RE 250GT Continental

[BritPete]

have been given an RE 250GT Continental, this was the fastest British 250 of its era.

It will eventually look like this although it has been in tea chests for the past 40 years.



Picked up the first parts today.



I bought a replacement tank as you may have seen at Kempton Park Autojumble on Saturday, this is the bottom of the original



I thought is was a right off with the amount of bodge on it but after 3 hours with hammer, chisel, wire rush, scraper, electric drill and sand paper



Maybe Not

[terryc]

That was the first bike I ever owned but not the first I had on the road that was a honda cd175 as the enfield needed work

[terryc]

Just watch the leading edge of the fuel tank ,mine leaked from there along the seam where the sides meet the bottom ,I had to fibre glass over it ,as a result the tank never sat flat on the bike afterwards as you can see in the picture  

[BritPete]

Great photo Terry

The days before a garage and when you could leave a bike out and it would not get pinched

[BritPete]

Stripped the back wheel today - The Cush Rubbers are like bits of steel   But not surprisingly 



3 snapped spokes

[terryc]

It looks like a long way to go

[terryc]

Mar 31, 2023 13:25:05 GMT BritPete said:

Great photo Terry

The days before a garage and when you could leave a bike out and it would not get pinched

The snow picture I'd just been out on it but most of the time it was in the flat with me  

[buster]

you've got more patience than me, I just removed a couple of spokes for patterns (for hagons) and cut through the rest with the angle grinder

[BritPete]

Apr 1, 2023 6:25:26 GMT buster said:

you've got more patience than me, I just removed a couple of spokes for patterns (for hagons) and cut through the rest with the angle grinder

It was a pleasure- used my dads BA spanner set with the nipples being 2BA

[BritPete]

Collected this today - a genuine 1960’s NOS battery and tool box cover - rarer then Buster’s Aluminium Files 

[BritPete]

Front wheel stripped this morning











The tyre still technically legal but as hard as a rock so going to dump - original Dunlop inner tube and it holds air - again being replaced

[BritPete]

Bit more polishing











2 of the rims are Neil’s

[BritPete]

2 jobs done today

- Cleaned all the brake mechanics and spindles

[BritPete]

Then had a go at the tank that came with the bike - at some point it had been painted blue (no undercoat) and then back to red












took the top red coat off with 40 grit then the remnants of the blue off with 220 grit

looks pretty good on the wipe of white spirit

[BritPete]

PS not sure why I traced the position of the decals as they are not original