Basket Cases

[David Lahey]

I reckon the standard fuel taps on TY twinshocks would have to be the least reliable part of the bike, well the rubber sealing washer inside anyway, the rest of the tap is OK.
After paying good money buying genuine sealing washers that were probably made in 1975 and having them last about a week because the rubber has deteriorated in storage over the years, I bought a few genuine KT250 fuel taps which do a great job and last a long time. Since then, replica KT250 taps have become available for not many $$$ and I've bought and used some of them too.
Trouble is, they look very different to the TY twinshock taps.
Recently I decided to try some aftermarket TY tap sealing washers from Thailand and give them a go. I reckon they have been made a lot more recently than 1975 so it will be interesting to see how they go.

[Greg Harding]

Hi Everyone,

Here are two sets of TY250 twinshock engine mounting bolts.
Today I am doing an engine swap between two twinshock TY250s and noticed the difference in the bolts. One set has hollowed heads and waisted middles. Both of these things are standard weight reduction methods found on many bikes.
My question is (and I don't know the answer) which model TY250 had the lightened engine mount bolts as standard?
I've done way too much swapping around of TY250 frames and motors to remember which bolts originally came with which bike but I seem to remember that my TY250A which came to me in a very original state had hollowed head bolts here and there (on the handlebar clamps and the upper fork tube clamp bolts) so I'm leaning towards the lightened bolts being from an A model TY250.
Can anyone confirm this theory or provide an alternative answer?

Like you David, I am thinking the lightened bolts are from an "A" model, there are a few TY 250 in my shed but I wouldn't call any of them unmolested.

Here are some photos of the custom bash plate on one of my "A" models, Alastair might recognize it?

1619039097893.jpg (110.3 KiB) Viewed 1821 times

1619038980782.jpg (94.85 KiB) Viewed 1821 times

1619039145689.jpg (96.98 KiB) Viewed 1821 times

It certainly does the job well when you consider the gouging and the deformation under the gear lever, then look at the casings. Not sure what grade of alooooominium was used but I think it must be 5005 which is fairly pure and soft. It always makes me laugh when components like this are offered for sale new and a grade is NOT stated as it pretty much means melted down Pots and Pans!

Recycling alooooominium is important as it take five times the amount of energy to make alooooominium out of raw materials than it takes to reuse. However if you are melting down Pots and Pans, you are only going to end up with Pots and Pans strength.

Here is a blast from the past as this is the "A" model with that bash plate that Donna rode at SHATTER. What a top weekend, we all need weekends like that one, thank you Alastair.

1619040614227.jpg (291.9 KiB) Viewed 1821 times

[David Lahey]

I reckon that aloominium bashplate looks like the one on my Barn Find TY250. Did Alastair make them?????
I'll post up a photo when the rain stops

[tat ty]

Greg ... that photo brings back so many terrific memories. Funny thing is that the young bloke on the left is my son Hugh. His long hair indicates perhaps 8/9 years back. When he was about 14 years old I decided it was bonding time and put him on a bike to bond as I understood it should be. He hated it. I learned an interesting lesson and found I needed to bond doing things that he wanted to do. I learnt a lot about Rugby and totally enjoyed understanding so much despite spending 6 years at a rugby playing boarding school.

Hugh came on perhaps 2 SHATTERS with us. He finally said to me that he absolutely loved the days and most importantly the people and the camaraderie involved. Irrespective of that he said that whilst riding he was in constant fear for his life.

Odd comment for a bloke playing wing on the rugby field, notorious for simply mowing opponents down over the final 50 metres prior to placing the ball gently over the line.

Of recent we have returned to the long SHATTER days, having made amends with a landowner I previously upset, so all is well and happy 100km SHATTER days.

The stunning Allooooominum bashplate on my bike was actually made by fellow Shatterer Greg Henry ... from material supplied by Gary Boniface. I reckon David can find photos of it. Should there be just a little warning of an impending nuclear holocaust ...my plan is to remove it from the bike ... put it upon my head ... shut my eyes and hug the bike ... tightly.

Alastair

[David Lahey]

I reckon this is the same type of bashplate

[tat ty]

Hey David. I have 4 TY250A models. #102 (US delivered) has flat engine mount bolts. The other 3 have the hollowed head.

Alastair

[David Lahey]

Hey David. I have 4 TY250A models. #102 (US delivered) has flat engine mount bolts. The other 3 have the hollowed head.

Alastair

Thanks Alastair. Sounds like there is still more to learn about when the hollowed head bolts appeared.
I'm also intrigued with the composite steel/fibreglass A model bashplates. I'm assuming that the original ones were the fibreglass ones and the steel/fibreglass ones were a stop-gap measure until they finally bit the bullet and made the aluminium bashplates.
I also assume that the aluminium bashplates appeared when the B model engine outer casings appeared, because the aluminium bashplate is not a perfect fit against A model engine outer casings.

[David Lahey]

Hey David. I have 4 TY250A models. #102 (US delivered) has flat engine mount bolts. The other 3 have the hollowed head.

Alastair

Thanks Alastair. Sounds like there is still more to learn about when the hollowed head bolts appeared.
I'm also intrigued with the composite steel/fibreglass A model bashplates. I'm assuming that the original ones were the fibreglass ones and the steel/fibreglass ones were a stop-gap measure until they finally bit the bullet and made the aluminium bashplates.
I also assume that the aluminium bashplates appeared when the B model engine outer casings appeared, because the aluminium bashplate is not a perfect fit against A model engine outer casings.

[tat ty]

3 of mine have the fibreglass bashplate and the one with the magnificent Greg Henry bashplate originally had the fibreglass/steel bashplate. I've a feeling that the FSBP bike was late in the A model production run.

Alastair

[David Lahey]

In 1995 I took the oil pump off a TY250A. On them you only have to slide the pump out and seal the hole because the pump drive is from a slot in the end of the crankshaft. Later model Ty250s have a gear inside so you need to remove the clutch cover to take the pump off.
Anyway ("aparrently" because I don't actually remember doing it) I blanked off the hole the pump came out of using some silicone sealant in the hole in the steel bush that the pump shaft goes through.
Wellllll.... some time between 1995 and now, that steel bush fell out of its hole which opened it up to the clutch housing which let gearbox oil into the oil pump housing. Luckily? I also sealed off where the hoses and cable goes into that compartment and the gasket on the oil pump cover sealed well.
So today when I took the oil pump cover off in preparation for doing an experiment on the clutch for a friend, that little compartment was completely full of gearbox oil