My new Project.. From Chop to...
Discussion
Finding a home for the electrics has been a pain, there isn't much in the way of space anywhere convenient on the bike. In the end, I ended up making this card template to hold the ignition key and idiot lights, and maybe double as a home for the choke lever. Then got it made in 1.5mm stainless sheet, it bolts to the tank mounts..
Also had a go at sticking down some foam to the seat base, tricky to cut it neatly, but I tell myself its not a show bike and it'll do for now.
Also had a go at sticking down some foam to the seat base, tricky to cut it neatly, but I tell myself its not a show bike and it'll do for now.
The wiring is all done, bar sorting out the kill switch which is part of the air shifter, cant do that until I make a mount for it. In the meantime I'm waiting for some 5/16 unc bolts to be delivered, which will be needed to make a start on making a guard for the primary belt. I hit a problem with the Yuasa battery, it was too tall to allow the seat to fit, despite being the correct spec for a softail. Turns out softail seats have a cut out in the base to clear the battery, unlike my homemade seat.
The solution was to buy a Lithium battery, which at 1020 grams had the bonus of being 5kg lighter than the Yuasa, though I could've without the £150 cost.. On the bright side my local bike shop gave me a couple of gallons of fully synthetic oil for free. I'd feel guilty about using it straight away, as the oil will be changed after the first 50 miles .. say an hour on the dyno, which would be a real waste of the synthetic oil. Plus it may be too good to allow proper bedding in of the bores etc.
I was on the look out for some cheap 20w/50 to do the running in. Cheapest I could find at Asda was £10 for 5ltrs and that's semi synthetic, so I bought a couple of cans. I guess that's the standard now, as mineral oil is more expensive and is being pushed for classic cars.
The solution was to buy a Lithium battery, which at 1020 grams had the bonus of being 5kg lighter than the Yuasa, though I could've without the £150 cost.. On the bright side my local bike shop gave me a couple of gallons of fully synthetic oil for free. I'd feel guilty about using it straight away, as the oil will be changed after the first 50 miles .. say an hour on the dyno, which would be a real waste of the synthetic oil. Plus it may be too good to allow proper bedding in of the bores etc.
I was on the look out for some cheap 20w/50 to do the running in. Cheapest I could find at Asda was £10 for 5ltrs and that's semi synthetic, so I bought a couple of cans. I guess that's the standard now, as mineral oil is more expensive and is being pushed for classic cars.
Also had to dismantle the clutch and lock tight in the six stubs which the pressure plate slides on, as a couple had come lose. Wasn't difficult and didn't take long, one of the advantages of running an open belt drive. The one thing that needed a little care was making sure the springs which hold the clutch plates together were all equally torqued down to the clearance given in the instructions.. in this case 0.350 inch proud of the pressure plate.
By compressing these six yellow springs a little more the clutch can take more HP without slipping, at the expense of a heavier clutch pull.
By compressing these six yellow springs a little more the clutch can take more HP without slipping, at the expense of a heavier clutch pull.
Edited by Merch131 on Thursday 23 April 17:43
With the oil tank filled, I turned it over on the starter with the ignition off to get some oil through the engine, then put a few litres of petrol in the tank and prepared to start it for the first time. The starter has its own push button which overrides the solenoid, so to simplify the wiring and for other reasons too (may use Nitrous Oxide later), the power to the starter bypasses the ignition switch. This means I can turn the engine over with the plugs out in this case without any power going to the electronic ignition system.
With the plugs back in, the ignition was switched on and I pushed the starter button... result not much happened.
I could hear the starter trying to work but the primary belt wasn't moving. I released the button but it didn't feel right, it didn't spring back out as it should. It took a second or two to realise the starter pinion was jammed and power was still going to the starter. The one circuit which isn't fused.. not good. I quickly unbolted the leads from the battery, after which the battery didn't seem to have any power.. double not good, I'd only bought it a couple of days ago, if the lithium battery had totalled drained, it could be knackered.
I lifted it out of the bike to check it over, and nearly dropped it.. it was too hot to hold on too. Not just warm, but ouch that hurts hot. Those Dreamliner 747's had the same problem. Once it had cooled down, I tested it, and all seemed well thankfully.
Back to the starter problem, I removed the pinion cover and found the pinion jammed into the ring gear before its teeth could engage correctly. I've seen this before, sometimes happens particularly with new parts which haven't bedded in yet. There's a spring inside the starter pinion which should disengage the starter when the button is let go, I think it could do with being stronger. I'll try again when I have some help. Back indoors, I consoled myself by ordering the custom brake lines from HEL, and finished off the stand offs which will be used as part of the primary belt guard. I have a second primary belt kit, so I could use its back plate for making the guard.
With the plugs back in, the ignition was switched on and I pushed the starter button... result not much happened.
I could hear the starter trying to work but the primary belt wasn't moving. I released the button but it didn't feel right, it didn't spring back out as it should. It took a second or two to realise the starter pinion was jammed and power was still going to the starter. The one circuit which isn't fused.. not good. I quickly unbolted the leads from the battery, after which the battery didn't seem to have any power.. double not good, I'd only bought it a couple of days ago, if the lithium battery had totalled drained, it could be knackered.
I lifted it out of the bike to check it over, and nearly dropped it.. it was too hot to hold on too. Not just warm, but ouch that hurts hot. Those Dreamliner 747's had the same problem. Once it had cooled down, I tested it, and all seemed well thankfully.
Back to the starter problem, I removed the pinion cover and found the pinion jammed into the ring gear before its teeth could engage correctly. I've seen this before, sometimes happens particularly with new parts which haven't bedded in yet. There's a spring inside the starter pinion which should disengage the starter when the button is let go, I think it could do with being stronger. I'll try again when I have some help. Back indoors, I consoled myself by ordering the custom brake lines from HEL, and finished off the stand offs which will be used as part of the primary belt guard. I have a second primary belt kit, so I could use its back plate for making the guard.
I weighed the bike today, including oil and a full tank of petrol... came to 94kg on the front tyre and 118kg on the rear, giving a total of 212kg or 467lbs. Not exactly featherweight but not bad considering the engine and transmission weigh in at a hefty 300lbs on their own. The frame is 65lbs and with a new chrome moly frame I could lose 20lbs from that, at the expense of £1200. So I doubt I'll go down that route for awhile, though the axle adjuster on the current frame are cast and look to be quite heavy, so that's an area where a pound or two could be saved in the future, along with machining a bit more off the rear wheel. Its heavier than it needs to be, more than the equivalent modern sports bike wheel, though its staying as I like it.
A cheaper option is for the nut holding the handlebars to lose a few kilos, so that's in (slow) progress now
A cheaper option is for the nut holding the handlebars to lose a few kilos, so that's in (slow) progress now
Finished 99% of the work now, it starts with the help of a external car battery, it'll probably start better when its got some miles on the engine. That has to wait for it to go on the dyno for a few hours. Not sure when that will be, as my mates dyno is fully booked at this time of year.
The belt guard was made with rolled stainless plate and alloy stand offs, I still need to finish the chain guard, also made from folded stainless.
The belt guard was made with rolled stainless plate and alloy stand offs, I still need to finish the chain guard, also made from folded stainless.
The brakes are done, used HEL lines. I fitted the air shifter with new lines so I could move its components from where they were on the old bike they came off. Pressure tested it and it lost 5 psi after half an hour, which is ok, as it'll be pressurised with a bicycle pump after every run.
Also fitted a catch tank / breather tank, got it from Germany for only £24, its intended for a car engine bay, so had to make the mounts to fit it the frame down tube. It doesn't sit quite right, so will have to make a mark 2 version when I have time.
Also fitted a catch tank / breather tank, got it from Germany for only £24, its intended for a car engine bay, so had to make the mounts to fit it the frame down tube. It doesn't sit quite right, so will have to make a mark 2 version when I have time.
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff