GS(X)-250E Motarding.

[pete]

Good stuff Mike, I was going to ask if you added that plate yourself but I see it was done for you...

I wonder is that because the stock 2 into 2 exhaust was changed out?

I cut my left exhaust bracket down and painted it as it has the rubber foot on it for the centre stand bump stop. If they moved the bump stop to where that plate is on the stand then that's actually a much neater solution than mine.

[mike-s]

The 2-2 exhaust was changed out by me, it had what i suspect was an original exhaust, it was ratty and was little more than a general "guide" for the direction of most of the exhaust rather than a manifold to force it to flow in a specific direction.

That plate was there simply to protect the centre stand from chain damage, i suspect that there must have been an incident of some as there has been a lot of welding done in that general vicinity.

I'm leaving my left footpeg alone as there is always a chance that a pillion may use it one day, and there is a bump stop there that stops the centre stand and sidestand from tangling up. Though i AM going to probably have to make up some sort of a new rubber insert/a mount of some sort once i finish off this current work as the OEM rubber bung has long since fallen off, and with my mods, will likely no longer hit the stand correctly.

[pete]

Sounds like my old stock exhaust after I left it sit for a year or two...

Maybe the PO's chain and sprocket maintenance left a bit to be desired? Might have had a chain break and slap the stand around some...

I think you'll find the location for the rubber will be fine, but will hit the stand on the curved section rather than the foot. My hacked up exhaust bracket with the rubber on it has ended up a little further forward as I unintentionally let it rotate a bit while torquing up the footpeg bolt so it hits on the curved part and it's fine. The centre stand is not retracted in the only pic I have of it:

[mike-s]

Oh, well the centre stand has been de-jigsawed and is sitting on a hook drying and will be put on tomorrow hopefully.

My welding was slightly shoddy as i should have just lined it up, tacked them firmly in place and THEN gone over it with the mig. My biggest problem is i still sometimes have problems going off-line with the weld and although i do a great weld, i end up laying a bead on one side of the join instead of spanning it . I did manage to splatter up one side as i rushed the job a little more than i ought to. But it was a solid weld and penetrated through the multiple pieces of metal quite decently. I am glad i opted to put a steel plug in for reinforcement with plug welds top & bottom, that should have added quite a bit to the strength across the join and means that i haven't sacrificed much or any strength in making this modification and then grinding the surface smooth prior to painting (frankly some of the welding was little ugly for my liking despite being solid welds)


After the grinding was done (sometimes the focus on my phone camera sucks).


And a lick of paint.

I seriously need to practice more so i can get some sweet beads happening without the excess or surface spatter i managed to get last night.
One thing I shamefully missed is one leg is about 1-2mm from perfectly straight, it's pretty close, but enough to **** me off when i discovered it after welding EVERYTHING.
So much for measure twice, cut/weld once.

[pete]

Looks pretty damn good to me Mike! Still about 1000% better than my attempted welding so far... should work like a charm

[mike-s]

No no, it may have been a solid weld, but it was looking shameful with a bit of splatter. I don't mind admitting the fact i used a grinder to pretty it up.

[pete]

No no, it may have been a solid weld, but it was looking shameful with a bit of splatter. I don't mind admitting the fact i used a grinder to pretty it up.

And if you never said a word noone would know

[mike-s]

Meh.
Fitted it tonight, the big irony is that i could have made the extension up to a centimeter (1/3 inch) longer as both wheels are just touching the ground now. That's the problem when you measure, but then decide to be conservative anyway.

But at the very least it is now sitting the weight on the centrestand and the rear suspension is unloaded. If i need to sit a wheel off the ground i can just sit it on uneven ground or just throw a plank underneath and we're laughing.

[pete]

Meh.
Fitted it tonight, the big irony is that i could have made the extension up to a centimeter (1/3 inch) longer as both wheels are just touching the ground now. That's the problem when you measure, but then decide to be conservative anyway.

But at the very least it is now sitting the weight on the centrestand and the rear suspension is unloaded. If i need to sit a wheel off the ground i can just sit it on uneven ground or just throw a plank underneath and we're laughing.

Bugger! So close! But yeah, as long as it's stable on there that's the main thing... as you say a board or something will take care of the rest

[mike-s]

Springs arrived on Wednesday, will start mucking about with the spacer length & fitting them over the weekend when i finish work.

[mike-s]

p.e. if anyone wants an OEM exhaust, i found a set of headers on ebay that are in remarkably good condition. I hate to think what postage would be though.

[mike-s]

It's been a long time between drinks, and the 250 has been sitting basically unused & unloved in the garage.

I need to pull a finger out and spend a couple of half days working on it. Namely bogging a couple of dints in the original tank and getting it all purdy like i originally intended. At this point I must admit the bash plate was a bit of an ambitious project and is not going to go any further/be added to the bike.

Once it's gotten a lick of paint on the tank (don't worry, it'll match the plastics), well then I need to find it a new owner as it needs to go as I've got two bikes in the garage and barely touched either and I've got to either keep the daily runner, or the project, no guesses on which I've elected to keep.

Another big factor in all this is my missus is now 7 months pregnant and I've barely had time to scratch myself since I found out in late December (Half the reason I've been absent from here & motorcycling in general is I've changed jobs & the other half is getting this place ready for the newcomer, lots of jobs around the home to do) and as she will be taking the family car during maternity leave (while she is at work she has a company car) and I need something to get me from a to b while she's playing missus mum that won't be as much of a reliability risk in the process (I'm not saying that the 250 isn't reliable, but it's more of a risk than a bike made 18 years later on).

Handing the keys to someone else, am I sad at the prospect? a little. Do I think I will regret it? No. I've gotten the bike working and working quite well.

Also when it goes It'll most likely be swapped back to the original spec as i suspect that as fun as it was to use in this configuration, I doubt I'll be able to get much interest in it in it's frankenbike condition. Besides I don't need the next owner blaming me for some disasterous crash and financially ruining me for the minor suspension mods that I made. I guess it was a good thing that I always kept an open mind about making the modifications reversable then, huh?

So yeah, slightly elaborate story, but an update either way.

So, anyone wanna buy a bike with a crapload of spares and extras (tank & all plastic, plus lots of other bits including a new speedo cable I bought 5 minutes ago to facilitate the shorter forks).

[pete]

Hey Mike, good to hear from you! Must be the time for absent members to return... Collo just popped in for the first time in months too! Haha

So it's nearly "D" day hey? D is for daddy of course

Definitely show us when she's done before she goes to a new home too.

It's been fun following along and seeing the progress with the long travel suspension, you did a good job I reckon.

Keeping the daily rider makes sense and while my 450 has been good as a daily rider so far, I do understand what you mean about an 18 year younger bike...