Yamaha RD250 -Compulsory MoT Test for Classic Motorcycles (Controle Technique)

Clare & I take two very different bikes, separated by 40 years, for their first compulsory controle technique (MoT). What happened and did they pass?
#yamaha
#RD
#2stroke
#motorcycle
#classicmotorbike
#mot
#motovlog

[@cbrider726]

I love the sound of that engine . Takes me back to the 70s . Two stroke smoke and great hazy cray dayzs . Total magic thanks . Pitty we dont have smelly vision . The smell of two stroke oil and that sound 👍👍👍You have done a fantastic job with that bike. Many thanks for taking us on your journey .Thanks 👍👍👍👍

[@RepairandRideout]

You're welcome, really pleased that you enjoy the videos

[@nobbybrown8056]

In reality a good lubed o ring chain might take 0.1hp in worse case scenario, if you can notice that you'd have to have a better backside than me!!!!!!!! The MOT tester is on something! Fantastic job on the rebuild, the RD sounds fantastic. I am so jealous, I've just turned 60 but remember the day I was 17 (May 81), out on my yellow RD250E, like it was yesterday. Thank you once more for bringing back the memories. I still would love to get one and re-trace my routes to the chippies and pubs me and my mates used to go to. 'Them wer the days' listed to me, I'm an old fart 🤣

[@RepairandRideout]

Similar age then. I had a fizzy in 81 passed my test on that and then again for 125+. They changed the law when I was 17 so I had to put 125 stickers on my bike! Anyway get yourself a two stroke and go get that bag of chips

[@deedahinkent]

What an absolute peach of a bike ! You have done a real good job took your time and made sure everything is working to it's optimum level a very interesting project thanks for sharing it with us👍

[@RepairandRideout]

Thank you, it turned out to be easier than I thought. That was the first time I’d split an engine and had the crack out and gearbox on the floor. Pleased you enjoyed it

[@andybobandy641]

Well congratulations on doing such a fantastic job building that spectacular specimen of an RD!

[@RepairandRideout]

Thank you

[@zx81uk]

Modern 2T oils: After watching too many of these KZbins - I just had to get back to my 2 stroke days which started in 1975 when I could not afford a new FS1E and got my Puch Maxi N2, but that's another story. So in looking for 'my' FS1E that I never had, I reasoned why not buy an RD350 YPVS from eBay for GBP 5300.00. That was 3 years ago and I now reckon my bike is worth 10 grand in the smiles per mile :0) Plus the added satisfaction from being able to rebuild the bike myself, I now can't think of another bike I would prefer to ride. In the course of this, one thing I set out to do was to replicate that 'Castrol R' smell which you can no longer buy. At first I had been testing various synthetic 2T oils, but found none of them smelled too good including the strawberry flavoured one! However, I can confirm that all the modern 2T oils I tried produced hardly any smoke once fully hot! Most recently I have been testing 'Morris Lubricants' of Shrewsbury, UK. They have 'Racing C30' 2T castor oil which is commonly used in Kart racing. This is now the closest I've got to the original Castrol R 'bean oil' smell. It also makes my whole garage smell lovely to walk into, even a week after running my bike! You have to take care not to mix this oil with 'mineral' or 'synthetic' oils and it feels like it might be a bit too thick for auto-lube - however, it smells exactly like it should and I'm very happy to continue using it in my auto-lube. (Even more surprising is this oil hardly smokes at all when its fully hot, which hopefully means less carbon build up.) (I get loads of smoke from a cold start, then takes about 2 miles to get fully hot and clear away. This C30 2T oil, is a 'clear' colour in my 'clear' oil tubes, so I'm working on a getting a compatible dye to make it red or blue! There is a guy on these rdlccrazy.proboards.com/ forums known as 'Arrow', he is the god of rebuilding RD oil pumps - it's not so easy as you might think. By extending my clear oil lines into separate bottles, I have made it easy to check the output of my oil pump, (about every 500 miles), while feeding the carbs from a 'life support' pre-mix bottle. Also a shout out to Dilly Dilly Dave - on KZbin, Search: David Wright lc people), thanks for all the fantastic work he does fixing up LC's.

[@agee8322]

Maxima 927 smells just like castrol R

[@RepairandRideout]

I managed to seize my fizzy engine (one of many, many occasions in the piston chopping, over porting big carb fitting and baffle removing quest for 60mph) by mixing castrol R with regular two stroke oil. I use the most readily available oil from the supermarket which is semi synthetic. I do get some smoke on a cold start up but it does clear very quickly. The teenage 50cc tuning is still a thing here and once in a while you catch a whiff of something exotic.

[@RepairandRideout]

Just wanted to say good luck with all your alchemy and the LC, I’d really like to get one someday

[@andrewp7385]

Castrol 747 is what you want

[@user-oz5mg5mx8k]

Can’t beat a 2 stroke, that sound brings back memories of much joy on my X7. How things change, I paid £300 for my second X7 back in 91 and a beautiful bike it was too. Oooooh they were the days…

[@RepairandRideout]

It takes me right back to

[@JukeboxGothic]

I changed my 400 to tapered roller head bearings recently. It has improved what was already excellent handling. Your bikes a credit to you.

[@RepairandRideout]

Thank you

[@sidecarbod1441]

Here's a bit of rough science for you! If the chain was robbing you of power to the tune of 5 BHP then I presume that this is due to friction caused by the o rings, friction converts energy into heat. Now 1 bhp is around 740 watts so 5 BHP would be 3700 watts or 3.7 kW. So your chain would be putting out more heat than a 2 bar electric fire!

[@RepairandRideout]

Great for winter riding! I thought it a bit much to claim that about of hp loss down to the chain. Pretty sure that back in my fizzy days if we’d have thought there was power to be had there we would have swapped the chains from our 3 speed push bikes

[@Jagshemasher]

@@RepairandRideout - he's talking compete nonsense. If O-ring Chains produced that level of energy loss - 5 HP ~ 3500W it would burn the rubber up.

[@marcmorris-kb9ry]

On a 125 2 stroke always normal chain ..on 250/300 enduro usualy used o ring......us mere mortals never need more ....😂

[@mastercraft5798]

I had an RD400E in the early 80's, what a thrill! At that time... it was simply the best way to lose your license!

[@RepairandRideout]

Happy days, simpler times

[@geofwassell]

Chain: O ring chain Verses non O ring chain. I went from a 2012 suzuki GSF 650 ( with o ring chain and scottoiler) to a 1975 Yamaha xs650 with conventional non o ring chain and scottoiler. Both bikes had centre stands. I found that the Yamaha rear wheel would just carry on spinning a bit longer than the Suzuki rear wheel and drew the same conclusion as your MOT tester. There are other factors in play such as gearbox drag, final drive sprocket seals, suzuki rear disc brakes might drag a little more than yamaha rear drum brake and even the grade and temperature of oil in the respective gearboxes so nothing really conclusive.

[@IMG-Photography]

Oh wow, I had one of these versions in blue. I still remember the reg plate but can't remember the exhausts looking like that. I assume they are 'expansion chambers' ? Just goes to show how good a mechanic I was, remembering the plate but not what exhaust was on🔧🔧🔧. Seriously though, I remember every Saturday morning cleaning and adjusting the plug gaps, chain tension, along with other bits of maintenance, something that would take half a day to do now on modern machinery

[@rogercamp2910]

The CT guy was right about the O-ring chain. The o-rings cause friction between the side plates. The o ring chain traps the factory made

[@rogercamp2910]

Just wanted to add. The o rings keep the factory inserted grease in, but don't allow any re-greasing. Better is too buy a roal of normal chain and cut to length. Will probably last longer with careful maintenance.

[@Scott-ph2yk]

Interesting to see how the French MOT is handling vintage bikes. A sneak peek into the future for all of us.😮 Battery - how about an AGM battery next time you replace? No acid spills. Repair - clean and degrease, clean again, sand, mask off, prime, paint. Easy job. Chain question - Interesting, but doubtful claim. Use the best quality chain you can, keep it cleaned, lubed, and adjusted properly. Check the wear regularly. Inspect your sprockets for wear too. Bike sounds good. Carbs sound crisp. Sounds like the 250 revs a little quicker than the 350 does. Beautiful countryside on your ride. Oil - You can always test your oil pump output. Check your manual for the procedure, or I can share mine. Bleed and flow test your pump to avoid nasty surprises. 😊 Pump rebuild kits are available and easy to do. Historically, the Yamaha oil pumps are pretty reliable. Happy Motoring Ride safe

[@RepairandRideout]

I have switched to a sealed gel battery now. I had to use a lead/acid with the updated (and now replaced with a Vape system) combined regulator/rectifier. I have a can of frame paint somewhere in the garage, it didn't cross my mind that it would be picked up! Overall I'm happy with how it's running, still lean I think. Next up a plug chop.

[@Scott-ph2yk]

@@RepairandRideout Good stuff! I had the 350 out this afternoon for a run. Great weather today; sunny, dry humidity, about 22c. Met some two stroke fans at the farm market. A nice afternoon ride.

[@charliepatterson9321]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 CONGRABULATIONS ! Heavy on the GRAAAAB

[@liferider2089]

Not much smoke?! Great tuning,compressions etc.Sweet tickity exhaust sound ;)

[@bobleach2741]

I used to sell these new and mot all bikes whatever age. how can he say the frame was rusted (ie battery acid) when the usual place for corrosion is on the welds especially the swinging arm or the center stand. In over 40 yrs of working on motorcycles I have never seen a corroded head stock, we always repainted for looks not for corrosion. advice if it has points always set them up with dial gauge and meter never gap them.

[@RepairandRideout]

Thanks for your comments, I was surprised at the test findings. I’d been over the bike and those two items hadn’t even occurred to me

[@frankdillon6127]

in the US with all our problems, the motorcycle detailed safety check thankfully isnt one. thats B.S. but what can you do.

[@janewiggs3418]

lovely french roads.

[@billwhite8479]

Although the 400 was much better...I had the 250 too...both of them fun

[@daveswarbrick5576]

I can't see how swapping to a non O ring chain can gain you 5HP , more maintenance for sure. Could just be the camera, but i couldn't see any blue smoke out of those pipes!

[@RepairandRideout]

I noticed that too, subsequently I added a little oil to the fuel tank

[@daveswarbrick5576]

@@RepairandRideout I was expecting a bit of blue haze when you were giving it the beans, might be worth checking the oil pump settings again .

[@RepairandRideout]

@@daveswarbrick5576 I'm surprised at the lack of smoke. The pump/shims are set so that, in theory, it should be slightly over oiling. Do you think that it is modern oil that burns cleaner? Other than the tank full for the MoT, I have been adding a little oil to the tank, to supplement the pump

[@cbrider726]

@@RepairandRideout Yes after the rebuild a bit more oil would def help. The Yam always smoked even from new ???? maybe take another look at the settings . it would be a sad if you damaged the engine after so much work.

[@daveswarbrick5576]

@@RepairandRideout modern 2 stroke do burn a lot cleaner, but i'd still expect some blue some under load and part throttle,i could be totally wrong just seems a little odd.

[@user-sn2gv1nl7j]

Hmm wow interesting in the fact that any age of bike doesn't need an MOT in france. I wouldn't have known that. But it's been introduced. Tis different here. New bikes cars unless involved in major accident don't need MOT for first 3 years then MOT applies. Introduced here few years ago once a vehicle reaches 40 years old it becomes tax MOT exempt. You can still choose to have MOT if owner not mechanically minded. But that age of vehicle is usually owned by someone who knows vehicle inside out and there ain't that many age vehicles on road. I got 2 LC 350s a Suzuki GS 750 of 1979 vintage and a superdream 400 that's only a couple of years away from the magic big 4 - 0. Happy days. As a motorcycle mechanic I've worked in motorcycle workshops most me time been heavily involved with bikes like forever so know more than enough when one is fit and one needing attention. Hey nice day in Cornwall today. Think me 350 LC coming out to play awhile. Enjoy. Phil the dood

[@RepairandRideout]

Only recently 50cc mopeds required at log book. Simplified, bikes older than 2017 have to be mot’d by the end of Aug and bikes 2018/2019’s by the end of next year. We’re advised that if you have an aftermarket exhaust get it mot’d by the end of this year as noise emissions tests come in for 2025. 2 LC’c and in Cornwall, now I’m jealous !

[@brianharper8304]

end of august if registered before april 15 on carte gris or end of December if after is how I read but I may be wrong , lol

[@sergechelton4818]

i would imagen an o ring chain on a motorcross bike would rob power,because there is more area of chain for mud dust etc to cling too.

[@RepairandRideout]

It's the first time I've heard of such a thing

[@DontCryAboutIt]

Holy nit picking.

[@Jagshemasher]

Is that its original colour? I had an RD400 in that colour but I never saw an RD250 in that colour. Emissions - it will probably coat their very sensitive equipment with two stroke oil and render it useless (we live in hope). Corrosion on the frame - seriously - he needs to learn the difference between surface corrosion and serious corrosion. His comments on the chain - mechanical engineer here - he is talking complete nonsense - this is the difference between people who just ride bikes and those who actually understand engineering. My claim to fame - winner of a Regional Final and 12th in the National Final of the MCN Star Rider Competition in 1981 riding my RD400. That and $2.50 will buy me a coffee !!!!

[@RepairandRideout]

It is the original colour, the bike is from Germany, perhaps it was more popular there. I was curious about the emissions as the rest of Europe is going down the ULEZ route. But the system is based on the euro standards (3,4,5 etc) irrespective of what the vehicle actually emits. As for the chain costing 5hp, no one in the comments agrees with him either

[@bovengemiddeld]

What a nonsense check

[@RepairandRideout]

Apparently 'they' are easing us into these checks. From next year noise emissions will be tested and other criteria will be introduced

[@Scott-ph2yk]

"Easing into it..." like opening pandora's box. Orwellian? I hope not.

[@RepairandRideout]

@@Scott-ph2yk If you look at the government website, which explains why the controls are being introduced, the section on rider safety is half that on emissions and the environment.

[@Scott-ph2yk]

@@RepairandRideout You are right about the safety stuff. I've seen plenty of bikes out on the road that have bad tires, loose parts, bent frames, etc. What concerns me is the emissions side of the inspection. Some of these folks in government scare me. Not always the brightest folks out there. 😂

[@timmyluap]

What a load of bull shit,

[@user-sn2gv1nl7j]

Dont put oil in fuel tank it can possibly lean weak the fuel mix in carbs. If oil pump set correct and ligns up with pips on slides through windows top of carbs then all is good. France dosent do tax mot exempt then at vehicles 40 years and older like we do on uk. Use O ring chain heavy duty fer peace of mind. Correct adjustment and clean and lubed. You wont notice horsepower loss. Prob minimal anyhow. Yoy aint on a race track where split seconds count just ride knowing bike set up well. Enjoy. Phil the dood

[@RepairandRideout]

Up until a couple of months ago there was no MoT check for any motorcycle. It's quite the political issue here with bikers and it's been rumbling on for a decade. There is not road tax (yet) as we know it in the UK, but there have been rumblings about introducing it

[@richard9444]

I used to do mots and he's talking shite

[@RepairandRideout]

I found the whole thing bizarre, but that’s the way he’s been trained to do it.