Scored a Donor for the XR200R!

Weldangrind · 11-21-2010, 02:51 AM

Son of Weldangrind and I were in Vancouver today, so we took the drive to Whistler to see a bike we found on CL. It's a Hummer 250 with electric start, and it's complete. The battery was dead, so we bump-started it; that took several attempts, since the bike was very cold. Once we got it started, Son of Weldangrind ripped up the road and went through the gears. We made the deal, packed it up and headed for home.

Here's the bike. It has a 17" front and 16" rear, so it's a little small for my giant. We plan to harvest the engine for his XR, just like Doc and Kato are doing.

We got it home and took some photos in the dark with my BB. The frame is ridiculously wide, so the shifter operates via spherical rod ends. They're totally worn out.

This is the crazy lower frame:

The kicker is also odd. Rather than a conventional kicker, this one has a couple of bends that push it out past the footpeg. :?

The fuel valve is inaccessible, because the frame is in the way. Here's a peek at where the valve is from the left side of the bike:

When I stuffed the camera in the right side, here's what I saw. :roll:

Yep, it's in backwards. Unreal.

It does have crazy rear fender clearance and anodized USD forks.

I remember this bike from the original (now defunct) Gio forum, then called Giovanni. There was a lot of talk about how this fuel tank was considerably larger than the Gio 250 dirt bike of the day, but I don't know for sure. What I do know is that this bike is a real odds 'n ends special. The engine and muffler will be useful, and we might be able to use the USD forks for another project. Not a bad score.

Reveeen · 11-21-2010, 10:32 AM

Looks like the frame was meant to house a twin? Wouldn't surprise me if a 350-400 twin (Honda) would be a bolt-in (The DOHC 450 had an absolutely HUGE head). I'm not sure what use a 350-400 twin would have in a dirt bike, though, Honda did make them in the 70's (SL350).

Nice find.....

MICRider · 11-21-2010, 11:10 AM

Cool score! Kind of a neat looking little bike, though that shifter setup looks totally hinky

. You got it for a decent price? Most of the china bikes I find on kijiji for around here are in pieces and the owners are usually asking close to GIO auction prices for the broken bits. Love the idea of repowering the old XR's, they were always awesome bikes! How do you suppose a repowered XR would handle compared to a GIO X31? Would the XR be lighter and better suspended? Just something I've wondered about. Again, grats on the find, lots of pics of the repower please

.

Cheers,
Stew

Weldangrind · 11-21-2010, 01:20 PM

Reveeen, you shouldn't say things like that to me. I'll be tempted to swap in a twin.

Stew, it was $100.00.

That never happens where I live. I think that an XR200R with a 230 / 250 electric start China motor would be the ultimate bush bike, with some upgrades. The first one we've done is swap on an '84 XR250R front end with a disc brake.

If you want a hot racing setup, a late eighties CR125 rolling chassis with the same China motor would rip through the turns and handle massive air. I'm too old for that kind of abuse now.

I'll be sure to start a new thread with pics once assembly begins.

MICRider · 11-21-2010, 01:35 PM

Wow! $100 8O I think that would pretty much qualify as the deal of the century! I will be following the build with great interest

Cheers,
Stew

Weldangrind · 11-21-2010, 01:49 PM

Thanks Stew. I could be talked out of the rolling frame, if that's something you're interested in taking on. The seat and plastics are decent, and the USD forks seem to be in good shape.

I could even donate lower XR frame stuff to get rid of that awful setup.

FastDoc · 11-21-2010, 01:55 PM

AWESOME FIND. Son of W&G looks pretty cold, even for a Canadian!

You will need that kickstarter on the XR. The Lifan one may not cler the rear brake pedal. Take the motor, part out the rest and you'll be able to finance the project, esentially for free. Minus your time of course!

MICRider · 11-21-2010, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Thanks Stew. I could be talked out of the rolling frame, if that's something you're interested in taking on. The seat and plastics are decent, and the USD forks seem to be in good shape.

I could even donate lower XR frame stuff to get rid of that awful setup.

Thank you for the gracious offer, little too much work for me though

. I am keeping my eyes open for an XR200 or XR250 but the prices around here are sky high so I am just in the nice warm armchair shopping stage

Cheers,
Stew

TurboT · 11-21-2010, 02:50 PM

I find it interesting the 17/16 setup in a 250cc.

Good score! I'd be inclinded to leave it alone and pound on it some for $100. Good small guy buddy bike.

...although it's clear I am less mechanically ambitious as you!

FastDoc that was up in the world famous Whistler ski resort, so it was probably brisk at that altitude. He's only wearing a hoodie not a ski jacket like most others in the world would be.

Perfectly attired for us hot blooded Canucks. :P

Weldangrind · 11-21-2010, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MICRider

Thank you for the gracious offer, little too much work for me though

. I am keeping my eyes open for an XR200 or XR250 but the prices around here are sky high so I am just in the nice warm armchair shopping stage

I happen to have an early eighties XR200 (not the R version) twin shocker rolling frame as well. Interested?

Weldangrind · 11-21-2010, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurboT

I find it interesting the 17/16 setup in a 250cc.

Good score! I'd be inclinded to leave it alone and pound on it some for $100. Good small guy buddy bike.

...although it's clear I am less mechanically ambitious as you!

FastDoc that was up in the world famous Whistler ski resort, so it was probably brisk at that altitude. He's only wearing a hoodie not a ski jacket like most others in the world would be.

Perfectly attired for us hot blooded Canucks. :P

See how huge Son of Weldangrind looks on there? He's only about 6'1" right now. You'd look like a gorilla.

BTW, I can barely convince him to wear more than a hoodie on the coldest days. :roll:

Weldangrind · 11-21-2010, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FastDoc

AWESOME FIND. Son of W&G looks pretty cold, even for a Canadian!

You will need that kickstarter on the XR. The Lifan one may not cler the rear brake pedal. Take the motor, part out the rest and you'll be able to finance the project, esentially for free. Minus your time of course!

Thanks for that tip. I'll make sure that I have a workable kicker on the '83 before getting rid of the parts.

I doubt that I could make much by parting out a Hummer. There really isn't much left that's marketable, once I remove the motor.

katoranger · 11-21-2010, 04:09 PM

$100 is a steal for a good motor and all the necessary parts to make it run.

MICRider · 11-21-2010, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Quote:

Originally Posted by MICRider

Thank you for the gracious offer, little too much work for me though

. I am keeping my eyes open for an XR200 or XR250 but the prices around here are sky high so I am just in the nice warm armchair shopping stage

I happen to have an early eighties XR200 (not the R version) twin shocker rolling frame as well. Interested?

Lol! I would love to see your shop my friend! Too bad you live 1200 km's away

. Just out of curiosity, what year did the XR's go to disc brakes?

Cheers,
Stew

Weldangrind · 11-21-2010, 04:26 PM

My shop is nothing but a disaster right now. Once I get a door mounted in the shed, I'll be able to make things more presentable.

I'm not sure on the disc brake question, but my guess is '96. Son of Weldangrind and I have been looking at a '93, and it has a drum in front.

11-21-2010, 02:51 AM	#1
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Scored a Donor for the XR200R! Son of Weldangrind and I were in Vancouver today, so we took the drive to Whistler to see a bike we found on CL. It's a Hummer 250 with electric start, and it's complete. The battery was dead, so we bump-started it; that took several attempts, since the bike was very cold. Once we got it started, Son of Weldangrind ripped up the road and went through the gears. We made the deal, packed it up and headed for home. Here's the bike. It has a 17" front and 16" rear, so it's a little small for my giant. We plan to harvest the engine for his XR, just like Doc and Kato are doing. We got it home and took some photos in the dark with my BB. The frame is ridiculously wide, so the shifter operates via spherical rod ends. They're totally worn out. This is the crazy lower frame: The kicker is also odd. Rather than a conventional kicker, this one has a couple of bends that push it out past the footpeg. :? The fuel valve is inaccessible, because the frame is in the way. Here's a peek at where the valve is from the left side of the bike: When I stuffed the camera in the right side, here's what I saw. :roll: Yep, it's in backwards. Unreal. It does have crazy rear fender clearance and anodized USD forks. I remember this bike from the original (now defunct) Gio forum, then called Giovanni. There was a lot of talk about how this fuel tank was considerably larger than the Gio 250 dirt bike of the day, but I don't know for sure. What I do know is that this bike is a real odds 'n ends special. The engine and muffler will be useful, and we might be able to use the USD forks for another project. Not a bad score. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	0

11-21-2010, 01:20 PM	#4
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Reveeen, you shouldn't say things like that to me. I'll be tempted to swap in a twin. Stew, it was $100.00. That never happens where I live. I think that an XR200R with a 230 / 250 electric start China motor would be the ultimate bush bike, with some upgrades. The first one we've done is swap on an '84 XR250R front end with a disc brake. If you want a hot racing setup, a late eighties CR125 rolling chassis with the same China motor would rip through the turns and handle massive air. I'm too old for that kind of abuse now. I'll be sure to start a new thread with pics once assembly begins. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	0

11-21-2010, 01:49 PM	#6
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Thanks Stew. I could be talked out of the rolling frame, if that's something you're interested in taking on. The seat and plastics are decent, and the USD forks seem to be in good shape. I could even donate lower XR frame stuff to get rid of that awful setup. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	0

11-21-2010, 01:55 PM	#7
FastDoc Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southeastern Washington desert Posts: 14,761	AWESOME FIND. Son of W&G looks pretty cold, even for a Canadian! You will need that kickstarter on the XR. The Lifan one may not cler the rear brake pedal. Take the motor, part out the rest and you'll be able to finance the project, esentially for free. Minus your time of course! __________________ Happy to serve.
	0

11-21-2010, 04:09 PM	#13
katoranger Join Date: May 2007 Location: Altamont, Kansas Posts: 15,103	$100 is a steal for a good motor and all the necessary parts to make it run. __________________ You meet the nicest people on a Honda Clone.
	0

11-21-2010, 10:32 AM	#2
Reveeen Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: orbital platform Posts: 741	Looks like the frame was meant to house a twin? Wouldn't surprise me if a 350-400 twin (Honda) would be a bolt-in (The DOHC 450 had an absolutely HUGE head). I'm not sure what use a 350-400 twin would have in a dirt bike, though, Honda did make them in the 70's (SL350). Nice find.....
	0

11-21-2010, 11:10 AM	#3
MICRider Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 3,274	Cool score! Kind of a neat looking little bike, though that shifter setup looks totally hinky . You got it for a decent price? Most of the china bikes I find on kijiji for around here are in pieces and the owners are usually asking close to GIO auction prices for the broken bits. Love the idea of repowering the old XR's, they were always awesome bikes! How do you suppose a repowered XR would handle compared to a GIO X31? Would the XR be lighter and better suspended? Just something I've wondered about. Again, grats on the find, lots of pics of the repower please . Cheers, Stew
	0

11-21-2010, 01:35 PM	#5
MICRider Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 3,274	Wow! $100 8O I think that would pretty much qualify as the deal of the century! I will be following the build with great interest Cheers, Stew
	0

11-21-2010, 02:50 PM	#9
TurboT Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Surrey, B.C., Canada Posts: 2,185	I find it interesting the 17/16 setup in a 250cc. Good score! I'd be inclinded to leave it alone and pound on it some for $100. Good small guy buddy bike. ...although it's clear I am less mechanically ambitious as you! FastDoc that was up in the world famous Whistler ski resort, so it was probably brisk at that altitude. He's only wearing a hoodie not a ski jacket like most others in the world would be. Perfectly attired for us hot blooded Canucks. :P
	0

11-21-2010, 04:26 PM	#15
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	My shop is nothing but a disaster right now. Once I get a door mounted in the shed, I'll be able to make things more presentable. I'm not sure on the disc brake question, but my guess is '96. Son of Weldangrind and I have been looking at a '93, and it has a drum in front. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	0