Honda TL 250 Trials Rebuild

[Cutter]

Hi All, I'm a new member to the forum and an old hand at twin shocks owning a couple back in the day.
I'm restoring a Honda 1976 TL 250 in sad shape that I paid $100.00 for. I'm hunting around for some parts
if anyone can help. (Cutter)

[Greg Harding]

Hi Everyone,

Cutter, what exactly are you chasing?

[FM350]

Be careful of old bikes in very poor condition, unless they are quite rare/collectable. Reason for this is that the cost of restoration may well end up being double what the bikes final value might be. Parts for the TL250 though are pretty easy to find, so I guess it wouldnt be that difficult to get a good idea of resto cost before starting work.

[pop]

Be careful of old bikes in very poor condition, unless they are quite rare/collectable. Reason for this is that the cost of restoration may well end up being double what the bikes final value might be. Parts for the TL250 though are pretty easy to find, so I guess it wouldnt be that difficult to get a good idea of resto cost before starting work.

rubbish, there is nothing that can not be repaired or fixed on a bike easily

[FM350]

You are right there..............nothing on a bike that cant be repaired, refurbished, re-made, or re-newed. Only problem is this all costs money, and in the case of a machine which is in very poor condition, the cost of the work might be more than the final value of the bike.

In the case of a bike which is very bad, its worth looking at using it as a parts donor, and looking for another same model bike in better order.

[pop]

for sure FM, but if you make a machine 100% you will lose for sure and I dont think anyone here would even buy a fully restored bike, but if you bring it up to 75%, im sure you will get your money back + more

[FM350]

If a bike is in poor condition ((ie $100 buy), then it may well cost more to get into rideable condition, than its ever likely to be worth. Lack of understanding of the costs of dealing with what might be 30 years or more of neglect, seems to be something thats pretty common and leads to many abandoned "project" bikes appearing on Ebay.

Mistake made by most people is the failure to look carefully at whats required before making a start, and the fact that when they have spent maybe 2/3 times what the bike cost them, they are going to have to finish it, or end up losing all they have spent on the rebuild!

[pop]

FM as long as the bike is complete you win, if you buy an old frame and gear lever and try and build the bike from that ,you lose big time

[FM350]

Doesnt make much difference if the bike is complete or not, as very often its more costly to repair existing parts than fit good used ones. Lots of people with no experience of re-building old bikes, get the false impression that restoring a basket case is less costly than buying something which doesnt need major work on it.............Nothing could be further from the truth, especially in the case of less common bikes, where finding new or used parts can be very difficult.

[Tim Stone]

Cutter, what parts are you after? list whats important to you first. I only brought my first Twin shock bike (TY175B) 18 months ago and I will not go on to tell you or others on this site what condition it was in when I won it on ebay for only a few hundred bucks but it was my interest and hobbie, It got me into trials and I have loved every moment of learning how to build one up, learn to ride it, search for forums, and web sites not to mention meet alot of great people. I hope you get a reply of what parts you require.