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Reducing Weight Of Old Trials Bikes


mr clean
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Thanks for the fasteners, it was fastenating!

Is Sammy Millers phone number always busy? I've tried for a couple of hours to get through and no dice. They also say online that they don't accept online orders?

<_<:beer:

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Hi Barry,

I see nothing online at either site about the TL-250, some bits for the TLR-250. I'll wait to see your response, and then fire off an email to them.

NEW QUESTION

Are any of the parts interchangeable between the TLR-250 and TL-250?

I thought that the bikes were of completely different design?

I really appreciate all this input everybody <_<:beer:

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Mr Clean the XT500/TY hybrid photo posting tells me you've definitely got a pretty wicked sense of humour. I'm beginning to wonder if this whole thing about lightening your TL250 isn't just leading us all on.

It hasn't emerged yet why you have chosen the heaviest trials bike sold in that era to lighten as much as possible.

Do you enjoy a challenge or is it just a Honda 4 stroke thing?

To answer your NEW QUESTION, yes they are completely different bikes. The TLR250 is based on a completely different engine, has a completely different frame and running gear.

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Hey Feetupfun,

Well I put the word out to a few places about how to make this TL-250 lighter and I was sent an email about the big honkin Yamaha!

I've probably owned close to 40 bikes, moztlu trials and the TL-250 in a few rides has been the most fun bike I've ever owned. Unfortuntely the TLR-250 was never brought in here. I've only seen one of the twinshocks in person, once.

Anytime I have considered the Honda Reflex The bike has great geometry and suspension, but the wheels and parts feel like they are made from lead. Also the way they were set up from Honda, they stalled like crazy, and unpredictibly, and were very difficult to kick over. (This TL-250 is very easy to kick over and start, it runs excellent, and has not been tuned since new, and handles well.)

I went to every Honda dealership in this area (lower rainland of BC) all of them ran like crap. I asked every dealer if they could make it run right and not stall. Three tried, and did not succeed. I would have bought one if they did make it run right.

Unfortunately this was before the internet and it took time to figure out how to set this bike up properly. Write a letter to the trials magazines and wait for a response, make long distance phone calls, faxes, etc. I gave up on the Reflex and never bought one. Most owners I spoke to were very dissapointed with them.

I believe that later on I found out the the TLR-200 on the market in Europe and Britian were made with much better components: Rims and other parts made from light alloy instead of heavy steel, etc, and the tuning was completely different, the bikes ran smoothly and did not stall. The Reflex was street legal lemon based on the TLR-200 but with cheaper and heavier parts.

Monoshocks were all the rage at the time so I went that route and had to go two stroke.

Once a dealer who brought in grey market bikes from Japan called me and told me that he had " A nice Honda 250cc Monoshock Trials bike that they just got in from Japan and you can have it for $2500CDN" I never forgot how much I loved the Honda Monoshocks I had tried so I made a B-Line to the dealership.

I was expecting to see this RTL-250: :wub:

rsideRTL.jpg

I saw this TLR-250R: <_<

TLR250R.jpg

It was not in good shape, and the test ride experience was too Reflex-like.

I didn't like it, I didn't buy it. :beer:

Edited by Mr Clean
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If you yearn for a Honda 4 stroke twinshock that is light and handles well, a far better better starting point is the humble TL125. With suitable engine work (bore and stroke increases), a different front end and rear suspension mods, these can be made into something that is a much better competition mount than something based on the TL250.
I had both bikes at one time or another and agree that for average size or smaller riders the 125 is probably a better proposition. However for larger riders the extra weight of the 250 is less of an issue while the much lesser power of the 125 is! Once you get past the weight of the 250 everything else is pretty good and the motor is very strong...revs to the moon, yet seems to find traction in anything! Reliabilityand durability unsurpassed... 15 years of just adding gas, an occasional oil change and a few wear items!

Doug

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Hey Doug,

I couldn't stand my Yamaha TY175 as a teenager for lack of power. I strongly prefered and rode better on the 250. Today I am well over 200 pounds and I have above average muscular strength. My cardio sucks but its improving. I liked TL-125's until I had to ride them up anything steep, or any situation where lots of power was needed.

This TL-250 on the other hand is excellent except for top heavy weight. I am pleased with the bikes reputation for holding together well and lasting a long time. I was never happy with the reliability and durability of my pre-Honda Montesa Cotas. Don't even get me started with all the headaches my three Betas (aircooled) gave me, both the mechanical and riding experience. Trouble starts with those things as soon as I jumped on the kick starter! The manual and partsbooks on those should come with a bottle of Tylenol Extra Strength. I had a Gas Gas Delta 325 that I liked, but it was a pain to service.

For longevity the Honda TL's can't really be beat, until the motors get souped up... <_< No way an old two stroke mono could last 15 years without a lot of work done to it constantly.

Edited by Mr Clean
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hitchcocks do a silencer almost identical to the gaunt replica one

it is fore a bullet trialer but its not imposible to fit anything///???

I found the main problem lightening old bikes is the acctual engine weighs so much,big flywheel and all that

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