warriors yet but no one has mentioned it being a problem. They are basically all the same dimensions.

Now a 420 Predator.... That's a completely different story. It takes a 4 inch stretch to fit one in. I am in the middle of building 2 420 powered Warriors.


Doug

Love the ElCamino by the way...
 
Raskin

Raskin

#14
#14
FOMOGO said:
The 2 engines should be a simple swap. I haven't put a 212 in one of my Warriors yet but no one has mentioned it being a problem. They are basically all the same dimensions.

Now a 420 Predator.... That's a completely different story. It takes a 4 inch stretch to fit one in. I am in the middle of building 2 420 powered Warriors.


Doug

Love the ElCamino by the way...
Click to expand...
Say,just curious how many ftlbs torque..15? or more once you're done..
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#17
#17
noseoil said:
Forgot to mention, anyone have a headlight for this thing? Let's see if I figured out how to add a picture yet.... View attachment 96339
Click to expand...
Did you find a headlight for the bike?

OldMiniBikes Warehouse list 2 headlights for the MB 165. A - BAJ_165-019 and a - BAJ_165-019A. One is chrome and one is black. Chat with someone one the warehouse website and they should be able to tell you which one is which.

Doug
 
noseoil

noseoil

Active Member
#18
#18
Back from a week of "dog-sitting" in Colorado.

Just ordered a torque converter & brake shoes this morning, so in a week or two I should be up & running with the new motor & setup. Will post a few pictures of the swap as I go & the finished product once it's done. Thanks for the input everyone.

Didn't get a headlamp yet, still thinking about a LED instead of the stock type. Will have to ponder this one a while longer for the $ & look.

P.S. Picture of my son's girlfriend's dog, Denali (he's still on deployment until later this summer). Sweet dog, but a bit on the large side at 105#. She's a Bernese Mountain Dog & a great companion. Loves the snow, hates the heat.

Denali-1.JPG
 
SAS289

SAS289

Well-Known Member
#19
#19
noseoil said:
Will try the Seafoam stuff & see how it works. I hadn't heard of it before, so it might be worth it if I don't have to take everything apart to make it run smoother. After reading about it online, looks like it's what I'm looking for to clean things up inside the carb & motor itself. I'm pretty sure sitting in the heat with fuel in the carb is what caused it to run badly. "It ran great last year when stopped riding....."

If that doesn't work, a Predator from HF might be the best thing for it. Have a coupon for the $99 sale price on a new one. Starter is getting wonky as it just grabs out at the end of the pull, a carb replacement & one other thing to fix would make a new motor seem like it's worth the $. Bigger displacement, more ponies & better running in general might be the way to go. In for a dime, in for a dollar? Is there any problem with swapping a predator motor into this bike, or is it all the same & just drop it in?

Here's the cleaned up version, getting better. Replaced the old handle bars with a straight 7/8" tube & black paint.
View attachment 96351
Click to expand...
Is it just me or does this bike look more bad ass with that straight pipe handlebar? :thumbsup:
 
noseoil

noseoil

Active Member
#20
#20
The tube I used was just some 16 gauge X 7/8" mild steel. It works well enough & I'm not too tall, so it's comfortable for me.

I got the old engine running better finally, but am still planning on the 363 hemi swap when the other parts arrive.

Took the carb off again & this time I used a fine wire to push through the metal orifice in the plastic sleeve. This is the plastic part which is held in place under the butterfly adjustment screw for the idle, which sits at the top of the carb. The black plastic phillips screw which adjusts the idle rpm by controlling the butterfly stop, is the "lock" for the part which is held under it. Just remove the idle adjustment screw completely, pry the plastic "plug" out from under it with a screw driver (carefully) & blast it with carb cleaner. A very fine copper wire from a lamp cord was all it took to clean out this passage & restore it. I didn't have a drill bit fine enough to do this one. A #60 is way too fat.

Idle came back to "like new" & things are better now in general. The brakes still suck & the clutch is noisy, but that will be fixed soon. More to come....
 
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