Thumper Club Forum
Technical => Project Progress => Topic started by: Itsme on August 02, 2023, 02:45:08 PM
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With due deference to a previous post with a very similar title in this section I have found myself considering making my Inazuma 250 into a project.
I have never fully settled with my Inazuma, even though I know Pete likes his. It just has never seemed totally stable, especially in wind and on badly surfaced roads. Mine is the fully faired version and there is evidence on one side of the fairing of a drop and a previous MOT mentions a fail as the clutch lever had been 'shortened', i.e. snapped off. It just happens that the scuffs on the fairing are on the clutch side.
I was returning from a windy ride on Sunday and the bloody thing was awful, feeling very unstable round bends and even on straight bits. But it is a fabulous motor and when it is handling well it is a lovely bike. Because of this I decided to strip the entire fairing off so I could check for frame straightness, wheel/fairing alignment etc. When I did two things struck me immediately; the full fairing is a heavy old beast and how nice the bike looks with all the crap stripped off it.
So plans are formulating in my head about a naked, simple bike, maybe with some city case type panniers on. This would use the best things about the Inazuma, but eliminate about 10 kg of badly distributed weight. All of this depends on the frame etc being in spec when I get round to measuring everything.
I will keep you informed.
Ian
Ian
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Sounds good, look forward to hearing about progress.
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Ooo.... yeah, sounds very interesting indeedy. Can’t wait for loads of photos. Before, during and after.
Best of luck with it Ian 👍
Cheers, Michael
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Getting shot of the scaffold tubing standard exhaust also help! I saw a piccie of one that had been stripped back and 'Street fightered'. Looked really good 👍
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Thank you for your encouragement gentlemen, but I must stress this will be a very basic project unlike the lovely bikes crafted by some of yourselves. I'm favouring a very raw, almost unfinished look. I will think about an exhaust Pete when I can persuade my wife to stop spending our money on her micro-camper hobby. I will try to take and upload photos, but up to now I have had no luck getting them off my phone and onto my computer, cue child entering stage left!
Right, off to the garage for more thinking and visualising I think.
Ian
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I will try to take and upload photos, but up to now I have had no luck getting them off my phone and onto my computer,
Ian
You are not alone my friend. I don’t have a clue how to post photos up on here. I used to email mine across to Matt (Mthee) who would then very kindly take the time to post them up for me.
Hopefully you can find someone who will post them up Ian as I for one would love to see the progress 👍
Cheers Michael (the hopeful )
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Hi Itsme (Ian) I do not have a problem resizing and posting photos for you. I have on my old laptop some excellent software that resizes in the blink of an eye. Email me your piccies and I will sort them out hopefully to your satisfaction.
Kind regards Ian R
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Ooh... how I do love a happy ending. Looking forward to see some pics of the project 👍
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Hi Thumpeteers.
I have decided I am not going ahead with a project. This is for three reasons;
1) Having reviewed some of the past projects I've done and having seen things like the lovely BSA cafe racer Ian posted recently I have realised I just don't have the talent to turn out anything really nice so rather than ruin a bike I am re-building it as standard and checking it as I go. This is not false modesty it is realism.
2) I haven't really got the time to do the job as I need the Inazuma on the road.
3) I don't have the money spare to do the job well.
4) I can't count.
Anyway at the minute I am using the Mighty Midget and enjoying it, but it will need attention soon, hence the need for the Inazuma.
I did like the BSA though and if I ever develop that level of skill I might have another go at a special.
Ian
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Oh, go on......
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Oh, go on......
Hear, hear....YES. Go on, you know you WANT to 😉👍
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You're a terrible bunch of tempters. But.................
Ian
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The micro-camper (whatever that maybe?) wins! :'(
Good health, Bill
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Hi there just a little update. I have got as far as stripping he fairing off, fitting a cheap ebay headlight and a short front mudguard (as the original is the ugliest mudguard ever to disgrace a bike IMHO). I have to say how well it has transformed the handling, the bike is now much more stable and nice to ride so I think I will persevere with the special idea.
However when I went out on it on Saturday morning the rear brake seized on. When I got home, thanks to my wife rescuing me by bringing tools, I stripped the caliper and master cylinder and found both corroded and filthy. This poor bike has never had any love and attention. Rebuild kits for both caliper and cylinder are now on their way.
I will try to get some photos as soon as I can.
Ian
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You see, worth the effort. I wish I was as successful with the XBR which despite looking very pretty has refused to run properly and is now sulking despite being fitted with an expensive replacement CDI unit and having the carb stripped & rebuilt several times. I'm now waiting for a Chinese "pitbike" whatever that is CDI unit to eliminate that.
Couple that with nipping the tube on the back wheel of the Tri-Greeves and I wonder if I'm losing my touch........
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Hi Ian. Sorry to hear your XBR is not playing fair. I hope the new CDI does the trick. These things are so frustrating as it could be something very simple and minor, but finding it can be the Devil's own job. Also I honestly wonder if bikes sulk when we tinker with them and they don't like it.
Don't worry about losing your touch, we all have off days. I looked for a rattle that had developed on the front of the Mighty Midget for ages before I noticed one of the caliper mount bolts was missing!
Ian
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The obvious answer is to ride a Jawa or MZ. All the rattles cancel each other out ;D
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The obvious answer is to ride a Jawa or MZ. All the rattles cancel each other out ;D
No please stop it, my broken ribs still hurt when I laugh to much 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
This post should have been in the humour section 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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The obvious answer is to ride a Jawa or MZ. All the rattles cancel each other out ;D
Ah how fondly I remember those days of rattling along.
Ian
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The obvious answer is to ride a Jawa or MZ. All the rattles cancel each other out ;D
An early form of noise-cancelling headphones?
Ian was kindly asking about the XBR. After much toing and froing I've discovered that the little wiring harness I was sent with the Dutch item as wrong. I've had to break a wire in the loom which feeds 12V DC to the original CD box when starting - no idea why - and change that to an earth as well as swap 2 connectors over. And it now starts and seems to run well. Road test will have to wait.
In slightly other news the cheapo unit from ebay - a massive £10.56 for CDI, coil and plug! arrived so I thoughtI'd try that. It seems to work just as well so I could have saved myself £100. Emboldened by this I've ordered a Mikuni copy carb for £15 to - temporarily perhaps - replace the worn Monobloc on the Tri-Grreves. And have just got a new tube so out to fit it now.
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Hi Ian
Well done for sorting the wiring, sounds a bit complicated to me. I thought I'd mention that I tried a cheap CDI for the Mighty Midget and it did work fine, however occasionally the bike started with a bit of a knock as though the timing was a bit advanced. When running the Midget seemed happy and even seemed to give a bit more power.
Also I would imagine you have seen a video channel on Youtube by a man called Hugh Ferrer who restored a C15. He fitted an Indian Mikuni copy to the BSA and I can't remember the results but it might be worth looking up.
Ian
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I'll have a look for that Ian. New tube fitted and holding air. For some reason the tyre, which was very hard to fit first time round, went on quite easily. Maybe it has softened up by being in my garage - a bit like me......
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Brilliant result that, £10 for a CDI. As you say, there's only one way a CDI can work so they're probably all very similar.
I've noticed that the front end of my 'Zuma is noticeably affected by hitting stones and other minor road debris. I've put it down to the OE tyres, but it could be something to do with the geometry I guess. It doesn't bother me in the slightest, and otherwise the thing is well planted and handles well enough for my meagre talents!
I'm currently sitting in Warwick drinking a coffee and basking in the sunshine and reflected glow of a brand new shiney MOT for the Zuma. Mileage has now reached 4000.
(https://i.ibb.co/NpnjsYm/IMG-20230830-105209462.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ftGp20n)
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I like Warwick, there's a nice old-style cafe just round the corner from your pic.
Ian - found the youtube (when I realised it was Ferrier not Ferrer!). Quite interesting although he didn't persevere and I noticed he thought the idle screw controlled air (as it does on Amals) not fuel. I found some other channels dissecting these carbs and am amazed at the intricacy and low prices - which I don't think can be solely or even largely attributable to low wages. I expect some of these factories have invested heavily in CAD, injection moulding and robotics so it's easy to produce clones of Mikuni and other carbs.
If I showed the CDI and coil to anyone and told them they cost £100 I think they'd believe me.
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Hi Gents
Pete, glad the 'Zuma is to your taste as I do like the way mine runs, just not the way it handled with the original, heavy fairing on. Now I have got rid of that it even seems lighter to push around the garage.
Ian, glad you are having more luck now. I must wear my glasses when looking at words on the internet!
Ian