this is the thread where i talk about motorcycles, my motorcycle and motorcycling experiences.
today i needed to run to the hardware store to get some shit. it's normally a 20 minute drive - but today i took the scenic route and turned it into a 3 hour motorcycle adventure. it was 43 degrees out, so carhart bibs were in order. all in all i stayed pretty warm - feet got a little cold, but that's on account of having poorly (i.e. not) insulated riding boots.
i saw a nice chunk of state forest that had been clear cut, so now i know where i can go get some firewood:
(http://www.axcessmypics.com/photo/photo01/17/fe/edd4dfe646fb.jpg?th=170&tw=225&s=false%5B/size%5D)
i also rode by the abandoned groveland mine:
(http://www.axcessmypics.com/photo/photo01/31/72/9eb6b85baf76.jpg?th=150&tw=200&s=false)
there's really good fishing in the mine ponds here cuz the DNR uses them to farm fish to stock many lakes around the upper peninsula.
i think this winter i will try to ride at least once in every month - just to say i did it.
this is a picture of my first motorcycle, an '03 Honda Rebel.
(http://www.axcessmypics.com/photos/photo01/50/c9/fb7ac623ef90.jpg)
like i said, it was my first and i bought it to learn how to ride on. it's an excellent bike to learn on. not a lot of power, but i could get it up to 70 mph without too much trouble. being a 250cc, it got awesome gas mileage - i averaged 65 mpg. i once rode it from minneapolis to chicago and certainly would've took first place in a sore ass contest - not the best bike for long hauls, but if you're not very tall (or at least have short legs) it's an excellent commuter bike.
i learned how to wrench a bit on it, too. adjusted the valve clearances and replaced a leaking left main crank oil seal.
i sold it to a kid this summer as i had upgraded and out grown it. plus, living at the end of a dirt road meant for a lot of work keeping it shiny.
edit: oh yeah, i forgot - the guy i bought it from had crashed it so i spent a lot of time (way too much time, in retrospect, but hey, i didn't know what the hell i was doing) re-aligning the front wheel. it always pulled ever so slightly to the left, but i got it so close to perfect that i think it was due to an un-evenly worn front tire.
this is my second motorcycle. it's a 1981 yamaha seca 750. i mainly bought it cuz a) it was shaft drive (so less maintenance) b) it has a flatter seat, so more room to shift around on long trips and c)it was only $600
(http://www.axcessmypics.com/photos/photo01/82/b4/14efda48f3db.jpg)
this has definitely been a fixer upper experience. it needed a new fron tire when i got it, and while replacing the front tire, i discovered that the right front (it has dual front disc brakes) brake was dragging. so i had to rebuild the calipers. and, after being parked for a winter it just flat out ran like shit - so i rebuilt the carbs (it's a 4 cylinder and has 4 carburetors - 4 times the fun! yay!). after i got it running pretty good, the petcock (that's the fuel on/off valve for those not in the know) started leaking gas, so i had to rebuild that, too.
luckily it has good compression. #2 exhaust valve is a little tight, but i plan to remedy that right soon.
then i decided to do some plug chops to see if it was tuned even close to right - (a plug chop is when you get the bike at a good cruising speed and hit the kill switch, coast to a stop, pull the spark plugs out and look at 'em). if they are black, you are too rich (or burning oil). if they are a nice brown paper bag tan you are good and if the plugs are white you are lean. unfortunately, even though running lean means better gas mileage, it also means running too hot - which can burn a valve or burn a hole through a piston which really sucks. unfortunately, this bike turned out to be running incredibly lean (wouldn't know it from riding it though - she goes like a raped ape). so this summer i learned a lot about carburetors.
turns out the bike doesn't have the stock exhaust - this means easier air flow through the engine which causes the engine to pull more from the carburetors. but since the jets in the carb weren't modified to coincide with the aftermarket exhaust - all the engine got more of is air. i ended up going up two main fuel jet sizes and shimming all the main jet needles up with 2 washers each. now the plugs are tan. i still have a little stumble at around 1500 rpms and i can't decide if i need larger main air jets or larger pilot fuel jets. (or both)
i purchased a "colortune" to help diagnose the problem - which is a pretty sweet tool. it's a sparkplug made out of glass - so you can actually see the color of the combustion inside the cylinder- if it's blue you are too lean, if it's orange you are to rich - if it's an orangish bluish purple color you are dead on.
anyhow, as frustrating as that bike has been, it is a real joy to ride on a nice twisty road. it has really good accelleration and is very comfortable. i plan to put some taller handlebars on and replace the ugly as shit stock headlight, maybe this winter . . .
edit: i forgot to mention my favorite thing about the look of the bike - it's the straight 4 engine - to me, the 4 exhaust pipes make the engine look like a clenched fist. A CLENCHED FIST OF FURY PUNCHING DOWN THE HIGHWAY!!!!!! well, that and it's got to be the most phallic looking gas tank i've ever seen
this is my '07 Kawasaki KLR 650 (also pictured in the 1st post)
(http://www.axcessmypics.com/photos/photo04/d1/fc/4e042a2b26ac.jpg)
i bought it cuz a) i live on a dirt road so i wanted something more able to handle it for commuting (the seca kinda sucks to ride on dirt and the honda was even worse) and b) after dealing with a 4 cylinder, 4 carburetor engine, i was pretty stoked to get a single cylinder with 1 carb.
i have since learned that these bikes are referred to as "thumpers" due to the nature of the single cylinder.
i can't say enough nice things about this bike. my only complaint is that it's so dang tall - which isn't a problem unless you need to put a foot down when you have an "oops" moment. i have links to lower the rear suspension, and the front can simply be adjusted to match, but this would require shortening the kick stand - so i'm not sure if i want to do it yet. plus, i don't want to give up all the ground clearance. i bottomed out the front shocks on some really big rocks today and was thankful i didn't go scooting on my engine guard.
it's often referred to as the bike that's good at everything, but great at nothing. for me it's perfect for logging roads. on twisty pavement i find myself wishing i was riding the seca and on single track woods roads i find myself wishing i was on a smaller dirt bike. i describe it as it's like they made a motorcyle out of a monster truck. i never thought i'd find myself aiming for potholes saying, "ooooh! this one looks fun!"
it's supposed to get over 300 miles on 1 tank of gas (i haven't pressed my luck yet to find out - i did end up hitting reserve at 230 miles) which is nice, too. it can be a pain getting gas every 100 miles or so like my other 2 bikes. but the 6 gallon tank really makes a difference in the handling when it's full vs empty.
i'm looking forward to putting many thousands of miles on this bike. if i ever get around to riding to alaska, this will be the bike i do it on.
there's some work that needs to be done though - i need to upgrade my balancer chain tensioner (i've read they're prone to failing and that can cause catastrophic engine damage). i also have been thinking about upgrading/modifying my thermostat (this bike is liquid cooled) to make it better suited for cold weather riding.
funny story - i brought my chainsaw to a local shop to have some work done on it and saw an old honda enduro parked out back. i asked the owner about it and we got to talking bikes and it turns out that he is the former owner of my KLR (he sold it on consignment thru a dealer). small world, eh?
(http://blog.makezine.com/wood_bike.jpg)
i really get a kick out of this motorcycle. i'm guessing it probly sucks to ride. but, still very cool. i wouldn't mind having one like this.
did you guys know there is a Bavarian Illuminati Motorcycle Club (http://bimc.org/bimc/) part of me wants to try to start a local chapter but part of me doesn't. i'm not sure if i like the MC thing or not. i'm sure i'd get hassled by other clubs. i don't really like riding with other people, either. spend too much time wondering if the guy in front of you is gonna crash and checking the mirrors to make sure the guy behind you is still there. although it is reassuring to know that someone will be around if you crash or break down.
seems like the BIMC is all harley riders, too - so they probly wouldn't want the likes of me in their club anyway.
i've met some harley riders that are pretty cool, and some are total dickheads.
quack?
Quacker = Kawasaki dunno if its just britslang . . .?
they did my fave bike ad back when I were a kid wi' a bike
"Kawasaki - better than your average Yamahonduki"
sadly mine was a Honda . . .
i kinda was guessing that's what "quack" meant. 'round here folks call 'em "kawi's" (pronounced cow-ee)
i really like that bike. there's a rally next summer not too far from where i live that i'm hoping to attend. 4 days of riding trails and drinking beer* sounds pretty good to me.
* although i strongly endorse the consumption of beer. i do NOT endorse riding while intoxicated. just don't do it!
Quote from: rong on November 16, 2009, 07:43:55 AM
(http://blog.makezine.com/wood_bike.jpg)
i really get a kick out of this motorcycle. i'm guessing it probly sucks to ride. but, still very cool. i wouldn't mind having one like this.
I was admiring this and someone saw it over my shoulder. He thinks it kicks ass as well.
you might also enjoy this ride, then:
(http://www.speedace.info/automotive_directory/bike_images/Trike_John_Deere_chopper_lanw_mower.jpg)
i can think of no cooler way to cut my grass
(although, on a closer inspection, it looks like the belt is missing off the deck - so this one might just be for show)
Image is dead to me, but if it is what I think it is, I am pretty sure I have seen it.
Someday, I hope to ride the Tail of the Dragon (http://www.tailofthedragon.com/maps/map_deaths.pdf) at Deal's gap. 318 curves in 11 miles. (the link is a map showing all the deaths since 2000)
my wife's cousin and his dad rode their classic BMW's down there this summer. said it was a blast, although from what i understand it's getting to be such a touristy destination that you can hardly enjoy the road most days - too crowded, etc.
California Central Valley. Kinda like a little bit of red state right in the middle of a blue state. Lots of ag around here. Ive also got a 1982 HOnda CX500 and a 1963 honda CL175(sick!!). Also have a 1963 Ford Falcon and Im looking into getting a Plymouth Barracuda right now. Hopefully I can find a decent '65. I like to restore old vehicles for a hobby. There can be decent money in it, too(sometimes). Ive found that the people looking for such vehicles usually have the money to spend, but they are also looking for something that is completely FINISHED, so... Lots of work. The 63 CL is one of my favorite bikes ever. I think I have a pic of it...
Here it is.
(http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab59/hangshai23/P1000333b.jpg)
Still a work in progress. It needs front foot pegs, a kick stand, a battery, the electrical needs to be rewired (and repaired), and, oh, I need the side body panels...
very cool. you've done a great job cleaning up that bike. good luck with those side covers. i was extremely lucky to find strong online support at xjbikes.com for my yamaha seca.
i'm trying to fix up my buddy's '81 honda CM500C. i fear i will be pulling the head off pretty soon, as teh compression is not very good and with now immaculate carbs and properly adjusted valve clearances, it still doesn't run very good. you wouldn't know a good resource to get used parts for early '80s Hondas online, would you? i need a new (cheap!) front master cylinder for that bike, too. i might have a few miscellaneous parts (mostly lights and turn signal related) that might fit your '82 CX500. Let me know if you need anything and i'll check it out for ya.
too bad you're so far away.
i love working on bikes, but i absolutely hate working on cars. i recently had to replace the heater fan in my truck and it completely sucked.
safety tip: something i recently learned about old drum brakes - the brake pads can, over time, delaminate from the shoe. this can cause the wheel to suddenly lock up (even when you're doing 70mph). take the time to check out all your drum brake pads (if you haven't already).
fusk, thanks for bringing that up. Ive been considering actually putting discs on my Ford. But I want to sell it anyway. When I get my Barracuda(or whatever I get next) it will definitely have disc brakes. is your buddies honda anything like the CX? CX is a 500 v-twin with a shaft drive, sorta like a moto-guzzi. Older hondas are GREAT bikes, if you get them running right. The problem with mine is that it has a static timing so I cant adjust it. Weird. So, Im getting weird compression, and it just runs weird. The compression is off by about 30 ponds(right? it is lbs, isnt it?). The right piston fires at about 90 while the left is hitting at 110-120. It runs great cold, but when it starts to warm up it feels sluggish. Any ideas?
ah, shit - i just remembered, it's a CM400 (not a 500) and it's a parallel twin, chain drive. it's the great grandfather to the honda rebel, really.
i have no experience with v-twin engines (single cylinder, parallel twins and straight 4's for me). you say v-twin but left and right? v-twin like the old magnas, i take it?
put a few drops of oil in the cylinder (via the spark plug hole) with the low compression (spraying WD-40 will work even) and check the compression - if it improves, you need new rings (the oil improved the seal). it if doesn't improve, then it's valves or head gasket.
if you're lucky, you just need to adjust your valve clearance (too tight means the valve isn't closing all the way and not holding compression)
30 psi difference between cylinders is about the max acceptable difference.
if you can, do a plug chop and see if you're running lean (white spark plug). if you are, then it would indicate a possibly burnt valve.
however, running good cold and losing performance as the engine warms up is typical of running too rich. also, a hot engine should more compression than a cold engine.
how many miles are on it? does it have a single or dual overhead cam? is it a single carburetor, or does each cylinder have it's own?
Ok, I had to look this up because I don't know as much about this stuff as I would like to. I've had friends that possessed what seemed like a natural ability with cars. I definitely am NOT one of those people. As much as I love working on cars and engines, if its something a bit more difficult than removing/replacing something, I'd probably take it to a shop. I dont do any machining or anything like that. I can weld a little, and I can even rebuild a carb, but when it comes to more technical stuff like transmissions and cylinder heads, I leave that stuff to the professionals. Anyway, this is from the wiki:
The CX series motorcycles feature a crankshaft configuration aligned longitudinally with the axis of bike, sometimes called a "flying" V-twin, because the cylinders point up on either side of the motorcycle but are not symmetrical. The CX was the first V-twin motorcycle that Honda ever built.
The engine...There are four overhead valves per cylinder, with unique forked rocker arms acting off each pushrod. The engine runs well on 87 octane petrol. It delivers nearly 50 hp (37 kW) at 9500 rpm with high low-speed torque characteristics. The Honda CX series machines claimed to outperform other motorcycles of comparable displacement. The motorcycle readily achieves a fuel efficiency of 45 miles per gallon, with figures of over 50 mpg not at all uncommon.
Its pretty punchy, actually. I love riding it.
oh - ok, pushrods = not overhead cam. i thought harley had the market cornered on that design.
i'll apologize in advance if i come across as condescending, but i have an OCD-like desire to be understood clearly which causes me to over-explain which sometimes the person i'm talking to takes to mean i'm talking to them like they're an idiot. (i.e. i've been known to explain how to solve a calculus problem by starting with "you know how to add, right?")
so to be certain you are doing a proper compression test: you need to have all spark plugs removed, have the throttle wide open, and turn the engine over a few times until the gauge stops climbing. you need to remove all spark plugs because the compression in the other cylinder(s) will cause the starter to have to work harder and not be able to turn the engine over fast enough. you need to have the throttle all the way open to allow as much air as possible to flow through the carb and into the cylinder.
there are three possible causes for low compression:
worn piston rings, bad head gasket, valves not sealing properly.
you can rule out worn piston rings by squirting some oil into the cylinder (through the spark plug hole) and repeating the compression test. if the compression stays the same, then the rings are good. if the compression reading goes up - that means the oil plugged up your leaky rings and you need new rings. (i.e. pray that when you put some oil in there, that the compression doesn't go up).
if you're ruled out piston rings by using some oil. you know it's either the head gasket or the valves.
the next step is to check your valve clearances. your valve clearance is the distance between the top of the valve and the rocker arm. the crank shaft has lobes on it that push up on the push rods, the other end of the push rods, then, pushes up on one side of the rocker arm causing the other side to go down. (that's why they're called rockers, cuz they rock back and forth). the other side of the rocker then pushes down on the top of the valve stem and opens the valve. the valves are held shut by a spring. when the rocker is not pushing down and holding the valve open (i.e. when the valve should be shut), there needs to be a gap between the valve stem and the rocker arm - if the gap is too big, the valves open later and shut sooner. if the gap is too small the valves open sooner and shut later.
the problem is that your engine is made out of aluminum and is softer than the material that the valves are made out of. while the engine is running your valves repeatedly slamming shut and beating themselves deeper into the head of the engine. this means that as the engine runs, the valve clearances shrink. eventually, the gap can shrink to nothing and the valves will never completely shut.
a lot of people notice a "sewing machine" ticking noise coming from their engine and think there is something wrong - but the ticking is actually the rockers making and breaking contact with the valve stem. the time to worry is when the ticking goes away.
if you can rebuild a carburetor, then you can check your valve clearances and you don't need to pull the head(s) off to do it. you will need a set of feeler gauges and you will also need a manual to tell you what the clearances should be. pull your valve cover(s) off and have a look. there should be a cover on one side of your engine (usually the left side, but i'm not familiar with this engine . . .) that you can remove to expose a large nut that is connected to the end of your crank shaft - you shouldn't need to drain the oil. you use this nut to turn the engine over. under this cover, there should also be a wheel with marks that show you top dead center. as you turn the engine over you can watch the rockers go up and down and push the valves open and closed. again, a hayne's or clymer's manual will walk you through the process.
use the feeler gauge to check the clearances, with any luck, you'll find some valves that are too tight. to adjust you simply loosen the lock nut and turn the screw (aka "tappet") on the rocker arm until you have the correct clearance and tighten the locknut back down.
if you do find that your valve clearances are all in spec then, unfortunately, pulling the head is required. which means you're gonna replace the head gasket whether it was bad or not. the valves may just need to be cleaned, or it wouldn't hurt to take the head and valves to a machine shop and have them done. looking at that engine on wikipedia, it doesn't look like you'll have to remove the engine to do it (bonus).
course, your running sluggish issues could be carb related and have nothing to do with the compression.
Thanks. Im going to have to come back and read that all the way through, but I did want to say thanks for the info. I was going to post a pic of the engine, but, Im sure you can find one if you want to see it. And I TOTALLY understand about the explaining yourself/wanting to be understood. I do the same thing. I didn't realize that it may come from a desire to 'want to be understood'(at least for me, although now that you did bring that up, you could seriously be on to something), I just seriously think everyone is stupid... But, I guess im an asshole that way...
i found a pic of the bike and it totally looks like the V65 Magna's. i'll keep my fingers crossed that it's just tight valves for ya.
edit: oh yeah, it also looks like the cover you need to remove to turn the crank over is on the front of the engine. (longitudinal crankshaft)
Well, I wont be able to get to it for a while. I know for a fact we didnt do all that when we tested the compression. I dont remember opening up the carb to allow more air, or screwing with the mix or anything like that. My buddy just took the spark plug out, stuck in the gauge which wasnt like your normal comp tester, with the single dial. This one was sort of this weird contraption that looked like a couple thermometers set next to each other, and the compression would read out like a thermometer does. Although I think it was using air to set the gauge to whatever. Man, Im having such a hard time explaining this stupid tool. Anyway, yeah, we DID notice the compression difference was at the limit, or whatever, 30 lbs of difference. So, as soon as the sun comes out and it stops raining over here Im probably going to give it a shot.
I also have another question for you, though. One of the first things I did was replace the stator when I got this bike. This entailed dropping the engine since the stator is IN the block (shitty), but since the engine weighs less than 100lbs, I think, it was pretty frickin easy. Now Im having 2 problems, one is I have a coolant leak(Im thinking the gasket to the water pump got pinched when I was putting it back together and now its leaking from there), and this compression thing. Oh, and I need to change the gasket on the fan blade(this bike has a radiator, which I dont think is that common for bikes), and the thing is leaking oil like crazy. Im planning on dropping the engine again, and replacing the front gasket(its the gasket that goes around the camshaft I think, where it connects to the fan blades on the front of the engine, although it could just as well be the crankshaft, not sure, since I dont have cams I guess??). Anyway, does that sound like the right move to you?
Quote from: Hangshai on December 21, 2009, 06:30:37 AM
Well, I wont be able to get to it for a while. I know for a fact we didnt do all that when we tested the compression. I dont remember opening up the carb to allow more air, or screwing with the mix or anything like that. My buddy just took the spark plug out, stuck in the gauge which wasnt like your normal comp tester, with the single dial. This one was sort of this weird contraption that looked like a couple thermometers set next to each other, and the compression would read out like a thermometer does. Although I think it was using air to set the gauge to whatever. Man, Im having such a hard time explaining this stupid tool. Anyway, yeah, we DID notice the compression difference was at the limit, or whatever, 30 lbs of difference. So, as soon as the sun comes out and it stops raining over here Im probably going to give it a shot.
what you're describing sounds like a vacuum gauge used to synch the carburetors, but if he plugged it into the spark plug hole, then, uhh, i guess you where checking compression.
oh, and just to be clear- when i said you should check compression with throttle fully open - i didn't mean to adjust anything on the carb, i just meant to twist the right hand grip to wide open throttle. this opens the butterfly's in the carbs all the way and lets as much air in as possible. (also let's air leak back out in the case of a bad intake valve - so you don't get a falsely high reading)
another trick i've heard to check for symptoms of bad compression is to make up a fitting so you can put compressed air into the spark plug hole and see if you can use your air compressor to turn the engine over. if you got bad exhaust valves, you'll hear it leaking out the exhaust pipe. if you catch my drift.
Quote from: Hangshai on December 21, 2009, 06:30:37 AM
I also have another question for you, though. One of the first things I did was replace the stator when I got this bike. This entailed dropping the engine since the stator is IN the block (shitty), but since the engine weighs less than 100lbs, I think, it was pretty frickin easy. Now Im having 2 problems, one is I have a coolant leak(Im thinking the gasket to the water pump got pinched when I was putting it back together and now its leaking from there), and this compression thing. Oh, and I need to change the gasket on the fan blade(this bike has a radiator, which I dont think is that common for bikes), and the thing is leaking oil like crazy. Im planning on dropping the engine again, and replacing the front gasket(its the gasket that goes around the camshaft I think, where it connects to the fan blades on the front of the engine, although it could just as well be the crankshaft, not sure, since I dont have cams I guess??). Anyway, does that sound like the right move to you?
i take it this is your bike, then?
(http://wbieniec.kis.p.lodz.pl/moto/honda/cx500-82.gif)
it looks like the cover right below the radiator is what you need to pull off to manually crank the engine over and check the valves. although, if that's not where your stator was, then you might have to drain the oil before you pull this cover off. like i said - i've never worked on v-twins before. i strongly recommend you pick up a manual.
with that said:
coolant leak: i've heard a little black pepper in the coolant can plug leaks and is soft enough to not damage the water pump - try at your own risk. i think there are also some additives that might be worth trying before you pull the engine again.
fan leak: i apologize for misleading you about the cam-shaft. you do have a cam shaft, but it's not an overhead cam shaft. your camshaft is above the crank shaft and is driven by a chain. (overhead cams are driven the same way except the chain is a lot longer and there's no push rods - the cam shaft acts directly on the rockers (unless you have bucket/shim valves in which case there are no rockers either and the camshaft acts directly on the valves). i always assumed bikes with push rods were set up so the crank shaft did double duty as a cam shaft (i think this *might* still be the case with harley's).
anyhow - i'm flat out guessing here, but i'd bet what's going on is that you have a bad seal. the gasket around the cover that is leaking oil like crazy is probably not designed to hold oil in, but rather keep dirt out. the seal around the camshaft is probably bad and is leaking into an area where there normally shouldn't be any oil and that is why it's leaking. course, now we're getting into the "i've got an image in my head of what you're talking about and it might not be what you're actually talking about" territory. i'd strongly recommend you get a manual. if you're lucky you might be able to find a pdf online or something.
Awesome. Ok, I DID understand what you meant about opening the throttle, but I reread what I posted and it totally read like I was talking about taking the air filter off or something, but no, I mean, yeah, I understood that part, Im just saying we didnt fuck with the mix. And that tool/gauge we used, it could have been a vacuum tester, but I cant fully remember. Regardless, we never fucked with the carbs(2, BTW).
Pretty shitty about the oil leak though. I hope your wrong, but it sounds like you are probably right. You can tell where the oil is coming from because it has a spinning spattery pattern away from that seal, so its coming out of that hole(Im pretty sure). Thanks for all your help. I actually parked my honda and Ive been riding my harley lately, but now I want to get it back in good shape again. This thread has reminded me how much fun that little bike is. I just got sick of working on it. The guy I bought it from kind screwed me, he didn't tell me any oif the problems this bike had.
Quote from: Hangshai on December 21, 2009, 06:31:54 PMThe guy I bought it from kind screwed me, he didn't tell me any oif the problems this bike had.
that's never happened before . . . :lulz:
a seal is either super hard or super easy to replace. if you're lucky it presses in from the outside of the engine (i'd bet yours does). if you're not lucky, it presses in from the INSIDE of the engine, which means you'll have to split the case (so help me lord i hope i never have to do that). if you do remove that seal, be sure to check the shaft that went through it - sometimes they can get a wear mark from rubbing against the seal and that is what is actually causing the leak. usually you can just sand/polish the shaft smooth again.
took my honda out yesterday. took about 30 mins to get the battery going, but man, FUCK I forgot how much fun that bike is. My friend was following me home and she said that everytime I would drive buy a guy/couple guys out in front of their house they would stop whatever they were doing and watch me ride by. I wasn't flying around corners or anything, but she thought it was probably because they wished they were riding instead of raking leaves or whatever. I never noticed that myself before. It did give me a laugh when she told me though.
well, it's getting to be that time of year - still way too cold and shitty out to ride, but spring is on the horizon so the obsession has set in. the urge to work on bikes is overwhelming, but since i don't have any money to buy the parts i need to upgrade my ridable bikes - i decided to dismantle an old seized engine. it came out of a rolling frame i bought for $10 about 5 years ago. it's a 1978 Honda CB750 with way too many missing parts to even think about trying to restore, but i think i'll end up putting the handle bars on my Seca someday.
Plus, i had good motivation to take it apart cuz a friend of mine who is quite the garage "mad-scientist" offered to trade me a telescope for all the gears out of the engine. he builds perpetual motion machines (that he is well aware should never work) as a hobby.
I must say, it's been quite an educational experience taking it apart. getting the head off was no big deal - although i feel bad that i had to cut the cam-chain off. the engine was seized and i couldn't turn it over to top-dead-center to access one of the bolts that hold the cam sprocket to the cam-shaft to slide it out from under the chain. oh well.
the pistons were so rusted to the inside of the cylinders that it took 3 days of soaking them first in PB Blaster, Aero-Kroil and finally battery acid before i could finally pry the jugs off. (and when i say pry, i mean crow bars, blocks of wood and hammers)
the sad thing is that once i got the jugs off, every thing turned freely, so this engine was most likely seized due to neglect and no serious mechanical failure.
it's kind of fun playing engine forensics. i discovered that the oil drain plug was stripped and had what looked like a home made gasket to try to hold the oil in. maybe that's why the bike was parked?
good news is that the starter seems to be in good shape. so i scored me a nice 12V motor for who-knows-what.
this morning i started taking the left side of the engine apart and found a bent screw protruding out of the oil pump housing that looked like it interfered with the shift mechanism. did the bike go to an early grave because of the screw making it hard to shift? i don't think i'd ever be able to figure out how to put that all back together without a manual.
i also had to pat myself on the back for realizing that i didn't need to buy a special tool to remove the flywheel. i heated it up with a torch and it popped right off with some "gentle" prodding from a hammer and screw driver.
pretty soon i'll be able to dive into the transmission which is what i'm really after. i got a few gears from other places in the engine, but the tranny is paydirt. plus, i've never been inside a tranny before, so it'll be interesting to poke and prod around and see just how it works.
i can honestly say as far as educational value goes, this was the best $10 i ever spent.
Nice thread, rong!
Today I put new tires & inner tubes onto my Bajaj Legend, and I'm loving everything about them. It's so great to be finally rid of my crappy original nylon tires.
cool. i'd never heard of bajaj before (i actually thought it was a typo for baja . . .)
i take it the legend is a scooter? i wouldn't mind picking up a honda ruckus to mess around with. (cue Wu Tang Clan: Bring the mutha fuckin ruckus)
looks like bajaj makes some pretty cool bikes.
are they available in the states? it really sucks that some of the coolest bikes manufactured are not available in the US. for example, the XJ6 (http://www.cmsnl.com/news/img/2009-Yamaha-XJ6.jpg)
Wow, sexy!
No, it was available in the states for a brief period, now it's not, so parts are about as common as days that /b/ doesn't suck, or true love at first sight. I got mine from a friend of a friend who runs a scooter club in Cali. Luckily it's about as finicky as a goat, and will probably survive anything I wouldn't.
I love my curry-powered tractor. :)
hey everybody - i hardly post here anymore - but i thought i'd share some more pics of my motorcycle adventures now that the snow is gone.
this has been a great week to ride bikes - tuesday i went to visit a friend of mine and managed to get there almost exlusively on forest roads, logging roads, and ATV trails. for the most part the riding was really nice, but there were some sandy patches that got a little squirrelly. i found this interesting rock formation in the woods:
(http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs489.snc3/26746_382935663450_652973450_3870601_2392999_n.jpg)
the next two days i spent riding my '81 Seca on what i call my "World's Largest" motorcycle tour. I hit all the "World's Largest" sites that i could think of in my neck of the woods.
among others, i hit the world's largest bear trap:
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs489.ash1/26746_383459918450_652973450_3882782_14543_n.jpg)
and the world's largest chainsaw
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs509.snc3/26746_383459933450_652973450_3882785_3465350_n.jpg)
I also stopped by the world's largest steam driven pumping engine, the world's heaviest lift bridge, the world's largest steam hoist, the world's largest working rifle and the (formerly) world's largest fungus.
So you went and saw the world's largest collection of world's largest things?
Did you manage to find the mega huge shopping center for psychics?
You know, the world's Largest Mediums Mall ?
Quote from: Triple Zero on April 17, 2010, 10:45:34 AM
Did you manage to find the mega huge shopping center for psychics?
You know, the world's Largest Mediums Mall ?
i bought a t-shirt - sized Xtra-medium