Honda CR250 Full Restoration - Part 9 - The Bottom End

You asked for longer episodes, well your wish is my command! This week im restoring and rebuilding the bottom end of the CR250 2 stroke engine and it was no easy job i can tell you that for nothing.
So first up as per usual with engine building is to get all the parts all cleaned up so that we can see exactly what we are dealing with and this was done with the help of my trusty parts washer although i think the fluid could really do with being changed now. Once cleaned and dried i could start stripping the parts down even further, removing fixings, pulling bearings and documenting all the parts locations and numbers.
With the cases now empty i went out the sand blaster to remove all the paint and corrosion from inside and outside of the cases after that they were inspected to make sure there were no cracks anywhere, Im glad to say none were found so then i proceeded to use the grinder and a selection of files and sand papers to remove all the nasty grooves and nicks that have been inflicted on the cases through the years. With that done it was into the booth and the usual primer, paint and clear process was applied the only difference this time being the finish required was totally matte and im very happy with the way it turned out.
While the paint was drying i set about sorting the mechanical side of things this included sending the crank out to be rebuilt and rebalanced as i didnt have the equipment needed at my workshop to do it properly so best to send it out and have it done right. while it was away i ultrasonically cleaned the gear sets to ensure no contamination was hiding in there. I also took this opportunity to fire up the vapor blaster to restore all of the other parts to their former glory since they were all rusty from sitting in the water contaminated oil for all those years. As you can see from the video they came out like new.
After all that work it was simply a case of re-assembling the parts this was done properly by heating, cooling, torqueing, mating parts, shimming etc etc to build a bottom end just as tough as Honda built it back in 86.
And thats about it for this episode, I hope you will all join me next time to see the top and and the power valves getting rebuild.
Enjoy
RRC
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A new addition to my videos from now on will be a water mark and my channel name popping up in random places throughout the video as im getting rather tired of people re-uploading my content as their own i hope you guys understand.
If you like what you see and have any ideas for the channel or would even like to donate something to restore to the channel please get in touch. :)
And as usual if you liked the video please like share and subscribe and help the channel grow.
PATREON If you would like to help support the channel you can find my patreon account here / rrcrestoration
INSTAGRAM- www.instagram....
More videos can be found here- / @rrcrestoration
#Restoration #Honda#CR250
RRC Restoration
Honda CR250 Restoration - Part 9 - The Bottom End

[@billybike57]

Your work and craftsmanship is outstanding. For me it’s like watching a surgical procedure. Well done. 👍🏼

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you so much :)

[@charliefeneaux8996]

I've meant to say this many times, but now you've driven me to action. First of all, thank you for your great work. It's almost thrilling to see someone using the right tools, good technique and the right level of force (ie mostly minimal force) to disassemble, repair, renovate and reassemble machinery. The motorcycles are my favourite, but all of your videos are great. The lighting, positioning of the camera, editing, and even the jokes, raise your work far above most of the content on youtube. Your level of craftsmanship is becoming a benchmark; Ronald Finger is repairing a gpz1000rx on youtube and said something like 'this isn't an rrc restoration video' to explain why he wasn't making the thing pristine and perfect as well as making it run. My guess is that many other contributors are saying the same kind of thing. I'm ashamed to admit that I've been watching for a long while but have only just subscribed. Very ashamed. If you ever tackle a zzr1100 I will have to give you money as well. Anytime I'm talking about motorcycle renovation to someone, I recommend your videos. I rarely bother commenting on anything that's a bit off in any video, because usually the standard is low on youtube and everyone mostly knows that. But, Mr RRC, you're now so far above the flip-flop wearing hordes who reassemble, filthy worn-out motorbikes on the grit-blown floor of a tropical outhouse, that I want you to remain the best, and you've exhibited a touching humility before, so I hope you'll consider my next comments against the fact that a great many people, me included, want you to be the best, and get even better so that you're the err... bestest. There are three things in your CR250 engine rebuild that are problematic, apart from the wonky spring -- I'm not going to bother discussing the spring because I'm not sure that it makes much difference to anything. Maybe it does. I don't know. But right now, there are more important things to discuss. So.... 1. The locking taper for the generator rotor -- I think putting grease on that taper is a potentially big mistake. The woodruff key is not sufficient to stop the rotor from spinning. The taper is what locks the rotor onto the shaft; putting grease on it will reduce the locking effect, especially when it gets warm. The keyway, meanwhile, merely positions the rotor in approximately the right position for the ignition trigger coil. If the taper unlocks, you will not know about it until the ignition timing suddenly fails because the rotor has chewed the woodruff key to pieces. By that time, the debris of the key will in turn have damaged the surface of the taper, and then you'll spend a very very long time attempting to take the high spots off the crankshaft taper and the rotor's corresponding internal taper in an effort to get them to lock reliably again. Once compromised, it is very difficult to achieve the original level of integrity between these components. Save yourself this agony by unbolting the rotor now, clean all the grease off so that the locking is not compromised in any way and lock it up tight. The grease is unnecessary. It's very unlikely that the two steel surfaces will weld themselves together anyway. 2. The clutch basket. The wear grooves are very prominent on the tongues/fingers of the basket. Several other commenters have made this point. The clutch take-up will not be smooth on this bike if you leave it as it is. Another youtube contributor, G9 Garage, made a fabulous RM250 rebuild series and did a near-definitive piece on addressing the clutch basket wear. He had a milling machine though. At the very least, I suggest filing the grooves out and using a new plate to check simultaneous engagement of each hub 'tongue' with all the tabs of the plate. 3. The crankshaft. I yelped involuntarily when you hit it with a mallet. You will almost certainly have knocked your crank out of true. Hopefully not by much. But the outcome will be greater wear on the main bearings and the primary drive gears and greater vibration. The relationship between the crankpin on a pressed-up crank and the flywheels and main shafts is a delicate one. Hitting the flywheels or the shafts will minutely alter their orientation on the crankpin. The reliable way to check is to take the crank out, support the two mainshaft centres on a stand and turn them with a dial gauge on each mainbearing journal to measure the run-out. Then hit the flywheels in the right place with a mallet or put a wedge between the flywheels and hit that, to pull them into alignment. My guess is that you might prefer to hope and save all of that for next time, now that the crank is in the case. Many of us would feel the same way. Good luck with the rest of the series. Regardless of your choices, I'll enjoy seeing what you do next. Your videos make youtube a better place.

[@beakittelscherz5419]

This is the most positive constructive "criticism" l've ever read. Cudos! 👍👍👍

[@jamesleigh7401]

Loving all these restorations and I’m learning so much. This comment is also great but reminds me how little I know and how much there is to learn out there. I think I’ll look in to how to live forever first so I’ve got time to take it all in

[@kenkennedy5516]

Absolutely loving the brown dust coat…….real old skool class……just like Ronnie Corbett four candles shop sketch……every parts man had one 👍😎

[@RRCRestoration]

Loved the two Ronnies. Got any hose? no "o's" haha

[@vaux_wolf4281]

Four candles! No fork andles! andles for forks! 😂

[@markburrows4158]

@@RRCRestoration Billhooks

[@GnarlyFire]

I'm from Germany and I've been restoring motorcycles for about 25 years. For example CR 500, RGV 250, RD 350, KX 500 and many many more. I have to say that I really like the way you work. I can identify with it. Perfect work - keep it up. What else is to be said: It is certainly a lot of work to present these videos so perfectly. Also a big compliment for that.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you so much that means a lot to me :)

[@KensWorldRestorations]

Tears are shed all across the world whenever an RRC Restoration video comes to an end...

[@mervynpurbright5049]

Lol. True love! He is good tho.

[@samwybrow1171]

Who else DESPERATELY wants to see a full restoration of the snap on tool box ? As always, quality craftsmanship and entertainment video. No other Chanel like it on KZbin 👍

[@johnsmith-eg3wm]

Congrats on 500k!! You deserve it, you have the best, most thorough, and most satisfying restorations on KZbin as far as I’m concerned

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you so much for your kind comment it means so much to me :)

[@beakittelscherz5419]

Absolutely true👍

[@jimio5832]

@@RRCRestoration Just curious , after you replaced the clutch plates , i did not see the long centre screw , mainly used and tuned for clutch grip ,then you installed the rightside engine cover , or this model need not to use that centre long screw ? Please advise , thank you.

[@robby539c_2]

I love the slow, methodical way you approach the rebuild. Kinda therapeutic too. Keep it up👍🏼

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you glad you like it :)

[@BS32768]

This channel is the closest thing to magic I've seen in real life - every step of the way, the tool magically appears and you know just the right thing to do. I almost didn't believe it when the connecting rod thing had to be outsourced. I'm not sure how and when you acquired these skills - this is my favorite channel to watch these days.

[@Nifilheimur]

Dont know why i love engine rebuilds so much. its just so interesting to see how diffrent manufacturers build components diffrently to reach the same goal. Great job as always!

[@RRCRestoration]

Im the exact same i find it very interesting to see all the different approaches to the same problems.

[@TN_HondaDad]

Just as amazing it is to you see reassemble the bottom end, even more amazing the Honda engineers to design the mechanical internal workings with so many small pieces all working together. Beautiful video and it was very therapeutic watching you rebuild it. THANK you for no background music too. I enjoy hear the clicking of the sockets, the seating of bushings and the soft blows of the rubber mallet. :=}

[@VanderGroejn]

Congrats to the 500k. You're really worth it. Cheers mate 🍻❤

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you so much :)

[@c6quad3]

Awesome work as usual on your channel! One thing I noticed that you may have overlooked was the condition of the clutch basket and inner clutch hub. In the video you can clearly see notches in the basket and inner hub where the clutch discs make contact under load. It's common wear and tear on the basket and hub. When those notches get too bad though the clutch won't operate as smooth as it should. You can clean it up with a file to get a little more life out of the basket and hub. Just wanted to point that out to you in case you didn't know and it's something to keep in mind on any future engine builds you might do.

[@davepalmatier5190]

I'm a Perfectionist and you are Top Notch MY Friend love watching you work. BEAUTIFUL

[@tomk4199]

If only all aspects of my life could be restored and put together with such care!

[@j-tizzle82]

I just love the attention to detail you put into every part of your projects. I wish someone would strip my Harley Davidson down and give it the full RRC Restorations treatment.

[@Flesharrower]

I was going to say, that wee ultrasonic cleaner jam packed with gears was hilarious! New one indeed!

[@RRCRestoration]

Yup, Upgrade imminent lol

[@aderiley6592]

Just found your channel! Got to say I'm finding it hugely beneficial to my first ever restoration, a 1982 Suzuki TS125ER. Keep up the great work on these vids. the editing (and workmanship) I've seen so far is top drawer. Looking forward to watching more of your vids. Thanks for sharing your process 🙏

[@sideast]

Could watch these 24/7 !!!

[@badlarry172]

loving all the extra angles and shots, the grease brush goin back into the pot, the scooby start up/overhead exit and glossy paint filling of the cups etc. Great stuff

[@kevowski]

Thoroughly enjoyed watching this Thank you for sharing 👌🏻

[@chriswaters4846]

well i must say.... and again we are not surprised at how this turned out so far its blooming brilliant! cant wait to see the full package great as always.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you very much :)

[@R2D2trashcan]

Nice to see special guest appearance by the Rex 👍

[@yokosomike]

Bravo... I was mesmerized at the detail and expertise. Arigato.

[@Gary.Holmes]

Another great vid. I restored and rebuilt a Yamaha 125 when I was a teenager and would love to go through the process again, about 40 years later. I keep looking at autotrader trying to find something to play with. Thanks for the inspiration, mate!

[@garyjones2582]

Mama said, Always keep your bearings, for another project.. You're really good at this stuff.. take care my friend...

[@re-fix9678]

Very nice👍👍

[@Furrylicorice]

Just how organized you are is relaxing to watch. Love the videos.

[@Brax2700]

I'm restoring a 1987 cr125, these are awesome bikes. It's awesome to see someone doing the same stuff I have done but on a higher more skillful level, keep it up!

[@sambuvca22]

that explains all the storage bins. very nice

[@lindsaymerritt975]

You’ve bought a vapour blaster! I’m envious. Perfect for quality finishing. Thanks for the latest episode, great workmanship. 😊

[@RRCRestoration]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@thomasmitchum1969]

I watch a lot of restoration videos on here, and in my opinion, you are by far the best one I've found. The care you take with each part. The minute things you always take into account when prepping, like the little gouge mark you sanded and ground out. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have even been noticed, but you took the time to make it perfect. Fantastic job. I love your videos. Keep up the fantastic work. I can't wait until the next one.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you so much for your kind comment its much appreciated :)

[@badrinair]

Nice work. We need to keep old machines alive.

[@beakittelscherz5419]

Another well done repair! The motor rebuild is always one of my favorite 👌👍

[@TheSar]

Nice Big End - well done, Sir. All is well with the world when RRC gets another video posted.

[@eko89er]

That was the most satisfying bearing install I've ever seen.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you :)

[@michaelarcangel3694]

Awesome work as usual! I love watching old motocross bikes being restored to showroom new.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you :)

[@jamesfield5346]

That Subaru of yours is absolutely badass❤

[@C0zyDunt]

How satisfying was those bearings going into the case!

[@anthonywannup]

As far as I'm concerned, you were sent by God, to show us how it should be done ! No kidding, this is an awesome content ! Thanks for your work !

[@RRCRestoration]

you're too kind :)

[@cjr6564]

Excellent work as usual bud. The Dust coat is starting to get a nice "patina" to it. A great trick we used to play on other apprentices was to sneak up on an unsuspecting "victim " from behind and grab the two ends either side of the rear vent and pull! A very satisfying "riiiip" sound and the victim now had a coat torn clean up the back! What larks we had as apprentices, being sent to the stores for a "long wait", a can of "elbow grease" or a tin of "tartan paint".

[@RRCRestoration]

Haha thank you im glad about it building up a nice patina i was feeling very out of place with it so new and clean looking haha. Aww man that's just pure evil but i can imagine the rip sound would have been epic! haha

[@dukerider0319]

Awesome work as always, and will look like it’s just left the factory once you’ve finished your magic!

[@matijaveljic5231]

This is soo hypnotising to watch

[@georgegrierson]

Couple of things I noted... First how good it was to keep the transmission gears assembled on their respective shafts. They were in such good shape that all they needed was a dunk together in the ultasonic cleaner. Made reassembly so much easier! Second was that awesome set of vice grips you used to keep things from turning while you tightened the nut on the shaft... COOL! And I wish I had one!

[@Reman1975]

Yeah, I could have used them 30 years back when I tinkered with bikes. They look far more convenient than the random lengths of steel with stubs of nails welded on them that I used to struggle along with. :D

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you, yeah I never like to separate gearsets unless its totally necessary as i feel all that's going to happen is a thrust washer will be missed and the whole lot will need to be split again.

[@georgegrierson]

@@RRCRestoration that would make for a bad day...

[@mikeshobbiesandrandomstuff]

Awesome 👍 looking forward to the next one.

[@murraykriner9425]

Brilliant example of a proper built bottom-end. The Fairy Folk must frequent your shop quite regularly, as that case showed a fair bit of magic indeed. Warmest regards and fairest weather my thorough friend.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you so much :)

[@keitho77]

And not a Haynes manual in sight!!! Great job!

[@jimsound7888]

don't you dare change.......................I learn something new every time

[@RRCRestoration]

Glad i can pass on some of my knowledge :)

[@nahimibrahim107]

Absolutely stupendous work!

[@frankierutherford1888]

Keep up the good work my friend.

[@tomatoknuckles]

Top class workmanship and editing as always. Coming on great 👍

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you :)

[@ninoellison7793]

Hypnotic, mesmerizing and simply brilliant!

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you :)

[@nicolaspaglia3760]

I have been waiting! What a Good Friday lol

[@RRCRestoration]

Hope you enjoyed it :)

[@NubbyEvo]

I think I counted 5 or 6 cuts of you just pouring paint and thinner into a paper cup. It's impressive the amount of effort you put into making something as mundane as pouring stuff into a cup visually interesting.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you very much I'm really glad you appreciate the effort I go to :)

[@refiii9499]

Great tutorial as normal on rebuilding anything you do! Very helpful for people who wish to get into the hobby. Only thing I would have done differently is two things. From 1981-87 Honda used a greasy looking black that was 50% gloss on their engines. Your black is more like the 1988-92 black with a satin sheen. The engine black is the same from 83-87. The other thing for your early 80’s engine is gasket color. Honda used a flat black engine gasket. You can take those new green color gaskets and take a sharpie too them to get that proper black color on the reveal where they stick out between the two cases. All the gaskets of all the 80’s years built were black. Or look up original non superseded part number and find on eBay or somewhere like that. I have a ton of 80’s original black gaskets for all the quads and atc’s and dirtbikes. Awesome video!

[@RRCRestoration]

Great info thanks for leaving the comment. I would have liked black gaskets but couldn't find any but yeah that was my plan after they were trimmed down to go over them with a marker to hide them ;)

[@alexbrown1995]

Wow, that is seriously pedantic. Love it!!

[@rubendaza7543]

One of the best chapters so far! Greetings from Colombia!

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you very much :)

[@martinmchattie2426]

I really enjoy your videos, something very therapeutic about them. I would love to see a detailed video explaining your plating process though.

[@bren106]

Finally, someone using JIS on a Japanese bike restoration, well done Sir. Maybe others I've seen did, but if so they weren't clearly marked or with that distinctive blue on. And when the right tools are cheaper than the Honda price for replacement screws there's no logic to not having them.

[@Sgv1987]

I'm looking forward to your new video. you are very cool!

[@cbadnc9040]

Congrats on 500,000! Keep it up!! The repair on the water pump on Patreon was excellent! I suggest everyone join and check out the video.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you so much, Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@andreson21]

Its simply fine art.

[@cesarecannone7724]

Excellent work...thank you Teacher.

[@bowlerball4246]

Great work pal.. always so relaxing to watch, Easily the best channel on YT for restorations! Keep up the great work ✌🏻

[@RRCRestoration]

you're too kind thank you :)

[@loickplatel2697]

Un travail absolument magnifique ! Merci pour toutes ses vidéos.

[@horstszibulski19]

Impressive how smooth the bearing install went! I always struggled with them... Great filming and editing, thx a lot! :-D

[@Masteroftee]

Amount of work u do with video editing and puting camera everywhere is amazing...

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you, Glad to see my efforts don't go unappreciated :)

[@flippyfiller]

Love your work! From 🇨🇦

[@buckleheid]

The attention to detail is second to none, as always with this content, i cannae wait for the next vid and the final build.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you :)

[@waynetrain8033]

Always enjoy watching you put together a mechanical puzzle! Great work as always 👊

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you, Glad you like it :)

[@PaulHarkey44]

A huge congratulations to you for 500k subscribers!! You deserve all of that and much much more! Brilliant work every single time!

[@chadhanebrink8009]

I’m about to do my first bottom end ever on a little Yamaha GT80. Thanks for the how to. I’m feeling more confident now.

[@RRCRestoration]

Good luck.

[@Shikimorirorokun]

The placing of the bearings with hot and cold was superb and incredibly pleasant. Congrats on 500k you deserve even more. Cheers mate.

[@autopassion27]

Great progress, this engine looks brand new!!!

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you :)

[@carloseduardomunozcardona1915]

Este canal hace de KZbin lo mejor para desestresarse cada ves que hay un vídeo nuevo.gracias por todo.ya era hora de que todo tu entrega y calidad sea reconocida.felicitaciones por tus 500k,este es sólo el comienzo, éxitos y bendiciones.saludos desde armenia Quindio 👍💝✌️🍻🍺

[@aidanf1654]

As a subscriber for quite a while now this video was only recommended to me today. Three days late....whilst useless crap is recommended all over my main page.

[@hipouhipou3]

Perfect work and clean

[@Stephen.C.]

Honda engineering, so good. Consistently so .

[@Whobghilee]

Such attention to detail! Love your vids brother!

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you so much :)

[@Kerry70]

Another great video! Thank you for all your hard work, especially as it looks to me like you add twice the time to actually do your work with all the camera moves!

[@RRCRestoration]

Thanks for watching :) Ive roughly figured it out to be a 1hr job ends up taking 3 by the time you factor in all the filming and editing etc

[@davidhiscock1969]

I do like that puller set up . Simple idea/ design that works extremely well. When you put the casing in the oven I was waiting for the on screen message to read " place on middle shelf at gas mark for 20 minutes or until golden " 😊🤣 . Sweet work as always fella

[@TiroxSnapJack]

Incredible content .....tools I have never seen before--Note* do a pop up tagging your kool tools names- brand and name. Bravo Supremo !!

[@pascaljeske7307]

Oh yes a very perfect Work i Love the Video your Videos and Work is amazing 👍❤️👍

[@dieterich6533]

Nice work 👍

[@minorityofone1510]

Great job. When i saw the casing going in the oven i thought you were nrxt going to promote a new channel "Baking with RRC". 🤣🤣

[@andymiller5611]

Absolutely fantastic video! As awesome as always!

[@markhowlett8070]

Outstanding sir

[@ragnarironspear1791]

Awesome craftsmanship

[@rogerquenault7207]

You workmanship never ceases to amaze me thats going to be one beautiful bike, I had an RM 250 X the first of the full floaters and raced against the early water cooled Hondas lovely motors pulled really well low down.

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you so much :)

[@tonyross2947]

Great job mate! Love watching your videos...

[@redzed40]

I remember those dust coats had one when i started work in 79

[@glennmoreland6457]

A high quality restoration

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you :)

[@wesleycardinal8869]

A 45 minute RRC episode means a relaxing morning with a cup of coffee. Brilliant work as usual and congratulations on 500k, you deserve more 👍🇦🇺

[@alexbrown1995]

This Aussie was drinking a mug of Yorkshire Proper Strong tea while watching.....

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you so much, Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@theravedaddy]

Oh praise the lord....new content! Apparently the only video you have made is the lawnmower restoration..... which susan keeps recommending it to me every day.... since you uploaded it.

[@jayjays_shed2158]

Great video as always 👍, and congratulations on 500k. My ocd was triggered when you tensioned 5 of the 6 clutch bolts though. Keep up the great work 👍.

[@YammyCookiez]

Long awaited coming together nicely!

[@RRCRestoration]

Thank you, Always a pleasure to hear from you :)

[@jeffdavison8421]

I seen one thing your missing on the water pump install. There's a anti cavitation plate that sits under the water pump cover. It wasn't there when you tore the motor down. One other suggestion. When I assemble my bottom ends I use Allen head cap screws where permissible. Those JIS Phillips heads are just terrible and prone to stripping. Your work is excellent just the same. Jeff Davison. Saginaw, Michigan. USA.

[@JohanH1990]

Love those videos, great work. And with masking, tap a hammer on the edge and you will end up with clean sharp lines without the effort off cutting the tape

[@abdellahbouincha3519]

I really enjoyed. Thank you

[@cider999]

oh, pure joy, like always!

[@lrdisco2005]

Just a thought. If you need a bigger ultrasound cleaner then it's just a matter of keeping the electronic kit and making a bigger bucket for the parts. You know you can!