Suzuki RL250 Mania

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Westy
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Suzuki RL250 Mania

Postby Westy » Tue Jun 30, 2009 10:59 am

Hey Hey.

I am in the process of prepping my '74 RL250 for comp and for road registration.
This means that I am making replica parts for use in comp so that I don't destroy my originals, such as the guards and Aluminium tank.

I am in the process of making moulds for my front and back guards. I expect to pop some replicas out in the next couple of weeks. My guards are in good condition. Although I did have to reinforce my front guard but the shape is still there.

I am also going to make a fibreglass fuel tank. It will be a copy of the original 1.33 gal (4.92l) Aluminium or Steel tank. I haven't decided yet. But I have both ready to copy.

I have also designed spiders for retrofit rear sprockets that also act as the 5mm spacer needed when not using a dished sprocket. My RL originally had the 520 dished sprocket but I couldn't find anyone who make them. To have it made was expensive. I have found a mob who pop them out but I am going to stay with a 428 chain and the ability to change sprockets sizes.

The spiders I have made suit a Yamaha TT500 rear 428 sprocket. The selection for "n" is from about 40 to 54 teeth. I can make Aluminium spiders for most rear sprockets.

I have also made a heap of locking washers for the front sprocket, rear sprocket and rear brake arm.


Is it time to ride yet?

PA
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Re: Suzuki RL250 Exacta Mania

Postby PA » Tue Jun 30, 2009 1:03 pm

Keep us informed as I have been lent a set of original guards and side covers to make moulds from but if you are going to do them I will hang off.

Might suggest using a layer of Glass then Kevlar and then another layer of Glass (around 125 gram glass) as this will stand up better to impact damage than Carbon.



Westy
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Re: Suzuki RL250 Exacta Mania

Postby Westy » Wed Jul 01, 2009 10:24 pm

I have spent the last few days trying to make a mould and I have had no success at getting the quality I want. I am contemplating finding a way I can fabricate a plastic copy.

Copying the tank is not going too bad. On the rear guard, the flanges and chain cut out are getting to me. Grrrr. Plus, my new garage is the size of my toe.

Breathe in.
Breathe out.
De-stress.
Try again.


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Westy
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Re: Suzuki RL250 Exacta Mania

Postby Westy » Wed Jul 01, 2009 10:44 pm

.


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Westy
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Re: Suzuki RL250 Exacta Mania

Postby Westy » Thu Jul 02, 2009 5:14 pm

I have had some success today. I’ve made a product from my original rear guard and it’s spot on. The “Made in Japan” is even there, but backwards.

A new method for a replica tank is on the horizon.


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Westy
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Re: Suzuki RL250 Exacta Mania

Postby Westy » Thu Jul 09, 2009 5:10 pm

:D The copies of the front and rear mud guards are coming along nicely. Perhaps in another week I will have the moulds complete and will have popped out my first product.
For the rear guard, I have removed the bending of the flanges that occur when the guard is pressed up against the frame. The flanges on the new product will be nice and straight.
The copied rear guard will have radii 3mm smaller than the original, all over. This won't be a drama because the product still fits nicely and looks the part.
The front guard will have a slightly different profile to the original (if you compare a copy to an original with a microscope) because I had to rebuild my perished original.

I understand that some people would like a set of copied front, rear guards and side covers.
Please show me your expressions of interest if you want some RL guards and covers and I'll see what I can do (I am making these is my spare time).

Below is a photo of my fibreglass slugs. Lookin pretty nice eh? :P
Image

Pipoca :NSW:


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Westy
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Re: Suzuki RL250 Exacta Mania

Postby Westy » Sat Jul 18, 2009 12:39 pm

Progress Update

Front and rear mud guards (RL250 rear fender).
Image

1975 RL250 Steel tank.
Image
For the fibreglass fuel tank, the base of the tank, fuel cock arrangement and inner skin will not be as per original. I am intending to make a couple of modifications to make moulding easier. The overall shape of the tank should be similar to original.


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Westy
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Re: Suzuki RL250 Exacta Mania

Postby Westy » Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:29 pm

Restoration Progress.

I haven't made much progress on the guards and the tank this week. I have set aside time next week.
Tonight I spent some time on the electrical system. I have been madly searching the net looking for a source of old electrons. I read on wikipedia that you can harvest 35 year old electrons with a really old butterfly net made from copper wire. Once I caught enough of those tiny critters I worked on my wiring.


I encountered some issues when preparing a wiring diagram suited to what I need. Firstly, about five years ago I bough a switch cluster from a wreckers that was off an old Suzuki. I began with a schematic of a TS250 kindly supplied by Brett from Motoretro in Byron Bay. Brett from Motoretro knows more about how the system works than the electrical engineers at work. I quizzed them today. If you need something Brett's a top bloke. The swicth cluster in the TS schematic has nine wires. Mine has six. The schematic is stuffed becasue it has an Orange wire and Brown wire going no where useful. I didn't need them anyway. So, six wires. We have the three wires for the battery charge circuits for online and off-line. I have the grey wire for head light source, a yellow for high beam and white for low beam. My switch does not have a yellow and red wire for the second coil to supply lighting power. AND, when I pulled the switch appart, the grey wire has two connections. Also, my switch has two free terminals. So, what I am going to do is, wire it all up using one coil, see how it works and if I need to, I'll wire the other coil into the free terminals and run the coils in parallel. Note that this is my idea and not Brett's. So if it doesn't work it's all me.

Tonight I also wired up two of the speedo lights, the tail light, the head light and left it there. I need to do the rectifier & battery next, make a couple more looms and I am done. That is, if it works.

Going back in time... For years I was confused. I didn't know about the total loss system. I also wondered why I got 120 volts out of one wire from the stator, 90 volts from another and nothing from the other two. It turned out that one of the wired is a tap off a coil and needs to be switched and the other, the blue one is the neutral light switch. Am I a half wit or what??? Trying to get a voltage out of a switch.

So add to this blog like thread, I have already replaced the front shock seals and dust covers and I used a 5W oil. Something nice and viscous for plenty of damping. I don't know if it will give too much damping yet.


Is it time to ride yet?

Westy
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Re: Suzuki RL250 Exacta Mania

Postby Westy » Sat Jul 25, 2009 11:12 pm

We've had some previous talk about 1974 RL's and lighting kits. Take a look what I fount for sale in North America. I would like to have enough cash to pick this beauty up.

Ebay Link
Last edited by PA on Fri Jul 31, 2009 11:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Format link


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Westy
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Re: Suzuki RL250 Exacta Mania

Postby Westy » Mon Jul 27, 2009 2:14 pm

Hey Hey. I have some more news for my restoration. Well, perhaps my restoration is half hearted because I am using trailer wire to re-wire the bike and that means I am not following the original wiring colours. I have also excluded blinkers from the circuit.
I have since found a 74 RL250 for sale on North American eBay. It has a head and tail light with no battery box. It must be that the battery is only used for the blinkers. There is a video with the lights on in the listing.

What I have done is incorporate the battery in my circuit. I am using the battery to run the stop lamp and thus it will run on DC. The head and tail lamps will run on AC.I just had a thought. Would this pose a problem to me if an AC connection and DC connection are sharing the same Earth?
I wish I had of thought of that before I finished wiring the whole thing up last night.

Get this. I am more stupid that you think. The neutral switch is Earthed within the engine case right. What I did was run the circuit up to the neutral light and then back to an Earth. How dumb is that. Yeah that will work.

I left a solution to my AC, DC problem even though I wasn't aware of the problem until now. Because I have two coils available in the engine, I set one up as an auxiliary supply. So, if something happens with the other circuit, all I have to do is flick a switch and the whole bike is running on AC, minus the battery. Nevertheless, I think I will revise my wiring tonight.


Is it time to ride yet?


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