Howdi all, decided on a XS250 for my first motorcycle restoration as i already have a XS250 wreck with a dead motor that has a few good parts left on it. Got a call from a mate on the weekend to say he has one with the solid state ignition nearly identical to my parts bike. A couple of bucks later and i arrived home with this: [/URL][/IMG] So far i have managed to sort out some of the wiring to get the electric starter turning. Swapped in another coil now have a nice spark at both plugs. Put a few drops of oil down the bores as i dont know how long shes been sitting and it sounds alright rolling on the starter with no plugs in it. Tried putting some fuel into the carbs with an auxilary tank to see if she would fire, got a cough out of it but then the battery was flat. Battery now on charge ready for round 2 tomorrow night, Will probably drop the carbs and throw them in the ultrasonic cleaner for a bit. It does have pods on it and ive read they can be a pain without the original airbox like 'most' small bikes without proper tuning/jetting. Basic plans at the moment is to get her running and check the transmission/clutch out, havent done a compression test yet(cant find the darn thing-put it in a 'safe place') then start tear down. Any advice/feedback etc would be appreciated along the way. Cheers
Spot on what i was considering @kiffsta ,yet im still unsure whether to drop some coin into it for a custom build or try a 'budget' time and money build to keep it reasonably original. Still tinkering with the CBR250R on the side
Great project! Resources here for the XS http://2fiftycc.com/index.php?resources/categories/xs250.55/ http://2fiftycc.com/index.php?account/upgrades
Last night was a failure, i may have forgotten to turn the bloody battery charger on after i connected the battery hahaha. Had a reasonable cleanup in the shed and organised some parts containers ready for tear down process. 2 batteries ready to go after work tonight and 10L of fresh 98 gogojuice
Still no luck, plenty of spark but not even a fart. Good news is the carbs arent leaking but i pulled them anyway and dismantled, bowls had a bit of crud in them so i threw them in the ultrasonic cleaner and carb cleaner and blew it all out with compressed air. Haven't put the carbs back together yet for round 2 - trying to find some new intake boots. Also did a compression test after the old thumb on plughole didnt feel right, not looking good..... Left cylinder: Right: Spent a good hour trying to get the covers off to check valve clearances and manage to break one but eventually got it off, safe to say they aint been off for a decade or two. Note the condition of the intake boots: Next step is to adjust valve clearances, check timing and put carbs back on to try to start surely the right cylinder should fire even with 90psi compression. Time for an engine rebuild methinks!
As per compression test guide here, squirt some oil in to the plug holes and repeat compression test. If you get a higher reading then the piston rings are worn
Not much to report, been busy with "important" jobs around the house says SWMBO. Managed to sneak into the shed on the weekend with some new plugs and a can of start ya bastard in the plughole and got a couple seconds out of it. Going to pull the carbs again and give them a better clean and set float levels again. Also managed to sneak an old TC100 into the shed too, but thats a story for another day!
Stubanger, I had an XS400 (DOHC) and I needed a special tool to do the valve clearances (shims over buckets). Not sure if the 250 is the same, so let me know as I have the tool somewhere in the shed. Also, main jets were different size from left to right due to airbox configuration and carbs were a pain to balance. Not sure if the 250 has YICS...if it does clean the tube as it gets gummed up.
