'80 250T rolled in to the shop today. Father / Daughter project.

[MatBirch]

I picked this up last spring to eventually give to my daughter as her first bike. It's in great overall condition, and a PO put some real effort into it. The seat is freshly re-upholstered, it has brand new mirrors, new battery, and some effort to rebuild the carbs. I have new carb boots, a few o-rings, handlebars, and some misc parts to get started with.
My plan is for my daughter to join me in the shop. While I'm performing the tasks she would be unable to do, she can be doing all the cleaning, touch-up paint, etc. She can already changes tires because I make her take care of her dirt bike too. At the same time she will be learning what it is that I'm doing, so eventually she can adjust valves, change plugs, replace brake pads, etc.
Plan is to have it wrapped up by summer. She can take her safety course and get her endorsement.

 

[MatBirch]

Got a chance to get a little work done this weekend. Pulled the carbs out and removed the old boots, complete with gobs of red RTV. The air box boots were so hard and crusty, they were shoved pretty much inside the air box. Definitely not connected to the carbs. I got the valves adjusted, as well. They were close, but I want them on the loose side of spec, so I tuned them up a bit. Everything in there looked fantastic. I got a few parts ordered including o-rings, boots, etc. Only bad news I stumbled across was that the PO destroyed the petcock and threaded a "universal" one, but it's like one you'd use on an air compressor tank... You know, the one that you just keep spinning open/closed?
The PO confuses me a little. He put some real effort into this bike and stayed up on the maintenance well. Then went and did silly things like trying to slather the carb boots with RTV, and scab the petcock together with a bunch of hardware store crap?

I'll get some pictures up soon-

 

[steve murdoch]

I think working on a motorcycle is a great way to spend time with your daughter.
Good luck with the project.
Hopefully the RTV is only on the carb boots and not subbing in for a gasket somewhere on the engine.

 

[BigD_83]

Hey Mat.

How old is your daughter? I can't get mine (turning 18) interested in turning a wrench with me even one iota. I have a little bike screaming her name in the garage, but nope...no interest. But she is a theatre kid, not a rough and tumble, mountain/dirt bike kind of girl.

Post up some pics. I love the 250T. A fun little bike. Are you scrambling it? Or leaving it close to stock?

 

[MatBirch]

Bad news today, the value of the bike just doubled! Sadly, both diaphragms are shot. Badly cracked around the lip, and each with at least one pinhole that I found without much effort.
Not a dealbreaker, just a bit of a bummer. Gonna take a few pay days to buy both of those...

BTW- daughter is 15 going on 24... She's not rough and tumble. Talks big, but she's super tentative. She loves bikes though, so it will come. I have no problem with the tentative part on a street bike, but in the woods, sometimes ya just gotta pin it!!! BRAAAAAAP!

 

[Weasel]

Sounds like a great project. Both of my daughters enjoy helping me in the garage, or at least they do a good job of pretending. Any pictures of the bike?

 

[MatBirch]

Got the carbs wrapped up, with the new diaphragms fro JBM. New O-rings, new intake boots/ O-rings. Had a pair of black Daytona bars laying here new, from a previous project that I threw on.
Haven't taken any pics just yet, as it's...well... Same as everyone else's maroon GS!
Daughter has been less than stellar at joining me out in the shop. If I don't make her do it, it isn't gonna get done, I guess. Just like the dishes and cleaning her room...