Thursday 24 May 2018

Project Resurrection

You can't keep a good bike down.

All it took was a suggestion from a friend, doesn't it always with me ? Just plant a daft idea and I go with it.

Back in 2001 we went to the Bol d'or 24 hour endurance race (at Magny Cours, France) as part of a group riding SOBs (Shite Old Bikes). This was organised by a journalist friend and would later appear as a magazine article in Motorcycle Mechanics.




Back then I was on a GS550, Gibbo was riding a XS250 (in spray can gold). It was the star of the show.

He is nearing his restoration of the XS250, and as a target has decided it would be a good idea to ride it to the Bol again, except this time it is back in its proper home at the Paul Ricard circuit, near Marseilles.

The "Bastard" has languished in the back of the garage, minus the parts used to rescue Jean's bike in Russia and various other parts that have been relocated to the other two Pegs. In some cases I had bought new replacements but never fitted them.

The radiator was my major issue, having been sent to Russia. I did actually have a spare, slightly leaky, the one that started leaking for me Kyrgyzstan and dripped all the way home, but was now minus an expansion tank. Fortunately another radiator became available on Ebay, with coolant tank.

A scrabble around the garage, to find all the bits needed to put the bike together, took 2 days. Then a further 2 days fitting them all and checking the bike over.

Finally I added a new spark plug, got to treat the bike sometimes, hooked up Jean's bike with the jump leads (battery was beyond redemption) and despite the petrol having sat in the tank for nearly 2 years the bastard fired on the 2nd press.

A bit more tinkering, then the shakedown run, to the MOT, which it sailed through. But I don't call her the Bastard without reason. It promptly returned to form and by the time I had returned home, the high beam was no longer working.

Another sunny day will see the lights checked out, a broken wire or a relay. Then I just need to change the very worn rear tyre for the not so worn one in the back of the garage and decide if a new chain is needed or not.

I just need Gibbo to finish putting his XS250 together now.