And then there were two.. 1976 GT250 Rebuild

Been distracted from the cycle because of my lathe refurbish. Should be more focused on two wheels again soon when I get tired of making bigger parts smaller.
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https://youtu.be/38-TTwnssiE
 
that lathe is awesome !!
back in the day the first shop i worked in there were all these old lathes with the flat belt on spindle sheave but above them the shop owner lathe had mounted old 1930's i would guess, 4 speed gearboxes with the old long steel shift lever bent over to be pretty much close to the opersator
the gerabox and motors were up high 3 feet above spindle on a caged platform with 3-4 legs down to the headstock casing
you would just reach up and select gesars and or REVERSE
i mean we are talking gear jamming, crush poke and grind ! it was awesome
 
xb33bsa said:
that lathe is awesome !!
back in the day the first shop i worked in there were all these old lathes with the flat belt on spindle sheave but above them the shop owner lathe had mounted old 1930's i would guess, 4 speed gearboxes with the old long steel shift lever bent over to be pretty much close to the opersator
the gerabox and motors were up high 3 feet above spindle on a caged platform with 3-4 legs down to the headstock casing
you would just reach up and select gesars and or REVERSE
i mean we are talking gear jamming, crush poke and grind ! it was awesome

My dads machine shop still contracts some work out to an Amish guy with a machine shop. He runs everything off of line shafts powered by an industrial diesel engine outside his shop. OSHA would literally have a stroke if they ever walked in there, but man that place is cool. My grandpa (who was a journeyman tool and die maker) started buying equipment to set up a mobile machine shop that would be powered by an old hit an miss engine. He had bought a neat old flat belt drill press, reciprocating saw and now this lathe is around. Grandpa has since passed, but I think once I get a more permanent location, my shop will have those 3 pieces of equipment set up on a line shaft. I think it would be pretty neat.
 
y0 hurtco outstanding work on everything ive seen your students are lucky to have you
only slightly related i just picked another gt250 parts bike haven't seen it but the guy is legit ,gonna call me to pick it up
says the motor is a recent good runner, missing parts etc
but what are the gt250 engines like ? power wise ? is it all top end or are they quite docile ?
see ive got this old chair outfit ,that needs an engine,this thing isn't near heavy as it looks either the main platform is all thinwall, its really lite and if i geared it for 60 topspeed or so the gt might be ok if not i can always yank it out and use somthing else
i was considering a 350 honda twin but the gt with the left side kicker would be great seeing is how this outfit is chair right' and the 350, no way does it have as much overall power as a 250 twin 2 stroke close maybe ...besides laying some 2smoke trails would be just the ticket i think
 

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hurco550 said:
My dads machine shop still contracts some work out to an Amish guy with a machine shop. He runs everything off of line shafts powered by an industrial diesel engine outside his shop. OSHA would literally have a stroke if they ever walked in there, but man that place is cool. My grandpa (who was a journeyman tool and die maker) started buying equipment to set up a mobile machine shop that would be powered by an old hit an miss engine. He had bought a neat old flat belt drill press, reciprocating saw and now this lathe is around. Grandpa has since passed, but I think once I get a more permanent location, my shop will have those 3 pieces of equipment set up on a line shaft. I think it would be pretty neat.

oh yeah that would be cool the line shafts ,the belts slapping,clicking every rev as they hit the coupler .....just an awesome tribute to your gandpap as well
 
Thanks xb!

I read an old motorcyclist magazine (I think) write up on the gt250 back in the day, and I think they hit the nail on the head. They pretty much said that Suzuki made a 2 stroke engine that acted like a 4 stroke. That may be a slight stretch, but In stock dress, there is nothing that really that stands out power wise, it just seems pretty even keel/no frills. Smooth acceleration, power band doesn't hit super sharp, no real "on the pipe" feel to speak of. Just a fun little all around bike. they never did compete well performance wise with the rd250/350's of the day, and im not convinced they were really meant to.

Anyhow, I think it would be an ok powerplant, as long as its a 75 or earlier (ram air head engine) 76 and 77 changed a bunch of little things throughout the engine, and that can make getting some parts a real pita. (3 bearing crank with oddball bearing and seal dimensions, changed cylinders, carb mounts and ports)

If I get another one, im planning on a 75 or earlier just to not have to deal with the scarcity of some of the parts. If it weren't for one place in the uk, I wouldn't have crank seals (or a running motor)

The other benefit, however small, is that its a 3 bolt cradle mount setup, vs the 350 setup with the top engine mount. could simplify things a bit
 
xb33bsa said:
oh yeah that would be cool the line shafts ,the belts slapping,clicking every rev as they hit the coupler .....just an awesome tribute to your gandpap as well

yep, I think it would be awesome. He was a sharp guy and im sure if he was alive he would appreciate the gesture. Plus, a shop full of exposed belts and pulleys is about as cool as it gets imho
 
hurco550 said:
yep, I think it would be awesome. He was a sharp guy and im sure if he was alive he would appreciate the gesture. Plus, a shop full of exposed belts and pulleys is about as cool as it gets imho

You are right on that. When you do it, do it right, though and include a way to power a couple of slow-turning old style ceiling fans, too. ;D 8) ::)
 
ridesolo said:
When you do it, do it right, though and include a way to power a couple of slow-turning old style ceiling fans, too. ;D 8) ::)
Haha, funny you mention ceiling fans, I have thought of that too =) that would be awesome
 
hurco550 said:
Haha, funny you mention ceiling fans, I have thought of that too =) that would be awesome

Yeah, good stuff... and not just 'round n 'round fans. There was a restaurant I use to go to on Waikiki that had a bunch of the old things running off belts powered by a single motor. Some went around and some were articulated and just waved back and forth, pretty cool.
 
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Put a few miles on her today. Still some dead spots and not great on idle. So up on the stand for a little richer jets. Getting quicker at pulling the carbs every time though lol
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Nice!

When I rode the green GT550 to work a bunch of youngins N smokers were looking it over at lunch scratching there heads
 
Tune-A-Fish said:
Nice!

When I rode the green GT550 to work a bunch of youngins N smokers were looking it over at lunch scratching there heads

ha, that particular spot is where the machine trades instructor usually parks his road king. I beat him in today so I just took his spot. I waited for him to show up and he was huffing and puffin ( jokingly ) aobut me taking his spot. He did sit on it (in his full Harley garb). He jumped off before I could get a picture
 
hurco550 said:
Made it to work this morning.


Woo hoo! It looks great. You'll get it sorted out. Do it soon though, mosquito season is fast approaching!
 
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