Hey guys im new here. But i have actually had two LT230s, first was an 88 and i now have this one in the pics below (unsure of the year).
I picked it up a week ago non running, cleaned the carb and it started up, eventually. Bad rings/piston, but the guy i got it from gave me the wiseco top end kit. So i removed the cylinder and all that good stuff and got it all installed. Have yet to try to start it. Because.......the day i was riding, i snapped the steering stem off. This was the reason we got rid of the last one, went through 3 stems!!!!!
But this time im demanding to keep this bike. Can i weld the stem? Or just replace it with a used one off of e-bay?
Pics:



Crack:

 

hey welcome to the forum!

steering stems are a common issue with these bikes.

but i wouldnt try to re-weld a broken one.

i suggest getting a good used one and trying to beef it up with additional steel before it breaks again.

 

Are there aftermarket steering stems? What year will fit this?
Anyone know what year this is? It has the light dimmer thing on the thumb throttle, so that makes it an 85-86 right?
Thanks guys

 

all 230s steering stems will fit, any year. and probably 230e and 250s ones as well.

for aftermarket ones you can try e-mailing burgard cycle, laegers, or avenger atv. ask them if they can whip up a steering stem for an lt250r that's a little shorter than the usual (that way they know what to base things off of, since they probably wont even know what a 230 is lol). i'll have to go measure to tell you how much shorter the 230 stem is than the 250r stem, but otherwise, they are the same. if you want more height, you MAY be able to run a 250r unit.

and as far as the year, take a pic of the swingarm and from that i can determine if its 85-86 or 87-88.

 

Its an 86. Got my steering stem in and put the wiseco top end in. It sucks because when i tore it down to get the cylinder honed and replace the piston, my machinist says my cylinder was bored over .20". And the bike came with the "STD" kit. So i had to get the right one. But i got it all installed and its a BITCH to kick over. And the ball joint bolts on the steering stem are ON there. Practically impossible to get off! I dont know what to do with it.
And to get the tension less on the cam chain i pulled out that tensioner thing on the cylinder and manually pushed it all the way in and bolted it down. Relieved alot of stress and became a little easier to kick. Is this ok? And is there any way to tighten the shift lever?
Thanks
Marcus

 

Have you already gotten it started since the re-build?

My stem snapped just below the handlebars, and was previously welded, poorly. Looks like someone melted a coat hanger or something on it. I didnt know it until I was starting it one day and it snapped off. I ground everything down smooth, centered it up, and Mig'd it back together. No problems since.

 

hahaha i remember when i first tried to kick my +.080" motor over! i nearly broke my leg!

for the cam chain tensioner, to adjust it, have it bolted in as if it were in use, and then loosen the locknut on the side and back out the flathead screw a turn or so. then the spring inside will automatically push the plunger against the chain guide inside to the proper tension. then tighten up the screw and nut again.

ive heard stories about those things locking up, but its never happened to me. but if you want, just to be safe, take the tensioner off and loosen the locking screw and make sure that the plunger moves freeley.

good luck!

 

No i just got another one off of ebay. But it kinda sucks because it wasnt the right one. So i had to mod it to get it to fit. It was about 2inches longer so thats kinda nice.

Im only at .40 over because the .20 bore had gouges and scratches that honing wouldnt fill. The tensioner works perfect. Im just scared because when i had my first bike it was an 85 200x atc. And the cam chain snapped and destroyed the crank. I dont need that. I took the carb apart and cleaned it. New spark plug. Im removing the air box and just getting a clamp on (scientifically and mathematically proven thatit doesnt matter how long the air flow is). So a uni and ill go up a jet or 2. Anything else i should look at doing to get it started? And my de-comp lever broke. That was my cheat code.
ANDDDD, it was backfiring when i was trying to start it with the exhaust off. Didnt seem like it wanted to start, but it did have spark.
Sorry this post is all over the place.
Thanks guys,
Marcus

 

Ok i went out there. It seems to have WEAK spark. But then we push started it, it started up but died immediately. Then we tried again, and again. Same thing. Then tried kicking it and the same thing. Timing is correct. All i can think of is the carb. Right? I dont need a silencer for it to stay running, right?
Thanks guys
Marcus

 

you need 3things for an engine to run. spark, compression, and proper fuel/air mix. if you have/had weak spark oyu need to track down that issue. on my firends 230 it turned out to be a misaligned pulsar coil off the magneto. the vibration and shock pushed it too close to the magneto.

if it ran but died it sounds like a spark issue. if you have good compression and proper timing then its ether fuel or spark. just bumping the main up a couple sizes shouldn't cause it to drown out bad enough to not start.

no a silencer is not need to start an engine.

O! and buy a new steering stem and reinforce the crap out of it!!!! had the same thing happen-just welded a sleeve and reinforcement around it.