Another Chinese bike....

[nevernuf]

So hello everyone... I've posted before, and this site has been great, so I'm going to apologize for not getting on here much..
Such is life I suppose..
Anyway, i've picked up yet another project, and it's another chinese bike... It's an 08 Baja Vision.. I guess it's known as a BV250..
Don't know a LOT about them, but maybe sold out of pep boys.. It's a 250cc parallel twin. Engine is a 253FMM, and I know there's a chart on here somewhere that'll tell me what that means... Bore and stroke are both 53 mm.. Weird, but I've found the operators manual online..
This bike is ROUGH. About as rough as I've taken on.. One tab on each carb bowl is snapped.... So low temp welding rod or JB weld maybe?? .. About 1 gal of water (only ) in the tank... Ignition switch corroded pretty good - the contacts INSIDE... and when I cracked the instruments to see what was rattling around (the lights burnt out anyway) a resistor and a capacitor fell out... they just fell off the tach. And looking at it, it looks like a cap is missing.... So..
I got it cheap, but it's rough, and except for my love of tinkering, i'd say i'm not sure its worth it.. BUT, if anyone knows anything about these, i'd love to hear it... If anyone has any idea how to find out what the value of the cap is that's missing, i'm all ears too.... That one might be a stretch...
Well, still think this site is great, and i appreciate any help, as always... The front brakes seem to work, but not sure it has any shoes in the rear drum... lol... No brake action at all in the rear..
Well, hope everyone is fine and looking forward to any and all comments.

[JerryHawk250]

Congrats I guess. lol Should be an interesting project. Please post pics. :D

[Weldangrind]

X2. I'd love to see pics.

[Mudflap]

Is that bike made by Hensim like the Baja Phoenix was? The Phoenix I briefly owned had the same engine but with a single carb. Much slower than my Lifan 200.

[nevernuf]

OK... So, Here are some pics of the Baja 'vision' 250...
First ones are when I brought it home.. The stripped down one is the next morning... The jar is what came out of the tank.... :(

Thanks JerryHawk, and Weld... Not sure who made it but seems to be a Lifan motor, but maybe that was wishful thinking on the part of whoever wrote it..
Just after (figures, right) i posted, I searched for '253FMM' and it comes up with (leads to) 'honda rebel 250". Looking for parts you can find the carb SET (2 carbs) for $45 on ebay.. Chinese of course, but REALLY thinking about it.. Will most likely need larger jets because going with pod filters..
Was originally black, and the paint is fading, BUT it's all here, and the tank isn't even dented!!!

Anyway,.. Tires are holding air... Ignition was WAY corroded, but it cleaned up enough so it actually turns over... Lights work, but need work, as does the whole thing.. And of course, I get so caught up in the 'this is broke so i should fix it' mentality, ... Why do I need a tach? haha... Lights sure, but tach... meh.. What, am i a newb?? hahaha.. No offense to anyone...

Well, i hope you guys like it, but searching the site I'm starting to think not many people have one.. Wonder how many are people are running older bikes?? Me, I like to tinker..

[Liamsdad]

Is that an RZ350 I see back there?

[cbrfxr67]

"I got it cheap, but it's rough, and except for my love of tinkering, i'd say i'm not sure its worth it"
I'm same way. Worth it to you, maybe not every body else. My wife always looks at me like 'why the h--- do you like messing with that stuff' hahah.
Picked up a zzr600 in terrible shape, but that itch is always wanting to fix something and make it run again

[Weldangrind]

Love the bike! I'm gonna enjoy following this one.
So, there was mustard in the tank?

[JerryHawk250]

Love the bike! I'm gonna enjoy following this one.
So, there was mustard in the tank?

Orange Juice. LOL This is one i'm going to follow too. It doesn't look to bad. Soak the tank with vinegar overnight works well for removing rust.

[nevernuf]

Hi Liamsdad... No, no rz350.. The bikes you can see are an fj1200, the chinese hi-bird 250, and a Hyosung gt650r.....
Some of my others are: 85 Kawi GPz 750 Turbo (2 of them..) An 83 and 85 Gpz 750.. (2) '07 Hyosung GT250r(s) (one running and one basket case) ... An 07 RMz 250.... Not that anyone asked, but when I say I have a lot of projects already..... well....
Wish I could say all were running and look great, but most need something... but again, I need a hobby, and no wife to say no, so... lol...
I really do need to sell one or two to make a little space.... and I just got this... haha..
Well, I hope I don't disappoint. I really like these, and there isn't the pressure when they're tore up to make it like new... I kinda like that...
I got a cheap ($15) gas cap, as it was missing the locking parts.. It feels cheap, but the lock looks like it'll fit into the original ring, which actually feels stronger.. So, I should be able to swap it over.. already got some air pods on the way, as well as a cheap chain. The original was nothing but rust. The sprockets, however, are JT brand, so good quality there...
Anyway, I appreciate all the comments and advice. I'm sorry I don't contribute more or more often..

[Liamsdad]

nevernuf, LUCKY!!! My wife is what keeps only a couple things in my garage. Finally got rid of all my sport bikes and only have an 09 KLR and this. My MTB is worth more than my bikes put together so I keep my hobby riding that. This lil Chinese bike is fun, I laugh the whole time I ride it. I just chase my kids around on their fourwheelers and dirt bike.

[nevernuf]

So... I ALMOST posted about how I had no spark.. wrote up a lengthy bit about my CDI missing a wire, and the discrepancies in the wiring diagram and my bike.. :hmm:
Well, then I read a troubleshooting bit, and they mentioned the kill switch...

That's right,.. the kill switch was on, but it still turns over....
Well at least Youtube has the 'good' J Geils band (wammer jammer, give it to me, house party, musta got lost,... stuff from BEFORE 'centerfold")

So.. Nice bright blue sparks.. I'm pretty hopeful actually... It might even run if the carbs are ok.. :clap:

yup.. Brainfart but not too bad...

I didn't pay much so I really don't want to put a lot into it, but now I'm looking at new tires, mufflers (as these are ..... cheap..), other parts like new carb intake boots, fuel shutoff.... lol... I get so hooked..

So, hope everyone is doing well! and have a good night!!

[Weldangrind]

Awesome! I'd certainly try to repair the carbs with epoxy. Instead of JB, I used Permatex Cold Weld, since it is rated for fuel. I rebuilt the float mount on an old two stroke carb that had eroded away. Worked great.

[Biker_Andy]

I wouldn't worry about the missing capacitor. As strange as it sounds most capacitors aren't needed depending on their function. Values are also very misleading as tolerances are typically around +/- 100%. So a 2.2uF could be anything from 1.1uF to 4.4uF at room temperature. Tolerances get significantly higher when you consider the verying temperatures your bike operates at. If your tach doesn't work at all or the needle bounces to the point it's useless send me a message and I'll help you get the one you need. When I come across a bad capacitor I remove it then test the functionality without it. If the device doesn't work properly only then do I look for a replacement. If there are 1000 capacitors in you flat screen TV about 900 of them can be removed and your TV will still work fine.

[nevernuf]

Thanks Weld and BikerAndy...
Not overly worried about the cap, but it's always nice for stuff to function like it's supposed to...
And thanks for the heads up for the cold weld...