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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Represent

I only have 2 of the 3, but I figure you need the Trifecta to fully represent. Of course there's a handful of other makes I'd gladly put in my stable. Here's hoping for some old dude to stop me at a gas station and talk about his barn full of pre-units.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Next in line

Switching gears, time to get this bad mama-jamma wired. I spent a few bucks on some cloth wire (thanks dear!) and get to spend the next who-knows-how long doing a basic wiring job, installing the Charlie's Place Electronic Ignition, a nice front brake stay, and a few other tweaks. Then it should be ready to roll. No rush on this one. Eventually a nice custom seat. This bike has been with me for 8 years. I bought it to ride 2-up with Lori. Of course, as soon as I got it I tore it apart and it's taken this long to get back to this point. I still remember draining the sewage water out of the forks. A search for CB750 on this blog shows the many trials and tribulations.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Roll for Ted

I got my brake stay fixed (I hope) and that means I can ride to Ted's service tomorrow. Ted never got to see the Triumph running, but he rooted me on for years. He always called my garage "the place where bikes go to die." His wasn't much different. I guess if this cracks again, I'll rethink my brake stay design. Everyone told me it would bend in the center. Well it lasted a 1000 miles and cracked at the bolt on the brake plate. So take that.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Alive Again

A final 3 hour push today and she rides again! First kick and she starts, which wasn't unexpected, as I didn't play with the vroom vroom part. No gearbox leaks. No primary leaks until I ran it. I decided to plug up the inner primary chain oiler instead of routing a hose down. And also it looks like it's leaking from the cap (which is BSA). So hopefully no other issues. She runs so good I missed her. I took her on a 60 minute ride around the countryside and halfway through discovered the brake stay cracked. A ziptie got me home with no front brake. I guess that's what happens when you grind too much and thin out the weld. This will motivate me to install 220 in the garage for the welder. Oh to have an amazing shop and the time to devote. Oh and money. 10 years per bike doesn't work for me. I'll just keep dreaming. I do need to get going on a new bike and just ride this for a while. Maybe it's time to wire the CB750 and get Charlie's electronic ignition in!



Friday, August 22, 2014

Get Centered

I forgot I offered to weed-whip my neighbors yard so I didn't get as much time. But I did clean up the clutch, and re-crosshatch the steel plates. That's back on, and I shimmed around the rotor to center the stator. Maybe I can sneak away and seal it up soon.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Innie

Tomorrow should be the day.

Ride On Ted

I lost a buddy. I met Ted when I first moved to the Bay in 2006, one of the first vintage nuts like myself. He had a Shovel, and Pan, and a stable of XS650s. He rode the piss out of his bikes. He also had a very dry, sarcastic, self-deprecating wit. He was a great father, husband, photographer, and motorcycle hoarder like the rest of us. he fought hard, but in the end it was too much. He will be missed.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Mr. Puddy

My love for JB Weld continues. I plugged all the lower holes on the inner chain case cover. Theoretically these holes shouldn't leak, but I'm trying to reduce my risk. This has got to be the last bike I do before I get a TIG machine and can weld aluminum. This works... but, it won't win any awards. But you know what they say, "When you're broke, do as the rednecks do." Also I decided to make my life a little easier and put the primary chain on for a preliminary adjustment before the inner cover goes back on and makes it just a little tougher to reach the left side gearbox adjuster nuts. I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.


Monday, August 18, 2014

The Tornado

I need to break up some of this mind-numbing motorcycle bullshit with the most awesome part of my life named Maxwell. Motorcycles are my obsession, but Max is my happiness.











Moving On

I put all the gears back in again, nothing different, and it shifted smoothly. So after a day to set the liquid gasket, I'll finish it up and time to move on to the chain cases. I did a lot of damage repair last time, but it wasn't enough. I also need to put in a drain plug as that was sealed up by a previous owner. I'm really jonesing to just get this all done and ride again. I missed the Rigid Ride this year once again, and that was a bummer. There's no 49 Mile Ride for the first time ever, and that's sad, too.



Wiped Clean

I got the gearbox in the Triumph yesterday and when I went to check the shifting, it was hanging up. I spent a good amount of time (all Max's nap) trying to figure out what was up, but eventually pulled it all apart again (in frame) to try to figure out what was happening. I couldn't find one problem. So basically, I just sent myself backwards about 3 days. Very frustrated and wanting to sell all my bikes again, burn down the city kind of thing. I say I'm going to take a break, but I know I'll be out there again today cleaning off the old Hondabond and doing it again. By the way, not one drip.

Also I did some house cleaning on the ol blog. I got rid of all the links to pictures to my bikes on the right, all links to old illustration and design pages, and rid of the links to outside blogs and sites. I'm internalizing and shutting off the outside world. All this social media is really getting to me and doesn't do me any good. It's pointless to try to keep up with the Joneses, and Davises, and Asins. This blog is basically just a diary, for me to go back and reflect on. I'm also starting a swear jar to save up to start working on the next Pre-unit. It should fill fast.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Geared up

My stopping point for the day, it's taken me about 14 naps over the last month to get to this point. Disassembly, cleaning (so much cleaning) and lots of sanding flat surfaces to stop the leaks.

All cleaned up and sanded smooth.


No more 1/16" gaps on the sides.


New tapped overflow. Not the correct size bolt, but it should do. I'll probably use sealant to help keep it in place since the JB Weld isn't the greatest to thread into. If i was capable, this should have been welded and retapped but, hell, I can't weld aluminum, and I don't even have an outlet for my welder yet.


I had to remember how to do this crazy jigsaw puzzle. I did remember you start with the "clown face."


After about 20 different combinations and remember which selector fork went where, I got this far for the day. Back to Max!


Well, I'll be a goddamned...

It worked! I was most concerned about the JB Weld sticking to the Saranwrap but it popped right off. There are a few wrinkle marks, which I can fill, but it now fits perfectly. Just a little more sanding and trimming and it should be just right for reassembly. I also filled in the stripped overflow and will retap that. Hallelujah for JB Weld! Rednecks engineers rejoice! If Dennis Magri uses JB Weld in his Vincent motors, I think this isn't too bad. Finally I put the crankshaft oil seal in with gasket sealant to keep it in and hopefully keep it from leaking.





Princess Twilight Sparkle

Happiness is a little boy who finally got his My Little Pony. The pony battles have begun!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

The Motherless Goat... now with less backache!

I've been spending some time on the RD350 as well. It's sporatic running was driving me nuts. After chasing down many wrong things, I finally discovered the connector from the alternator had disentegrated and the wires weren't connecting thus charging the battery. Now it runs like a top! A screaming, smoking, public-nuisance top. I put some bars from Front Street Cycle on a ditched the clubmans. The accidental wheelies are back!





Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Take 2

I sanded down the JB Weld and noticed that my outer cover still had a ridiculous warp in it, 1/16" gap on each side so I decided to try something else. Hopefully it works.



Thursday, August 7, 2014

Operation Stop The Leaks: Phase 2

The gearbox came apart. It probably is my fault that it is leaking; I sort of skimped on the resurfacing of the covers. I tapped the bushings out, and noticed the cover was chromed with them in. I also noticed that the kicker bushing in the inner cover could be removed using the same tap I used on the sludge trap, just some heat and one smack of the hammer. I re-purposed the garage windows as a flat sanding surface. I did about 20 minutes of figure 8's on the outer cover (to get through the chrome) and it became immediately obvious every hole surface was warped. Same for the matching side on the inner cover. A little JB Weld sanded back down should fix that. The housing side and inner cover mating surfaces were nice and flat. Next up some more sanding, and tap a new over-flow on the inner cover.