Wait, its not a CB?

[clevername]

Let me just start by saying,
I have no idea what I'm doing.
I don't have a background in bikes and I don't have bike building mates.

I've thrown myself into the deep end with this 1980 gsx250, with the plan to learn about bikes.
And the ultimate goal of building my very own cafe racer.

A small sum of dollars and a 300km drive I dragged this home. It will be a long project, so don't expect bulk updates

 

[Brent]

The first thing I would do, put it back together and get it running properly. Then go and ride it, learn something about the bikes characteristics. Chopping up a perfectly good motorcycle and throwing on a bunch of parts on it does not usually make it a better motorcycle.

 

[japstar]

The first thing I would do, put it back together and get it running properly. Then go and ride it, learn something about the bikes characteristics. Chopping up a perfectly good motorcycle and throwing on a bunch of parts on it does not usually make it a better motorcycle.

unless you know what you are doing.

So yeah, I would follow this guy's advice.
Get it running properly with our help on the forum and the world wide interweb, and start your cafe build if you are more or less confident in your knowledge of motorcycles.

Or you could go the kamikaze way you are planning to do now, but you will fuck shit up and dig a deep hole in your savings account. (Guess how I know that 8) ) But of course, that way has its charmes too

So you should make the choice based on the factors:
1) You have a very big heart for bikes
2) You don't care to spend the money to learn from your mistakes

If both factors are met, sure, go the kamikaze way

Anyway, it's a nice bike to start with.

 

[jag767]

OR......

Jump straight into the deep end see what happens ;D

Getting it running first is overrated, I've actually never started with a bike that ran. got it, tore it apart, and figured it out.

You'll be ok, just take a shitload of pictures 8)

 

[vandito.cb]

I have no idea what I'm doing.
I don't have a background in bikes and I don't have bike building mates.

that's the shittiest, yet best part about it. the things you'll end up learning just by not being able to slap a ratchet in your friend's hand is unreal.

it gives you an opportunity to get in tune with your bike too as you'll spend hours researching it online, looking for parts, staring at diagrams, etc.

just take your time with it. if you rush, you'll end up with a mess on your hands and it's overwhelming like you wouldn't believe and trust me, we all have a box of parts laying around that ordered by mistake or decided we didn't like so don't feel bad if you wind up with a tote box full of new parts.

best of luck with it, man. oh, and a multimeter is probably one of the best things you can buy for under $50.

 

[adventurco]

I would advise against completely tearing it down before riding it....IF you have never owned/ridden a motorcycle before. Best practice is to become familiar with the bike, read the service manual, get it running and maintain it for a bit. If you aren't careful you can make changes that completely ruin the geometry and functionality of your motorcycle, OR end up with a pile of parts and get overwhelmed and never get it back together.

That being said, good luck with the build. Not a very common bike on here. Is that a 2 cyl. DOHC? Interesting.

 

[teazer]

Welcome.

Lots of good advice so far. Riding bikes is what the sport is about. For sure, building bikes can be rewarding but if you don't have a reasonably clear goal in mind, it's very hard to achieve it.

Upside down bars and stock pegs make for sore wrists and back, but much more to the point, it's harder to control the bike and if you don't have much riding experience, that compounds the risk. I'd focus on riding the thing first while you work out what you want to do with it - and by that I mean the specifics. I couldn't read the plate on the Falcon but I'm guessing it's QLD in which case the winter is probably the best time to ride.

Another issue if it is QLD, is that they have a lot of new laws that are not motorcycle friendly so I'd spend some time working out what the cops will give you grief over and what you can get away with.

If you do decide the tear it apart and chop bits off and can't get it to run properly, you won't even have a basis or experience of the stock bike to compare it to and that makes it harder than it needs to be.

That said, most of my bikes arrive as piles of mismatched parts and the only two complete bikes I ever bought are still just as I bought them. Clean and shiny and reliable. The others are anywhere from rebuild to stock to race bikes to cafe racers and street fighters but I have been wasting cash and time at this since the sixties and ought to know better by now. So yes, I am recommending that you do as I say and not as I did because you will spend more time riding and save a ton of cash in the long run. Bottom line is that it's more fun and more cool to ride a bike than to have a bike in bits in the garage.

 

[tyvanwie]

Looks like a really good base for a café. Make it beautiful and don't say anything is "good enough"

 

[Johnny]

As I have a similar bike, how did you get the airbox out?

 

[Virago1113]

I agree with what most are saying. I have ridden and owned dozens of bikes and it took me 3 years to get mine to where I was happy and had everything worked out (which I still have a little left to do).

Fix it, ride it. Learn what you can and regurgitate it (something a teacher used to always tell us).

It's a sweet looking ride stock... The things I could do now that I know...

 

[Redbird]

I agree with advice of... If you're not familiar with riding a motorcycle? Put it back together and get familiar.
My grandpappy used to say "You only have to be 10% smarter than the equipment you're working with". And you have admitted that you're at 0.
At the very least, you'll have an understanding of how the bike is suppose to operate normally. Then as you modify, you'll be able to tell if you're improving, maintaining, or diminishing the base platform.

 

[grandpaul]

Those are silky-smooth little bikes, and excellent beginner bikes if at least sorted to basic, clean running before anything else.

You will do as you please, as it has been said, IT'S YOUR BIKE. Still, the best advice (believe it or not) is to get it to nominal roadworthiness BEFORE doing anything else. That can exclude new tires in order to keep the initial make-run budget as low as possible, but the bike must then be kept at low speeds unless the old tires are reasonably sound.

Typically, a good carb cleaning, oil change, and new battery MIGHT be all it takes to find out what you have actually bought. HOWEVER, spending the MINIMUM just to get it running, could save you a heaping load of money if it turns out the cams are trashed, or the transmission is junk (I'm not saying it's probable, just that it's possible). Knowing that before spending way too much on bodywork and chopping stuff will avoid regrets. EXPENSIVE regrets.

Beyond that, literally chopping mounts, tabs, and parts should be a last resort if you cannot fit up your choices of bodywork, etc. Since it is a reasonable likelihood that you will be "moving up" to a larger bike, resisting the urge to chop parts can/will pay off big at the time of re-sale.

 

[RoyalRider]

I honestly think the base bike without mods is already pretty sick as it is and would just need a little bit of cosmetic work to make it better.

First thing I would do is return the bike to a running state so that you can ride it between mods instead of having it in the garage sad and unused. You want it to be able to idle perfectly without turning off/sputtering out/etc.

Find out if you can get a Clymer mag for this model because that will make your life soooo much easier : https://www.clymer.com/

With new furniture, smaller sexier indication lights, gauges it would look pretty sweet as is....maybe some clipons or clubmans for the cafe look and see if you can find away to keep the original rear seat cowl and shorten it so it becomes a 1 seater. Search the internet to see if you got lucky and that model has a quick-solution for rear sets. Without rear sets the riding position with clubmans/clipons might get uncomfortable for long rides and purists won't call it a cafe without it

The blue is very nice IMO but you might have your own paint scheme in mind.

 

[julian.allard66]

You can probably get a Haynes manual for it as they were sold in the UK, personally I've found Haynes manuals to be better than the Clymer ones.

 

[Tune-A-Fish]

Pick one:

 

[hillsy]

I see you're a fellow Queenslander so...


1/ That bike is kinda rare (as far as running examples go)


2/ That bodywork (tank, seat, tail) is becoming iconic.


3/ Anything you do that takes it away from stock will de-value it (brat seat, cut fenders, etc).


3/ It's pretty close to unmolested, so fix it up as it is.


Other than that, it's your bike to fix / f*ck up as you please.

 

[Tune-A-Fish]

So Hils Tell us how much a perfect unmolested GXSX250 will bring... 2 maybe 2.5K lol

 

[hillsy]

So Hils Tell us how much a perfect unmolested GXSX250 will bring... 2 maybe 2.5K lol

Not sure mate - but you can throw $3K at a hacked up one....


http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/labrador/motorcycles/gsx250-bobber-chopper-brat-custom/1109226529

 

[Tune-A-Fish]

Not sure mate - but you can throw $3K at a hacked up one....


http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/labrador/motorcycles/gsx250-bobber-chopper-brat-custom/1109226529

Yessir My point only being the machine is not Smithsonian and has little real value so the whole cycle hugger save it from the grinder mentality really should be reserved for the rain forest on this one

Cafe Away!! : :

 

[browndogggg]

Here ya go mate - reckon i got the link to this manual somewhere on DTT a few weeks back. Actually it disint send - just been told it's too big, not the first time. Can email the manual to ya if you want..Anyway

It's a killa little bike man - I bought the same in March this year 1980 GSX 250E - the bloke before me had got about 75% through but had to sell it to focus on his 750. Kinda cafe/rat mad maxish, can tell he put a bit of love and time in - i've only now just started makin it mine after clocking heaps a ks on it riding it a few days a week at least. Even became my daily for a couple weeks when my SV650 was down - She carved through peak hour traffic no woz though after a couple of 35 degree plus days and repeated sketchy engine kills at the lights in an effort to slow the rapidly overheating aircooled engine, I thought Id gone too far and cooked her. Quietly shitting myself I'd sit at the lights whispering words of encouragement to lil suz in between swearing at myself for not having my shit together and risking the ol girl who's nearly as old as me and proly runnin better. I'm in Adelaide we had a hot as fck late summer this year).

Anyhow she's all good, loves the colder weather and has been off the road the past week as i started choppin the seat and frame a little. About to put a new slash cut black short muffler on, gettin new little indicators, pinched the head light off my sv to put on her (smart fckn move now both bikes are off the road and im getting edgier by the day). Have held back on clip ons as i'd planned to get, having been obsessively attached to DTT the past few weeks I've learned I may need to consider rear sets if i do.. The clubmans work well and feel perfect with the current pegs so I thought i'd be chil with clip ons, which will tidy the front up nicely, along with one small gauge instead - but coin for another day and time will tell..

Been riding bikes for fourteen years, started out only dirt or road/trail until getting the sv in 2009, which is damn nice to ride. Nothing compares to the ride on this little thing though, she's not quick by any stretch but she's heaps light, balanced and just feels good - end up just grinning every ride - Dunno if it's just the old steel in general or specific to the GSX, which was the fastest of the four bangers in her day:

http://www.cmsnl.com/gsx250_model13604/info/

Anyhow dude - good choice I reckon! Good luck

I plan to put up a project thread up at some point, is my first project loving every minute of it and learning as I go!
Here's some shots of when i got her and then the last week and a halfs progress!
Cheers