Matchless G9 Engine strip down...

At long last!  Now that some family commitments have been attended to, I am able to get back on track with my many (read: many, many, many) projects.  I have been waiting a year and a half to tear into the bottom end of the G9 engine;  This should keep me busy until my friend can finish welding up the Beetle.

The Verdict?  So far things look very good!  The con rods are very clean and straight, with no nicks or scratches.  The crank bearings are very good as well and can likely be reused.  I was pleased that the oil pump turns freely and the bottom end was coated in a film of oil.  The engine was certainly rebuilt at some point as the 'sludge trap'  bolt has been removed and replaced several times.

 Matchless Twins lack a true Sludge trap, instead having passages that can be easily cleaned out periodically.  Despite having +80 over sized pistons, this engine was very carefully looked after.   A shame really that the rest of the bike didn't receive the same treatment and survive in the same fashion.  I am sure that some of it is in that big pile of parts, as for which ones?  That is a secret lost to time.

More to come!

Any time spent with King Dick is quality time.

As a side note, 'Krave' is probably not fit for human consumption.  I, However have no issue using the box to catch decades old oil drops.

Interesting link!

This one is for the vintage Yamaha lovers out there...

Yamaha Library

Apparently almost every issue of the 'Yamaha News' going back to 1959 is available online.

There is only one catch though; You will have to brush up on your Japanese!

Scrambler bash plate modification

If you have a skid plate/Bash plate on your Scrambler as I do, it would have come equipped with 4 allen bolts to hold it in place.  Allen bolts are nice and handy and feature prominently on modern Triumphs.  They are usually easy to deal with and require a tiny tool you can carry in your pocket (or side cover).

However when an allen head gets stripped it is a tremendous pain to deal with, especially if said bolt is in an awkward spot.

This happened to me recently when an underside bolt securing the plate to the frame became stripped and seized.  I was able to get the other three off and removed the plate by unhooking (slightly bending) the mount from the rail.

It seemed a good idea to come up with something more practical while making the plate more quickly detachable.


I had these leftover from my shift lever repair, so I cut them to size and installed them.  Now if something does seize up, at least I can apply an impact driver.

Looks very nice from the front!

Garage art

I spotted this gem whilst travelling through small town Ontario. I wonder if it was ever ridden?

I need a bigger compressor

I had a little spare time this afternoon so I figured I would attempt some home soda blasting.  Using my little Michelin compressor (which works great for tires and painting) and a cheap blasting gun with hopper I had at it.  I might have done better with sifted baking soda, but the bottom line was that there wasn't enough velocity.  A larger compressor will likely be my next kijiji purchase.  At least I can see the potential from what little came off from this side by side comparison.

I don't use photoshop.....

 I do however, love taking pen/pencil to paper and letting my imagination run wild. Below is the mock up for the Matchless/AJS 500 project illustrating the direction I have decided to take. 

 While my updates have been quite lax, work has been going on steadily behind the scenes.  This has mostly been in the form of parts acquisition, which I am hopefully almost done with now.  

Can you spot the differences?

Editor's/Author's Note:

I have decided that after 4 years a slight format change is in order;  I am going to post more often with fewer words (I am sure there will be some exceptions) and more photos. 

New Tool!

I have wanted one of these for a long time, a good quality home built (Canadian) drill press.  

I lucked out and found this beauty for $50.00 from a retired machinist who lamented the lack of decent tools available these days.   I promised him that I would look after it and provide a good long term home.  After 41 years she runs smoothly, with lots of power and will likely outlive me! 

It feels good to use a tool that was built within 50 miles from my home, built within the community to a high standard.   I love finding British, Canadian and American tools and preserving them.

Boycott China.  Boycott garbage that is destroying our environment and piling up in our landfills.

Made in the west matters.  Keep your tools sharp and your neighbours working!