Kawasaki 250 F11B

[jaderd]

Hey guys......got this old bike.....joined kawasaki forum but no posts back yet and no advice....figured afew on here prob into bikes and more likely to atleast get a reply :).....please read below and let me know what you think

cheers

Basic Rundown

Dad purchased bike brand new in Aus in 1975, apparently a bike shop went bust in adelaide and they had 8-10 bikes (all F11B) shop in mildura sourced them and dad got it cheap in crate to mildura then was put together in mildura by bike shop.....think he payed around 750 $ Aud back in the day......

Prior to that dad had a suzuki TS 185 i think it is ?...or TC 185 73 model ne ways....

ahm dad rode the bike occasionally mainly as low km commuter to night job (10km return) as ran vineyard during day and used it to get around vineyard and check the irrigation etc.....rigged up a shovel holder at one point lol :)....got parked in shed in 1985-7 and then i first nagged him to get it out in 1996. Had been parked for 8-9 years, put some fuel in and 2 kicks on choke then one with it off and there she goes....basically from then on i drove it around our fruit block for fun till i was around 18-19 and moved to melbourne.....since then i get it out every 2-3 years to make sure its still running etc..new oil around 2000 maybe etc

Most recently i got it out last week checked oil...clean as :)...added some fuel and started it .....took heaps of photos and 2 videos which are on you tube (below) took the photos so i have reference if searching for parts etc

YouTube - Kawasaki 250 F11B

YouTube - Kawasaki 250 F11B (2)

Stats on Bike.

75 F11B - in manual it shows UK and US model but from what i can see the AU is in between .....ie us style tacho etc but speedo in km for aus not MPh and afew other things i think......

9300 genuine KM's

Surprises

*still have bike manual in plastic in great condition

*tools for tool kit, just missing 2 of the spanner sizes which are somewhere ..will find most prob....and also need to source the orig plastic pocket sleeve that contained them.....tool box cap is still on bike although a little grazed as the aftermarket kick start touched it when kicked so has gouged a small chanel out :( may source other cap in time

All original except for:

* new knobby rear tire (orig rear in shed)

* new kick start welded onto mount of old one as orig snapped, im sourcing an orig currently to replace this.

* Seat recovered by Uncle who is a car upholster back in 80's....done is a dark blue leather....maybe vinyl unsure actually....

Need to repair (known things)

*new trip computer knob as is snapped

*rub back and repaint exhaust orig color as dad repainted a heat paint red color back in 70's

* rub back and paint fuel tank / new stickers .....or just buff up orig paint and get new stickers....paint is fine just has afew little scratches etc.....no dints :)

*front brake locks every now and then when you apply it....service it

*new side reflector at fron left needed...lost overtime

*rub back and resticker the oil reservoir cover...i got happy with whiteout back in the day :)....will put on orig sticker etc

basically the bike is all fine and runs, everything works etc....my aim is over next year or two (need to move house and get a small shed) i want to pull it to bits and rebuild / restore it..........is this a good idead ? or seeing thats its done minimal kms should i just give it a good service and leave it as is......engine may be fine ?.......i guess i would prob start with a good clean up ne ways....maybe repolish/chrome rear springs etc....clean up any surface corrosion etc....reseal the front forks as weap a little bit of oil etc. The other thing i need to do is purhcase a new air filter as currently it is running about 3 thincknesses of an old stocking (put on early 2000 i think) and since then only done maybe 200km's so not a big issue.

I guess what i want to get out of this forum is heaps of info and knowledge about the era of bikes (F11), hear from other F11 owners and ppls reccomendations of what they feel i should do with it in relation to restoring....should i pull it to 1000's bits and rebuild or should i not touch engine as fine and just do major service on all lube and rubbers and maybe carby but not engine ?

advice wanted please :)

PS - i do have the baffle for exhaust in the shed..........it seems to be two pieces......one log one around 12" long and a smaller one which i believe slide into this one then the lot slides into exhaust? or do you push the 12" one in first, then the small one into exhasut.....i know it seems a really tight fit to get the small one into the 12" one prior to going into exhaust ? i dunno.....i never had it in ....only ever had it open and loud as a kid......lol

Edited July 1, 2011 by jaderd

[ELEGNT]

mate if that bikes as original as u say it is it would be worth a heap. Dad and i just sold out 82 Yamaha IT465, i dont no if u no the bike but there pretty heavily sort after for VMX (vintage motocross) class. we sold it for a really good price because it was original down to the original front wheel and only the 2nd rear tire its ever seen and we had it since new. there is alot of info about restoring if you go ur newsagent and but the VMX mag.

so full support in festoring man! once its done it will be so rewarding when u take it for a putter every now and then. and in turms of the extent of restoring, (couldnt open the link so dont no what condition the bike is in) i woudl strip it bare, repaint frame and other places where paint has worn off, get plastics fixed, powercoat engine and respray it just liek that to make it as new, do everything thorough or its not worth the hassle. if u need original parts there are places that still sell bits (also in VMX mag)

hoped that helped dude.....i miss our bikes!!!!! :( but had to sell it to afford the aurion

[jaderd]

ahh sweet mate thanx for the info........yeah the bike is as original as stated.....still got orig front and orig rear in the shed etc......dont need many bits as all and i think a full resto would be the best...take my time with it etc.....from what ive seen online hardly any 250 F11b (1975) ones around at all and hardly any in good nick etc.....

cheers mate

[jaderd]

Purchased off Ebay US.

Engine Gasket Set

Front fork reflectors NOS

Tool Box lid NOS

cost around 75$ AUD for it all including postage....tool box lid was dearest....little plastic lid cost around 35$

[jaderd]

its coming to melbourne within the next few months, the cleanup will begin

[jaderd]

Bike arrived safe and sound yesterday, no hiccups at all.

Spent last night flicking through the owners manual that i at one point thought had lost, also tucked in their were about 5 rego stickers fro 75,76,77 and some 80's etc.  This gave me orig rego which is great as im guessing like with cars in VIC you can seek old rego's and purchase if available.

Tomorrows plan is to do some basic stuff.

put some fuel in - now im guessing i will have to buy a little of the lead replacement stuff that you add to motors that were made to run on leaded ?...also is it ok to buy 98 octane unleaded ?

Buy some engine oil and some 2 stroke oil for the oil injection.

New spark plug.

that will keep me happy if i just do those things, give her a kick over see she starts like usual etc.  Once im happy that it is running ok i think i will start pulling bits and pieces off. Starting with simple things like headlight, pegs, indicators, exhaust etc and begin to clean them all up.

I think seeing as though im in no rush to ride it and havent got my licence yet etc i might as well strip it back to frame (not pull motor apart though) and give the frame a new lick of paint.  I noticed at super cheap auto at the moment they have a sandblasting attachment for air compressors and comes with 10kg of sand (top gun in link), i actually dont mind the 3rd set down as it includes nozzles for spot spraying etc.  Has anyone used any of these type of home job sandblasting tools? good results ?

http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/search-results.aspx?keywords=sand+blast&look=GO

Other option i guess is to out source and get someone to sandblast and powder coat in one go.

im guessing most ppl would reccommend PC over rattle can painting of frame ?

Cheers in advance for any advice.

Pic of bike in melbourne safe and sound

[jaderd]

cheers guys,

Today consisted of buying

more garage shelving

elf transmission oil

penrite hi-performance 2 stroke oil (dont need yet)

carby cleaner

sandblast gun

fuel.

Started by having a good look at the bike as never really bothered as a kid.

Then pulled out spark plug and cleaned...as was only replaced a few years ago.

took off tank and pulled apart the fuel tap thing and cleaned everything and replaced a few rings/seals inside.

Then put a few hundred ml in the tank and shook it around for a few mins then dumped that fuel out, didnt seem to be too much gunk in it.

Fitted tap back on and put litre or two in, kicked the bike over and it started on the second kick, ran it for a bit and realised the clutch would not work.

Dumped the tranny oil and pulled apart the clutch cover area, had a look at it all, pulled it apart and figured out how it all works, quite simple really. Saw how the clutch cable pulls on a spiral type setup which makes it come outwards and push the pin in towards the engine, im guessing when running the clutch pin is “pushed” out so when you pull the clutch lever it pushes the pin in and should engage the clutch ? I was able to pull the pin all the way out and wipe it clean, it seemed fine no abrasions on it etc, slid back in not a problem. Set it all back up, adjusted the clutch cable at the hand lever so has more play in future. I popped the rubber cab off so i could see the adjustment screw on clutch and could see that when you engage the clutch it was pushing the pin in/out etc so seems to be doing its job at that point.

Then refilled with 1.2l of the elf oil, went for a ride and the clutch still has no effect at all, though is tight to pull in and you can look down and see it spin in and out (cap is off)….does it take time to work re. being a wet clutch or what should I check next ?

Noticed also that there appears to be an air lock in the autolube so I will bleed that tomorrow and add around 1-2% oil to the fuel so it will end up being a little oil rich once autolube working properly etc.

Noticed a small exhaust leak (rust) directly out from the cylinder near the bend, will prob take exhaust off tomorrow and start sandblasting it and testing the supercheap auto sand blast gun out.

Cheers

Edited February 26, 2011 by jaderd

[jaderd]

Did a little bit today, adjusted the clutch properly as per owners manual.

Bled the oil pump which released the air bubble nicely....first added around 1-2% oil to the fuel to be sure all safe etc.

Was going to attempt the clutch fix but decided i would wait until i get the manual off Doc as i dont feel confident just yet and would rather some visual instructions in front of me

Removed the exhaust, one of the studs came out as the nut was rusted on, have it soaking in some wd40 now so should pop it off soon no prob and screw stud back in. Noticed that the cylinder was visible and had enough space to stick my finger in, top of the cylinder felt very rough prob carbon buildup i guess ?.

The exhaust has a few pin holes in it at the bend, so once i sand blast it i will see how prevalent they become then figure the best way to fix them, future father in law has a welder so will see how it goes.

other than that i think thats it for now.

Have purchased 5 or 6 bits of memorabilia of the F11 from ebay, some articles and sales brochures, laminate them and hang them around garage.

Took off front and rear guards and built another shelf and affixed it to the wall so can store everything.

some pics below....old helmets im just going to rub back and paint for display purposes.

bike just fits in garage with my other hobby, Toyota corolla AE82 twincam, running the Yamaha built 4age motor.

[jaderd]

Have done some research into powder coating versus painting and i really dont have the skills honed to properly paint the bike the way i would want it to look and like some ppl mentioned on the forum here sometimes painting can add up and really not be that better off cash wise.

I have decided as i am in no rush that i will strip the bike completely and get everything powdercoated (everything possible)

the front mud flap and rear tail i will do the orig silver color (painted)

The seat i have decided to spray with VHT vinyl paint, black so it atleast looks a bit more like the orig one, as i cant justfiy the $100 + dollars for an orig cover...not just yet.

Got a workshop manual in the mail at moment from a guy at OZVMX forum

I bought 2 divider container boxes to hold all nuts/bolts so i can label them.

as for the wiring thats the thing im a little stressed about re remembering where it all goes....i will label all with some ties etc and thinking of pinning it out on a 5X2 foot piece of ply board i have in shed....atleast i can then stand it up against a wall out of the way and it not get all tangled....

looking forward to all this ahead.

Once motor out i will start asking more q's re. should i pull head off and inspect / rebuild ? or leave it as it seems fine and is pretty easy to pull a motor out of a bike at anytime compared to a car etc.

Cheers guys

Edited February 28, 2011 by jaderd

[jaderd]

Did a little bit of work tonight, everything came apart pretty easy....WD40 works a treat.

bikes getting naked nice and fast.

[jaderd]

Quick update, spent most of yesterday ripping bike to bits, all went smoothly other than 2 breakages.

- one screw - bottom one on clutch casing near gear lever stripped.....all the screws seem to be a real soft compound i reckon ? Managed to get it undone with some pliers no prob.

- Broke one of the oil lines :( reckon i hardly bumped it and it snapped, noticed in the picture i posted earlier in the thread that the same one was snapped in the pic i grabbed from some other forum....might be an easy common one to break ?. I figure its prob a little hard to repair and costly so i think ill just buy another one as theres one on ebay although incl postage will cost around $75.00 :(

everything else went well, majority of rubbers all still ok.

Also now that i have stripped it down im pretty certain i am not going to restore it to orig condition.....i think i have a mental problem that every car or piece of equipment i own i need to modify it and make it my own in some way, in regard to the bike it wont be any cutting or welding or anything, basically just the use of color will get it how i want it i think.

heres some pics

All the nuts and bolts, converting the tatty paper notes to stickers to go on top of box above item

Naked and nice

All parts fitted nicely

Made a quick wooden base to stop it rocking...sits pretty flat anyway

The broken line...i figured the plastic had broken but was actual metal...

Edited March 6, 2011 by jaderd

[jaderd]

Long time no update,

been flat out the last two weeks.

i dropped the motorbike seat off at my uncles 2 weeks ago so it was there ready whenever we decided to do it.

Then got married, then a week in vanuatu and now back at work :(

Dropped into my uncles last night to pull seat apart, old cover was one he made 15+ yrs ago for dad.

45 minutes later we shared a beer with the completed seat, the man is a machine...40+ years motor trimming i guess makes most jobs quick and easy.

very happy with the result as its what i was hoping it would come out like.....uncle happened to have the pressed pattern vinyl laying around from doing bike seats back in 70's/80's.

[jaderd]

Spent an hour or two pulling rest of bike apart,

all came apart easy.

A few surprises, i had always figured the front forks were leaking oil as often there was slight oil and dust on the forks over the years.....once removed i slipped back the dust cover boot and pushed them in out out 50+ times even upside down with no leaking....could it be they were never leaking, or are fully out of oil ? Should i just drop past a motorbike shop to get their opinion ? or does anyone know of any home tests? as i would rather not pull them apart if i dont need to.

did a quick sand (1200 grit) and then polish with drill of one rear shock...15 mins or so and started to look great, alot more time and they will be great. They feel good shock condition wise so will use them until they die.

big difference from quick polish

so now all parts are removed and thinking about whether to DIY all sand blasting, sanding back and rattle can spraying or out source and do it all via powder coating, thing is i want this to be a budget resto, will see how i go.

[jaderd]

Spent a few hours yesterday playing around.

Have got back to bare metal some of the frame

sanded then polished up oil pump cover, will begin to do all the other cases soon, next will be the clutch cover as already off and in much need of a clean / sand / polish

investing in a crappy $30 240v power drill for getting frame back to bare metal, dont want to ruin my 18V lithium ion etc.

Also purchased an Ozito brand rotary tool includes accessories and 1m extension, cant fault it, at only $40 its a good $100 + cheaper than dremel equiv, only reason i bought ozito rotary tool is because i have used and abused my ozito drill and it never misses a beat 2 yrs on.

Also got a 350watt SCA 200mm bench grinder and added a 150mm calico wheel and polish compound which has worked a treat so far.

Seeing that im able to get things back to bare metal without too much difficulty just using wire wheel dont think ill bother PC, i should be able to get satisfactory results with rattle can job and save myself a fair bit of cash to put towards other parts for bike.

Sideburn mags arrived last week, some good reading and pics, and grabbed latest edition of VMX yesterday for more bedtime entertainment.

[jaderd]

27 parts should be ready for pickup from Sanblasting and PC 30 % gloss finish.

parts below that were dropped off + kick stand & front fork covers / headlight bracket which im pretty sure i wont use as i ordered some black universal headlight brackets so i can leave the shiny top of front forks visible.

headlight brackets i bought look something like this

also looking at getting some smaller indicators that run 6v...have chatted with guy from this website

http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/goffyindicators.htm

regarding these indicators 2.5" long by 1 1/8th at widest....4 X incl postage from UK for around $80 aus. also found nicer ones i like that the guy can setup for around 25$ per indicator...anyone have anyother ideas ? must be 6V, smaller in size than stock and short stem as want to use the spare holes on headlight bracket above for the fronts and rears in normal mount positions just in closer to the rear tail.

[jaderd]

Spent a couple of hours today making some progress.

Through the week the hex bolts arrived and so did the headlight brackets so that was exciting, hex screws fit perfect and are specific for the F11B which makes life easy, cheap american dollar is a bonus in buying currently also as basically all parts are US located.

So today i had a go at one of the front forks, cleaned it down, went over it all by hand with 320 grit then 800 grit paper, then gave her a polish with drill attachment and then hand with microfibre cloth, result came out ok, i will go over it with some lighter grade paper ending in like a 1500 or something which should take out some slight swirls visible up close. Vast improvement over the stock dirty look.

then cleaned the front guard and gave it a quick going over with some 320 grit, also cleaned the underside which is perfect paint wise (black) and wont need a respray which is great. The rear tail though i might do top and bottom in the silver as the inner guard at rear protects most of it anyway.

All poweder coating is complete so i will prob get that first thing tomorrow morning....its great the place opens at 7am so doesnt effect getting to work ontime etc.

im enjoying the build throughly so far and not minding the fact it may be many months until able to be ridden......i need to get my license first anyway :)

Edited May 1, 2011 by jaderd

[jaderd]

quick update, i picked up all my parts from the powder coater, very happy with the results esp the choice for satin (30%) gloss, its not too out there and saying look at me im shiny, but enough to show its all 100% perfect and new looking.

So frame and swingarm are living inside now out of the way due to space in garage and not wanting to knock them over onto concrete floor etc.

The rest are boxed up wrapped in towels awaiting reinstall in time.

Made one final purchase before stopping on the buying of bits and pieces for a while as i have ran out of cash :( the last of my "car/bike parts" cash stash has dwindled down so now i can only spend what I allow myself and the missus to have as our weekly "kitty" of cash whilst rest goes towards house / holiday savings.

Most of what i need to do now anyway just involves cleaning, cleaning, more cleaning and sanding / painting / polishing of various parts which should take me the next few weekends of spare time.

Final part i did grab was a NOS original factory option classifies as the "offroad" optional front fork brace. One came up on ebay, incl postage from US only $25 AU dollars so thought i would grab it as i like how it looks and should shine up ok.

[jaderd]

didnt get to touch the bike over the weekend as had wifes sisters 21st and mothers day on sunday where i cooked up a feast for the mother in law.

today was a successful day though...more cash spent lol.

my exhaust has surface rust all over it really and the rust in the u bend is all the way through producing a fair few pin holes which basically means the 180 degree bend needs replacing.

Contacted 3 motorcycle repair places in melb and they all told me the same place for exhaust repairs so must be the go to company. Quoted $25 for the bend (obviously mandrel) which is fair then 2 hrs labour with bike to ensure pefrect fitment etc @ $75 an hour so $175 total :(

kept hunting on ebay and found the best condition stock exhaust yet and i won the bid with the only bid at $22 US dollars and $92 US for postage so around $110 AU dollars deliverd to my door :)

very happy, had a few email chats with the seller prior to bidding to gain postage cost, didnt expect to get it for 22$ which was a bonus.

pics below....looks to me as if its NOS been sitting in shed really as no dints scratches or rust at all!!!

Doesnt contain baffle though i have that already, looking forward to its arrival

[jaderd]

Did a quick hour tonight in garage,

had a look at the gasket set i bought in nov 2008 to see if it was a full kit...which to my surprise it was which is great, i got it for $30 in 08.

took the right case off, everything looks so clean and new in there...the goodness of oil i guess.

will pull clutch apart as pretty sure plates are stuck as clutch wouldnt work when running......is there a way to check without undoing all the bolts etc ?

started degreasing the engine case.

might be a stupid question, i couldnt see in the workshop manual having a quick flick through, how do i remove the tacho cable fully out so that i can sand and polish easier ?

any info would be great

cheers

- yesterday my sticker arrived ready for tank.

- and also my off road brace arrive, gave it a quick 5 min polish with California custom polish it came up pretty good from one once over....i think ill light sand it before next polish.

[jaderd]

Cheers for info mate, much appreciated.

as for tacho cable i really should have just though about it, ofcourse its the same as the instrument ent where the cable becomes square in shape and just pushed in, just need to spray a little WD40 in there to loosed it up and it slid straight out, made sanding and polishing case alot easier.

Sanded and polished rights case, came up ok, still not happy with it, i think i might go back at it with some 800 grit as there are still some "deeper" blemishes by the look, then hit it with some 1200 then polish and should get better result.

took left case off, cant believe how clean inside....from what i can see the electrical side of it seems clean and new looking so not sure ill bother getting a closer look at it at the moment.

Now im really contemplating as to whether i should take the head off etc...mainly for the purpose of painting, it would be alot easier and i could clean up the head studs better etc.

What are ppls thoughts....engine only has 9,000km on it, though im in no rush to get it back together (starting winter in oz so garage time is preferred over riding time) so maybe worth while pulling it down and inspecting / changing what needs to be.

Sprocket teeth appear to be fairly worn out, reccomend changing ? or are they designed with the slight hook shape ? i didnt think they were.

Thanks in advance for any advice.... also anyone know what the scratches would be from on the points case cover if thats what its called & also the 3 drill holes that go in a few mm (havent looked in workshop manual yet, prob explained in there)

[jaderd]

nice update for ya.

exhaust arrived from Sidney Montana USA.

i swear its been sitting on a shelf for 35 yrs....swear its lucky to have had a years use!!, has a tag on it stating 75 F11B so must have been in storage

$22 for it......$90 postage so still cheap around $110 AU

came within 7 days :) no dings, rust or anything at all really, basically pristine, a lot better than what i expected, im now a very happy man.

Look a new Edge Trimmer

[jaderd]

This arvo i spent hour or two and did the second fork so that i could do a mock piece up of some of the front end, need to see how it will look to keep me inspired and moving on.

Happy with how it looks, some pics below, the tacho n speedo i am going to drop the bracket lower by around 5-8cm so that it sits flush with the top triple as opposed to stock, this will fit better as i have/will drop the headlight down so that is more inline with the tank/seat/rear tail...didnt like how it sat up high.

Will also let the forks pop through the top triple by maybe an inch to lower the front end slightly.

Just doing this mock up has made me heaps enthused to keep doing more of the cleaning/sanding/polishing/painting that is needed before any actual putting back together.

Cheers

*note headlight brackets were upside down in garage pics, rectified in pics inside house.

[img width=770 height=577]http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/sberton/18d1ec90.jpg

[jaderd]

Thanks for replies guys,

my bike has a 6 volt system, not sure ill bother testing wires, was getting ahead of myself in little details like indicators i would like when i have so much cleaning and polishing / painting that really needs to be done.

info from ppl and net has lead me to believe that 12 V indicators can be used not a problem as long as they are of an average size that you can swap bulbs over to a 6 V bulb. after hunting ebay etc i found some i live that are classified as mini indicators and from the pics on ebay it appears a standard 6 volt bulb should fit in, the case is 60mm X 47mm, so i snapped them up $25 inlc postage so pretty cheap. Its the tiny 12v indicators that you generally cannot interchange as the bulb is so small and no 6v bulbs are generally small enough....so fingers crossed.

also the 1wire, 2 wire and 3 wire aspects got me a bit stuck until i read that

1 wire = 1 wire signal, ground via bolt

2 wire = 1 wire signal, 1 wire ground and generally bolt grounds also

3 wire = 1 wire signal, 1 wire ground and 1 wire marker (i dunno what marker is)

these are two wire so should be ok.....current ones on bike are 1 wire rear, although the fronts do have two wire and seem to go back to a major ground from looking at the wiring diagram.

list of whats i have bought / on way soon

Steering Stem dust shield on way then i can properly put front end together...need some grease too

Petcock filter, current one crappy

7" mesh headlight guards, one for front to slip over headlight and mount on front hole of headlight bracket (headlight on middle hole)

spare one im going to experiment cutting it up and bending for a rear tail light cover

NOS speedo / tacho covers, slip on top has a slight lip on then stops glare i guess and other debris...more just for looks / **** factor

Indicators - basic style, i didnt want complete round....bit more current era look, will sit on 3rd hole of headlight brackets, closest to bike -$25

Honda CRF 450 handle bar guards - ebay $26.....shoulf fit fine, to paint black

How it sits currently, back in garage so can fiddle with it easier, made some space, fitted a few parts just mocked up to keep me inspired, liking how it looks, headlight needs to come up a little. Bought some digital vernier calipers the other day to make measuring things easier come putting things back together and testing chain slack etc.....just need a 1/2" drive torque wrench and i have most tools i need then.

[jaderd]

Nice amount of post arrived home today.

The petcock filter arrived along with the speedo/tacho NOS shieilds and the KL250 shocks.

Also i found some of the headlight mesh guards i have been looking for incl postage for a good price so they are on their way via express post.

Shocks are slightly longer which is great, best aspect though is that on the softest setting they are stiffer than the stock shocks on their hardest setting.

Springs are 60mm diameter as opposed to stock of 50mm. I like the way they look tougher and more enduro whilst stock looked a bit cruiser like. Also the springs themselves still have the chrome with no rust, the stock ones i had to actually sand the chrome away to get rid of rust and pitting, very happy with these new ones.

Does anyone know how to take apart the old tacho / speedo ? the silver back comes off no prob and then there appeared to be a fair bit of green like sealant stuff that sealed the screws that hold in the actual mechanism internal and then seals the internal case onto the plastic casing, it appears the plastic casing is then fused around the casing ? do you have to chip away the plastic to pull it apart then reseal it yourself afterwards ? they must be made to come apart. mine doesnt look exactly like this one below, mine seems trickier

http://users.telenet.be/tups/speedo.htm

My dad was chatting with my uncle last night (his younger brother), he owns dad old 1972 suzuki TS185, he wants me to restore it once i have done mine and he will fund everything, so looking forward to that once mine is complete.

some pics below

Cheers

[jaderd]

Quick update, 7" oversize headlight gaurds arrived today, mocked one up on front, fits fairly well, also sat guard on and tested gauges, all looked goo and new ears keep headlight in closer not sticking out from of gauges by much more than 2cm. Also tested throttle and brake lever, all fits perfect behind the CRF handle bar guards and they are looking better the more I add parts, once chunky front tread on should all tie in nicely, like the contrast of chrome n black

Cheers