This year, I spent the entire Thanksgiving holiday painting my XL250 engine. Originally, I hadn’t planned on doing any paint myself. To be honest, painting intimidated me. I assumed it required some sort of magic I didn’t possess — or at least …
RIDEWELL Rebuild Project
After owning my own custom vintage bike for a year, and doing a few small maintenance projects, I decided I wanted to try my hand at my own custom build.
So, in Feburary 2017, I bought a 1982 Honda XL250R, and started tearing it down. During the process, I kept a log of my thoughts, feelings and frustrations here.
Scenes from the RIDEWELL Garage
Since my last update on my XL250 rebuild project, I've gotten a lot better at keeping my project moving. It wasn't easy to integrate yet another responsibility into my day-to-day, but it feels good to make progress on a project that's just for me, …
So, I Took a Metal Shop Class…
When the PCC summer course catalog featured a female welding graduate on the cover, it felt like a sign. The universe wanted me to take metal shop. Or, at least, PCC did. Which, for me, was close enough. So, I signed up. I used my trusty …
RIDEWELL Rebuild, vol III: A Pivotal Moment
Hey there! Here's a quick recap for new readers: last February I purchased a 1982 XL250R, and this is the third installment in my rebuild journal. Lately, I've been having a hard time working regularly on my build. Something always comes up — work …
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RIDEWELL Rebuild: After the Teardown
As I write this, my 1982 XL250 rebuild project lies in pieces in my garage — engine out of the frame, cylinder head off, stripped of electronics, wheels, brakes, exhaust… I’ve officially reached the point of no return. It didn’t take …