Must be the weather or something(stuffed engine pics added!)

[mike-s]

just did the maths, thus far its cost me about 860 including the bike.

[robracer]

Have you set a rough budget or do what I have done in the past & over time loose track of the $$$ so it doesnt hurt so much

[Gosling1]

...(gos having basically GIVEN me one pair, thanks again!!! ...

WTF!!!! You've actually gotten something out of the 4th Dimension? I'm impressed

Patience - Is a Virtue ..........Grasshopper............

[mike-s]

well i've figured out (and gotten) the majority of the exxy bits and pieces. All the rest of it is really just taking things apart, polishing 'em up and putting them back together.

Aside from perhaps getting the current tank cleaned up and sprayed that is. I'll approach that bridge when i come to it.

[Colette]

As they say in real estate "its got potential"

Good on you, Mike, enjoy the new project

[MadKaw]

Here you go Mike..
Something to aim for..

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Suzuki-gsx-250-f ... dZViewItem

[mike-s]

yeah, i know, already saw it last night.

Thought about it for a good ten seconds and then thought "naaaahh"

[mike-s]

I've been doing it peicemeal, carbies have been stripped and cleaned and 95% reassembled, just have to replace the choke lever pinchbolt and im set. Before i stripped em, the carbs were a f*ing mess. Main jets 3/4 filled with god knows what, but it wasnt varnish.

Next up is replacing the carb boots, then that brake master cylinder as the current one goes to the bars with NO effect, and no its not "just the way 80's brakes work" . After that i'm cleaning up the exhaust system and checking the electricals aren't totally nuked. Then draining the oil and and and....

Im glad i bought so many spares, i can see me using 90% of them, tank, sidepanels, etc

Also test drove my little portable drill/burnishing tool. does a neat job of polishing the oxide off the aluminium of the engine. It's still beyond me how anyone let it get to such a sorry state(though admittedly i *HAVE* seen worse basketcases).

[dave#3]

It's still beyond me how anyone let it get to such a sorry state(though admittedly i *HAVE* seen worse basketcases).

Like a certain GPX750 I saw once - the owner didn't even know the rims had polished lips

[mike-s]

i have no comeback for that

[red_dave]

It's still beyond me how anyone let it get to such a sorry state(though admittedly i *HAVE* seen worse basketcases).

Like a certain GPX750 I saw once - the owner didn't even know the rims had polished lips

I thought that was because you couldn't see past those ugly Ducati pipes...

[MickLC]

One thing for sure Mike, you're making me appreciate how good a condition my Z is in

[mike-s]

Heh, well look at the pics at the start of this thread, the entire engine needs to be polished from top to bottom, not for show, but just to remove all the surface corrosion. I think once i get things rolling, bringing everything up to speed and working should be pretty quick & painless.

Oh and i'm ignoring the Ducati pipes comment, they worked well for a while, apart from being as ugly as a horses arse . Nothing like tweaking on a budget 'eh?

[mike-s]

things done so far (again):
tore down and cleaned carbies, changed engine oil & filter (mammoth effort required thanks to a non captive, captive bolt)
air filter replaced
front brake torn down and the mess cleaned up, replaced master cylinder as it had seized solid (appears a common problem from what i've seen on forums)
redid the cam clearances, everything was below minimum spec
replaced the battery, cleaned connectors and did the smoke test (turned ignition on & dry cranked her) and it passed.

next, replace the mufflers, need to take to the headers with a wire wheel to clean all the shit off before joining them together.

[mike-s]

Some further progress, got the bugger started, sort of...
Had a fuel draw problem to fix, so arsed about with the two tanks (the original and spare) to see if anything was amiss. Aside from powdery rust in them (i shortly sorted THAT out with a shitload of degreaser) and eventually resorted to taking the carbs out, seems the float needles weren't dropping when they didn't have the floats pressing on them. So out they came, cleaned up with an old toothbrush and some more degreaser. Put back in, she now drew fuel, YESSS!!!!!


Then no matter what i did she wouldn't fire, i tested with aerostart, and it'd cough and splutter and fire up reasonably smoothly. I poured over the manual, confused i may have missed something, i fricking had , i then took the pilot fuel screws out and they were CAKED on some grotty residue that was really quite disgusting. and that was just the outside of them. I couldn''t even see through either of the jets. So out came a horsehair brush, plucked a hair out, and eventually cleaned it out with a lot of carby cleaner. Then there were the pilot air jets, which were rather blocked too. I guess i was just over cautious with not touching the carbs too much (just playing with the main circuit and leaving the idle the hell alone).

Carbs are back in, and is a total bastard to get back in, i swear the japanese that designed this layout were f*ing sadists. I've figured out an effective method of getting them back in, but it still takes me the better part of fourty minutes to get the prick of a thing back into the carb boots.

Next step, reattach the throttle cable and fuel tank etc, and give her a good crank and see if she starts unassisted. I hope to hell she does, Having taken the carbies out four times i am *hoping* i don't have to do it a fifth time.