Battery Box

I stumbled across this on ebay. It was from a 1978 CZ 175 (477). Without asking measurements, I put a 99p bid in and left it. This, if it fit's, would give me a battery box, oil tank and airbox. As the only bidder, it's mine, and even if it goes on the "for future projects" shelf as not suitable (quite a full shelf) at 99p I can't lose, can I?

Breaking it down, the oil tank separates with two hidden bolts, the airbox halves and the inlet cover removed, it was clear it would fit, but with a lot of shaving, grinding and cutting.

Some of the mounting tabs had to go, one at a time, until it squeezed in.

Once in place, I realized the oil tank would not now fit (not to mention a PE250 OE Exhaust I had acquired, which goes over the cylinder head and cross the frame to exit on the opposite side to a TS250, crossing where my new Airbox was sitting) Luckily, the tank just needed moving forward 25mm, easily achieved by re-drilling the mounting holes (the old ones are hidden from view) and I needed to form a bracket to mount the whole lot on the frame.

Frame tidied up

Once the original bracket had been consigned to the scrap box, it was an easy task to cut, from a card template, and weld on some sheet metal.

The new oil tank mount holes needed to be elongated to enable me to slide the tank back, level with the frame

As the original air inlet was not to used, the hole saw came back out of the toolbox.

Holes and mesh = FAST, it just does!

I've now started to make an alloy "side panel" to tidy up one side, but I'm still working on a final design. I'm so tempted on the other side to leave the oil tank as it is, add a bit of patina (cant believe I just said that)

This little exercise has now taken up over 40 man hours - most of which has been putting the airbox in the frame, measuring up, removing, modifying and putting it back in - and with only a few spare hours each week it's dragging on. But, there a light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm happy with it so far.

Vic Camp Suzuki

While trawling the web for some parts, I've stumbled across the Vic Camp Suzuki. A club race bike based on the TS250.

 
"During 1975 the former UK Ducati importer Vic Camp created a new lightweight 250cc racer based on Suzuki's popular TS 250 trail bike. Although the choice of base motorcycle may seem somewhat strange the result was a very effective clubmans racer which proved to be popular. The basic engine, which had a five speed gearbox, was effectively half a T500 twin for which a great deal of tuning information was available. It had also formed the basis for the TM 250 Challenger which delivered 30 bhp in comparison to the 23 bhp of the TS and Suzuki had marketed a tuning kit in the States for the TS that effectively took the engine up to the TM's state of tune. The standard TS frame was fitted with shorter forks from the Suzuki range and a disc brake was fitted. A full fairing, racing tank and saddle together with clip-ons,rear-sets and an expansion chamber completed the conversion. In all it is believed that 48 Vic Camp TS 250s were built, but other specialists, inspired by the success of the Vic Camp machines created similar motorcycles"

 
Yet more inspiration.

Initial Hurdles

With so many, where to begin.


Front wheel. 21" is just too big. A smaller front wheel should quicken the steering, give me a decent tyre choice, and if I can find a wheel from another model - a road bike rather than a dirtbike - improve the braking by having a larger brake. (I really would prefer a drum brake)

Suzuki GT550 Front End. But would it fit?

Front Forks. At 85cm in overall length, are they too long? If I shorten them - possibly easier than replacing them, although a complete front end from a road bike would resolve two problems - and have a smaller diameter wheel, how will the handling be. The standard forks are 36mm in diameter, many Suzuki alternative's, such as the GT above have a smaller diameter. Again, how will this effect the handling?

Looks simple enough, does the bike need it?

Rear Suspension. The ER Model has the rear shocks at a more acute angle. If I fit a shorter rear shock to match the ride height with the front end mod's this will increase the angle further.What effect's will this have on the handling? More of a concern, what effect will it have on the strength of the shock? Will I be fabricating some alternative mounting points? As with the front, would I be better to replace the entire rear end? If so, how or where can I find a list of suitable donor bikes?
Electrics. It appears most have been removed. From battery to lights. I need to see whats missing before I decide on the best action. Is it worth replacing them? Can you still get a daylight only MOT? What are the alternatives? What do I need to buy?


Am I still convinced this is a good idea? Actually, yes. It's a challenge.

and so it begin's

From this

to this

and eventually to something like this?

Yes this is a Suzuki T500 based Cafe Racer, but you get the idea.

The second photo is of an American build, based on a TS250. It can be done.

In truth, I can't start the build until November or December this year. I simply do not have a workshop to work in. When the Bob the Builder has finished, I'll have a nice new garage, and then the build will start in earnest.

In the meantime, I'll scour the web and visit some Autojumbles, gathering the bit's n bob's I need to convert my Suzuki TS250 into a back road scratcher - I hope.