This bike was sitting in the back of the shop that I work at under a blanket with the engine pulled. It belonged to one of the technicians and he claimed that he last rode it in 2014 and it started having issues staying in 2nd gear...RM250. He pulled the engine, set it on a work bench, and never touched it. I couldn't believe how clean the chassis was. I can't say the same about the engine. I asked him his price and he threw out a number, I can't remember how much but I told him I would think on it. After 6 more months of walking passed it under the blanket everyday, I offered him $200 jokingly and he said "Yeah, that'll work."
I went into it with an original budget of $2000, including the $200 for the bike. That has increased a little as expected when you begin to open the can of worms. But I have stuck with the goal of refinishing and reusing as many parts as possible while also making sure that the bike will be legit and feel fresh and fun to ride. My goal is to take it to the 2 stroke national at GH in 2024.
I am about 2 weeks into the build and I am hoping to be shaking it down and tuning the bike within the next 4 weeks.
I am working on recovering my pictures of the bike when I first brought it home, so I will post those when I get them. But here are a few before/progress pictures to start.
I got impatient and wanted to mock up the chassis to get motivation and have something to look at. I still need to do chassis bearings, brakes, suspension, and some cleaning. But here is the sneak peek. I am keeping the original style plastics for sure but haven't decided whether I want to do the minimal look with oem style shrouds and basic number plates, or a full graphic kit with a factory race look. I am leaning toward the full graphics at this point.
Score ! you robbed him dude!
Nice!
The Shop
I almost feel bad about it!
This is the first time I have ever attempted to refinish a nickel plated pipe as a works pipe. It was definitely a learning experience and it is far from perfect. I figured after the first ride / wash I will hit it with WD and scotch brite any way so I am going to call it good and live with the imperfections. But overall I am happy with it in comparison to its original form. Don't be too critical, I know it's a bit of a hack job, but it is not a show bike, it's going to get some hours on it!
The pipe mocked up on chassis. Should have engine pics soon.
After looking at the fit of the front brake guard I realized that I missed the fact that the old style brake line routed under the fork lug doesn't have a place to run through and the clamping point on the fork guard won't work. So I had to order the '04 fork guards and brake line so once those come in I will finish the front end. I also got the frame grip from MotoTape and the fit is not quite right so I will either cut them from a sheet or get them from a different company. Either Anchor Tape or Pryme.
But other than that all parts are here and ready to go on. Getting close!
I also wanted to share these foot pegs that I was able to get from moose. It is hard to find decent pegs for the older RM style mounting but these are 58mm wide and have a pretty cool raw look to them. I just filed them a little bit but I am happy with them for about $70. I will probably clean the rust and give them a little shine as well.
Nice build bike looks super fresh in the sun!
Thanks man! I’m pretty excited about it. 2 stroke @ GH next month! I’m hoping to have it dialed in and see what she does!
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