Suzuki RL250 Mania

[Lucas]

Here is a couple of photos and a video of my 1974 RL250. Recently rebuilt earlier this year. The bike was built from the best bits from two doner bikes. One originally from Townsville which was drowned in the Ross river and the other which was also drowned in Mackay QLD.

Both bikes were completely stripped for the rebuild. The Mackay frame was repainted DIY style, new fork seals / oil, mackay barrel rebored, genuine piston kit 2nd OS, every bearing and seal in townsville gbox replaced, new clutch cable, new mitchy trials front, doner ex flat track mitchy trials rear.

Had heaps of dramas with the alloy fuel tanks, got them welded due to splitting but they just split again. The fuel tank you see in the pics is a temporary solution until a good steal tank (perhaps off a TY175) can be found.

They are truly tough reliable bikes! This one has not missed a beat since the rebuild the only thing that has stopped it is an overstretched front brake cable. No hills for it until a newy is sourced!

Video of the bike: [youtube]pwVCrFExHFM[/youtube]

[Westy]

I like your photo's. It looks like a really nice place to ride.
It's been a long time since I have ridden through a creek. They are mostly shallow down here these days. Last time I checked anyway.

I noticed that you have the chain tensioner on. Would you be able to take some close up photo's of it for me so that I can see what it looks like?

[bogdit]

Westy,
If you can send me your mailing address I can copy and forward you a set of the Service Manual for the RL250 1972-1977.
The wiring diagram however is amazingly brief, and you may be better off referring to a Suzuki TS model dirt bike wiring diagram for additional detail. I have a copy somewhere and can copy and send some diagrams from that manual as well.

The problem with the mould for the rear guard may require a plug section fitted into the mould. This will hopefully fill the chain clearance void and can be easily?? stripped out of the finished plug. The KT250 rear guard suffers the same problem when you try to pattern off it, very flimsy and difficult to set up and demould (it always comes out shrunken, crooked or just plain buggered.)

I have a couple of Exactas on the rebuild list and would certainly be interested in a couple of guard sets, and tanks if and when you can get them made.
(Save the precious plastic and tin for display and bend the repairable fibreglass whilst playing, a very good plan)

BronMoto up in Qld (see his adverts in ebay) also was making side covers, front and rear guards and decals for the Exacta rebuilders. He was also I believe having the same trouble with the rear guard copy problem.

What you should also consider is to make up some KT250 rear guard replicas, as I reckon a heck of a lot of people would be sweating on them as they are totally non existent and even old crap damaged ones are selling for a bomb. (can probably arrange a loan pattern one if needs be.

My email details are [email protected]

[Westy]

Bogdit,
I have been thinking about the void for the expansion chamber on the rear guard.
I think that it will be ok. I'll have to wait and see.
In the above photo you can see the original rear guard after I took a plug from the inside of it. Even with the mass of plastic cancer that is present in the guard the plug didn't damage it when I released them.
I am hoping to get twenty sets out of the guard moulds for the RL. I didn't use tooling gel on these moulds.
Once I have the RL guards done I'd be happy to look at some KT guards. Is there a KT rear guard I can use to take an inside plug from? I don't have one.

I had to do a bit of body work to the plug of the RL rear guard because I wasn't prepared to cover the original with filler in order to get a mould of that size for size.
I'd do the same to a donated KT guard because I would want to minimise the change of damaging the original. Acetone would take the paint of it though. Anyway, what's 3mm smaller?

The guards are coming along slowly at the moment because I have mid-session exams coming up and group assignments where I am doing all the work. I have been able to work on them each Tuesday, but not the last few.

I'll definitely make the tank .I haven't fibre glassed the fuel tank plug yet. I am putting some thought into before I commit to a matrix coat.
By eye, I reckon that the tank plug would be no more than 1.5 litres larger than the original. It's about 500mm long. When I make it I'll use Vinyl Esther.

Thanks for the RL diagram. The TS diagram I had was terrible. Wires went no where but were connected to components. Hmmm Maybe there was too much oil in the pre-mix back then.

Westy

[Westy]

The Oil Leak!

So. The other day I was too excited and couldn't wait to ride the bike. I whipped the clutch cover off and slapped the polished one on with a new gasket. I was in such a tis that I put one screw on the outside of the gasket and one other screw though the gasket. Thus, an oil leak.
Tonight I removed the cover and straightened the gasket whilst shaking my head at myself. This week I'll be buying another litre of transmission oil. What a waste. Bah.
What a dummy!

Tonight I replaced the two white LED's with red LED's on the tail lamp. I noticed that the tail lamp filament in the bulb has blown. I wonder why? It barely lit up.
I quizzed some electrical professors at uni about my bike. A little luck. One of them thought that there might be some resistors on the stator. I remember Brett from Motoretro mentioning something about resistors or similar on the stator. I might look into the stator a bit more. Very interesting.

[Westy]

Today I went shopping for some filter foam. I had to go to four shops to find some. The shop that had it wasn't an automotive shop.
I also got some more transmission oil and some mother's Aluminium polish (it's good stuff!).

First up. I filled the gearbox with oil.
Second. I put some new foam in the air filter.


Third, I repositioned the gear lever to 45 degrees up. I have moved it back to 22.5 degrees exactly. It's level with the peg.

Fourth> I had to fix the fuel tap. The original one doesn't have a snorkel and the other one I have leaks though the lever.
So, I pulled both of them apart. Then I examined the seal faces. I then got a copper washer and filed the ID out to suit the tap. Then I lapped it on a tile with 600, then 400 and then with mother's polish. I also lapped the face of the tap handle and polished it.
I then put it all back together with the copper washer. Brilliant! No leaks. Hang on.... the leak is also coming from the fuel hose that is too big. What a dummy... again!
So that's all fixed now and there are no fuel leaks.

After that at 6:40pm I hopped on the bike. Rolled it down the drive and kicked it while I was rolling. I popped it in gear and went to a spin on the vacant block next door. I checked the lights out. The front light is really bright. Comparing it to my DT175 which was also 6V. The tail light looks good.
I then took it for a zoom to the end of the street and back into the garage.
It was very cool.

Next it the chain block.




4 out of six LED's on.

[Westy]

I found someone who knows about blue slipping old bikes. Not like the crown in town.
Nice.

[Westy]

This arvo I did a couple of things when I got home.
First, I had to test the bike. It was all for science. No fun. I was testing stuff.
I took the bike to the vacant block next door and checked the brakes again. This time to set up the cable so that the stop light came on before the brake. Then I locked the front wheel up so make sure it would still stop me... and not snap the cable.
Then I fiddled with my crutch I mean clutch cable. I then played around on a slope doing some full lock turning starting from a balance.
I'll say! Everything everyone says about the RL is true as! I never noticed it to be so prominent before. When starting in full lock, and letting the clutch out, all the front wheel wants to do is straighten itself; Or as mentioned about a touchy clutch, the plates dig in (at a pinch above idle) and lift the front wheel five inches and you wheelie going straight again. Not left or right. Crieky.
I found that if I put my weight over the front shocks and compressed them by a couple of inches I had no problem. I suppose that's an equivalent thing to dropping the shocks in the triple clamp because they're a bit too long, as I have read.
I read about 1st, 2nd and 3rd being low and close together. The RL starts great in 3rd from stand still. The Firestrom doesn't do that. It goes BLAA.. stall and I always crack mi spuds on the tank if I stall the VTR. Oh it's painful.
Then I took the RL back into the garage and hit the clutch cover with some Mothers Mag and Aluminium polish. It now has a mirror finish. When I do the other cover and the forks it's gonna look a million bucks. Not just a shiny grey but a full on mirror.
Well. I have some 3D modelling to do. Fun fun...
I had better stop procrastinating.

[Westy]

I took a break during some study today and spent an hour polishing the left hand engine cover. It's not coming up as nice as the right hand cover. There is some pitting that I have not removed with the wet and dry. I will have to take the cover off and hit it with the wet and dry again.

BEFORE


AFTER

[Stu]

bloody hell Westy! What have you done to the old girl? It looks great. whats the secret of the polishing the side covers?