Paging screamineagle....

[GearJammer]

screamineagle, If it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you please be willing to re-post your EXCELLENT Tech Tip on rebuilding handlebar control switch housings when you get a chance ?

It would be a valuable resource for many others that stop in. Thanx in advance & Ride Safe.... :wink:

[screamineagle]

Well GJ, since you asked SO nicely...LOL.

Done! Well at least the written part is done. I'll add the pics in a little bit.

[GearJammer]

Far out! And thanx very much, Brother! I'm sure CTC will get it over to the FAQ section when he gets a chance.

So how's that Rebel treating ya ? Been busy riding I hope....

[screamineagle]

GJ, What's happinin'?

No problem.

Sorry CTC for putting the switch thread in the wrong room. Guess I'm still a newbie...LOL.

Well GJ, as you know I've gotton her back together. And I've had her out everyday since Friday. Today was a bummer though. Started to rain right after I got off of work. So I didn't get a chance to get any seat time in tonight :( .
The bike is doing ok. I can't seem to get her over 45 mph on a slite incline though. On flats she tops out at about 50. I just can't beleve that I can get through all 5 gears before I hit 35 mph. I beleve all this is because of the chattering I'm hearing from under the valve cover. Guess it's time to do some valve adjustments...LOL.

Anyway, I'm hopeing to get to that start switch rebuild this weekend. Unless of course it's nice out. Then you know what I'll be doing....LOL.

[GearJammer]

Hey, that's GREAT that you've got the bike on the road where it belongs & are enjoying it, as it should be.

Yep, the chattering can indicate a need for valve adjustments.

How's the carb seem ? Idle nice 'n even ? Choke adjusted properly ? Any flat spots thru the range of shifting ? Not sure if you decided to tear down & clean the carb or to add SeaFoam, but if the carb isn't quite up to snuff & you get it to where it should be, you'll pick up considerable performance right there (along with the valve adjustments).

Another thought is the final drive chain tension. If it's too tight (probably not the case here), it could cause undue wear on the sprockets. If it's too loose, there's a chance of throwing the chain. If tensioned to spec, you can also pick up some performance enhancement from that area as well.

Either way, it sounds like you're having a blast & more saddle-time is no doubt only going to get better & better...Congrats!

[screamineagle]

Yeah, she's on the road, but she's still a work in progress.

It's starting to get a little too cold to be doing any work outside right now. I don't have the benefit of having a garage, so all my work is done out in the open.

I went to take her out for a ride the other day and she wouldn't start. Found out that the battery was dead. So now I have one on order.
It seems like I'm the only one in this town with a Rebel, and the battery is breed specific. Wal-Mart doesn't even have one. They can get them for the 450's, just not the old 250's.

Anyway,

No, I never did get to taking the carb off yet. But I'm leaning towards having to rebuild it.
She idles a little rough and I just put new plugs in her.
Shoot, I still need to do an oil change on her. But I think I'm going to wait till next season before I do all that.

I haven't opened the air box as of yet either.
I have built a system to be able to put a small paper filter on the bike though. So once I get that on I'll get to the carb.

I've been putting high test fule in her in hopes of cleaning the jets a little.
Just had to refill her the other day after getting her push started ( I love having a clutch...LOL). That's one tank of fule I've been through so far.
I think I'm just going to put some fule stabiliser in the tank, run it through a little, pull the tank and seats, and cover her up for the winter.
I wound up braking the rear seats cover when I was working on the bike one day, so they need to be recovered anyway.
I might get to the valves if the weather holds out this weekend. Keep you fingers crossed.

The chain tention is fine. I adjusted it when I put the rear tire on. I'm going to need to clean and relube the chain next season though. But other then that I think It's just a matter of getting her to breath better, getting the gunk cleaned out of the carb and getting it adjusted, and getting the valves tightened up.
After that I should be crusing with the pack...LOL.

[GearJammer]

You're obviously into owner involvement & I respect that highly 8)

Yep, it's definitely a hard way to go without a garage. My landlord was cool enough to provide me with a "shed" that measures 12'x16', so it's actually a shop. Before that I had 3 bikes stashed in a 6'x10' shed & had to do the wrenching outside when the weather was warm. Dedication will carry you thru tho'. Remember reading about some guy who built a chopper from the ground up while it was parked on the street outside his apartment in the city of Boston. I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night, LMAO!

Please keep in mind that www.jcwhitney.com probably carries the right battery for your Rebel & the price should be reasonable (not sure about the shipping charge off-set for a heavy item like that tho', worth checking it out).

When you get to the carb rebuild next season, you'll be glad you went thru it & the performance will definitely be noticeable immediately.

If you're still riding a bit before putting it up for the season, you also might try some SeaFoam in the gas tank for some cleansing action in the short term. In the long term, the carb rebuild will serve you well.

When you finally do decide to put her up for the season, the Stabil you mentioned is definitely a good idea & please remember to pull the battery & store it on a block of wood until you take her back out from under wraps.

Once you've gotten everything attended to & adjusted, you should be good to go for a fairly good amount of time aside from normal maintainence. These Rebels (like all well-taken care of Japanese bikes) are definitely turn-key & boogie! :wink: