Honda CM250T ‘Restoration’ project

H_Lime · 21-04-2021 4:15pm

emeldc wrote: »

I got chatting to a young lad (17) in Australia through a FB page whose mad into the 400T, which is basically the same bike. He sent me a link to a file sharing thing and I was able to download the workshop manual from there. They're invaluable.
Yes, I plan on using rattle cans for the paint job. Vinny Byrne's can match any paint you need if you have the code. As long as you take your time with the prep and painting you can get really good results. This is the 500Four I did about 10 years ago.

Beautiful work!

emeldc · 26-04-2021 10:26pm

I got the frame back from the sandblaster this evening. I’m forking delighted with it

lennymc · 27-04-2021 9:23am

emeldc wrote: »

I got the frame back from the sandblaster this evening. I’m forking delighted with it

That looks like a really good job. Out of curiosity, where was the frame blaster, and what was the ball park cost of the job?

emeldc · 27-04-2021 9:48am

lennymc wrote: »

That looks like a really good job. Out of curiosity, where was the frame blaster, and what was the ball park cost of the job?

He's in Kilkenny. He'd be more into bigger stuff like 40ft trucks and trailers but I've known him for years so he did it for me. He charged me €100 to blast and paint it which I think was free. Don't know what his real price would be but I'll give you his number if you're interested.

emeldc · 03-05-2021 9:17pm

A few more bits done this week.
Fork legs polished. Just waiting for seals to rebuild.

Rear wheel refurbed. Bearings are good. Everything else needs to be replaced.

Just to give you an idea of the nuts and bolts thing. These two are from the rear foot pegs. One as it came off the bike, the other one polished. Both needed heat to get them off. So far I’ve only lost 4 or 5 to breaks.

Clutch casing. It’s not perfect but certainly better! They take fcukin hours to do.

H_Lime · 03-05-2021 10:22pm

You have the touch!

emeldc · 11-05-2021 9:52pm

This casing was damaged. I sanded as much as I could out of it. Happy enough with it I think.

Had another go at the carbs today too.

lennymc · 12-05-2021 9:45am

They look great!

Hotblack Desiato · 13-05-2021 1:45pm

Looks great.

You going with lacquer on the casings and forks or leave them bare?

emeldc · 18-05-2021 11:43pm

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Looks great.

You going with lacquer on the casings and forks or leave them bare?

No i think I’ll leave them bare. Once you have them polished up it’s easier just to buff them up once in a while.

I’ve decided to get the tank and covers professionally painted. I need to get a ding on the the tank done anyway so I did a deal with him to do the lot. And let’s face it he’ll do a much better job than I can.

I’ve run into a bit of an issue with the rear wheel. Having rebuilt it fully, the circlip that holds everything in place including the sprocket is not seating properly due to wear/damage on the hub. I wouldn’t be happy to use it in its current state. There’s a precision engineering firm close to me, I’ll show it to them and see what my options are. Second hand rear wheels are as rare as hens teeth. So it could hold me up for a bit but hopefully I’ll get it sorted.

Other than that front forks, brake caliper, master cylinder and any other bits that needed reassembling are all done. Once I have the VHT paint on the engine I’ll start to put it all back together. Maybe I’ll get a spin on it before the end of June.

emeldc · 09-06-2021 10:09pm

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!

galwaytt · 10-06-2021 4:18pm

emeldc wrote: »

Had another go at the carbs today too.

You sir, have missed your calling.

Cleaning carbs and polishing them is a complete PITA - yours look fab. You should let us know your secret

flashinthepan · 10-06-2021 7:29pm

Looks Fab :-) well done

emeldc · 11-06-2021 10:39am

galwaytt wrote: »

You sir, have missed your calling.

Cleaning carbs and polishing them is a complete PITA - yours look fab. You should let us know your secret

Cheers, no real secret although you’re right, they are a pain to do. Some cutting compound and some Dremel polishing pads to get in at the awkward bits works well. You can also use a fine grit wet and dry (1000) on the bigger parts. Finish it off with any metal polish, Brasso will do, although I find ‘Peek’ polish works very well. It’s never a quick job, you need to allow a couple of hours but it’s worth it.

emeldc · 30-06-2021 3:20pm

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.

Henry Ford III · 01-07-2021 10:48am

Fantastic work. A credit to your skill and patience.

I hope you can get that engine issue sorted (sounds like fuelling ok).

emeldc · 25-07-2021 1:14pm

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.

emeldc · 12-09-2021 7:08pm

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So I haven't been here for a while, I'm finding the new platform a pain in the ass TBH and have lost a bit of interest. But anyhow I got the tank and covers back from the body shop, repaired and in primer so at leastI could get out for a spin and do some tuning. I've nearly 400 miles covered now and I'm fuggin' delighted with it. Ticks over like a watch, no misfires, no flat spots and starts and stops like it should. The only thing left is the colour and decals. I intend leaving them back to the body shop in the next week or so. My next post will show the finished article.

emeldc · 12-09-2021 9:47pm

...

Gremlinertia · 13-09-2021 2:21am

That is stunning, glad to hear the engine is so good.. Well wear..

Dilbert75 · 13-09-2021 11:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117881809#Comment_117881809

Really nice job.

FYI, the pictures in the first post worked for me, but not the second post. 🙄

.

emeldc · 13-09-2021 11:32am

Cheers lads. I deleted the second post. Cant figure out how to post the pics like i did in the rest of the thread. That's progress for you!!

emeldc · 25-11-2021 5:01pm

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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.

Gremlinertia · 25-11-2021 5:39pm

They are stunning, as new, lovely job.

Dilbert75 · 25-11-2021 6:08pm

What a way to top it off!

emeldc · 28-11-2021 8:42pm

Here ya go. Might have to get another one to get me through the winter!

omerin · 29-11-2021 1:35am

Stunning, well done

galwaytt · 29-11-2021 2:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118236909#Comment_118236909

that's a stunner tbh. And a lovely model bike as well.

flashinthepan · 30-11-2021 11:25am

Lovely work well done :-)

tokaitelejohn · 04-12-2021 6:46pm

What a great job! She's a credit to you.

emeldc · 06-12-2021 9:58am

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.

spurious · 06-12-2021 10:29am

I love this thread. Great job OP. Can't believe that seat is second hand, it's in great nick. Whole thread made me pine for my Honda Benly CD200 which was cruelly taken from me when somebody's little darling set fire to it at the school I was teaching.

Do you think you'll take on another?

emeldc · 06-12-2021 2:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118276053#Comment_118276053

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.

Honda CM250T ‘Restoration’ project

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