Picked up a couple banshees

[bansheetimes2]

I just picked up a couple banshees and would like to go over them the best I can before I start really riding them. If anyone can give me some tips as far as what to look for, what to check, what fluid levels to check any preventative maintenance that would be great.

 

One is a 96 that's got pipes, silencers, hot rod crank, bored, reeds, dirt digger clutch....

 

The other is a 98 that is stock except pipes and silencers.

 

I've had my share of dirtbikes, motorcycles, sleds but was never big into wheelin'. Had a polaris 250 that you just through gas in the tank and oil in the oil injection and you rode it until you were out of gas.

 

So far i've noticed that it looks like the 96 is leaking something....not sure if its brake fluid out of the rear caliper or not but want to really look over things. As for everything else, it seems to be in check.

As for the antifreeze what do you all normally run for a mixture 50:50 or different??? And last what is a good 2 stroke oil to use???

 

Thanks to anyone that takes the time to reply.....

[German Shepherd]

Hey

 

Use silkoene 100% ester synstheic mixed at 32:1. Use a baby bottle to measure. As for coolant use cycle logics engin ice. But flush your system out first. You open the 10mm not on each side of the clinder to drain.

[German Shepherd]

I ment mix silkoene at 40:1

[Cotton eyed Joe]

I just picked up a couple banshees and would like to go over them the best I can before I start really riding them. If anyone can give me some tips as far as what to look for, what to check, what fluid levels to check any preventative maintenance that would be great.

 

One is a 96 that's got pipes, silencers, hot rod crank, bored, reeds, dirt digger clutch....

 

The other is a 98 that is stock except pipes and silencers.

 

I've had my share of dirtbikes, motorcycles, sleds but was never big into wheelin'. Had a polaris 250 that you just through gas in the tank and oil in the oil injection and you rode it until you were out of gas.

 

So far i've noticed that it looks like the 96 is leaking something....not sure if its brake fluid out of the rear caliper or not but want to really look over things. As for everything else, it seems to be in check.

As for the antifreeze what do you all normally run for a mixture 50:50 or different??? And last what is a good 2 stroke oil to use???

 

Thanks to anyone that takes the time to reply.....

The main thing I've looked at is how straight the rear axle is, the front spindles and if any tie rods are bent. This would indicate either severe abuse or a wreck. If its wrecked you might want to check the a arms to see if they are bent, etc.

 

Preventative maintainence would be washing your banshee....keeping it clean and shit free will not only help prevent some problems, but will also facillitate finding problems when they occur much easier.

You'll want to pull a plug if you change elevations where you ride, and also check to see if its fouled. Also, since the clutch is a wet clutch you'll want to change the tranny oil about every 10 rides or so. Thats just my schedule....yours may vary. Just don't put any oil in the tranny with the term FRICTION MODIFYING or ENERGY CONSERVING on the bottle.

 

I mix any TCW-3 2 stroke oil at 40:1. I'm not running a powerhouse yet, so I'm not too picky. If I were to start running a fire breathing drag engine I think I'd be inclined to run synthetic 2 stroke oil.

 

Did you get a good deal on your banshees? I have a chance right now to pick one up at a great deal, but I'm kinda hesitant because I already have a dozen other projects going.

[bansheetimes2]

Yeah I thought I got an ok deal. My wife wanted me to get rid of my street bike because she hated it and was nervous as hell over it. So I figured i'd throw it in the classifieds for $5500 which was $300 more than I paid for it back in the spring or partial trade for banshee. I had a guy that wanted to trade these 2 banshees and $1000.

 

The axle, a-arms and tie rods all seem straight and in great shape. This was one of the few things I knew to look at after talking with a few friends.

 

Now you said the clutch is wet? What brand oil do you use? I was already planning on changing the plugs to get a fresh set in. Would you recommend Klotz for 2 stroke oil?? I've always used that in my sleds and it seems to work well in them.

[United Pot Smoker]

you should start lifting weights now so when you finnish tunning up your bikes you will be able to hold on to them.

 

 

dont change your gas/premix oil bran too much, try 1 or 2 and stick with on of them.

buy a clymers manual.

10 w 30 for the trany oil. drain plugs on the bottom and when you fill it dont screw the dip stick on. just hold it as far in as you can and pull it out to get your reading.

only use 92 or higher octain fuel.

make sure your carb slides are even when you pull the throttle.

 

 

but get a clymers manual and go from there.

[locogato11283]

i run klotz always. i like it. never had any problems. most oil is just personal preference i think.

[bansheetimes2]

Thanks again to all that replied. I started going over them last night to really check everything. The guy that had them before me I don't think he was the best at maintaining them. He kept them very clean but there were a few areas that you could tell he either didn't know much about or was lazy.

 

For instance when I greased it, it doesn't seem to have been done for a while. Both chains were very loose and actually had to take a link out of one because it was so loose. Changed the rear tires on the 98, let me tell you, that is not an easy job even with a tire changer.

 

The only things that I have left to do is put fresh plugs in both, determine why the rear brake doesn't work on the 96(I think it has a leak in the hydraulic line some where) and replace a gasket on the left side of the engine because it's dripping a tiny bit of oil. It also looks like its missing the bottom 2 maybe 3 screws that hold that side piece to the motor.

 

I will say one thing though, they rip. They shred my lawn like it is a sand pile.

 

One last question. They both have dg pipes and fmf fattys on them and while I rode them at 10:00 last night(test ride) and trying to be somewhat quiet they can be obnoxiously loud. If I was to go back to stock pipes and leave the silencers would it be much more quiet??? Or would I have to go back to a completely stock entire exhaust system from motor to tail piece???

 

It used to be that I liked everything loud but i've learned(by having loud sleds) that you can get away with alot more on roads and limited access trails with a somewhat quieter toy.

 

Any replies are appreciated.

[Cotton eyed Joe]

Thanks again to all that replied. I started going over them last night to really check everything. The guy that had them before me I don't think he was the best at maintaining them. He kept them very clean but there were a few areas that you could tell he either didn't know much about or was lazy.

 

For instance when I greased it, it doesn't seem to have been done for a while. Both chains were very loose and actually had to take a link out of one because it was so loose. Changed the rear tires on the 98, let me tell you, that is not an easy job even with a tire changer.

 

The only things that I have left to do is put fresh plugs in both, determine why the rear brake doesn't work on the 96(I think it has a leak in the hydraulic line some where) and replace a gasket on the left side of the engine because it's dripping a tiny bit of oil. It also looks like its missing the bottom 2 maybe 3 screws that hold that side piece to the motor.

 

I will say one thing though, they rip. They shred my lawn like it is a sand pile.

 

One last question. They both have dg pipes and fmf fattys on them and while I rode them at 10:00 last night(test ride) and trying to be somewhat quiet they can be obnoxiously loud. If I was to go back to stock pipes and leave the silencers would it be much more quiet??? Or would I have to go back to a completely stock entire exhaust system from motor to tail piece???

 

It used to be that I liked everything loud but i've learned(by having loud sleds) that you can get away with alot more on roads and limited access trails with a somewhat quieter toy.

 

Any replies are appreciated.

I think if you used the stock silencers it would be quieter, but if you have Toomey silencers you can get the Toomey Hush kit that was made to appease the people that bitch about the noise at a few select riding spots. I guess it brings the dB level to nearly stock. I've heard from some people that they can almost hear they're engine noise more than the exhaust noise.

 

I started mine in the shop last week with straight stingers, no silencers and I had a headache in about 2 minutes, and I wasn't being blasted direct with the exhaust, I was up in front of the bike.

[bansheetimes2]

Thanks Cotton, i've learned not to start these in the garage and they have a full system, I can't imagine no silencers. Man I love the sound of them but within 15 mins i'm like "ok, i'd rather it be a tad quieter".

 

I have a friend that has a formula z sled and it is so obnoxiously loud, at first we all thought it was cool. But now it's annoying. It's funny because whenever you hear him coming you think it is going to be this heavily modified race sled doing 100 and here he comes doing about 45 WOT which actually looks like he's doing 25. I just laugh at him.

 

I would like to maybe see if I could trade my pipes and silencers for stock replacements. I just don't want to do it if there isn't going to be much of a difference in noise.

 

The guy I bought it off of said he rode beside a friend in a car and clocked it at 85mph. Take away the 10% exaggeration factor which is about 76mph, that's plenty fast for me and the little bit of hp i'd loose going back to the stockers, I still think i'd be happy. I bought these to pretty much pass the time between snowmobiling seasons, so its not like I want to be able to do 100 or clear triples or drag it.

[fixitrod]

Okay, a couple things I noticed about what you noticed. If you had to take a link out of the chain, it may be time to replace it. If it stretched that far, it may be about ready to break. I'd hate to see you crack a case right off the bat.

 

The brakes on the banshee need to be bleed very well before they start to work. Maybe you'll be lucky and find out that's all it needs.

 

The left side cover doesn't contain oil. If it's dripping then it's probably the seal that goes in the case for the front sprocket. You may want to look into that before buying a gasket.

 

As far as pipes go, there's a hundred people that would trade you stockers for aftermarket. Your best bet is to buy some stockers on ebay and sell yours. You'll come out ahead that way. I understand what you mean about wanting a quiet quad. Maybe you could keep one stock and fix one up to rip people up on. Just a thought.

 

Welcome to bhq and have fun. I really am not trying to be a smartass by noticing some of these things. Just trying to help out.

[Nightrider]

Check your front ends on both machines thoroughly.Check the bushings,tie rods and ball joints.The easiest way to check the ball joints is to remove the shocks,grasp the upper and lower a-arm and try pulling them in opposite directions.If you feel some slop,then isolate them by holding the spindles and doing each a-arm individually as you run the a-arm through its operating range.

 

Also check the a-arm bushing and swingarm and linkage bearings.Everything should be tight.Don't hesitate to replace a bearing/bushing if it has some slop in it.Too much clearance in one bearing will lead to the destruction of other bearings,frames,axle bearings ect.

 

I agree with Joe,keep them clean and its easier to see where a potential problem may occur.Go through all of your electrical connetions also.Alot of people neglect this simple procedure and they can't figure out why there shee died on them.Remove every connection and brush the dirt off the connecters.Add some grease or dielectric to the pins (don't be afraid to goop it up) and reconnect.This should be performed on a yearly basis.Some connectors that have the o-ring seals in them can go longer without maintenance.

 

If your rear caliper is leaking,determine where its coming from first.A complete caliper seal kit is about 8 dollars from Yamaha and can be installed by a decent mechanic.I did one about a month ago,it was a bitch tryin to get the piston back in without f-ing up the seal,so take your time.

[bansheetimes2]

Cool, thanks for the ideas. I definitely have to check out that leak a little better. I easily found where it is dripping from, but didn't get a chance to find where it was actually coming from. I'm going to really clean the area up well tonight so then it'll be a breeze finding where its leaking from.

 

As for the rear caliper, there's no fluid whatsoever in the reservoir/lines. I asked the guy about it and he said that it had never worked and that he had never looked into fixing it. So i'm assuming that the caliper leaks and they just never fixed it so the fluid all leaked out. I checked all bearings, bushing and tie rod ends and they are all in great shape. I did notice the bearing on the 98 in the rear axle will need to be replaced probably within the next few months. There's a tiny bit of play in it.

 

Now if I go back to the stock exhaust do you have to rejet??? Just curious, I know on sleds its a definite must.

 

One last question, do all banshees have the choke that you have to hold out in order to choke it? I've never seen this type of setup before and makes kicking it over a little tricky. I think i'm going to fabricate a small clip that when you pull out the choke you can flip the clip and it'll hold the choke out and after it starts just flip the clip out of the way and unchoke it.

[fixitrod]

Cool, thanks for the ideas.  I definitely have to check out that leak a little better.  I easily found where it is dripping from, but didn't get a chance to find where it was actually coming from.  I'm going to really clean the area up well tonight so then it'll be a breeze finding where its leaking from. 

 

As for the rear caliper, there's no fluid whatsoever in the reservoir/lines.  I asked the guy about it and he said that it had never worked and that he had never looked into fixing it.  So i'm assuming that the caliper leaks and they just never fixed it so the fluid all leaked out.  I checked all bearings, bushing and tie rod ends and they are all in great shape.  I did notice the bearing on the 98 in the rear axle will need to be replaced probably within the next few months.  There's a tiny bit of play in it.

 

Now if I go back to the stock exhaust do you have to rejet???  Just curious, I know on sleds its a definite must.

 

One last question, do all banshees have the choke that you have to hold out in order to choke it?  I've never seen this type of setup before and makes kicking it over a little tricky.  I think i'm going to fabricate a small clip that when you pull out the choke you can flip the clip and it'll hold the choke out and after it starts just flip the clip out of the way and unchoke it.

Sounds like you have a leak then.

 

Any changes in intake or exhaust will require rejetting. That's with any carb motor.

 

As far as the bearings, just make sure your axle nuts aren't loose. Maybe that's all it is. They do go bad though. If you do have to tear it apart, drill a grease zerk into the center of the axle carrier.

 

The choke is just worn out. They all wear out like that. There is a little clip behind the rubber. I tore one apart and fixed it once. You could replace it with a stock replacement. I think they are a little expensive though. You could just slit a piece of rubber hose to put in over the choke shaft.

Edited September 29, 2004 by fixitrod

[xchevellephil]

That is so cool how all of you are giving this guy so much helpful tips, info, etc.

 

I just cant wait till I get me a banshee. Kind of a long story, always loved em, etc. just never been fortunate enough to have one.

 

I think me and the wife are going to get one within the next year. My wifes mom and dad have a couple of cars that are sittin at their farm that they gave us and they both need quite a bit of work. But I figure dump about $200-300 getttin them running right and sell em for $1,000 a piece then we can make a nice down payment on a banshee.

 

My younger bro. owns one (14yrs. old w/ an 03' shee.)

 

Question, would you rather buy a new one or get a used one with everything done to it?

 

Good thing is that my wife wants one as bad as I do.

 

We are from the Oklahoma City area.

 

Philip