Honda XL250 Motorsport 72 cafe brat

Sheepinwolfs

Active Member
Hi, just bought an XL250 Motorsport from the local wrecker. Gonna give building a cafe style brat a go. I will try to keep progress up to date but I go away with work a lot, so it is gonna take time. Super keen to get into it! Bike is all original, even still has the tool kit and the last owners bike licence......which expired in 1977. Haha!
 

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A few bits of inspiration for the build. I wan to keep the cost as low as possible just to see what I can achieve without sacrificing quality. I have built several cars in the past but this is the first bike. Hopefully the skills transfer nicely.
 

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The beginning. Started the tear down. Lots of good bits. Lots of rust too! Most of it seems to be surface rust and the frame is good to go. Fork seals are busted tank has two minor dents and the engine is filth. The rims look like they have some minor pitting but I won't know till I get the tyres off. The spokes are spent. Well and truly. Turned the bars upside down to get an idea of clip ons. Haha
 

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great score !!! ;D
i had one of those when i was 15 years old ! rode it to high school then went on to racing with it and won many trophies 8)
get it running FIRST before you put much time in it
check valve clearances before you do anything if they are real wide it is a sad sign
pull the clutch cover carefully clean out the centrifugal trap
do a full tune-up etc
keep stock airfilter and pipe until later in the project
 
Thanks. When I got it the bloke said it wouldn't run. Took it home and had a fiddle with the timing and cleaned the carb. Valve clearances were a bit tight so I adjusted them and viola. She ran. I need to pop the head and have a look but there wasn't too much smoke. I want to run a foam pod filter eventually so I'm guessing I will need to either rejet or at least tune the carb. Thanks.
 
Pretty much completed the stripping today. Still have the Swingarm on and a few odd bits. The frame is in good condition. I got to work removing the obvious tabs I won't need. Started off by hacksawing the larger bits off to ensure I didn't touch the frame tube. Then I used the grinding disc to remove the slag etc. Quick coat of paint to keep the rust at bay. Good to go. Next I am going to pull down the forks and figure out how much I want to lower them. Does anyone know of a supplier of fork rebuild kits etc??
 

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Pulled the forks down. Top tubes are pitted a bit but I think they will be fine for the look I want. Seals are well and truly bent so I need to find a supplier who isn't charging the earth. Got some aluminium tube for the lowering only to find it doesn't fit in the owners by about 0.5mm. @&$!? I thought about using PVC but it seems a bit dicey when that is quite a critical point on the bike. Ah we'll on I go....
 

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Super cool. I love my 250 and will enjoy watching this one.

If you're tossing that luggage rack, let me know and I'll take it off your hands.

Lotsa go-fast parts here: http://www.xlintperformance.com/index.php/parts.html
 
Also - All Balls Racing sells fork seals and dust boots for this bike. Let me know if you need a part number, there's a set on my bench
 
Thanks Rich, I am thinking I will keep the rack for now but if I do decide to let it go you'll be the first to hear about it. Thanks for the links. They do have some good bits. Going through the process of sourcing bits and pieces at the moment so that once I have them it will be full steam ahead.
 
No problem. I got a chance to chase some much bigger bikes around with mine at the Thaw and I'll suggest that you go through and tighten...everything. I lost about three pounds of parts in two days.
 
So! After a couple of months of work trips and generally procrastinating I am back to the garage. I am trying to figure out how the seat is going to look. I really like the cafe style hump but am struggling to get the shape right because of the small tank and quite wide frame in the rear. I think I need to sit the seat on the frame, not 'around' it. Few ideas attached but none are making me happy.......
 

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So. I have lowered the forks and put them back on the frame to get an idea of how the bike will sit. I think that this will effect the design of the seat/tail. I like the way it sits now and I also plan on raising the rear of the tank to give it a slicker line.
 

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Rich Ard said:
Super cool. I love my 250 and will enjoy watching this one.

What he said. My 71 XL is the only dirt bike I have had that has held together. Looks nearly the same as yours did when you picked it up, just minus the crust.
 
Sheepinwolfs said:
So. I have lowered the forks and put them back on the frame to get an idea of how the bike will sit. I think that this will effect the design of the seat/tail. I like the way it sits now and I also plan on raising the rear of the tank to give it a slicker line.
well you completely fucking ruined the front suspension and handling, whats next ?
 
Yeah, that's going to be less fun. Do you have any shock travel left at all?
 
they handle really well with the stock geometry, i know this for a fact i rode one on the street for a few thousand miles then raced mx on it
what he has done there is beyond any rational thinking
 
If you want a low street bike, I'll trade you my CB360 for your XL. No, really.
 
Ok, so I can see it doesn't take too much to bait out the loudmouths. Haha. I'm not exactly sure which motorcycle manufacturer you guys all design for but I do sincerely enjoy the 'well educated' and unproductive comments. I have never professed to be right all the time and certainly am a long way from decided on how this project is going to progress. I do, on the other hand know where my manners are and I also know when I'm being rude. Maybe you guys should have a think about that yourselves. I like the idea of getting feedback on what is know to work and what is undesirable but let's try to keep the comments productive. Either that or fuck off and mind your own business. Thanks

On the build though, I have stripped the forks down again, as they were only dry fitted to get a look at the geometry. I'm still undecided if the look of the bike is quite right? I don't plan on fitting rearset pegs which is making me think that instead of clip-ons I should go with a flat style bar or maybe a really low rise? Hmmm. Anyway, got a quote back from the powdercoating company and it looks like about $500 for the frame and swing arm, which is not following my budget build. Well on with polishing and deciding.
 
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