1983 RM250 Build

MaxPower
Posts
2701
Joined
8/15/2006
Location
USA
1/17/2017 6:49pm
Great work Whymee
Restore the tank. They come out great
12/15/2019 2:11pm Edited Date/Time 12/15/2019 4:10pm
Gents.

Been around 2 years since I posted an update. During that time the bike has been sitting in my house (proudly) awaiting my final touches. It has not even been fired up yet. Work and health have prevented me from riding/racing these past two years. Whoever said the late 50's early 60's were the golden years is full of shit.

Present day:
Rolled it out of the house a week or so ago and threw it on my lift. Took awhile to take inventory of what I have done & what I would like to finish up before it hits the track.

I had trouble with re-spoking the rear rim 2 yrs. ago. I called Buchanan, and after several phone calls & emails, we came to the conclusion that I had my rim 180 degrees out (backwards). After turning the rim around and lacing it up again, they were correct. Although I had to grind as much as .25 inch off of the spokes. They said that was normal. I did not put my foot down, although I wanted to. The other spokes sets I have used (5) I never had this issue. If I get a flat from a protruding spoke after the spokes bed in I am going to be very displeased. Time will tell.

I retro fitted a CR250 front end on it. I wanted to do this in the first place. Hopefully the DLS brake system will be heads & shoulders above the weak stocker. Rebuilt the forks with new seals & bushings. This is going to be a tasty upgrade. Michelin SC-M, Buchanan spokes, stock tripples, and EBC brakes. The lower sliders are going for powder coating this week. Hopefully he has the correct yellow. I really REALLY wanted to go gold Excel rims. That was going to be around 600 bux minimum. I think I will wait until I hit the lottery...

I an having trouble finding preprinted number plate backgrounds and stock looking graphics. I did order a set from somebody in AZ (I think) and was disappointed. Backgrounds did not fit, side-panel plates too small & the front to large. Plus the tank decals were just plain not even close to the stock size. Anyone have any suppliers that have the correct kits? I am thinking of just doing something on my rad shouds, ala the 84 & up and using 6" numbers , old school.

ASV leavers went on. NOS cables everywhere. The Honda one was hard to find, but I finally snagged one. Ordered some cheap Ti bolts from across the pond. Going to be used in non-stressed areas only.

Going to paint the pipe with VHT Satin Clear. I heard it works very well. I need to machine some bushings for the wide pegs. Don't really feel like drilling out the frame although I reserve the right to if I get lazy!

So, powder coating, pegs, pipe painting, reassembly of front end, and graphics are the only major hang ups now.

Blue Skies,

Whymee





Please overlook the dust...


Baby powder makes the bike smell new again!



4
sandman768
Posts
8173
Joined
3/21/2014
Location
Saratoga Springs, NY, USA
12/15/2019 3:52pm Edited Date/Time 12/15/2019 3:53pm
Welcome back! Look forward to seeing you finish her up....I plan on racing my 82 at Unadilla rewind In 2020...
Wandell
Posts
7849
Joined
12/17/2008
Location
Cairo, GA, USA
12/17/2019 11:59am
Looking good!

The Shop

MaxPower
Posts
2701
Joined
8/15/2006
Location
USA
1/9/2020 12:06am
"Whoever said the late 50's early 60's were the golden years is full of shit."-Lol
In a conversation someone had said to me that it only gets harder. That took my breath away , I so hope it isnt true because I can't take much more.

Your bike looks great. I like the Honda front end on it with the DLS brakes. Did you do the cartridge internals in them? I know it's been a long road building it, but when you are done to the point that you held out for every detail right down to the last correct sticker you'll be so proud of yourself and it will all be worth it. Don't forget to Loc Tite those rear fender bolts! Those Floater rear fenders came loose instantly. Do you think that you really need to clear the pipe? Just drill the frame to make the pegs fit. No one is going to put those skinny stockers back on. Measure the distance from the rear of the shifter to the front of the stock peg and again with the wider peg. I needed to have my shifter extended on my KX. I mounted wider pegs and went racing. I couldn't shift the entire first moto as the wider peg didn't allow enough space for my boot. The RM may have enough space that you won't have that problem
vestalpaul
Posts
12
Joined
8/29/2020
Location
Park Hills, MO, USA
9/24/2020 10:18pm
What specific flywheel puller do you use for this year model RM250?
9/29/2020 4:24pm
Was my first new bike, sold it in 84 for the next new thing. Found one two years ago in great shape with the original tires still on. Raced it for the first time and my races were back to back so I hopped off my 18 KTM 250 sx and right on the 82 RM. Surprisingly the rear suspension felt just as good as my KTM !!! Bike is fast but no low end as there's no power valve but once on the pipe its fast. Oh and it doesn't stop like the KTM ,had some eye openers in the turns. can still get NOS front and rear fenders and only one of the side panels. taking this one to the grave..........
10/4/2020 3:14pm
And its younger brother...


10/23/2020 5:05pm
I have raced 1982,84,88 and now have 1992 and 1980 RM250‘s in vintage motocross.
The 1982 Z was the most fun by far and I loved the mid range hit that’s came on just out of the starting gate as you got going. I got me my first and only hole shot from that bike. Which for a squid like me is saying a lot!
I have found every other RM to be nothing to write home about power wise ever since even the powervavle 92 which has a wider range but is pretty electric...
Finish it and get out on it ASAP and love it!
10/24/2020 6:06pm
Hello, I was just reading through your thread and noticed you wanted to paint the pipe with the VHT clear satin. I used it on my '86 KX250 pipe. I scotched brited the pipe down and cleaned it with paint prep before spraying. It looked great when done. Then when I rode it I ran into problems. The heat in the pipe would soften the paint and sand would stick to it. I also had some blems from my knees touching it also. It would harden back up when cooled with the sand stuck in it. I didn't do any heat cycles on it before riding since I have never done it with the other pipes I painted black. In the end I stripped all of the clear off. Hopefully if you used it it will work better then my experience.
10/24/2020 8:26pm
Scottie,

Exact thing happened to me on another build. i did not heat cycle either.

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