Kawasaki KH250-B3/B4

[Mumbly]

 

This is a trip back to my youth.  I bought 3 non-running S1/KH250 when I was 17.  I managed to piece together a working KH250 and this was my first bike after ditching the L-Plates.  It also started a journey where I owned a KH400, KH500 and an H2 750 before I moved onto the Suzuki stink pots which in turn culminated in an RG500.  Of the Kawasaki triples, the 250 was my favourite, the 400 was more powerful but not as much fun, the 500 kept breaking down (ignition issues) and the 750 just wanted to kill me.

 

This is also my first Hasegawa bike kit, and it is a beauty!  The build and fit so far are superb and the separate parts are going to make the build a lot easier.

 

The plan is to build it as my KH looked, so mine was Candy Cobalt Blue and completely stock, albeit with flatter handlebars.  I also have the Hobby Design PE kit for it and I am going to add the bits that are missing, as I still have the Haynes Workshop Manual, so this will include the auto-lube cables and a stab at the wiring loom too amongst other things.

 

So far, I have made a start on the cylinder barrels.  The fins have been thinned to remove the joins and the crankcase has had the access way for the oil pipes opened up and the moulded engine bolt removed and replaced with an alloy tube.

 

This shows the before and after on the barrels, the right is without any work:

 

This is the crankcases:

 

From the box:

 

Oil lines are some MFH fine brown pipes with thin wire threaded through so that I can shape them to route along the crancase below the carbs, the bolts are MasterClub 1.0mm resin bolts through some 1.2mm tube:

 

And this is them placed for dry-fit purposes.  The molded bolts are removed and drilled out, also the original holes for the clutch and oil lines are plugged so I can use thinner wire than what comes with the kit:

 

This is the case halves assembled with the replacement bolt:

 

I also have been working on the wheels.  There is a lot of chrome in the kit, and if you want some sprue-shots I can post them.  I have removed the chrome from the hubs by creating a plasticine well for keeping the bleach away from the rim.  I also am planning to next write a separate WIP on the methods that I used.  But this is the rear wheel before, during and finished for comparison.

 

These are the wheels with the hubs stripped of chrome, just dry fits:

 

I started by removing some of the spokes and replacing with 0.5mm piano wire with 0.8mm aluminium tubes cut to 1mm lengths for the furrels, these are on the left side.  The hubs have been painted with AK Xtreme Metal Matte Aluminium:

 

Just steel spokes and now quite flimsy:

 

Finished:

 

 

I have some tyre valves on the way, so that and the brake and rear sprocket need to be added at a later stage.  Front wheel is next and then if the weather allows, some paint on the engine parts.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Tony

Edited January 14, 2021 by Mumbly

[NigeG]

Those wheels look superb, I have a few kits with wire wheels that I am avoiding because the spokes don’t look correct.

im gonna have to have a go and what you have done.

[Mumbly]

4 hours ago, NigeG said:

Those wheels look superb, I have a few kits with wire wheels that I am avoiding because the spokes don’t look correct.

im gonna have to have a go and what you have done.

 

Thanks Nige, I am going to write up the ways that I have tried after I finish the front wheel as a seperate thread, which I hope others can add too, especially on the car side as that is something that I have not tried.

 

You are 100% right on the look of the molded spokes in my opinion too.  The ones that I have worked on are from this kit and Ayoshima are both really well molded, but they look just too thick, plus the steel finish of piano wire also sets them off regardless the finish on the rim and hub.

 

This is the Ayoshima rear without the tyre which I will also go through, it was done differently and was not as simple as the way that I am now using.  Both make a big difference compared to the OOB.

 

 

Tony

[keefr22]

Never been a biker (I was dangerous enough on a bicycle!) but I do like classic bikesand good models of them - & this is shaping up to be a cracker! Shall follow along if you don't mind!

 

That wheelis excellent!

 

Keith

[Mumbly]

6 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Never been a biker (I was dangerous enough on a bicycle!) but I do like classic bikesand good models of them - & this is shaping up to be a cracker! Shall follow along if you don't mind!

 

That wheelis excellent!

 

Keith

Thanks Keith, welcome aboard.  While I marvel at the bikes of today, I quite like the simplicity of early Japanese bikes as well as the European bike of that era and before.

[Kev The Modeller]

The KH250 was my first bike 78 B3 in lime green, I too moved on to the 750 just loved it.  The green in the picture is well off the mark for a B3 here  just look at the price it's almost 10 times what I paid for mine!

 

Following with interest.   

[Mumbly]

I paid £90 for the three bikes that were in bits and sold it for £250 about a year later along with the spares.  It was never immaculate but I hate to think what it would sell for now, even in pieces. 

[IanC]

Nearest I got was a ride on the back of one of these. My own first bike was a Honda H100 tiddler. Then a VT250F which Tamiya did a model of.

 

And yes, those wheels are a work of art. I'm looking forward to seeing this one finished.

[keefr22]

9 hours ago, Mumbly said:

It was never immaculate but I hate to think what it would sell for now, even in pieces. 

 

Same as all the Mk1 and 2 Ford Escorts I went through - wouldn't a crystal ball have been a useful accessory!

 

Keith

[Mumbly]

Front wheel done now   Now the rest of the bike...

 

 

Hope to get some paint on the engine next.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Tony

[keefr22]

They look great!

 

Keith

[Brandy]

Nice work on the wheels. Respoking makes such a huge difference!

 

Ian

[Mumbly]

 

1 hour ago, keefr22 said:

They look great!

 

Keith

 

1 hour ago, Brandy said:

Nice work on the wheels. Respoking makes such a huge difference!

 

Ian

 

Thanks for the comments.  Respoking isn't that hard once you have a method, but really time consuming.  The end results are well worth the effort though.

 

Tony

[Toftdale]

Absolutely fantastic,  the addition of the furrels (which I assume are just cosmetic? ) make a hugh difference to the realism 

[Mumbly]

2 hours ago, Toftdale said:

Absolutely fantastic,  the addition of the furrels (which I assume are just cosmetic? ) make a hugh difference to the realism 

Yep, purely cosmetic.  They are just 0.8mm alloy tube cut to 1mm lengths.  I have used brass before, but alloy looks better and is easier to cut.

[NigeG]

They look superb 👍

[Mumbly]

13 hours ago, NigeG said:

They look superb 👍

Thanks Nige

 

Engine crankcase, barrels and heads assembled along with the oil lines for the autolube.  I love the simplicity of this era, especially as this is a 2-stroke.  Also, this kit has been really well thought out with many of the detail parts as seperate items, for example the choke lever is seperate as is the fuel tap.  Anyway, this is an engine dry fit, as this has to have the frame build around it as it is a bit on the wide side.  I am dithering on what to colour paint the carbs, but as the barrels are different to the heads and engine halves and these will be different to the outside cases I think I will go with the same Matte Aluminium.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking

 

Tony

[NigeG]

Have you painted the frame, a lot of people are powder coating frames these days 😜

[Mumbly]

9 hours ago, NigeG said:

Have you painted the frame, a lot of people are powder coating frames these days 😜

No, but I thought about stove enamelling, might get messy though.

[Natter]

Loving this WiP.  I have been dithering about whether or not to get one of these kits, I must have twenty or so unbuilt bike models in the stash already, and your build is chipping away at resolve not to buy one.  Resistance... is... futile.......

[Mumbly]

 

For me it was the do I get the 400 the 250 or the Suzi GT380?????

 

The 400 will be almost identical, and I guess the GT380 will be as good.

 

Do it, do it..

 

Tony

[NigeG]

In my youth I started on RD50mx then RD 125 LC then I had an RD125 Dx twin then a big boys RD350LC wing ding ding

[Mumbly]

A little progress on the engine.  I am waiting for some odd's and end's to be delivered but have cabled up the carbs and fitted to the cylinders.

 

Hasegawa have moulded the air inlet hose clamps onto the carbs, so I used some aluminium adhesive foil duct tape cut into thin strips to add metal bands, as much to provide another contrast.  The cables on the carbs are from Hiroboy and the fuel line is slightly thicker which is some wire wrapping wire.  I only plan to use the kit supplied tubes for the HT leads, IMO these are too chunky, even for oil/fuel/fluid lines.  The carbs have had a wash of diluted Tamiya X-10 Gun Metal which is fine over the AK Xtreme Metal Matte Aluminium as these are enamle based paints.

 

 

Carbs attached

 

 

 

Airbox and the engine side covers are being readied next, as are some early steps on the frame.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Tony

 

 

[keefr22]

That all looks very neat indeed - nice work!

 

Keith

[Mumbly]

6 hours ago, keefr22 said:

That all looks very neat indeed - nice work!

 

Keith

 

Thanks Keith