July 20, 201313 yr Ok, here's a few pictures of my effort.Steering tweeked, footrests moved, and some new shockies , bars and levers and some new cables, are the latest additions, plus frame repaint....only brushed so not blemish free, but much better than it was. Just got to do tank and seat paint when I get time. Hoping to get to the trial tommorow to see how she rides. where did you cut the head stock top or bottom and how much did you move it as new parts have arrived for mine and thinking of doing the mods now instead of summer Aus time
July 20, 201313 yr Hi, I removed the steering lockstop plate at the bottom of the steering head as it was all bent up allowing the forks to hit the tank. I then cut right through the top tube about an inch back from the steering head and then warmed the tube that runs down to the front of the motor. This let me move the front wheel back untill it 'looked right', and it had opened up the cut in the top tube to about 6mm.Welded some steel into the gap, refitted a strengthened lock stop plate and job done.Recon it steepened things up by about 2 degrees,steers great around the garden....will be trials riding tommorow.
July 20, 201313 yr Author Looks well does that Trev, never seen one with a black frame before. How are you finding the reach to the rear brake now? How long have you had the bike? Joe
July 20, 201313 yr Author Not made a massive amount of progress on the bike. Got the forks back from been re chromed, so there as new. Need to order new fork seals then the front end can be built up. Its pretty much there, I'm putting a new main bearing put in the engine along with a new cam chain and various other bits of other engine work that needs doing, along with vapour blasting it down. Its hard finding free time at the moment to work on her, when its a nice weekend I want to be on the superbikes or at least actually riding a bike rather than stuck in a garage with one, so think it'll be next Spring when shes out - no rush and I don't want her first trial to be in the middle of winter. Picking up a 1985 RTL250s next friday so it'll mean I have something to play on. Anyway, one picture.
July 20, 201313 yr Hi, I removed the steering lockstop plate at the bottom of the steering head as it was all bent up allowing the forks to hit the tank. I then cut right through the top tube about an inch back from the steering head and then warmed the tube that runs down to the front of the motor. This let me move the front wheel back untill it 'looked right', and it had opened up the cut in the top tube to about 6mm.Welded some steel into the gap, refitted a strengthened lock stop plate and job done.Recon it steepened things up by about 2 degrees,steers great around the garden....will be trials riding tommorow. Did you measure the wheelbase before and after ? Thinking of pulling the front end in on a SWM.
July 20, 201313 yr 'Ok, here's a few pictures of my effort.Steering tweeked,' Hi. How tweaked is tweeked? And how easy/hard was it to get it aligned? I quite fancy doing something similar to my TL250 at some point. Ross
July 21, 201313 yr Hi Ross, I just took off the tank, seat, cables and electrics,then did the cut and bend with everything else there, that way I could check wheel alighnment and also that front wheel/guard would miss front frame tube on fork compression. Once I'd got plates tacked in top tube, I stripped it down to frame only and did all the rest of the welding. I did measure wheel base before I started....but like a dick I forgot to right it down....it measures 50-5/8 inch now (1285mm),factory wheelbase quoted as 1315mm. Hi Joe, I've had the bike about a year now, but had a whole bunch of sh*t to sort out with it and was too busy for a good while to do much with it.I was quite suprised how easy the reach to the brake pedal is now, though I'm a size 10....I'm wearing size 12 boots!!!!! so that's gotta be helping LOL. Cheers Trev. Edited July 21, 201313 yr by bashplate
July 24, 201313 yr Author Got these bought, £40 quid which is a bargain tbh. Pretty big, will give me something decent to go over at parents farm
July 27, 201313 yr Got these bought, £40 quid which is a bargain tbh. Largest swingarm bushes I've ever seen. Joel, when you come to fitting your new tank, can you share a few photos of the installation. Edited July 27, 201313 yr by ross brown
July 27, 201313 yr Author Haha! Picked up this today, stripped it down and gave it a bloody good clean - came up really well. Totally different to the TLR, fantastic!
July 28, 201313 yr <p> Members 31 posts Location:York Bike:Honda RTL & TLR 250 Posted Yesterday, 07:13 AM Haha! Picked up this today, stripped it down and gave it a bloody good clean - came up really well. Totally different to the TLR, fantastic! Very nice Joe Looks like you are hooked on the bike buy and then rebuild club See how long you can leave it as bought and not strip down Only manage to get mine into the garage , look at them close then its tools out Going by your TLR it won't be long before you start looking for parts ect
July 29, 201313 yr Author I really think this will be left. famous last words! The TLR wasn't good enough condition to be left in, this RTL is in really good original condition and I reckon I would lose some of its 'charm' restoring it. Thats not to say it won't be touched, it needs a few bits doing here and there to smarten up! Plus if I restore it i'll be scared to use it!
July 31, 201313 yr Author Cheers mate. Anyone any suggestions on what oil to use in her? RTL that is.
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