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tlrider

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Everything posted by tlrider
 
 
  1. Thanks Barfy. Don't know why I didn't look there as I have ordered from both of them previously. Most importantly you directed me to the unobtainium PARTS FICHE! Good show Old boy!
  2. Does anyone know what bike shares the rear brake cam? Or can you provide the part number for the TLR cam. Cheers
  3. The brake panel was first introduced on the TL125 based on the p/n 45010-355-670 '355' being the Honda product code for the TL125. According to the US parts fiche the panel is not used on anything else. The '74 SL125 panel will likely fit but the brake cable comes in from the rear of the hub and the brake arm is down. The speedo guts will likely fit. The MTX is a leading axle fork where the TL125 is not, so the fork lock pocket is at a different position. It will likely fit but your cable will not align correctly. There are several TL125 front brake panels currently on ebay in the US.
  4. I am a prototype machinist and use CNC machines almost exclusively. Kudos to you for making all of these parts on manual equipment. You Sir are a Master Craftsman.
  5. As a machinist and metal worker I must say beautiful work! As a preservationist I have to ask will there be any markings on these to distinguish them as reproductions? Again beautiful work and a great service to those with RTL's.
  6. The threaded end of a spoke is the correct thread size for this. I believe I saw this technique in a Honda manual or I read about it here in a different thread.
  7. I saw the $127 ones too. Partzilla and Babbitt's have very good prices and on line parts fiche that let you know if the part is obsolete. Is the kick start in the photo from the XR200? It looks like the bend around the case is right but it also looks like there is no stop on the shaft clamp or does the photo angle hide it?
  8. wfo, TLR200 kick start levers are still available from Honda via Babbitt's and Partzilla for $82. I bought one a year ago for my TLR250. I also see them on ebay fairly often. Make sure you don't get a new copy off ebay, they are junk.
  9. tlrider

    Tlr Brake Shoes

    TLTEL, When you say 'much smaller' do you mean the diameter of the brake shoes when installed on the backing plate? How much smaller? Maybe the difference is the lining thickness. Do you know the hub ID on your 200? I have not been able to find a significant measurable difference of more than .010" (.254 mm) between the 250 shoes and my TL125 shoes. The hub ID is the same on both bikes. Thanks
  10. tlrider

    Tlr Brake Shoes

    Does anyone know the difference between the TLR200 and TLR250 brake shoes? A reputable dealer in the UK lists them as different parts. I ordered a set last year and cannot find a difference between the TLR250 shoes and the shoes for my TL125, both are a hub with a max diameter of 111mm. Thanks
  11. I have a repro carb on my TLR250. It's of decent quality but I put OEM parts in it, particularly the needle which appears to be aluminum in the repro. The jets and inlet valve are interchangeable. You should be able to install the repro and have a much better running bike.
  12. Jools, I have two 'S' carbs and four 'K' carbs from the US market and all have 20 cast in the cap. I have a NOS needle in an unopened package part number xxxxx-355-xxx (sorry I didn't write down the number) and a Keyster TL125/S carb rebuild kit. All of my needles measure 43mm. The TL125/S was the only street legal TL125 sold in the US and has the two piece head vs. the one piece head of the K model. I guess it's possible the England market bikes had a larger carb. I realize this still does not solve the mystery but I suggest that you should be using the 43mm needle. Look for a carb kit labeled TL125/S. I got my Keyster kit from Sirius Consolidated. edit: Gave you the link to the S carb in the unedited post, now have both links. They appear to be the same kit with the exception of the jets. Main: K=95, S=92 Slow: K=38, S=35 (K carb) http://www.siriusconinc.com/pro-detail.php?pid=&product_id=464 (S carb) http://www.siriusconinc.com/pro-detail.php?pid=&product_id=463
  13. I have both carbs and will measure the needle lengths. I presume you are measuring the overall length? The 22mm carb was listed as fitting SL,XL,CL,CB,TL 125's. I think it was a case where the seller assumed all of the 125's use the same carb. I've seen numerous parts listed that way on ebay. NOS, used and aftermarket parts listed as fitting all models of a specific size. Buyer know your stuff. edit)I didn't understand Honda's part numbering system at the time and the importance of the three digit product code. Back to you in a few days...
  14. To the best of my knowledge and my experience with the TL125's I have owned and worked on the US market 'K' bikes have a 20 mm carb. The US 76 'S' model also has a 20 mm carb but it is a more robust body, i.e. the casting is thicker and reinforced to reduce the barrel from collapsing when tightening the flange mount. Visually the two carbs are easy to tell apart , the 'K' carbs have a spring clip on the float bowl and on the 'S' carb the float bowl is screwed on. I have been using an 'S' carb on my 'K' bike for a number of years now and combined with the carb insulator I make with an o-ring on the head side I seem to have eliminated the air leak and sticking throttle issue common on the 'K' bikes. Before I got the 'S' carb I ordered a 22mm carb listed as fitting the TL125, physically it was too large to fit the bike. I hope this is helpful rather than prolonging the mystery!
  15. You may want to contact Mike Waller at Britannia Motorcycles in Richford, NY near Ithaca. http://www.britanniamotorcycles.com/ He is the closest I'm aware of to you but he will probably know what's going on in the NE. Google Maps shows approximately 4-1/2 hours from your area. I have ridden a two day event at his place and the sections were very good for vintage bikes. Regarding the TLR200 Reflex being referred to as an enduro bike here is the story I was told by a Honda shop owner in Pennsylvania, at least this is what I remember and I can not find the story which was posted on their website. This Honda dealer was a Trials rider in the 70's and 80's, possibly longer and rode an RS250, the predecessor to the TLR's. He was at some function with Honda employees from Japan. In conversation the dealer mentioned that the US market could use a bike like the RS250. Apparently the Honda employee he had engaged in conversation was fairly high up in the company and within a relatively short time, a year or so I believe, the TLR200 Reflex was introduced. The TLR200 Reflex differs from the TLR200 available in the UK in several ways but not limited to the following, steel rims vs. aluminum, smaller diameter forks, taller top gears for the road and the California emissions package that chokes the motor. I feel that Honda marketed the Reflex as an enduro bike rather than a Trials bike due to the poor sales of the TL models in the mid 70's. Trials is a niche market here and I think Honda marketed the bike towards the larger trail riding community. Having ridden a road legal Reflex I think Honda blew it by leaving the Trials seat on it. The seat forces you down to the tank and with the pegs located for Trials one feels like a jockey on a horse. I think had Honda put an enduro style seat on the bike it may have sold better in the enduro market. If you sit way back on the seat the bike is comfortable to ride seated. The changes made for the enduro market had an adverse effect on the bikes performance as a Trials bike therefore the bike did not perform well in either market. I know of about 8 or so Reflexes that have been converted into very competitive Trials bikes with mods from simply jetting and exhaust to complete overhauls with aluminum rims, different forks etc. That is my opinion of the Reflex and am sure others have differing opinions which I would like to hear. If my recollection of the Reflex story can be corroborated or corrected I am interested in that as well. For me the 'Reflex' issue really comes down to the fact that I prefer the power delivery of a 4 stroke and I prefer riding vintage Trials over Modern Trials. I would have a tricked out Reflex but I was fortunate to find a TLR250. Enjoy yourself and the bike.
  16. Does your Vintage series in New England ride stop or no-stop rules? If you are riding no-stop rules, i.e. you must maintain forward motion, then I suggest working to balance the bike while moving as slowly as possible the same as if you are maintaining continuous motion thru the section. I ride the MAT (http://www.mid-atlantictrials.com/) series and we ride no-stop. I ride a TLR250 and cannot balance the bike for more than a second or two when stopped but I can balance the bike moving so slowly it appears I'm not moving but because I am moving I can correct an out of balance as I continue moving forward, well most of the time anyway. We have riders from teenagers into their 70's of all skill levels so you are the right age for vintage. As others have said learn to steer with your feet. I think the biggest challenge can be remembering to have fun! Edit: I just watched the video and as lineaway points out the rider is very good. An important thing to notice in the video is how he bends his knees towards the front axle when on an incline as well as weighting the outside peg in the turn. This is my big weakness, I must verbally remind myself to bend my knees. I also have a TL125 I rode for ten years. The different frame geometry of the TL125 is very forgiving if I do not bend my knees, however, on the TLR if I do not bend my knees the front wheel will come off the ground or I will lose grip with the rear wheel. Bending the knees can result in the very controlled off camber and inclined riding demonstrated in the video.
  17. @zerorev, I have not been able to find a parts list for the TLR250, they were never available in the States through Honda so it does not come up on the model list. There have been several threads here asking for access to a parts fiche but to the best of my knowledge one has never come available. The photo of the TLR200/250 sprocket from the UK sellers have the part covering the part number so I can't reference from there either. @lineaway, Thanks for the link to the other thread. I need to slot the holes because I need a position that is a 1/2 tooth adjustment, can't really do that with the multi hole method.
  18. Can anyone confirm if the U.S. market TLR200 Reflex Cam chain sprocket is the same as the TLR250 cam chain sprocket? I have seen a sprocket listed on several of the UK parts suppliers sites listed as for the TLR200/250 but am not sure it is the same. Being in the States I would like to get it here to save on shipping for a low cost part if possible. I have retarded the valve timing by rotating the sprocket one tooth to soften the snappiness and it is softer than I would like so I want to slot the bolt holes to be able to fine tune the timing without modifying my original part. Cheers
  19. I had a similar feeling in my TLR. I found that my swingarm bushing and the swingarm collar were very worn on the drive side. The swingarm collar is a steel sleeve that the swingarm pivot bolt goes thru, then the collar rides in the swingarm bushing. I had noticeable lateral play in my swingarm once I put the bike up on a stand, it was not noticeable with the wheel on the ground. The bushings are still available thru Honda, they are plastic. unfortunately the collar is no longer available. I turned the minimal amount off my collar to clean it up and made custom bushings from a much better bearing plastic. I believe AllBalls Bearings makes a needle bearing kit for the TLR.
  20. I recall reading on one of the TLR specialist websites in the UK that they lengthen the swingarm behind the shocks in the axle mounting area. By doing so you keep the original shock location. You are steeping the forks? I have a TLR250 and it appears to be less steep than a Reflex (yours is a Reflex?) from the riders position and I have no steering issues. Subjective opinion of course.
  21. "The footpeg has a spring the guy put on to keep it out of the way of the kickstart lever." This is stock for the 1970's TL125. The spring is attached to the swing arm.
  22. that's_a_five is correct in not encouraging you to do any cutting and welding until you have much more experience and focus on your riding skills. That is true of my experience. I bought the bike with the big bore already done; I did the frame mods years later as my ability was exceeding the sweet little TL. There are several brands of slow turn throttles available. I have a Domino throttle that I probably bought from B&J Racing in Tennessee, USA. They show a black plastic tube as being a slow throttle. I have an aluminum tube slow throttle so I must have gotten it elsewhere. I'm sure there are shops in your neck of the woods that would have them. You can improve the steering on the TL by raising the forks in the triple tree by about 19mm, i.e. the top of the forks will be 19mm above the top triple tree. The TL tends to fall into the turn due to the large offset in the triple tree. To counter this weight the outside peg when in a turn which comes back to that's_a_five's advice, work on technique. Edit: The '76 'S' model cylinder head is made of two pieces split horizontally at the camshaft centerline. Visually the top of the head is pretty smooth vs. finned and it will have four bolts, two near each valve cap. I think the frame serial number is TL125S-#### where the 'K' model bikes had serial numbers 10000-12000, 1973-1975 but again these numbers pertain to the states and may be different for non US market bikes.
  23. I've been riding a TL for over 10 years. Along with tlrmark I have done a big bore kit to 168cc and also chopped the frame to increase the steering angle, chopped the bottom frame rails and installed an aluminum skid plate and added gussets between the rear sub frame and back bone. I also made a fork brace between the top and bottom triple tree. It has become quite a capable bike with these mods, however, this does not address your question. The two big changes you can make to a stock bike is to put a smaller front sprocket on and increase the idle jet size. On gearing, in the States we have the K model bike, one piece head and was never road legal. In 1976 Honda introduced the S model TL125 with the two piece head and I believe it was road legal, point being the final gearing was different for the road. Stock gearing on the K model was 14/60T front and rear. I have used a 12 and a 13 on the countershaft. This increases your engine speed but does not increase your rear wheel speed much helping avoid the off idle cough and making the bike slower in the sections. Idle jet, Honda's tend to run lean and in Trials you are often riding just above idle or from idle to WFO for a moment. The stock TL coughs under these conditions, a reason for riding a big bore as they don't cough as easily. By increasing your idle jet size you will give the engine more fuel at low rpm which will help alleviate the cough. Those two changes and good throttle control, get a slow turn throttle, will help. Your size and weight are not an issue. A buddy use to ride a stock TL on the Mid Atlantic Trials series 3 line which has moderate sized obstacles, we have four lines with 1 being the hardest. He is six foot three and was probably in the vicinity of 300 lbs. He could clear 16" logs with ease. As that's_a_five points out proper technique is important. Trials is about finesse; I believe in the movie 'On Any Sunday' Trials riders are referred to as the violin players, the virtuosos of motorcycling. Have fun!
  24. Just FYI, the candy sapphire blue TL is a K1 model from 1974. The frame and engine number should start with 11#####. I think the TLR would look sharp in the same livery. I was going to do a Reflex in that paint scheme but I found a TLR250 and haven't looked back.
  25. That looks great! Is it an XL125 front end? It's difficult to tell from the photo but it appears he has modified the tank to accomodate the lesser triple tree offset.
 
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