Fixing issues

Wednesday April 8 th


Attempted to take the bike to the paint shop for help to buff it properly, he was busy so I went for a little ride around town in the rain, silly me wasn't wearing my glasses and I only had my small helmet on.


Thursday April 9 th


Finished putting all the necessary items on in preparation of my first big trip to Victoria





Windshield, front fender, saddlebags, side covers, gas tank emblems, side cover emblems, painted the Honda logo on the front brake calipers and made sure the rear section was properly fastened.



Friday April 10th


Left Campbell River with Glenn as my escort to Qualicum Beach just in case I had any major issues.

After leaving Qualicum ended up on the highway trying to go fast and the throttle kept sliding off the handle bars as well as not having any get up go, thought maybe it was because the grip just wasn't strong enough but I kept on going.

Stopped in to visit a friend in Ladysmith and decided I should check the oil - well it was empty thank goodness they had some oil and topped me up so that I could at least get to Canadian tire and buy some engine restore and some more oil.

Was really surprised when I left and got around the corner I had to put the bike into reserve at only 180 kms last year I went 260 kms before I had to go into reserve. So off I went to the first gas station I saw.

Upon arrival in Victoria was dead tiered so never looked at the bike closely until later in the evening then it was an Oh my god moment! no wonder I was so low on oil, the cap for the top cam chain tensioner was missing. So the first thing I do is get on the phone to my darling boyfriend and ask for suggestions to fix the problem - he says I should try high temp silicone so the next day off I go to Canadian Tire to purchase some. I clean the hole out with brake cleaner and put in a piece of tin foil so that the silicone won't get into the engine. Once the silicone set and it stopped raining it was time to take her out to see if it was going to hold. After taking my nieces out for a quick ride each the plug is already starting to leak. My sister wants to go for a ride too so she gets all geared up and hops on and we go to Wal Mart to pick up a present for my niece and some other things that she needs and I decide to get a package of two part epoxy to try filling the hole with because I am returning to Campbell River the next morning and don't want to have oil issues. The next morning I agreed to take my sister to work so we leave the house before 8 am it was a little cold on the face because I gave my 3/4 helmet to my sister cause she isn't used to the cold. After dropping my sister off at work I make my way to the gas station to fill up and check my repair job - Yeah it seemed to be holding. I get on the highway but the bike still won't go when I want it to but that is a major issue that couldn't be fixed on the road. I planned on meeting Mark at the Michael's in Nanaimo at 11:00 and I had no idea what time it was as I was riding so I never stopped until I got there. The first thing I did was check to see if my repair had held or not, I was dismayed when I discovered that the plug was gone but it couldn't have been gone for long because there was very little oil on the exhaust. Mark arrives and we go for a bite to eat and try to come up with another temporary fix for that now annoying oil plug issue. We decide to check if Michael's has any rubber bottle stoppers - no such luck there but they do have cork ones so we buy a package of them and some quick setting crazy glue to keep the cork in the hole. We leave Nanaimo confident that our repair will hold for at least the trip home when I stop for fuel the plug is still holding, but once we got to Denman and check it is missing again - thank goodness we bought a package of them so we replaced it once again and off we went to Courtenay Motor Sports to order the proper plug and an oil filter for Marks bike.

It was definitely a memorable first trip, probably not the best first trip but it had to be done.

The Bike Runs!

Tuesday Apr 7 th

The bike was loaded into the truck for the slow ride to the mechanic to get the carbs adjusted, the brakes bled and the chain cut and installed.

At 4:00 he called to say it was ready so off I went to get insurance so I could ride it home.

Before I could bring it home I had to install the rear section and the chain guard.

Once I got on, it felt a little weird riding around the parking lot a few times but the power at low speeds was pretty nice. I had to be careful because of the new tires. It sounds pretty cool too.

The End is near!

Mon Apr 6th
Started the day with the pressure of needing to be able to start the bike by the end of the day because I had scheduled to take it to get the carbs adjusted, the chain cut and installed correctly, and the brakes bled.

The first thing to do was to get the new master cylinder reservoir and the freshly painted levers put back on the handle bars, it was going well until we turned the switch and the headlight wasn't coming on we took apart that switch about a half dozen times before we got it figured out.

The next chore was to install the rear wheel including installing the sprocket on the rear wheel and replacing the engine sprocket, so that we could loosely install the chain. The rear brake was attached and the shocks went on permanently.

The bike was propped up so that we could fit the front wheel on. The brake calipers had to come of in order to get everything lined up properly then they were put right back on.

Once the wheels were on the next issue to be dealt with was how were we going to get a now 400 lb bike off a table 3 feet high. thank goodness Glenn showed up when he did the extra muscle deffinetely helped. We ended up using a 2X10 as a ramp and rolled it right off the table it was a good thing the rear brake worked at least.

The next thing to install was the exhaust.

Then came the speedometer/tachometer.

The last thing to go on was the gas tank so that we could at least get it started

Assembly Continues

Monday 30th

Began with installing the inner rear fender, the carbs and installing the battery which led to the start of the fiddly work. Installing the coil packs and wiring harness which Mark handled expertly without me. Therefore giving me time to polish the frame and touch up the paint.

Also put the rotors back on the front wheel so that my wheels could be balanced properly.

Tuesday 31st

Began with a trip to Courtenay to have my new tires installed on my wheels, they also installed the new wheel bearings. Upon returning home I went to an actual body shop and put another two coats of clear on all the body panels, it sure was nice working in a clean environment.

Thursday Apr 2nd

Sanded & painted handle bars, engine guard, sissy bar, top of shocks, horn, clutch and brake levers.

Sanded intermediate exhaust pipes to prepare for High Temp paint.

Friday Apr 3rd

Painted 2nd coat on all parts. Painted intermediate exhaust pipes and bolts for the exhaust.

Attached crystals on clutch cover bolt and on cam shaft caps. Sanded the edge of the engine fins, they were covered in black paint.

Saturday Apr 4th

While I waited for Mark to get home from work I started cleaning my primary exhaust pipes, they were really yucky. Once Mark was home it was time to attempt installing the front forks but that meant first installing the signal lights onto the fork covers, that was easy in comparison to getting the steering head bearing to go all the way down the steering head shaft. We didn't have the right tool so we gave up on that for the night.

Sunday Apr 5th

Went out for breakfast and went to the hardware store to find a tool to fix the bearing issue. Once home the bearing went on without any trouble. Then there was the challenge of holding the forks on the bike while I tightened the securing nut, but Mark & I managed it together.

After the forks were secured then we could install the headlight and feed the wiring through. The front emblem also went on - Yes those are crystals around the edge

The final thing to go on the bike was the handlebars.

It was a long and productive day!

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!

Painting Again

Monday - Saturday

During the week it is tough for Mark and I to have time to work on the bike together so I decided that it was a good time to paint the engine and a few other misc parts. The first step was to scour all the loose paint off then clean it really well so that the paint would stick. I also sanded some of the surfaces to get a nice smooth finish, especially on the clutch cover and the sprocket cover. The center bolt of the clutch cover got a polish and then was masked off. The painting was done in two stages the bottom side one night and then the front side the next night.

The final night was the finicky work - I decided I needed a little purple on the engine so I removed the bolts holding the clutch cover and the ingnition cover they were painted purple. All of the bolts being attached to the frame will also be painted the same purple.

I also painted the Honda logo on the clutch cover silver and the number of the gear positions on the sprocket cover.

I finally finished polishing the valve cover and clear coated it.

The last thing I did was finish polishing the front forks and attatched the reflective decal .

Busy working away

I haven't had much time to myself lately but I am still working away little by little on the bike.

This past week has been crazy at work so when I get home I crash, but I did get both of my helmets pin stripped and Friday I finally clear coated the remaining painted pieces of my bike ( tank, side covers, front & rear fenders, rear cowl, helmets and assorted emblems )

Saturday

I attached the crystals on to the stator.

I was able to finally take apart the spray booth that I created in my shop and cleaned up so that Mark & I would have room to work on rebuilding the engine

I decided it would be nice to see all the parts of the bike laid out

Today was the day to start work rebuilding the engine

The cam shaft journals were the first thing that came off then the chain tensioners were loosened off so that we could remove the cams.

Each part is being removed and placed on paper in the same layout as it was on the engine, it is very important that everything goes back in the right place.

The bolts holding the head on were the next thing to be removed, they had to be slacked evenly so that the head wouldn't warp. Each of the twelve recieved 1/4 turn starting from the center out then start over from the center again each bolt recieved 1/2 turn. Once the pressure was off the bolts they could be removed easily.

Once the head was removed the next challenge was to remove the valves all 16 of them, all of the parts of each of the valves were placed in a labeled bag.

Underside of the Head

The black in the before picture is carbon
In the after picture the valves have been removed and the carbon has been removed by grinding

Before---------------------------------------------------------After

Topside of the jugs- those are the pistons covered in carbon that was ground away.

Before---------------------------------------------------------After

The last thing of the day to lapp the seals for the valves.

Another item purchased

Bought these reflective stickers to put on my front forks.

Been feeling seriously under the weather the last few days, so I haven't been doing much decided I should figure out how I am going to polish my valve covers. Bought a set of buffing wheels and some cleaning compound and that seems to be working a little better than just using my fingers but I still need to get a larger one for the flat areas and a pointed buffer to get in all the corners.

Been Busy Painting!

Friday the 6th I clear coated the wheels

They look kind of blue in the picture but they are most definitely purple

Saturday the 7th I primed the tank, side covers, fenders and rear cowl.

Sunday was the fun day I primed the panels again then the color went on, two coats of the dark purple then a light coat of the lighter purple using some netting as a stencil it turned out looking like a cross between dragon skin & camo.

Monday I tried to start painting the final decorative painting but my airbrush decided it didn't want to work anymore so off to the store to buy a new one by the time I got home it was to late to start and I still had to tape off the design on my small helmet. So that was my chore for the evening.

Tuesday I was feeling pretty under the weather but I pushed myself to get to work and I am glad I did because I am really happy with how it turned out.

This is only the first step of the process no other pictures you will all have to wait and see it in person!

The next tasks are - to clear coat all the panels.

- finish polishing all the parts - front forks, stator cover, valve cover

One other idea I came up with was to add crystals on the stator cover there is a grove on it that they fit into perfectly, Mark thought it was a silly idea but when he saw it he thought it was cool

27 days left!

The pressure is begining to get to me! I am hardly sleeping and all I think about is getting my bike done.

Today at work I created a stencil for the flame paint job I am putting on the tank and side covers because the one I ordered is going to be back ordered for another week or two and I can't wait any longer.

I decided it was time to clear coat the frame, the color is getting closer to what I wanted. YEAH!!!

I also painted the kickstand using the same technique I used on the center stand.

Tomorrow when I get home the frame is coming in the house and I start painting the wheels and swingarm.

Small projects

I am working on completing small projects because I am still waiting for a stencil to paint the tank, side covers and fenders.

Decided it was time to start painting some of the black parts, the first victims were the battery box, assorted parts and the rear brake stabilizer they each got a nice shiny coat of black paint.

The center stand also needed a coat of paint as well but seeing as it takes a little bit more abuse than the battery box I decided to use a trick that Mark mentioned awhile back. After cleaning the part place into the oven heated to 300F once the part is heated thoroughly remove from oven spray with paint, once paint is dry place back in oven for two hours to cure.

The next task was to figure out a way to attach my new signal lights to the front forks, the old lights were bolted onto the flange sticking out of upper fork covers, the new lights need to bolt through the cover. The best solution was to cut down the flange so that the bolt for the signal light could reach the nut on the inside.

Left side of picture is the after

The last project tonight was to clean off the rust on the inside of the fork covers as best I could then spray with alluminum rust paint.