85 ATC250R Refresh / Rebuild (First Timer)

[Onetrackmind]

Hahaha...Unfortunately, not much to add right now. I have been out of town for work more than I have been home! Add in father/husband duties and that has left me with exactly...no time to work on this thing!

I will have a few days off coming up without many other chores, so I should make some more progress soon. I did get most of the coolant system installed and a few other odds n ends like kicker and shifter. I am actually trying to dye my old rear brake MC hose cover right now. We will see how that goes...

I am still waiting on a dust cover for the lower steering stem bearing. Once that gets here, I can at least get front end on.

If things go my way, it will be a roller very soon with nothing left but a metric sh!t-ton of small stuff to do later ;-)

Stay tuned...


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[Onetrackmind]

My 10 yo old son and I tackled a couple of small items today after finishing up a 2 day lacrosse tournament. His job was to reassemble both foot pegs. I had them powdered and all the hardware re-zinged.

I gave him the parts and an exploded diagram from an online catalogue and said "Have at it!" We quickly realized that the powder had reduced the tolerances too much and I had to some Dremeling, but he got them together in perfect order. ��






I was also able to get the rear bearing carrier installed along with new pinch bolts, stopper bolt and washer and dust seals. It sure looks purty!





I'm still waiting on some parts, but I think I might be able to have it back on three wheels in the next few days. I have really been procrastinating on rebuilding the perches, calipers and rear MC...I may just have to rip the bandaid off and knock that out tomorrow.

[yaegerb]

Absolutely killer. I got 10 bucks that says you wince the first mud puddle you hit

[Onetrackmind]

Thanks brother! Yeah, it's definitely going to be tough getting it dirty for the first time...

[Onetrackmind]

I've got the rear brake system components rebuilt and the carrier/axle installed, but am having a little issue with the brake torque link. In the pic below, I am having problems with the two torque link seals (#18). I have the ones that I took off, but they are a much larger diameter that the bushing they show to go on. When I cinch down that nut, they squish out. They are disco by Honda, so should I just improvise with something that will fit?

[yaegerb]

I've got the rear brake system components rebuilt and the carrier/axle installed, but am having a little issue with the brake torque link. In the pic below, I am having problems with the two torque link seals (#18). I have the ones that I took off, but they are a much larger diameter that the bushing they show to go on. When I cinch down that nut, they squish out. They are disco by Honda, so should I just improvise with something that will fit?

So you are saying the OEM's are not working...they are larger than the OD of the bushing shoulder?

[Onetrackmind]

Well, not exactly. I have no way of knowing if what I removed and saved was, in fact, OEM. The ID of the seals measure 19mm and the OD of the bushing shoulder measures 21mm so in theory, they should work just fine. Unfortunately when I put any pressure on them, they sqhish out. They are very soft rubber. There isn't a torque value in the manual for that castle nut...hmm...

Here is something else: If you notice on the Honda parts diagram above, you see that it calls for the seals, bushing, washer, lock washer and then the castle nut and cotter pin. In the pic below (from the Honda shop manual), it doesnt call for the seals at all and it also doesn't call for the lock washer either. This really has me scratching my head. If I delete those three pieces, there is way too much slop.

[yaegerb]

Well, not exactly. I have no way of knowing if what I removed and saved was, in fact, OEM. The ID of the seals measure 19mm and the OD of the bushing shoulder measures 21mm so in theory, they should work just fine. Unfortunately when I put any pressure on them, they sqhish out. They are very soft rubber. There isn't a torque value in the manual for that castle nut...hmm...

Here is something else: If you notice on the Honda parts diagram above, you see that it calls for the seals, bushing, washer, lock washer and then the castle nut and cotter pin. In the pic below (from the Honda shop manual), it doesnt call for the seals at all and it also doesn't call for the lock washer either. This really has me scratching my head. If I delete those three pieces, there is way too much slop.

Leave all those pieces in, apply ample bel ray, let 'r squish and move on down the road good sir.

[Red Rider]

Are the other remaining components correct (shouldered washer & shouldered bolt)? If not, that could account for your squishy issue.

[Onetrackmind]

Red
That torque link actually rides on a bolt (with a permanent shoulder) welded to the swinger. I know it's correct and I'm pretty sure that the shouldered bushing is as well.

I am going to try a different setup with hard rubber o-rings and see how it works.


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[Onetrackmind]

Two words that I wish that I had listened to early on in this build... bolt and kit. Man, had I listened I would be so much better off in time and money. Every time I turn around, it seemed as if I was short on the required bolts for a particular part and had to order (I tried to plan ahead for this, but didn't do a good enough job obviously). Oh well... Partzilla has a LOT of my money now.

On the brake torque link, I wound up using an extra brake pedal dust seal on one side and an o-ring on the other. I think it will work great.

Anyway, here is my progress so far...it's starting to look like an R again. Finally!



I found a tool in the plumbing section of Home Depot that worked great (minor mods) as a spanner wrench for the steering stem nut ($7):


Front end going on





Powdered OEM grab bar and nice '85 tool box (w all tools including spanner). I added the 350x stays for extra lateral support.

Nice powder work on the throttle cover


Had the OEM sprocket that I got from yaegerb replated...looks sharp. Rear brakes finally finished.

I'm really digging the new Cheetahs. Was going to try and use the Ohtsus that I got, but the front was awful. Besides...this bike deserves new shoes!


Hopefully I will have a little time next week and can get back into the garage...I'm ready to ride this beast!

[yaegerb]

Wow, looking sharp man. Finish line is near!

[Onetrackmind]

Finally finished. I think it turned out pretty well.

[yaegerb]

Finally finished. I think it turned out pretty well.

That turned out excellent! Nice job man!

[Onetrackmind]

It makes me want to cry ........ what a nice job are you gonna use it or just look at it ? ....i love it !

Thanks glamy. Honestly, now that it's finished...I just don't know. I always thought that I would just "reset it's clock" to 1985 and use it like I would have thirty-one years ago, but seeing it like this has me wanting to keep it this way forever.

I'm trying to find a way to convince the wife that it would look great as a piece of art in the living room. Or maybe as one of those cool pool-hall type lights above our game room pool table. Would look pretty sweet with LED accents!

I have a busy couple of weeks with work, so I will do some soul searching about it while away.


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