Rob Bellamy

Hi Everyone, I have bought a 1981 XT250 for $360 off ebay that is a non starter. I have no knowledge of the history of the bike but it doesn't look like it has started for a long time and it has been maintained using bodge methods. I have a clymer manual and enthusiasm. Problems: Kick starter has no decompression cable. Cam chain tensioner is missing. The timing was completely off. The electrics have been messed with. Indicators / brake light have been removed, only remaing light is the headlight. In general look butchered. No battery. Sticking clutch - my intuition says this might fix itself once the engine warms up and has been running for a little while. The most worrying thing is that the engine has clearly been opened and messed with by some mope who has lost engine bolts for the head and covers and even a few threads have been stripped. So far I have done: Cleaned and rebuilt the carb with new jets and gaskets Checked compression - 150 Spark - big and blue Checked all valve clearances - good Removed rotor and stator to check timing - all good Fresh fuel + Start ya bastard + Fuel to carb flows freely. What happens: Currently when kick starting the motor the kick start backfires and dominates my foot and leg. I have tried bump starting it with some success however it only runs for less than a few seconds before stalling and it does not respond to the throttle. This may also be due to a sticking clutch which doesn't let me disengage gear to stop it from stalling. The other worry I have is that the engine despite only running for a short period is not responding to the throttle in anyway. Next Steps: When I rebuilt the carb I found that a plastic washer was missing from the drawings I have from the Clymer manual. It is a white plastic ring that sits in the bottom of the float chamber. I am not sure how crucial this is to functioning of the carb. I am thinking that if I have a decompression cable on the kick start then I might be able to get it started in neutral with the kick start. Otherwise I am thinking there might be a wiring issue considering the butchering it has clearly taken. I read somewhere that incorrect wiring would enable it to start but not rev up which seems to fit with what is happening. If anyone can tell me why everytime I try to upload a photo it comes up as a broken link let me know and I can provide images to each of my points. If anyone has any feedback I would greatly appreciate it as I am unsure on how to move forward. Cheers, Rob

Hi Everyone, I have bought a 1981 XT250 for $360 off ebay that is a non starter. I have no knowledge of the history of the bike but it doesn't look like it has started for a long time and it has been maintained using bodge methods. I have a clymer manual and enthusiasm. Problems: Kick starter has no decompression cable. Cam chain tensioner is missing. The timing was completely off. The electrics have been messed with. Indicators / brake light have been removed, only remaing light is the headlight. In general look butchered. No battery. Sticking clutch - my intuition says this might fix itself once the engine warms up and has been running for a little while. The most worrying thing is that the engine has clearly been opened and messed with by some mope who has lost engine bolts for the head and covers and even a few threads have been stripped. So far I have done: Cleaned and rebuilt the carb with new jets and gaskets Checked compression - 150 Spark - big and blue Checked all valve clearances - good Removed rotor and stator to check timing - all good Fresh fuel + Start ya bastard + Fuel to carb flows freely. What happens: Currently when kick starting the motor the kick start backfires and dominates my foot and leg. I have tried bump starting it with some success however it only runs for less than a few seconds before stalling and it does not respond to the throttle. This may also be due to a sticking clutch which doesn't let me disengage gear to stop it from stalling. The other worry I have is that the engine despite only running for a short period is not responding to the throttle in anyway. Next Steps: When I rebuilt the carb I found that a plastic washer was missing from the drawings I have from the Clymer manual. It is a white plastic ring that sits in the bottom of the float chamber. I am not sure how crucial this is to functioning of the carb. I am thinking that if I have a decompression cable on the kick start then I might be able to get it started in neutral with the kick start. Otherwise I am thinking there might be a wiring issue considering the butchering it has clearly taken. I read somewhere that incorrect wiring would enable it to start but not rev up which seems to fit with what is happening. If anyone can tell me why everytime I try to upload a photo it comes up as a broken link let me know and I can provide images to each of my points. If anyone has any feedback I would greatly appreciate it as I am unsure on how to move forward. Cheers, Rob

Hi Everyone, Great to meet you all! Thanks for the advice I have definitely been taking photos and have got myself a clymer manual. Conveniently my dad has a fair number of the tools I need however he also has foreboed me from owning a bike so I have to try and keep this under the radar. But seriously what does he expect when he has an imaculate Kawasaki Z900, a pimped out BMW 1200GS and I spent most of my childhood choking on 2 stroke smoke....? I will be posting an extensive update on the bike situation - please keep a look out I need all the help I can get! Cheers, Rob

Hi Everyone, I am from Sydney, Australia and recently bought a non-starter 1981 XT250 for $360 as my first bike. I have been inspired by the awesome cafe racers at Deus Ex Machina and decided to build my own. I have no experience in mechanics other than a love of lego and mechano from my childhood. Cheers, Rob