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Project Another GSX 250 CafeRacer

Discussion in 'Your 250cc Projects' started by Dave H, Dec 22, 2013.

  1. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    1981 GSX 250, '83 GSX 750ES, '08 DL 650, ' 89 ZXR400 race bike
    The bike is a 1981 GSX 250 that I bought from a friend. It had already started its conversion to Cafe Racer, but finances were tight so I am now the owner. But I have different ideas to the original direction the bike was taking.

    So far I have sorted the electrics and tidied them up under the seat, extended the exhaust by a 300mm the original pipe is well worn, so will have to be replaced with new. I have fitted new instruments and pods as well as sorted a few other little faults.
    The engine will be pulled own for inspection and clean up over the winter period. ( too wet to ride this bike). Hopefully I can get the tank painted at the same time.

    The new exhaust gaskets have arrived ex US, very prompt and cheap too.
    While waiting I have painted that bloody bright Yellow battery a nice flat black.
    Gaskets installed, but waiting for a free day to fire up and test.
    I have been researching rear sets with not much luck, so 'll be off to the metal recyclers for some bar stock off cuts to make my own.
    I looked at many web pages till I found what I liked, but it was a combination of three different sets. Therefore cost prohibitive, being a pensioner and all.
    So off to the steel merchants for the material to make backing plates to move the pegs rearward, then to the aluminium place.
    I must admit I was a little worried what it would cost, but to my surprise I got a metre length of 6 x 40 mm flat for $11 and about 750 mm of 25 mm round stock for $7.
    I got a couple of bronze bushes for $16 20 x 26 x 12 flanged, things were looking good.
    Access to the lathe is easy, its my fathers so I have unlimited use.

    Now all I need is time and with it being the silly season, I find myself time poor


    Cafe Racer-0001.jpg
     
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  2. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    Well progress is slow, made up two sets of brackets to mount the rear sets, first set had the peg 100 mm back from the front bolt, the second has the peg 150 mm back. After trialing with a couple of bolts as substitute pegs the smaller set were discarded.
    Now the new year is here and house visitors are off to NZ for a bit, I should get the pegs and shift levers machined up.
    I will post up some photos as the work progresses


    Dave
     
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  3. Ben Mulligan

    Ben Mulligan Well-Known Member Premium Member Contributing Member

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    Would love to see how you did the electrics if you get some pics mate?
     
  4. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    Ben, I'll take some pics shortly.

    So the past week I have spent machining aluminium to make up the rear sets. It was a a bit of trial and error in a couple of spots and the fine tuning will have to take place once the feet are used to the new position. But I reasonably happy with the results
    I'll put up some pics in the next couple of days
     
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  5. Ben Mulligan

    Ben Mulligan Well-Known Member Premium Member Contributing Member

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    Rearsets? Awesome, been looking for something more comfortable since i'm dropping the bars so low
     
  6. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    This is my tiding up of the electrics. A thin gauge sheet of steel with all the components bolted to it, then bolted to the frame under the seat. the associated wiring is then fed up onto the top of the plate and back to the underside of the tank, The loom for the tail light assembly was then fed around the frame and into place at the rear. The flasher can is temporarily in place attached to the bracket securing the rear mud guard.
    The main loom was the secured to the frame. New wiring for the battery and starter solenoid were then installed.
    this left no visible wiring hanging under the seat.

    Cafe Racer-0007.jpg 20140115-DSC_0054.jpg 20140115-DSC_0056.jpg
     
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  7. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    As mentioned earlier I have fabricated my own rear sets. These fitted nicely on the new mounting brackets.
     

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  8. GreyImport

    GreyImport Administrator Staff Member The Chief Contributing Member

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    Excellent work there mate ...... Ill certainly be doing something very similar with the electrics to get them all hidden under the seat hump.

    How many extra sets of rearsets did u say u made? :lolsign:
    Apart from actual practical riding position change they look great ..... the original pegs on these things are just butt ugly.
     
  9. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    I'm afraid you're out of luck, I only made the one set, this time. :)

    I found with the clip ons, the butt ugly std pegs uncomfortable, had my knees in my chest.
     
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  10. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    My Bike:
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    Today I started the fork seal replacement, starting with the left because it leaks already. Dis-assembly pretty straight forward. I found one of the mudguard mounts had a stud. Bit odd me thinks, till it tried to unscrew it...
    A large chunk of "Araldite" fell away taking half the thread with it, not happy. another bit to be refurbished.
    Re-assembled without any dramas and re-installed to await oil.
    I have to wait till I drained the right leg to get a fairly accurate amount of oil to replace.
    Started on the right unit, dis-assembly was strangely difficult, for reasons to become apparent as I progressed.
    The damper rod and end cap were jammed in the fork leg, further inspection revealed water had go into it at some stage, the fork seal was covered with a rusty mud, but the dust cover was relatively intact. There were cracks visible around the top of the fork leg and when prising the seal out, the whole section fell away. Not impressed, it appears that the seal had been glued into place, as it was well stuck to the broken piece.
    My options at this point are to replace both fork legs if they can be obtained or repair the broken parts, a solution I'd rather not follow.
    So the hunt begins for replacement fork legs.
     
  11. Phil

    Phil Senior Member Contributing Member

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    Hey Dave
    Feel your pain and frustration,:mad: these hidden gems don't go down well. By your description the previous owner must have been a butcher, Anything to get it back together. Well the message is on the forum, you might get a response but I would try findapart as they are connected to a huge amount of wreckers and dismantlers both here in Australia but also N.Z. Over the years I have had pretty good service from them, worth a try. Also there is a wrecker in Melbourne that deal exclusively in Jap bikes, name escapes me. Good luck with it.:thumb_ups: Victorian motorcycle wreckers
     
  12. GreyImport

    GreyImport Administrator Staff Member The Chief Contributing Member

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  13. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    Thanks I'll follow up on those tomorrow
     
  14. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    My Bike:
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    So while I wait for the Findapart to do its thing, I thought and looked at the damaged fork legs.
    I decided to continue as planned, I cleaned up the leg, removing all the old adhesive in both parts. Then I made up a clamping device from a large screw type hose clip. I installed the seal and spring retainer, then carefully applied some super strong epoxy adhesive to the leg and mated up the broken piece. Then put the hose clip in place to clamp and hold everything together while the epoxy hardened.
    I returned several hours later, removed the hose clip. Everything was hard and in place. I continued with the re-assembly, so far so good.
    Installed the leg back into the bike, replaced the wheel, speedo drive and brake caliper. No leaks and everything is working nicely, tho I think the oil may be too heavy (15W).
    The cracked and broken piece is not a load or stress loaded part, it is only a small part of the seal outer and dust boot mount, so I cannot see any reason for it to fail. Although having said that and effected a repair, I shall still hunt down some replacement lower legs
     
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  15. Phil

    Phil Senior Member Contributing Member

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    Good for you Dave
    Sounds like you can keep progressing with the project. If it stays put and stays together, you're laughing!:thumb_ups:
     
  16. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    Took the GSX out for a trial run on Saturday morning, No leaks, undue effects from the refurbished forks, other than to say that the 15W oil is too much. I will replace with 10W. At the moment if feels far too stiff, but much better than before the rebuild.
     
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  17. geesex66

    geesex66 Active Member

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  18. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    Sorry guys I haven't been keeping up to date with the blog.

    Having run the front forks with 15w and thought it too heavy, I drained and replaces with 10w.
    A huge difference, the front is now too soft to the point of bottoming out, so I shall go back to 15w.
    It may be stiffer, but it won't cause me to face plant the tank when I hit a pot hole.

    I took the bike out for a club run recently, what a lot of fun. I had never owned a 2fiddy before. Yes I'm that old.
    It wouldn't keep up with the big bikes, although I nearly collided with the Kwaka 550 in front due to differing cornering techniques.
    On the Slab route home it sat quite comfortably on 105kph (indicated), right at the back of the pack. :)

    I also recently entered it in the club show and shine. It didn't win, but it did cause a bit of interest.


    Recent mods include a revamp of the brake actuating lever.
    I cut the old pedal off at the splined boss, I then welded a piece of 6mm x 50mm MS that I had roughly
    shaped to fit. I connected the rear set and tried it out. With a little more fettling it worked perfectly, so I
    gave it a couple of coats of paint and re-installed. I'd put photos up but I neglected to take any, I will after Easter when the bike oes off the road for a rebuild.

    Thanks for showing an interest in my project

    Dave
     
  19. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    I have spent the past month a little frustrated, my V strom has had an electrical malfunction.
    It left me sitting on the side of the road with a flat battery. The cause, the stator had a fry up, not happy
    all the money I had put aside for the Cafe racer went into repairs.
    I had to use the cafe racer to get about, using up my alotted days. Now it has developed the same problems,
    put the meter across it it find all 3 leads to earth. Another fried stator..
    So the hunt begins to find a replacement or come up with the $ to have it rewound.
     
  20. Dave H

    Dave H Active Member

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    So due to the stator being u/s, I decided to strip it down and fix a couple of other things that were annoying me.
    So far I think I have fixed the clutch drag, the basket had grooves worn in it from the plates.
    I have found the cause of the minor oil leak from the barrels, no 'O' rings as indicated in the manual.
    A broken exhaust clamp bolt snapped off flush, this one is a pita to remove.
    I have ground off the remaining welds left when various tags were cut off, so the frame will be repaired where necessary and repainted.
     

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