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Project ZXR250 Resurrection.

Discussion in 'Your 250cc Projects' started by crshbndct, May 18, 2019.

  1. crshbndct

    crshbndct Active Member

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    Bought a ZXR250C last night.
    Poor thing has had a hard life. It was owned by a guy who used it for commuting, with a 14/41 sprocket setup, who looked after it really well.

    Then unfortunately it passed into the hands of afew idiots, one of whom decided to rattlecan the whole thing. Forks, triple clamp, tank, fairings, wheels, frame, etc etc.

    So it looks decidedly ragged at the moment. Seems to run alright, though it is hella lean at idle, to the point where a little bit of throttle will cause it to stall. It also makes a lot of rattly noises, so I think a timing chain and tensioner is on the cards as well.



    I am going to use this thread as a build log, and a way of keeping track of what I have done and am going to do.
     
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    Last edited: Sep 28, 2020
  2. Cbuzz

    Cbuzz Well-Known Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    Man what a way to ruin an awesome bike. Rattle can it....

    Well, at least it can all be undone with some hard work. Watching with interest :thumb_ups: Have fun!
     
  3. Andych

    Andych Moderator Staff Member Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    Oh dear... and it was a really bad rattle can job too.. there are some really nice examples in here.
    Good luck with it... I will keep an eye on it.
    Pictures are easy in here... best way is to have them on your PC and then click in the "Upload a file" just below and to the right when you are replying.. choose your picture and then upload it.. I always them make them full size as well (just another mouse click)
    Doing it this way ensures the pics stay there even if you change Picture hosting services etc.
     
  4. crshbndct

    crshbndct Active Member

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    Yeah I understand all that, but how do I add photos and then carry on writing stuff below them?

    I am used to the older style of forum where you put IMG tags, but this seems to hide the code away, which makes it hard to edit.

    Anyway, bad news is that the bike will now no longer run at all. It cranks happily, but just coughs every few seconds. It was doing this yesterday, but then I did something, and it fired instantly when I tried. Can't remember what I did though.

    Maybe it was the kickstand being up.. Do you have to have the stand up to start these bikes? I am literally learning as I go, since this is my first real Bike.

    The only things I have done to the bike since I got it:

    Pull the levers off and lubricate the cables
    Lube the throttle
    Add some gasket maker around the airbox/carb area, since those were missing entirely,
    Remove the completely stuffed air filter
    Just generally lubing everything (Key Barrels, seat fastening slides, etc.)

    Could it be the fuel tank vent? Where even do I find that?
     
  5. Andych

    Andych Moderator Staff Member Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    All you need to do is move your mouse pointer to below the picture and click. Then you can keep typing.

    As for not starting again I am pretty sure you need to have the kickstand up and probably holding the clutch in as well as being in Neutral.
    To be sure, to be sure I guess.
    You can slip in jumpers as a temp bypass to fault find


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
     
  6. crshbndct

    crshbndct Active Member

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    I want to eliminate clutch switch, kickstand switch and neutral switch, where would I jump these? Or what should I look for in the service manual to show me where to find them?

    The bike has electrical issues as well as idling issues, for example the high beams dont work, the low beams come on when the bars are to the right, the signals are incredibly slow, the rear brake barely triggers the brakelight etc.

    It's going to be a long road getting this one fixed. I am positive that that non starting issues are either vacuum or some safety switch related.
     
  7. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    If the signals are slow, they your battery is in a low state of charge and the charging system is not working well / at all. I know that from experience with my ZXR :)

    Measure the battery voltage when the bike is off and it's been sitting for a while. Start the bike and read the voltage at the battery terminals. Raise the revs to a few thousand, hold it there and check voltage again. Let us know what the numbers are.

    The ZXR's have a clutch switch, sidestand switch, and neutral switch. You will find that the bike will not stall in gear with the stand down until you start to let out the clutch and the switch goes.
     
  8. Andych

    Andych Moderator Staff Member Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    If you want to bypass the kickstand and clutch switches just make up a short jumper cable and plug it in where they connect to the switches. Basically joining the wires. Don’t bypass the neutral switch.
    Do as @Linkin recommended and also check all your earth connections.
    A lot of electrical issues are Poor Earth related.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
     
  9. crshbndct

    crshbndct Active Member

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    Thanks, I will be bypassing the switches tomorrow and also stripping off all the fairings and gauges tomorrow to try to clean up some of the wiring and rust under the gauges. Hope to document the whole thing with photos the whole way through. I reckon this bike has every issue these bikes get, so if I can fix all of them it could be a good resource for others.
     
  10. crshbndct

    crshbndct Active Member

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  11. maelstrom

    maelstrom LiteTek Staff Member Premium Member 250cc Vendor Contributing Member

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    Lots of owners on the forum have bought body kits but it depends on which company you buy them from. I like that paint scheme for the ZXR. As I understand it one of those was just stolen from @kiffsta. They even used his images on their web site. @XCite Bikes brings some into Aus and he will be the man to set you straight.
    Cheers
    Blair
     
  12. crshbndct

    crshbndct Active Member

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    Huge progress.

    It starts and runs!! Turns out the PO had replaced the vacuum hose from the airbox to the vacuum valve with a much too big transmission cooler hose. So of course the light vacuum that the vacuum valve needed to? (pump fuel?) wasn't there. They had just put a really tight hoseclamp over it. I think this solved it. Or maybe it was reconnecting the clutch switch and cable-tying the clutch lever.

    When it won't start, it cranks and pop-pop-pops but doesnt start. But that seems to be sorted now.

    New issue: It seems to want to idle at 7000 rpm. In fact it started by idling at 4000, then as it warmed up the revs just went up and up and up. It is nearing 8000 now.

    I am going to pull the tank again and check that the throttle cable isn't being pulled or pinched or something. I did remove the RHS switchgear, so I may have done something wrong there as well, but I dont think so. The throttle wasn't returning to its stop, which is great for cruise control, but I'd rather not die tbh.

    Honestly though, I am probably going to pull the engine, take it to work and get my boss to help me do rings/bearings/valve clearances/cct/camchain and basically have a completely fresh engine.

    I am also thinking of bypassing the vacuum valve, i read it can be done by taking 1/4 to petcock and 2/3 to... I cant remember where but I'll find the thread and do it that way.
     
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    Last edited: May 19, 2019
  13. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    The idle adjuster is located on the clutch basket on a metal bracket
     
  14. crshbndct

    crshbndct Active Member

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    Yeah I know, I was unwinding it to try bring the idle down, and ended up unwinding it all the way out. It is currently sitting in my "when the bike is stripped" bin for stuff I am going to do to it.

    Will probably start stripping it next weekend when my daughter gets here. She is dead set keen to help me restore the bike, so I kind of want to leave it mostly in one piece and running so that she can see it and hear it before it gets stripped down for major overhaul
     
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  15. XCite Bikes

    XCite Bikes Parts and Accessories Staff Member 250cc Vendor Contributing Member

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    Although it might be your only option, this kit is made by compression mould, not injection like OEM panels. Compression moulded panels are hard to install (dont align very well), are thin, and may just fly away if you go over 100k/h on the motorway. I'm not dramatising, I know 2 people that lost panels while riding.
    To the best of my knowledge, no one makes injection moulded fairings in China, so this might be your only option. Or perhaps a Tyga kit. Cost a lot more, but works as it should.
     
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  16. maelstrom

    maelstrom LiteTek Staff Member Premium Member 250cc Vendor Contributing Member

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    Check the position of the pilot screws. If they have been wound in that will keep the idle from settling.
     
  17. sharky

    sharky Well-Known Member

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    My advice would be to get it running before pulling everything apart, better to find the problems now than after re-assembling. Clean the carbs,I can see 2 or more broken off airbox screws, check & clean all your electrical connectors. Once running check things like leaks from the water pump weep hole, radiator & thermostat working correct, fresh oil leaks from the motor, charging system working & r+r plug not burnt out etc. Your high idle might be the choke stuck open?, the lever should be pushed forward to be "off", if the pilot screws are wound all the way in it won't start or idle without throttle.
     
  18. crshbndct

    crshbndct Active Member

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    Right, so first job is to replace all the buggered bearings. Figure I might as well do all of them, rather than just the ones that need it, since they will probably all need it soon.

    Does anyone know where I can find a partslist that lists all the steering head bearings, wheel bearings, swingarm bearings, and any others I am forgetting? I would like to order what I can from the local bearing place, and then get on the hunt for the specialty ones.

    Also I am trying to source a camchain and tensioner in NZ, but it is looking like a tough job.
     
  19. GreyImport

    GreyImport Administrator Staff Member The Chief Contributing Member

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  20. Linkin

    Linkin The Mechanic Premium Member Contributing Member Dirty Wheel Club

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    Last edited: May 29, 2019

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