Finally got Myself an RZ250R

[EPApolice]

I don't know what to say John only I have been ok every time.

[JonW]

no worries then Pat, I have aftermarket Banshee seals in my bikes, but going forward I will buy only high qualuty seals, either OEM or repackaged OEMs like Wicked does, the rest Im staying away from.

[petegailey]

Well gentlemen just got back from my 2 stroke wizard after a morning of tuning the beastie and its all good news. We synched the carbies using a vacuum gauge, adjusted the oil pump which was delivering too much oil, tuned the carbies, banged a few holes and cut the baffles down, removed the wadding and the RZ is running soooo sweetly. Got heaps more of the line, and from 7000rpm it just jumps into hyperdrive with the sweet song of a 2 stroke going hard. There is still some smoke coming thru but its more like purple haze than a bush fire. Took it for a lap with the YPVS cover off to see if the valve was kicking in so I'm riding along @ 9000rpms hanging off the side with my camera taking pics of the engine, trying not to run up the ass of the car in front of me, must have looked comical.The wizard confirmed that the bike is totally stock, reckoned that the engine was still tight, no piston slap and barely run in. He reckoned not to bother with chambers now the pipes are "de restricted", thought that pods might be ok, mainly to make it easier to get at the carbies, but to encouraged me leave it stock and told me the only thing it needs is more ks on the clock. Just ride it he said. Suggested I give the plugs a chop next time I'm on a ride just to check.

Thanks everyone for your input. Its all thumbs up at this stage which is a huge relief. Ive just got to learn how to keep the front wheel on the ground and not to fall off the back when it takes off.

[JonW]

Sounds good Pete, check Arrows posts on norbos forum about pumps tho, adjustment is done a number of ways and they do wear and gum up, a clean works wonders, tho yours is obviously working.

Never seen carbs like those... must be Jap spec units. I guess the have a center (single cable) pull like the USA bikes?

Yeah ride it, save some money... then go 421cc or bigger

[JonW]

Never seen carbs like those... must be Jap spec units. I guess the have a center (single cable) pull like the USA bikes?

Yeah ride it, same some money... then go 421cc or bigger

[smokin074]

Hi Pete welcome you got a nice bike there Cheers Graham.[flag=au] sent you a PM

[petegailey]

Yeah ride it, same some money... then go 421cc or bigger

LOL! That's what the Wizard said!

I took it for a run out to West Head which is a 12k race track thru the National Park out to this great lookout over Palm Beach. After 4pm the ranger goes home and its a great place to test a bike. Was able to keep it above 7000rpm for reasonably long stretches, lying down over the tank the RZ felt absolutely wicked. After 12ks of high speed riding I was able to do another plug chop. I could see the oil'n'shit was beginning to burn out and the electrode looking much lighter. The bike is now smooth up to about 4,000 gets stuttery about 5000 then hits the powerband about 6500 and then its just lean forward and hang on.

After West Head I took it down McCarrs Creek Rd which has had a recent resurface and is another excellent motorcycle road, except in the weekend when its crammed with push bikes, and back home in peak hour traffic. The RZ will handle traffic but it much prefers the open road. It can get a little freaky when it hits its powerband on crowded suburban roads.

[JonW]

sounds like a good ride...

People who are sad and call themselves 'aficionados' (me included!) will look at this pic and nod sagely...



So, what cool thing are we nodding about that might make some very jealous?

[petegailey]

I can only guess that its the 80k/h redline Jon. Its also got a red light that goes on when you hit 80. I actually find it useful.

Ive had the RZ for a month now and Ive taken it on several 200k jaunts along the open road and through the twisties and it loves it, as long as I stayed in the lower gears and above 6000rpm. I had a reasonable power band up to about 4,000 but then it would 4 stroke and stutter till 6000, then it was off like a bullet... and it wasn't leaving that much blue smoke down the road, other than when accelerating hard up hills....and it handles really well. It also sits very comfortably at 120+ on the freeway.

The 4stroking at 4000 was a nuisance in city traffic, also the idling speed had increased to over 2000. The wizard had told me to bring it back when the idling speed increased so I rode over. He dropped the idling back, we put in a Malossi airfilter sponge, and derestricted the air intake . When I took it out for test the RZ just shot up the road sounding like a racebike, the powerband was responsive all the way, the stutter had gone, and its flying, its a nice feeling to be riding a 2stroke that's buzzing smoothly. It even copes with traffic if ridden aggressively enough to get hot. But the RZ likes the open roads best. This bike is real fun and its teaching me a whole new chapter on how to ride.



[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0435-L.jpg[/imgr]

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0416-L.jpg[/imgr]

[jools58]

Nice looking bike Pete, just read this catching up after the Christmas break. I'll second Jon W's comment Re Yambits seals too. Every Forum relative to RD's recommends to steer slear of them.

One other thing you can do is decoke the pipes. I used to used to use caustic soda but its messy & time consuming. One member of the RDLC Crazy forum recommeded a hot air gun. So I tried it....

Just make sure you have good neighbours as the smoke from the burnt off cack inside is unbelievable. I gave each pipe 10 mins with the the gun in each end (remove the baffle first). Then wait for the pipe to cool down - they get damn hot - and bang the residue out. You might need to re paint if not the original finish. i thought it would cure my freshly painted pipes at the same time...........now they need doing again LOL.
My hot air gun is a 2kw monster so smaller ones may need a bit longer - oh yes don't do it inside - it stinks like an old steam train.

[JonW]

sounds like a good ride...

People who are sad and call themselves 'aficionados' (me included!) will look at this pic and nod sagely...



So, what cool thing are we nodding about that might make some very jealous?

I can only guess that its the 80k/h redline Jon. Its also got a red light that goes on when you hit 80. I actually find it useful.

Actually no... tho that is amusing LOL. It is the two small plastic covers that you can just see to the bottom right of the pic... long NLA and actually kind of pointless, hence why yamaha didnt bother with them for the 86-on bikes, but if youre restoring an F1, you need them... Im very sad perhaps, but mine are a prized possession!

[petegailey]

Thanks for the tips. Ah! Ive got so much to learn about these crazy beasties.
Today Ian and I pulled the forks down to see what's inside. Although the RZ rides surprisingly well the forks are a bit soft and its all a part looking under the covers and finding what Ive actually bought. The springs turned out to be quite light weight. The oil wasn't as bad as I was expecting but it wasn't engine oil which was what was recommended in the manual. I decided to put heavy 20W fork oil in.
After putting everything back together I took it for a run up a deserted Old Rd. The bike did handle better with the dampening harder, but now Ive got my suspension guru buddy doing the maths so I can get some aftermarket springs. Now i know the engines ok and running reasonably smoothly its time to look at the handling. It was great giving the RZ a blast along the empty "racetrack" in the higher revs for extended periods although I don't think I got out of 3rd. Up the big hill it sounded like a mosquito on steroids. It really is a hoot to ride as my fiddling is making it better and better, and its also good to know that although I paid top dollar, I didn't buy a lemon.

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 722-X2.jpg[/imgr]

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0724-L.jpg[/imgr]

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0727-L.jpg[/imgr]

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0612-L.jpg[/imgr]

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0614-L.jpg[/imgr]

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0618-L.jpg[/imgr]

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0610-L.jpg[/imgr]

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0679-L.jpg[/imgr]

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0697-L.jpg[/imgr]

[Greasemeup]

"I took it for a run out to West Head which is a 12k race track thru the National Park out to this great lookout over Palm Beach. After 4pm the ranger goes home and its a great place to test a bike. Was able to keep it above 7000rpm for reasonably long stretches, lying down over the tank the RZ felt absolutely wicked."


I gotta say, this ride is just the best, and the way you described it, right down to the word "wicked" just inspires such an overwhelming desire to ride a 2T again, and move back to Sydney, purely to save me from the less than inspiring 1/2 day ride options we have in Brisbane.

Thanks,

GMU..

[hybrid]

Glad to see someone having a great time on a stroker.
Your enthusiasm is contagious!

Get your suspension buddy to have a look at the race tech valve emulators for your forks.

[petegailey]

Hi Hybrid.
Ian and i have put the race tech emulators and linear springs on several of our bikes and know it to be a must do suspension mod. Ian also did the maths and sent me this text Checked your springs on 2 different rate calculators - results were 0.32 & 0.34 kg/mm - soft....thus the need for compressed air..... . Problem was my forks weren't holding their air pressure. Then Ian remembered that he had bought a set of progressive springs for his Suzuki GT550 project which he had not used and they were the same length as the RZ spring+spacer so we dropped them into the RZ and Bobs your Uncle, they are perfect, and Ive got 0.75 kg/mm. Took it for a quick run and the improvement is more than I expected, bike tracking really nicely, dropping into corners sweetly, reduced sag and good rebound suspension so every thing's peaches. No need to fork out for the race tech's in my opinion. I'll take it for a real test tomorrow but Im very happy with the results. Next thing is tyres and the front brakes. Any tips?

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0790-L.jpg[/imgr]

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0803-L.jpg[/imgr]

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0795-L.jpg[/imgr]

[imgr]http://petegailey.smugmug.com/Motorcycl ... 0798-L.jpg[/imgr]