Project: Garage Find

[squirrel_hunter]

So about 18 months ago I decided what I really needed was another bike in the garage and set about finding a project. I had heard the words "Barn Find" a lot, its something that I think would be interesting to do. When I was living in the countryside I did ask around a bit but with no luck. Looking for a bit of a fixer-up project I found an interesting Italian and an old Brit that hadn't been used for a while "Garage Finds". Negotiations began but ultimately someone else beat me to them.

I was chatting to friend at work, a RC8 rider (not of this parish) about my search and he told me he had a mate that used to ride and might still have a bike somewhere, it would be a crashed but original model Fireblade. So a few emails went back and forth between them about the bike and then I was introduced. The bike in question was not a Fireblade, that went to the great scrapyard in the sky. The bike in his garage was the bike he used before the Fireblade and before he gave up biking. He always intended to do something with it, but never got round to it.

The information I had on it was basic. A Yamaha TZR250 on a R reg. Now I've always had a soft spot for the TZR and a quick calculation with my limited knowledge put it at a 3XV or at worse a 3MA model. In my opinion the 3XV model, the VTwin, is one of the best looking bikes ever made. The 3MA is a reverse cylinder engined model and is also quite good looking. They also made the 2MA and 1KT models the 2MA is the official UK import, the 1KT being the same but the Japanese home market model. Both are ugly.

So me and Stretchie turn up with a trailer and the garage door is opened. Now when I said the information was basic, it was also slightly wrong. Yes it was a Yamaha TZR250 but it was on a F reg and it was a 2MA. Disappointing. But the bike was duly loaded and driven down the M4 to BaP's for temporary storage.



The story of the bike was it was the previous owners first bike and had been well used. The front fairings were lost after he found the bulkhead of a transit van. Though thats not the only time it had found the floor, it had been repaired and continued service until the rider upgraded to a Fireblade. He parked the TZR in the garage with the intention of doing something with it at a future date, but as the years rolled on nothing happened but the occasional start up. He eventually wrote the Blade off and decided not to ride anymore, and interest in the old TZR faded so that the occasional start stopped and it sat there never to see the light of day.



It was a couple of months before I saw it again due to housing issues but when I did I could see its potential. I decided that a bit of fresh petrol and some air in the tyres would have it though an MOT in a flash. No not really, the bike hadn't been used since 1994 or at least that was its last tax disc. It had crash damage on both sides an interesting alarm was adorning the rear of the loom and the fairing that was on it was held together with wood screws. The brakes surprisingly still operated slightly but the forks are pitted. Sitting on it the suspension at the rear feels non existent.



So my plan is simple. Restore it, reuse what I can, replace what I can't. Get it back on the road. I'm going to make a few subtle modifications to it but nothing serious, I don't plan on a big bore or changing the swing arm or covering the fairings in fur. I want it to be a restored TZR250 2MA and any help or advise would be gratefully received. Let just hope I haven't taken on to big a project...

[DarrenSV650S]

Originally Posted by squirrel_hunter

any help or advise would be gratefully received.

Don't go near it with an optimate. I killed my ypvs unit with one and had to cough up to get it repaired

Originally Posted by squirrel_hunter

Let just hope I haven't taken on to big a project...

You have

It's worth it though. I loved mine for the very short time I had it. Sooo much fun. I'd have another

Great find. Looks like you got your work cut out there mate.
You know you can rely on me to answer any difficult technical questions .
Give me a shout if you need a hand, I have my own hammer and multi meter now.

Always a fan of projects / builds, good luck, I'll be watching for sure!

[Sid Squid]

That should be an easy enough restoration, it's a relatively simple machine and parts are still easily obtained. There are a few firms that specialise in the whole LC/PV range and thus all the likely faults you'll find are well known, and any services needed are pretty easy to come by.

As to how much work it will be that's a question of how original and/or how well finished you'd like it to be.

Fun bikes too - you'll have a giggle when it's running .

[Ruffy]

As SS says, most parts are reasonably available. I suspect finding any missing bodywork will be the biggest challenge.

I may still have one or two left over 2MA parts lost in the garage. I'll have a root (when the weather improves a little). They're left over from the last TZR my wife owned: We still regret selling it, although not buying the SV that replaced it of course!

(BTW, if you get fed up and want to get rid, or if you want to move it on when you finish, can I have first refusal?)

[andrewsmith]

You wern't joking when we spoke about it Squirrel. Second Dibs on it

Anyways, this bunch of petrol heads might be able to help http://www.ardracing.com/tzr.html#Lb6MbdPieUii (the owner is a renound stroker tuner and racer).

[Doinitmyway]

Those are great little bikes. A friend of mine has not long ago finished his shoestring of a rebuild and it's a little cracker!

The only thing that has let him down to date was the water pump O-ring that seals the pump (in the r/h casing) from the sump. It must've gone hard or brittle with old age and was letting water into the clutch/gearbox.

Good find!

[Fallout]

Looking forward to seeing this build. My neighbour (old boy) has an 80s trail bike (non road legal) of some description in his shed. Never seen it, and not been interested in buying it since I wouldn't be able to ride it on the road, but these kind of threads keep tempting me to go and find out about it.

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