Okay, so today I’m diving into something a bit different – my 1985 CR250 project. It’s been a wild ride, and I figured I’d share the whole messy, glorious process.
It all started when I found this beat-up ’85 CR250 on some online classifieds. The pictures were…rough. I mean, this thing had clearly seen better days. But, something about it just called to me. I’ve always loved these older bikes, and the idea of bringing one back to life was just too tempting.
Getting Started
- Picked up the bike: Drove a few hours, met the seller, and honestly, it was worse in person than in the photos. But hey, I was committed.
- Hauled it home: Strapped it down in my buddy’s truck. It was all I could do to keep the bike in there.
- Initial assessment: Total teardown time. I took the whole thing apart, piece by piece, in my garage. Every bolt, every wire, everything. It was a greasy, grimy mess.
The Dirty Work
Once I had it all apart, I could really see what I was dealing with. The engine was seized, the plastics were cracked, the suspension was shot, and the frame…well, let’s just say it had a few “character marks.”
- Engine rebuild: This was the biggest hurdle. I split the cases, replaced the crank, bored the cylinder, and put in a new piston and rings. I’d never done anything this in-depth before, so YouTube was my best friend. Lots of trial and error, and plenty of cursing.
- Frame repair: I found a local welder who helped me straighten out some of the dings and weld up a few cracks. Then I stripped the old paint and gave it a fresh coat of that classic Honda red.
- Suspension:New fork,new oil,and so on.
- Plastics and other parts: I scoured the internet for replacement parts. Some stuff was easy to find, other things…not so much. I ended up fabricating a few small brackets and pieces myself.
Putting It All Back Together
This was the fun part. After weeks of cleaning, repairing, and replacing parts, I finally got to start putting it all back together. It was like a giant, greasy puzzle.
Slowly but surely, the bike started to take shape. I installed the rebuilt engine, bolted on the suspension, and fitted the new plastics. Every time I tightened a bolt, I got a little more excited.
The First Start
This was it. The moment of truth. I filled the tank with fresh gas, kicked the starter, and…nothing. A few more kicks, and still nothing. My heart sank. I checked the spark plug, adjusted the carb, and tried again.
And then, it happened. It sputtered to life, coughed a bit, and then roared. The sound of that two-stroke engine was music to my ears. I let it idle for a few minutes, grinning like an idiot.
I took it for a short ride around the block, and it was amazing. All the hard work, the frustration, the busted knuckles – it was all worth it. This old, beat-up bike was alive *’s an ongoing project, of course. There are still things I want to tweak and improve. But for now, I’m just enjoying the ride.