What Happened to The 250R? 

I did not read through all the comments before posting this. It may have already been said several times. I am not a "know it all", but I know a whole lot about this topic. I am a Yamaha Master Technician, and have built, jetted, tuned and repaired a whole bunch of 2-stroke engines including both outboard motors and motorcycles. If you will pay attention to the video you will notice that all of the cylinder and piston damage is on the exhaust side (front) of the engine. This is telling you that the engine did not starve for lubrication, nor did it overheat. If either of these things happened, the piston/cylinder would be scored all the way around. This is a classic case of an engine running too lean. The exhaust side of the piston expanded too much from the intense heat created from the lean running condition. The roughness in the cylinder is aluminum from the piston that melted and stuck to the cylinder wall (it's called transfer). It is highly unlikely that the melted vent hoses on the carb caused this engine failure although they must be replaced. If you jet any engine to run it's best on a fairly level dirt surface, you MUST increase the size of the main jet 2-3 sizes if you're going to ride in deep sand. You were already riding on borrowed time, the hill climb just sped up the the process dramatically! Beautiful machine by the way. I just hate seeing something bad happen to someone that is so meticulous and dedicated to the sport. God bless!

I don’t get the hate, this guy is awesome and he’s completely honest which is rare now days.

“Yeah whatever try and get laid” 😂

“60% of the time it works 100% of the time” 🤣 I love the Anchorman

EVERYONE! This cylinder has a steel sleeve, and does not have a nikasil plated bore. A ball hone will not damage the sleeve on this cylinder! Keep up the killer content Mike. Can’t wait to ride with you in Oklahoma. 🤟🏻

that 250r is soo fricken badass, glad everyone came together and figured out what the problem was and was willing to get to the bottom of it the amount of engineering that goes into these machines is soo crazy

Mike when rebuild is done after breakin do a few plug chops to make sure your mixture is dead on!!! 👍

love all the projects mike but the 4 mil and 250r were definitely my favorites

I’ve watched this fella since he started doing RU-vid. Such an incredible fella and friend you can just tell he’s good people. Keep your head up brother. Don’t pay attention to any haters they’re secretly just your fans too! Much love form Kentucky.

Hey man, I’m 14 love the vids, I’ve watched all your videos on this build, Love the quad! you’ve inspired me to start on my own quad build. Keep up the good work and don’t give up!

I knew it was going to happen before it happened, nobody builds a engine and takes it to the dunes without tuning it properly and a full break in, not that I doubted your skills, you're really good, I just had a bad feeling brother

I’m big into v6 mercury outboards. The motors are nic cylinders and that looks like straight up overheat. The nic is so hard the aluminum melts off the piston and looks just like that. We use acid to pull the aluminum off the nic and see if it can just be honed

That’s really cool of all the guys that were helping out. Get er fixed and the video up of her rippin!

Shit happens it’s a new build something little gets missed and boom it’s down that’s how you learn from the experience. It’s nice to see the quad community is so tight that you got lots of help. Your doing a great job Mike keep it up love the videos

You fall to the ground and then stand up even STRONGER. Greetings from Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 bro....

NO BALL HONE!!! The balls will snap in the ports chipping the nicasil coating creating a sharp nick for the rings to catch on. You need an Ammco hone for accurate sizing or send it to a shop for honing but never ball hone a 2 stroke.

Awesome when 250R guys are trying to diagnose a breakdown/incident that just occurred . Drinking beer after riding and men being men, joking around all the banter ( those are good times ) . Gold my friend.

Sabo rocks! He keeps it real, respects the community and learns from his mistakes. In a world where everybody thinks they're an expert on everything, the humble guy always gets better because he never stops learning. 👊 HOLLA

Mechanical Hulk with the narration 💪

Lucky thing JST was there with that mobile shop!

That's exactly it...Live and Learn, it is what it is, I know you will figure it out and be back at it. And hey if anything it's content..keep it up👍

I always run my R slightly rich to avoid bad situations, especially if you’re changing climate and humidity. Shit happens though man, it’s not the end of the world.

Just throw a LECTRON CARB at IT, You will thank me later!!!

Respect for showing the damage, shit happens, life goes on...

Justin tricking really help with all the tools 🛠 🧰 👍👍👍👍

wen i had my 2 strokes i took notice wen i follow the rules and with the heat cycles and shit it blew up faster but wen I'd slap it together and immediately beat the balls outta it it ran for months..man sweet ride and it happens to the best of us

Hey not a big deal mike easy fix and we all get another 250r video 👍✌

Honestly I was expecting the Banshee to break down. Good thing , something new to learn again. Keep it up Mike !!!

Quote un quote! Sand dunes are hard on machines and being a fresh build!!!!

Any good mechanic knows that that kroil works wonderfully, spray it and leave it for an hour and itll break anything loose

You’ll be back at it, rippin soon. Look forward to the Little Sahara videoafter that trip.

"She is brand new driver" sturgill is the man hahahaha

Cant wait to see this thing really rip. Hope you get it up and running soon man.

I'm pretty sure the hoses are routed that way to keep water from sucking in. Those hises bring in air(suction) I route those hoses up through the hole where the top of the shock is. If the suck in water the quad will stumble. Some guys run them into the airbox.

Sorry for the bad luck, she does look great and sounds awesome. She'll be back

I absolutely love the vibe of this video I felt like I was there with boys drinking

I didn't watch the video yet...but I can tell you right now there is no hating going on here brother. Love all of your stuff and hope to see you more confident next time . Sometimes riding can be nervous worried about blowing something up. But at the end of the day almost anything can be fixed and almost everything can be learned from. Much love brother

Awesome how everyone comes together that's what we need in this world, team work makes the dream work ,much love from upstate new York, sabo is king up here buddy

that open engine with all the sand around it is making me cringe

Awesome live video mike! So loved the content again ! You know your stuff is real . I’m sure you will have the 250r back up and running in no time !

Yeah you found what I mentioned in the previous video, highly recommend you get an egt gauge, you can see from the exhaust temps where your jetting is at at any throttle position and save the engine before she goes south. Don't ball hone the cylinder send it back to Arlan and get it right.

Awesome video can't wait for the next one good luck with it still a badass quad

That’s what good ppl do help out

Thats just crap Mike 😕....i get the whole overwhelmed feeling, new to dunes, and everything else going on. Now you know that if your running hot let her cool down before going again, running a little rich never hurts especially in that sand. Hone piston and rings that thing will rip again. Hope to meet you at Little Sahara for the legends tour and see the big sand hills.

We appreciate ya Mike! Keep up the great content. Pls don't sell the Banshee or KXF450 if possible :) lol. SPORT QUADS FOR LIFE!

Can’t wait for the 250R new video in the dunes!!!

U make the best bike build videos out there with out a doubt

Great news mike glad it’s ok!!

What a bummer. I think your right about that vent hose on the carb. We all learned a lot from this and it will always make me check to make sure the carb hoses are routed and secured. Shit happens. Like my 250 when the center case gasket blew on the first start. This was a great video and can’t wait to see it run again. 🤘🤘

You need things like this to happen as a learning curve for you and all of us followers. Excellent build as always and I’m sure you will have it up and running 100% In no time. Embrace the negative comments with the positive, some people will never have anything positive to say. At the end of the day they are still following you.

If it wasn't for Mike Sabo, I wouldn't be attempting to do a full frame restore on my 86

I call Anti-Seize "Mechanics Glitter". Because it acts like craft glitter, it doesn't matter if you're in the next room away from everything there's some of it on you from somewhere. It's like it just shows up because you're in the vicinity. :)

Hey Man Twin 409 banshee from L.I. here and new subscriber. You did an incredible build on both bikes, really, but these things happen, it really isn't so terrible. Hope that piston made it to the house. At any rate just got done building my 409, cant wait to rip her...

Mike glad to see it isn’t a total blow. Easy fix. Like you said live and learn. Keep doing your thing!!

I'm binge watching Mike's vids and damn I feel bad for him this build was and still is beautiful but hobbies are just that u are constantly learning new things new ways and trial and error that's what makes it fun as well either way mike does what most cannot and that is meticulously build killer atvs and bikes and they always run as good as they look!

Love the honesty of your channel. Keep up the good work.

I have a 2001 cr250r fresh rebuild with all the treats built for trails if I ever got the money I’d come down for a rip sometime. Great content keep it goin bud ✊🏽

These guys are hilarious, especially Justin! 😂 So nice to have them around cracking jokes to take your mind off being bummed out. Little Sahara for the redemption!💪 If I can get over the 1300 mile drive, I'll be there too!! 🤘

Awesome content sabo !!! That’s part of the sport !!! Fix it and braaapp

Michael let the people hate they just jealous that you do good videos keep up the good work

Fricken Justin 😂 Hey Sabo , great video man . To bad it seized like that but glad it wasn’t a catastrophic event like cracking the Fuck out of your cases and cylinder . Can’t wait to see some more videos on the 309 once she’s kicking ass again !

That's part of it not everyone builds a bike frame up and doesn't experience issues, the 250r is sick and that was a freak problem my man keep on keeping on

Warms up are crucial with big forged pistons. Also having the timing advanced on top of a lean mixture there is alot of heat generated.

I died when I heard the 2vintage thing💀..him and his shade tree mechanic work😂🤣

Silver lake dunes rock! Northern Michigan baby! #Yamaha #Fox

Your problem started from being to lean weather jetting or float level. The hose likely melted because the lean condition made the pipe way hotter then normal,, it was Awesome watching you try so hard to get it going again at the dunes. I'd really suggest having it checked for roundness, getting up to 250+ degrees and locking up can distort the cylinder and a ball hone won't fix that, otherwise you may end up right back at this point, At the least have a bore Guage and check for roundness

We use an old type of drain cleaner to dissolve the aluminum stuck to the walls. After that just take the high spots off (if nikasil is slightly damaged) with a sand paper wheel and give it a light hone and it's good to go. Piston is also usable, we would race with that if it happend on the track. Clear the ring grooves out and sand the molten parts smooth. Never use a ball-hone btw, it will catch the ports and rip the nikasil right of. Seizures like this can also happen during break in if you beat on it too hard. Happened to me aswell, and it was set rich. Good luck fixing it! Shit happens sometimes...

I’ve had that happen before where the piston melts to the cylinder. I used 800 grit sand paper soaked in motor oil to get it off then honed it threw a piston in it and I was on my way

If you have the money look into the LECTRON carb...jetless carb that ive heard good things about them..no jets amd run perfect at any elevation.....might be the right move for a build like that💪

Forget the haters dude. Your doing an awesome job with everything. I’m sorry your trip went that way but let me tell you it’s very interesting to watch couldn’t have rehearsed the real was of the situation. Keep doing what your doing

Sucks man. I feel bad. Me and the father in law just bought an old speedboat with a mercruiser engine and planed on rebuilding the engine and opened it up and realized that the cylinder walls are pitted really bad. I feel it man. It shouldn't be too long before you get her going again though. I believe. Take it easy man

I guess that’s the best worst case scenario? Cylinder is ok, gotta get a piston and back to shredding! Still sucks it happened on your first trip out but I’m glad it’s a semi easy fix! Can’t wait to see it up and running again

Every issue, mistake, failure, is just opportunity to learn. Yes it's not fun, but knowledge gained is knowledge earned.

So your thing bro get her back and running can’t wait for it 🤘🏻

After all the work that you did the most common mistakes was made. Way to damn excited to make sure it was jetted right. Believe me I would have been out hitting it just like you . It's an amazing build. Kudos to you for showing what happened .

Kroil is the shit. I use it everyday.

Highly doubt that melted hose leaned it out, but what do I know

Damn that sucks bro! I love the build its a damn nice merica lovin bike!!! 👊🏻👍🏻🤙🏻

You might be able to remove the melted piston off the cylinder walls using muriatic acid. Just use a q-tip and apply it only to the areas where melted aluminum is present. This will allow for a clean hone or bore.

Nothing u, did made this happen, I will let u work on anything I've got, including my Banshee. That vent tube was the bad thing, u did awesome. Good video, much respect 4, being REAL!

Check the short gas cap vent hose to make sure it’s allowing the fuel to flow. I had one of those on my banshee and it completely stopped the fuel flow. Popped the short vent hose off and fuel started flowing out the petcock again. Didn’t find that out until after I blew up my 421 serval. I have a video testing the vent on my channel

That's the name of the game when riding two strokes. I just sold a banshee that went through lots of mechanics. No one could get it running properly so I finally just sold it.

Man that sucks I hate it when quads blow up or sieze. My CDI box went out on the lake shot at winchester bay and was detonating really bad but I wasn't stopping but amazingly it is fine and I just put a hpi on and your video helped alot thanks

Blown up my cr250 multiple times.i feel your pain. Got to live and learn. Stop learning is the day you die

Good find man. I had this happen on a buddy's quad melted a vent hose close and it wouldnt suck fuel as normal.

That sucks bud that’s such a nice bike hope it get up and running soon something like that needs to be shown off

Hate to see it happen but hes right thing can and will happen like with my kfx400 it blew up and hour in to my first ride there was a coolant leak I didn't notice and it got hot on a straight stretch and just shut down I'm glad to see genuine videos showing the problems and struggles keep up the great work I love you videos

Nothing a little sand paper couldn't fix! My buds blaster stuck exactly like that but never broke loose! We had to beat it out sanded everything down and got it running as a temporary fix and it's still running lol.

Don't pay attention to the negativity Mike you have an awesome channel and that is a badass quad one of the best 250R builds I've seen so far and the cool thing about it is you actually ride yours.

OMG I’m checking the routing on my airstriker tomorrow!

That looks to me like a classic four corner seizure. Most likely cause is your running to lean. Air leak or just miscalculation on the main jet. I personally don’t think the melted air vent would affect anything, because it still have other vents built into the carb. All the rough stuff is melted aluminum front the piston. It can be cleaned off with Murat acid and please DO NOT USE A BALL HONE. Not on a two stroke. It will fuck all your port transfers up. The hone you need is a brake style hone.

Danish physicist Niels Bohr once said that an expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field. So now you are one step closer to being an expert. Not the time to be upset. Celebrate!

Best part of the video "Get laid" 🤣 Man I was sad as hell when she died on you on that dune, hopefully you get it fixed up asap and back to enjoying that beast Keep the work up, your vids are bangin

Are you planning on going to little Sahara in Oklahoma?

All part of the game man, trial and error! In a perfect world things never go wrong building engines. You’ll know next time now... I’m getting ready go throw my banshee together next weekend after I get my cylinders back from redline. Wish me luck 🤙🏼 keep your head up brother by far the best videos on RU-vid 👍🏼

Man, that's still a bad ass build on one of the most iconic quads ever made. There isn't too much work to get it back in action. Yeah, it sucks on a fresh build and all but hey shit happens. Ignore the haters, can't wait to see it sing again. Great video Mike. 👍

Sorry this happen with the 250r but atleast it was not so bad. I'm really glad I have not had a problem like this with my banshee. Thanks for sharing with us have great day

Your garage is awesome 👌

That orange can smells amazing lol my buddy uses that stuff

Man that's the best case scenario for the bike, glad it's an easy fix. Let's see this beauty rip.