Took a plunge... trying a PP LXR250 EFI - Page 19

ChondaChondaChonda · 12-18-2017, 01:18 AM

I haven't been keeping this thread up to date very well since our big Idaho trip. We've done some great day trips since then and even managed to sneak down to do 5 Miles of Hell (5MoH). This trail has always beat me in the past. It is gnarly and technical for about 8 relentless miles; when you do get a break its in deep sand that won't really let you rest.

I'm proud to say that with the little LXR I was finally able to beat this one! It wasn't pretty, but I finished it.

ChondaChondaChonda · 12-18-2017, 01:29 AM

On 5MoH trail I nailed the radiator and bent it up pretty bad. The fan was also jammed up and no longer functioning.

The amazing part is that the bike got quite hot, but never let me down. We did stop to let it cool off a few times, but the short days meant we couldn't sit around for long. Towards the end I pushed the poor thing as we climbed out of the last sketchy steep section and saw 290F on my Trail-Tech temperature gauge. It's really a testament to the toughness of these NC250s.

Here is some demo video of my incompetent riding style- I'm dead tired by this point and it shows.

And if you're really bored:

My riding partner making the Crux look easy:

ChondaChondaChonda · 12-18-2017, 01:33 AM

Decided it was time for some major maintenance. Wanted to see how my valves were doing before I tore it down:

3 of the valves have been stable; my left intake has moved a bit more than the rest since my last check. I will have to keep a closer eye on them.

ChondaChondaChonda · 12-18-2017, 01:37 AM

With the radiators off and the bike half apart I decided to go ahead and install the new piton and cylinder kit with the 82mm bore. The whole thing is fairly easily done in the frame on the LXR.

ChondaChondaChonda · 12-18-2017, 01:40 AM

A bit of carbon buildup.

Skirt coating looking a bit worn.

Exhaust side:

Intake side:

ChondaChondaChonda · 12-18-2017, 01:45 AM

Cylinder looked very good considering the abuse and hours: Nice cross-hatch still visible.

Checked the ring gap on the new cylinder and installed rings. I used bubble wrap to keep from dropping the circlips down into the bottom end.

After a little battle and coated in assembly oil I was able to slide the new cylinder down into place. Everything turning smooth and well oiled.

ChondaChondaChonda · 12-18-2017, 01:48 AM

Got the head bolted on and the shop heater ran out of propane. So I'll be finishing it up tomorrow. Also hoping to run down to visit the Pitster dealer and see what a radiator and fan will cost me.

**JerryHawk250** · 12-18-2017, 10:05 AM

Nice upgrade and videos.

That should give it that extra umph. Looks like fun but man those rocks look hard. lol That looks like a good bit of carbon build up on the piston but the head seems okay. It must be from all the low speed riding and putting under a load on the trail riding. How many miles or should I say hour you think you have on it?

ChondaChondaChonda · 12-18-2017, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

Nice upgrade and videos.

That should give it that extra umph. Looks like fun but man those rocks look hard. lol That looks like a good bit of carbon build up on the piston but the head seems okay. It must be from all the low speed riding and putting under a load on the trail riding. How many miles or should I say hour you think you have on it?

Our Tour of Idaho alone was 110 hours, so I'm estimating right around 200 hours total. Still ran excellent, I just wanted to try the big bore.

**JerryHawk250** · 12-18-2017, 10:41 AM

Looks like the design of the stock piston with the cut out areas for the valves at the edge allowed the carbon to collect and get imbedded in the cylinder wall which in turn started to scare the piston and cylinder wall. The new one looks like a much better design with the top of the piston being the same all the way around.

ChondaChondaChonda · 12-18-2017, 06:08 PM

ChondaChondaChonda · 12-18-2017, 06:13 PM

Managed to get over and pick up a radiator at Pitster after this video was taken. Put some fresh fuel in and took it for a spin!!

I took it easy for break-in, but I can say that it feels FATTER everywhere; the bike just has more torque and you can feel it, especially in the lower rpms where the stock setup wasn't so snappy. Feels like I can gear back up a tooth on the front sprocket and not worry about the lower gearing because it can pull it.

Only tooled it around town for about 5-6 miles then I came home and dropped the oil.

Can't wait to go for a real ride and see how it does.

BlackBike · 12-19-2017, 01:39 AM

Great documentation! Thanks

Megadan · 12-19-2017, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

Looks like the design of the stock piston with the cut out areas for the valves at the edge allowed the carbon to collect and get imbedded in the cylinder wall which in turn started to scare the piston and cylinder wall. The new one looks like a much better design with the top of the piston being the same all the way around.

That is possible, but something else I noticed was the wear marks on the edge of the crown right before the piston top. It almost looks like the cylinder wall clearance was a bit loose on the stock cylinder and piston. That rocking can also explain some of the skirt wear on the coating.

I would be interested to know if that old cylinder is out of round at all.

Also, every NC250/ZS177MM piston I have seen not only has the skirt coating, but also has a black thermal coating on the piston top. It is possible that there isn't as much carbon on the piston as you think. Example: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Moto...825144309.html

If my math is right, that big ol' piston should put you right around 280ish CC's, which is a nice bump in displacement.

ChondaChondaChonda · 12-19-2017, 08:33 AM

Good observations. Please keep in mind that the last few hours of this motors use was extremely abusive as the radiator and fan had been destroyed and the only way out was 1st gear technical terrain. My trail tech read 290 at one point as I steamed out the last big climb. So, it may have degraded exponentially in just those last few hours of operating as an air cooled bike.

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Views: 473
Size: 75.8 KB

12-18-2017, 01:18 AM	#271
ChondaChondaChonda Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 547	Fill in info I haven't been keeping this thread up to date very well since our big Idaho trip. We've done some great day trips since then and even managed to sneak down to do 5 Miles of Hell (5MoH). This trail has always beat me in the past. It is gnarly and technical for about 8 relentless miles; when you do get a break its in deep sand that won't really let you rest. I'm proud to say that with the little LXR I was finally able to beat this one! It wasn't pretty, but I finished it.
	1

12-18-2017, 01:29 AM	#272
ChondaChondaChonda Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 547	On 5MoH trail I nailed the radiator and bent it up pretty bad. The fan was also jammed up and no longer functioning. The amazing part is that the bike got quite hot, but never let me down. We did stop to let it cool off a few times, but the short days meant we couldn't sit around for long. Towards the end I pushed the poor thing as we climbed out of the last sketchy steep section and saw 290F on my Trail-Tech temperature gauge. It's really a testament to the toughness of these NC250s. Here is some demo video of my incompetent riding style- I'm dead tired by this point and it shows. And if you're really bored: My riding partner making the Crux look easy: Last edited by ChondaChondaChonda; 12-18-2017 at 01:54 AM. Reason: add
	4

12-18-2017, 01:33 AM	#273
ChondaChondaChonda Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 547	About 200 hours on the motor now. Decided it was time for some major maintenance. Wanted to see how my valves were doing before I tore it down: 3 of the valves have been stable; my left intake has moved a bit more than the rest since my last check. I will have to keep a closer eye on them.
	1

12-18-2017, 01:37 AM	#274
ChondaChondaChonda Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 547	Big Bore Kit install time. With the radiators off and the bike half apart I decided to go ahead and install the new piton and cylinder kit with the 82mm bore. The whole thing is fairly easily done in the frame on the LXR.
	1

12-18-2017, 10:05 AM	#278
JerryHawk250 Moderator Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 11,571	Nice upgrade and videos. That should give it that extra umph. Looks like fun but man those rocks look hard. lol That looks like a good bit of carbon build up on the piston but the head seems okay. It must be from all the low speed riding and putting under a load on the trail riding. How many miles or should I say hour you think you have on it? __________________ 2023 Lifan Lycan 250 Chopper 2023 Venom Evader 2022 Lifan KPX250 2020 Kawasaki Vulcan S 2004 Honda ST 1300 2016 Black Hawk 250 (sold) Keihin PE30 carb,125 main,38 slow.Pod filter,ported & decked head 10:1 CR,Direct Ignition Coil,15/40Sprockets,NGK DPR8EIX-9,De-Cat,Dual Oil Cooler,Digital Cluster 2016 Cazador180 XL 2014 Coolster150 JerryHawk250.com My YouTube Channel
	1

12-18-2017, 01:40 AM	#275
ChondaChondaChonda Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 547	A bit of carbon buildup. Skirt coating looking a bit worn. Exhaust side: Intake side:
	1

12-18-2017, 01:45 AM	#276
ChondaChondaChonda Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 547	Cylinder looked very good considering the abuse and hours: Nice cross-hatch still visible. Checked the ring gap on the new cylinder and installed rings. I used bubble wrap to keep from dropping the circlips down into the bottom end. After a little battle and coated in assembly oil I was able to slide the new cylinder down into place. Everything turning smooth and well oiled.
	5

12-18-2017, 01:48 AM	#277
ChondaChondaChonda Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 547	Got the head bolted on and the shop heater ran out of propane. So I'll be finishing it up tomorrow. Also hoping to run down to visit the Pitster dealer and see what a radiator and fan will cost me.
	1

12-18-2017, 10:41 AM	#280
JerryHawk250 Moderator Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 11,571	Looks like the design of the stock piston with the cut out areas for the valves at the edge allowed the carbon to collect and get imbedded in the cylinder wall which in turn started to scare the piston and cylinder wall. The new one looks like a much better design with the top of the piston being the same all the way around. __________________ 2023 Lifan Lycan 250 Chopper 2023 Venom Evader 2022 Lifan KPX250 2020 Kawasaki Vulcan S 2004 Honda ST 1300 2016 Black Hawk 250 (sold) Keihin PE30 carb,125 main,38 slow.Pod filter,ported & decked head 10:1 CR,Direct Ignition Coil,15/40Sprockets,NGK DPR8EIX-9,De-Cat,Dual Oil Cooler,Digital Cluster 2016 Cazador180 XL 2014 Coolster150 JerryHawk250.com My YouTube Channel
	2

12-18-2017, 06:08 PM	#281
ChondaChondaChonda Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 547	First start video Last edited by ChondaChondaChonda; 02-25-2018 at 02:28 PM.
	3

12-18-2017, 06:13 PM	#282
ChondaChondaChonda Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 547	Managed to get over and pick up a radiator at Pitster after this video was taken. Put some fresh fuel in and took it for a spin!! I took it easy for break-in, but I can say that it feels FATTER everywhere; the bike just has more torque and you can feel it, especially in the lower rpms where the stock setup wasn't so snappy. Feels like I can gear back up a tooth on the front sprocket and not worry about the lower gearing because it can pull it. Only tooled it around town for about 5-6 miles then I came home and dropped the oil. Can't wait to go for a real ride and see how it does.
	4

12-19-2017, 01:39 AM	#283
BlackBike Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: George West, Texas Posts: 4,097	Great documentation! Thanks __________________ ***************************************** 2015 Bashan"Blaze" BS250GY-31 (DB-07K-250) GONE 2017 Suzuki V Strom 650 XT "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~Benjamin Franklin~
	2

12-19-2017, 08:33 AM	#285
ChondaChondaChonda Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 547	Good observations. Please keep in mind that the last few hours of this motors use was extremely abusive as the radiator and fan had been destroyed and the only way out was 1st gear technical terrain. My trail tech read 290 at one point as I steamed out the last big climb. So, it may have degraded exponentially in just those last few hours of operating as an air cooled bike.
	0