Nick_R_23 Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Hey guys, ever since Ive gotten into riding Ive always liked the look of the banshees, but theyve always been a bit out of my price range. Tonight I finally got my hands on one!! Its definately a project (but what isnt around here? lol). I think I got a good deal on it though. I bought it off a kid who got it off another guy, he was gonna put it back together but didnt have the time. Its a 2003 with a 1995 engine, the engine threw a rod apparantly and I dont know much other then that. The engine is together with the head unbolted, and looking down the cylinder I dont see much damage, but there is no rod or piston on the left side. The right side looks ok and has a fairly new looking Wiseco piston in it. The rest of the machine is in ok shape, most of the bolts/nuts are missing but the hardware store can solve that easily. It also needs a footpeg, chain/sprockets, shocks, and probably a few other things I havent come across yet. My goal is to fix this one up mostly stock, I want to focus on reliability more then anything. I have an ATC250R for my fast riding and adrenaline rush. I am far from new at working on 3 / 4 wheelers but I would like to learn as much as I can about this bike, like what are some of the common problems/weak points, good upgrades, things I should look at, etc. Thanks a ton in advance for any help anybody can give me!! Also, how hard is it to put the tank on?? I spent the good part of an hour trying to wedge it in its spot on the frame, but its just not going. I didnt notice any bends on the frame around where it mounted. Should it be this hard to put on, or am I missing some trick here? -Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterlocal22 Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Hey guys, ever since Ive gotten into riding Ive always liked the look of the banshees, but theyve always been a bit out of my price range. Tonight I finally got my hands on one!! Its definately a project (but what isnt around here? lol). I think I got a good deal on it though. I bought it off a kid who got it off another guy, he was gonna put it back together but didnt have the time. Its a 2003 with a 1995 engine, the engine threw a rod apparantly and I dont know much other then that. The engine is together with the head unbolted, and looking down the cylinder I dont see much damage, but there is no rod or piston on the left side. The right side looks ok and has a fairly new looking Wiseco piston in it. The rest of the machine is in ok shape, most of the bolts/nuts are missing but the hardware store can solve that easily. It also needs a footpeg, chain/sprockets, shocks, and probably a few other things I havent come across yet. My goal is to fix this one up mostly stock, I want to focus on reliability more then anything. I have an ATC250R for my fast riding and adrenaline rush. I am far from new at working on 3 / 4 wheelers but I would like to learn as much as I can about this bike, like what are some of the common problems/weak points, good upgrades, things I should look at, etc. Thanks a ton in advance for any help anybody can give me!! Also, how hard is it to put the tank on?? I spent the good part of an hour trying to wedge it in its spot on the frame, but its just not going. I didnt notice any bends on the frame around where it mounted. Should it be this hard to put on, or am I missing some trick here? -Nick hi Nick and welcome to the hq! is that a pic of your three wheeler in your sig, looks pretty sweet anyways as for the shee, my first recomedation would be buy a clymers manual for the banshee. I use mine all the time. As for the tank, it should fit on with relative ease. I think your right for checking to see if the frame is bent because thats what it sounds like to me. A common spot on the frame to get bent is the steering loop. this is the loop at the top of the frame that basically straddles the gas tank. Do a search and you will find pics, im horrible at explaining stuff, lol. Alot of people will re-enforce the steering loop but i have not. I feel like if my bike flips i would like the steering loop to bend over other components and if you add gussets to re-enforce it the next weak part on the bike what ever it is, will bend. The steering loop is an easy fix as well. Check it out and get back to me, pm me or throw a post up and we can take it from there. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njbanshee Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 no tricks, should bolt right up. Maybe the top part of the frame is bent back a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKheathen Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 hi nick, welcome to the hq :beer: i'm from anchorage, and have a friend on here that should have some shocks and stuff for you, and maybey a new engine too. yah that loop is more than likely bent back from a rollover. you should do at least pippes, and look online for a sprockett/chain combo. probably just give jeff a call @ fast for that, plus some proper jetts (verry important) come up with a list of what you need, and should be able to get it locally, just gotta track it down, cus dealers don't carry shit for the banshee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick_R_23 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Thanks for the welcome guys!! Here are a few pics of what Ive got so far. Note the suspension. :yelrotflmao: The front grille, tank cover, and seat were spray painted black, working on cleaning them off. Cylinder has light surface rust, but I can feel scratches with my nail so both cyl's will get bored. Also note there is no rod, but also no pieces of the piston or rod in the bottom. The crank hasnt been removed, so how did they get it out?? Extra exhausts I got with it. The filter looks aftermarket (Pro-Flow is what it says)? Never heard of them. Cleaned up really nice though! This is about as far as I can get the tank in. I cant tell if the steering frame is bent, but I did find that the rear tank support is cracked on one side where it meets the frame, and appears to be squished in a little bit, almost like the frame got bent in. Is this possible? Frame without the tank. hi nick, welcome to the hq i'm from anchorage, and have a friend on here that should have some shocks and stuff for you, and maybey a new engine too. yah that loop is more than likely bent back from a rollover. you should do at least pippes, and look online for a sprockett/chain combo. probably just give jeff a call @ fast for that, plus some proper jetts (verry important) come up with a list of what you need, and should be able to get it locally, just gotta track it down, cus dealers don't carry shit for the banshee Sweet deal, let me know what he wants for the shocks. If you have other stuff around Im also looking for a left footpeg, and an upper right trailing arm (this ones been welded, dont trust it). If you come across any let me know how much you want. -Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterlocal22 Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 nick, you have alot of work ahead of you but the bike looks good and will look even better once its all together. looks like the plastic has alot of stress cracks, that the white line on the plastic which is usually a sign of the plastic bending at an extreme, like a roll over. this leads me to believe the bike was in a rollover and the steering loop bent. the steering loop from your pics looks a little out of wack but let me look at some old pics of my bike and ill let ya know for sure if its the loop or not. peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick_R_23 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Yeah, its definately been rolled a few times. I think most of the damage is on the rear subframe though. I think most of it can be straightened, and the cracked places welded easily. Tank support Grab bar mount area Same place underneath And would someone be willing to get me these measurements on the frame? I think its been pushed in on these 3 spots, so I want to widen it back out again. -Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killshee Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 i have to sit my tank in there like u have your and wack the back of it and it falls right in ..... the front of mne hits the stering stem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKheathen Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 (edited) have you tried unbolting your steering stem, and see if it slides in? where'd you pick up the lot? also, i'd probably trade you in arms in a bit, if your bushings are good, cus i'ma fab some upand put some remote clickers on there that are 2" longer Edited February 1, 2009 by AKheathen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick_R_23 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 I got the steering loop pushed back forward enough to wedge the tank in and out without too much pressure. I might try bending it forward some more since the bolt holes the radiator bolts to are far apart enough where its hard to get all 3 mounting bolts in. Also got one of the loose tank nuts out and JB welded it back in place. Frame was pretty tweaked in the rear but I got it straightened out and welded up the best I can for how bad it was bent. I wish I couldve seen the rollover, mustve been pretty impressive!! Found a few more cracks and fixed those too. Also went through and tapped out each hole so it will be ready for bolts when I start assembling it. The axle is slightly tweaked on the left, Im still deciding if I want to try straightening it or not, its not bent very bad. Ive had axles bent way worse and not noticed any wobbling, so I may or may not straighten this one. I had 2 airboxes, took the best top and bottom from each and cleaned them out, also had the filter soaking in gas overnight and it came out looking like new. Turns out its actually a Pro Design filter. Put it all together and mounted it up in the frame after drilling out a broken bolt. Also had the top end pulled on the engine and had the bottom end soaking in 2 cycle oil all day. I was able to get the crank broke free, it spins over but feels very rough. I dont think I will try to save the crank. I cleaned off the one piston that was left, and its says 1.00 over. How many bores do I have left on this engine? I really hope I dont have to resleeve. I think now I will start bolting up as much as I can to the machine along with fixing all the small things, and bring the engine inside to start tearing it down. @ AK heathen: I got it off of 907bigboytoys for 300$, he didnt have it listed on CL which is probably why nobody called on it. Picked it up just past meadow lakes, on the corner where Vine and KGB road meet. On my a-arms, the lower left one is missing the bushings on one mount, on the right side one of the arms has a small chunk taken out of the lip on one bushing, they seem fine otherwise. -Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKheathen Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 oh chit, no way. was his name don? sounds like the guy i baught my banshee off of. he said that he got all 3 in a trade- 1 complete & 2 in parts, ninus 1 messed up frame. he didn't wanna dig the rest out of storage to sell 'till spring though. he wasn't really on top of things in the sale though, but i can understand having to deal with closing down a shop. i called right after he posted, but he was going hunting, so i called a couple days later like he told me, and kept calling untill i got through a week later, and had to pulll the "where are you at? i'm coming out right now" card to get it. when i got there, he said that he couldn't keep track, cus he was getting at least 10 calls a day. but at least iwas able to pick it up for a grand, and drive it strait to my trailer, and go. baught one of his nice engine stands while iwas there too. :biggrin: if it was the same guy, it was supposed to have a fresh drop in too. the only thin knawing at me, is he let it sit for 3 years in his back yard, then just added gass, and started it. minor scoring on the piston, but hey, it still runs good and not time for a rebuild just yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeNick Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Welcome to HQ man...If I were you I would see about getting another frame..That one seems to be tweaked alot. Just my .02's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick_R_23 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 oh chit, no way. was his name don? sounds like the guy i baught my banshee off of. he said that he got all 3 in a trade- 1 complete & 2 in parts, ninus 1 messed up frame. he didn't wanna dig the rest out of storage to sell 'till spring though. he wasn't really on top of things in the sale though, but i can understand having to deal with closing down a shop. .... if it was the same guy, it was supposed to have a fresh drop in too. the only thin knawing at me, is he let it sit for 3 years in his back yard, then just added gass, and started it. minor scoring on the piston, but hey, it still runs good and not time for a rebuild just yet. The guy I got it from was Tim, but I would be willing to bet he got it from the same guy you did. I asked him what happened to the original engine. It sounds like the guy had a couple banshees, this 2003, a 1995, and probably more, and that the 95 threw the rod so he pulled the engine out of the 03 since the bike itself was beat, and what I have is whats left over (2003 bike and blown 95 engine). Check your engine #, you just might have my old engine!! :beer: Welcome to HQ man...If I were you I would see about getting another frame..That one seems to be tweaked alot. Just my .02's. Eventually I might try and find another one. This one actually straightened out suprisingly well, so I will use it until I come across a good deal on another one. -Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick_R_23 Posted February 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Ok heres a little update. After getting the subframe straightened out as much as possible and the sides widened back out again, I still wasnt satisfied with the steering loop. I still had to use a screwdriver to help slip the tank in, and the radiator mounts were too far apart for all 3 bolts to screw in without fighting it. Ive always used a hand-crank car jack to straighten small frames, but I didnt know where I could put the base of the jack on the frame so it wouldnt bend one thing while straighening something else. So after thinking for a little bit, I came up with this: (Sorry about the blurry pics, I cant hold that camera still to save my life!! :yelrotflmao: ) I havent test fitted the tank yet, but the radiator fitment is 10000% better. Im betting the plastics will line up with the mounting holes better also. Once I get it perfect, I want to weld a brace from each top corner of the loop down to the frame. Has anyone put a brace here before, and do you have pics of how you did it?? I have an idea of how I want to do it. -Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKheathen Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 personally, i'd leave it unbraced, incase you roll it. not that that happens up here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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