Honda CM250T ‘Restoration’ project

So I’ve been pottering away and making progress if a little slow. The rear wheel is buggered. I left it with a machine shop who had several ideas and even got advice on it but the bottom line was that even though it could probably be repaired, would it be safe? That was enough for me so I went scouring eBay for a secondhand one and luckily got one from the UK for £87 delivered inc tax. It’s in bits of course and needs a full rebuild inc paint but sure that’s where the fun is! The tank, side covers and decals went to the body shop today. I’d some job getting the tank back to the metal but hopefully it will pay off. I might get the engine fired up again by the weekend and I’ll be on the home stretch then. Here’s a few up to date pics to keep you interested!

So a bit of an update. The bike itself is finished although I haven't got the tank back from the body shop yet, not sure what the delay is there. The carbs have proven to be the stumbling block. They're all over the place. It starts on the button and is fine for about five minutes until it warms up. It then tends to rev up on it's own and is slow to return to idle. It's all to do with mixture and vacuum/air leaks etc but can be difficult to pinpoint the source. I've tried a few local heads for help but all are booked up until Aug/Sept. Good to be busy i suppose!
Anyway the only bits I hadn't changed in the carbs were the needles in the sliders and a couple of rubber plugs in the float bowls that look a bit perished. Both can have an influence on the mixture/vacuum settings if they're not right. So i've stripped them right down again to double check I've no blockages and should have the new bits in a week or so. Hopefully I'll have cured something and they'll just need a bit of tuning. In the meantime, here she is without the tank and side covers.

So I think I finally have the carbs working someway properly. I ended up having to replace the new sat of spark plugs as they stopped firing for some bizarre reason. I also replaced the slider needles and holders in the carbs and initially everything seemed fine only for the plugs to start acting up. Replaced them and then the **** started with the carbs again. So I dismantled the air box to check for blockages and put it back together minus a metal gauze type filter that’s sits between the air filter and the carb air intake. And what do you know, it’s running like a watch (well almost). I still have no fuggin tank so I made up a litre bottle of fuel and strapped it on to the frame and off I went. I only did 5 miles but ran it up to 60mph. Clutch, gears, brakes all feel good. No hesitations or misfires so not bad for something that hasn’t run for 17 years. When I get the tank I’ll put 20 or 30 miles on it and then re do the mixture and balancing. Alas for this one the end is nigh. It’s been fun.

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Finally got the tank and covers back from the body shop but I think they were worth waiting for. The bike is buried in the shed as I’m doing some renovations at home but if I get a chance I’ll pull it out at the weekend and put everything together.

Thanks for the comments lads. It’s been a great experience. Took it out yesterday in the winter sun just to fill up with petrol. Probably put it away now. Roll on the spring.

I wouldn’t mind taking on another although probably not to the same detail. My brother has a cd175 that’s just gathering dust so I’m trying to pick my moment to see if he’ll let it go. I got lucky with the seat and the two mudguards alright, they’re near perfect. Some sellers on eBay are sound enough with pricing and condition, others are selling rusty junk for stupid money. The only new bits on the bike are the headlight rim and the mufflers, everything else that was replaced is second hand or repaired and refurbished. For bearings, seals and all the small bits I used genuine Honda parts where possible. There’s a few parts that are discontinued so you’re stuck with aftermarket parts in that case. From what I’ve read carburetor parts from eBay are a waste of money and will cause more issues than they solve and are usually Chinese crap.