Good luck,but I don't think it will last very long.

EXCELLENT!!!! Congrats!

Thank you sir for your moral support...

If it's a good replacement ZS 172 engine, youve got valves and carb adjusted and you break it in right, the engine should last.

It great to hear you got it going! All of that wrenching also gave you lots of hands on with this bike too. You know the bike inside and out now!
:tup:

By the way, if you weren't aware, there is a resource fo 172-FMM-3 engine parts:

https://aj1moto.com/collections/zscb249f-engine-parts

But this is the 5 speed engine. So the head parts should be identical, various parts like the TDC sight cap will probably be identical... but of course, transmission parts are different and there is no counterbalance parts!

I sold my 2nd gen Templar X because I like the 5 speed and 100% parts are available (and I really didn't need 2 Temp X bikes!).

If you see a resource for 172-FMM-5 parts (counterbalanced 6 speed), please let us know!

Yes, I have gotten to know this bike far more than I expected, but that is a good thing.

Your posts (and a couple others) have been extremely helpful and appreciated.
I will certainly check out the motor resource. Thank you.


When reassembling the motor, the trickiest part for me was getting the cam chain back on and with the correct timing. It took a few tries, but I got it. One attached photo shows the position the other shows the intake valve where it was hitting the piston and is definitely bent. My timing may look a little off, but it is just my angle with the phone.

I believe the timing was off on the original motor. The ticking noise I heard, and thought was just the valve train, was most likely the piston hitting the valve. That noise is gone now and the motor is actually pretty quiet.

Hopefully going for a test run tomorrow. It has been raining here for a week...

Not to insult you,a rebuilt engine is never like a new and well taken care of engine.Have seen friends buy a rebuilt UTV for big money only to last a couple of years. Best of luck on your.

Why the negativity? I am a small engine mechanic and rebuild motors all the time, and they run every bit as good as new, provided that the proper time and care are put into it, which from everything i have seen the OP has done... not to mention my roketa came to me with no compression, rebuilt the motor and it has been going strong for the last 8 thousand miles.... 3/4 of rebuilding is doing the correct maintenance afterwards... consistent oil changes and consistent insoections really provide longevity ... if you whack it back together and never check stuff after? Yeah... stuff wont last....

Thanks for your input, but I can tell you after rebuilding the original motor the bike is running far better now than it did when I ran the stock motor. I will take my rebuilt motor that is running good than a stock motor that is just a boat anchor.

I have gained a bunch of knowledge by taking the motor apart and carefully putting it back together. I think I will have far more luck with my rebuilt motor.

As far as your friend goes, it sounds like they bought a rebuilt motor from someone else. Perhaps that is their issue...

Maybe ?

Keeping a positive attitude no doubt helps in any case.

So, I took it for a ride today, keeping the RPM's low and it ran great! Albeit a short 5 miles and staying close to home just in case. Lots of starts and stops and few hills, it ran great. I pulled back into my driveway and was smiling. I pulled the plug, even though I had ran through a few stages it was a cinnamon color. I did not go to WOT.

I also finally got my plates and insurance.

I plan to take it out tomorrow For a more comprehensive test run and see what happens.

If it runs great, awesome. If it blows up, so be it. At least I tried, and have learned so much! I didn't blow up a $13000 KTM. I might be pissed if that happened. In my mind, I have a Hawk sitting there that needs some love...

For all of you supporter's, I thank you! For the hater's, go piss in your hat... You should be thankful you didn't get a bike that would blow up....

I for one am grateful that I have two bikes and am fortunate enough to have the courage to rebuild a motor. It has been frustrating and angering, but at the same time therapy. I work an extremely demanding job, have grandkids and still found the time to figure it out.

You should all ask yourself, what is it for.

This is supposed to be a community of supporters. While I find that is true for most, some should check themselves and figure out what is really going on...

We are all here for fun... At least that is what I thought...

Are you here to have fun or be a hater?

Think on it...

Best,
Ken

I took it out for a ride today after getting it inspected. It is nice to have a garage that is around the corner...

Took it about 7 1/2 miles and kept the rpms fairly low. I ran the last 5 minutes or so at about 1/8th to 1/4 throttle. I killed the motor rolling into my driveway. The plug looks pretty good to me. See the pic.

Looking forward to getting out again.

Great job on the rebuild there Zooker, that plug looks good to a tad rich to me, time will tell once you start pushing wider throttle, as that will have a larger impact on plug color than the pilot jet at part throttle

Do you think, if you had inspected/set the valve lash before running it for the first time, you would have caught the issue and prevented the rebuild?