Basket Cases

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tat ty
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Re: Basket Cases

Postby tat ty » Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:23 am

RL250 tank on ebay right now. In Sydney.

Alastair



David Lahey
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Re: Basket Cases

Postby David Lahey » Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:44 am

Greg that silencer with your hand in the photo looks normal to me for the RLs that had full lighting steel tank, steel rear sprocket, steering damper and a compliance plate.
The one you mention that looks like a german hand grenade??? (cylindrical and longer than the one in your photo) is from the the competition-only model RL with the alloy tank, alloy rear sprocket, no lights and no steering damper.


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Re: Basket Cases

Postby Westy » Wed Feb 03, 2010 6:44 pm

My researching of RL's tells me something slightly different.
From what I found, the early model RL's (L I think) have a Aluminium tank because it was a last minute effort by Suzuki to save some weight.
Late model RL's (M model) have the steel tank.
The lighting kit was not standard on any bike. It's not shown on the RL250 microfishe, manual, etc. It was a spearate add on to the bike. You might see that mine has a bolt on battery box.
My RL is an L model (74). It has a compliance plate (or sticker as they first were).
So, as far as I know, Suzuki only made competition models. Dealers fitted lighting kits at their leisure becasue Suzuki didn't fit them in the factory.
As for the muffler. I am curious about that one too. My RL has a hand muffler. One RL I looked at around the corner from me has the muffler that looks like the granade rocket thing. Most adverts I have seen for the RL's had the granade type.
I don't think it matters much anyway. They don't work properly becasue they don't seal at the joint for the engine pipe.
I have documents that tell me that a 428 chain is standard. I belivie this becasue I bought a front sprocket for an RL that was 428. My bike had a 525 chain and Aluminium sprocket kit. By the manufacture of the front 525 sprocket I reckon that this was another after market add on. It was turned on a lathe. A 525 chain would have been necessary for the Aluminium rear sprocket to provide longevity to the sprocket teeth. I am assuming that the material for the rear sprocket would have been a low grade and probably not an alloy (unlike today where everything is a mega-super-ultra-alloy).
This hypothesis would explain the reason the 525 chain kit is also not in the Suzuki parts book or microfische.
A while ago I found someone in Britain making steel dished sprockets today.
The steering damper on that RL in Maryborough is a special as well. I reckon a dealer kitted the bike out. None of that flash gear are factory items.

This is mostly from what I have read over the last few years. I could be wrong... again.
One thng I am missing that was factory is the tool kit.


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Re: Basket Cases

Postby David Lahey » Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:29 pm

Yes the road kit was done in Australia by Suzuki importers and dealers.
The hand shape muffler was probably to make it quieter and looks suspiciously like a Suzuki TM250 muffler - but don't worry the hand grenade type leaked at the joint too.
A telescopic steering damper was fitted to the road rego bikes as also were additional steering stops fitted to reduce the steering angle (side to side)
The steel tank was introduced to improve durability.
The road rego bikes had 520 type steel rear sprockets, the standard bikes had 428 type aluminium rear sprockets.

If you come across the road rego RL250 test in Trail and Track magazine, you will see all these things in photographs and described.

I don't need a magazine test though because I was there when my mate John Heidemann took delivery of his brand new RL250 road rego model from Mayfairs Suzuki in Brisbane, and I rode it at trials and on trail rides over the next couple of years.
I was also there when schoolmate Mark Stephens' grenade mufler, aluminium tank, no-gussets-on-the-steering-head RL250 arrived in 1975 from his uncle in Tasmania who was a Suzuki dealer. I rode this one too and Mark's brother John had an identical bike.


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Re: Basket Cases

Postby David Lahey » Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:52 pm

Here are some photos of Mark Stephen's bike when it was new
Attachments
save0039.JPG
save0042.JPG


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Re: Basket Cases

Postby David Lahey » Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:55 pm

And this is me crashing John Heidemenn's RL250
Attachments
Copy of 2005 photos 065.jpg


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Re: Basket Cases

Postby Westy » Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:01 pm

That's some good info you have David. How realiable are your sources? :P :P :P


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Re: Basket Cases

Postby Greg Harding » Fri Feb 05, 2010 10:32 pm

Hi Everyone,

I spoke to Kym (no 1 RL250 fan in SA) and apparently he has a totally original previously registered RL 250 complete with all documentation and basically confirms what David has said. Good to see there are still no flies on the Guru from Gladstone!! Plus all of mine have compliance plates or stickers and head set gussets. Interesting that the competition models have bulky mufflers and not the other way round!

Hi Westy, thanks for your input, personally I have received mis-information from our local Suzuki Dealer. After I got them to check, as they didn't believe there was such a thing as an RL 250. Will have to take my workshop manual in to show them when I pick up my 11 front sprocket. I think TY 250A is pre-compliance and registerable and were made in 1974, so Suzuki 1974 - 1976 would have been new at compliance for rego like everyone else at this time. This might explain why Australian Dealers were doing the lighting kits etc.

Hi Chippy, finished the fork brace today and have posted a photo. The tricky bit is doming the top to match the concave underside of the mudguard! Also I have refined my handlebar straightening jig and your Renthals came up pretty good! Because these bars have been bent and straightened, I strongly recommened that you use a bolt on crossbar. Another tip is not to drop off of any omni-buses!
Attachments
Wheel.JPG


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Re: Basket Cases

Postby chippy » Sun Feb 07, 2010 11:54 am

Greg,

Thanks very much. The rear brake brace and the front mudguard bracket both look a treat. I can understand trying to get the concave working right would have been difficult. Thanks for your efforts.
Thats great that you were able to straighten the Renthal bars too. (Man of many talents).
I'll try and stay off those omni-buses....sorry. I'll have to find a cross bar and do you have any spare TY175 fork caps that go in top of forks? You might notice that the KT ones have small holes in them and I believe most replace them with TY175 caps.
I have started re-assembling the Kt and now I'll have to get that front end off you when you come up.

Thanks again for all you help.
Andrew



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Re: Basket Cases RL 250 Blue Dungar

Postby Greg Harding » Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:00 am

Hi Everyone,

Just thoght I would share this with you (BLUE is the only COLOUR, EVERYTHING else is BACKGROUND!!!). Now you alll understand this, you can see why I like BLUE bikes probably more than the next person! I am posting some photos of an afore mentioned RL 250 I bought a couple of years ago for $300.00. There is no chain in the photos, but the bike is a goer abeit main bearing problems! After all this time, I am still unable to bond with this DUNGAR!
Attachments
IMGP2743.JPG
IMGP2742.JPG


2017 Newsflash: RUST IS THE NEW BLING !
Team Hardwood, the only licenced trials riders in Coffs Harbour!
Miles of Smiles
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