Sunday, September 29, 2013

The Tale of Katie B......

Back from Hiatus!

With fall approaching, I needed a little break organize my inventory (more on that next time)  and think about this post, one I had been meaning to write but kept putting off.  The reason for my hesitation was that this is a personal story, the most personal one I will ever share here.  

I probably wrote it in my mind a hundred different ways, but kept hesitating to log in and type it out;  I woke up today remembering that the only way to write, is to do just that.  Write, talk, record, whichever.  

This is the story of my Triumph Scrambler, how she became mine and the reason she will never be sold.

At the start of 2007, I had been away from bikes for six years.  Away, but they were never far from my mind;  I was still reeling from the regrettable decision to sell my '69 Triumph Daytona in order to finish the work on my 1971 MGB.  The bike looked amazing but ran poorly (my fault, issues that I could have corrected if this were the here and now) I saw it go from box of parts to running machine.  It was a dream realized and one that I should never have surrendered.  The MGB was fun and it was to me a different dream, so perhaps I thought I was trading up at the time. 

A scant two months after crating the Triumph up and sending it overseas (Norway) The MGB was hit by a truck and taken off the road.  I was crestfallen.  No Bike, no car and no money to replace either one with.  The next few years were eaten up mostly by a stormy relationship which ended rather poorly, once again leaving my pockets empty. After packing up my worldly possessions into my Rabbit convertible,  I set off on the road to recovery.


2006 was tumultuous, though not as bad as what was to come.  My mother had a brain aneurysm which left her permanently disabled and confined to a nursing home;  My father and my sister were sharing the family home and I moved closer to spend more time with them.   Our family was relatively small, most of our relatives were in Britain and those that were here we had little contact with anymore.

 My sister and I were very close, best friends really.  We spent much time together, she couldn't drive so I took her across the border, to Toronto for concerts and to shop.  We shared the same taste in music for the most part and had a very similar sense of humour. We also shared a longing to be in England, though for her that longing ran much deeper.

 After Christmas that year, I decided it was time to get back on two wheels.  Life was short and I felt time slipping through my hands.  I had let my licence lapse and had to start from scratch again (thanks to the ridiculous graduated system we have in Ontario)  This time I would take the course and start with a new bike, something cheap to insure with low payments.

After the nonsense of trying to get my hands on a then new CBR 125, I ended up with a new 250 Rebel that had been sitting in a warehouse unwanted for a couple years.  Back on the road again, things were looking up and feeling right.  The summer was moving along well and despite the small capacity, the little Honda proved to be a great bike to ride around on.

In late August, I went over to the family home to get my sister up for work.  I called up to her room and there was no reply;  typical, as she was never an early riser like me.  I made us some coffee and went to knock on her door.  She was lying on the floor, still, not breathing.  She was gone.  I called 911, but I knew she was gone.   She was 29 years old.

I don't feel the need to elaborate on her personal history, or the details of what happened.  I will tell you what was important.  She was a beautiful girl with a big heart who was well loved by a great number of people.  Though she claimed that she wanted to be left alone much of the time, she would go out of her way to deliver unsuspecting and thoughtful gifts to others.   My father and I were devastated by the loss and I spent as much time at the house as I could over the next few years.  We both did our best to move forward with things and in time things became better.  I was recruited to work in a different industry and I jumped at the chance for change.  My father kept working full time and I rode as much as possible.

Towards the end of 2008 I was walking by the window of the Triumph/Honda dealer where I bought my Rebel.  I scarcely went in as I knew I couldn't afford what was on the showroom floor.  I stuck to quick peeks inside and carrying on my path.  On this particular day, there was a beautiful green and silver Scrambler that I had never seen inside before.  It was taken by this beautiful machine, it stood out from the pack with lovely upswept side pipes and blacked out engine.  It was a perfect combination of power and grace with a truly timeless style.  That day I stood just that little bit longer and walked on.

Somewhere around Valentine's day of 2009, I was at the post office across the road from the dealer and found myself drawn inside.

By some miracle, she was still sitting there, looking as beautiful as Kate Beckinsale.  (Google image that name and you will understand.)

This time, the price had dropped some since my last visit.  Still outside of my range, I mentioned it casually to my father in conversation.  Spring lazily rolled around and I got back on the road.  Somewhere along the way I managed to lose the bar end weight from the Honda's bars.

  This of course required a visit to the dealership.  To my astonishment, that gorgeous machine was still sitting there, with even more money taken off.

The salesman who sold me my rebel saw me looking at her (again).  'She's been waiting for you.'  He said casually.

I left with my bar end weight, thinking that it would probably be the last time I ever saw her.

Over dinner at the pub with my father, I mentioned the Triumph and how someone was going to get a tremendous deal.  To my astonishment he offered to buy it on the condition that I paid him back of course.  I was floored.  Feeling guilty about such a large outlay of cash, I told him I would think about it.

 I drove to the States the next day to pick up some stuff I bought on Ebay,  My best friend tagged along and over the course of the day I decided to sell the Rebel, sacrifice any extra spending for the next year and get 'Katie'  Home.  



My second to last day on the Honda.  Pulled up at 6:00am on my way to work to check on Katie.




It was one of the best days of my life.  Pulling out of the dealership on a brand new Triumph.  It was raining, but that didn't dampen my spirits.  It was the first of many glorious days I have spent aboard this wonderful machine, that has become part of the family.   One of the first things I did on the bike was add a K&N air filter,  I noticed a small sticker on the inside indicating December 9th, 2007.  I thought it odd, as that would have been my sister's 30th birthday.  After further research and contacting Triumph themselves it turned out that Katie was indeed completed on that date.

I felt a warmth come over me in that moment and knew, somehow that this was a gift from my late sister, a sign that she was happy wherever she went, that her spirit had gone on to peace.  It is the greatest gift I have ever received and I treat each day of living and each ride with that gratitude.

Ailsa, thank you.  You are forever loved and never, ever forgotten.









Saturday, September 7, 2013

Hiatus!

Quick note, due to other commitments Motocode is on hiatus until October..

Stay tuned!

Monday, August 19, 2013

Very cool finds....

A while ago, I purchased a vintage manual for the Bridgestone 90 and 175 on Ebay from a chap in Australia.  It's no secret that I love old things.  Sorry, I meant 'vintage' things. This includes bikes (obviously) clothes, books, music, etc.  This is nothing new, I grew up excited to visit thrift stores and garage sales looking for undiscovered treasure.



As it turned out, this was an old Clymer manual from the late 60's in very nice shape.  I didn't pay much, once again shipping being more than the item itself!  I have every conceivable Bridgestone manual produced on PDF, however I need to have something in my hand when I am working.  This is partially due to having a poor short term memory and also hauling a laptop around the garage seems like a recipe for disaster.

As I flipped through, I spied adverts for other manuals and books advertised in the back pages.


$8.95?  Considering that contemporary manuals were around $3.95 or less, this was quite a sum for a book in 1969.  My curiosity got the best of me so I started hunting for any existing copies.  I found a few, mostly for ridiculous sums (in the stratosphere of $60.00 to $100.00!~)  which left me unimpressed.  I looked around a little more and found that Goodwill in the states has an incredible selection of used books online on Ebay.  For a much more reasonable $4.00 (plus $11.00 shipping, naturally) I took the plunge.

Fast forward a week or so and.......



You have to love any book that has a picture of Dean Martin on the back riding a small Honda!

This is actually an excellent read, with thorough articles about how to teach someone how to ride, camping on two wheels and an exciting craze called 'Para-Kiting' . In case you were wondering, this involves riding in the desert while someone wearing a parachute is dragged behind!

Apart from the odd fads, this tome covers racing, scrambling lots and lots of history as well as models of bikes that are scarcely seen today (Parilla Wildcat Scrambler anyone?)  It was evident that Floyd Clymer was deeply passionate about motorcycles, I would guess that this book was purely a labour of love.  At the very least a love letter to motorcycling.

If you can find one, get it....I am saving the remaining chapters for winter reading.

In other news, I am waiting on my NOS Dual Twin cylinder to arrive in the mail.  I hope it gets here soon so I can get this engine back together!

I also managed to find a suitable replacement battery for the Bridgestone(s).  This was at www.batterystuff.com after getting very little help from local retailers.

One bike shop wouldn't even check for me unless I brought the old battery in!  This, despite having the measurements on hand (what would he have said if I didn't still have an original battery?  I should have hung up, called back and found out using a fake accent)   Were his measurements somehow more accurate than mine?  Did he possess some variety of magic tape measure only available to motorcycle shops?


I digress, however Gandalf won't be getting my business again anytime soon.  For a mere $30.00 (plus $20.00 for shipping...less for once!) One can buy a sealed gel battery ready to run.  I am expecting this shortly and will let you know how it works.

Stay Tuned!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Rise of the Bridgestone Baron?

I'm not sure how it happened.  A scant few months ago, the word 'Bridgestone' was hardly in my vocabulary, save for the tires I just had removed from my Triumph.

Fast forward 2 months and I am deep in the throes of bringing a 175cc Dual Twin back to life with a 90cc sport waiting in the wings.  Over the weekend,  my father and I left for a 7 hour round trip through scenic cottage country in Ontario to acquire this;



Yes, it is another Bridgestone...The big one, the most desirable one.  An early GTR, 350cc the biggest bike the company ever made.  When new, these were only $80.00 to a $100.00 less than a brand new Triumph Bonneville!  It is estimated that fewer than 8,000 units were ever produced and at that buy in price, that's hardly surprising!


This all started innocently enough, I swear.  I may have mentioned before that the most expensive aspect of restoring a bike these days is shipping costs.  There have been items I've purchased that were more expensive for me to ship than buy!

I thought perhaps it might be best to reach out to the motorcycle community and see if anyone had any bits and pieces lying around.  I got a response from a very nice gentleman who had this 350 collecting dust in his garage.  He offered it at a price that I couldn't turn down, even when factoring in the purchase of gas and the cost of renting a van for a day.  I had actually never seen one up close and personal before and they just don't seem to exist anywhere, let around these parts.

The seller was really a Honda guy at heart, he had about 7 of them!  I wish I had taken a picture of his immaculate and unmolested 1971 CB350.  It was a true survivor and a rolling time capsule.  It didn't feel right to ask to take the pic, he seemed like a fairly private guy so I wanted to respect that.

In addition to the bike, he also threw in these goodies;




I haven't gone through the box yet, I did notice an NOS crank, spare tail light lens, extra carb and sprocket.  The extra tank is in better shape than the one on it, so I will clean, polish and swap.

Here are some better shots after a bath in warm simple green (great product by the way) and a spray down.  I have given some of the chrome a light polish with WD40 and steel wool to see what I am up against.


Could this be the actual mileage?



I haven't delved into this bike too deeply yet.  I am inclined to believe that this could be a 5000 mile bike based on a few factors from my initial impression.  The tires are matching Bridgestones, which could very well be original.  It also appears as though everything is original and further to that in fairly good condition.

  I won't be getting into this one too deeply yet, she has good compression and kicks over freely.  My plan is to actually get it to run and clean up as much of the rust as I can.  I really don't want to restore it, I prefer to have an intact original with some great patina.  Also, it's unlikely that I will be able to afford to at this point!

Next post I will discover what year this gem was built in, catalog some parts and get back to some 175 business!  Stay Tuned.....

Please enjoy the fantastic John Barry theme song from 'The Persuaders' one of my favorite shows of all time.




Thursday, August 8, 2013

Bearing the brunt...

I apologize for the delay in posts!  I have managed to accomplish a few things in the last week or so, however not as much as I would have liked.  I am very proud to present my first 'mock up'  with the newly refinished seat.



This seat kit from Pit Replica was very easy to put on and is decent quality for the price.  Once the foam was built up in the weaker sections (as seen in previous posts) it went right on, the material was flexible enough to get over the back and sides without stretching.

Next step is the wheels, I started cleaning these up in order to get this beast rolling.

before- front

before- side view

after- front

I have a set of new bearings and new tires, Duros that are unfortunately made in China.  Finding 2.75 x 18 is not the easiest thing to get in a street tire, however at $33.00 a piece I shouldn't complain.  Why unfortunate?  I won't start a whole symposium here on Chinese goods other than to say I don't trust the quality of their goods;  I also resent the western reliance on such cheap goods, putting many jobs and the economic future of our young people in jeopardy.

This aside, one challenge I will face in this rebuild is the complete and utter unavailability of inner races or tapered bearings for the neck.  Inner races are the pieces where the ball bearings sit and mate withe outer races in the neck.  For some bizarre reason, outer races are available in abundance.  I was taught that when rebuilding a bike always replace bearings and races as they are likely worn.  In the case of tapered bearings there is not a single manufacturer that makes one to spec for any application.  I suppose these are the vagaries of Bridgestone ownership.  There is the joy of having boxes of NOS parts available but oddball pieces that are impossible to replace.   

I will have some more photos in the coming days of my progress! 

This weekend, my father and I are going on a little adventure......if all goes well I will have something very exciting to show you in the next post, stay tuned! 



Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Pure West!

I am very happy to have my parts back from the powder coating shop!


While debating the colour scheme for a few weeks, I settled on a very lustrous dark blue that the shop just got in stock.  I was thinking about the fact that this was a machine from 1966 and wanted to somehow incorporate a theme from that year into the bike.  To me, there are few things that scream 1966 more than Batman.  Like so many, I grew up watching Adam West as the caped crusader and loved every minute of it. 

What better tribute than a paint scheme based on his costume? Should I add a yellow tool box to complete the look?  Have to stay tuned on that one.

I am very pleased with how the seat is shaping up;



I shaped and cut the foam and used spray adhesive to hold it together.  If you are attempting to do this yourself, get plenty of the little clamps as shown here.  The adhesive should dry overnight or for at least 4-6 hours for best results.  Make sure the mating surface is nice and clean as well, something I learned the hard way in having to redo the gluing more than once.  I ended up stripping the whole surface with a wire brush.

Here is the the first fitting:



Pretty good so far!  There are a couple areas that have to be built up with foam, but I am confident that this will be fairly easy.  I picked up some very neat pieces to solve my trim dilemma that I think will look neater than original.  more to come....

Last update and the one that I am least pleased about.......


The Soda Blasting shop did a fantastic job on these and they look better than new.  They also did it for less than quoted and I will certainly use them again.  However, it appears that the chrome bore in the right cylinder is damaged and has actually chipped.  While it is minor wear, I am securing a back up set of jugs from a friend.  I can't complain, as one should always expect some surprises when building a bike.  I am going to get the forks done next and clean those wheels up.  That way when the engine is ready, I can drop it right in the rolling chassis.  Expect more progress soon! 


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Slip Sliding away...

I am astonished at how quickly this summer is flying by!  Trying to catch up with everything is akin to keeping up with the speed of sound....impossible.

I have found myself wanting to post for a week now, at each interval something else requires my attention more immediately.  For that, I humbly apologize.   In short, I am working every day running a small business, restoring bikes and spending time with the family.  To add to this, I am working on a novel!  

On to the catch up;

I received a second set of Bridgestone rear shocks that had much less play and much better chrome than the ones I had to work with.  I started to strip them and clean them, this is what I came up with;



There is a little hole in the back of the shroud that let in some moisture over the years.  I suspect this was from a low mileage bike as the shocks were barely broken in.  The main spring was rusty, which bothered me.  I looked around my shelf and decided to leave them to soak in this:


After a couple days, I hung them up and let the excess oil fall into a bucket which was then properly disposed of.  That should keep the springs in decent shape for a few more years!  

I have a confession to make.  I said that I would make a seat cover for this project and I meant it.  I really did.  That was until I found a new cover for less than $50.00 with shipping.  For the price, I decided the DIY seat will have to wait until next time.  Of course I did say that a few bikes ago now....


The old foam was absolutely ridiculous to get off.  


I soaked it in hot water over night in the hopes that some of it would come off.  Some of it did, however most remained.  As I write this, it is covered with paint stripper, which seems to be the only thing that works!  
These seats are quite a pain compared to a British bike of the same era.   As you can see, the seat has a sprung saddle (the Japanese seemed to love these in the 60's)  rather than foam which one would have thought would be more economical.  Foam surrounded the sides and back and a piece of molded plastic sat atop the springs, atop which more foam.  The seat trim is also interesting.  Rather than a simple piece of molded strip around the bottom, they instead chose a strip of chrome that slid over the ends of loose bolts.  These bolts are attached on the inside of the frame.  I can't see any practical way of reusing this or getting it to look right without tremendous difficulty.  The DIY aspect may play a role in how this seat goes back together.   My thought right now is to use my handy cutting tool (as seen in the last post) and cut off the little bolts as the nuts are seized on them.   I think some rivet replacements would keep the seat cover tight to the frame and give it a good look.  I plan on tackling that this weekend.  

Sometimes I truly love Canadian Tire...key word sometimes.   Today however was one of those sometimes days.  While looking for rivets this item happened to catch my eye.


Cool idea, right?  I was intrigued.....


At $4.99, even more intriguing!  In theory, this should save a lot of time and prove invaluable with stripping and restoring bikes.  So yes, I picked it up and will give an in depth review in the future.  

As I made my way to the cash I saw this;


Apparently walking 30 feet entitled me to a further $3.00 discount!  It boggles the mind how an item that was $39.99 is now less than $2.00.  This is why I NEVER pay full price at this store, because I come back three weeks later and the item is almost always deeply discounted.  I am very eager to try this thing out now..

 If you didn't already know that Thailand has the best postal service in the world, here is the evidence.


This is the padded envelope that my NOS carb cover came in.  This colourful fellow seems to be thanking me for my patronage, when was the last time your local post office did that for you?  Oh well, sometimes in life you just have to say Phuket! 

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Heatwave!

Sorry for the delay in posts!  With public health warnings regarding the intense heat in Southern Ontario it has been difficult to get much work done in the garage.  I have certainly worked in worse heat and humidity, however I am not on a tight deadline and feel no need to wipe sweat from my brow!


As far as the Bridgestone goes,  I have gathered plenty of small pieces and will be making a visit to the powder coating shop early next week.


My barrels and cylinder head (s) are being soda blasted as we speak and I have a little pile of parcels containing NOS parts to open up.

While I am on this little mid week break,  I'd like to do a quick product review.  In May, I needed to do a little metal cutting that was on the fine side.  There was no way the angle grinder would cut it, so I needed another solution.   After cruising around the hardware store I found a rather neat Dremel (or Dremel equivalent as I have) kit.

\

This EZ lock system is quite small and at $24.99 for 5 discs I was skeptical.   I took a chance as I needed the job done that evening.  The loading of these is quite simple and quick and I have to say I was impressed by how long the discs lasted and by how well they cut through thick steel.  The other benefit is being able to cut curves and angles that would not be possible with a wider blade.  

Do yourself a favour though and wear safety glasses.  The sparks and tiny shards will fly up into your face.  

I also advise that you pause after a minute or so rather than cutting continuously.  My experience was that the discs tend to last longer this way.    I give it 4 out of 5 stars, 1 being lost for the price...$5.00 for a disc the size of a quarter seems a tad much.   Other than that gripe, it's a great tool to have in your arsenal and doesn't take up much space in your toolbox.  

That is it for today, stay cool, hydrated and ride safely! 





Thursday, July 11, 2013

Crunching the numbers...

Much of what I've learned about bike restoration evolved  from my first real project, a 1969 Triumph Daytona. I bought the bike in pieces dragged it home with all these fantasies of bringing it back to glory.  2 and a half years later, the bike was together but never really worked the way I wanted her to.

The mechanic who rebuilt the engine (a true craftsman with British motors) took the bike and fixed many of the errors that were made.  Before relieving me of it, he looked at her then me.  'You took too long with it'. he said plainly.

I nodded and agreed with him, not fully understanding what he meant until many years later.  I figured that some restorations take many years and for a newcomer, I did pretty well.  I suppose I did, but with lots of help from some generous old timers who assisted me.  On my own?  God only knows.

With motorcycle restoration, I have always been guilty of romantic fancy.  I would describe it as Quixotic really, the desire to see great beauty in these forlorn and forgotten beasts.  With romantic fancy often comes poor planning and forgetting the reality of one's situation.   Skills, tools, space, money for instance.

The old adage 'Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.'  really rings true in these situations.  Have a look in any online classifieds site and you will find a long list of forgotten or abandoned projects.  Where did these builders go wrong?  Did they run out of money or just give up?  There is usually a good story in the ad, but who really knows.

The best approach I have ever seen was that of  a friend of mine.  He had a penchant for small capacity 2 strokes and would usually take a new project on every December.

Why December you ask?  My friend used to base his entire project on what he estimated his tax return would be.  This included the bike, the parts, the paint, the whole thing.   This kept him on track and more or less kept him from dipping into his coffers.

Experience is your biggest ally, even with it you still need to do your homework.

Before even thinking about buying that project ask yourself the following questions:
-Does the bike run?  Will it run?  what will it take to run?

A bike that doesn't run is essentially a boat anchor.  If that's what your after, have at it!

Look around you.  Where will you work on this bike?  Do you have the tools to do it?
Metric sockets and wrenches for Japanese bikes, Whitworth tools for older Brit bikes, for example.

Figure out the availability and prices of parts, including shipping.  Nowadays, shipping will almost count for half of your budget!

Another part of my philosophy; 'Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst'

For instance, if a bike has sat for ages, you can pretty much guarantee that every rubber component is dried out and has cracked.  Electrical components tend to age poorly, a rusty bike means moisture; the arch enemy of electrics.

Are the tires odd sizes? are they available?  Many vintage bikes can be oddballs in this fashion, another thing to be aware of.

While forums should be taken with a grain of salt, they can be a good source of information and a good way to find vendors and services.

The next part of my restoration mantra;  'Have a vision.'  Determine just what it is you want.  Draw sketches, find other pictures on the net that you find inspirational.  Once the vision and budget has been determined, it is much easier to stay on track and attain your goals.

My final note is about budget.  Can you afford this?  by which I mean realistically?
If it's a dream bike, perhaps the money and time you spend is worthwhile.  When you look at the money involved and envision the end product, ask yourself.... 'If I saw this bike for sale at $X would I pay that much for it?'  If you wouldn't pay that much for a restored bike, why would you pay that much to restore it?

As for my Dual Twin,  I am pleased to say that I am pretty much on budget (by today's calculation I have $150.00 left to play with) though I am certain I will go a little over.  I am sad to say that I haven't gotten as far as I would have liked due to time constraints.  This is the other bit of number crunching to consider.  Time is money as they say;  Most of seem to have money and no time; no money and lots of time or end up the poor bastard with neither.

One day I will tell you about an added philosophy I call the Christina Hendricks test.....a story for another time! (you have imaginations, I'm sure you can work it out)

As I descend from my soapbox I leave you with a Japanese Cyborg that resembles a grasshopper riding a motorcycle to an epic theme tune.



Sunday, July 7, 2013

Good Blokes Abound!

Sorry for the lapse in posts,  Have been very busy lately with a combination of work and family time.  I came home on Friday and found a very nice package in the mailbox!



This is a an original Bridgestone factory tool, specifically a clutch stopper.  This was gifted to me by a new friend from Australia who is a fellow Triumph and Bridgestone owner.   Although he and I email back and forth regularly now, I was a stranger when this was offered without anything asked in return.

This speaks volumes about some of the amazing people you can meet in this world (of bikes).  When you have had a bad Ebay deal, or it seems everyone is out for a buck something like this happens.

This tool will serve me well in two ways; The first is the obvious use for which it was intended.
The second will remind me of the brotherhood amongst those of us that share this passion.  At the end of the day, it is about these machines and their roles in our lives.  This is a deep connection that is shared around the globe.  We understand each other by understanding why we do what we do.


Thank you my friend, for keeping the code alive, one decedent of Empire to another.


Had to run out to the transfer station on Saturday, (they offer free metal drop off) and get rid of some parts I was tripping over.


It always makes me a bit sad to throw things away, but this stuff couldn't be saved.  The bars were bent out of shape and the mufflers were rusted through and dented.  Fortunately I have a very good set lined up and hope to order them next week.  



In other news, it's time to have a closer look into the Dual Twin motor.



Dirty!  But in amazing shape.  The rings are tight, there is zero scoring in the barrel or on the piston.  Only some carbon deposits on the sides, but nothing overwhelming.  The crank seems to have little wear and rough measurement would tell that everything is in spec.   I see there is plenty of oil in the engine, relatively clean oil at that.

The barrels and top end were not coming clean enough for my satisfaction.  Here is a tip, don't leave parts in a hot bath of aluminum brightener for too long.  The solution went black and pretty much dyed the parts.  Lesson learned.

I then thought I would take another approach, the dishwasher.


This was a detergent free wash.  Dishwasher soap contains abrasives that can destroy the aluminum finish.  While this helped some, it didn't do the job to my satisfaction.  I have decided that I will have these soda blasted, something I could do at home but its a tremendous hassle.  My Michelin MCX6 compressor was a birthday gift from my father and it is a great hobbyist tool.  Not tremendously powerful, but handy.  I have painted furniture and done some sodablasting before.  It left a mess and it was difficult to get an even flow of media.  Here is the method I used, courtesy of the VW enthusiasts (handy lot, those guys)

http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/

I will probably build a cabinet and have a proper go one day.  In the interim, Outsourcing will likely be the best option, depending on price.  If it is too outlandish, then I will give it another go.

In the next post, we will crunch some numbers!

 I leave you with the astoundingly awesome words of Japanese Batman.


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Mid-week momentum (or lack thereof)

I need to start this brief post with a couple of quick retractions.  Firstly, the Kawasaki my friend Sam restored is actually a KD 125 Not a KD 175 as I originally reported.  Having briefly owned it, one would think I would know better!  My apologies to Sam, who has submitted some other restorations that I will be sharing with you soon!

Secondly, I reported that Marvel Mystery Oil was not available in Canada.  The very next day, there it was on the shelf at Wal Mart.  This particular product is apparently quite potent in old car engines and also works well to clean aluminum and steel by wiping with a cloth.

I have spent the last few days working with various vendors to secure the long list of mostly small parts that I need.  In the interim I have started cleaning the engine casings with WD40 and a scotch brite pad.  This is a fairly long process and I have read that this brings great results;  This makes sense as the WD40 lubricates while the abrasive pad removes the grime.  It's very important to not use this method near exposed engine internals as the pads do leave behind fine aluminum fibers.

I will be posting the results very soon, with before and after shots.

When I take a break from the garage, I often watch movies (of varying degrees of quality) that are motorcycle themed.  This week I decided to delve into the Jean Claude Van Damme vault and watch 1993's 'Nowhere to run'

For those unfamiliar with the movie, its fairly typical JCVD fare with a bit of heart.  He plays an escaped convict who risks his freedom to protect a widow and her children from greedy developers.  In the course of the story, he purchases the '68 Bonneville that belonged to the late husband of the widow.  The highlight of the film is a fantastic chase scene involving JCVD, The Triumph and several (perhaps a ridiculous number of) State Troopers.  If you want to forgo the whole picture, I have provided the pivotal part for you below.


P.S.

  If you have a restoration, project or proven tip you would like me to feature, please feel free to contact me.  It would be my pleasure to help share it with the world!






Monday, July 1, 2013

When Clearer heads Prevail!

First off, let me say Happy Canada Day!

As mentioned in my last post, much of the day was spent in the garage, getting to the engine.  I decided to try a new product for the aluminum parts.  One of the frustrations of living in Canada is that many of the blogs, websites and forums are written for their audience.  99 times out of a hundred that means the US, Australia or England.  The advice, tips and tricks are great and very helpful......IF you can find the products that these people are using anywhere.  Due to various laws, many products such as Marvel Mystery Oil, Eagle one Mag Cleaner (to name a couple off the top of my head) are unavailable here now.  Even finding Plastidip spray can be an ordeal, as we have only one retailer that carries it, Home Hardware.

 Canadian Tire products under the house brand Motomaster comprise most of what can be found on store shelves. Usually it is a guessing game as to what product you are getting after being re-labelled.

I found myself frustrated looking for products to really get in and clean aluminum; luckily enough I found that one highly recommended product was available through NAPA auto parts.  This is a chain I have honestly never dealt with before, but I was pleased by what came about.  I inquired as to whether or not the house Brand 'Aluminum Brightener' was available here.  After a bit of a search, the fellow there found it for $12.99 and could have it for me the next morning at 9:00am.  Having made the call towards the end of the day, I was pleased by the turnaround.

Here is what it looks like:



The product is sold here under the brand 'Aquapro' and is to be diluted 40-1, 20-1 or 5-1 for really tough oxidization.  Here, I have put it in an empty windex bottle to spray on the engine components.  It's always best to start on a test piece, so I decided to use the top yoke I purchased a couple weeks back. Unfortunately, there is a serious lack of instruction on cleaning afterwards and how long to leave it on the part.  



Not too bad, though the pictures don't tend to tell the whole story. My mix was probably 8:1 when I did my first spray.


After the foam settles, a grey finish is left on the part.  There were a lot of dark spots so I thought another spray was in order.


Now Ready for a light polish! I will show you that a little later, however.  


Now on to the engine.  The years have not been kind, but a little elbow grease can bring back some of that 60's spirit.....



With the head off, I started cleaning the left one first.  A very light emory cloth and soapy water you can see the comparison between the two.  At this point, it seemed a good time to experiment and make a hot bath with the brightener.


I was extremely happy with the way the engine bolts turned out.


In short, I would recommend this product especially for the price.  Be prepared to experiment and be prepared for hazardous fumes.  There is also a chance that you may have some mild burns from exposure to skin.

Now onto the main engine.  On initial inspection, the cylinder walls look good, very little wear.  The pistons have a lot of carbon build up. I could see with a flashlight that the rings looked good when looking through the exhaust ports.  I found myself having a little too much fun pushing down the kick starter and watching the pistons move up and down.


I tried a few things here.  Varsol, Pine Sol and detergent applied with a tooth brush, emery cloth.  I realized that oven cleaner would be fine for a 2 stroke engine piston, as the bores are hard chromed.  A light, targeted spray and immediate wipe down did wonders.


The next steps will include cleaning the carbs and inspecting the rest of the engine.  I am confident this little beast will run with fresh gas and spark once everything has been put back together.

I have feelers out to various sources around the globe to get the remaining pieces I need.  Let's keep our fingers crossed!   In the meantime, please enjoy the psychedelic sounds of Tame Impala.