A sort of project

[Itsme]

Hi Thumerteers.

You may have read that I have my Suzuki GN250, aka The Mighty Midget, off the road at the moment as it refused to start after a run with a friend. My GW 250 Inazuma has become my everyday bike and I must say I am developing a new respect for it.

The MM is in need of lots of bits of work in order to bring it up to snuff, which could potentially cost 200 or 300 pounds if I do the lot, clutch plates, new stator, rebore etc. The only benefit from doing any of this would be that at 51000 miles and 30 years old the MM has proved to be a reliable workhorse and so if all were renewed would probably do another 50 or 60 thousand miles with no trouble. However before I commit to spending such sums I want to be sure I have it running again so I know what the problem was.

In making my investigations I had to pull the alternator cover which revealed the wiring from the stator was all a bit burned and the wiring from the ignition trigger was similarly a bit brittle. I had checked the charging rate before removing the cover and it showed a healthy 14.2 volts and the bike had a spark so both things were working but looked a bit worse for wear so I decided to remove them and rewire them.

I got the stator screws out with an impact screwdriver but the ignition trigger screws wouldn't budge. Enter my new favourite toy; a used pillar drill given to me by a friend who had replaced it with a milling machine as he now needs one for his metal work business. I've never had a pillar drill, but have loved how easy it makes tasks like accurately drilling out screws that are stuck. I am a long way from being any kind of engineer, but have done a job I am happy with.

Once I know the MM is running again I will undertake a full rebuild of the bike and replace all the bits that I have mended just to get it going again with new bits.

Watch this space!

Ian

[iansoady]

Before you know it you'll be getting a lathe!

I agree, a pillar or bench drill makes a world of difference in getting holes atraight and true.

[Itsme]

Hi TC people

I have been working my way through the problems which time and miles have bestowed upon the Mighty Midget so that I can get it running again and on the road. I have stripped and cleaned the carb and replaced the float needle and seat, replaced the wires coming from the stator which had clearly been made brittle by heat, replaced the connectors to the reg/rec and ignition black box. There has also been oodles of cleaning, de-greasing and renewing wiring loom insulation, fitting a new start button and throttle assembly.

When said quickly this sounds easy, but believe me everything has fought me all the way. I picked up the headlight glass to clean it and it fell into two pieces in my hand so I have to re-fit an old replacement, a screw jammed in the carb body took me 4 days of soaking in penetrating oil etc.

All of this makes me wonder why I'm bothering as not only do I have a perfectly usable Inazuma to ride, but I still don't know if the MM will run as you may recall I took it apart following a mystery refusal to start. But my guess is that as TC members you know very well why I am persevering, I'm doing it because me and the MM have done thousands of miles together and I love the little imp. No other reason needed really.

Ian

[Moto63]

Hi TC people
I am persevering, I'm doing it because me and the MM have done thousands of miles together and I love the little imp. No other reason needed really.

Ian

YOU said it Ian. That’s the ONLY reason one needs to keep Percy Vering. Keep at it and you WILL at some point in the future thank yourself for sticking at it 👍
Cheers, Michael

[Itsme]

Cheers Michael. Thanks for the encouragement and I know you are right, the first ride after doing all this work will be a belter and I can't wait.

Ian