Once in Steve’s hands...

The work could begin on getting the motorcycle back to its original glory although there wasn’t a huge amount that needed doing to it. Steve told CR: “It’s hard to say exactly what’s been spent on the bike. It’s probably in the region of around £4-5k with that going on mechanicals and paint. “Nothing was particularly in need of attention when the bike arrived but we had new pistons made and the cylinders re-plated. We also replaced what seals and bearings we could inside the motor, too.” As you’d imagine on a motorcycle so perfectly scant in number, the seals and bearings used in the XR range are all unique to the XR V-twin 250s and the XR V4s but, fortunately, the 250’s internals are somewhat similar to the same period factory V4s, which fell lucky for Steve: “It was fortunate because we had some bearings in stock that we had commissioned for the V4 engines,” he adds. Also replaced were the bike’s original carbon discs with steel options and the finish on all the magnesium components was refreshed along with crack testing the wheels. CR can’t resist asking Steve about the fragility of this motorcycle. We are all fans of the strokers, of course, and especially so of motorcycles as rare of this. But what does the combination of a pedigree-tuned 250 GP and the passage of time (without the ability to buy parts off-the-shelf) mean for running the XR V-twin at pace in the future? “We don’t really know much about the fragility of the bike simply because we have not used it enough to be able to get a gauge on how the mechanicals will hold up. But I imagine that the cranks will be the weak point… and I really hope that we never have to renew or repair the magnesium crankcases!”