Bare bones cafe

[Hasersys]

I got this bike last summer, rode it for about 4 months until a bearing went. Or at least I think it was a bearing. I got another cheap motor but haven't checked to see if it is a runner or not. I have built a few other bikes in the past but never a mono shock cafe style. So I figured Id tear her down an do that.

My Goal
I would love to make this just a good riding minimum cafe, not the most safe but i have other rides for that. Only a head light and tail light, Although I love turn signals and will probably just end up adding them. It really gets annoying when other motorist don't use their turn signals. I have an app on my cell phone for speed ometer, and not sure about a tachometer yet. The iphone app isn't the best but I have used it on one of my bobbers an it gets the job done. I want to paint it dark blue, or ninja green.. but can't figure that out yet. I do not want to hack up the wiring harnes but hide it well.

So Far
I have the frame partly done, the new rear hoop is welded up. I still need some tabs and stuff that will come later. The biggest thing that is a little more than half way done right now is the fiber glass rear I am making. Still have some work left before I glass it, and not sure If I am going to glass it and use that for a mold, or just glass and sand.

Alot to do still
Want to fill in the tank indents.
Rebuild the fork seals
clipons,headlight, blah blah.

Questions
I have a ton to ask
Any recommendation on jetting for pods and a different exhaust?
Is there any nice 4-1 out there or is stock best?
If I go to a newer 250 rear shock how much taller is it? Research says 1"?
I am big, not fat just big for this bike.. almost 6ft at 200lbs. Can I get that shock stiffer for my fat Ash?
Front tire!? So I want to run a bigger front tire. I have seen the larger size people have ran on here, but with the rear up 1" from stock will this have bad tendencies? I want the bike to look nice but I want it to handle ok.
The last thing before I have to head off to work, What is everyones feelings on rear sets? Is the stock position best?

The bike is a 1994, the second engine I have is also a mid 90s.. but not sure how well or if it runs yet. that will come last.




Criticize Away if there is anything I am doing wrong learn me sum

[alex.s]

i don't think they make a 4-1 for a twin cylinder

[alex.s]

cool project though. 200lbs is more than the bike was sprung for. think about new springs in the front (sonic springs are cheapest and work the same as anything else) and a resprung gsxr shock might give you the best of all options but you will need to do some modifications.

[alex.s]

as for tire size... you have 16" rims... a popular upgrade for the pregens is to swap in newgen wheels and support items to get 17" rims which let you run basically any sport tire

[Hasersys]

Lol 2-1 was in a rush. But I can't seem to find a 2-1 built for these on ebay or muzzys site? I am most likely keeping the stock exhaust, but curious if it is even beneficial.

[Hasersys]

Originally Posted by alex.s

cool project though. 200lbs is more than the bike was sprung for. think about new springs in the front (sonic springs are cheapest and work the same as anything else) and a resprung gsxr shock might give you the best of all options but you will need to do some modifications.

I have considered the gsxr swap, and thanks for the recommendation on the springs will have to look into them.

[Hasersys]

Originally Posted by alex.s

as for tire size... you have 16" rims... a popular upgrade for the pregens is to swap in newgen wheels and support items to get 17" rims which let you run basically any sport tire

I will also have to look into this an see what all it takes. It would be nice to have those wheels.

[spent_too_much]

I am a fan of blue for the color.

Would you please provide a little information on the rear hoop? I have seen many pics of these already installed on a pregen, but cannot locate any info on the how-to. Thanks!

I am planning something similar myself.

[crazymadbastard]

Pretty bare bones, no engine!
gonna put pedals on it?


got pics of the hoop?
looking good!

[Hasersys]

Originally Posted by spent_too_much

I am a fan of blue for the color.

Would you please provide a little information on the rear hoop? I have seen many pics of these already installed on a pregen, but cannot locate any info on the how-to. Thanks!

I am planning something similar myself.

I will post photos later, the hoops made from some scrap I had laying around. I did find some hoops that would have been close enough to fit on ebay, but can't remember the measurements at I just fabbed my own.

[Hasersys]

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

Pretty bare bones, no engine!
gonna put pedals on it?


got pics of the hoop?
looking good!

Lol! I did just see another bike on craigslist.. Just down the street from me, bad engine. $200. I just had surgery thought and I have been pushing myself more than I should and noticed some pain that shouldn't be there.. So I figure loading another bike into the back of my trucks probably not a great idea.. But if I would have grabbed it maybe pedals would be in store for it.

[Hasersys]

Originally Posted by alex.s

cool project though. 200lbs is more than the bike was sprung for. think about new springs in the front (sonic springs are cheapest and work the same as anything else) and a resprung gsxr shock might give you the best of all options but you will need to do some modifications.

I have a gsxr shock on the way. Dose the pregen and newgen share the same size eye on the dogbone?

I have also looked into the wheels. I am going to run the 17" but am not sure yet how I am going to go about it. I am thinking of just swapping the entire swing arm and parts over. As for the front wheel, I am wondering if the newgen axle and spacers will fit the pregen forks while keeping the front wheel centered. Haven't spent much time looking into the front yet. The other option was to swap a complet set of forks an triples from the newgen.

[alex.s]

paging @choneofakind. dr chone. we need you in O.R

[choneofakind]

I approve of this build.

Lemme answer some questions. Sorry if I don't hit them all. I'll stay with you for a bit and hopefully help.

Jetting: get some jets, they're keihin jets, sizes 108, 110, and 112. That should cover most exhaust/intake combos when you consider that you also have the stock 105's still. Get some SAE #4 washers to shim the needles out, as needed. They're about 3mm ID, 6mm OD, and 1mm thick.

Front tire: 110/90-16 is the biggest you can run and is actually recommended for a good profile/height by the wiki article at ninja250.org. You'll have to raise the fender to do so. Article on the wiki. Check out faq.ninja250.org

Tail end raise: 1" does great. Go for it. My bike gets tracked and the tail is lifted about 1.5" and it's lovely. If you also put a larger front tire, your geometry will actually be less severe than if you did the same lift on stock size tires. Aka, it will still be great in the handling department.

Newgen rear shock: realistically about 1/2". Maybe an inch depending on how terribly saggy your old one is and how new your new one is. The 300 shock is also a straight swap but has different damping rates than the newgen shock.

Exhaust: article on the wiki. Yoshimura had a full one but it's hard to find. Same with Kerker. Muzzy had one but it is no longer produced new and it seems that everywhere I've seen online has already sold their inventory of new systems. Area P makes the best one IMHO from a craftsmanship standpoint and it even had the option for the quietest model on the market, but it is no longer made i kick myself daily for not taking the chance to get in on the original GB when it happened. Full exhausts will be ebay specials.

Rearsets: personal preference. There's rearsets, there's adapter plates that move the stock rearsets. Really just depends what you want to pay and how important it is to have easily replaceable parts. Ymmv on this one.

[choneofakind]

Newgen front end swap has been done. The bearings are the same and the swap is a direct swap. It's on this forum somewhere.


The newgens swing arm is also a direct swap with the pregen swingarm.

[Hasersys]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Newgen front end swap has been done. The bearings are the same and the swap is a direct swap. It's on this forum somewhere.


The newgens swing arm is also a direct swap with the pregen swingarm.

Will the dogbone from http://burkhartcycle.com/ work on the pregen? from what I read it is different, but just form me looking at it I feel as though with some spacers it will fit.

Never thought I would consider doing all this to a 250, but honestly I really enjoy this bike. Makes me wish I were a bit smaller. As for rear sets I will probably make my own adjustable mount later, once I know where I am going to have the height of the bike. I keep flip flopping from doing the fork and swing arm swap. I have never done a track day but always wanted to and this bike makes me wanna try it out. Always wanted to learn how to REALLy ride.

Ok, Sure things.. I have a Gsxr shock in the mail, and need to get a shorter dogbone. I am looking for making up that inch I lose with the shock, and then getting a little more as well. So around what you got 1.5. Also going to do the sonic springs, and racetech emulator.

[Hasersys]

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

Pretty bare bones, no engine!
gonna put pedals on it?


got pics of the hoop?
looking good!

I can't find the photos of the hoop. When or if I ever get the tail finished I will get some pics for you.


Oh, and to anyone that can answer this. I have two engines, one I belive has a bad bearing. Is it worth rebuilding.. or do I just have a big paper weight now.

[Hasersys]

Also, thanks guys. Worlds of info on here. Now if only I can get a hold of my ADD and stop reading through post... an focus I may make it.

[choneofakind]

You only linked the main site there, I'm not sure exactly what part you're looking at

[Hasersys]

http://burkhartcycle.com/store/index...roducts_id=205

It is just the newgens dogbones, they look near the same as the pregen. It just looks as tho I'd need a spacer to make them work.

[Hasersys]

Got the rear shock done a week ago, starting on a rear fender. Need to start fiberglassing stuff soon. I also found a couple Ex500 I may go through and see about swapping wheels around, but I am pretty sure I am just keeping the original wheels now. Once the tail section is done it is off to the fork srpings, and making a custom tail light. The rear fender is very rough stages right now.. GOing to look at it for a while see how I feel about it in the next few days.

Keep it
Or
Lose it

[Hasersys]

ugh I am on my phone and can't get the photo to resize.. So I still have a lot to do like front an rear swap, but I only have the swing arm complete. Still need wheels and a front end. The engine that I picked up for cheap has some issues. I have found the oil in it is milky. I changed the oil a couple times, then ran it today. I got a little bit of smoke and a strong smell. Oil ilooks milky through sight glass. Going to change the oil again tomorrow and run it again, check the oil see if it is bad again. I have no loss of power so I hope that it was just gas which it smells like. If it is milky again I will assume there is a bad gasket some where. I still have a lot to do.

[Hasersys]

Anyone know where I could find replacement fork tubes for a newgen. I have forks an a bottom triple but the tubes are slightly bent. I have found some 37mm Honda fork tubes but sure they are some how different.. Maybe in length or even the bottom with the bushing maybe different.. Any ideas? Everyone on eBay has fork tubes with the legs. New are to expensive.

[Hasersys]

After reading for a while I believe ex500 fork tubes and newgen 250 tubes share the same part number if I am wrong some one chime in. That is what I will be trying to get next.

[Hasersys]

I have the front, and rear swapped. Pregen to Newgen. Still alot to do.




Two questions which I have yet to really look into. Will Newgen ignition plug into pregen harnes some what easily, and what is the thread size on the rear brake line stay bolt? The one on the swing arm?

[Hasersys]

Where I am with this bike. Every thing is almost done, I am riding it now an then. It is fun to ride. Sounds good also. There are a few things left like mirrors, paint, speedo, but only one big thing left and that is an issue with the front brake.

I will have that figured out soon. It is not dragging but the caliper is closing on its own. So if I am going over 50 for about 5-10 minutes the caliper is heating up, fluid is expanding, and then closing. I notice the lever starting to get hard then pull over an the rotor is super hot, brake is closing on its own. I crack the bleeder on the side of the road an it is fine the rest of the trip. I think I have an idea of what the issue is after checking every thing. Think my after market lever is holding the mc piston in slightly.

Oh, and it isn't idling again. I had it running real nice about three months ago. I let the bike sit and didn't drain the carb bowls. Everything els after that are minor things that just bug me, like the over flow. I need to remount it at less of an angle so the sight tube works.

[crazymadbastard]

Came out good!


Brake fluid is new(could be water in system)? Clean caliper ?

How old are the hoses? Could be old swollen hoses not letting the fluid back up.

[UFOmoplata]

Sweet rear rotors! Where'd you get them?

[HoneyBadgerRy]

Your best bet for exhaust it getting a used 2-1 off ebay, or building your own. As far as jetting you could either get a dynojet jet kit, or 114 mains, 2-3 washers under the stock needs, and about 3 turns out from lightly seated on the mixture screws.

A couple different people made 2:1 exhaust for the ninja 250 pregen, but the ones you are most likely to find on ebay are the Muzzy, or the Yoshimura. If you find a AreaP definitely get it. I personally bought a used Yoshimura in pretty good condition for ~$130 if I remember correctly.

Edit: On my initial scan I didn't see that choneofakind hit on jetting and exhaust, but I'm going to leave this here.

[HoneyBadgerRy]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Tail end raise: 1" does great. Go for it. My bike gets tracked and the tail is lifted about 1.5" and it's lovely. If you also put a larger front tire, your geometry will actually be less severe than if you did the same lift on stock size tires. Aka, it will still be great in the handling department.

I would like to add to this. I did a shock swap, custom dogbones, and I raised the rear end ~1.5" and I also slide the forks up the triple clamps up about 1" and it turns in alot nicer. I almost has zero head shake, but sometimes at a slow speed if you take your hands off the bars it has a very light head shake. (I am looking into a steering dampener for safety reasons, not because I feel I need it.)

[Hasersys]

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

Came out good!


Brake fluid is new(could be water in system)? Clean caliper ?

How old are the hoses? Could be old swollen hoses not letting the fluid back up.

Brand new braided lines, new fluid all around. The caliper is not getting stuck other wise I would think it needed to be clean. Under normal operation below 50 or 45, using the brake on an off all day it dose not lock up. It is dot3-4. It is when the brake is not in use for a while, and I am at speed for 5-10 minutes.

[Hasersys]

Originally Posted by UFOmoplata

Sweet rear rotors! Where'd you get them?

You would have to ask user Garth285. I bought his rear and front, it came on it.

[Hasersys]

Fixed the brake, also got tired of looking at it unpainted. Fun to ride, have mirrors in the mail. Also going to order a sppedo soon. Been working on a Kz440 with a neighbor, and found another 250 for $400.. Not sure If I am going to get it or not yet. Will be buying another head light, do not like this one.

[UFOmoplata]

Good stuff!

How is the catch can mounted?

[Hasersys]

Originally Posted by UFOmoplata

Good stuff!

How is the catch can mounted?

The over flow? I welded a bracket up for it. I need to change it a bit. The angle doesn't allow the sight tube to work.

[Hasersys]

I forgot to post this pic from a few months ago. The bikes been doing good, but the kids drove their power wheel into it an it feel over. The tank leaks a little now. So guess one day I will have to get a new tank, but rides and runs good. I am sure I will rebuild it all over again one day. I ride it a once a week to work 35 minutes, and now an then when I am not working. I have also done some 4 hour rides on it. Very fun little bike, I wish we had more corners where I live.

[JohnnyBravo]

I used to ride around an around the on an off ramps when I lived in Florida... Tbh I do the same thing here in NC

[Hasersys]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBravo

I used to ride around an around the on an off ramps when I lived in Florida... Tbh I do the same thing here in NC

We go to Tennessee now and then and I rent from GSM. This year I got a klr650 and did some off road before hitting the dragon.. It is heaven up north.

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by Hasersys

We go to Tennessee now and then and I rent from GSM. This year I got a klr650 and did some off road before hitting the dragon.. It is heaven up north.

Haha You know why I came back home
I can get there, ride, an be home by dark

[Hasersys]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBravo

Haha You know why I came back home
I can get there, ride, an be home by dark

My wife's parents just bought a cabin about 2 hours from there so we plan on making more often trips. Time to get a trailer. Can't wait