advice/questions yfm350 top end for BW350

[n10sivern]

I have a 1987 Yamaha Big Wheel 350 (BW350) and i am getting ready to rebuild the engine. the bike is in overall OK shape except the engine which was messed up. the previous owner sunk it in a creek and hauled it home, took the engine apart, and it has been sitting in a garage since the mid 1990's. the cylinder wall is rusted and pitted and the piston needs to be replaced. essentially the cylinder is shot. the bottom end for the bw350 is unique to the bike and has no interchangeable parts to any other yamaha products that i know of. however, looking at part numbers on bikebandit, the top end and piston are the same as 2003 and below warriors and wolverines. unfortunately the crank is no longer made and was unique to this bike. i just wanted to verify that there were no differences between the different years of the warrior/wolverines. anything that i need to be aware of or look out for when buying a used top end such as years to avoid, etc? any and all help is greatly appreciated

 

[n10sivern]

here are pics of the bike. a little rough but all the parts are there (some are just not shown cause the engine is in pieces in a bucket). seat needs recovering and the plastic needs cleaning but there are no cracks. the original tires are in good shape with decent tread and no dry rotting. all the cables function. it just needs some cleaning up and an engine rebuild.

 

[n10sivern]

looking at the schematics at bikebandit and it looks like Yamaha kept the same cylinder/head/piston for years up to 2003 for the warrior and wolverine 350cc engines. the crankshaft and assebly for the BW350 is unique and is no longer made but the pistons are the same. looks like it'll be a lot cheaper to get a good used cylinder, head, and piston from a warrior or wolverine and use it that way i only have to rebuild the bottom end. top end gasket set should be the same as well. i'm getting excited that this may turn out less expensive than i had imagined.

bw350 cylinder

1987 Yamaha BW350T OEM Parts, 1987 Yamaha BW350T OEM Motorcycle Parts - BikeBandit.com

bw350 head

1987 Yamaha BW350T OEM Parts, 1987 Yamaha BW350T OEM Motorcycle Parts - BikeBandit.com

bw350 valves

1987 Yamaha BW350T OEM Parts, 1987 Yamaha BW350T OEM Motorcycle Parts - BikeBandit.com

bw350 crank/piston

1987 Yamaha BW350T OEM Parts, 1987 Yamaha BW350T OEM Motorcycle Parts - BikeBandit.com

 

[DeadLastRacing]

Ur in luck dude. Beastlywarrior's dad has one of them (and I have ridden it, very cool and weird ride). Anyways, From what he was telling me, the engine is almost the same as the warrior. Like you said, the bottom end is different, there is a kick starter and the case its a little different. So I'd say you'd be good to slap on a warrior top end. That or bore your head out and get a piston to match. Get a warrior jug and up your cam and valve springs. At least thats what I would do.

 

[n10sivern]

i haven't ridden one yet but they look to be a blast to ride. can't wait to get started on this one. getting ready to strip the frame and sent to be PC'd. planning on building up the frame first and doing the motor last.

 

[elwood]

that thing will be sweet when it's done, those big wheels are fun trail bikes

 

[elwood]

another place to find alot of info is www.mrcycles.com
lots of diagams

 

[n10sivern]

where is the cheapest place online to order oem yamaha parts? i know mrcycles is cheaper than bikebandit but is there anybody cheaper? anybody on the boards here get employee discounts on parts?

 

[elwood]

your best bet will be to find a good jug off a running quad thats being parted out. lots on ebay some with the pistons. I think that would be the cheapest route.

 

[baddawg]

where is the cheapest place online to order oem yamaha parts? i know mrcycles is cheaper than bikebandit but is there anybody cheaper? anybody on the boards here get employee discounts on parts?

I've had good luck with these guys,cheaper than around here.
http://www.yamahasportsplaza.com/pages/aboutus/default.aspx

 

[beastlywarrior228]

yep my dads got one

 

[We1Dont7Die]

May sound funny but try boatnjetski.com for cheap OEM Yamaha parts. I recently purchased a starter clutch, intake manifold, Idle gear, and crankcase gasket for less than $200. I did a lot of price comparisons before going with them and they are the lowest by far.

Tip: just click the search button near the top of the page and type in the OEM part number (SKU) you need