Vintage Dirt Bike Q & A

Hi There, I am new to the boards and have a couple of questions.

1. Where is the VIN number located on the bike? I found a number stamped onto the motor itself which is: 8009807 but cannot find one stamped on the frame. Also the person I purchased this bike from did not have the paperwork for it. In California how hard would it be to get title and get it registered?

2. The cylinder that is on the bike is on its last bore (200MM) and the cylinder is in ok condition a couple of scratch on the exhaust side. I want to replace the piston while I have the bike apart...can I just buy a 200mm piston and throw it in there? Or will I need a new cylinder all together... how much do those cost? Now I know that its a big no-no... but what kinda of risk am I running slapping in the old piston (ok shape)? If it blows I will need a new cylinder, but it almost looks like thats the case right now so at least I could get a ride or two in before it lets loose.

Thanks in advance.

The bikes come from Honda with an engine # stamped on the case, and a frame # stamped into the headstock behind the number plate. There is no VIN number per se because these were competition machines. If you do register it, or it was registered previously, I would assume the DMV can find that number by searching on either the engine or frame #. There is a process by which you can claim title for an un-documented bike. Go to the DMV and ask them what paperwork you have to fill in.

Check with LA Sleeve to see if there is a sleeve for your cylinder. That is your insurance policy for running an old piston in an over-bored cylinder. If you nuke it, they will drop in a sleeve and put you back to stock size. It will cost you around $300 for the work.

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Michael Stiles
1979 Honda CR250R Elsinore | 2006 Husqvarna SM510R | 2007 Service Honda CR500R-AF

Thanks for the info. In regards to resleeving. It seems I can get a new cylinder for around the same amount of money.

I will take your advise and go to the DMV and see what paperwork needs to be filed.