Back to life!

EddieSC · 03-31-2021, 07:51 AM

Hey folks!

Interesting to be back here again(last login was 2010!) but here I am.
My old 2002 GZ250 was the first bike I ever owned, it's what I learned to ride on, I had a lot of memories on that thing. Eventually, a fuel leak and the fact I am a tall dude caused me to upgrade. I missed that bike though.

I stopped by my uncle's house the other day and we got to talking and the subject of my old GZ250 came up. I was talking about how much nostalgia I had for the thing and he drops the bomb on me that the darn bike has been sitting in his garage this whole time. A couple folks tried messing with it to get it going but nobody really wanted to put any money into it.

So following the teenager in me that learned to ride on that bike, I loaded that puppy onto my truck and brought her home.

Preliminary examinations reveal the fuel leak was most likely a poor seal at the fuel petcock which I've ordered a replacement for as well and knocked the crud from around the seal on the tank. Since my uncle told me several folks have been into the carburetor and there's no telling what all they have and haven't done to it, I opted to just get an all new carb for it.

Which brings me to my first real question: What places/sites do you recommend for sourcing parts? Or are they just buy em as you find em?

I figure my first goal is to get it running. From there I got two options

1: See if the wife is interested in learning on it. The larger bikes kinda scare her but she's mentioned she'd be willing to try on a small bike. Can't really think of a better starter.

2: Failing that, just bob the thing and try giving myself a bit more leg room(knees by the ears wasn't comfy back in the day so it sure won't be over a decade on), turn it into a fun little weekender.

Anywho, nice to see this place still going strong and that there's a solid community around the bike continuing on. Looking forward to getting back into it!

Vegas Street Rider · 03-31-2021, 12:50 PM

Welcome back to the forum. I hope your restoration project goes smoothly. Things are a little slow on the site these days but there are a few of us "oldsters" still around.

I have had good luck with Partzilla in getting OEM parts for my bike. I haven't been on their site for a while, but have always gotten what I was looking for.

Glad to see the '02' getting some TLC.

PS; They are out of Albany, GA so shipping to you shouldn't be to bad. I just checked and they do have them in stock, although pricey at almost $400.

EddieSC · 03-31-2021, 07:20 PM

Thanks for the welcome. I got the petcock from Partzilla, should be in soon. Sourced a new carb last night, so we'll see how that turns out.

I'm definitely glad everything fell into place for me to do this job. Finding the bike while having the time and money to put into it. It'll be nice to have her running again.

Thanks for the help and hopefully I can be a bit of new blood to the forum. Maybe even change out to that 16t sprocket I never got around to, haha

EddieSC · 04-27-2021, 10:26 PM

Ayyyy! So a month and some change has gone by since I brought my old 'Zuki home. Initially I had her set up in the driveway (why I bought a house without a garage I will never know) where I got her from doing absolutely NOTHING (no lights, no turn over) when you turned the key all the way to she'll start with some elbow grease and run for thirty seconds to a minute before choking out. Right direction but not quite the win I was hoping for...YET!

I've also been making small modifications while I've been going through it. Swapping over to a pod filter(and rejetting the carb), installing a 16t sprocket, a few cosmetic changes, stuff like that as I'm going along. I eventually broke down and moved it into my luthier workshop behind the house so I can tear the engine down without worrying about sudden weather changes. Now that I have a roof over it, I'm MUCH more comfortable stripping her to frame and going through her with a fine tooth comb. She's been sitting for almost a decade so that definitely isn't going to hurt anything. While I was going over her, I discovered one of the bolts for the long pipe on the exhaust was missing a head, so that's going to be a blast to get out of the motor!

That being said, any pointers on anything I should be keeping an eye out for? I have a rough list of the obvious things; valve placement, timing, obviously damaged parts. Anybody know of anything not totally obvious that might be hanging it up?

Appreciate the help, folks!

Vegas Street Rider · 04-28-2021, 07:43 PM

Sounds like you are heading the right direction with your bike. It is tough to assess what it might need without having hands and eyeballs on it, but just do the basics as you rebuild.

Things you might want to consider; fresh brake fluid in front brake, check spokes for anything loose or broken, lube choke, clutch, and brake cables, check wiring harness for wear or breakage. Finally, tighten all nuts and bolts to torque specs.

Pretty basic, but important stuff.

EddieSC · 04-29-2021, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vegas Street Rider

Lube choke, clutch, and brake cables,

One of the first things I had to do given the choke cable was frozen in place when I got her home!

And thanks, I had overlooked a couple of those. Definitely making the to-do list.

I'll keep ya updated

EddieSC · 05-20-2021, 03:12 PM

She lives!

I ended up going all the way into her and found that the valves were absolutely caked in gunk. Gave them a good cleaning and cleaned a few of the other pertinent bits and bobs while I had it that far apart. Put a brand new head gasket on her and put her back right. Dropped the motor back onto the frame and hooked everything up, hit the switch and she fired right up for me!

I've still got quite a bit to do (the damned front brake decided it wanted to stop releasing on me) but the major hurdle is passed!

Now just deciding what to do with her once she's back to normal...

EddieSC · 02-06-2022, 10:15 AM

Took a break for a bit but figured I'd poke my head back in on the forum!

The GZ is still running good though I haven't been riding her much...She taught me that I really did need a bigger bike again so I wound up with a Sportster that suits my daily needs MUCH better. Still keeping the ol 250 though. Doubt I'm ever gonna part with it, sentimental value being what it is.

I'm going to be taking a step back and working on the GZ a lot more closely because I fell into the trap of "I gotta get it running ASAP!" with it being my only bike at the time. Now that I don't have the limitation of the riding bug, I can take my time and build her exactly the way I want to, not have to worry about time frames. Ultimate goal is to get her looking sharp enough to turn a head or two on a downtown bar run.

**jonathan180iq** · 02-07-2022, 10:04 AM

Nice, man! Good to hear you're on something that lets you ride more consistently, and that you've got time to give the GZ the proper touch.

I know that feeling of "I must get this done today!!!" all too well.

EddieSC · 02-24-2022, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathan180iq

Nice, man! Good to hear you're on something that lets you ride more consistently, and that you've got time to give the GZ the proper touch.

I know that feeling of "I must get this done today!!!" all too well.

Yeah man I was honestly pretty upset I let myself do that to her. She doesn't look BAD but she doesn't look "right" either and it just comes from wanting to ride while I'm building it.

That's both the new Harley and my GZ as she sits right now. Once I get the shop reorganized, I'm pulling her in and doing a FULL strip down and rebuild.

03-31-2021, 07:51 AM	#1
EddieSC Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 37	Back to life! Hey folks! Interesting to be back here again(last login was 2010!) but here I am. My old 2002 GZ250 was the first bike I ever owned, it's what I learned to ride on, I had a lot of memories on that thing. Eventually, a fuel leak and the fact I am a tall dude caused me to upgrade. I missed that bike though. I stopped by my uncle's house the other day and we got to talking and the subject of my old GZ250 came up. I was talking about how much nostalgia I had for the thing and he drops the bomb on me that the darn bike has been sitting in his garage this whole time. A couple folks tried messing with it to get it going but nobody really wanted to put any money into it. So following the teenager in me that learned to ride on that bike, I loaded that puppy onto my truck and brought her home. Preliminary examinations reveal the fuel leak was most likely a poor seal at the fuel petcock which I've ordered a replacement for as well and knocked the crud from around the seal on the tank. Since my uncle told me several folks have been into the carburetor and there's no telling what all they have and haven't done to it, I opted to just get an all new carb for it. Which brings me to my first real question: What places/sites do you recommend for sourcing parts? Or are they just buy em as you find em? I figure my first goal is to get it running. From there I got two options 1: See if the wife is interested in learning on it. The larger bikes kinda scare her but she's mentioned she'd be willing to try on a small bike. Can't really think of a better starter. 2: Failing that, just bob the thing and try giving myself a bit more leg room(knees by the ears wasn't comfy back in the day so it sure won't be over a decade on), turn it into a fun little weekender. Anywho, nice to see this place still going strong and that there's a solid community around the bike continuing on. Looking forward to getting back into it! Login or Register to Remove Ads
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03-31-2021, 12:50 PM	#2
Vegas Street Rider Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Henderson, NV Posts: 1,108	Welcome back to the forum. I hope your restoration project goes smoothly. Things are a little slow on the site these days but there are a few of us "oldsters" still around. I have had good luck with Partzilla in getting OEM parts for my bike. I haven't been on their site for a while, but have always gotten what I was looking for. Glad to see the '02' getting some TLC. PS; They are out of Albany, GA so shipping to you shouldn't be to bad. I just checked and they do have them in stock, although pricey at almost $400. Last edited by Vegas Street Rider; 03-31-2021 at 01:01 PM. Reason: additional info
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03-31-2021, 07:20 PM	#3
EddieSC Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 37	Thanks for the welcome. I got the petcock from Partzilla, should be in soon. Sourced a new carb last night, so we'll see how that turns out. I'm definitely glad everything fell into place for me to do this job. Finding the bike while having the time and money to put into it. It'll be nice to have her running again. Thanks for the help and hopefully I can be a bit of new blood to the forum. Maybe even change out to that 16t sprocket I never got around to, haha Login or Register to Remove Ads
	10

04-28-2021, 07:43 PM	#5
Vegas Street Rider Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Henderson, NV Posts: 1,108	Sounds like you are heading the right direction with your bike. It is tough to assess what it might need without having hands and eyeballs on it, but just do the basics as you rebuild. Things you might want to consider; fresh brake fluid in front brake, check spokes for anything loose or broken, lube choke, clutch, and brake cables, check wiring harness for wear or breakage. Finally, tighten all nuts and bolts to torque specs. Pretty basic, but important stuff. Login or Register to Remove Ads Last edited by Vegas Street Rider; 04-29-2021 at 11:16 AM.
	9

05-20-2021, 03:12 PM	#7
EddieSC Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 37	She lives! I ended up going all the way into her and found that the valves were absolutely caked in gunk. Gave them a good cleaning and cleaned a few of the other pertinent bits and bobs while I had it that far apart. Put a brand new head gasket on her and put her back right. Dropped the motor back onto the frame and hooked everything up, hit the switch and she fired right up for me! I've still got quite a bit to do (the damned front brake decided it wanted to stop releasing on me) but the major hurdle is passed! Now just deciding what to do with her once she's back to normal...
	11

04-27-2021, 10:26 PM	#4
EddieSC Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 37	Ayyyy! So a month and some change has gone by since I brought my old 'Zuki home. Initially I had her set up in the driveway (why I bought a house without a garage I will never know) where I got her from doing absolutely NOTHING (no lights, no turn over) when you turned the key all the way to she'll start with some elbow grease and run for thirty seconds to a minute before choking out. Right direction but not quite the win I was hoping for...YET! I've also been making small modifications while I've been going through it. Swapping over to a pod filter(and rejetting the carb), installing a 16t sprocket, a few cosmetic changes, stuff like that as I'm going along. I eventually broke down and moved it into my luthier workshop behind the house so I can tear the engine down without worrying about sudden weather changes. Now that I have a roof over it, I'm MUCH more comfortable stripping her to frame and going through her with a fine tooth comb. She's been sitting for almost a decade so that definitely isn't going to hurt anything. While I was going over her, I discovered one of the bolts for the long pipe on the exhaust was missing a head, so that's going to be a blast to get out of the motor! That being said, any pointers on anything I should be keeping an eye out for? I have a rough list of the obvious things; valve placement, timing, obviously damaged parts. Anybody know of anything not totally obvious that might be hanging it up? Appreciate the help, folks!
	10

02-06-2022, 10:15 AM	#8
EddieSC Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 37	Took a break for a bit but figured I'd poke my head back in on the forum! The GZ is still running good though I haven't been riding her much...She taught me that I really did need a bigger bike again so I wound up with a Sportster that suits my daily needs MUCH better. Still keeping the ol 250 though. Doubt I'm ever gonna part with it, sentimental value being what it is. I'm going to be taking a step back and working on the GZ a lot more closely because I fell into the trap of "I gotta get it running ASAP!" with it being my only bike at the time. Now that I don't have the limitation of the riding bug, I can take my time and build her exactly the way I want to, not have to worry about time frames. Ultimate goal is to get her looking sharp enough to turn a head or two on a downtown bar run.
	11

02-07-2022, 10:04 AM	#9
jonathan180iq Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dalton, GA Posts: 3,996	Nice, man! Good to hear you're on something that lets you ride more consistently, and that you've got time to give the GZ the proper touch. I know that feeling of "I must get this done today!!!" all too well.
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