NX250 Restoration

[clemkevin]

So last week I took the bike on a test run around my area. About 100 miles of back roads, maybe 25% dirt. Had zero issues besides the clutch pivot bolt ejecting itself. Fortunately, I have a nice stock of collared bolts and had a replacement when I got home.

I took the bike on a 280 mile ride yesterday. I feel like I understand this bike quite a bit better now. I think it's a better road bike than it is a dirt bike. I had fantasies of turning this thing into a trail bike for my girlfriend, but I think it would take quite a bit of work for it to be a good trail bike.

A few observations:
With the 5.10x17 rear tire, I'm sure the geometry isn't ideal. I noticed in mid-high speed dirt corners, the rear constantly wants to slide out. Any time I hit an imperfection in the surface, the rear opts to step out. I want to be able to ride the bike fast, but it really doesn't want me to. I also noticed the front likes to tuck pretty often as well. I'm gonna try and wear this tire out to get a 4.10x17 next. Hopefully that will improve the turning quality.

On the pavement? This thing ROCKS. I love the way it transitions between corners, it really rides like a supermoto. I have supermoto wheels that would work for it, so the question is, where do I find a rear disc conversion? Do I buy a crf230 swingarm and see if I can make it work?

I also noticed that at around 5000rpm the bike has a terrible flat spot. Is that normal, or should I adjust my carb tuning? As a result, it feels like it has VTEC once it finally gets to 6500rpm. Maybe I'm just too fat.

I think the 10wt fork oil with XT350 springs is the right setup for the front, but that GSF600 shock leaves a lot to be desired. But I won't touch that unless I do a disc conversion anyways.

Luckily, this bike is going to be mostly for my girlfriend, and I doubt she'll ride it so fast that she'll struggle with the same issues. So really, the bike is perfect.

[daleipi]

I think the 'easiest' rear disc conversion would be to use Honda NX 650 parts. Swingarm, brake and wheel.
You will need spacers for the swing arm axle and most likely sleeves for the damper pivot.

The Suzuki DR 350 brake cylinder should work fine.

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https://nx250.de/floris-nixe.html

[clemkevin]

Awesome! Thank you for sharing this.

I just got my XL600V running for the first time, so the NX250 is going to be sidelined for a bit. But this is definitely a project for the future. Especially if I throw some XR250R forks on the front.