Basket Cases

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Greg Harding
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Re: Basket Cases

Postby Greg Harding » Wed Jan 27, 2010 10:05 pm

Hi Everyone,

Just thought I would share my latest acquistion, not really a basket case but a non-goer. Story was that it had a dead ignition, have 2 spare bikes with working ignitions, so decided to risk my $200.00. When he delivered the bike, I was very happy! Pulled spark plug out and no spark, disconected old kill switch wire and SPARK! Drain tank and carby, three kicks and RUNNING! HAPPY DAYS! Everything works and rides well! Abeit I wish the handling was as easy to fix! Checked workshop manual and 15/54 428 is standard, this bike has 14/53 and I still think is a bit tall geared. Checking availability of 428 13 tooth sprocket tomorrow! Now I have 2 of 250 and 2 of 175 loan bikes for trials visitors.
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Re: Basket Cases

Postby Westy » Thu Jan 28, 2010 2:48 pm

Nice RL Jack. I am stoked about your find. Talk about an easy fix!

Standard 428 chains are not long enough by a few inches. Front sprocket 428 pitch are no longer available. I use a 520 pitch from a PE250, about an '81 model. They have the same spline with n from 11 to 15 from memory. I have an 11, 13 and 15 at home.
My RL had the 525 chain kit with 43 on the rear and 16 on the front, untill I stripped the rear sprocket.
I am currently running 13/50. A comfy engine speed in 5th gives 45km/h.
11/50 is better for trials. 15/50 is better for trails. I reckon you could even go 15/45 or something like that for a trail. Note the "A" and the "I".
I made a combined spider and spacer to fit a rear sprocket from a '79 TT500. I now wish I bought a PE250 rear becasue the Suzuki sprocket has circle cut outs. The Yamaha sprocket has triangular cut outs that don't go with the other circles in the RL's frame.

Raceway Suzuki had most of the sprockets I bought on the shelf. The others were only a couple of days away (plus they are in Melbourne and I am in Wollongong).


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Re: Basket Cases

Postby Stu » Thu Jan 28, 2010 4:12 pm

Good onya Greg, nice find. Now the thot plickens...which bike will you ride in the twin shock challenge this year???


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Re: Basket Cases

Postby Scorps » Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:47 am

Howdy Y'all,

Greg, now your a RL man, RMTSR (Reed's Maryborough TwinShock Restorations) require another RL tank, and a front and rear hub for the RL. Don't know if you have any spare, but we can trade some other RL parts, or KT parts, or cash for them.

Cheers,
Your friendly neighbourhood KawiMan,
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Re: Basket Cases

Postby Greg Harding » Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:46 am

Hi Everyone,

In response to replies and phone calls. Firstly Westy, thanks for your advice. I have played with the handling a bit, dropped triple clamps on forks as far as possible to help it steer. Basket case bikes have provided me with second hand michelins and lower bars, plus I have modified clutch pivot to make it lighter.On my regular rider RL 250 2, I am running 520 43 x 11 which gives a final drive ratio of 3.909, which is still a bit tall for my likings. Went to local wreckers and bought good second hand 520 50 off ?? which bolts onto RL hub plus 12 tooth front for $40.00 which gives 4.166 and waiting for an 11 which will be 4.545 being the ratio I run on TY's.

Hi Stu, you know I may keep you guessing! I only have 1 rule about Twinshock Masters, that is I can't ride the same bike twice! This rules out the TLR and the Alpina. Maybe this confirms your thoughts!

Hi Scorps, both of my basket case RL's are fairly complete, one is missing the rear silencer, both go but have main bearing issues. All four of my RL's have steel tanks. On a previous page (two I think) I listed some things I need, most urgently TY 250C,D,E seat or base, I may be persuaded to swap ?????

Hi Chippy, I have finished KT250 rear brake brace 10mm longer as requested and have posted a photo here! Working on the fork brace next!

Hi Kim, (no 1 RL250 fan in SA) you seemed to find my description of rear silencer amusing so I have posted a photo to show why! On this subject does anyone know why some have German hand grenade shape and some just hand shape? Three of mine are the latter! One is missing!
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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



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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
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save0039.JPG
save0042.JPG


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