TT250 restoration - double the fun

**Wired1** · 13th January 2008, 17:13

Originally Posted by R6_kid

How complete is it? And how much are you wanting for it?

It's on Trademe now at this address: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...068332&ed=true
I paid $500 for this and then spent another $400 on it getting it to work and new tyres etc so I'm hoping for $800. I've seen worse in Nelson for a lot more so we'll see I guess. It's worth more as parts of course, and I can't be buggered restoring it as I've got the two TT250's and an XT550 to play with. It will suit some young bugger wanting to have a blast in the dirt or some older guy wanting to recapture his youth!.

**NordieBoy** · 13th January 2008, 18:25

Originally Posted by Wired1

When is that? Sounds like a blast.

Nelson Motorcycle Club 100th birthday celebrations.

2nd Feb - Beach racing at Rabbit Island
4th Feb - Flattrack at the Richmond Race Course
6th Feb - Old Thumpers at Pohara

Entry forms on the NMCC Website.

I won't be racing as it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to photograph something like this.

**Wired1** · 13th January 2008, 18:28

Thanks, I'm a stone's throw from Rabbit Island so I will be there, not sure if I want to put my bike on sand but I'll check it out. How competitive are these guys? I'd like to give her a run but I don't want some dickhead riding over the top of me or, more importantly, my bike.

And I heard the Pohara one was for twin shockers only?

**NordieBoy** · 13th January 2008, 18:34

They do look nice and tidy with just the airfilter there and no airbox.
Better hope for no rain

Looking forward to racing ya

By "racing" I mean you riding off into the distance and me breathing dust.

**Wired1** · 13th January 2008, 19:57

So although I've finished this project you might notice a few bits missing like the headlight, and the right side cover. Well these are the two bits I haven't managed to find yet. I might just make a filler for the headlight and be done with it, I'm unlikely to be riding it at night anyway.
And as for the side cover, it seems that the design of these bikes meant that the muffler eventually turned the right cover to a molten blob, so I will go back to plan A of making an alloy one using the left cover as a template.
For the second bike I would like to make a pair of alloy ones to get that nostalgic retro thing going, and if I use 1.5mm alloy they won't weigh much (or bugger the weight and just skip breakfast on race day!)

**kneescraper** · 13th January 2008, 20:28

I can watch those videos many times over...such a awesome rebuild.

**NordieBoy** · 13th January 2008, 21:04

Originally Posted by Wired1

Thanks, I'm a stone's throw from Rabbit Island so I will be there, not sure if I want to put my bike on sand but I'll check it out. How competitive are these guys? I'd like to give her a run but I don't want some dickhead riding over the top of me or, more importantly, my bike.

And I heard the Pohara one was for twin shockers only?

The beach and flattrack racing is all classes - Pre 75, pre 80 (small, mid and open), pre 86 (small, mid and open), Quads, Super Quads, MX1, MX2, MX3.

Thumpers is pre 80 only.
They run their own rules, you're more likely to get a prize for wheelieing the track than winning

**Wired1** · 18th January 2008, 20:03

Well now I've got a stag do to go to on the same day as the beach races so that stuffs that idea. I'll still go to the flat track meeting but won;t race my TT just yet, next month.

I learned how to put the clutch together properly tonight, it took me five attempts and a bit of manual reading but I finally got it right so now I have a clutch which is a real boon if you want to get away smoothly. I took her up the road and found all the gears in the right places so this weekend I'll take her out to the river and see how she runs after the first hour.

I'm also making up a headlight blank to fill the hole, and a lower rear guard to keep the crap off the back of my lovely clean engine. I threw the air box away and the other thing that did was form the lower rear guard.

I'll post pictures when it's all done.

**Wired1** · 20th January 2008, 16:31

Sold the old XT for enough to buy a Mig welder so that's a good swap I reckon. Now I find out I gotta buy a bottle of CO2 gas and a regulator too but that's OK.

Today I made a headlight blank for TT #1 and a right hand side cover out of an old piece of galv sheet I found under the bench. I think it was my son's but he won't miss it. Not a bad result, although alloy would have looked cooler. It seems the reason there are bugger all right hand side covers available is the exhaust pipe melts most of them into slag. Anyway this should stop me burining my bloody leg on the exhaust pipe.

**DEATH_INC.** · 27th January 2008, 21:11

Holy shit, that brings back some memories! Nice work.
I had one of these things a few years back (my third bike if I remember correctly), spent a small fortune on it and barely got to ride it as it was always in the shop.....
Just wrecked (a few months ago ) my brothers old XT250j too, shame I got no bits left for ya's.... had a YZ front end in it and a IT 250 rear shock.
Also when ya on the hunt for bits, keep yer eyes open for a yellow YZ250d or g or something (late 70's) with a TT250 engine in it which was stolen a while back....

**Wired1** · 15th February 2008, 21:10

Well I've gotten a little sidetracked with the XT550 but finally finished putting the second TT250 engine back together this afternoon.

The second bike has all the best bits and will have a lot more attention to finish quality - not to say that the first bike wasn't pretty, just that this one will be more so.

I have just posted a video of the engine rebuild on youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfxbTDHq2OM

**SVboy** · 16th February 2008, 15:44

Great thread! I had an 81 xt way back when. Great bike!

**NordieBoy** · 16th February 2008, 18:52

Looking very nice...

Wanna re-build an XR250 for me?

**Wired1** · 16th February 2008, 19:21

Originally Posted by NordieBoy

Looking very nice...

Wanna re-build an XR250 for me?

No but I'd encourage you to do it and I'll even give you a hand if you get stuck. I don't think I have any special skills etc just a lot of determination and I don't watch much TV which gives you a shit load of time to do things. I've been trying to find a TT500 for a project but they're like bloody hens teeth so I might have to settle for an XR500 - if I can find one old enough. I'd prefer the pro-link as long as it's the first one, as I used to have a twin shock and they were a bit on the heavy side.