Catching up on the XR200R

So as I mentioned in the last post, I've been working on the brakes and front end. It turns out that the front brakes on this bike are somewhat of a mystery. All the aftermarket listings show the same brake shoes front and rear, but this bike has considerably larger front brakes. Here's why they need to be replaced...



After several attempts at ordering shoes, I'm down to a couple possibilities, shoes for an XL model of similar vintage, or the OEM shoes from Honda. We'll know about the XL variant tomorrow.

I pulled the rear wheel back off to see if in fact the rear shoes were the same as the front, and discovered that they're not. In fact, I discovered that they're the same shoes as I have for my XL600 and various other old Hondas...the 200R shoes on the right.






I've also been concerned about the wiring, most notably because of the lack of a kill switch, but also because there was a mysterious "ground" wire running from the harness to the front of the cylinder head. I feared there would be some other modifications that could leave the bike and rider stranded in the woods, so I "took the plunge" and removed the tank to expose the wiring loom nightmare. While I was in there, I re-routed the throttle cable through the frame so that it wouldn't bind at full lock.



I hate electrical.

I removed the seat cover and cut the front of the seat down. It really needs new foam and vinyl, but for now it will allow Hannah to get her toes on the ground.





Here's the steering lock after I put it back together. I should have taken more material off. I will next time I have it apart, there's plenty of clearance between the tank and the forks at full lock.





More on the brakes and other stuff as it comes...