Most of you know my current steed Jolene from our Facebook and instagram feeds. But do you know the story behind the most celebrated and capable dumpster baby??
Jolene in her natural habitat!
Many months ago my friend came to me with a dilemma! She had 3 broken YZ250's and needed one good one but didn't have a bunch of money. I took a look at the situation and quickly realized that there was one old broken but running bike and 2 complete basket cases that were newer. After discussing which suspension and frame she wanted I made her an offer. I said that if she bought the parts for her bike I would do the work in exchange for the other basket case. We shook hands and it was a deal!
This was Jolene when I got her!
We ordered a couple wrench rabbit kits and I got to work. My "bike" was in as many pieces as you can make a motorcycle into. The cases were split, the transmission was disassembled, the frame was separate from the forks and swing arm, even the foot peg mounts were off the frame. She was a mess but I knew I could breathe life back into her with some time!
As things came together I could tell that Jolene and I were going to have a great relationship. I absolutely LOVE YZ250's and I was getting more and more excited to ride another one!
It took a while and some cash but I got Jolene all back together and she was BEAUTIFUL!!! There is such a great feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction that comes only from building a bike from the ground up!
After breaking her in and getting some great hours of fun in I decided to take Jolene racing. Now I hadn't done much racing in the last year or so, so I was nervous and didn't plan on doing all that well but Jolene had a different idea! She was raring to go and all of a sudden we were out front in 2 different classes (Open 2 stroke and 40+ open). I botched one main event but we ended up on the podium for both classes!
Since then we have had some more success at other races and a TON of fun on the trails with my kids and lots of friends. All told I have about $2500 wrapped up in old Jolene and she is one of the nicest bikes I have ever ridden!
I did this build for a couple reasons. One was because I sold my 300 and needed a bike and didn't want to buy another brand new one. The other reason was to show our fans that you don't have to spend a wad of dough on a bike to have fun and even go racing! Of course not everyone can build a YZ250 up from nothing (Although I think pretty much everyone could with some patience) but you can learn and Highland Cycles can help you!
Here is a quick list of all that I did to Jolene to get her up and running:
Rebuilt motor completely including all bearings, crank, piston and cylinder
Replaced all chassis bearings and serviced all suspension
Laced up new rips to stock hubs, 21" front, 18" rear
New plastics and graphics (cause you gotta look good)
Parts added: Flexx Handle bars, Bulletproof rear disk guard, Bulletproof rad guards, Emig lockon grips, ZipTy oversized tank, Fastway pegs, Hammer Head shifter and brake pedal, YZ250X kickstand and LOVE!
If you have a project like this and need some help or just some questions answered, please feel free to call the shop (970)240-2197, email Morgan (morgan@highland-cycles.com) or drop us a message on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/highlandcycles
Don't let the price of a new bike freak you out! Build an older one and FALL IN LOVE!!!
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