AMB

Replaced the front indicators this morning and sorted the speedo. Now tackling the switch gear, kill button was not working and the starter button was missing. Lucky I have loads of spares that came with the bikes. Waiting for front caliper seal kits x two, then I can get the front brakes working. Tony.

Yeah It's a job to be done when the engine is back in the bike.

Morning. The starter motor was not engaging properly so I have taken the alternator cover off for a look see. There apears to me mucho slack in the starter chain, is this normal? I have about 15mm of slack? :( Or shall I just do away with the electric starter altogether.

Wheels cleaned and fitted. Center stand does not seem big enough to hold the bike properly, will fudge it for now with a bit of wood. I expect once the bike is done I will just stick with the side stand and take it off.

Today we have been maily doing. Front forks. Yolks and bearings sorted. Polished up the fork legs and fitted them along with the headlamp brackets. Next job is front mudguard and centre stand, then I can lift it down and fit the wheels. Tony

Started cleaning up and putting bits back on the frame. Not going to be a pristine restoration but a minor refurb. Tony

Swingarm bearings are great, no slop or play in them at all.

Frame being painted. Can't do anything with it now for 48 hours while the paint hardens. Tony.

I ended up using a mixture of petrol/gunk and a stiff brush. Then I pressure washed the whole lot off, then cleaned the fence afterwards. ;) Some rust and a couple of small holes to weld up. Tony.

Oh the black one will be staying stock. This one on the other hand will be tweeked a little. Anyway, I have finished the stripping down. Need to clean all the muck off the frame next, then I can finish the strip and get the frame ready for paint. What degreaser do people use these days. Tony

Todays little jobs. Started stripping aall the rear mudguard off. Then took off the rear shocks, chainguard and took out the rear wheel. If I get a chance tomorrow, the front end will be coming off. Tony

I take loads of pictures and store them on the pc in their own folder. always useful for when the memory plays up on re asembly.

After some tree pruning this morning and a nice coffee and belgium bun, yum yum, I made a start. Crap silencers and down pipes came off, not sure what to do to rectify this mess. But anyway coils came off next, followed by the luminition box and wiring. Then the front crash bars, foot rests, brake and gear lever pedals. Lots of bolts later and some swearing and the engine is out and on the floor. I will continue stripping the frame down when it gets cooler. Tony.

I got 3 spare sets in the bits pile as well.

Here is the progress on the black xs250 I got last week. I have not done much to this one yet but I did get it running today. Running It does run better than the green one, so i will not fiddle too much. I need to strip the front brakes over the rest of the week, so I can get it usable for riding. I intend to restore the us custom first while i practice my riding after all these years Tony

As a follow on from my post in classic bikes, here is the first rebuild blog. As it arrived. Fiddled and fluffed around for a coupke of hours and got it running, not well but it works. Running. Today I stripped the carbs off ready for cleaning and took out the battery box. Tomorrow I hope to start a bit more of the strip down. Tony.

Going to start 2 new write ups in the projects section. One for each bike as I now have a plan of action, be easier for me to keep track if I do that. Won't get so confused with what bike I am talking about.

Well it gives me something to do when the weather is ugly and I cant work on the car restoration. :)

The Black one has dodgy front brakes, so I need to strip them so it is easier to push. Slopped a new battery on her and all the lights work, the engine turns over but there is no spark at the plugs. Will see if I can get it to run tomorrow. I have stuck her in the shed for now, will strip it down for a resto later this year. The Green one has a soft front brake, loose silencers and has loads of tatt adorning it. Swapped the battery over from the other one and nothing, no lights or anything. Engine turns over on the kick start and has compression. After some cleaning of connectors I managed to get the lights working and a spark at the plugs, soo tank back on, plugs back in and fuel tap set to prime. Lots of kicks later, starter button is missing on the handlebars (but there are 3 spare switch cluster in the spares pile) she fired up. Need to put fresh fuel in the tank as it has not run for 7 years, but it runs. yaaaay. So the strip down and refurb can start on it. Tony.

Hello Folks. Back in July I bought two xs250's and today they were finally delivered.

I won't bother then.

Finally after delays in delivery, the bikes and spares are due to be delivered weds morning. Yaaay.

Both have been in the possesion of one man for the last 35 years,kept stored in a garage. So I am hoping that they will both be back on the road soon. Just awaiting delivery. That US custom is just screaming out for some longer front forks and a 70's chop paint job. he he he

Well. These two. Both need work, but I am not sure about the US custom, looks weird to me...he he he . Bit more of an update on me... Started riding at 12 on an Ariel square four combo. rode a 650 panther (ilegaly at 16), then the usual run of bikes. NSU quickley, CZ 175 trail, Francis Barnet Falcon, XS250, Honda goldwing, Honda cd 175, cb 250, Suzuki GT 550. Then cars,wife and kids, the usual.

Just joined as I have decided after 30 odd years of being bikeless. In the process of buying a couple of xs250's for restoration. Last had one back in 1978 which I bought new and passed my test on. Lets hope I remember how to ride. he he Tony.