This looks like a wicked project!... I love the strokers, any plans to supe it up a touch, tastfully of course?
Mr Bootsman Never used the bath before could wash the engine in there :wink: As the seat has turned its self into a lawn i picked one up on ebay a year ago, these are rare to find and with the original four metal side trims, could not believe i got it that cheap with post £107 and it had a solid base. I cleaned up the base and brush painted black gloss, i stripped the paint of the trims and gave them i bit of a bash to straighten them. One trim had a few rusty holes so i ventured into mrs Road trip office cupboards (kitchen) and found i fine meshed sieve so whipped that off to the workshop and cut a thin strip which fitted great with a bit of two pack filler, I have given them a coat of primer to keep surface rust at bay, cleaned the seat and polished the strap buckles and it has come up a treat. Thanks for all your replays chaps.
Hello Phill Its going to be 100% original, give or take the odd nut and bolt, it came with the original spoke wheels which were taken off in 1981 and the owner put ARE wheels on which i have had blasted and powder coated gold, a period colour ( plus gold is all ways worth more than silver)
Sounds bang on , there are some restorations that need to be original. They are non power valve aren't they? What sort of power do they put out? 40hp?
The KH engines were superb........shame about the frames and the handling................the 500 and 750 were like rocket propelled rubber bands......
I guess I was being optimistic, although the RS250 Was a genuine 50HP ish, shows how far 2-strokes developed towards the end! My mates RGV250 SP (70 Degree) is restricted to 40 (or 45HP, can't remember) but rides like a 4 stroke in terms of drive from low down, incredible things. I still have my RS125 But not much I can really do with it. Keep us up to date with progress, were these the bikes that used to seize the middle cylinder? does it need to be jetted richer than the others?
Keep us up to date with progress, were these the bikes that used to seize the middle cylinder? does it need to be jetted richer than the others?[/QUOTE] That has been more in the past from what i read about them, i am also on the 250 kh forum and there is a wealth of info on there and can't see it being much of a problem, i hope. Speed wise should be about 80 mph max down hill,:smile: you can see why when Yamaha put the 250/350lc on the market they sold like hot cakes plus most of there parts were made out of plastic were the kh is all metal,
Careful not to chip the enamel in the bath. I did but said I dropped a screwdriver as I was trying to fix the shower. If its a plastic bath careful not to scratch it. Dishwasher is great for plastic lens for rear light and indicators etc. Note MAKE SURE THERE IS NO SALT IN THE DISHWASHER. I'm forever using her stuff to do stuff on my bike. Her hair straighteners (bloody expensive they were too) makes a great tool to shrink wrap insulation round wires etc. Much better than her hairdryer was.
[/QUOTE] I think that was more the S3 and KH400 that suffered more than the 250. It was seizures that finally put me off 2-strokes; flat out overtaking a lorry on the mighty MZ, the bastard nipped up just as I was pulling in front of him
I've still got my '73 Kawasaki S2 350 which did have a slight seizure once,it tends to be the cylinder with the longest oil pipe that seizes the first.If you look at how thick the cylinder liners are on the 250 it might give you a clue that you could bore them right out and fit 350 pistons which together with a bit of porting will give you a massive power and torque increase.I fitted Weisco ones on mine BTW.Have a look at Rick Bretts website.
That's why I asked, because it looks like there is tons of space between the pistons, so lots of room to get the heat away
The middle cylinder will probably run hotter obviously and had lots of old buddies that had various triples including one that properly drag raced his and that was the general concensus at the time i.e its lack of oil rather than general temperture that caused the issues.However modern 2 stoke oils will be better ofcourse.I run mine with a bit of pre mix just to be sure but haven't run her up for a goodly while now.A plug chop with tell you if its running too lean which Is worth checking regularly and the points timing are very frustrating too as the timing marks are a joke.I had an Chesterfield RS250 Prillia which was just amazing too but get the S2 on pipe and its totally bonkers.Wicked induction noise with a power band of about 2,500 RPM.Its literaly nothing,nothing,nothing followed by OMG.I love the shape of the early ones with a bigger tail hump and swooping tank decals.
Done pretty good on original salvage, Bits that have been scrapped so far are, Tank,seat + brackets, top yoke,headlight shell, speedo shell,indicator shell's,shocks,all six cables speedo etc,front brake hose's, not been in the engine yet that is under the bench but the crank is stuck fast. Bodywork is yet to be done. Wire wheeled all nuts and bolts, spacer's and spindles etc then had them zinc plated, forks were rechromed by Phillpots at Luton, All new wheel bearings, sprockets etc and all metalwork rechromed. There a lot of metalwork that needs attention on these old bikes Fitted a new combined reg/rec as the original just broke its wire, A few more rusty photos.
The ARE wheels which were in a very bad state but after blasting and a bit of bling have come out great, so new bearings,brake shoes and tyres they are finished,
this thread is brilliant! I can't believe that heap of rust and tat (not to mention moss) is going to be reincarnated like a phoenix from the ashes.
