VintageSpecials KT250 project

[VintageSpecial]

Hi all, it was mentioned I should start a thread on my KT250 project. I don't really need another project as I am still building my Riley Brooklands car but a bike has been on my mind for a while since 1. I am running out of room for cars, 2. I don't want to do another car since the process of getting them on the road is getting harder all the time, 3. as my taste in cars keeps getting older the next one would have to be a bloody London to Brighton car and 4. getting all your parts from overseas is starting to get very expensive.

So I considered some kind of vintage bike type project. Something for me to learn about bikes, something to learn to ride on and someone to just put about the garden and neighbours fields on. I don't really want to ride on the roads, it's dangerous enough in low slung 30s sports cars I find. 

Talking to a friend who has some knowledge of such things (and owns bikes) he said vintage bikes aren't ideal for various reasons and not that great to ride. He suggested a classis trials bike like a Montesa, Bultaco or Ossa. Those are expensive and hard to find and you still have that 'parts from overseas' issue. On TradeMe I saw a book about Trials riding by Don Smith and bought that just to learn more about it. I ended up chatting to the seller about such things as he sold other parts for bikes and asked him if I was looking for an old bike where is the best place to look other than TradeMe and Beaded Wheels. He more or less said 'have I got a deal for you' and you can guess what happened next.

So now I own a 76 (I think) KT 250 Kawasaki. It's a project but it is mostly all there and original but a lot needs doing. It came with some parts and manuals and more parts should be coming too. Has 4000 something on the speedo (which is in miles). I wrote about it in the bike appreciation thread but basically I checked it over, tested spark and compression and so on and that the oiler seems intact and working and got it started. That was actually easy, took 3 kicks! The clutch was clutch but following some advice in that thread I worked on unsticking that by rocking the bike back and forth in gear and once it felt like there was some slipping there I started it up and chucked it into gear. That worked and I was able to ride around the garden in first. I think I did manage to find 2nd once but as a new rider I am just getting the hang of things and am still working on the likes of not falling off and not over doing the throttle at the moment.

Plans so far, putt-putt about to get the hang of it then eventually strip it all down, learn how it works and rebuild it nicely I guess.

But for now I am busy making the ash timber frame for the car then the aluminium skin so am not sure when this will happen. It gives me time to find parts and things I need, a lot of which are available locally which is one reason I went for this bike. From what I understand it wasn't a great trials bike in the day. Or rather others did better. But they were good farm bikes making them popular here.

Here are some as delivered pics.

Simon

[VintageSpecial]

OK, here's a stupid 'this idiot knows nothing about bikes' question. Are bike boots flat on the bottom? I've been putting about on the bike getting the feel of it. I think I have hit all gears now but find it hard to tell at my slow speeds! But I find changing gear tricky because the boots I wear (steel cap work boots) have a heel and the heel catches on the peg and I can't get my toe under the gear shifter.  Are the heels shorter? Maybe I just have tiny feet!

I've cleaned it several times now, with a water blaster and degreased and most of the mud has gone but it's still pretty filthy. I don't think it had been cleaned in ages.

I checked the automatic oiler today as per the manual and that's all fine. I was a little worried it wasn't working but it is all good. 

What oil should go in the chain oiler?

Also when it comes to restoring time what do people do with rusty front forks? I hear it is possible to get them re-chromed? Is there a recommended place?

I put an update on my YouTube channel. A little about the car. Was working on the timber frame but ran the bandsaw blade into a screw which killed it so I did some on the bike instead while I wait for a new one to arrive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvFvn5zCyQs

Simon

[tortron]

My current dirt and road boots are pretty flat. Have had some armoured boots in the past with more of a heel

 

 

Pretty much whatever can go in an auto chain oiler https://motomox.co.nz/products/nemo-2-chain-oiler?variant=33966748172428

[VintageSpecial]

Thanks for that I need to go visit a proper bike shop and see what they have in terms of oils and gear. I think there is a big one in Levin?

Simon

[GregT]

Rechroming forks is a specialist job. They are hard chromed and finish ground. At the moment I don't know of anyone in NZ who is able to do both plating and grinding in house. I'd suggest pricing new stanchions. Frequently, off road bikes are well supported for things like fork stanchions.

[Goat]

^This. Try and find new. Had some z1 Kawasaki forks rechromed for $$ and they were absolutely ruined. Super wavy, and one was like 1mm less diameter. Useless job.

Would never get any rechromed again. A bit of hunting and you can find most stanchions overseas for not too much money shipped.

[GregT]

I've had them done in NZ previously. A guy I know with a plating business boasted to me he could do the lot incl grinding. I put him to the test on something I'd not been able to find new for. Came out OK but a bit dear.

Then he lost the guy who was doing the grinding. I saw the end product of a couple of jobs the new man had done., No Thanks, Not going back.

[VintageSpecial]

That's common for a lot of things these days, there is one old chap still doing it and they retire (or worse) and there is no one left doing it anymore. I think we've stopped making piston rings in NZ now for that reason.

Haven't found new stanchions for the KT250 yet. Will keep looking. I found one place overseas that does say they can make them. The rust pitting might be outside the area the forks actually operate over. I need to see what full compression is.

[tortron]

You can make do with a hand polish and some epoxy in the pits 

[VintageSpecial]

On 26/10/2022 at 12:00, tortron said:

You can make do with a hand polish and some epoxy in the pits 

Epoxy to fill the pits then sanding it smooth does seem to be the way people do it when new forks aren't available. It makes sense, you just need a smooth surface to stop from ripping the seals up.

I started removing the easy to remove bits like the lights. The rear light was broken, one of the mounting bolts ripped out, but I was able to beat it all back into shape and TIG weld it back up. I sandblasted it all and it should all clean up well and be easy to repaint.

I decided to make a nice, tidy, original bike but not go for a concourse restoration given how hard it is to get some parts now. So tidy and usable will be good enough for now!

[Goat]

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/motorbikes/parts-for-sale/other/listing/3838863156

 

[VintageSpecial]

Thanks! There have been several large piles of KT parts on TM lately. I keep an eye on them of course.

[VintageSpecial]

Latest on this little bike. I did get hold of a dent puller kit, the kind that used hot glued pads, and that did manage to remove the worse of the dents. Where the metal is creased though I can't do much unless you can get to both sides of the damage. But it's certainly improved.

Unfortunately manipulating the tank made the inevitable rust pitting come to light as the picture shows! It is only that bottom corner so far from where fuel was sitting while the bike wasn't used I imagine.

So my plan is to completely strip the paint off the tank. Fix as best as possible the dents and TIG braze the holes. I have the tank soaking in a phosphoric acid bath currently to remove all the rust and will fill it with water before brazing it so I don't explode myself. I will then line the inside with Red Kote sealer which is what I used on the fuel tank I made for my Austin 7 special and that seems to be working very well.

Since I had the tank removed I stripped and cleaned the fuel tap which is what normally attached to that threaded bung there. 

Simon

[VintageSpecial]

Just an update on this. I totally stripped the tank to bare metal, soaked it in phosphoric acid and did my best to bash out the damage where someone had hammered it all to fit a different seat. I was semi - successful there. they unfortunately creased the metal so without totally taking it apart to get to both sides I can't make it perfect. I resorted to drilling a hole in the base and making a bend rod to use as a hammer type tool to try to get the worst bashed out. I then TIG brazed all the pin holes which of course revealed MORE holes but eventually, with huge ugly blobs of braze (all on the base of the tank) it's mostly solid. There were a few tiny pinhole leaks around the welds still. The tank has been sealed now with two coats of Red Kote sealer which I find works very well. I'll slap some filler on the outside to smooth the worst of the dents and repaint it. 

No pics yet, it's too embarrassingly ugly  

I am hoping the filler hides most sins! 

Theoretically I could make a new tank, maybe from aluminium, but that's a lot of work which I don't have the time to do now. 

Simon

 

[VintageSpecial]

I finished the tank. Well, as much as I want to do. Much hammering, a healthy layer of filler and some cheap green paint and I have this now. It's usable. Am waiting for a bunch more parts to arrive then I should probably strip and rebuild the whole bike. I have a new chain, new sprockets should be arriving, brakes are on order as are new fork wipers. The lights have been repaired and repainted. I don't think I will touch the engine, it runs well and has good compression. The throttle and levers are pretty worn so I need to see about restoring them. I know people do fit other throttles to them so maybe that's an option too.

I did strip and clean the carb and that went well. Came us nicely and everything still runs. 

Simon

 

[VintageSpecial]

Finding a suitable paint was tricky by the way. The proper way would be some kind of 2 pack I guess. But I didn't go that route and instead went with rattle can. I am not sure any spray can paint will be totally fuel proof though. The paint I used was ColourLab from Mitre 10. It seems to be new and is a NZ made paint (Damar). It sprayed on really nicely. Very quick coverage, easy to not get runs and very fast drying. Nice rich colour too (that's Kiwifruit I used). Not exactly right for a KT-250 but for a hack close enough.

That finish was from the can. I haven't tried flatting and polishing it at all.

Simon

[VintageSpecial]

I decided it was time to finally totally strip the bike. That didn't take too long. I posted about it on my YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/asciimation) but I am stuck on two things. The rear mudguard bolts will need cutting off which is easy enough. But I can't get the rear shocks undone. I don't know what tool you use on the odd, large cross shaped holding bolts. How do you get them undone? Is there a special tool? I don't want to mess them up. These things:

Frame is in great shape except for the boogered kick stand mount on the swing arm. I have a new stand I just need a picture of how the originals looked without the stand bolted on. I can easily make the required part then weld it on.

Simon

[xsinclairx]

Could you just use a large flat head on that bolt?

[VintageSpecial]

18 minutes ago, xsinclairx said:

Could you just use a large flat head on that bolt?

I did try of course. But they don't seem to fit well. Large ones are thicker so won't fit the slot. Hence wondering if there is a special tool. Actually, I think the manuals I have show all the tools in the back including any special ones. Need to pop out to the shed... 

[VintageSpecial]

Never mind, I got them off in the end using an old school hit it with a hammer impact driver with the biggest flat bit it had. one tap and out they came.