I havent bought a bike for at least a month and was having withdrawals so I searched ebay in ernest and found a Honda VT250 Spada close to home, having had a spada before I thought I would have a go, they are a great little bike and the description said it needed a few parts such as ignition coils and a CDI. Suffice to say my bid was the winning bid. When I called the seller to arrange to pick it up, he told me it was at his local bike shop, I dutifully popped down to get it and the bike shop owner gave me the rundown that coils and a CDI should do it. He had another Spada in his shop he had tried the coils and CDI from it and it ran, so I figured I couldnt go wrong. When I arrived home, I noticed the head light switch was damaged, so with shopping list in hand , I set about looking for the coils, cdi and r\h switch block as well. I searched on ebay trying to source these parts and didnt have much luck, so I put put a search on findapart.com.au, I received plenty of replies and ended up ordering them from a wrecker in New Zealand. Today I arrived home and found a package on the doorstep, took me 10 mins to fit the coils and CDI, refit the airbox and tank, then she fired right up. I have to say its not running all the well and it seems the carbies are way out and one pot is running very rich, but she runs and that is a win in my books. :Thumbs_up: The photos dont really do it justice, but she really is in good nick, the every bit of chrome has been polished and just needs a good buff to bring her back for her former glory. Tyres are good, brakes all work, seat isnt ripped, Im stoked..... and to top it off, its still registered So what will I do with it ? beats me, get a RWC and transfer it into my name.. from there who knows. Honda VT250 Spada - Specs General information Model: Honda VT 250 Spada Year: 1989 -1989 Category: Naked bike Engine and transmission Displacement: 249.00 ccm (15.19 cubic inches) Engine type: V2, four-stroke Power: 40.00 HP (29.2 kW)) @ 12000 RPM Top speed: 180.0 km/h (111.8 mph) Max RPM: 14000 Compression: 11.0:1 Bore x stroke: 60.1 x 44.1 mm (2.4 x 1.7 inches) Valves per cylinder: 4 Fuel system: Carburettor Fuel control: DOHC Lubrication system: wet sump Cooling system: Liquid Gearbox: 6-speed Chassis, suspension, brakes and wheels Frame type: Aluminium Frame Front tyre dimensions: 110/80-17 52H Rear tyre dimensions: 140/70-17 66H Front brakes: Single disc Physical measures and capacities Dry weight: 140.0 kg (308.6 pounds) Power/weight ratio: 0.2857 HP/kg Overall height: 1,020 mm (40.2 inches) Overall length: 2,010 mm (79.1 inches) Overall width: 715 mm (28.1 inches) Wheelbase: 1,380 mm (54.3 inches) Fuel capacity: 11.00 litres (2.91 gallons) Heres a few pics of the Spada
You have done well if it is up and running that easy ;D looks like a fun bike when you finish playing around with it.
well, I admit defeat on the carbies, they wont balance out so out of frustration I found a set for $80 from the same guy who supplied the coils and CDI, patiently awaiting the delivery :Thumbs_up:
I rode one of the early Speed Triples and thought it was really stupid. It only felt like it was happy running at over 160kph.
Hopefully test riding a Street Triple around Lake Wivenhoe this Sunday on the Team Moto Ride Day. Hope it's more well behaved than it's big brother?
hey chris spada looks good :Thumbs_up: rode early and later speed triples and im not a fan i must say early ones where just a daytona with the fairing removed later ones were better and had more grunt low down made a good wheelie machine but thats about all a mate went touring with me in germany he kept having to stop as his neck was killing him his arms were pumping up and it had real bad vibes high in the rev range i was on my zx12r didnt see much of him on the twisty bits or on the autoban he sold it when we got back :laugh:
A bit late joining the thread, but the Spada specs don't seem right, Chris. It says 2 valves per cylinder, but they are 4-valve per cylinder, and my tacho shows redline at 13,500 (I thought it was 10,500, but that is amber, I think, it is a little faded). Did they make a couple of variations to the Spada?
Well, who would have thought that????? One good thing about these engines is screw and locknut valve adjusters (NO shims).
I've been keeping my eye out for a vtr250 here, same one keeps popping up and its the year of the inboard rotor *shudder.* Hope you enjoy the spada!
The inboard rotor was such a good idea, just nobody understood it. 'Everyone' back in the late 1970s/early 1980s was asking for a better disc brake that worked in the rain (at the time drum brakes were the only ones that worked ) and Honda fitted it inboard (like an aircraft) and made it vented cast iron (instead of stainless) so it actually worked and nobody liked the look of it. The hub has two air scoops that push cooling air through the middle of the disc, but water would not get to the pad surface. The down side is that the wheel has to come out to change pads. It works on the same principal as the rim brake on a Buell, but smaller and enclosed behind plastic cover so you cannot see the disc. Have not ridden mine yet (still waiting on new pads) but a 550 with the inboard disc I rode some years ago had great braking. Some on the VJMC forum say they are too good.
These old 250cc are very simple bikes, easy to find what's wrong and fix it. When you compare them with fancy modern bikes, full of electric/electronic "innovations", the old school becomes a dream for a someone mechanically minded like you.
On the topic of Spadas, I think the timing chain tensioner might be a bit dodgy. Any hack tips for them? I'm a bit suspicious of the design based on the liitle I know of them.
