It's been a long time... Five years in fact since I last swung a leg over this fifties 650 twin. Dad had kept it up together in fairness, with a few little adjustments here and there (which I put back the way I like), but the one thing that wouldn't come good was the charging system.
Well, new to me. Thanks to my website wilcomoto.com I still receive emails regarding the rare-as-hen's-teeth motocrossers built near Hereford. Recently I got one from a chap called David Pickard who was good enough to send me scanned copies of a brochure I don't have. Thanks mate, much obliged, now take a look at this...
To people who can bash metal. While I'm trying to make a new seat base (lost interest in the first one) to match up with the tank and tail unit, I decided to try and get the side panels in place so I knew what I was working with. Over-thinking one aspect while knocking out another is slowing me down, but it's a learning curve I have to travel. Hey, Rome wasn't built in a day. So, I'd already cut out panels from 3mm aluminium to fit in the side of the bike. They were a good fit and stayed in place with masking tape, but that's no good for the finished bike. I needed a method of holding them in place, and also to blend them into the top of the frame. I cut out some more pieces to hang over the frame, on rubber mounts, and set about attaching them to the side panels. Here's a pic of the basic righthand panel. Both sides started like this, being bent to suit the angles of the frame and fitting flush.
They don't make it easy... Whenever a vehicle is designed, it's very important for the manufacturer to use odd sized O-rings. Forget rounded-up to the next millimetre sizes, you are guaranteed that the vital one needed will be 3.67mm in diameter and 0.89mm thick. Should you, by good luck, find an identical size, it'll probably be of the wrong material. And don't even get me started on the old "universal" box of O-rings you can buy! These were a great money spinner for someone, but they won't actually fit anything, and you'll be left with a full box thirty years later. So when it's time to rebuild the carbs on your GS/GSX, it's nice to know that someone has already done the hard work, and research, for you and can supply the complete set for a great price. Without the right ones, your bike will never run properly. Robert Barr's website http://www.cycleorings.comnot only has the right parts, but also comes with tips to help you do the job. I'd already bought some of the O-rings for the GSX carbs, but the ones niggling me were the tiny ones for the mixture screws. I struggled to find the right size, so decided to buy the complete kit for US$16 delivered. Awesome service!
So there's been some whinging... Not sure if it's different for the female fraternity, but when a geezer says there's a problem with his bike, it's immediately classed as an excuse. Always has, always will be... and hell, I'll admit it, I've used it a fair bit too. And so it was with Dave's Superduke. Ages ago he said it didn't feel right, "It's like the front tyre is sticking to the road at really slow speeds." I thought no more of it, after all, it only ever goes at really slow speeds. Boom boom! I had a ride on it back then, but hey it's a Harley, sorry V-twin, and didn't really feel out of the way. But a few months later, yes just last weekend, we went out for a blast and he pulled over and asked me to ride it again... I got thirty yards and thought 'What the f*#k!' This thing has become very dangerous. Slow speeds, or under engine braking, and the steering went horribly tight. With throttle whacked open it was good, but as soon as you caught up with a car and slowed down, it felt like the steering was about to lock up. Kudos to Davy for riding it like he was. Symptoms? When steering bearings wear, they become loose and pitted/notchy. Because of the weight of you and the bike on the lower steering bearing, once facing straight ahead, the steering effectively locks into that position. Think of it like the spring-loaded ball in a ratchet and how it pops out when you fit a socket on to the drive. That's what happens to the bearing rollers, or balls, as they drop into little dents in the outer race. From the rider's perspective, he/she now needs more leverage to move the handlebars from the straight ahead position. That's easy enough, but you find yourself having to put more input into the bars initially; then, as the bearings move out of the recess they were stuck in, the steering suddenly goes light and you're pushing the bars far further than you wanted. We're very adept at adapting (ooh, hark at him!) to these situations, but having to constantly counteract for these situations is a pain, and also dangerous. If in doubt, get someone to pull the bike over onto its back wheel and side stand, and go from lock-to-lock using the fork legs. You should feel the tight spots as you go back and fore. Still not convinced? Or inexperienced? Then get help from some who knows. Steering is pretty important on our two-wheeled bundles of joy, so make sure it's right. And back to it. So, a complete bearing/seal kit was purchased from Action KTM, in Nerang, for the very low price (I thought) of $89. That's pretty good considering they're SKF bearings, and today we set into it.
Doing It The Old Fashioned Way. Because my brand new, fitted two years ago, gasket broke when removing the clutch cover, I needed a new one. No longer available from Suzuki, you can find quite a few New-Old-Stock ones for sale on eBay - for the price of an aftermarket gasket set! Seriously, are they gold impregnated? Being careful with my funds, I shot down to Repco for a sheet of the old oil resistant stuff. Just under twenty bucks, plus a further 30% discount that weekend for being an RACQ member, and I was the proud owner of a roll of Flexoid gasket paper. Made in England! That's refreshing, should be good then.
Copying the original gasket, and with a little help from Stanley's knife, and Snap-On's hole punch set, I soon had something that resembled the first one. Even the bloody holes lined up!
With all that done, I had to hear it running again. It's been a while, and I want to be able to run a flush through the engine. So loom was laid on the bike and bits connected where they should be. This loom is a mess! I need to have a big clean up and remove the rubbish repairs from previous bodges. With battery connected, I checked for spark - all good. I filled the syringe with fuel until the float bowls were all full and gave it a whirl on the starter. The odd firing occurred and then she was away!
An O-ring makes. I should be writing lyrics, not playing with bikes. Oh well. The various seals I ordered all turned up quick smart from Blue City Motorcycles, in South Australia, with free postage too! Cheers guys. I also found their prices to be cheaper than most so happy with that. I'd left the oil pump in a container of oil all week, pumping it every now and again to make sure there were no nasties inside. It looks perfect. With new O-ring held in place with some grease, it was ready to be refitted.
Three M6 bolts hold it in place, then a thrust washer is fitted before the drive pin is inserted and then the gear can be pushed onto the shaft. Finally, a circlip holds it in place.
