1981 Yamaha SR250 Cafe Racer

i'm really digging your build i only have one concern. What is your reasoning behind putting the rearsets where the stock pegs went? i've always felt rearsets are a way to move your feet up and back for increased turning ability (not dragging pegs) and to allow you to tuck your body down at high speeds. On most of my projects i've used the passenger pegs as a mounting place (it's a cafe racer fuck the passenger).

Another question, where are you finding parts? i need to find some new swingarm bushings for the same bike.

Oh and you really made that RD tank fit nicely with the bike.

Travis
 
You have misunderstood? The foot pegs are not about 100mm higher and about 100mm further back than the original footrests. I simply used one of the bolt holes from the original footrest bolt locations to mount the brackets I used to mount the rearsets.

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Most of the stuff for the bike I've made or adapted from other bikes, but for engine parts, gaskets etc I've used genuine yamaha and eBay has been a good source of parts.

I have a lot of sr spares now, I'm starting to sell some odd on eBay but I'm in Australia.
 
First thing I did today before I started welding on the mounts for the tank was weld up all the holes created when drilling out the spot welds on the old mounts. Now you see them..

24008_319709821495_704951495_3991785_6200906_n.jpg


And now you don't ..

24008_319710636495_704951495_3991791_4788840_n.jpg


I then tacked the mounts on to the frame, I'd already measured and marked up where they needed to go the other day, and I measured again and again to make sure I was on track throughout the welding.

24008_319711931495_704951495_3991794_3142227_n.jpg


After welding, I ground the welds back a bit. The welds are strong with good penetration, but being MIG, not pretty. None of the factory welding is much neater to be honest.

24008_319713826495_704951495_3991799_7181488_n.jpg


Once they were all ground back I shot some paint on. Just needs a sand back and a final coat and then it's all done.

24008_319716101495_704951495_3991800_7476746_n.jpg


I then turned my attention to the rear tank mount. To make the rear mount I bent a piece of flat bar to fit between the remainder of the old rear mounts on the RD tank and welded it in 70mm high from the lip of the tank to hold it level with the front mounts.

24008_319722566495_704951495_3991819_5511554_n.jpg


Here it is all welded up. I measured and drilled an 8mm hole in the mount to bolt up to the old rear mount on the frame.

24008_319724321495_704951495_3991827_2337793_n.jpg


To make the new gas cap mount for the RD tank I measured the height and distance the bolt hole and thread needed to be for the cap to sit level and cut a small piece of steel to fit the space, drilled a 5mm hole in it, and welded a nut to the underside (to center it I simply put a bolt through the hole and spun the nut on, this keeps the weld spatter out of the treads too) then welded it to the tank.

24008_319728851495_704951495_3991829_7088629_n.jpg


Hey! It worked! Neat.

24008_319729926495_704951495_3991830_4890993_n.jpg


More to come soon ..
 
Had a couple of hours after work to fiddle with the bike, so I decided to get the seat mounted.

In the last post I didn't show the mounts bolted up to the frame, so here's an underside view of the rear tank mount. Everything is set up so there's clearance under the tank (~10mm) to the frames' spine.

24979_323710991495_704951495_4003392_1129919_n.jpg


Here's a view of the head stem. I payed careful attention to get the right clearance between the headstem and the neck of the tank, and it all lined up perfectly after welding. Phew!

24979_323711001495_704951495_4003393_3575333_n.jpg


The old rear loop on the back of the frame to support the hump on the tail was still okay, as were the middle mounts, so I just needed to sort out a front mount. I welded up a couple of pieces of flat bar in a T shape to form the front mount for the seat. The seat bolts to this, and is sat on my own homemade vibration mounts.

24979_323711006495_704951495_4003394_1804932_n.jpg


Here's a front on view with the new tank .. the lines are just right now in my opinion.. I'm glad I changed it.

24979_323710981495_704951495_4003391_8382348_n.jpg


The side view now with everything mounted properly - it's exactly as I planned in my mock up the other day, so I must have measured right the first time. Neat.
The only thing that irks me is the gap between the frame rails and the seat. This will be covered up soon enough anyway. Now I just need to glass up a lip on the front of the seat (and the upholstery pan also) to bridge the gap between the front of the seat and the back of the tank then it's off to the painter. It'll look good once it's done and protect your .. jewels during hard braking when you slide up towards the tank!

24979_323711026495_704951495_4003395_656578_n.jpg
 
Hi Lunar,

Im new here but signed up purely because it looks like you got a great result with epoxy enamel ghetto style. I'm hoping you can help me out with a question...

Basically way back on page 1 you said you painted many of your parts with Rustkill epoxy enamel. How tuff have you found that coating? Basically i've just finished painting a old gsx 250 of mine in "White knight Rust guard Epoxy Enamel Satin black" (http://whiteknightpaints.com.au/product/view/rust-guard-epoxy-enamel) Problem is its turned out as weak as piss. I've given it a week to cure on most parts but putting the front end back together almost ended in tears with the thing scratching like crazy with even the lighted bumps of the front wheel hub against the shocks. Those shocks have been drying for 2 weeks+ ! Basically the primer is fine its just scratching back to the primer. Im wondering if you painted straight on metal without priming? I DID read that this stuff doesn't need primer but thought i'd use it to be safe.

I called White knight today about it, they basically said it wasn't the greatest choice for what I was painting but should be ok... in short he said that because its a home product based on turps i should be leaving it at least a month to fully dry. Hmmm... I just can't see it getting much harder. Anyway basically my question was how is your epoxy enamel holding up and what did you do to paint it? how many coats? did you use primer? etc

Here are pictures of my build ... http://picasaweb.google.com.au/robert1000/GSXRepaint#

basically any help from you or anyone here would really help :)

I'm currently up in arms on what to do... I've spoken to a number of panel beaters and automotive paint supply places. I have 3 options from i can work out:
1\ wait a few more weeks for "complete" curing of the paint...

2\ because its quite fresh and oil based i should have no issues rubbing the black base coat away with thinners. Then spend $120 on a litre of 2 pack or acrylic (bc/cc) and learn fast how to use a air gun + compressor i have access to. Little wary of 2pack though, i've read about the nasty chemicals, its gunna be in a garage so illegal, and its hard(er) to paint compared to acrylic?

3\ wait a couple weeks for complete drying then coat with sealant and paint right over with above of paint, instead of rubbing down the thinners.

oh and of course Very nice looking SR mate, good effort

Cheers for any help
Rob
 
So far I've had only a few scratches that I've had to touch up on the frame. It won't take sharp edges or rubbing like powder coat will, but it's definitely stronger than your average paint.
Did you clean all your parts with warm soapy water and air dry them before your top coats?
Use thinners or acetone to wipe down parts - never use turps or methylated spirits because they leave a residue.
Did you warm the cans up a bit before spraying? Helps get a nice spray pattern. Was it a humid day when you painted? That can stop the paint sticking.
I can't think of anything else .. If the correct primer was used either the surface prep was unsatisfactory or the conditions were too humid.. Or your coats too thin?
 
lunar_c said:
So far I've had only a few scratches that I've had to touch up on the frame. It won't take sharp edges or rubbing like powder coat will, but it's definitely stronger than your average paint.
Did you clean all your parts with warm soapy water and air dry them before your top coats?
Use thinners or acetone to wipe down parts - never use turps or methylated spirits because they leave a residue.
Did you warm the cans up a bit before spraying? Helps get a nice spray pattern. Was it a humid day when you painted? That can stop the paint sticking.
I can't think of anything else .. If the correct primer was used either the surface prep was unsatisfactory or the conditions were too humid.. Or your coats too thin?

Hmm unfortunately it could have been a combination of any number of those.

I only wiped down the parts with water, not warm soapy water. Then allowed to dry. I used wax and grease remover to wipe down the primer before base coating but didn't wipe down the base coats because i was worried the enamel would dissolve. Also didn't warm the caps but they seemed to be spraying ok. Over the week or 2 i was spraying it wasn't too humid. I was putting on fairly thin coats to start with because I was worried about orange peel. I think i put about 5 or 6 coats and by the last couple coats i was spraying thicker and overlapping more because it WAS looking thin

I think i'll leave it a few weeks now and see how it goes. I'm going to try putting the tank in a room for 24 hours with a oil/bar heater on low and see if that improves the tank. Its mostly the seat rubbing on the tank which i don't want atm

cheers for the help
 
wired00 said:
..... I'm going to try putting the tank in a room for 24 hours with a oil/bar heater on low and see if that improves the tank. Its mostly the seat rubbing on the tank which i don't want atm....

That will help. In fact, I've used that same paint (without primer) and cured the parts in the oven (don't do this in the kitchen - get an old oven for the garage / backyard ;)). Turns out nice if you do them this way. Also, heating the parts BEFORE you paint helps as well (use a heat gun - but be careful with plastic parts :eek:)

FInally, nothing will stop your seat from scratching your tank (unless you use 2pac enamel), but you can use clear vinyl (like book covering) to cover the areas of contact on the tank ;)
 
hillsy said:
That will help. In fact, I've used that same paint (without primer) and cured the parts in the oven (don't do this in the kitchen - get an old oven for the garage / backyard ;)). Turns out nice if you do them this way. Also, heating the parts BEFORE you paint helps as well (use a heat gun - but be careful with plastic parts :eek:)

FInally, nothing will stop your seat from scratching your tank (unless you use 2pac enamel), but you can use clear vinyl (like book covering) to cover the areas of contact on the tank ;)

good points on the oven i might try that with the side panels... but... will need to use the kitchen oven ;) i'll put on very low... but first im trying this oil heater out. It will chew through some power but i might just leave it running for the entire weekend and see if it still smells of paint afterwards.

i have it on a medium heat and the room door is closed to retain the heat. I have the tank siting on a towel on top of the heater which seems to be warming the whole tank quite well. Hopefully that will bake it ok. I have the window open a little to let moisture out etc

Good point on the clear vinyl. I actually have a massive roll of that because i wrap all my novels in it... i'll work something on with that. cheers
 
You won't want to cook in the oven after you've tried curing paint in it - and the fumes that the paint let off in the process are quite nasty as well - hence the tip to get an old oven for your backyard / shed.

Anyways, back to the SR build........ ;D
 
lunar looks like youve done a lot of nice work. too bad those engine mods wont work. do you have a shot of how your headlight mounts to the triples? thanks
 
I've decided on a tail light .. going for a classic Lucas 525 tail light. Will order it ASAP and get onto mounting it.
f33f_12.JPG


Does anyone know where I can get the glass and reflector for my headlight? I have repainted a bucket and have a NOS headlight rim but can't find the glass and reflector new .. it should be a standard 6.5" round glass headlight. Can't find one on fleabay.

Here's the front of the seat again. This time I got it right. Now the seat mates up perfectly to the tank (though it does need a little trimming). Now I just need to extend the upholstery pan forward in the same fashion to cover this.

24908_335988816495_704951495_4040353_7538195_n.jpg


I think this will divide a few people. I am playing around with the idea of adding some length to the sides of the seat pan to cover the gap between it and the frame. I know it breaks up the otherwise straight line from the front of the tank to the back of the seat, but I think the gap makes the bike look unfinished with the seat mounts and electronics tray etc being visible. This is just some cardboard cutouts to give an idea of what I was thinking of adding in fiberglass. It's growing on me.
Add a caption
I think this will divide a few people. I am playing around with the idea of adding some length to the sides of the seat pan to cover the gap between it and the frame. I know it breaks up the otherwise straight line from the front of the tank to the back of the seat, but I think the gap makes the bike look unfinished with the seat mounts and electronics tray etc being visible. This is just some cardboard cutouts to give an idea of what I was thinking of adding in fiberglass. It's growing on me though and I think it's the way I will go.

24908_336000306495_704951495_4040360_3472782_n.jpg
 
I decided that the side panels were the way to go, so I made up a jig with some ratchet clamps and some particle board to give me something to lay up the glass against

24908_338045371495_704951495_4046395_7607161_n.jpg


The sides layed up. Once these go off and set, the jig can come off, and a single layer of chop mat will be layed up from the outside, and sanded and filled to make a smooth piece.

24908_338048561495_704951495_4046404_6360268_n.jpg
 
Here's the seat with the side panels glassed on and shaped..

24866_348061411495_704951495_4074618_1416037_n.jpg


I chose to flush the joins with body filler rather than fiberglass as it was easier and I would have ultimately needed filler anyway. They are very strong (I used about 3-4 layers of mat) so strength is not an issue.

24866_348063586495_704951495_4074627_1044283_n.jpg


A bit more sanding and it's done. Then once the upholstery pan is done, the seat saga will finally be over..
 
This afternoon I finally got the seat pan finished and ready for paint. It turned out great. I also stripped the paint from the tank ready to send it off to the panel beaters hopefully next week.

24866_350900616495_704951495_4084088_7453855_n.jpg


Here's the side of the seat. I'm really happy with how the bottom of the side panels follow the line of the frame, it turned out great. I will put a gold pin stripe on the side of the seat following the bottom line of the tank, and paint below that line black (as Goofy suggested) so keep that line straight to the rear of the bike.

24866_350902556495_704951495_4084089_841150_n.jpg


I can't wait til this is painted (it's a bit ugly right now) I've decided to go with Ford Vixen red (the solid red on the current Falcon range) as it's a nice bright red and not too orange-y.
I was going to put RD 400 decals on it, but I've decided against it. This is not an RD 400, it's a special .. so I am going to do some custom decals. I want the Yamaha tuning fork logo and YAMAHA on both sides of the tank in gold.

yamaha-logo-black1_1z3k.jpg
- like this only in gold, on a red tank. It should look great.

24866_350904596495_704951495_4084092_5028995_n.jpg
 
Hey Lunar, maybe you could just paint the seat two tone. paint the bottom portion you added in black so the eye follows the line from the tank bottom along the seat and the addition will kind of disappear but still hide what you want hidden.

Love this build, you do great work.

Cheers.
 
I think that simply extending the upholstery to the bottom of the new line will keep it clean, just a thought.
 
You know, you could race this thing in one of the PCRA classes man. It'd be a total hoot to take out there in the Forgotten Era 250 class. Check out postclassicracing.com.au for some more info on races and whatnot, although I think thats the NSW site so you may have to do some scrounging for the Vic equivalent.

Cheers - boingk
 
lunar, i realize youve already done the mod to your seat. i just saw these last few posts. in hindsight my suggestion would be to weld a piece of sheet on the frame and paint it the frame color. basically extending the frame up underneath the seat. if done correctly no one would know that the frame was altered and your seat could remain a straight line.
 
It's all done now and it's looking good .. I've just finished extending the upholstery pan. Now I just have to fill the gap with foam and have it upholstered. The seat pan is basically done now so hopefully I can send everything off to the spray painter next week.

24866_353490816495_704951495_4089725_1051633_n.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom