Part of the joy of motorcycling is restoring classic machines. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but never really got the chance to. That being said, what’s YouTube for if not living vicariously through those with the means to do what we wish we could do, right?
This is exactly what Craig Dieffenbach, AKA The Bearded Mechanic does, and in his most recent video, he took the first few steps on the gargantuan task of restoring not one, not two, but three classic dirtbikes he managed to find rotting away in a barn.
The bikes were clearly decommissioned and made into little more than ornaments hung up on the ceiling. And so the first order of business was getting the bikes down from the ceiling—a task that was much easier said than done.
After a lot of struggling with straps and ladders, and even more decades-old dust and buckets of sweat, the bikes were finally hoisted down and ready to be taken to Craig’s shop for an in-depth restoration.
The first bike Craig got his hands on was a 1982 Yamaha YZ250. This was the first water-cooled Yamaha 250, with a notoriously complicated cooling system whose lines snake through all over the frame and into the head tube. The second bike was a 1983 Honda CR480R which Craig says is the most sought-after model year in this bike’s series. It was designed as a competitor to European bikes such as those from Husqvarna, and came with some odd features such as a left-side kick-starter.
Last but not least, the third bike wasn’t really a bike, but rather a fraction of a bike, as it was missing its engine, rear wheel, suspension, and a whole bunch of bodywork. Clearly, Craig had his work cut out for him.
And after lots of searching around the barn for a bunch of parts for the bikes he got, it was time to load them up onto the truck and take the very first step in restoring pretty much anything, and that’s simply getting them cleaned up. And so, Craig wasted no time and went all out with the power washer, all while the bikes were still sitting on the bed of his truck.
With the bikes all cleaned up, Craig took them to his friend and vintage bike expert Rick to help him assess the state of the bikes he picked up. As it would turn out, Craig got a pretty good deal, as the CR480R was pretty much a complete bike, with the bodywork, exhaust, and saddle found in the old barn covered in decades of dust.
The same goes for the Yamaha YZ250, which was already surprisingly complete even when it was still hanging on the ceiling of the old workshop. Apart from seized head bearings, some weathered bodywork, and of course, the unknown state of the engine and mechanical components, chances are Craig will be able to get this thing up and running sooner than later.
So clearly, Craig’s got a lot of work to do, and chances are he’ll be able to make at least a couple of pretty in-depth episodes of just bringing these vintage dirtbikes back to their former glory. Needless to say, I can’t wait to see him dig into these machines and hopefully, learn a thing or two when time comes for me to do my own classic bike restoration.
