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Classic Bike Trackdays

TZR250R RS V-Twin
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arlurt
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Joined: 28 Nov 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 4:03 pm    Post subject: TZR250R RS V-Twin Reply with quote

TZR250R RS (3XV)

It’s Strokerboy’s fault I’m here… Wink

I had a nice sensible 900 Hornet, then he lured me to the dark side with his TZR250 SP (3MA). I called round to see it, and was hooked when he started the engine in front of me, the smell and the noise… I’d been re-infected with the two-stroke bug.

Almost straight away I started looking for a nice RGV250, like the one I used to have years ago, but couldn’t find one I liked at a price I liked. I wanted 60 reliable horsepower and good parts availability. Then Strokerboy sent me a link to a TZR250 in Derby, normally I wouldn’t have gone that far to see a bike, especially not one that was too much money, restricted, rare, and generally not what I (thought I) wanted. I’d been to see an RGV in Grantham the week before, so Derby suddenly didn’t seem that far out of the way, so off I went.

I half-arranged to meet Strokerboy there, he knew more about TZR’s than I did, and I thought I might need a sobering influence… By the time he arrived I’d done the deal, shaken hands, and paid a deposit… I had a 250 Grand Prix look-alike all of my own! Very Happy



It took me a week to gather the cash and arrange a lift to Derby to collect the bike, so I invested the time in trying to figure out exactly what it was that I’d bought. As you’ll know by now, it seems no two TZRs are the same. Doing my research on the net, using the frame number (all 3XVs appear to have the same engine number, “3XV”) and several websites, it appeared I’d got a 1992 TZR250R RS. The “RS” didn’t have the upgraded suspension and bigger carbs of the fabled “SP”, but did have the SP’s dry clutch and close ratio gearbox.



As a ’92 bike it also appeared that it was restricted to 40hp, rather than the 45hp of the earlier R and SP models. It looked like it had been re-sprayed too, the colours were distinctly Yamaha, but of no particular year. As an RS it should have had yellow number boards, (green on the R and black on the SP), and the top fairing wasn’t right either, it looked to be from a much later “last-of-the-line” SPR.

When I collected the bike the previous owner gave me what documentation he had, including the receipt he’d been given when he bought it. He was the first UK owner, he’d bought it from a dealer whom I assume had imported it from Japan. The bike had only done around a hundred miles in the UK and was being resold at a significant loss. I handed over the cash and set off to the petrol station…

It only ran on both cylinders some of the time… Fuel I thought, it’s been stood for quite a while… Fully fuelled and off we went again. Things were no better, it would run well at some revs and some throttle positions, but these were definitely the exceptions. I made it the hundred miles home, but it wasn’t much fun.



Over the next few days I examined my purchase more closely. I found that the coolant header tank was empty, and that the power valve linkage was not attached to the right/lower cylinder power valve.




I bought and fitted a pair of spark plugs, filled and bled the cooling system, and re-attached the power valve linkage. Straight away the bike started and ran much better, running on both cylinders it sounded great, and went far better than a 40hp bike had any right to do. The good news was short lived though. Before I made it home from my blast round the block it was running as badly as it had when I collected it…

When I dismantled the bike again I found that the power valve linkage had come off again, and that the coolant had all gone! Retracing my steps I found that the power valve linkage was coming off because the power valve bearings and seals were shot. This resulted in the valve jumping about in it’s sockets until it spat the linkage off. When I checked my new spark plugs I found one a nice health brown colour, and the other, spotless white. Steam cleaned.

OK I thought, I know what I’m up against, I need head, base and exhaust gaskets, more plugs, power valve seals and bearings, that’s not too bad. I ordered the bits, with less difficulty that I had expected, from my local Yamaha dealer. I’d gone in all smug expecting them not to be able to get bits for my super-rare exotic RS, then chap behind the counter told me he had an SP and burst my bubble…

While I waited for the bits to come, Strokerboy and I decided we’d have a TZR ride out, both bikes ran well enough to get to the Humber Bridge for our photo shoot, though once there I had to re-attach the power valve linkage, and re-fill the coolant tank. Of course we swapped bikes, both found things that we liked, and things we didn’t. We went of separate ways and both made it home, all in all a good day.




The parts took less than a week to come from Japan and were spot on, though I did think £25 each for head gaskets was on the steep side. Perhaps I’m just out of touch, it’s been a long time since I’ve had to buy any parts for a bike, four-strokes don’t seem to need them.

The engine had not been apart for some years, the road muck covered everything evenly, and there were no tool marks on any of the fasteners. What ever was wrong with it pre-dated the guy I’d bought it from, and probably pre-dated the UK importer. I began to suspect that I would soon find the reason the bike had been auctioned and exported from Japan.

I stripped the easy right/lower cylinder first. What a doddle, it hangs out of the engine just behind the front wheel. The head had obviously been removed and refitted some time ago, but without a new gasket being fitted. The piston crown had a clean patch where water had been seeping in past the head gasket, but the cylinder had obviously been running, and didn’t really look that bad. All I had to do was put it back together with new gaskets, and new seals and bushes for the power valve and it would be fine.



I hadn’t been able to get the bronze power valve bushes so I contacted an engineering friend. He thought he’d be able to extract the old worn ones, make new ones and press them into the housings. Great.

The left cylinder was ying to the right cylinder’s yang. What a bastard… The left points up and forwards inside the left frame rail, it’s angled in such a way the gravel and road muck sit round it, and none of the bolts can be accessed. To get to the left cylinder head I had to remove both air boxes, the power valve servo, the thermostat housing and most of the cooling pipes, and still I couldn’t really see what I had to do.



Laid on my back, using a torch, I peered up the left exhaust port…. Oh dear… The front of the piston was badly scored, a piece of the top ring was missing, but it had obviously battered the piston before it had left the engine.



I contacted my Yamaha dealer again, of course they could get a piston, but…. The piston was £65, and came all by itself. No gudeon pin, no clips, no little end bearing, no rings. These all had to be bought separately. A complete piston would be over a hundred pounds. When asked if I’d like to go ahead with the order I politely declined, and headed straight for the internet.

I found a firm in Norfolk with two complete genuine Yamaha pistons on stock. The very helpful chap said he’d do me them at fifty quid each. I agreed but said I’d only need one, (I know…) and the deal was done.

Knowing the solution to my difficulties was on its way I attacked the left cylinder with renewed enthusiasm. The head was quite badly damaged, so much so that there were actually pieces of ring embedded in it. I thought my luck was in when a pair of SP heads came up on eBay, but they were sold for more than I was prepared to pay. I had to look for alternative solutions.

I took all my dodgy parts to see my engineering friend. Over a cup of tea we decided that the combustion chamber could be cleaned up in his lathe, and then the head skimmed to restore compression. He confirmed that the bronze bushes for the power valves would not be a problem, so the task was left in his capable hands.



While I’d been playing with my 3XV, Strokerboy had foolishly signed up on Japan’s equivalent of eBay, the Yahoo auction site. He told me of the rare and wonderful things he’d found, and that as an order would soon be on it’s way, would I like to buy something too and share the cost of shipping? Hmm… I told him I’d like five more horsepower please.

I believed that my bike was restricted to 40 horsepower, and understood that the models of the previous year were 45 horsepower. I knew from the service manual that the R model of 1991 had an identical engine to my ’92 RS, and I knew that there were no changes to the exhausts or carbs between ’91 and ’92, therefore the power cut must be in the CDI box, and sure enough they had different part numbers. I found a 3XV CDI on Yahoo for a fraction of the cost of the ones for sale in the UK, just a tenner including shipping, out came my credit card.

Not being able to read Japanese, all I knew about the CDI was what I could see in the picture, it was a 3XV-00, mine was a 3XV-40. The words might have said it was dead, but I couldn’t read them. I had a plan anyway, if the 45hp unit worked, I’d just plug it in and take the free 10% power upgrade. If it was dead I’d have it apart and try to figure out the engine mapping to see if the restriction really was in the CDI. I’d done a bit of electronics at college, and thought if I could get to the read-only-memory chip I’d have a go. I’d seen the graphs of the ignition maps in the brochures for the 3XV, how hard could it be…

My engineering friend gave me a call saying the re-machined cylinder head and the new power valve bushes were ready. I called round and all looked good the re-profiled head was an excellent job, barely a mark from the damage remained. The new power valve bushes were snug, and located the valves well.

I suppose there had to be a problem, and we weren’t disappointed. We found that when the power valve caps were nipped up on their bolts to fully locate the power valve in the left cylinder, the power valve could no longer rotated freely as it should. After much head scratching we realised that when the piston and ring had failed in that cylinder, part of it must have been trapped against the power valve and bent it. This meant that the bushes would run freely on the power valve by them selves, but when they were secured in the barrel the power valve no longer ran true.

We debated a fix, a lump hammer realignment of the power valve, but eventually wimped out and used an adjustable reamer to open out the right sized bushes so they were slack enough to allow the power valve to rotate when the bolts were tight. Not the best of solutions, but good enough, and far better than it had been.

The last part requiring attention was the damaged cylinder barrel. There were a few scratch marks in the nikasil plating but nothing that seemed to have gone through to the alloy, We decided the best (budget) approach was to use some medium grit wet’n’dry and try to polish out the minor scratches, improve the worst ones, and put some honing marks back in to the plating to help lubrication of the bore. The approach worked well, only two slight vertical scratches remained, and the bore looked perfectly serviceable.



The new piston arrived, lovely, just as described, and for the first time in 3XV history things went to plan. The engine went back together easily, knuckles were skinned, washer dropped, and parts sworn at but nothing really bad happened at all.



I’d kept the previous owner informed of what I’d found out about the bike, not because I was accusing him of selling me a lemon, and not because I wanted him to feel guilty, I just wanted him to know what a great bike he could’ve had. When he bought it the bike it came with a warranty, on which he could’ve claimed, had he realised it wasn’t right and had all the work done for free.

After my post rebuild update to him I was amazed to receive an eMail from him after one of my updates saying that he would send me a cheque for the parts I’d had to buy , and how sorry he was. Good on yer Dave, and thanks, but I’m not like that. It’s my bike, it’s my problem. As far as I’m concerned his obligation ceased when he gave me the keys. I told him to take his kids for a day out… Nice to know there are still some decent people out there.

The bike started easily and settled quickly to a very steady idle. I bled the cooling system, the reved it a few times, it sounded fantastic, and picked up so quickly. With the engine warm and no mechanical failures I went for a ride round the block.

Riding a sports bike without the fairing has always felt exciting and dangerous. I don’t know exactly what it is, but the lent forward posture, the front wheel in view, and the clocks hovering in mid air make it feel totally different to ride.



The bike behaved faultlessly. I took it easy initially, the piston and rings were new, but the bore would not be tight. Once it was up to temperature and miles into double figures I tried some full throttle roll-ons. It had that Grand Prix 250 howl, and so tractable, far easier to ride moderately quickly than my RGV. My restraint, not that there'd been that much, didn't last long. The bike easily ran to 110, the tinnkle of the dry clutch on the changes and close ratio box a joy to use. It's a great bike and rewarding. Back home I put the body work back on and gave everything a clean.

I’d got a clean, rare, usable, fun, last-of-the-line 250 Grad Prix replica with which I was very happy. It had had a few problems, but I’d fixed them, and now I could have a summer of fun riding it. The plan was to run the bike over the summer, then fix the few dodgy cosmetic problems over the winter.

Life never runs smoothly though, and 250 two-strokes are know for being fragile… It was only a matter of time... Rolling Eyes

arlurt.


Last edited by arlurt on Fri Dec 01, 2006 8:50 pm; edited 8 times in total
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TZR250R RS (3XV) Part 2

It’s all the 3XV’s fault… Wink

I’d had my 900 Hornet for four and a half years. It had done four trips to the TT, been a commuter hack for three months in appalling weather, and never missed a beat. It was torquey, fast enough, and let you know in a nice sort of way when you were going too fast, or pushing it too hard.



The problem was the 3XV. Riding the Hornet suddenly felt like driving the Space Shuttle. Yes it was fast, comfy and reliable, (maybe not the shuttle then) but it was also heavy, and it didn’t really feel as though it was in contact with the ground.

So it was nothing to do with my 40th birthday, and obligatory mid-life “review”, when the 3XV got a new garage-mate, a shiny new Fireblade. I’d manage to convince my wife that the Horent was “…getting on…” and it might soon need maintenance, (yes I know it’s a four-stroke Honda) but she seemed convinced. Very Happy



The new purchase would be a great source of comfort to me when the inevitable happened, and the 3XV lunched itself.

arlurt.


Last edited by arlurt on Fri Dec 01, 2006 5:22 pm; edited 1 time in total
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arlurt
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 3:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TZR250R RS (3XV) Part 3

It’s my own fault… Wink

The 3XV was going brilliantly. I’d used it a couple of times on my commute to work, 40 miles each way, and the bike had been fine. I’d even bought it a new windscreen to replace the crazed and discoloured one it had come with, all was well.

I’d put around two hundred miles on the rebuilt top end, no problems at all. It didn’t use water, it ran on both cylinders all the time and went as well as anyone could expect a 40hp bike to.

The one niggle I had with it was a strange vibration which felt like a wheel being out of balance at certain (high-ish) road speeds. I didn’t worry about it, I just didn’t cruise in that speed range.

Strokerboy and I had decided we’d test our luck by going to the RD Club Rally at Ashbourne, not that far from where I’d bought the bike, to show them what a modern Yamaha LC was like. I was now actually confident that my 250-time-bomb would get me there and back, so much so that Strokerboy and I had started to joke about the imminent detonation of our respective “hand grenades”.

I had a couple of jobs to do on the bike before we went to Ashbourne. My Yahoo Auctions – Japan CDI had arrived, but I hadn’t tried it on the bike. I’d had a poke about inside it, but was dismayed to find that behind the alloy backing plate the electronics were entirely encapsulated in potting compound, notoriously difficult to remove. I’d had a dig at it with a Stanley knife but stopped when it became clear that that would not be the way in. I’d tried chemical attack using white spirit and petrol and been defeated that way too.



At a loose end one Sunday I took the fairing off the bike to have a look at the dodgy red overspray on the inside of the white fairing. After a couple of hours with some fine wet’n’dry and a bucket of slightly soapy water I’d got rid of all the overspray.

With the bodywork out of the way I started to have a look at the rusty steel sub-frames. And before I knew it I’d found and exposed the bike’s CDI unit. As I expected I had a 3VX-40 CDI, which according to the websites I’d found was a 40 horsepower restricted unit. My new Yahoo-Japan CDI was a 3XV-00, which the same websites told me was a 45 horsepower restricted unit. It all looked good, five horsepower for free, if my £10 round-the-world CDI was a good one…

The engine started exactly as it had with the 40 CDI, steady tickover, nicely revvy. On my back road circuit, riding without the fairing again, I found the power now climbed further up the rev range, before hitting the strange power restriction plateau. Wey-hey! Free horses, well, very cheap ones at any rate. Very Happy

I put the bike back together and congratulated myself on my shrewdness. Everything looked good for the trip to Ashbourne, a hundred miles of motorway riding held no fears for me.

As is so often the way in life, the day of the Ashbourne RD club meeting was a busy one, all my busses were coming at once. I had to go to work, forty miles in the wrong direction, on the Fireblade to get some miles on it as the first service was booked for the following week, I had to go to Ashbourne, meeting Strokerboy there, and I was going to a friends bar-b-que and finally on to another friends Fancy Dress 40th Birthday party that night, as Mark Antony….

The trip to work on the Blade, work itself, home on the Blade again all went well, though I did seem a little more late at each stage of the day. The 3XV started easily, and after a quick check of the map I was off. I’d arranged to meet Stokerboy at Matlock Bath, the LC boys were having a ride out, and that was where they’d be by the time I got there.

I’d never been to Matlock Bath before, I found Matlock easily enough, and asked for final directions when I filled up at a garage. I found it without trouble; there were two-strokes everywhere. My dry clutch made it’s wonderful tinkley noise as I crawled past the bikes looking for Strokerboy, and there he was. The day was going well.



After a bag of chips and a bottle of water in the glorious sunshine the police turned up. They decided that the bikes parked up on the wide pavement, were an obstruction, though I saw no problems. Parents and children were wandering among the bikes, pointing and looking. Bikers and non were buying things from the local traders, everyone was happy and carefree, apart from plod.

Several dozen two-strokes, in various states of tune, were coaxed into life and began ring-a dinging there way out of blue-smoke filled Matlock Bath. We decided we’d head back to the LC club campsite to meet a few chaps, chat, and have a look at their bikes. The 3MA and the 3XV headed off to Ashbourne, both running well.

At the LC Club’s camp site we parked up and had a wander round, there was a real variety of tackle, most of it nice, but not all to my tastes. The main reason I’d wanted to go to Ashbourne was to meet Warwick, a fellow 3XV owner and prolific contributor to the various Yamaha forums on the subject of 3XVs. Warwick wanted a photo of the attending 3XVs so they were duly line up, seven in total, which I believe equalled last years record attendance.



My packed Saturday schedule soon dictated that I head back home. I had to get home, showered and changed to go to the bar-b-que, then home and changed again to become “Mark Antony” and head off to the 40th Birthday Fancy Dress Party in the village. We said our goodbyes to Warwick, joked about Strokerboys “hand grenade” and if it would make it home, and set off. We travelled in convoy, stopping at the first garage to fill up with fuel yet again. We agreed we’d split and go our separate ways at the M18, and set off.

The bike was still going well, but the “wheel balance” vibration appeared to be getting worse, affecting the bike over a gradually expanding range of revs. All went well until we reached the M1, my bike suddenly dropped onto one cylinder. The engine temperature was fine, and I had to be home so I simply gave it enough throttle so that we settled into a cruise speed of around 80, and carried on. It was no worse than when I’d collected the bike, and I knew that internally it was now far healthier than it had been then.

As we approached the M18, it cut out all together. I coasted in gear, and switched to reserve fuel, early I thought, but I was now running a 125cc bike, at high throttle, and driving another non-firing 125cc engine at the same time. As I held the throttle wide, waiting for the fuel to get through and for the engine to catch again, the engine suddenly made an awful non-firing BLAHHH noise, as though the exhaust had fallen off, then it seized.

I got the clutch in quickly enough to keep the bike straight and made a Banzai dive for the hard shoulder. Strokerboy had seen the smoke from the back wheel as it locked and tucked in behind me.

We removed helmets and looked at the poorly 3XV. First we tried the kick start, solid. Then rocking it in gear, solid, then trundling it forwards in gear with clutch pulled and letting go of the lever, solid.

There’s never a policeman around when you want one.

It was down hill to the M18 exit, I thought I might be able to coats off the Motorway and arrange recovery myself from there. I wasn’t going to manage to get home for the bar-b-que so I rang the host to apologise. Without hesitation my friend (one of the group I go to the TT with) immediately offered to hitch up his trailer and come and get me and the bike, it’s nice to have good friends.

After a little discussion we decided the AA would be the best approach, so te call was made. We only had to wait about an hour, but during our wait we did see another AA van go past. You’ll see from Strokerboy’s later posted reply further down that they sent the biggest wagon they had. The tiny 3XV looked lost up there but we were on our way.

The AA chap who’d picked me up was coming to the end of his shift so arrangements were made to hand me and the bike over to another AA man at the next services. The switch went smoothly, with the 3XV being unloaded from the giant wagon, and transferred to a tiny dolly affair that made it look like it had been fitted with a double-sidewinder that held it a few inches of the ground.



We were off again, Strokerboy waved us off as he headed home and I settled back for the run home. It was mercifully traffic free but still seemed to take an awfully long time, perhaps I’m not used to travelling at 50mhp…

My wife was pleased to see me home, but not so pleased to see the 3XV. When I’d bought it the plan had been to get a “decent” bike that would not need any essential work. I’d be able to use it when I wanted to, and still make progress on the extension to our house. Since the day the 3XV had arrived it had constantly been in bits, and now it would have to be laid up until the house was finished, it had burnt all of it’s good will, and more besides.

My 3XV will be back on the road, but several ongoing projects, of which it was never intended to be one, dictate it must now wait in line.

Did I make it to the Fancy Dress 40th party, what do you think…? Wink



arlurt.


Last edited by arlurt on Sun May 13, 2007 8:26 am; edited 9 times in total
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 2:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

TZR250R RS (3XV) Part 4

I just can’t help myself…

Since buying the 3XV I’d become a magpie for anything 3XV on eBay. What ever came up I’d put minimum bid in, and if I actually wanted the item I might even bid what I thought it was worth. This process had produced a growing pile of essentially useless 3XV bits. I had airboxes, air filters, trumpets, one bent exhaust, a left hand switch unit, a spare barrel and head, 3 “SP” power valves, you get the idea…



I actually had plans for some of these items. The left hand switch unit had been swapped with the one on my bike. Mine had no headlight switch, but had a “Hazard” switch instead. The connections were the same, and simply swapping switches had got rid on the Hazard function and given me a headlight switch.

The bent exhaust was there for investigation. Some websites claimed that there was a restriction inside the expansion chambers which could be cut out, and the chamber then closed up again. The exhausts were certainly very heavy for a bike so light. I have a welder, and an angle grinder, I’ll have a look, one day…

arlurt.
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

arlurt wrote:
It’s Strokerboy’s fault I’m here… he knew more about TZR’s than I did, and I thought I might need a sobering influence… by the time he arrived I’d done the deal...

Not entirely my fault then ? Laughing

arlurt wrote:
The left hand switch unit had been swapped with the one on my bike. Mine had no headlight switch, but had a “Hazard” switch instead. The connections were the same, and simply swapping switches had got rid on the Hazard function and given me a headlight switch.

Can I suggest you re-instate the Hazard function ? You know, for when this happens again... Laughing Laughing

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PostPosted: Sun May 13, 2007 8:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well it's five months on, so where's the 3XV...? Embarassed



The garage is coming on well, all boarded out, and the rest of the house extension isn't far behind, so I'll be back to work on the TZR soon, and the other bike project that's waiting.

Just to keep my interest up, Strokerboy pointed me at an advert on one of the TZR forums...



Thanks "Honkdawillydahonk", they look great, just hope I get the bike running before too long so that I can hear how nice they sound as well.

Has anyone found a way of getting full engine gasket sets for a 3XV? My local Yam dealer told me there wasn't such a thing, but Yamaha do seem to do them for other bikes... I can get the gaskets individually for the bike, but they're not cheap. There's a chap in Australia doing genuine gaskets and bits, shipped from there and still cheaper than the dealer, but he hasn't got a full set either.

Any advice gladly received, I'll be happier taking it to bits knowing that some of the bits are in the bank to put it back together again!


Last edited by arlurt on Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:05 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 3:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another two months and my house extension has just passed the last but one inspection by Building Control. Pretty soon I'm going to have time to play with my bikes, so I've started to try to get the bits together.

I found an eBay seller SoutherCrossSports in Australia who is happy to ship to the UK, who is selling new gaskets and parts.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Yamaha-TZR250-3XV-gasket-set_W0QQitemZ230141397121QQihZ013QQcategoryZ35233QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

I've been dealing with Yuki by eMail and he's been really helpful, even today on a Sunday. He's put me a pack together and will post it next week.

On Strokerboy's advice I'm now a "Yahoo Japan" buyer using the "From Japan" agent. I thought my birthday had come early when I found these new parts and gaskets.



I decided I'd run to a £100, about 25,000 Yen, and put a bid in. The auction sat at 8500 Yen with me as the highest bidder for ages, then near the end I was out-bid. I put a half-hearted extra thousand in, but lost at 26,500 Yen. Sad

No matter, these were extras, and I'd probably do better focussing my money on what I really needed, rather than a lucky-dip goody-bag.

Of course my bike has bigger problems than just gaskets. Full engines come up on Yahoo regularly, but until now I've been nervous about buying. I'd been thinking of just buying a crank, not because it's cheaper, just easier to post.

Before I bid on anything that might make "From Japan" nervous I send them a note asking if they're OK to ship it. On one of my recent requests they told me they would ship a full engine, BUT, they wouldn't be able to tell me the cost until they had it at their office. If that was OK by me, it was OK by them. I started looking...



It's a standard "R" bottom end, with a wet clutch. I figured I had enough bits kicking round the garage, and my sick "RS" engine, to make a running "RS" dry-clutch motor. I wasn't bold enough in my bidding though, I came second. You never know how much you've lost by, because you don't know what the opposition were prepared to pay. Just they'd paid more than you. Rolling Eyes

Then I found a complete dry-clutch motor, jackpot! I can't read Japanese, so I don't know if it's an RS or an SP, or even if it's anygood come to that. I do know that it can't have knackered both cylinders though, and that's good enough for me.



It's missing carbs and that's about it. As ever there's a but... One of the head nuts is sheared, and an other has been hammered over. I think it's been in a smash, but I hope I'll be able to make one good one out of the pair.

I won it for 19,000 Yen ,and by the time I've added currency fees, commission, and shipping to the "From Japan" office I'm up to 23,800 Yen. That still short of £100, so I'm happy so far.

I intend to pull that head off and have a look. I'f I'm lucky I'll use a stud and nuts from my sick motor and me running. If I'm not I'll be stripping both engines and using the best bits from each.

I'm now waiting for the engine to arrive at their office, and for the bad news on shipping to the UK.

I'll add an update when I know.
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There was a note through the door from the postman today... There's £21.00 of import duty to pay on an item they're holding for me. Crying or Very sad

That'll be my gaskets then, there's no point trying to beat the system, may as well have just got 'em from my local Yamaha dealer. Yuki at Southern Cross Sports has done his bit, got 'em in the post fast at a good price, then the British got involved, Customs& Excise, and the Post Office.

My From Japan engine seems to have vanished from their system too. I agreed Rolling Eyes reluctantly, to a shipping cost of £200 for the engine and had expected confirmation of shipping and tracking details but nothing has arrived.

It's just not my week, the car was in for service yesterday, tyres, pads and service, £500 please. Sad And by the way, the reason your air con isn't working is that you need a new compressor, that's another £577 please.

I'm going to lay down in a darkened room for the weekend.
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 10:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've just been to the post office to collect my gaskets. All beautifully enclosed in cardboard, bubble-wrap and plastic bags, packed in padded bag. All there, all correct, all undamaged.

Thanks Yuki at Southern Cross Sports.



I had to pay another £21, demanded by HM Customs & Excise, which turned out to be £12 in duty, £8 for Royal Mail, and a £1 "Handling Charge". Southern Cross were certainly reasonable, £73 for the gaskets, and they did their best to get them through customs on the nod with the declaration.

The last gaskets (and seals) I bought from my Yamaha dealer were £72, and that was for a pair of base gaskets, a pair of head gaskets, and a pair of powervalve seals. The head gaskets were over £20 each, so even with the duty, I'm better off bringing my own in.

No news from "From Japan" yet, but I think this is becasue I've made them deal with an item, my engine, that they wouldn't normally consider. They're always polite, prompt and helpful, but it wouldn't surprise me if future requests to ship bike engines are refused. Stokerboy may have an alternative agent in Japan so I'll see how he gets on with his.
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 9:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i really feel so sorry for you, i have a 3xv1 tzr250r in red bull livery, got it from a small dealer in wokingham 3 years ago, 12,000 ish kph.
after a somewhat bad start, the bottom p/v had rusted solid, much sweet and toil and cleaning and greasing it was free and now working fine. next the very tiny filters in the carbs where the fuel lines join were blocked, easy that take out and rinse in petrol. next the fuel tap was somewhat clogged inc the diaphragm, again bit'o'work and that is sorted.
have changed the brake lines to goodridge and have ebc "hh" pads in the front, now run rock oil synthesis, new coolant and of we go.
no problems until last week when it failed the mot on a leaky fork seal, all sorted back on the road. have put about a 1000 miles on the bike inc some mega thrashing and (so far touch wood) not a problem at all!.



hope you have luck this time round, as a consequence of reading you above i am very much interested in how you got on to the yahoo auction site as i also have a tzr50r (4eu) import that needs many parts, it was only ever available in japan and no one here can get anything as they have never heard of it?. can you help me?
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi there!

Pleased your 3XV is going so well, I hope mine is before too long.

Both Strokerboy and I use an agent to buy bits on the Yahoo Auction site, they're called "From Japan", very polite, very efficient, (at least until I made them buy an engine) but a little pricey.

If it fits in a box and doesn't weigh too much they're spot on. Have a look at www.fromjapan.co.jp to see what they do and what their charging structure is like.

Strokerboy is trying an alternative independent chap for his bits at the moment. First purchases made, and bits on their way. You might want to ask him how he gets on there, he's buying NSR50 bits, KR250, and 3MA.

Good luck.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 11:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've had some contact from my Japanese agent about my replacement engine, but the news isn't good. Rolling Eyes

Having got a price from FedEx to ship the engine air-freght, 52,000 yen (£200+), it then turned out that it can't be air-freighted without a certificate confirming that the oils have been removed from it.

In an effort to help, and thinking it might be cheaper, I told the agent they could send the engine by sea. They agreed to have a look at the option and came back a few days later saying that sea-freight was the best/only option. I was given a complex cost breakdown, in three currencies, and with no total, and asked if they could proceed. With no other option I said yes.

Though I've yet to have it confirmed, I believe the engine is now on it's way.

If you've read the posts above you'll know there's almost always a sting in the tail, so here we go... Sad I've now had the sea-freght shipping cost estimated total from the agent, 100,000 yen (£400+). Crying or Very sad I'm an honourable person, so having entered into a deal where I agreed to accept a shipping cost that would be "quite expensive", I must now pay.

Just to rub a little salt into my open 3XV wound, shipping will take three months, and when it arrives in the UK, I will have to collect it from Southampton, 240 miles away.

Two-Stroke Yamahas are not my favourite bikes at the moment.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 12:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

just to add to your misery don't be surprised if there are import / handling and vat to pay as well
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeh, I was saving that little ray of sunshine for later. You'll see they did me for £21 on the gaskets I got from Southern Cross Sports in an earlier post.

If my understanding is correct, they'll only charge me on the value of the engine, the carraige and fees should be outside scope...

Fingers crossed. Confused
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 8:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It’s now more than two months since I won my engine on the Yahoo Japan auction site, and with luck it should be getting near to the UK. You may recall the massive container ship that went aground on the South coast and lost a good portion of its cargo? Well my engine is on one just like it, the NYK Aquarius.



It’s scheduled to take three weeks from Tokyo to Southampton, which is quicker than I expected for something that size, travelling that far at sea.

When the ship arrives in Southampton, and they find the container with my small box in it, the crate will be handed over to the UK freight agent. I will have to pay import duty and VAT, but in the first bit of good news this will be on the auction price of the engine, not the total of bid price, fees, and shipping.

In a second shock piece of good news, the freight agent has told me they will arrange transport of the crate from the port to my home address. Onward carriage appears to have been included in the cost of shipping charged by “From Japan”. I had previously been told that I would have to go to Southampton to collect it, a real pain when I live 240 miles away from Southampton.

Lets hope the good news continues... Smile
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