Basket Cases

[David Lahey]

Hi Everyone,

I'm going to machine the ID of a bush to start with, move the job across a tiny bit then machine the OD.
The other fun thing is I'm going to bore the top triple clamp axle hole a few mm bigger by clamping it to the faceplate. The handlebar clamps will be very close to the bed on that little lathe but I've mocked it up already and reckon it will clear it. Photos when I do the job.

David, it always amuses me that we generally end up with the same result BUT go about things differently. For example, the amount that you intend on offsetting the bore, I would machine the outside first and then grab it in a 3 jaw chuck with a packer on one jaw to offset it and then bore to suit. Are any of these gears suitable for your Myford lathe, try to ignore the phallic symbol in the background.

Ah Greg yes you are totally correct. I could do the job with a 3 jaw and a shim, but that would not achieve my real goal.

Even though it may seem outwardly that my goal was to change the steering trail on my KT by using an eccentric bush, my internal goal was to justify to myself the acquisition of a 4 jaw chuck that perfectly matches the era of that heirloom lathe .

There's another similar thing happening in my brain regarding that TL125 tank I'm currently de-denting. I've stubbornly continued to use oxy acetylene flame welding for light gauge steel for 30 years instead of embracing technological advances in welding. However, the thought of how tricky it would be to use oxy welding for the seam on that tank and Kurt's advice to use TIG welding instead really started a flip in my thought processes. So the "need" to TIG weld my friend's TL125 tank seam justifies in my mind the purchase of a TIG welder. Additional justification comes in the form of wanting to make an airbox for the Majesty and a lightweight exhaust for the KT and... and .... and ....

So now I've revealed some internal motivations for the weird way I approach some things, I need help with my eyesight to find the phallic symbol in your photo

[Kurt]

Greg - The Keihin on the TLR250 that you rode very well at the Australian Titles in Tasmania (best Australian titles for two years running now) has a Chinese copy body and new Keihin jets/needle.
As you describe the original carby with years of wear is impossible to tune, CVI is the correct acronym. Constantly varying idle.

The local wrecker is a Bowerbirds nest of parts but you've got to know what to look for and climb over the masses of parts.

I can confirm the clutch is under the motor
I'm currently in the process of pulling the 247 apart to complete a rebuild.
A major positive on the 247 is the ability to replace the crank seals so easily - very impressive design.
A less impressive part of the design is the tapered fits when you are trying to disassemble them, managed to get the gear off the crank relatively easily with the puller, heat and percussive persuasion but i'm now stuck with the countershaft sprocket.
Like dishes on the sink you don't want to do i'm soaking the gear in WD40 in the hope that might help loosen it.

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[Greg Harding]

Hi Everyone,

Even though it may seem outwardly that my goal was to change the steering trail on my KT by using an eccentric bush, my internal goal was to justify to myself the acquisition of a 4 jaw chuck that perfectly matches the era of that heirloom lathe .

David, Aha I see now! We are so similar in some ways, even how we justify things to ourselves. If my lathe was missing the 4 jaw chuck and I could buy the correct one that was specifically made for it , I would buy it as well as they are very useful!

The local wrecker is a Bowerbirds nest of parts but you've got to know what to look for and climb over the masses of parts.

Kurt, thank you for the photos and description, the wreckers sounds very interesting!

Your 247 must be one of those SS special models that seem to come out right across the whole model range? The custom paint jobs are the ones I like the best:

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There is not much room around the sprocket for a bearing splitter, what sort of puller are you using? Maybe a balljoint splitter liket like this one:

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Have you considered loading it up inside where it is warm and leaving it out in the cold overnight, assuming of course you can find somewhere outside in that is cool this time of the year?

The TLAhhh is going really good now, I had a good ride on Sunday and I am very happy with the results:

Mikuni carby fitted to TLAhhh

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The Mikuni has sharpened it up and 2nd gear is much more usable now, it pulls right off the bottom and revs clean and returns to pretty much the same idle speed, no CVI! Happy Days!
Just looking at the carbys side by side, the Mikuni has a longer velocity scoop area leading into the slide and starts at a bigger diameter. Also the bore lines up exactly with the manifold unlike the Keihin which is smaller, however it is not a fair comparison even though they are both round slide and 22 mm as I could not use the standard rubber boot. Here are some photos of the standard boot next to the rubber tube that I used:

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[Kurt]

Yes the extra S, hard to figure out given you've got a clutch case with it spelt correctly on there.
You might need blue eyes and blonde hair to ride the SS models.

I'm using a 2 jaw puller unsuccessfully at the moment, nothing as fancy as that ball joint splitter.
I used a bearing splitter on the crank gear.
Hopefully a few heat cycles and WD40 will eventually loosen it.

[David Lahey]

Yes the extra S, hard to figure out given you've got a clutch case with it spelt correctly on there.
You might need blue eyes and blonde hair to ride the SS models.

I'm using a 2 jaw puller unsuccessfully at the moment, nothing as fancy as that ball joint splitter.
I used a bearing splitter on the crank gear.
Hopefully a few heat cycles and WD40 will eventually loosen it.

A 4" angle grinder disc works well for sprocket removal, but I didn't mind doing it that way because the sprocket was worn out anyway

[David Lahey]

A couple of years ago I did mods on a KT250 frame that came from Greg Harding and before painting the welds, tried the mods out at a Denman 2 day trial and liked it.
The KT then went to the back burner while I did other projects.
This year I finally got to rebuilding the motor, painting the modded frame and did a few other things to make the bike pretty.
When it was together again, I rode it at home and at some local trials but it didn't feel quite as good as I remembered it being at the Denman MCC trial.
I tried a few things different and at the next local trial (at Seeonee Park) I took three twinshocks and rode them all in the same sections in the trial. The KT seemed OK except for one particular section that was a straight climb over embedded gibbers and a rock step. On either of the other two bikes they went where I wanted to go no problems but the went like "a wheelbarrow full of walrusses" and I could barely make it stay within 200mm of where I wanted to go.
Doing test and tune at home again where I have a similar section with uphill embedded gibbers, I tried different handlebar positions and while it was a bit better it was still fairly crap to ride in a straight line uphill over gibbers.
I parked it again.
Motivated to try something else a week or so later, I went to put a bit of air in the back tyre of the KT and noticed that the rear wheel wobbled . Closer inspection revealed that the movement was coming from the swingarm pivot. With the swingarm (rubber) bushes being 45 years old, I assumed that the play was probably from the rubber bushes falling apart. I went on-line looking for replacement bushes and the only genuine replacement parts were also 45 years old and very expensive.
Back to the shed to whip the swingarm out and measure the bushes to see if I could buy new bushes of the right size from an industrial supplier. Well didn't my jaw drop when I put a spanner on the swingarm pivot axle nut and found it it was only finger tight
I suspect that I may have never actually tightened the swingarm pivot when I put the repainted frame together or maybe I did tighten it but the fresh soft epoxy enamel paint allowed it to move and loosen. Either way, this little faux pas reminded me of the time that Bullylover's cylinder head nuts came loose many years ago after painting them.

[David Lahey]

Hi Everyone,
Your 247 must be one of those SS special models that seem to come out right across the whole model range? The custom paint jobs are the ones I like the best:

It seems that the SS models may actually have originated in

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[David Lahey]

A friend gave me this TY mudguard a few years ago that he removed from a model 199 Sherpa T. It is my first close-up contact with something that has been vinyl wrapped, which is apparently something young people do to cars nowadays.
I've been admiring it for a few years now, but another friend is in need of one of those guards.
He doesn't know yet that I'm going to give him a guard, but he did ask me to try and find one for him.

I'm in a dilemma about whether to remove the wrap before I give it to him or leave it on.

Please help with this fairly minor but fun first-world philosophical dilemma.

Here is some background info:
I have no idea what condition the guard is under the wrap.
I don't want to give my friend a crap-looking guard.
He never looks at the internet so won't see this posting.
I really like the look of this guard with that wrap and there's a fairly good chance he might like it too.
The orange colour on the guard doesn't match the orange of his TY175JC.

[Bully fanatic]

I would leave the wrap on David. I like it!

[Guy53]

I second that.
Guy