GT250 Cafe project

Retro, Wild, Cafe, etc. The stuff only your imagination can come up with.

Moderators: oldjapanesebikes, H2RICK, Suzsmokeyallan

dollydog
Yeah Man, the Interstate
Posts: 630
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 7:09 am
Country: england
Suzuki 2-Strokes: several gt250 ramairs

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by dollydog »

what mops did you use for the alternator and clutch covers? my 6" mop can't get in half the little niggly places on these and i end up doing them by hand - which takes even longer. agreed, polishing aluminium has got to be the dirtiest job in the whole of a rebuild. that soap goes everywhere :D btw, they all look good. hate to see dirty ali cases etc, and painted ones are even worse. just my opinion, some people like painted ali, not me.
cheers, dd.
GTS250 road registered. TS250 engine, Ramair frame.
GT250 big bang road registered. Both pistons fire the same time. USD forks.
GT285 road registered. Overbored - 58mm and TS125 +2 pistons fitted.
GT10 road registered. '65 T10 engine, GT250 frame.
Damian_74
Around the block
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:58 am
Country: Australia
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1974 GT250L, DR650, Honda CRF1000

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by Damian_74 »

Hare and Forbes are having their "End Of Financial Year Sale"

Watch this space!

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sportston
Expert racer
Posts: 1119
Joined: Wed Jul 10, 2013 12:04 pm
Country: England, UK
Suzuki 2-Strokes: FZ50, GP100, RG125 Gamma, GT380, Bandit 1200S

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by sportston »

Damian_74 wrote:Hare and Forbes are having their "End Of Financial Year Sale"

Watch this space!
Teaser! Now I'm on tenterhooks. What did you buy? Is it shiny? :roll:
Damian_74
Around the block
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:58 am
Country: Australia
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1974 GT250L, DR650, Honda CRF1000

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by Damian_74 »

New Hyd Press - 150mm between the rails - easily big enough to fit a 2 stroke crank!

I need to make up a few special tools but at 30 ton this will be more than sufficient for a little 250 crank!

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It is typical Chinese quality - crap welds, sharp edges but when I priced the material and jacks to make my own it was cheaper to buy this one (and a hell of a lot quicker/ easier).

https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/P1475" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also a press brake attachment - will bend 4mm x 450mm or 6mm x 300mm

https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/P450" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Man can never have too many toys - but he can have a lack of space!
Damian_74
Around the block
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:58 am
Country: Australia
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1974 GT250L, DR650, Honda CRF1000

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by Damian_74 »

dollydog wrote:what mops did you use for the alternator and clutch covers? my 6" mop can't get in half the little niggly places on these and i end up doing them by hand - which takes even longer. agreed, polishing aluminium has got to be the dirtiest job in the whole of a rebuild. that soap goes everywhere :D btw, they all look good. hate to see dirty ali cases etc, and painted ones are even worse. just my opinion, some people like painted ali, not me.
cheers, dd.
I'm using a 200mm grinder (8" for you blokes stuck in the dark-ages :P ).

Start with an acid wash to take the oxide off.
Buff back with a nylon wheel.
Sand and smooth with a multi-tool to 240 grit
Then a stitched calico/sisal wheel on the bench grinder with grey cutting compound to smooth over the marks.
Move up to a stitched calico wheel with brown compound and finish off with a loose calico wheel with white or green compound.

Have a couple of small drill mounted mops designed for a drill but if I watch the speed work well in the die grinder.

I won't say that I get a perfect finish but I am happy!


Found these on eBay - last OK as long as you don't push too hard and avoid sharp edges. Fantastic for the front and rear hubs - they wear around the profile of the casting when you are doing the inside and clean/smooth the casting.

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Last edited by Damian_74 on Thu Jul 04, 2019 7:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
Damian_74
Around the block
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:58 am
Country: Australia
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1974 GT250L, DR650, Honda CRF1000

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by Damian_74 »

Had a little trip the the local Zinc Platers.

In anticipation of getting a start on the engine I want all the cylinder studs and bolts plated, took a few other pits along too.

They turned out well - I had given them all a buff and run a file over all the burrs before hand.

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dollydog
Yeah Man, the Interstate
Posts: 630
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 7:09 am
Country: england
Suzuki 2-Strokes: several gt250 ramairs

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by dollydog »

looking good - and thanks for the reply on the buffing :up:
cheers, dd.
GTS250 road registered. TS250 engine, Ramair frame.
GT250 big bang road registered. Both pistons fire the same time. USD forks.
GT285 road registered. Overbored - 58mm and TS125 +2 pistons fitted.
GT10 road registered. '65 T10 engine, GT250 frame.
Damian_74
Around the block
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:58 am
Country: Australia
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1974 GT250L, DR650, Honda CRF1000

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by Damian_74 »

Finally finished the wheel hubs - then spent a couple of hours cleaning the workshop (aluminium polishing isn't my favourite part of any restoration).

But was more than happy with the result!

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Damian_74
Around the block
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:58 am
Country: Australia
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1974 GT250L, DR650, Honda CRF1000

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by Damian_74 »

Some progress - have been searching through eBay after my parts failure with Cruzinimage.

Most of the parts I need are on eBay but when the freight is added it starts to get expensive as there are multiple sellers (hence multiple postage).
For a laugh I took my list to my local Suzuki dealer and was pleasantly surprised - kicking myself for not going there first.

For the engine rebuild all but the conrods and one gearbox bearing were available - and at reasonable prices.
New rims - Front $67, Rear $88.
Spoke sets - Front $37 Rear $52.
Complete clutch lever and mount - $40

Now if I can find the time we might be able to get somewhere soon!!!!!

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Damian_74
Around the block
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:58 am
Country: Australia
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1974 GT250L, DR650, Honda CRF1000

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by Damian_74 »

Special day - on leave and everyone out of the house!!!!! :up: Time to tinker in the shed.


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There is a oil dam under the bearing on one end and a seal on the other that prevents me from getting the knife edges under the bearing.
Had a scrap of 6061 25x60mm left over form another job.



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Milled flat and bolted them together to make a split pair.


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Machined to a 64.8mm (0.20 interference) with a lip in the inside to pick up the bearing above the oil dam.


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On the primary gear end bearing as the puller was flipped over and the lip wasn't in use allowing the bearing to slip in the puller. I threw one side of the puller in the mill and machined off about 1mm on the bolt up faces to provide a bit more crush....worked a treat!


Now just have to make a few more tools to get the rest or it apart!


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Damian_74
Around the block
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:58 am
Country: Australia
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1974 GT250L, DR650, Honda CRF1000

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by Damian_74 »

Public holiday here so not much going on - didn't want to compete with the crowds at every slightly public place today so locked my self in the shed for the arvo - little Miss 4 was helping me so everything took that little bit longer but well worth it so that She may one day appreciate all the old bikes that Dad will leave to her!

Was going to get all pedantic and machine up a plate to hold the crank webs but didn't have any material and noting open due to the public holiday - thought I would give it a crack with a some offcuts of 6mm angle. It actually did it fairly easy - I don't have the pressure gauge fitted to the hydraulic press but it didn't take a silly amount of effort to press it apart. The bearing tool that I had made was again used for the centre bearings - making that was time well spent!

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Crank apart and all cleaned up - the only parts that I couldn't get from Suzuki Australia were the conrods - have the ones that Cruzinimage sent me in that package with the incorrect pins and bearings - will use them with Suzuki small and bigend bearings.

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On the primary gear end seal there is some damage to the seal face - SKF makes a speedie sleeve that size, will have a think about that one - I can still throw the rest of the crank together in the meantime

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Damian_74
Around the block
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:58 am
Country: Australia
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1974 GT250L, DR650, Honda CRF1000

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by Damian_74 »

Things moving along nicely now that I have some parts - crank back together and pressed.

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Set the beg-end side clearance at 0.4mm. Can't find any information at what the factory clearance so if any one has the specifications I would be grateful if you could post them (closest that I could find was.......... T200 is 0.185--0.575mm and the T20 is 0.14--0.445mm)

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I bought a $50 induction plate form Kmart - told the Mrs it was so we could have Korean BBQ's at home - she saw through my lies when she walked in the shed to see me heating bearings on it.
Using a cheap thermocouple, heated the bearings to 80 Deg C - they slipped straight on!

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Bit of work with a large copper hammer has the crank runout is less than 0.05mm.

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Last edited by Damian_74 on Sat Aug 17, 2019 7:34 am, edited 2 times in total.
Damian_74
Around the block
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:58 am
Country: Australia
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1974 GT250L, DR650, Honda CRF1000

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by Damian_74 »

Rolling on to the wheels :mrgreen:

The new rims supplied from Suzuki have a sticker on them "Made in Thailand" but are still stamped RK EXCEL. I've laced plenty of aluminium dirt bike rims over the years but never a steel rim.
I'm not sure if it was just poorly made rims or the fact that they are steel but I had a bugger if a time tuning the wheels - it took an extra couple of stubbies but ended up getting them all below 0.2mm in each axis.

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NICE AND SHINY!!!!!
sportston
Expert racer
Posts: 1119
Joined: Wed Jul 10, 2013 12:04 pm
Country: England, UK
Suzuki 2-Strokes: FZ50, GP100, RG125 Gamma, GT380, Bandit 1200S

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by sportston »

Lots of great engineering going on in Thailand these days. They even make Triumph motorcycles there. And if that isn't enough, you can sit a beautiful Thai lady on any bike and it will look twice as alluring! Well...at least that's what I tell my wife in the hope that she will look at my GT380 with plenty of enthusiasm. :D
Damian_74
Around the block
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 5:58 am
Country: Australia
Suzuki 2-Strokes: 1974 GT250L, DR650, Honda CRF1000

Re: GT250 Cafe project

Post by Damian_74 »

Supercheap had a sale on the other day - picked up a smallish sandblasting cabinet for $190.
https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/too ... 94020.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Filled it with 0.85mm Crushed Glass - works well on steel, bit more aggressive than I had wanted but will give a good etch for paint to stick.
Was thinking about trying walnut shell down the track for alloy and softer materials.

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