26 replies to this topic

[slogger]

After competing last year on a modern bike, I've bitten the bullet and have purchased a 240 twin shock to have a go at classic twin shock events. I know the history of the bike as it was owned by a mate of my brothers and has sat in my mums garage for 3 years. Im reasonably OK with the mechanics as I rode one as a teen.

So my dilemma? Before offering to buy the bike (i paid £225), I had a quick look.

1) Front forks seized - OK with this, have refurbished forks before
2) Bike turns over if you put normal pressure on the kick start, so its not seized. Havent tried starting it yet

Apart from that the bike looks sound and ran with no problems previously.

So the dilemma is this. Which route would you go down

1) Chuck fresh petrol in it, check for a spark, maybe clean the carb out and hope it starts - run it till it shows problems then deal with them
2) Have the head and barrel off first and check the condition, bearing in mind the piston has been in the same position for 3 years
3) Carry out a more in depth strip down to check crank seals etc

Would appreciate your thoughts?

Rob

[GrahamJayzee]

It's clearly absolutely knackered and no use whatsoever. At £225 you've been fleeced.

To save you further financial issues, I'll generously take it off your hands for £250...

;-D

Good luck! It's a bargain and I'm very jealous....

Graham

[technowaldo]

get the plug out ,some wd40 down the bore ,turn it over for a while then make sure its sparking ,a capfull of petrol down the bore and a new plug in and kick it over and take it from there .you never know it might run like a dream .why strip down when you might not have to

[axulsuv]

I'd make sure it's got spark and a fresh plug , Free up the top end with a little oil , Clean the tank and carb good , throw on a new fuel filter , clean/replace air filter , Turn on the choke and kick her thru a few times plugless to get some premix to the bottom end and seals etc. Then let it sit abit to air out , put the plug in her and give it a go ! But you may want to get the forks to move first , leaking or not as to avoid more costly repairs , (bushings and bits for the 35 mm forks can be hard to locate ...) And make sure the brake arms move and release too before you ride it ... And maybe lube the throttle cable too just to be safe !
Have fun and take good care of the old girl , You'll like her !!!
Glenn

[t-shock 250]

Technowaldo, why wash all the oil from the bore before starting it? WD40 is an effective degreaser.

[axulsuv]

t-shock 250, on Jan 2 2010, 06:48 AM, said:

Technowaldo, why wash all the oil from the bore before starting it? WD40 is an effective degreaser.

Good point ! forgot to mention that ...
Glenn

[copemech]

Do up the carb properly, not just a blow and go, along with the fresh fuel and filters! It will need it!

Glenn is the man on stuff like this! He knows!

Edited by copemech, 06 January 2010 - 03:57 AM.

[axulsuv]

Not Really COPEY ... Just general info for any bike that has sat up quite awhile , especialy one that is almost 30 years old ... And one more tidbit of things to do to her , CHANGE the gearbox oil before you start it ! Petrolium based oils turn slighty acidic with time ... and then warm it up and change it again when hot to extend the life of any seals that haven't already gone rock hard .
And it is a requirerment that you post again as soon as she's running !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glenn

[slogger]

Glenn (and all who have contributed),

Many thanks for all the welcome advice. Am planning to pick her up from Mums at the end of the month (if this weather clears!).

Am looking forward to both getting her running and competing on her. The 240 was the last bike I rode competitivly as a teen and next to the 200 Whitehawk was my favourite bike of that time.

Will keep you all updated

Rob

[axulsuv]

Add a little bit of modern tech to the old girl , and you'll be surprised at what they can do !

[slogger]

So this is what 3 years in a garage does to a bike! (have the side panels, they were in my car so they did not blow off on the journey). Only missing a kill switch and a front brake lever. Once the snow clears, I can wash her off and get started getting her ready

[axulsuv]

Looks like a good place to start !!! Mine looked worse when I got her a few years ago !
Glenn

[slogger]

Glenn, thats encouraging to hear.......

I am wondering, should I start a new thread to document the rebuild? just carry on with this one or start a new thread for each problem I encounter ?????

dont want to offend or break the forum rules!

eg...........

Initial tasks have been:
1) Start the engine prework as suggested in this thread (plug out and oil down bores)
2) Have drained sump...........hmmmmm a total of about 30ml of oil came out!
3) New kill switch and front brake level fitted
4) New plug in, initial kick over gave me a spark straight away
5) Carbs off ready to be stripped

First problem.......
Brake cable had a really weird adjuster at the bottom of it (first pic below). Looking at it, its a bodge job? Without it the cable is about 1.5 inches short (second pic below) so I assume it needs one (but the cable itself does have an adjuster on the end? Is it the wrong cable fitted or should it havre two adjusters, one threaded into the fork leg and one on the end of the cable ?

Edited by slogger, 05 February 2010 - 11:07 PM.

[slogger]

Well she started!
Not pleasant though, ran for about 10 secs...............

Noticed the following:

1) Petrol leaking out of the carb. Noticed on closer inspection that the part that has the pipe connector and holds the filter in place has a small dent in it. Picture below, lower left. Prefabed a rough washer to stem the trickle but I need to sort this properly. Does anyone know if this part is available or do I need to find a full carb to rob one off?? Is their supposed to be a seal as well as the filter disc or does thiscreate the seal in normal circumstances?

2) Bike ran at full revs once it had fired. Noticed on the front carb manifold that their is no jubilee clip, suspect air was getting in so will take a look at that next...

Ah well at least it did not rattle and the piston remasned in the block! (and the stop button worked so result............)

[axulsuv]

Slogger ;
1, Get a new brake cable !!! adjuster just screws into the fork leg ... Venhill makes all the cables for it still .
2, Contact Dellorto.co.uk for carb bits and their website has complete parts diagrams ... Or if it's got good compression , contact Classic trial and get a new intake boot and clamps with a OKO carb from Chris ...! If the dellorto is worn don't waste time and money trying to make it work ...
and yes there is a fiber washer under the fuel inlet and one on the bolt too ...
Glad to here that she fired up that easy ...
And contact Steve Goode for a late model ignition coil too , The stock one will fail soon ,,,
Glenn