two steps forward . one step back or is it one step forwards and…..

 The wheel saga continues, pick up disassembled wheel and send the short spokes and my original spoke to devon rim Co. to make some more to match my sample. 

Sean the owner @ Devon Rim Co. says his spokes are correct and to cut a long story short says to send rim and hub to him and he will check and build it. Which I would have done the in the first place except they no longer build wheels because its not cost effective!

Linkerts T shirt  to be saved from workshop Rag

and mounted on a board with the 1st Trip out T Shirt on Display 

Ratttlecan Sunday 

Sissy too 

Ahh - remember why I called her Christine 

Engine cleaned and waiting on assembly 

Heads Vapour blasted and cleaned 

Should have put the pistons in the barrels first as the bloody ring compressor too big and could not be disassembled to remove so we had to cut it up and Mark who helped me (did most of it!) join 2 jubilee clips together and bingo!

that she blows 

exhaust valves needed quite a bit of grinding but came out Ok

So on to the next Saga

Christine was living up to her name this week and pushed me very near the edge on friday...

Last year I asked Carl @ Fram motorcycles if he could build a wheel for me. He said yes if i could get the spokes and rim as he could not get the Harley rim. 

The only company able to supply in stainless steel is 

The Devon Rim Company. 

A stainless 21" rim (£260) and spokes (£120) to fit my hub and so I bit the bullet.

Last Saturday I took my old wheel to Jerry @ Fram motorcycles to check for spoke pattern before I take it apart.

He called it a 4 spoke pattern (4 holes between) 

 Then after the weekend took my disassembled hub, new spokes (£120)(£260) back to them and his son Carl took it in. We agreed I would send him the wheel pics for reference.

 and called in @ Andy Tiernans Classic Bikes to pick up some Oil

lovely Vee twin parked outside 

back in the day we called a combination 

Wednesday cut and reposition the front tank bracket 5mm lower so the back isn't trying to grind a hole against the frame. Had to weld another piece of bar to it. Not pretty and used the last of the gas. 

And so we come to Friday!

I drive to the wheel builders in Framlingham - they are shut for lunch so I drive fifty miles to Krazyhorse for some bits and pieces Ive ordered. Picking up my Cylinder heads on the way. Vapour blasted they look great and clean!

The parts haven't been delivered due to a fire at the port in Holland. So on to SoLow Choppers to pick up my Piston Rings. The first week Clive ordered the rings with the new Barrels and pistons but they were out of stock. The next week he ordered the wrong set. This week they are in and correct, all good and back to Framlingham wheel builders by 4.30pm.

Carl tells me there was a problem with the spokes

you can see the angle is wrong.

I am feeling pissed. I purchased the rim and spokes separately because their was no alternative and now the builder Carl has done his best but they are wrong.

No phone signal here and it turns out I don't have Devon Rims number so Home steaming.

I call them but its friday 5pm and they are shut!

Back to the wheel builder 9am Saturday morning

Carl is not there! but his father Jerry is.

We establish that if it had been laced to the correct spoke pattern the spokes were too long and not enough thread plus the angle on the short spoke is wrong. So Carl had laced it to a longer angle six spoke pattern.

I ask them to call the devon Rim Co. on Monday and explain the problem and hopefully get another set!

Leaving me in the invidious position of being in the middle of all this but having paid for it!

The picture is of a ££££ Brough Superior Wheel in for a respoke.

easter love in - trying to get all the brackets redone

she's fighting me all the way 

engine out and cases polished up as best I could

I discover that the dick that did the mudguard also made the sissy out too 

main bracket on and then welded the oil tank support to that

sissy brackets welded 

then cut and rewelded  

as it wasn't square 

the mudguard has now moved and bottom bracket now doesn't fit - well it does now - but not much room between the wheel and guard thanks to my friend the dick who cut the guard

Not a Good Friday

Saturday breakfast - first crab of the season

and cylinder heads off for vapour blast

 New Stainless 21"x 1.85 rim and spokes arrived for the front wheel

and a little light reading

Why do something twice when you can do it three times...

coming apart again 

bottom and top mudguard brackets to be cut off

to get that bloody classic tyre in that is one inch in diameter larger 

good job I no longer need a battery as there is no room!  

and a big thanks to the guy that cut the mudguard in the middle 

as it now is not circular and doesn't follow the tyre

and while we are at it  - off with the barrels and heads 

 fuck- the stud unwound with the cylinder base dome nut!

and made me sweat putting it back in - thank god the the thread wasn't stripped!

New barrels and pistons ordered and are at the machinist.

does your crank have your initials on it ?

the black cat on my shoulder is semi permanent

Starting is the hardest, a few decisions now made - and the grinder cometh...

 Well - now the fork tubes out and gone

A little polishing of the bits left over of now

and another little surprise. a piece of metal in the belt 

that left a few dents in both pulleys 

From 1974 - Tomorrows Custom Harleys - Today!

the primary is covered in oil and debris 

the oil coming from the crank seal - after all this time I have come to the conclusion that its not the seals but crankcase pressure. 

So a rebore is the next on the cards... 

A present arrived from my friend Blind Melon in Cali

Respect from Suffolk to all of you in the States

Ok Christine lets make a start , first those fork tubes...

Decision made
Option 1 Another set of seals - may have worked but not for long.
Option 2 Another set of tubes - they are only show chromed so more trouble later
But a new set could be purchased that are longer 10" over….
No be sensible.
But it would look even better with longer forks Trev...
They would leak again. And its cheaper than new tubes
Yeah but look great…
She handles really good with the 8" over tubes
But we want….
How about putting on a 21" Wheel instead?

Our fork rechroming service includes...
• Full inspection, measurement and recording, we also check straightness before the rechroming process
• Pre-grind on a centreless grinding machine to remove old chrome and any pitting / damage
• Prepare for hard-chrome plating. This will include masking of all internal bushes / valves with special tape and wax
• The forks are then hard chrome electroplated (slightly oversize)
• The forks are then finish ground to an accuracy of 0.005”.
• Inspection, measurement and recording is carried out at all stages of finish grinding
• The forks are linished and polished to produce a high gloss and reduced friction finish which aid the seals bedding in process
• Inspection and recording takes place to maintain quality and continuity of your rechroming

So the 'fork stanchions' were parcelled up and sent Royal Mail 48

 And a new front wheel size investigated, which as usual brings its own problems. 

Running modern radials as rear fit is tight on mudguard. 

Tried a safety Mileage rear in the summer and its 1" in diameter larger.

So it would have to be a radial again or cut all the brackets off the rear and start again.

Would look good with a skinny speed master on the front though...

Parked up at Aldeburgh

a little progress at snails pace...

 My little dremel ripoff arrived and tackled the remaining stainless helicoil that could not be reached with snips. the thread insert is only about 4 threads deep so I was paranoid at pulling it out and kept the neutral switch screwed in till the final cleanup

Ok onward with assembly of shifter drum mechanism 

The manual just tells you to fit the shifter pawls and plate. Well good luck. 

In the end I put a tie around them and tightened it till they were compressed and bingo. 

The pawls are underneath the plate at the bottom in two shafts on springs and impossible to compress and fit at the same time unless you can get the screw undone at the bottom and fit without springs.

Last outing I think 

She needs the forks hard chromed as seals always leaking

Plus a rebore involving new barrels as on limit. All because to much crankcase pressure causing constant leak on crankcase oil seal.

And maybe a leaking gearbox which again I replaced the seal last year plus used one of those supernut.

 Situation Normal All Fucked Up 

Sometimes deciding to do it yourself can be an ordeal...

something for the weekend in the post 

practice helical first on a fucked gearbox cover 

and no problemo

yes I know 

but it worked 

tap in square too 

I had 3 goes at winding in the helical as the depth is only about 8mm, not much thread. I wanted to get the thread starting almost flush with the surface. 

 

The first was half way down the thread before I realised. The second was about over half a thread but I wanted perfection. Should have left well alone, nearly fucked it up again!

The thread inside has to be flush inside so tin snips got rid of most of the helicoil but needs a small grinding dremel type tool, now on order!

Bitch Parking Only

Got out on Wedneday, one kick!

Just when you thought it was safe to surf...

after a couple of hiccups i.e. me deciding that as I had put the shift clutch in facing the wrong way and had to remove the mainshaft I would also replace the mainshaft seal a I'd not fitted the cork 'O' ring that goes behind it. (don't think it has to be fitted these days with the new seals anyway!)

So I fucked that up the second time and tore the lip, - got another and put in in upside down !

- and grown men cry.

So The Box is all shimmed up, new bushes, new bearings and races. 

On to the home run, put the lid mechanism together, all going well until

we get to the neutral switch and strip the thread! 

Not as usual tightening up but undoing to check fit!

So now a 9/16 UNF Helical kit is on order

Situation Normal All Fucked Up

Still lets Look on the Positive side - HaHa 

Could have been on the bike when I decided to to replace the fucked switch which needed replacing anyway - I just did not have one on assembly and that would have meant a few tears.