Another TT Upgrade?

With all the Aprilia RS250 buying we've been doing lately it has provided us a bunch of extra parts including this MK1 RS250 front end. This front end included a front wheel, but we most likely won't be using that. So why is this front end important you may ask? Well it shares measurements with the similar era RS125 front end that currently resides on my personal RS50 TT. The benefits of this front end over the current RS125 front end installed should be obvious, the adjustability and black color. I've already measured and it will fit in the triple clamps and the axel is also the same measurement so it shouldn't be too difficult to swap over. A few issues will be the front fender mounts being different and the extra caliper mount, but it may be worth the effort long term.

This will be added to the long list of items still on the upgrade list for TT:
-RS250 Forks (Have Parts)
-Speedo, Tach, Temp (RS125, KOSO? Still undecided)
-Domino Throttle and switch gear (Have Parts)
-Ti frame bolts (Have Parts)
-Rear braided line (Have Parts)
-GP top triple clamp
-RFID ignition
-Silencer Mount
-Headlight
-Rear mud guard

Mid 90's MK1 RS250 Forks

Black color and red adjusters

Forkin around

Changed out the leaky fork seal on TT which is a 2004 Aprilia RS50 sporting a fully custom adapted Aprilia RS125 front end. The forks were just overhauled earlier this year for the 2 stroke extravaganza show and go so I was puzzled how the seal gave up the ghost so fast. 

Picked up the replacement seal from my local Aprilia Dealer, Scuderia West, where Bob always helps me find and order bits for my rare Aprilia machines! Next up was some Motul 15 wt fork oil from SF Moto where everyone knows my name. Then Cycle Gear for the seal driver. Sounds like a lot of travel, but they are all within a mile of each other and keeping local shops open is something I try my best to support.

Leaky Fork, New Seal, Seal Driver, and 15wt oil.

After assembling the needed materials and toolsI pulled the fork apart to inspect what was causing the leak. Never seen one this bad in such a short time so I'm thinking our difficulty in seating the seal may have caused some damage the last time resulting in catastrophic failure. 

Faulty Fork Seal

I didn't want to repeat the same mistake with the new seal so I created a simple rig which enabled me to apply equal pressure to each side of the seal while pushing the fork down with my body weight. This prevented the issue we had last time where one side would seat and the other side would pop out.

Home made seal fitter

Job done with minimal mess and fuss so time to get everything fitted back together.

Ready to roll

All put back together and ready for the next ride!

TT is ready for liftoff

GI Jane

Me and Gyver just bought another Aprilia RS250 today from fellow Bats member and two stroke enthusiast Scott. This was apparently the real life G.I. Jane's track bike back in the day! This will become priority #1 in the three bike lineup of Aprilia RS250's in our stable.

Gyver and the Aprilia RS250 workshop

Along with the bike came 3 sets of pipes which will really help out on the builds of the other 2 in the future!

Stock, Jolly Moto, and Handmade

This bike came with a special Suzuki SAPC controller and CDI so the RS250 will make power like the RGV250.

Rare 23060 SAPC

An overview shot of Bats San Jose

Three Aprilia RS250s' there

We have 2 Dry clutch setups!

TT love

TT needs some fork seal love so I took the fork off, ordered the seal, and decided to take off the tank and plastics to clean the rest of the road grime. 

TT on the custom front stand 

As can be seen in the photo below, removing the tank and bodywork revealed the grime I couldn't reach when I washed it. This is more than a vanity project as it will make finding leaks and issues easier in the future.

Road Grime uncovered!

All cleaned up!

Also added some dielectric grease to all of the electrical connections on the bike to prevent corrosion and help maintain a strong connection. This is an easy and often overlooked part of most bikes that can lead to untraceable electrical gremlins down the road.

Nice and clean

After everything was clean and buttoned up I decided to adjust the chain as well so it will be ready to ride once the fork seal is resolved.

Basic Chain Maintenance.

Nastro Flys to Bats SF

This project Aprilia RS50 has flown from Bats LA to Bats San Jose to Bats SF where it will be taken completely apart to repair a broken mount and then reassembled to roam the local kart tracks once again.

Cheapest RS250 in the World!

Yesterday I picked up the cheapest Aprilia RS250's in the world! The catch? They are in pieces! The bikes took up all the space I had in the the back of the BATS van. I can't wait to start building the first bike which will be for trackway duties along side the VR46 Honda RS250. Stay tuned!

TT cleaning

After a great weekend at the 2 Stroke Extravaganza TT was in need of some love.

TT not only performed excellent on the ride, but also managed to claim 2nd best exotic at the show Sunday!

TT had a filthy layer of road grime from sitting in an open trailer all the way up I-5 during the rain storm that hit us here in California this past weekend.

Filth everywhere!

Nice layer of suds

After a quick rinse and dry!

Roll out

Loaded up the beast at Bats Gilroy

Fully loaded

Couple more pics of how the bikes fit in the Bats van

Flying south

Loaded up a couple bikes in the new Bats van heading for Bats Gilroy!

Aprilia racer day

Monday, May 13th a couple of us Bats went to the Aprilia Racers Days event at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. Dankerson brought along his 2006 Aprilia RS125 to look cute infant of our garage, and his 2001 Honda HRC RS250 Sky VR46 Replica Racer. 

2006 Aprilia RS125 shining in front of our garage. Lot's of people stopped by to check it out throughout the day.

TT aboard the 2019 Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory. This bike is so easy to ride its incredible. When I have an extra $25k sitting around I'm getting one!

Got to do my first session on Dankerson's RS250. Everyone was tripping off the two stroke music emanating from the carbon pipes!

Dankerson railing in A group, he was flying by everyone!

Unfortunately Dankerson lost the front end at the first turn and his day ended early. Luckily he was ok and has all the parts needed to rebuild the beast.

TT hits the road!

Finally did my final checks and TT made it off the table and onto the road! Kept it under 8k for a short ride to the gas station and then my parking spot. Managed to get the temp up to the top of the blue so I'm happy with the first ride.

First impression is the torque on the new TP85 kit is great. It's easily pulling 14/44 gearing around at low to mid RPM's and the front brake makes 1 finger modulation easy. Suspension feels solid and balanced. The carb will need a little tuning after another break in run to lean out the mixture.

Should have some ride video soon!

TT ready to roll!

Spent a little time at the shop tying up loose ends on TT and it’s now ready to leave the table for its maiden voyage!

Sky VR46 action

VR46 getting love

TT wiring

Marco