Project XL185/CG250 swap
 

Hello China Riders, My First post.

I found the site through Oddballsperformance channel on YT.

I'm an Aussie approaching 40. I don't know how to ride a motorbike, I am not a mechanic.

But I wanted to learn. However if I was going to own a bike, I wanted to do it the gentleman's way and save a bike from the scrap heap, while tackling some personal mental health and life issues at the same time.

I have some inspirations from youtube JenniesGarage really struck a chord with my approach to life...many other channels also providing a wealth of information and motivation..

Well I procured a legit 'Barnfind' 1992 XL185 that had seen some on the farm treatment after it was taken off the road.

It was mostly complete with free rust. But it had the compliance plate and I got paperwork for Australian registration requirements.

I bit the bullet after the bike was kicked and popped. Took it home, and then began the journey down the rabbit hole.

Project XLsior was born.

I dropped the oil from the honda 163fml to find glitter and scrags. the Jug had been puttyied on the timing chain side, suspect fail point. and the case around drive sprocket was damaged. Now I am not a rich man and the engine diagnosis to me seemed nonviable. Could it saved? probably...but for me was not cost effective.

My project seemed done and I was tempted to just call it quits and part the bike out.

But then I stumbled upon the world of Chonda swaps. And discovered the CG200 and Cg250 are based some what on my Honda 163FML engine.

So I randomly searched Gumtree aka ozzy craigslist, low and behold a CG250 OHV was available to my 15min away for $80...

Thus the fate of my bike and the journey was saved...I think.

I have done quite a lot and made some mistakes once.

But I would not of started without the inspiration of other before me so I'm paying it forward so to speak here and share what little I have learned that might help someone else.

I'm still down the novice rabbit hole, so don't expect a professional.

Cheers...

I am guessing due to being a new member and first post that i will not be able to upload images of the project till i get some forum cred under my belt.

Not sure if it’s the fact your new ,or that we have been having picture issues the past week or so .
Welcome !

Quite likely both issues then.

thanks for the welcome Bruces.

Wasn't sure where to put this thread, as there was no DIY Project engines swap sort of page.

But from what I can tell the majority of Chinese offerings in the dual sport range seem to owe and inherit a lot of Honda XL/XR tropes.

I can say that the CG250 was for the most part a direct bolt in swap with a little fudging on the top motor mount and bracket. So it might not be a complete out of the box Chinese bike, But I am finding most of the stuff that comes from China just fits* on the old XL frame.

Also I don't think the common models available in the USA are obtainable in Australia. Hawks, Brozz' tao tao etc.

I am quite deep into the project now, found it had weak compression so just ordered a new 65.5mm piston/rings recently.

But as Projects go, keeping receipts is not always suggested. Self tuition fees basically.

Keep it coming, and also welcome! In the meantime, you could always host the photos off-site and put up links. Just out of curiosity, it's a '92, not an '82? I was also curious, if it was in fact a '92, is it monoshock, or twin? AG bike, or regular Enduro? I'm glad you chose to post here.

Hi Franque,
It is indeed a 91/92. In Australia the XL185 was available till the early 90's. For all intesive purposes it is exactly the same as the 80's. Was painted in the Honda white frame/red tank generation. I was looking for an 80s project bike same age as me. But this 92 eventuated. It is a twin shock rear OG Dualsport, Road legal with a compliance plate for Australian regulations.

Attempted resize image file upload of 92 Xl185

The new heart

Both engines.

The tear down

Bareboned

I actually started with fixing the seat...
Didn't want to bite off to much at first before taking the dive, But after i purchased the new seat cover there was no turning back and the project was now full commitment.

I would also like to point out I don't have a fully tooled up workshop.

grinder, rotarytool, hand a press drill. basic set of spanners etc, I had just invested in a 160amp fluxcore and stick welding unit.

I would consider these items fairly commonplace.

Like I stated in OP, this is my first project bike I have no experience really prior to this so I am only having a go with what I learned online.

The seat was a full tear down, sand and treat the rust on the metal base and weld a couple of tears and hammer out some kinks.

The original foam wan in poor but mostly complete condition, I had some left over memory foam from an old mattress topper so decided to add a layer, This served to fix some flaws in the factory foam and improved the comfort factor.

I just cut the memory foam to size and fit and used spray adhesive to meld it to the existing foam.

Seat base restore and old foam after wash and sun dry.

Finished seat,

My only insight into the process is start from the back of the seat and work forwards to the tank.

I didn't so ended up with a torn seam at the back and the Honda graphic a bit wonky, trying to redo it just tore up the fabric more as it's held on by jagged tooth cuts in the metal base.

The added foam made it a tighter fit which probably didn;t help with the back seam issue.

Leaving the reskin to warm in the sun or a hot air gun probably would help for those need to repair their own seat covers.

That looks like an early 80’s “S” model to me other than the white frame ,as in xl185s which was the twin shocker model .Not honestly sure when we stopped getting them but guessing 1986 or so ?

I'm not sure about Canada, but in the US they stopped in 1984 (?). I thought that maybe the XR200 twinshock replaced it in 1980, but I'm not 100% certain. There definitely weren't any twinshocks in this family sold in the US after '84.

the serial number denotes a 91 year of manufacture, but was compliance plated in Australia for 92.

Found a pic showing the paint codes and XL185SM label.

Also shows how crusty the bike frame was. It's currently bare metal while i figure out new brackets for custom side panels and hardware mounts.

from what 've found USA went to 83/4, Canada 87, Australia/Singapore 93.

Other than the paint scheme and cluster arrangement not much difference between years.

I could be wrong but I think up until the 90's mono shocks might not have been road legal in Australia at the time or getting them compliance plated was difficult. which might have been a reason it continued sale in Australia. Until the transport regulations changed to approve mono shocks.

So after I finished the seat restoration I placed it back on the bike for a bit of motivation.

During the tear down i labeled the factory wiring loom and took photos to document as much of the bike configuration and fitment as possible.

Keeping it budget DIY i opted for paint stripper instead of media blasting. had to do a few application coats but it was impressive stuff.

My Bike did not have original plastic covers and i was not really interested in replacing them, So I made the decision to remove the bracketry and mounting points for them and the airbox with an added weight reduction benefit. I intend to fabricate some basic aluminum side covers..

This is a custom Resto-mod project. With the Zongshen CG250 swap the electrics will all be updated to modern 12v LED and Digital display.

Next up will be tackling the fuel tank...

So as bike enthusiasts we can all agree that there are specific focal points to a bike, the wheels and engine draw the eye but I think we can all agree its the fuel tank that is the jewel on the crown...well maybe more so for classic metal tank bikes then modern plastics...

My XL185 was more of a sore thumb than a jewel. But it was all exterior. The inside was perfect with just a little crusty fuel varnish inside. I put a little fresh fuel in the tank and added some BB's/ball bearings to help dislodge the residue give a shake once a day till it cleaned up then used a magnet on a stick to remove the BB's

Side note: if you looking to buy a classic bike with a metal tank always look inside the tank...Dealing with a crusty internal tank is often a lost cause. Time and cost to repair typically isn't worth it.

So back to restoring the jewel. Paint strip, wire wheel, dremel the nooks, more sanding, clean, rust treat, bog and putty, more sanding, more bog and putty, sanding, etchprime, paint and clear coat.

It's all about the preparation! But this is my Beginner bike and I am going to drop it. So at some point after hours of prep you just gotta get on with it.

Important for my was that the rust was treated and the major dings were undinged*

but when you start applying paint you will notice the imperfections...

Did I mention it's all about Preparation!!!

Anyway for my first time painting a fuel tank I am happy with the result

the colour is Dupli-Color Autospray Regency Red Pearl. I was going for a Sour Cherry look.

IMO better than Honda's flame reds...

I do have new custom tank decals but I waiting till final stages of fitment before applying them. Stay tuned :)

From out of the bog, the jewel is found. (bog is the Australian lose term for bondo aka filler)

Meanwhile the tank was not the only thing getting prepped for the regency red treatment.

My rotarytool/dremel got a major workout dealing with the rusty crags.

The rear guard took some work too. all the overlaps and seams proved to be quite tedious but also therapeutic.

It's this sort of work and effort that builds self respect from a satisfactory outcome. The time involved will never be measured in the real world economy of things.

But there is definitely some sort of magic when you impart a mechanical object with a new spirit.

When you restore something else, some of that restores part of you...

I agree with you the gas tank is sometimes something overlooked because hey it's just the gas tank.. We tend to focus on the engine, wheels, suspension.. But the gas tank and the chasis are always forgoten....

Onto the wheels.

The old tires were junk. tubes already had a history of patch kits. so the went to the trash.

the rims looked good first glance, but they were orginal and had seen 30000km.

the front seemed have seen some heavy contact, I did my best to try and re tune them into round I got close enough.

the inner rim had rust primarily where the spokes seat are. hit em with the wire wheel and then gave em the rust converter treatment.

Majority of spokes were in ok condition same wire wheel treatment and rust converter...

cleaned brake drum hub assembly and serviced brake shoes, replaced rear with new brake shoes. Paint stripped and polished brake drum covers.

I applied VHT high temp brake caliper satin black paint to the spokes, drum and inner rim.

Installed new 45 rear sprocket and custom touched up the cover and spacer with regency red to tie it into the rest of the bike motif.

Had 1 stuck spoke nut which I ended up heating to red hot with a blow torch then quenching in water to break free the rust bond, learned that trick from Taryl Fixes All YT channel...

You must be an alien or something ,the time and date stamp on the last pic with the finished rim is still 8 hours away .

Hi Bruces, It's in cohesive order not necessarily chronological. Also as an Australian I live in your future/tomorrow...

I keep forgetting to remove the timestamps and I also forgot to remove the masking tape from the front rim.

So what do you do with a basket case motorcycle project that's neither here nor there...

Well for the some of us it will inevitably take over a room in your home.

This is where the fettling truly starts.

Offering up parts, Checking fitment, Clearances and hatching out plans and solutions to the problems that eventuate when your try to merge elements of 2 different bikes into 1.

The CG250 fits in the factory mounts with some minor massaging. the top bracket and head mount are the most out of line but doable with some added spacers on the bolts.

The only compromise is that it is not possible to remove the rocker cover while its completely mounted, but can accessed with the engine tipped forward from the bottom rear mount. So a slight inconvenience but a worthwhile compromise for 12v electric start and +40cc of displacement.

I also took time to merge the aftermarket muffler+pipe and the Cg250 header pipe into a complete exhaust system. Seems like both sections agreed with each other too.
However I have had to modify the exit bend tighter as the pipe would interfere with the clutch. I will show this in a little greater detail later.

Also trying to fandangle a 12v battery tray/mount in the vicinity of the air filter element but not interfering with the exhaust pipe and drive chain. This will likely incorporate the rear splash guard as a dual purpose solution.

That'll do for this wall of text.

So it was time to work on the frame. Being the backbone of the project it was the element needed to tie everything together.

It was also a major task to refresh from its time in rusty retirement.
You will kill a fair share of wire wheels cleaning a frame.

I understand why people just get them sand blasted.

Well after the brainstorm period inside on the lounge room floor I figured out my approach to affixing side panels and giving a structure to allow for more custom design elements.

So bracket/gusset/fixing points were in order.

Got some flat bare from the local hardware...was galvanized so I took precautions welding.

I kept the welds in frame to maintain aesthetics aslong as the welds held i could clean them enough with the grinder and hide my lack of welding skill with the final paint scheme. Still coming to terms with the welder if its rat droppings it need more amps if its bird poop its to many amps...dialing in is half the battle.

Pretty content with the outcome and should hold the panels i have in mind, hey might have even strengthened the bike too.

Lots of views, not so many comments or likes. Oh well I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

Looking good so far. :tup:

Could not help but put some parts on the frame.

However actual assembly will happen at ground level.

Finishing the frame last day of Winter here in Australia was a goal achieved.

Got to focus on house renovations now, but I will continue to tinker on the bike when time and parts presents itself.

Hey, sorry about not having much to comment on, I think you're doing great! Is this happening in real time? If so, you're doing amazingly well! What is your day job?

Hi Franque,

I purchased the bike start of February this year.

But after I had a good look at it and the oil was glitter paste and magnetic scrags I lost the will to peruse the restoration.

I cleaned the original carburetor and got the engine idling and revving but I didn't want to invest time and money into the engine given the condition.

So I put the project on hold and started looking at Chonda engines both the OHV and OHC are available new for around $800AUD which I considered but was just a bit to rich for my budget intentions.

Then the used CG250 just appeared on my version of Craigslist $80 with what was left of the wiring loom and the exhaust system. It was close to home and at that point I felt the universe align in favor of the project happening.

It is not real time, but all up its not that much time considering thus far.
just the tedious numbing bits can make it feel drawn out sometimes. waiting on parts and still much buttoning up to do.

but sometimes that's a good thing for the mind and soul.

I was clinically diagnosed with schitzotypal personality disorder about 7 years ago making me eligible for disability benefits. I prefer to keep to myself at home and garden as an introvert with the company of my dog, aquariums and bee hives.

My lifetime home was thankfully relinquished to me after the old man moved out and took his narcissistic trash that robbed me of 10 years of life. But that ordeal has left the house in a poor neglected state so I need to restore it too.

I needed a distraction and I'm in mid life crisis territory so saving an old motorbike seemed like a worthwhile endeavor. while vicariously healing my mental issues at the time.

But as you can see the bike is turning out pretty decent so nothing to worry about eh.

At some point will need to learn to ride and get my license too :)

I am not trying to show off I am just trying to give a little hope to anyone in a life rut, that it can be done by anybody and is worthwhile.

I appreciate it, and your transparency. I have different but also really difficult family issues, I'm glad to see you're in a good place, and that you could join us here. I'm not one to 'like' a bunch of things, but I'm enormously enjoying your thread.

To quote Tolstoy, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way".

As we say in the states (though I'm in France now), keep on trucking! Or, du courage if you prefer something similar in French!

It's all good, not in it for the social credentials.

As a bee keeper the sentiment is "the honey is sweeter when you've been stung a few times"

She's coming together real nice. :tup: I wish i had time for a project like that. I had an old Honda 200X three wheeler that i use to race many years ago. I wanted to restore it but didn't have the time or money. The only good thing that happened was the guy i sold it too did have the time and money and had restored it back to like new condition. I saw it a few moths back. It looked better than it did when i bought it. Ran just as good too. He let me take it for a spin. :D

thanks Jerryhawk250,

I don't think the $ is all that much different relative to outcomes. I'd say i'm still under an out of the box Chinese bike as far as cost of parts and materials. What I feel justifies the 'expense' is the knowledge and skills gained and a confidence in the quality of build...that sort of thing money can't always buy.

The time is the determining factor, but when you don't have deadline to the project then chipping away at it is all that is required.

I don't feel its been all that long to get to where I'm at now.

But it is important to find the right candidate for a foundation. Some are just to far gone to be revived.

Seems some of the Chinese bikes are just out of the box rebuild projects too.

My used engine had a missing sprocket cover,

luckily for me they are easily replaced, think I paid around $20aud shipped.

earning some chinesium points now.

Any hoo, had to give it the custom chop n fit treatment.

Doing an amazing job! I'd LOVE to do something like this now that I'm retired but the biggest problem here in CA is simply finding something like your XL185 to work on!
My brother in law has an XL250 that's roached but I don't think a CG would drop into it.....

Hello 2LZ,

If people can put 140cc in Trail70s, a 190cc in ct110/posties

and I can fit a cg250 in an xl185.

I would be pretty confident a Chonda 250/300 would swish into an XL250 or XR of similar stature. It's basically the same engine.

The roached part is the issue, terminal rust and bent/cracked frames is out of my league. Here in Australia we don't have the population or massive bike riding culture so there isn't a glut of clapped out old Hondas here either. Every now and then they pop up. I actually found my bike when I was inquiring about a Yamaha AG200.

I am a firm believer in fate and destiny if your intentions are in the right place and you apply effort the universe tend s to reward you with a little patience.

You won't know if you don't try, no harm in asking your brother. the price might worth it regardless and if it doesn't work out some one else might make it.