Assembly Begins

Sunday was the day to put the engine back together.

A new head gasket was placed on the jugs and then the head went on top of that, the bolts were tightened to 29 ft/lbs making sure to tighten them from the center out. Mark & I then installed the cam chain sprocket paying close attention to aligning the holes parallel to the head, the exhaust cam was then guided through the hole in the sprocket which was a challenge because of the lobes on the cam changing from one side to the other. The intake cam was much easier because the sprocket is attached to the cam. Once the cams were in place the bushings were installed to hold them in place, each bolt was tightened to 12 ft/lbs. The final item to be installed and adjusted was the chain tensioner / guide.

The valve cover seal was installed then placed on the engine. That was definitely a woo hoo moment.

The next task was to remove the stearing head races which was quite a chore on account of they had to be cut out of the stearing head. While we had the cutter out we cut the bearing off of the triple tree because it fell apart when we tried to remove it.

This is the new top end race

We also attached the center and side stands because it is easier to get at them when the frame is upside down.

The engine was propped up on blocks of wood so that we could place the frame onto the engine, the frame was bolted back together and bolted to the engine.

BEFORE

AFTER

The last two items that went on the bike were the swingarm and the battery box.

Yes the swing arm is being held up by string because the shocks aren't ready to go back on the bike yet.

It's begining to look like a bike again!

All in All a good days work!