After a long two year hiatus the engine actually looks like an engine again. Though not yet fitted together all the pieces are finally in the same room. Cylinders have gone off to Zabors for honing and come back again ready to fit the pistons and slap on a base gasket.
A bit of backstory here would be the reason this is a tragically trepadatious journey. I began this project over three years ago having spent about a year and a half on the treacherous two wheeled monetary tornado before putting it to sleep for a few years. In that time the following occurred.. ( and I should note that the sale listing stated "just needs wiring" )
Extensive fuel leaks leading up to a fire.. yes the bike caught on fire.. carbs had to be bead blasted and ultrasonically cleaned. Head was re built and on the maiden kick with the new head work done a rod bearing seized just a happy coincidence due to some crud in an oilway in the crank. So apart came the bottom end sludge trap pulled etc. crank ground and first oversize bearings installed. Cylinders honed and fresh rings fitted. A nightmare of carb balancing issues followed, accompanied by a slipping clutch resulting in a very warm bike in the Texas July heat.. a bad combo.. a soft seize of the pistons followed up my a seized valve.. we hammered that valve out and somehow it wasn't bent.. head was re-done again ..
Pulling the cylinders off I cracked a fin.. sent them off to the welding shop and had to change my number left it with the guy on the answering machine and apparently the message cut off the last two numbers... that turned into a several month venture and finally the gentlemen was able to track me down, picked up the cylinders and gave them to a machinist to hone.. again with the phones only vice e versa lost all contact with the guy.. wrote the cylinders off as 'lost' ( they were cracked and re welded anyway ...) ordered an overbore kit off the interwebs only for it to be backordered for 9 months before I finally asked to just exchange my place in line for store credit and got new carbs and some odds and ends instead. And.. I'm not even going to go into the frame catastrophe...
Insert a two year break.. and here we are. Just got new cylinders from MAP some NOS hepolite pistons from the auction site, had Zabors hone em out for me to spec and I'm back to square one.. only a bit older a whole lot wiser and with much cleaner parts this time.. the goal is to take my time and do it right..and not try to finish it in time for the next display of local coolness that all the extra cool kids will be ridin their cycles up to ..
-MotoDuck
A bit of backstory here would be the reason this is a tragically trepadatious journey. I began this project over three years ago having spent about a year and a half on the treacherous two wheeled monetary tornado before putting it to sleep for a few years. In that time the following occurred.. ( and I should note that the sale listing stated "just needs wiring" )
Extensive fuel leaks leading up to a fire.. yes the bike caught on fire.. carbs had to be bead blasted and ultrasonically cleaned. Head was re built and on the maiden kick with the new head work done a rod bearing seized just a happy coincidence due to some crud in an oilway in the crank. So apart came the bottom end sludge trap pulled etc. crank ground and first oversize bearings installed. Cylinders honed and fresh rings fitted. A nightmare of carb balancing issues followed, accompanied by a slipping clutch resulting in a very warm bike in the Texas July heat.. a bad combo.. a soft seize of the pistons followed up my a seized valve.. we hammered that valve out and somehow it wasn't bent.. head was re-done again ..
Pulling the cylinders off I cracked a fin.. sent them off to the welding shop and had to change my number left it with the guy on the answering machine and apparently the message cut off the last two numbers... that turned into a several month venture and finally the gentlemen was able to track me down, picked up the cylinders and gave them to a machinist to hone.. again with the phones only vice e versa lost all contact with the guy.. wrote the cylinders off as 'lost' ( they were cracked and re welded anyway ...) ordered an overbore kit off the interwebs only for it to be backordered for 9 months before I finally asked to just exchange my place in line for store credit and got new carbs and some odds and ends instead. And.. I'm not even going to go into the frame catastrophe...
Insert a two year break.. and here we are. Just got new cylinders from MAP some NOS hepolite pistons from the auction site, had Zabors hone em out for me to spec and I'm back to square one.. only a bit older a whole lot wiser and with much cleaner parts this time.. the goal is to take my time and do it right..and not try to finish it in time for the next display of local coolness that all the extra cool kids will be ridin their cycles up to ..
-MotoDuck
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