Maxton Yamaha RD250E
This very tidy looking little bike belongs to racer & race bike builder Colin Western. Colin has very kindly offered it to me to use for 2016 in the 250cc Air-cooled championship, where it is likely to be one of the best bikes - if not the best in the field. He has spent the last 2 years running it in the class himself and has developed it into a very well put together machine in that time. The engine has been tuned by Mick Abbey, and in addition to the very tidy Maxton engineering frame and tank - it has some very nice bits and pieces making up a quick bike that handles very well indeed. I have changed the livery on the new fairing I have fitted to my own version of the original 'Dugdale Motors' design that the bike would have worn in the period - think it looks pretty cool.
Machine Specification: |
Engine - 1976 Yamaha RD250E engine, air-cooled with standard wet clutch.
Ignition - Power dynamo race ignition system Frame - Maxton Engineering monoshock chassis (frame and swinging arm) Rear Brake - AP lockheed master cylinder and racing caliper. Front Brakes - Single 280mm front disk with AP lockheed racing caliper. Front Suspension - 35mm Marzocchi forks. Rear Suspension - YSS race monoshock unit. Bodywork - Full Maxton fairing, TZ seat unit. (Ragged Edge racing) Wheels - Astralites in matt black, front 18 x 2.15" fitted with an Avon 90/90 medium. Rear 18 x 2.5'' fitted with an Avon AM22 soft. Pipes - Bespoke ABCON (Andy Bacon) race expansion chambers with TZ end cans. Other - Talon sprockets (no cush drive), Maxton steering damper, Domino twin pull throttle, Domino clutch lever, Goodridge brake hoses, Scitsu Tacho, TTO plug temp sensors. Engine Output - 50hp peak @ 11000rpm. Max revs 11500rpm. Weight - 114kg's (Includes 5L race fuel) |
Development:
Since arranging the terms of sponsorship for me riding the bike this year and then collecting it from Colin, we have done a huge amount of work in a short period of time to make the bike as competitive as it can be for the coming season's championship. We have a full race spec spare engine to match that of the main engine, just in case of many miss-haps at any meetings this season.
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As you can see from the photo above - we stripped the bike right back (as requested by Colin) and did a thorough check-over and rebuild with a few little mods along the way...
All the above are really minor tweaks to an already very well put together bike. Colin and I agreed this stuff needed to be done so a list was drawn up, and all mods carried out as part of the deal for me to take the bike for the season. I promised Colin he would get the bike back in better nick that he gave it to me and so far so good - now I just need to try and win some races on it for him and keep it up together as the season progresses. Below is a collection of photo's of the work list above being done.
- Fully rebuilt engine one that currently sits in the bike - rebuilt crank, re-bored, new pistons/rings and little ends.
- Race prepared a spare engine with good spare crank, Mick Abbey tuned top end to match existing.
- Front wheel spindle replaced for larger 17mm diameter spindle.
- Rear swing-arm removed, checked for cracks, chain runner re-fitted and swingarm refitted into bike.
- New securing pin machined for rear suspension mount to swing-arm.
- Rear suspension top mounting bolt enlarged and wire locked.
- Front fork brake calliper mount bolts enlarged to M10 fine, drilled for wire locking.
- Front hub/disk bolts replaced with new.
- New fairing fitted with orignal 'Dugdale' based design.
- New TZ seat to be fitted at Pembrey.
- Replaced tank petrol taps with ball valves.
- Replaced various mild steel bolts with stainless, and drilled for wire locking
- Repainted the rear wheel splash guard in black with two pack laquer and re-fitted.
- TTO plug temp sensors fitted.
- Heads and barells 'lapped' in using grind paste and emery to reduce issue experienced with head gasket blowing.
- Base gaskets 'spacers' fabricated so that we have the option to run no head gasket and maintain tight squish gap.
All the above are really minor tweaks to an already very well put together bike. Colin and I agreed this stuff needed to be done so a list was drawn up, and all mods carried out as part of the deal for me to take the bike for the season. I promised Colin he would get the bike back in better nick that he gave it to me and so far so good - now I just need to try and win some races on it for him and keep it up together as the season progresses. Below is a collection of photo's of the work list above being done.
As can be seen from the photo's above, a fair amount of man hours have gone into making this bike as good as it can be for the 2016 season. Refitting the shock absorber with a proper pin mount and changing the wheel spindle where bigger jobs that needed to be done, the work put into the fairing and colour scheme is just for the grin factor when the bike is sat in the paddock/out on circuit looking very pretty. And clearly I have a budding new mechanic on board who will be learning her way round a motorbike over the next 10 years I'm sure..!
Below is a short video of the Maxton running for the first time post rebuild over the winter, very exciting;
Below is a short video of the Maxton running for the first time post rebuild over the winter, very exciting;
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Just like to finish off this update and say big thanks to Colin Western - for not only lending me the bike for this season but also all the support and assistance to get the bike rebuilt and all the mods done. Hopefully his support will be repaid in enjoyment this year watching his bike racing instead of riding it...
The Maxton is sponsored this year by Moto71.co.uk and will wear that livery all season. Moto71 continue to support our racing in 2016, and this is hugely appreciated - please use them for your road / racing consumables, (and don't forget to mention where you got the tip from!) as they provide superb fast service and a range of quality motorcycle products. The Mick Abbey tuned motor in Colin's Maxton is well proven - lets see what we can do with it this season..! |
