My RZ250 that will be a 350....

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JonW
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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#706 Post by JonW » Tue Apr 19, 2016 3:17 am

Well I’ve rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic (as they say) and the F1 is back on my lift.

So, yes... Finally... im back doing some work on my F1 build and you might remember, the impetus to do so came in the form of the deal on a tank from a forum member as mentioned earlier in this thread. My plan is that I would really like to try and get the bodywork painted this year and have been slowly working through the panels doing repairs and sanding off layers and layers of old horrible paintwork. While I thought these panels were not too bad now as Id worked over them before, they do still need quite a lot of work. Eventually I will finish that work, but for now... Its status remains firmly as ‘ongoing’.

With the bike on the ramp I did start by knocking a few things off my various lists for this build, and also reduced the mountain of Yamaha packets that were in a box for this bike:

Footrest hero blob – As im going to keep the 86-on footrests I fitted the hero blob I bought ages back, you can get them for the FZRs etc and they fit the RZ pegs no problem, even when ground down like my one is.

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Shifter – Ages back I bought the washer, wavy washer and correct circlip to button down the shifter, today I finally fitted them. This gives me some hope that the shifter wont just fall off now as they tend to do with old baggy clips and loose spring washers. Cheap insurance at circa US$5 in parts.

I also fixed a few fit issues on things like the frame covers where the tabs must have got bent at some point, a few mm makes all the difference with these.

And finally got round to building the cable that allows the PWK28 chokes to be operated from the bars using your thumb. This is not a mod for the faint of heart, you need the case parts of the LH switchblock from the correct era 4T bike[1] to swap your RZ bits in to (or use as is), and something like the parallel TDR, TZR cable setup for the chokes, and then to get creative with a 1-2 pull unit cable etc. The effort to make the cable was one of the reasons I hadnt bothered doing this until now. Anyway mine is done now, and works like a charm! It's a mod (along with the PWK28s) that will stay with this bike even if/when I revert to a more standard setup.

1 - If any Australian forumers are wanting to replicate this work I do have another left hand bar switch setup that matches the F1 switchgear (with the choke lever and all the switches/wiring etc) that I bought when I embarked on this journey as I thought I might do it on two bikes, but cross my palm with some plastic paper (Au$75 in fact - NOW SOLD) and its yours... you'd still need the other parts, but have a good start (no pun intended!) :smt002

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Last edited by JonW on Thu Apr 21, 2016 7:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

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JonW
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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#707 Post by JonW » Wed Apr 20, 2016 3:31 am

Ok, Feedback seems to be that people seem to like me telling you how things are done... so here you go with this mod:

NB: I should say that this mod was done by me to be OEM looking on my F1 and work for my PWK carbs, if you've different carbs you might use the same switchblock and general idea, but use some other cables. Obviously you can use other switchblocks from other bike brands (wiring will need to be sorted but thats simple enough really) and also there are sourcable OEM yam versions to suit the later bikes and even some that suit the LCs switch design if you wanted to research this. Naturally, I cant cover all the combinations here, im just telling you what I've done on my bike to suit my setup... ok, that said; on with the show! :smt002 :smt003

This is the OEM Yamaha LH switchblock as I received it. This came fitted to another model in the Yammy lineup circa 1985 - hence why it matches the F1s switch exactly, I wanted this to look OEM. And yes, I looked round a long time to not only locate the correct looking parts but to find nicer looking units with decent paint and labelling, seems many of these foreign bikes do few kms, so it was a bit of an upgrade to the older knackered bar switches i had as well, always nice as they look like clean used OEM, as they are. :smt002

(pics are of the spare unit mentioned above of course, the other was used already proving i could make it work :smt003 )

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Where it differs are the wiring connections, and maybe some of the colours, but thats pretty unlikely as Yamaha keeps the colours the same across the range as much as poss. Anyway, to avoid any problem and as it was quicker(!) I gutted the switches and cabling out of my existing RZ units and fitted them to this version of the case, all in all much simpler and an instant result that i know fits the bike, plus you can do it 'on the bike' if needed so dont need to pull the cabling out to get to the plugs etc.

Of course, you also need a choke setup ("the carb ends" of this design) that work with your carbs. For my PWKs the TZR unit appeared to work well so im using that. I recommend the parallel twin version with equal length cables, the tandem config version works but one of the cables is waaay too long of course.

(pic of a random set on ebay, has the lever broken off so looks strange, but this is basically what i used)
Image

To make the setup I have work seamlessly (I wanted it to look as if it was designed by uncle Yam) I undid and discarded the housing and the 'flip switch' (that switch lever is missing in the pic above as I said). FWIW I have used these before for these carbs on their own but its a compromise really as its hard to find a place that it fits on the bike, try it if you like its a bit of a bodge tho... Next I fitted a short 1>2 cable pull with a cable up to the choke lever. You will need to find one that fits your bike, I cant help you there really, you need to work through your stash of old cables, thats what i did. I can say that I used the longer of the cables off a tandem TZR choke setup (thats how i know about them lol) and snipped off the existing small end and added a bigger screw on 'barrel fitting' at the lever end as that fitted the choke lever perfectly. Of course I used a twin pull joiner that I had in my spares, no idea what it came off, sorry, but bear in mind that any one will do but the TZR cables are only so long if youre following what ive done. You can use bicycle cables and make up your own, kits are available for little money online etc.

FWIW I believe that the 500s use a similar setup to the TZR and use 4 cables, you can maybe do something with those cables depending on your carbs, and maybe use a custom splitter housing design if it works better for you, I say that as it's not the first time anyone wanted to do this stuff and there are aftermarket versions of the splitter and one was mentioned on our own 500 forum: http://www.rzrd500.com/500phpBB3/viewto ... =3&t=12445" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Depending on your carbs and your splitter you can build this many ways, this was the simplest way I knew, and as you know I like to adhere to the KISS principal where i can.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#708 Post by kpke » Wed Apr 20, 2016 10:49 am

Jon, please keep doing your writeups! You do a fantastic job. :smt045

That 4 hole choke cable block does look very much the same as is used on the RZ500.

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JonW
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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#709 Post by JonW » Wed Apr 20, 2016 8:03 pm

Thanks, your kind words are appreciated.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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JonW
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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#710 Post by JonW » Mon May 02, 2016 3:54 am

Been looking at my F1 pipes... Interesting... These are 1985 31k pipes from an Aussie 350, I know this as the 250s had the 51L pipes with seperate cans, the 350s all had the ROW style F1 pipes, and these have the indents for the wider 85-on swingarm, so theyre not earlier pipes...

I found what looks like the restrictors we had on the uk RD350R in the 90s, anyone in Aus know if these are normally on these pipes?

Image

And, of course something inside is broken. Originally I thought this was a broken off piece of silencer...

(excuse the wire, i was trying to remove it)
Image

But the other side has one and its solidly mounted in the pipe, leading me to think the one on the other side is broken off:

Image

The removable baffle/silencer units are actually not the full size of the uk/eu versions Ive seen for sale, this makes me initially think the ends have broken off, just like they do on LCs etc... but im just not sure as its been impossible to pull the loose one out of the pipe, its trapped inside as the far end is everso slightly wider than the hole its held by in the pipe...

Any thoughts?
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

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two-stroke-brit
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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#711 Post by two-stroke-brit » Mon May 02, 2016 2:09 pm

looks like some surgery is needed.
similar to the other pipes you cut and fixed.
cheers mark
350LC,Athena 392 big bore,stock porting,swiss cheese air box,stock reeds,spec11 pipes.(now TSA big bore pipes)
She might not be pretty but she will always be a fun ride


1982 YAMA RD350LC
98KDX 220R
1967 TRIUMPH TIGER
2001 TRIUMPH TT600

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JonW
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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#712 Post by JonW » Tue May 03, 2016 3:41 am

Yeah thats my worry Mark, the one with the loose part in it is actually ungrazed and has no dents at all, sigh...

Ok, these are the baffles that I took out:

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(flipped the ends round so you can see each end. Does look cut down, you can almost see the hacksaw action...)

Image


So... Im thinking the baffles have been cut down... agreed? And that the bits in the pipes are not the baffle ends that are gone, but rather something Yamaha put in there... maybe a restriction?

So people agree the barrel end welded insert looks like a restriction as well? defo does to me...
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#713 Post by JonW » Tue May 31, 2016 10:03 pm

No one got any ideas on this pipe stuff? hmm...

In the meantime Ive been looking a Brembo 4 pot option...

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:smt017 :smt002 :smt003

(They are for my WRX obviously... and yes that is to scale... the Cadilac ATS Brembo was resting against the tyre, its a pretty big lump of kit! LOL)
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#714 Post by hondaror » Wed Jun 01, 2016 2:15 am

Just got caught up. Which Triumph calipers are those Jon?
Rory
2 1984 RZ350s
1985 RZ350
9 1986-1990 RZ350s
2000 ST2
2005 749
2005 749 with 999 engine

RuZty
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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#715 Post by RuZty » Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:39 am

Holy crap that's massive. Are those a bolt on to the WRX?

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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#716 Post by JonW » Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:59 am

Rory, check out my site for the upgrade in RZ upgrades i think.

Ruzty, LOL, yeah big suckers. They fit all the WRXs with brackets. For my MY16 I got em from CTSV:
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr ... ?t=2773522" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Takes the full size 330 (actually 326mm) x 30 disks in either of the PCDs. Nice cheap conversion (the brembos are US$85 a side!). The shop will do a write up when theyre on and i'll link it here if you like.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#717 Post by waltmil » Wed Jun 01, 2016 9:18 am

Those are the Triumph (Nissin) calipers I have just put on mine and they are great. As for the model, can't remember but they are not all the same. I got one that didn't fit but they were cheap so I wrote it off. As another plus, they are lighter than stock.
I just looked at Jon's site again and, if I had paid attention the first time, I would not have gotten the wrong ones first. Jon even posted photos of correct and incorrect. He gave the models as 955 Daytona and speed triple but compare photos to be sure. FWIW, I used a file to remove the Triumph logo, took very little time.
Red/White US '84, Spec II pipes, Y-boot w/K&N, Fox Shock, Mikuni carbs?

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two-stroke-brit
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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#718 Post by two-stroke-brit » Wed Jun 01, 2016 9:54 am

Hey Jon, are the Footrest hero blobs screw in .
thanks mark.
350LC,Athena 392 big bore,stock porting,swiss cheese air box,stock reeds,spec11 pipes.(now TSA big bore pipes)
She might not be pretty but she will always be a fun ride


1982 YAMA RD350LC
98KDX 220R
1967 TRIUMPH TIGER
2001 TRIUMPH TT600

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JonW
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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#719 Post by JonW » Wed Jun 01, 2016 7:21 pm

Thanks guys, here is the link for Rory:
http://2smoked.com/Yamaha_RD_%26_RZ_upg ... ipers.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(i couldnt post it earlier as the provider, ipage, was down for me it seems, hmmm)

Yes Mark, screw in. Its a really big thread actually, something like m8x1.5. Looked way bigger n it needed to be but it could take a lot of force and its into alloy so forgivable I guess.

Car Brembos now sanded/cleaned and painted Satin Black. Disks are prep'd and I'll be fitting em today, will link the garage (shop if youre in North America) Fb page when they put it up.
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
83 RZ350 Resto
84 RZ500 Resto
85 RZ350 F1 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Resto
86 RZ350 F2 Hybrid

Like Watches? www.PloProf.com & www.DeskDivers.com

hondaror
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Re: My RZ250 that will be a 350....

#720 Post by hondaror » Thu Jun 02, 2016 5:51 am

Thanks Jon & waltmil.
Rory
2 1984 RZ350s
1985 RZ350
9 1986-1990 RZ350s
2000 ST2
2005 749
2005 749 with 999 engine

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