'84 SR250 Garage build.

I gave her a wash before starting to strip parts down and decided to see how it sat with longer shocks.
The old shocks that were on there were 270mm.
The new shocks I fitted are 330mm. So a 6cm increase.
What a difference it made.
IMG20220410164418.jpg

Quick wash down with the power foamer and pressure washer. Gave it a bit of a scrub but nothing detailed.

IMG20220410172030.jpg

Looking much neater and a better stance with the longer shocks. Changes it from the bobberish shape to much closer to the tracker/scrambler that I am aiming for.

I have ordered a few parts such as bottle style grips, headlight with inbuilt indicators and a cheap seat.

Then I stripped the carb and gave it a quick clean to see if she would jump to life. Started after a bit of tickling and restricting the air to the carb with my hand. She warmed up and idled fine but didn't want to rev up. I was content with having her warmed up and idling again.

Time to strip her down. Old seat off and fuel tank off.
IMG20220411170814.jpg


Oh and I ordered a VM32 and cable to suit from MikuniOz. Should be here by the end of the week.
Now I just need to sort out a battery. Do I want one to crank the engine or just to keep it running. Decisions decisions.
 
Haha I think you're going through all the same stuff I am. I've got a Harley project but only ever got my L's so mine is meant to be the cheap run around to onsell for Harley parts. It's turning into an eBay special build but there's constant internal nagging to do things like kick conversions. I figured the headlight with indicators would be a pain for rego, don't know how strict the police are around here on these sorts of bikes.
 
Brodie said:
I gave her a wash before starting to strip parts down and decided to see how it sat with longer shocks.
The old shocks that were on there were 270mm.
The new shocks I fitted are 330mm. So a 6cm increase.
What a difference it made.
View attachment 235749
Quick wash down with the power foamer and pressure washer. Gave it a bit of a scrub but nothing detailed.

View attachment 235750
Looking much neater and a better stance with the longer shocks. Changes it from the bobberish shape to much closer to the tracker/scrambler that I am aiming for.

I have ordered a few parts such as bottle style grips, headlight with inbuilt indicators and a cheap seat.

Then I stripped the carb and gave it a quick clean to see if she would jump to life. Started after a bit of tickling and restricting the air to the carb with my hand. She warmed up and idled fine but didn't want to rev up. I was content with having her warmed up and idling again.

Time to strip her down. Old seat off and fuel tank off.
View attachment 235751

Oh and I ordered a VM32 and cable to suit from MikuniOz. Should be here by the end of the week.
Now I just need to sort out a battery. Do I want one to crank the engine or just to keep it running. Decisions decisions.
Click to expand...
Wow! Already off to a good start! What is the recommended AH battery if you want a "starter" ? Is 7AH too small?
Also- I think the mystery of the 18"XT wheel was solved by Milpool. He mentioned an XT500 wheel, and mine has been mislabeled maybe (?). Bearings are different, so I'm guessing axle diam. is larger. Ooops.

EDIT: I'm wrong again...
SRXT bearings.png
 
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Milpool said:
Haha I think you're going through all the same stuff I am. I've got a Harley project but only ever got my L's so mine is meant to be the cheap run around to onsell for Harley parts. It's turning into an eBay special build but there's constant internal nagging to do things like kick conversions. I figured the headlight with indicators would be a pain for rego, don't know how strict the police are around here on these sorts of bikes.
Click to expand...
The cops I have dealt with around here aren't too bad. The traffic ones at least. But I am not riding a sport bike. I have been saved past a few times on the common weekend roads like Beechmont and Tamborine as there were sport bikes behind me.
 
JerryAssburger said:
Wow! Already off to a good start! What is the recommended AH battery if you want a "starter" ? Is 7AH too small?
Also- I think the mystery of the 18"XT wheel was solved by Milpool. He mentioned an XT500 wheel, and mine has been mislabeled maybe (?). Bearings are different, so I'm guessing axle diam. is larger. Ooops.

EDIT: I'm wrong again...View attachment 235752
Click to expand...
Hmm the mystery deepens. I had a quick look and it seems the hub is different for the XT500. Have to compare them side by side. If not at least you have an 18" rim to lace the stock hub to.

As for the battery, you will need one strong enough to start it. I think that is around 150cca. AH can differ depending on the battery technology used. The SR stator doesn't put out much, something like 8a at 4,000rpm.
I ran a Ballistic Evo2 4cell which was ok unless I had issues starting it. Which I did sometimes.
The CDI needs a battery to run the bike. So unless you want to add a kick start and use a supercap you need a battery.

I plan on using the triangle area as a storage box so I am not too worried about the battery. I will probably find a decent AGM or gel and use that.
 
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Yesterday I had a bit of a dig through some old parts I have sitting on the shelf. Found some old bar clamps off the XV1100 to use. Found some footpegs from who knows what looked like they will fit well in the SR.

Stock peg missing the rubber. No good.
IMG20220414140337.jpg


New peg fitted. I needed to trim down the spring by half a loop to have it fit correctly.
IMG20220414140324.jpg


Mounted backward but they work well.

The new speedo also arrived and I did a quick mock up of it. Looks like it should work well.
Just need to pick up some wiring terminals and sort out the wiring.
 
Brodie said:
Hmm the mystery deepens. I had a quick look and it seems the hub is different for the XT500. Have to compare them side by side. If not at least you have an 18" rim to lace the stock hub to.

As for the battery, you will need one strong enough to start it. I think that is around 150cca. AH can differ depending on the battery technology used. The SR stator doesn't put out much, something like 8a at 4,000rpm.
I ran a Ballistic Evo2 4cell which was ok unless I had issues starting it. Which I did sometimes.
The CDI needs a battery to run the bike. So unless you want to add a kick start and use a supercap you need a battery.

I plan on using the triangle area as a storage box so I am not too worried about the battery. I will probably find a decent AGM or gel and use that.
Click to expand...
The wheel should be coming in a week. At the very least, yes, I'll have an 18" rim to play with. I get the strong feeling it's going to be a long while before I attempt anything with it. I bought a 7ah SLA that says it's 180CCA, so it will probably barely do the job. Does the SR250 have the regulated type of charging system that would benefit from running led bulbs throughout? If I remember from some of the Old Japanese Bikes, there had to be a certain load (bulbs, etc), or the magneto would burnout the rectifier and/or boil the battery.
HERE is an except from another forum regarding TW200s, which I suspect are close to what an SR250 would have...

"Fifty years ago it would've been true that this could happen. In those days the AC stator output was converted to DC by a selenium rectifier and the battery absorbed the overcharge because the old bikes did not have a voltage regulator. A common complaint with owners in those years was their tail light bulb was consistently burning out and also after a few very short miles the ignition system would overheat and shut down the engine. The solution was to replace the defective battery that could no longer accept the electrical overcharge."

I think the SR250 is more modern than that.



I appreciate your helpful info (and others) and will be following this build for the entertainment and education I get from it!
 
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The SR is new enough, has a Reg/Rec. The weak charging system is due to the dirtbike style coils. You should be right with the 7ah 180cca.
 
Right well here is a small walkthrough for anyone that wants to change their footpegs.

Step 1: Remove the 12mm bolts holding the bracket on.
IMG20220417123930.jpg

Step 2: Grind off the riveted edge of the pivot pin.
IMG20220417124117.jpg

Step 3: Use a punch to knock the pin free.
IMG20220417124212.jpg

Step 4: Unwind enough of the spring to fit inside the new footpeg.
IMG20220417124457.jpg

Step 5: Trim a loop off the spring.
IMG20220417124537.jpg

Step 6: insert the new bolt with the head facing upward to stop the bolt falling out if the nut comes off.
IMG20220417124953.jpg

Trim the bolt if you want and refit the bracket.
 
Sneak peak of the dash setup. Just mocking stuff up at this stage. I think the gauge on the right hand side is the ticket.
The bar risers are nice as well. I have new bars on order that will help get the style I want as well.
IMG20220417130706.jpg


I threw on the old seat from my W800 to see if I liked the style. It's far too long. Got approval from the shop panther though.
IMG20220417130808.jpg
 
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Nice job with the footpegs.. It's cool that you did those yourself.. and cool cat!
 
Thank guys, slowly getting there.
Still fiddling with the new carb to get it right. I just ordered a new pilot jet, needle jet and needle that are supposed to be the known good setup for a VM32.

Jerry, I would swap you the tank if you were here in Aus. It is nice and I am tempted to keep the red but there are a few dings and bit of paint that have flaked off.

I am leaning towards the Fiat Matt Bronze for the colour. Bodywork is not my forte but I have a friend who is decent at it and hates electrical work. Might be a case of I sort out his car and he does the bodywork for the tank. See what plays out.

I also have a new coil on order as I found the stock one to be cracked. Should see parts starting to turn up by the end of next week. Then I can get a wiggle on.
 
Brodie said:
Thank guys, slowly getting there.
Still fiddling with the new carb to get it right. I just ordered a new pilot jet, needle jet and needle that are supposed to be the known good setup for a VM32.

Jerry, I would swap you the tank if you were here in Aus. It is nice and I am tempted to keep the red but there are a few dings and bit of paint that have flaked off.

I am leaning towards the Fiat Matt Bronze for the colour. Bodywork is not my forte but I have a friend who is decent at it and hates electrical work. Might be a case of I sort out his car and he does the bodywork for the tank. See what plays out.

I also have a new coil on order as I found the stock one to be cracked. Should see parts starting to turn up by the end of next week. Then I can get a wiggle on.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the thought, Brodie. That tank is too nice for what I'm bringing back from the dead! So I immediately "Googled" Fiat Matt Bronze.... that's going to look really nice. I suck at Bodywork, but my tank is a peeling powdery Baby Blue at the moment, so I think even an acid-dip is going to be an improvement!
It'll be telling as to what set of jetting you end up going with. I keep reading 135 Main, 2.5 Slide and I think 37 Pilot, but don't hold me to that.
 
I am working off this info from Niche cycle along with the same info from a Swedish mob. (Forgot the name)

Yamaha SR 250Mikuni VM32
Main: 190 Pilot: 22.5 Needle Jet: P5 Needle: 6DH3 Air jet: 0.9 Slide: 2.5

Yamaha SR 250Mikuni VM34
Main: 210 Pilot: 25 Needle Jet: P5 Needle: 6DH3 Air jet: 2 Slide: 2.5

I posted the VM34 specs as well as I seem to recall that is the carb you bought. Not sure how close they will be but it is a good place to start.

I haven't check my air jet but the slide is a 3. Going to see how it goes with just the pilot, needle and needle jet. I am going to use a 195 main that I have sitting on the shelf.
 
Brodie said:
I am working off this info from Niche cycle along with the same info from a Swedish mob. (Forgot the name)

Yamaha SR 250Mikuni VM32
Main: 190 Pilot: 22.5 Needle Jet: P5 Needle: 6DH3 Air jet: 0.9 Slide: 2.5

Yamaha SR 250Mikuni VM34
Main: 210 Pilot: 25 Needle Jet: P5 Needle: 6DH3 Air jet: 2 Slide: 2.5

I posted the VM34 specs as well as I seem to recall that is the carb you bought. Not sure how close they will be but it is a good place to start.

I haven't check my air jet but the slide is a 3. Going to see how it goes with just the pilot, needle and needle jet. I am going to use a 195 main that I have sitting on the shelf.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the quick reply. You're right- I messed up and bought the VM34, but after reading that it was too big for a largely stock motor, I found a VM30 to try. It seems the logical 1st guess for the VM30 would be a 175 Main, 22-ish pilot, etc... at least as a place to start.
When I was snooping the web, I found a period review, and it looks like your color red tank, doesn't it?
CWSR2501980.png
 
Oh yeah the tank is the stock colour. It was one I bought from a wrecker when my first one rusted out.
Has Sr250 '82 written on it in marker.
 
Thanks for the offer Milpool, I will have to pass though as the rear end of my bike isn't stock so I doubt either the rack or seat would fit.

I have a side cover floating about if you need one.
 
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