1986 Yamaha TZR250

Here is another gem from Old Gold MCs which I bought in 2013. As I mentioned in the Garage item on my KR-1 (https://2fiftycc.com/index.php?showcase/1988-kawasaki-kr-1.187/); From about 1990, I'd wanted either a KR-1 or a TZR250, but ended up getting an RG500 instead (bought 1991, sold 1997) - now I've got both!




This TZR250 is a "bitsa" - the frame number suggests it is the rare JDM 2XT model, yet only the frame, fuel tank and carbs appear to be 2XT. The rest seems to be 1KT and/or 2AW. I think the rest of the bike was originally an equally rare 2AW Keiji Tamura YSP replica (black bodywork with white & yellow stripes, white wheels) - these were released in 1986, so the declared year-of-manufacture fits.
The present bodywork is all original Yamaha, but a mixture. The fairing sides are from the "other" 2AW YSP limited edition (Marlboro) replica model, while the other bits have been repainted in a white and fluorescent orange Marlboro scheme. The red stripes on the fairing sides didn't line up with the fluoro orange stripes on the top fairing (the previous matching fairing sides must have got lost or damaged somewhere along the way), but a couple of pieces of nearly-matching fluoro orange sticky vinyl sorted that out.

The bike arrived with just over 8000km on the odometer. Everything is in pretty good condition, although there are lots of small scuffs and scratches, small patches of corrosion etc.

Mechanically the bike is mostly standard, except:

Remote reservoir front brake master cylinder
Brembo front brake caliper
SS Ishii pipes (a lot lighter than standard ones!)
Aftermarket spring adjusters on forks


I usually like to dismantle engines for checking before putting bikes on the road, but this one has been good so far - I will put it off for a while. I did do the following work before getting it registered though:

Removed the autolube oil pump and oil tank and now use premixed fuel.
Replaced the vacuum-operated fuel tap with a normal on-off-reserve fuel tap.
Fitted a capacitor to replace the battery.
Fitted extra instruments (CHT & EGT gauges and a voltmeter).
Replaced the rectifier-regulator (the old one was dodgy - the voltage fell to about 6V when the engine speed increased!).
Fitted new tyres.
Dismantled, cleaned and rebuilt forks due to small oil leak.
Dismantled and cleaned carbs.
Fitted new air filter.
Treated fuel tank with POR-15 kit.

I was in a bit of a quandary because I liked the colour scheme, but hate cigarettes! My solution was to have several "Quit" stickers made in the Marlboro font, which I added to the bodywork in strategic locations.

I have managed to get hold of nearly a full set (still one or two pieces to find) of the black Keiji Tamura YSP replica bodywork, which I may fit at a later date. However, the bike will do as it is for now!

Regards,
James