Project chinese takeaway army bike

[tattytom]

hi

this is my first project

im starting out with a cheap chinese copy ino there not great but im on a very small budget and well my offroad riding experience isnt vast

i bought the bike locally off ebay for 200 with what i beleive to be a coil ignition problem(purchased off ebay and on its way)

what im hoping to acheive is a army style dirt bike

this is what im starting off with

https://i49.tinypic.com/3483lv5.jpg

https://i50.tinypic.com/2znmqs6.jpg


things i need

matt green spray paint
matt white spray paint
matt black vht spray paint
custom battery and tool box
canvas pannier type bags for ropes etc might not be needed tho i dont know yet (i go quarrying with some guys in a 4x4 so would be handy to pull me out of the sloppy stuff if i get stuck ha)
cowl and head light
rear light(not for brakes just for visability at dusk
to make a exhaust cover plate (so i dont burn my legs)
and i also fancy exhaust tape

[map]

So is it something like this you're going for?...
https://olive-drab.com/images/id_honda250_full_06.jpg
click image for link


Maybe a rifle case from a MT500/350 for the look...
https://www.milweb.net/features/Armstrong%20MT500%20&%20MT350%20Information%20from%20Motorcycle%20Co%20UK_files/MT500_std.jpg
click image for link

https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/MT500rightrear580.jpg

Best of luck, keep posting progress
____________________
...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[Damon]

I think you should get it working and just ride it like it is!

[tattytom]

more like your second picture but smaller bags

and why not change it to my tastes?

[tattytom]

and the idea is to get it running first it was running when i bought it but kept cutting out at high revs and now its just given up all togetherbut first thing to do is to get it going again and then wire up the lights

[tattytom]

been looking for inspiration found these


think the rack on the back of this could be good for panniers
https://www.panzerbaer.de/helper/pix/bw_krad_gl_ktm_400_lse-001.jpg

and i think the seat on this is cool
https://olive-drab.com/images/id_m1030_m1_12_700.jpg

and i think the front light and cowl off a yamaha dt would work well
https://imganuncios.mitula.net/2005_yamaha_dt125_95897851241794351.jpg

opinions??

[tattytom]

well put in new ignition coil today and well still seems to be slugging down at certain revs. anybody know what else it could be ??

the cdi box ?
regulator ?

i am under the impression that it is electrical as i have cleened out the carb and checked for fuel blockages and there is none. and it revs to a certain point and then just bogs.

any help would be very much appriciated

[tattytom]

may i add it makes no difference if the regulator is unplugged

[blurredman]

carb vaccum okay? Manifolds etc.. ?
____________________
CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 51k.

[tattytom]

[_Iain_]

To me that sounds fuelling related. In my experience if the issues electrical it will pop, bang and stutter. It wont bog. Engine will react like a lightswitch, on & perfect, or dead. and fluctuate between the two depending on what the issue is. Fuelling, when the thing runs lean it'll run okay/a little weak and then trail off when it hits a certain amount of throttle/comes under load & then it'll bog out.

Clean carb with proper carb cleaner - i'd done mine with petrol, ez start and the carb cleaner still made muck come out of em. While it's out make sure the main jet is a bigger number than the pilot - doesnt help at all when they're back to front as i found out.

After it's back together run that, see if its any good.

Then get the easy start out and start spraying it on the intake rubber & see if the revs change. If they do then the things leaking & needs replacement/bodgery.

Edit, before you do anything, run it down the road flat out. switch it off and pull the plug out, take a photo of the plug & post up.
____________________
Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[tattytom]

i can tell you now it looks like it has been dipped in soot ha

i just thought that was because i hadent had chance to set it up due to it been up and down.

and i did clean the carb out? maybe not well enough

[_Iain_]

Unless you had all the jets out, blasted em out backwards with carb cleaner, then blasted all the ports in the carb out, blasted all the linkages, blasted the outside, set the floats up to spec & made sure to reassemble it all correctly, then no. Lol.

Put a fresh plug in it if it's black and sooty. Absolutely zero point in fecking around with any of the ignition system if it's got a shit plug in it and the spark isnt nice & blue.

The odds on a coil failing are pretty slim. No idea why you'd replace that tbh given symptoms!
____________________
Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[tattytom]

hey just got back outa the garage after re cleaning the carb all the jets out and still nothing

i scratched abit of fresh metal on the exhaust to see if i could get a spark and nothing? but i did have it running earlier and it ticked over great and reved so far and then was crap

[binge]

Think the bike looks alright as it is.

Not sure if it's because I was pretty much born into the Army, then brought up as a Pad' Brat, or not.
But I see people (Bikers) who wear army clothes, and paint their bikes in Camo, as pests.
Kinda like those weird people who go to war and peace shows to act out battle scenes, and hide in trenches and stuff.

If you're that obsessed with squaddies, go sign up and get paid for it.




Ben

[tattytom]

[_Iain_]

Tried against the block?? On the thread of the plugs if its painted

And jets are fitted the correct way around? Bigger number underneath the needle.

And the air filters okay, and theres no leaks on the intake which you've tested. And the chokes not on?
____________________
Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[Boxing]

That bike looks a bit of a state. Not worth £200 in my opinion.

I could get a better 125CC manual + clutch for £200.

If it doesn't start, don't buy it. People will say it won't start to hide other stuff, like poor compression.

[tattytom]

[tattytom]

[tattytom]

well the bike is running again

but not running great it idles perfect just when been revved

ive tried to take a video to show the problem when trying to rev hope it helps some one help me ha

cheers in advance ino your all great!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw1aAI2B8pk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[tattytom]

I am missing a main jet.................

[tattytom]

just an update

I've fixed the issue missing main jet. shows how novice I am haha but got to the bottom of it kill switch now works with the new cdi unit!

next plan of action is to fit a head light as I don't think it originally had one could someone help me with how to wire it in?

[Mac_Black]

Well done on fixing in a main jet lol.
Where about are you based? I'm sure if there's anyone local then they'd be willing to lend you a hand with the wiring (I know I would)

I've always wanted to do something like this, I've thought about buying an MT350 quite seriously or even looking at the USMC KLR's but ultimately
I think I'd like to go the same route as you with something a bit more feisty, maybe based around a 250..
I think the DT is a great base though, shame you're stuck with a clone but I'm sure you can make something great from that, a kick start bike might be a serious consideration if wanting to be absolutely purist.
The downside of more performance based machines is the inherent complications, MT's are designed to be very simple and quick to work on in every single way using a minimum of tools..
The levers are of chunky heavy duty design and made of steel, the spindles have eyelets suitable to accept a screwdriver/ stick etc to facilitate fast removal, you can replace the cam belt piece of piss by removing the side cover (easiest I've ever done).
MT's really are production RAT bikes.

I like your ideas, particularly the pannier rack and that DT cowl and headlight is perfect. Here are my ideas, and this is what I'd be doing;
Personally I'd go with hard panniers, specifically a rifle case from an MT or ammo boxes as these will afford the contents rugged protection in the event of an off.
I like USD's and I've always wandered what they would look like with the anodized outer tubes sprayed in Olive Drab.. But I would be trying to adapt or make up some stanchion guards if I were you, or at very least adapting some gators..
I would also look to make a canvas or neoprene sock for the rear shock, just to keep it nice and clean.
Look at the insulation of the wiring loom and address any weak exposed points, I'll bet it's going to have some very suspect areas on that there bike considering it was built on the cheap.
Bash plate or Engine guards and Hand guards with alloy braces.
Standardize as many of the fasteners as possible, remove anything you deem unessential (though to be fair you're bike's already built that way)
and if I could be bothered then I would have a set of custom spindles machined that have the eyelets on the end for quick removal.
Include every tool you could possibly need in your tool kit, even a mallet, inner tubes, tyre levers and gunk etc.
If you ever cross deep fords then you want to unsure you keep the throttle wide open anyway to stay on the safe side, to prevent water from surging back in through the exhaust port
(not sure whether that could even happen with a reed valve truth be told) but then your air filter will get absolutely caked in mud.. This never presented me with any mechanical failings, I'd just clean it regularly.
But one alteration I considered making to the CD was a completely sealed air box bar a high level snorkel, that would run through extraction tube up to handlebars.
Wouldn't suggest heat wrap for the exhaust. I've taken the risk on my CD200 custom pipes only because I would very easily be burning my leg otherwise.
Heat wrap deteriorates very easily when wet, getting it caked in mud would ruin it as you're not really supposed to wash it.. it would be a nightmare.
If you absolutely must, and I haven't even tested this stuff yet so I can't practically vouch for it but use Heat Products LAVA Wrap.. Which isn't fibreglass based but actually carbon strand based,
so allegedly it wouldn't suffer from discolouration and is something like 25% stronger

Good luck and keep it up, I can't wait to get around to one of these builds! You'll have a cracking bike at the end of it.

Cheers,
Mac.

[Mac_Black]