G'Day Fellow 250 Clan, New to 2fifty.com. Been tinkering with Scooters (Lambrettas and Vespas) and Motorcycles since I was 12 or so - that be quite some time ago now! Started out in Cornwall, where I was born, (Lambrettas, Vespas and my old man's Brit bikes) before emigrating to Oz in '88. My Lambrettas couldn't cope with the 'larger than wheel-sized' potholes (that I would fully disappear into - scoot and all) where I lived near Ballarat - so I upgraded to my first bike - an XR250. Then a ZZR 250 roadie... and the bug was gotten! Been into bikes ever since - riding every day (no car licence - I disliked cars) until my wife severely damaged her ankle (hmmm, deliberate? Ha, ha ) by twisting it in a hole my then 6.5 year old had dug in the backyard, and I was 'forced' to get a car licence back in 2006. Rode big bore Sport Bikes mostly - come rain, hail, snow, shine - ZZR 600, ZZR 1100 x 2, GPZ 900 R, CBR 900 RR, ZX9 R, a fair bit of off-roading on a Tengai 650 and a few other bikes in between. Main ride now is a 2007 KTM 990 Adventure (Katie as she is known to my family). My other babies are a TZR and an FZR... and so my new/old 250 adventure (and ocassional nightmare) began. Been working on fixing up my '91 TZR 250 R (Teazy) for a couple of years now (grabbed her back in 2014) and she's getting there - managed to get her working earlier in the year but still needs some TLC, and acquired an FZR 250 R (Frizzy) on Friday - so two projects on the go. Both resuscitated from the dead - got Frizzy working on Sunday - unreal. Was a long day though...! Hoping to get the FZR back to original - she's in pretty good shape but has aftermarket fairings/overpainted tank - which I am going to be chasing. All original otherwise. So, hopefully, all you 250 officianados out there are happy to advise when the project gets stuck - as I am sure it will at some point! I'm a Graphic Designer by trade, so do all my own decal designing and have become pretty handy at installing vinyl! And as for self-taught 'mechanic', bloody hell - steep learning curve on both bikes! Consider myself reasonably handy with a spanner, but there is a hell of a lot to learn. And so, my bikes... Teazy Before (after a very quick wash down to ascertain 'damage')... Straight but a bit sad. Busted fairings, no spark, no life, a bit leaky and featuring a plethora of non-standard nuts and bolts! All to be replaced with the proper thing. All on zero budget! Check out the dirt - and this is AFTER scrubbing! View attachment 25682 Busted! I fixed it a bit. View attachment 25684 View attachment 25683 Clean Teazy. Well, way cleaner than when I bought her. She was covered from Headlight to Tyre in Mildura's Red Dust (as above). It adhered itself to EVERY surface in EVERY nook and cranny of this gorgeous little machine. Nearly there. Lots of 'homemade' 'bling' (my awesome mother-in-law made the red seat cover for me and I dragged the two straps over it - how cool). All else by my hand. Hopefully Teazy'll be happy to fire up on lovely new spark plugs when I get the opportunity to officially introduce her to my neighbours! ;^) Just waiting on a mate to cut the Number '68 I designed in vinyl for me, for the rear cowling. NOS mirrors are safely in a box ready to go on. CNC'd acrylic headlight protectors (another mate cutting for me) to be warmed in the oven this coming weekend and moulded to the light... Last bit of wiring to tidy up, then fingers-crossed. And here's Frizzy. Freshly cut from a local Carport - and dead as a doornail, or so I was told! I downloaded the Parts Manual yesterday - thanks for having that available 2fifty team. Gonna need it! View attachment 25685 View attachment 25686 Let the fun begin. Great to know there's a whole bunch of bike-mad-nutters like me out there! Wish me luck. Cheers, LethalCelt
Thanks mate. I reckon so! My wife's like 'what the hell did you buy those for - they don't even work and you hardly ever get a chance to ride the 990?' 'Projects and my sanity' I say (I also 'own' two teenage sons, if ya get my drift!!). 'We don't have enough room in the garage - you've filled the garage with your KTM and all its gear, all the spare bike bits, Vikings paraphernalia, fridges, something will have to go...' So, I threw out a small cardboard box on Friday (she saw me do it) - it had a shoe in it. She's cool really (mostly). See by your list that you have a full garage too. Cheers. LethalCelt
You'll fit right in here. If you have bogging down, stalling, or flooding issues with the FZR it's gonna be the carbs (big surprise there). The emulsion tubes and needles wear out. $200 for the keyster kits from motorcycle spares warehouse will get you all new brass bits for the carbs, and go litetek for the carb seals/orings.
Cheers, Frankster! I'll try mate - laugh or cry - I figure laugh with tears, then you can get away with a wee cry if s$!t isn't working - and no-one's any the wiser.
Had a feeling I might. I'll do ma best. Yeah, did some initial research before buying and I know Carbs tend to be a pain on these little jiggers. Thanks for the advice and info though - I feel a part of 'hangin wid da fambly' already! My youngest used to ask - 'why a pocket full o' shells, Dad. Did the singer go to the beach and collect them?' Rage Against the Machine, baby - ahh the innocence...
Nice bikes. Ahh, see you had me up til 'KTM'. KTM, the adventure bike brand that's too scared to sponsor its bike for an actual adventure. LOL. No, thanks. Also, your wife might have a point there...
Hey Mymia, Each to their own my friend. KTM weren't concerned their bikes wouldn't make it but that maybe two, rich, somewhat 'spoiled' movie people and all their support crew, and camera crew, etc. may not be up to the challenge. OK, they made it on their GS's - good on them - and BMW sold more GS's than hot cakes for a couple of years - and I am actually a huge fan of Ewan and Chas! Free bikes and all the gear that non of us can afford, anyone, anyone? Dakar Rally won on a BMW recently? Ha, ha. I'd try it on the TZR if I had the time - she'd look the biz with knobbly tyres on - d'ya reckon Yamaha would sponsor me? I was in a TV ad once - does that qualify me? Yeah, my wife is very accommodating of my passion for two wheels, but I am a very tidy work-person, so the garage is well organised - and room is always available for her 4-wheeled chariot. Oh, and thanks for liking my 'other' bikes.
Cheers Beano. Yeah, she came up a treat in the end. Lots of elbow grease (and often skin) to bring her shine back. She was in a right old state when I picked her up. Definitely a bike worth having - for it's shear unusualness! I'm lucky to have one here in Oz.