Having some fun with my Baja 250

[CruiserBill]

So I decided to use my Baja 250 as a project to play around with customizing a bike. This is my first go at doing any kind of custom work and so far it is fun. to start with I got rid of the exhaust, fenders, tach, suspension, Tank and seat. Added a new headlight, seat, tank, struts instead of springs in the rear, new smaller turn signals on the way.
At this point I am trying to figure out what to use to fill the gap between the tank and the seat. I moved the seat back almost a foot to a more comfortable position and need to fill the gap in the middle. Thinking some sheet metal work of some sort, not sure yet. Put on strait pipes, loud but nice. pics are below. enjoy.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1364.snc4/163605_1503767687115_1621935652_1045454_7761048_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs788.ash1/167830_1503767967122_1621935652_1045456_8376330_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs027.snc6/165767_1503768087125_1621935652_1045457_511784_n.j pg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs051.snc6/168157_1503768207128_1621935652_1045458_7945313_n. jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1375.snc4/164755_1503768327131_1621935652_1045459_4344626_n. jpg

[recracer]

I like what i see there, pretty cool . Not being familer with this bike ,do you have any before photos to put up ?

[CruiserBill]

Before:
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs117.snc1/5175_1064936036598_1621935652_169263_4547730_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs117.snc1/5175_1064935956596_1621935652_169261_3315273_n.jpg

[FastDoc]

Very cool bobber. I take it you won't be doing any long distance touring anytime soon, eh? :D

[CruiserBill]

no long distance rides at all on this. Looking to get a VTX 1800 or Vulcan Vaquero for that.

[katoranger]

Not sure, but I think you should try moving the tank back a few inches.

I am liking it.

[Weldangrind]

That tank looks really good, and it suits the bike nicely. Is it a Sporty tank?

Have you tried your stock seat in the stock location with the new tank? I really like your new seat, but maybe the original seat is worth trying again.

[katoranger]

Maybe moving the forward controls more forward. That may help being able to bring the seat forward a few more inches and then the tank back a couple inches.

[CruiserBill]

Going to try the suggestions. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for the input. It has been fun building it. My kids are helping where they can. My youngest still won't use the grinder though.

[TheRealWorld]

Hey, I have one like yours, and I am looking for a place to buy a CDI, got any ideas. My CDI works fine till it get hot, cool days are no problem.

[FastDoc]

Do you suppose the CDI is a clone of the one on a Honda Rebel?

[TheRealWorld]

Good to hear from you Doc. I have no idea, I can tell you that I bought one from a China parts dealer and it was identical, but did not work. It came with info that said it was for a 250, but it only fired on one cylinder when, I installed it. It was only $6 shipped, so no big deal.

[FastDoc]

It seems to me the engine is a Rebel clone so maybe the CDI is as well. BTW are you sure it's the CDI? Could there be a bad connection somewhere that fails when the bike gets hot? I wonder if your $6 replacement was defective. Maybe if you want both cylinders to fire you need the $12 CDI. :P JK

[TheRealWorld]

I am not sure, maybe I should order one for $12 and see what happens!

[culcune]

Realworld, did you contact Hensim?

Hensim USA Headquarters:
5270 Edison Ave
Chino, CA 91710
USA
Phone: (909) 548-0051
Fax: (909) 548-0055
Email: info@hensimusa.com

Cruiserbill--very cool bike!! Sorry to hijack a little bit...

[TheRealWorld]

No, I had not, but I will, and thanks for your info. I will let you know what I hear.

[cliftstuff]

Careful because there are dc fired cdi's and ac fired cdi's...(I learnt the hard way by blowing the main fuse). I get my parts from scrappydogscooters.com out of here in vegas. Nice people and Mo is knowledgeable.

[culcune]

Cliftstuff, that link seems to have alot of parts. They seem to have parts for the Hensim/Baja and the Ventos, too...Good link!

[Weldangrind]

Careful because there are dc fired cdi's and ac fired cdi's...(I learnt the hard way by blowing the main fuse). I get my parts from scrappydogscooters.com out of here in vegas. Nice people and Mo is knowledgeable.

I was looking at their stuff on eBay, and I'm not sure how to tell if an AC or DC CDI is required. How do you tell?

[cliftstuff]

This is off his tech talk page about weather ac fired or dc fired:

Here is somewhat simplified checklist to determine type:
Headlights turn on with key, DC. Headlights turn on with engine,AC
Engine does not run without batter, DC. Engine runs without battery, AC
CDI box is pretty large, DC. CDI box is smaller, AC (note: our new digital DC units are smaller)
There is one wire on the two part plug, DC. There is two wires on the two part plug, DC.

Like I said Im happy with these guys and they seem to have a good rating on ebay.

[Weldangrind]

Thanks for the reply.

This is fantastic tech: http://www.scrappydogscooters.com/Tech_Talk_with_Mo_.html

[TheRealWorld]

Thanks for the info guys, I have been very busy, but I will be getting to this soon. I did try to call scrappydog today and got a message, I will call again.

[humanbeing]

This (http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fsanxin.com.cn%2FExhibit%2Fexhview.a sp%3Fpid%3D13) is a better "chinese" replacment (:P Qlink XF/ XF stock is that brand & so did other big players in China ...)
Currently ~$12 in China
Any cheaper CDI with similar curve will work, BUT reliability not guarantee

[Weldangrind]

Wow, zero degrees at 1500rpm, but 16 degrees BTDC at 3000rpm. That's a really steep curve, but it's nowhere near the total advance that I imagined. Typical four stroke engines are happy at around 35 degrees BTDC (initial plus centrifugal if applicable).

[TheRealWorld]

Thanks for the comment, but I have to admit you are way over my head, I have no idea what you are talking about!

[Weldangrind]

What I mean is that the spark needs to occur sooner than TDC (top dead center) as the engine spins faster. The CDI makes the spark occur earlier and earlier as rpm increases, so that the air / fuel mixture can properly ignite by the time the piston has reached the top of its travel. This is referred to as ignition advance, and it is expressed in crankshaft degrees before top dead center (BTDC).

You can't get too carried away with advance, or the ignited air / fuel mixture will be trying to force the piston down while it is still travelling upwards. The result is detonation, and it sounds like rocks rattling in a coffee can. If you're lucky, you'll only break a spark plug. It can certainly result in broken rings or a broken piston.

All that said, I'm still surprised by the rather weak advance curve shown in the specs. I expected the curve to take advance to well past 30 degrees BTDC.

[FastDoc]

That was a really intellegent, concise explanation, Brother Weld. :D

[humanbeing]

expected the curve to take advance to well past 30 degrees BTDC.
Stock (AC) = Reliability 1st & meet emission laws :)
Curve from a programmable (DC / coils) : http://motorcycle.sh.cn/t_248815.htm
4 curves kit (DC / coils) for "lazy" guys: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=7935554522

[Weldangrind]

Ok, that makes more sense. The link you showed us is for a stock replacement, not a performance CDI.

[Weldangrind]

Doc, you're very kind. :D

[FastDoc]

Doc, you're very kind. :D

My ex-wife would disagree, but I'm happy to say she would be in the minority, and is also in the past tense. 8)