'81 SR250 "soft build" - Little Pete

bud.

Been Around the Block
Well folks, it's about time to start a build thread for my little SR250. I've been working on it slowly over the last few months, debating whether or not to write up a build thread... so here it goes.

After a few years of telling myself "I'll get a bike once I live somewhere with a garage," I finally made up my mind to just go ahead and get a bike anyway. I grew up driving and wrenching on a '68 VW Bus, and I'd really been missing diggin' in the grease. So part of me really wanted to get into a full rebuild project, and part of me just wanted a bike to ride... so I decided to do a "soft build" and try to slowly pull each part one at a time to rebuild or replace, while trying to keep the bike ridable for as much of the process as possible.

I unfortunately don't have any 'before' pics, but it looked just like this...
(photo from google, but I feel like I've seen it here on DTT?)
 

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The bike was just barely in running condition when I picked it up. The PO was actually using it as a daily driver and keeping it garaged, but had made a series of questionable "repairs" to it along the way. Not to mention that the PO before him was said to have neglected it a good deal. So it was running, but definitely a beat up rat-communter. Perfect...

The Plan:
Slowly go through the bike part by part and refurbish/rebuild/customize/replace everything one at a time, keeping the bike ridable for as much of the process as possible. Stylistically, it'll drift towards a modestly customized brat/cafe/street tracker... but I'm sure the look of the bike will keep shifting over time.

Done:
-Tank was super rusted out inside, so I used the vinegar + BBs trick
-Stripped rust and cracked red paint off outside, repainted cream white
-Repaint side covers to match
-Rebuilt petcock (damn modern fuel has eaten up all the rubber components)
-Air box looked like it had a rat's nest in it, pulled it and put on a Uni foam filter. Used some of the rubber tubing from the old box to extend the filter out and keep it fitting with the stock batter box (for now).
-Stock exhaust had a nice rust hole in the bottom, so I chopped it and slapped on a little shorty hot dog clamp on from DCC. That was way too loud, so I swapped it out for a DCC 17" shorty reverse cone. That was still pretty loud, so I actually pulled the small baffles from the hot dog and figured out how to mount the within the baffles of the megaphone, and the repacked more fiberglass baffling in there. Sounds great now! Still loud and throaty, without the "buzz" that those shorties often have.
-Flat drag bars
-New grips
-New turn signals and tail light
-Cut down the inside portion of the rear fender and rebuilt the mounts, so it still has the stock shape and nice edge, but is much shorter and has a lower profile.
-Took to mechanic to get a safety inspection, rejetting, valve adjustment.

In Progress:
-Starter motor is out...
-Install kickstarter from a TT250
-Replace coil (my secondary is burnt and cuts out when hot)
-Case gaskets look like shit
-Engine cover bolts are super rusted and stripped... switch to stainless alleys
-Clutch is somewhat fucked up and could use new plates and springs

Next Up:
-Fab up custom brat seat
-Switch out to Lithium Iron 8-Cell battery
-Fab batter box
-Clean up wiring (slowly over time)
-New tires, maybe a touch bigger in the front (currents tires have hairlines)
-Bob front fender according to new tires and paint

Future:
-Replace ugly speedo/idiot lights
-Relocate key ignition to battery box
-Remount/lower headlight and front signals
-Headlight gravel cage
-Figure out mirrors that aren't ugly and ineffective (is there such a thing?)
-Shorten clutch and brake cables
-Paint wheels black?
-Engine rebuild
-New shocks
-Re-repaint tank
-Fix/improve/customize whatever else keeps breaking... which seems to be something new everyday.
 
SteveG said:
Have fun Bud, my SR250 was in a similar state, plenty of work to keep you busy.

Thanks Steve! I followed your build start to finish- and it is definitely a huge inspiration for mine!
 
So after the "done" section above, and a tons of cleaning and polishing (although it really doesn't look like it), here are some progress pics. These are from a few weeks ago, so a good deal more has been done since.

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Good lord that seat is ugly... I may have to boost that up in my priority list.
 
Here's a cool trick for drilling metal without a press... lube it with bacon fat. Seriously makes it cut like a dream, and it smells good ;)

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Starter motor

The thing's dead. I pull out the bike one morning and get a very dissatisfying buzz from the solenoid. Damn. Charge up the battery on the tender, same thing. Solenoid or starter?

First I pulled the solenoid and hooked it up to a battery and multimeter- looks good. So I pull the starter motor off and hook it straight to a battery... turns fine, but seems like it could do a little better maybe? Pull it apart, spins fine mechanically, but needed a little sanding on the part the brushes rub against (shop manual calls it the commutator?). Brushes look good. Test it all out with the multimeter, all the connections look good. What is it then?

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Get it all back on the bike, and the solenoid's still buzzing. Dig deeper with the multimeter and find almost no flow though my + cable from the solenoid to the starter motor. All that work to discover a shitty cable... oh well, still a good afternoon working on the bike.
 
Through ebay, many google searches, and plenty of DTT lurking, the tubes of the interweb finally provided me with the kickstarter assembly, arm, and various other little parts from a TT250.

It was raining, so I had to push it up onto my front porch... with help (and permission) from my lovely partner, of course...
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before (kind of)...
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after...
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and it's on!
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For anyone else with a sr250, I highly recommend this. It's super easy and only cost me about $60-70 in the end... which I believe is well worth it. It's super easy to figure out by looking at a parts diagram for a tt250 or xt250, but there's also a youtube video that pulls the process apart to make it even easier for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7PFcxRaI9U

Anyone know if this video is from a fellow DTTer?
 
so that works for you? I have heard of this mod but wasn't sure of the exact Donor assembly needed....Thanks Dude!.....now I need to modify my exhaust again.....can't wait
 
Yeah it works really well- just ebay a kickstarter assembly and arm from a tt or xt250. There are a few little clips and whatnot that are hard to find used, but are pretty cheap oem. here's a good diagram and source -> http://www.buymotorcycleparts.com/OEMpartfinder.htm#/Yamaha/SR250H_-_1981/KICK_STARTER_ALTERNATE_PARTS/SR250H_(1981_MOTORCYCLE)/KICK_STARTER_ALTERNATE_PARTS_(SR250H_-_1981)

Definitely interferes with that fatty scrambler pipe of yours... which sucks since that pipe is pretty rad.
 
Nice work Bud. I have been thinking about the kick start mod but I seem to be doing a lot of thinking with my build and not much doing. I will be keeping an eye on this thread for sure.
 
Christmas came early this week...

new gaskets, random parts to replace the more gnawed up components of my clutch, couple oil filters, stainless allens for my case, and a much needed coil from DCC to replace my current one (which is about as fried up as joaquin phoenix). Not to mention a NGK new plug wire and boot- which will do much better than my currently loose one, and will look rad since it's red. Also, Auto Zone just had a massive motorcycle oil sale here, so I stocked up.
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grippies.
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17 case bolt bypass. old ones were seriously fucked.
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some cosmetic improvements to the tail end.
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new coil, new cable, new boot. The DCC universal coil is literally the exact size as the stock yammy coil on these 250s, by the way. It is a 5Ω though, and stock is 3Ω... so it'll be interesting to see if it has a different effect on the battery. (better?)
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bud. said:
gracias bvander-

btw- you runnin a 4 cell or an 8 cell battery?

4Cell 135cca. I should have gone a 6cell but I knew the kickstart was an option.

Keep us updated on the coil as well as it has been something I have been thinking of replacing.
 
I think you should have gone with the 17-6807 coil (Single Tower XS Performance High Output Ignition Coil 3.3 OHM Primary Resistance. 15K OHM Secondary Resistance) from Mikes XS versus the DCC with 5 ohm primary as the increased resistance means less current flow (which is better for points ignition) and less high voltage at the spark plug. The SR250 has TCI so should have a 3-3.5 ohm primary coil.
 
That makes sense, but seeing as I already bought and installed it, I hope you're wrong :)

Also, I live near downtown and spend all day driving short hops around the city for work, so I was hoping the 5 ohm would put less of a drain on my charging system during them short hops.

We'll see. It's runnin well now at idle, but I need to fix my clutch before I can really go out and test it.
 
Haven't posted in a bit, been having more fun riding while the Utah weather is still nice. I've since built two different battery boxes and been unhappy with each, so I'm starting on on number three. I'll post a pic if I like it :)

And the coils been working great. I ride short hops around downtown for work a lot, so I think it's been helping there... but it's been holding up on longer rides in the mountains too.
 
some photos of the bike as it is now. I decided to put off the seat and much of the rest of the build until winter and just ride during these warmer months... which I think was a good choice. I am, however, completely sick of the stock seat. The curve on it pushes you so far forward it feels like you're sitting on the tank. Plus there is actually very little padding to it. I have a seat pan already made for a flatter brat-style seat, it's just a matter of when.

Also decided on using an old first aid kit for the battery box. I took a good bit of grinding and modding to fit the battery in there, and it fits to the mm right now. Probably stick with this for a bit until I feel like switching up to something else.
 

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shot from a ride last week in the mountains...
 

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