TL250 Honda

[sleepy]

A friend of mine is looking for a TL250 for a resto project if anyone has something.

[Dungar Pilot]

Hi Sleepy,

Is this what your friend desires? As you have probably guessed, the cam has worn into the head and it does not go. Other bad points should be clearly seen in photos.

To end on a high note with some good points, the chrome on the forks only has minor pitting,  the air cleaner and seat base are not rusted out and the brakes work.

[sleepy]

That's a real gem!!! I'll send him a link but could be a bit far gone.

[Dungar Pilot]

Hi Sleepy,

Yes I agree about the real gem bit! There are other TL 250 parts from other bikes here but not much in the way of cosmetic bits. These bikes did not come with matching engine and frame numbers, Here is the spare frame complete with compliance plate for club rego if he is that way inclined:

[sleepy]

Your doing well with the photos. I've actually got a TL250 hear somewhere in several bits that is in need of restoration. I don't want to sell it as while I'm asleep and dreaming I see myself getting it going and riding it in a Trial and thinking what a wonderful trials bike it is but then I wake up. I probably should go through it and work out if any of the important bits are missing as I got it in pieces many years ago.

I have passed on the these pages to the guy chasing one but haven't heard back yet. Not sure how deep his pocket are but the motor alone would be costly, I recently salvaged a TL head with the flogged cam journals so that is fixable but the Conrod kits are no longer available as are the cam chain tensioner blades making some rebuilds a bit tricky. 

[Dungar Pilot]

Hi Sleepy,

You are right about a TL 250 being a Dream Trials bike but the reality is a Nightmare to compete on! Having been down that road, the main problem is when they start to go down it is nigh on impossible to keep them upright. Excellent smooth power for hillclimbs but not very effective brakes and anything but nimble in tight turns. Overwhelming problem is weight, at 100 kg plus (Honda said 99 kg only because they feared tripple digits)!

Having a couple of these in my bike shed, like you I have worked on them with the most common problem being the cam wearing out the head. The ones that I have fixed have been really good in the bottom end so I left them alone and refitted the repaired head.

If "the guy chasing one is the bloke I am thinking of", then he has very deep pockets but short arms!

[sleepy]

Every now and then I watch the full version of this video and think about making a replica using a donor TL250.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw0bTII35DA
Eddy Le jeune makes it look so good but probably only since he is a little better than me.
Motor modes would be tricky as that motor is much shorter than a TL but nothing that a big hammer and Tig welder can't fix.
I have built a short XL250 for an MX racer by shortening the stroke and adding a big piston but still only got about 10mm lower. Cutting the bottom of the crankcase off would help with ground clearance but that is a major mod and would need some serious engineering. 

[Dungar Pilot]

Hi Sleepy,

A mutual friend says we have a lot in common! We are almost on the same page but my idea would be to build the bike that never was and my opinion the bike that should have been.......

Imagine this in a TL 250 rolling frame:

[sleepy]

Might be ok. Getting the gearing correct could be tricky and would also need some de-tunning but certainly would be a better TL250. Finding an MT250 would be difficult as they didn't sell many in Australia.

[sleepy]

Apparently the guy is interested in talking with you regards your gem of a TL250, could you PM me your phone/contact details so I can pass them on.

[TT5 Matt]

arnt the centreport xl250 heads the same as the tl head?

[sleepy]

Very similar but a much smaller inlet port on the TL and there could be a different cam. May not make much difference but the chance of getting a good XL center port head isn't good either. The cam wearing problem does seem worse in the TL though and all I can think is they get hotter due to the slow speed not giving as much cooling and a lot of idling with less oil flow up to the head. Or they just got a lot more running as most ended up being sold as farm bikes and didn't get much maintenance.

[brent j]

Long gone now but there was a guy in New Zealand in the late 70's, early 80's who made and installed replaceable bushes in XL/TL heads.
he used Bronze/Teflon bushes and they were replaceable.

I had mine done in about 80-81

[John Orchard]

Long gone now but there was a guy in New Zealand in the late 70's, early 80's who made and installed replaceable bushes in XL/TL heads.
he used Bronze/Teflon bushes and they were replaceable.

I had mine done in about 80-81

Ken Colvin did it in Vic, l would think that Paul Stacker would do it.

[sleepy]

Making and fitting a bronze bush to the inner end of the cam is relatively easy as the head and end of cam can be machined back to round so that a bush can be fitted with a pin to hold it in place. It is the journal just behind the sprocket that is the tricky one as it is between the cam lobes and the sprocket so anything that goes in there has to be split in half. Most of the ones I have repaired recently have been done by welding the head and cover in that area and re-machined to suit the cleaned up cam journal and then fitting a replaceable bush at the other end.
The "A" grade repair is to fit a Megacycle roller cam conversion but not even sure if they are still available. Still in their catalogue but don't see a price and you only have performance grind options with nothing for a stock TL.