And a bit of an update.

Machine shop is saying the bad connecting rod wore the crankbearing a bit too much and uneven. Looks like it would have to be welded and repolished to get it back to spec. Too much to dump into the bike to do that for what it's worth.

So, plan B. I'm picking up a used engine. Should be shipping from the Midwest and be here in the next 3 weeks (at worst) I assume. Atleast that will get her on the road quicker, but bummer that my rebuild got stopped due to the crank.

In the meantime maybe I'll find time to do some good, like clean up the bike and parts.

Quote from: NikonAndy on October 09, 2013, 02:31:49 PM
And a bit of an update.

Machine shop is saying the bad connecting rod wore the crankbearing a bit too much and uneven. Looks like it would have to be welded and repolished to get it back to spec. Too much to dump into the bike to do that for what it's worth.

So, plan B. I'm picking up a used engine. Should be shipping from the Midwest and be here in the next 3 weeks (at worst) I assume. Atleast that will get her on the road quicker, but bummer that my rebuild got stopped due to the crank.

In the meantime maybe I'll find time to do some good, like clean up the bike and parts.

This Plan B .. its gets implemented so often ... its really plan A and rebuilding the crank is something like plan Z.

I know of 1 guy who rebuilt his crank, by hand sanding and getting it shiny and bolting it back, and it lasted ... just about 30 seconds.

Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: The Buddha on October 09, 2013, 05:57:32 PM
This Plan B .. its gets implemented so often ... its really plan A and rebuilding the crank is something like plan Z.

I know of 1 guy who rebuilt his crank, by hand sanding and getting it shiny and bolting it back, and it lasted ... just about 30 seconds.

Cool.
Buddha.

Hand sanding his crank sounds a bit crazy. Did he know he needs to get it down to .oo1" +/-? By hand?! That's some confidence to put it nicely.

I really always had the "Worst case scenario I buy a new engine" thought in my mind. If the motor was too far gone, that was my plan. I've had enough money pit experiences in the past to know where to cut my losses.

I'm super excited about the motor I just bought though, 11K miles and looks clean, just needs fresh gaskets (which I have from readying up for the rebuild). After shipping was just over $400, so I lucked out there.

I'll keep you all posted on the next exciting phases of her life!

We told the guy it cant be done, but he did it anyway.
It was a few years ago, search for it. I will too.
Cool.
Buddha.

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=45251.0

Cool.
Buddha.

Ha, yeah, good read. At least he got a good experience with his kids, might've taught them the wrong lesson though.

I think I'm out about $20 pulling apart the motor. Gas money, crank evaluation (which was free but I drove it to the shop). So I feel like I got real with the situation pretty quick and with minimal harm. Hope others read this thread and use it as a guide to knowing when to say no and just buy a replacement.

Getting everything in order!



She's all legal now! 

My engine arrives Thursday night. That leaves Fri - Sun to get her roadworthy enough to find a weekend date soon over at Adidas' Bike Cave to get valve shimming and carb sync, etc. to spec. I'm super excited to have a community close that's so passionate about these bikes and the people who ride them. What could be better than Seattle Beer n' Bikes community?!

I've ordered her new 7" round headlight and some bar mirrors.

Once she's buttoned up enough to be fairing free and running, I'll be putting up all her extra pieces on the forums for sale. Feel free to ping me if you're interested in any parts I'd be willing to let go.

For now, I'm losing the headlight fairing and bracket and side fairing pieces, and mirrors. Engine-wise I've got two good connecting rods and pistons, both with around 23K miles on them. One of the connecting rods is the replacement for the worn one (which is in my bin o' steel useless junk now), so these are two good ones. Top end of the motor has good cams, but I haven't spec'd them to see how good. The rest of the old engine that'll be available will be dependent upon what I'll need to add to my new one to get a full motor.

Hope you're all getting some riding time with the weather getting colder, I've seen a few riders out lately and it's making me itch to get out soon

Saturday is a wrench day. Stop over and pickup headlight mounts. (I have too many f them.) make a list of anything else you need - including spare nuts & bolts for things. Drop off some beers. Local brews only, please.

We might have a spare bottom end. Worth looking at.

I wouldn't dare think of anything but local, my god man, you bring a macrobrew to my place and I may not speak to you. I'd never think of doing that to anyone

I'll see what the motor ends up needing and maybe with the rest we can add it to your spare bottom end for a spare motor for someone. Could be cool for someone who needs it.

Eagle has landed! Motor is my garage. Oh man this is gonna be the longest hours at work today til I can get home.

WA state huh ...
I was there in eastern WA - spokane in 2010. I lived there 93-94. Still kicking myself for quitting that job. I should have lived there and got my green card and my life would have been 1000 times easier.

Anyway enjoy the bike cave ...

I love micro brew's too, only they are so small, you have to drink like 1000 of them for being equal to a brew.
Micro brew, 10 of those make a milli brew, 10 of those make a centi brew, 10 of those is a deci brew, and 10 of those make a brew ... yea.

Cool.
Buddha.

Ok, got my motor today. Replaced both the head and cylinder body gaskets. Think I've got the cams and crank lined up right. We'll see when I try to fire her up. No way I can lift that motor in alone though. So I'll have to wait for a buddy this weekend. Closing in...

Pulled the valve cover tonight and ignition rotor cover and double checked my work from last night. I didn't trust my 2am self and I was right. I was a tooth off! It actually took two tries for me to even get it right tonight, but she's in perfect timing now, theoretically. Everything lines up 

Was overzealous and decided to give the motor install a go alone with a different floor jack with a wider pad. That was my stupid decision of the night, it rolled a bit and off the jack, didn't move far, but far enough to chip the part of the crankcase that mates to the sprocket cover. Fortunately it's not a spot that has to hold oil, so I lucked the hell out. Calling it quits and waiting for my buddy to help in the morning.

Lesson learned, don't try to put the motor in alone!

Got my headlight assy in and new chain and sprockets and bar end mirrors in the mail! She's getting serious now

Motor is in! Yes!

Hooked up the throttle cables and the return spring was sending the cables at the carb back, but not spinning the throttle grip back, so I pulled the grip and found that one of the throttle cables there had gone off track. 5 minutes and a screwdriver and I was back in business. She's smooth now

I also found a pinhole in the bottom of my tank. Mustve been a weak spot that the POR 15 ate through when I was resealing it. JB weld to the rescue and in the near future a replacement tank.

Carb lines are making me second guess myself, so I hit up some online diagrams that help. Hopefully....

Tomorrow, button up exhaust and carb lines, reattach tank (not dripping fuel hopefully), and we'll see if she fires up.

God I'm nervous.

Quote from: NikonAndy on October 19, 2013, 09:36:41 PM
Motor is in! Yes!

Hooked up the throttle cables and the return spring was sending the cables at the carb back, but not spinning the throttle grip back, so I pulled the grip and found that one of the throttle cables there had gone off track. 5 minutes and a screwdriver and I was back in business. She's smooth now

I also found a pinhole in the bottom of my tank. Mustve been a weak spot that the POR 15 ate through when I was resealing it. JB weld to the rescue and in the near future a replacement tank.

Carb lines are making me second guess myself, so I hit up some online diagrams that help. Hopefully....

Tomorrow, button up exhaust and carb lines, reattach tank (not dripping fuel hopefully), and we'll see if she fires up.

God I'm nervous.

I've used JB weld on a metal tank with gas and it didn't hold up for long.  Replace that tank soon!  You don't want to come out to your bike and find 5 gal of fuel all over the ground, especially if it's in a garage.

Excited for you.  I just brought my '05 back to life this week after 5 years of sitting and it was awesome!  Good luck!

Dan

You blew a hole after a POR15 patch and want to try JB weld ... no, hell no.
POR15 I have patched tanks and they hold, in fact its on the one I've been riding of late. As much as its a pin hole POR15 is your man. Anything larger than that, it will not hold. And dont worry, nothing else will either. True welding needs all the metal near it to be near stock thickness ... you cant heat 1 spot to 7-800 and hope the thing stays intact unless its atleast 1/32th thick all across.

If its on the underside, I'd tap around that hole ~1" diameter with a screwdriver, if you go through anywhere, try another 1/2" outward ... keep going till you get to solid metal. Mark that and cut it ... In fact cut even bigger, big enough to get your hand in.

Then do what I have done a few times ... scrape off the POR15, hand sand the walls of your tank (why - cos if you blew through the POR15 in 1 spot what makes you think the POR15 elsewhere is on solid surface- if its on good, it will usually not come off like  sheet of newspaper) ... paint POR15 with a brush, leave 1" around the part you cut out, then cut up scrap sheet metal, weld it in, and POR15 that weld and new patch part.

Cool.
Buddha.

Thanks for the tips Buddha, but yeah, jb weld will hold fine for a week or two until I get a replacement tank. $200 is way more appealing than cutting and resurfacing and welding a thin metal tank.

So I turned over the bike with the new motor for the first time today.....

She runs!!!!



http://vimeo.com/77372679

I'll have to figure out the carbs, they're having idle hovering at 4K, but that's a relief that that is my only motor issue. She sounds AWESOME! Such a healthy purrrrrrr.

Pics!



I also mounted a new headlight, I used E brackets that adidasguy gave me (yay community!) and the new headlight I bought on ebay. She's starting to look like I want her.

Quote from: Turd Ferguson on October 20, 2013, 01:03:42 PM
I've used JB weld on a metal tank with gas and it didn't hold up for long.  Replace that tank soon!  You don't want to come out to your bike and find 5 gal of fuel all over the ground, especially if it's in a garage.

Excited for you.  I just brought my '05 back to life this week after 5 years of sitting and it was awesome!  Good luck!

Dan

Thanks Dan!

Yeah, I'm looking at replacement tanks right now.

I just posted a video of her running for the first time in 4 years! Not including the 10 seconds she ran about 3 weeks ago on the old motor to confirm it was bad.

Congrats on your bike resurrection!

Quote from: NikonAndy on October 20, 2013, 07:28:03 PM
Thanks for the tips Buddha, but yeah, jb weld will hold fine for a week or two until I get a replacement tank. $200 is way more appealing than cutting and resurfacing and welding a thin metal tank.

I used to do those tank cut and weld jobs and coat, and I'd even pop out dents if you had any - not guaranteed to be dent free, just a lot less dented maybe - for 200 or so ... I cant say it was a $$$ loser - cos it was all labor and I had lots of time 4-5 years ago, Only cost was the welding, took up $50-75, but now I dont have a welder who can weld that thin sheite.

I thing I did a couple of tanks with a de-dent, POR15 coat and powdercoat outside for like $300.

Cool.
Buddha