Restoration project: I have one!

We've got a live one here!
It ain't pretty, and there's a lot of work to do, but what an awesome project if I can pull it off!


From what I can gather, it hasn't been run for the last fifteen odd years, and spent around ten of those sat by a pool, three sat on this fence post, with scarecrow aboard, and the last two lying on the ground after it fell off the fence post!

I was in two minds about taking it, but it's a Bombardier Can-am T'n'T 175 and, being as I've owned a few 250's, couldn't miss the chance of taking on another.  Besides, I hate to see anything rotting away.  That's the boot of Doug the dummy and yes, it looked like a dead body!

So Angus, the present owner, fetched the Bobcat and lifted her over the fence so we could have a proper look and I became the proud owner of yet another Bombardier.  For the princely sum of a bottle of Scotch.  Does it get any better than that?

So what can I tell you about it?  This particular bike was made in 1975 by Bombardier.  Known for making planes, trains, snowmobiles etc., their off-road motorcycles were called Can-am's.  This is a T'n'T 175 (short for track and trail).  Powered by a Rotax 2-stroke, disc valve engine with the obvious capacity of 175 cc.

There's a lot missing and a lot that may need to be thrown away.  Is it worth restoring?  Probably not, but restoration shouldn't be about the money - more the enjoyment of problem solving and the pride you get with the finished article.  I wanted to showcase a restoration - showing what could be achieved and, although this could be pushing the boundaries somewhat, will try to do a good job.  Wish me luck.

We lay it in the back of the Falcon and took it home.  Dave, who actually found it for me, was a legend!  We unloaded and quick as a flash he was there, hosing the bike down, then trying to get the seat and tank back on.  He was as excited as I was to see what it would look like.  Even Gaby said she liked it but I'm not sure I believe her as yet.

This is Queensland, Australia and the wildlife wasn't too impressed with the move! Huge spiders living aboard suddenly decided to hop off and make tracks but the ants nest in the front drum still seems to be going strong!

All in all a great weekend and I got what I wanted.  Hopefully Angus is as pleased with the Scotch as I am with the bike.

The clean-up operation will commence soon!  (I promise.)

Tools of our Trade - Hammers.

My favourite part of restoration - filling the shed with tools! 

What are you going to require?  Does it need to be expensive?  Is there a limit to how many toold you need?

To start with - yes you'll certainly need to be armed with more than a wooden spoon and a Swiss army knife.  The better equipped your toolbox - the easier life is going to be.

Let's start with the basics.

That's the hammer.  
The toolbox favourite!  Used correctly - one of the most useful tools in the inventory.  However, when used by an idiot - and you will see evidence of this during a restoration - the resulting carnage can end up haunting you forever more.  

Pick a 2lb ball pein hammer to start with.  Ideal for most jobs and, as a back-up if the work gets heavier, a small lump or club hammer should get you through most situations.


Sometimes, a steel hammer can be too harsh.  For instance, you don't want to mushroom-over a shaft or spindle.  In these cases, the copper mallet is ideal.  The copper bears the brunt of the force, leaving the harder steel part in perfect shape.  The weight of it still enables you to shift seized components but without the damage a steel hammer can do.


Then comes the rubber mallet.  Laugh you may, but if you want the cooling fins on a stubborn cylinder head or barrel to stay intact, you'll need a rubber mallet to avoid any damage (although a good block of wood will sometimes suffice).  Although difficult to break things with a rubber hammer, it isn't impossible, so be careful with those fins!


Don't forget that we no longer have the common sense we were born with so make sure you wear eye protection when using any of the above. 

WD 40 - as important as the brew!

What do I reach for when I need to clean the bike?  

WD-40 


A friend of mine used to refer to it as "magic spray". It seems to be good at everything. From resurrecting remote key fobs on cars to stopping squeaking hinges in the house.
Yes, I use it for all sorts of things.


Back wheel covered in chain grease, brake dust and general dirt?  
A spray with the old WD and a wipe with a rag leaves it shiny and clean (just keep it off the brake discs).


Chain covered in road filth?  
I use WD 40 and a toothbrush (no not the one I use in my mouth - I use the wife's instead) and give it a good scrub, wipe dry with a rag before spraying with chain lube.  This keeps the chain looking shiny and new.  I've heard claims that it can ruin the O-rings on chains but I've never had a  problem. When I sold my Hayabusa, it was seven years old, had twenty-odd thousand miles on it and still with original chain and sprockets (which never seemed to need adjusting)  - so I must have been doing something right.


Plastics faded?
Yes, WD 40 breathes new life into old, grey, lustreless plastic panels, mirrors, mudguards (fenders), switchgear etc. A spray and wipe down with a rag soon has them shining in their original black gloss.


Tar spots on bodywork?
It'll dissolve those too.




And not only that, it lubricates cables, pivot points 
(footpegs, kickstarts), locks - the list goes on.


Make sure your garage has a can at the ready!

Cup of Tea?

Before you start your restoration, service or just a few hours cleaning your motorcycle - you need to get one thing sorted.


The Brew.


The only real help you'll get when performing maintenance, fitting new pistons, or measuring the air gap in upside-down forks is from the good, old cup of char.


Its soothing ability has calmed many a restorer as he quietly contemplates the dent in his freshly-painted petrol tank. Wondering how the spanner, thrown in anger, was able to ricochet off the wall and back towards the bike in the first place.


Its energy giving potential is well-known for inducing super human strength - the sort required when swinging on the kickstart for the 87th time, after a complete rebuild, while still holding a conversation. 

"Did you hear it fire?  I think it fired... it'll go in a minute."

Its warming powers on a freezing, winters night have to be experienced to be believed. Until you forgot you sat the mug on a cold, steel bench and the very life feels like it's been sucked out of it. Yuck!


Its mesmerizing magic that enables the restorer to stand and stare in awe at the bike without a need, or desire, to work on it.  This magic only usually lasts around half an hour - when it is time to refill the cup and start the process again.  However, the amount of times you can use this power is limitless and countless restorers have spent entire evenings doing so.

Yes my friends, it is the most important tool in the restorer's inventory.  The humble cup of tea has been responsible for thousands of motorcycles getting a long and in-depth restoration, and long may it continue!

Which Bits of the Bike do I Take Photos of?

Everything!
Don't worry if you think you'll never use the photo again.  Just keep snapping away.
Here's a short list describing the photos I like to take when restoring a motorcycle.


1)  The complete bike (as you bought it).  Get as many as possible from all angles.  Useful when you need to know where that obscure bracket used to live.
2)  Remove the tank and any bodywork/fairings and take loads more.  We are looking for cable runs, wiring looms, hoses, small brackets and guides etc.  It might not seem important now, but when you've just fitted the entire wiring loom and you find its sat the wrong side of a frame tube, you'll be surprised at the expletives that can fly from the most pleasant-natured restorer.
3)  As you remove something, take a pic.  It might be that various brackets, engine plates etc. need to be removed and refitted in a particular order.  I've been caught out several times myself and, when you hate wasting time, it's very annoying!
4)  When you disassemble a part, take pics along the way, down to the last nut and bolt.  Sometimes workshop manuals aren't available and, even when they are, mistakes happen.  Having your own guide to how it came apart is a godsend.
It might seem tedious but it's worth every second spent and, what's more, you'll have a journal of the entire restoration process to bore all your friends with!

Just in case!

Bought the Bike to Restore? Don't do anything yet!

Grab your camera now!
So you think you can remember how it looked when you bought it, and where everything went?
Trust me when I say you won't remember everything once it's all stripped. This is the best advice I wish I was given when starting out. Take photos, and take lots of them!

Digital cameras are cheap as chips nowadays!  

When I began restoring bikes I used to use my trusty, old Kodak Advantix.  I'd take as many photos as a film would allow (35 if I remember correctly) as I stripped various parts of the bike. I'd then get it developed only to find that half of them were too dark to be of any use anyway! That was hard.

But then we entered the world of affordable, digital cameras. As many pics as you want with the ability to look at them straightaway. Delete the rubbish and take some more. Love it!

1. Will you remember which side of the frame a wiring loom or cable was routed?
2. Where did that breather hose go?
3. Which bolts held which brackets, and where?

So start with the complete bike, from all angles, close-ups of calipers, wiring, hoses, carbs, everything you can. Take off the seat and take some more, then the tank etc.

It's time consuming reaching for the camera when all you want to do is rip it apart, but you won't regret it! Even now, while putting a bike together, I'll struggle with some of the brackets, bolts, clamps etc. A quick look at the pc and it all becomes clear.

Get close-ups of bearings and seals (use the macro setting). It makes the part numbers/sizes easy to read when ordering more.

Again, with parts you need a better view of, place the camera on the bench next to the part and take a really clear picture. On macro, you can see every last detail of the part on the big screen for better analysis. Take a look at this Can-Am piston to see what I mean.

I'm still using my trusty Casio QV-R51 and I can't fault it.

Update!

I'm now the proud owner of a Panasonic DMC-ZS3 Lumix. Great bit of kit for the price and size, and it takes bloody good pics and video. 

  

Fancy a Bargain?

Cheap runabouts.
None of us like to pay over the odds. We see a bike and immediately think it should be 25 - 50% cheaper. Am I right?

For those afraid of asking the question, Ebay has made it easier than ever to get a bargain. No face-to-face negotiating, just type a quick note and press send. If they decline, too bad and onto the next one. If they accept we start wondering "hmm, what's wrong with it?"

Don't be afraid to get the price down. If the vendor is having none of it, don't worry, another will be along soon.

If you know it's rare, maybe the price reflects that - so don't let pride get in the way if you really want it.

This is the last project I bought. A 1974 CZ 175 for 33 quid. Maybe I was robbed. I never got the chance to make a start on the old Eastern European special because I had to sell it when I moved abroad. Still, one day I'll get another.