Project XL185/CG250 swap

[XLsior]

With the pooched 81 parts bike getting cleaned up and coated for storage under the house, the fuel tank was giving me ideas.

I bought a cg125 lockable fuel cap and ignition in the hope it would work on my XL350 tank....which it didn't.

But now I have a filler neck that does fit the lockable cap...

I umm'd and ahh'd for about 10 min and then just decided to make a bold move and go for it.

If it wasn't for that major dent in the 81 tank I would have second thoughts but alas it was beyond salvation.

Now parts of it will serve a purpose however.

a bit of forethought was in order and starting with an over cut, then tin snips.. Followed buy a cutting disk clamp ring cut and shave off the XL350 to allow the 81 filler neck to fit in...

a bit more here and there, then JBweld and bondo should take care of the rest.

Also have the shoulder mounts to use haven't figured out how ill remove and use them yet.

[XLsior]

Should turn out alright with a bit of bondo sanded transitioning.

[Moto1204]

Hope it works! Here in the US the gas is sooo bad with ethanol that it makes jb weld really tacky and nasty. Had to use some on a tank fitting about 4 months ago and now it’s leaking again. Maybe it’s better your way.

[Bruces]

Try some “seal all “ if you can get it ,it’s has no problem with gasoline .

[XLsior]

It's still possible to get ethanol free fuel from the pump here in Australia.
Most of the JBweld will be external not inside the tank, I don't think attempting to glue it with lightning would be worth it.

Brazing would likely be the best way to make a permanent seal bond, but as it at the top of the tank other than the odd slosh it will never actually hold liquid before the cap leaks.

I will probably tank seal with the likes of POR15 or something similar after a vinegar rust dissolve soak.

[XLsior]

both these tanks are bone dry and probably have not had fuel in for decades so I believe they are inert and safe to work on.
Don't be using grinding tools, welders, blow torches and the like on a freshly drained tank or you might go boom...seems obvious, but you know...Some people....
Just covering my ass in case anyone gets some ideas...

[Moto1204]

Good call mate. Never know these days. I use a product called RedKote a lot to seal up tanks or old vintage tanks. My original CT125 tank was treated with it and is fine with ethanol. Wear a mask or well ventilated area or the fumes kick your a$$. Never used POR15 before but heard decent things.

[XLsior]

I found this product in Australia.
https://www.kbs-coatings.com.au/prod...d-tank-sealer/

[ghostdancing]

xlsior what carb did you fitted? what kind of intake manifold? (i admit ia am too lazy to scroll back 17 page and found myself.. i apologize in advance)

[XLsior]

It's a PZ30B with the 'B' part removed as it fouled on the frame. So basically a PZ30 with an unused fuel squirt diaphragm. I tried a couple of intakes 1 that come with the pz27 original honda motor and the other that came with the CG250 used engine...but went with the shortest "CG250" 30mm intake manifold from ebay. I wanted to keep the factory raise choke cable so the PZ30B offered such an option. From what information I gathered its the least finicky carb out of the "performance" carb options. I am not really trying to chase peak numbers but I also don't want to forgo untapped easy potential.

There's also the non studded rubber boot type carbs and intake options for a bit more flexibility.

But I am just hoping for set and forget maybe adjust the slide pin height if necessary.

Jets/rebuild kits for Keihin carbs are cheap.

[XLsior]

Went ahead with the JB welding on the tank filler neck conversion using the dented 81 XL185 tank as a donor on the XL350 fuel capacity upgrade side project. Made it as flush as possible between the mating surfaces with flappy disc and a few light love taps with peen hammer. Also made sure to clock it so the key cover is inline/symmetry.

I then cut out the shoulder supports from the donor tank to zap onto the big tank. I'll try a tack and see how using flux core goes but because I have a bit more material to work with and it's not a visible location I am ok with trying to weld it

I also found the correct petcock for the Xl350 tank on AliX. So that's sorted now.

Will be sealing the insides the original and modded tanks for longevity.

I don't think I will be paint stripping the XL350 tank for the most part its in good condition so i'll just be prepping over it as a primer layer.

Still need to pull my thumb out and finish the wiring/electrical. The motivation is to be on the road and riding by New Year.

[XLsior]

Hey Chaps,

So I had to take care of some higher priority tasks around the house so XLsior (name of bike) got put on the back burner yet again.

With fuel prices also getting out of control here in Australia For reasons I'm sure we all know by now. The imperative to get this project up and running in road worthy condition has sparked up incentive.

So a few updates. I have given up on the xl350 tank upgrade...unfortunately there are some conflicts that arose when turning full lock that was pinching and crushing the speed sensor cable. So shelved.

I still need to finish wiring up all the gubbins...

The old starter motor was tired and cranking made all the wires really hot. Replaced with a new Starter motor, issue resolved...

I took the bike for my first test ride in 1st gear around the yard and was just getting into the groove when the rear drum brake support strut came loose which spun the drum as soon as i tried to use the rear brake..
This ended up bending the brake to pedal connecting rod...

Well call it Murphies law, thankfully The clapped out 81 parts bike gave me some spares.

So time to repair the rear brake and address some issues.

The original pedal was a bit worn out to be honest. The 81 pedal was a bit twisted but the mounting/contact points were in better shape.

I next came to the conclusion that the pedal was a bit to close to the oil level sight glass protrusion for comfort.

So I have decided to cut back and shorten the length for clearance. about 10mm or 1/2"

I will say for the 10min or so I rode the bike it was feeling good. So that has perked up motivation levels.

Really bad floods here, I live on top of a hill so I'm not impacted directly, but the rain was biblical and had to go somewhere...

[XLsior]

The first photo shows both brake pedals.
the original is front of shot.

the force of the drum spinning pulled so hard it bent the angle back where the connecting rod links onto.

Also you can see the hole where the link mounts is wallered out on the original. So it was sloppy and probably needs to be weld filled and re drilled to re use.
However the mounting section that sleeves into the frame is just as poor.

So will be the 81 part to replace and modify.

[65cabriolet]

Nice work! I just read this thread from start to finish; its amazing watching your confidence and skills grow throughout the process. Keep up the good work! My hat is off to you!

[XLsior]

Still had the rattle can of alumin'um zinc protect paint.

So after doing the usual wire wheel and flappy disc going over for the rear brake components, then a rub down with ethanol and first coat.

Would like to try and avoid more rust. Many of the raw original metal nuts and bolts that weren't converted to SSteel have got some surface petina. perhaps one day I''ll get them electroplated.