Bike Workshop Start to Finish

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Cycle Asylum > Bike Workshop Start to Finish

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

Phy posted:

If you hire an Iranian guy to build your plinth, and it ends up being 30m tall with all sorts of handholds and footholds, is that a Plinth of Persia?

Ok this got a chuckle.

# ¿ Mar 23, 2021 01:03

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 01:49

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

What stops the lintel from bursting into flame? Iirc wood is soft and burny so they don't make bikes from it anymore.

# ¿ Mar 24, 2021 20:03

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

Ooooh right I see.

# ¿ Mar 24, 2021 21:04

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

Why would you want a pizza covered in 20w50 drippings?

# ¿ Apr 1, 2021 19:35

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

I have finally understood wtf you are building. It is effectively a pizza barbecue. I was picturing the type where the coals go in the same hole as the pizza and getting VERY confused!

# ¿ Apr 12, 2021 20:11

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

right arm posted:

can I get a banana for scale

Is this one of those imperial/metric things cause afaik the appropriate object is a beer bottle.

# ¿ May 28, 2021 01:59

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

Shelvocke posted:

Started moving in today. I think I need more shelves but overall pretty happy. There's enough room with the XR on the lift to walk all the way around and work at the desk without banging into things.

Still needs tiles on the roof and electricity, but just getting the tools out of the house and garden shed is a great step.

Horse Clocks posted:

Got some warm rural England vibes with that floor and wallpaper.

You just need to ditch the XR and get a BSA in there up on a ramp made of wooden milk crates and fencing.

I've realized that this thread is basically documenting how a traditional British man-in-a-shed is created. It's very illuminating to realize that the shed, not the man, is the fundamental building block that makes it all possible - the blue overalls, the maddeningly hyper specific knowledge, the ability to bodge unrelated machines together like some kind of techno alchemy, it all starts with a brown shed with maps on the walls.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2021 22:21

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

1. I am now burning with furious jealousy

2. Taking apart an old Honda engine for no reason is how you end up selling a box of Honda parts on ebay a year later, if it runs just leave it, there are easier things to learn that stuff on

# ¿ Aug 20, 2021 19:47

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

Can you get a 12v stator and cdi/point system or do you mean just run a total loss system? Totally viable with LED's and easy to do.

My main concern pulling something like that apart is parts availability. Not just because of the age, but because Honda looove to make random intra-year, intra-model changes, as well as using weird nonstandard seals and stuff.

From here in the southern hemisphere the frame looks immaculate, the tank would be good with a cut and polish. The engine looks a bit mangy but a good scrub and maybe repainting or polishing the side covers would do it.

The main thing is people (me included) tend to take the whole bike apart in a flurry because it's simple and small, and then get buried under the weight of minutea and it never goes back together. I've got an mb100 in boxes to prove it. Much better to do things one at a time and keep it as a mostly intact rideable bike.

# ¿ Aug 20, 2021 21:29

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

Shelvocke posted:

The bike arrived. There was issues getting it here. The whole story is dull but the short of it is :

- The old guy selling it is probably senile. He gave the wrong address twice, which incurred a charge from the courier company.
- Managed to get the charge waived after complaining. The driver was thoroughly decent and told the company it wasn't my fault. Old guy tries to change the date.
- Old guy forgets to turn up for the pickup point and the driver calls me to say he has to go. I call old dude and remind him to go. He was on the sofa.
- He forgets to include the documents.

Anyway the bike is here. It is not in good condition. (This is actually fine, I wanted a challenge.) The DVLA website says this bike was last ridden in 1990. This is completely plausible.

In no particular order:

- The engine does not turn over. This may or may not be related to DIY gasket material leaking around the top of the valve cover, or the mangled inspection screws
- The wiring is a dangerous mess. Even if it turned over I'd be reluctant to kick it not wearing protection
- No part of the bike is properly fixed to any other part. The seat was loose, ditto the tank, and everything generally rattles around freely.
- The back brake is connected only to the air
- The inside of the tank is thick with rust, and the seat pan is crumbling completely. Probably not recoverable
- The muffler is toast (but ugly so fine)
- Choke is stuck, throttle is entirely missing
- Front mudguard and rear light are long dead

You get the idea.

Now for the good parts:

- The frame is almost immaculate
- Despite the paintwork, the engine covers are in great condition, and so to is the carburettor
- The gears select easily
- There was oil in it, so hopefully it's not rusted dead inside
- The hubs and rims are good and the front brake works
- The rear shocks look more recent (ie <41 years old) and generally tidy

Altogether worse than advertised, but very salvageable. Also good news is that parts are very widely available, including a 150cc head kit.

More to follow when I have time to get into it.

Sweet! Looks like you're doing that rebuild anyway. I've dealt with this situation several times, where a senile old man just decides to take things apart for no reason and you have to go over literally everything because there's no rhyme or reason to anything he's done. It's very similar, but different to, dealing with a meth bike.

# ¿ Aug 25, 2021 19:14

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

Shelvocke posted:

The castellated nut remover arrived today so I could get the oil spinner and clutch off. Somebody has been in this engine before; I've extracted 6 or so mangled JIS screws and a couple of things that weren't put back on right, including the shifter mechanism. The castellated nuts also look as though they were taken off with a punch.

The clutch was a hard to get off, and looks pretty grim. I'll see if the ultrasonic cleaner will help but I'll probably order a new pack.

When I put the shifter back on right the gears all select and turn beautifully. The flywheel puller should arrive tomorrow.

Taking the engine apart methodically is a lot of fun. I spent a couple of days staring at the Haynes manual trying to work out how it worked and it clicked today.

Haha literally every old Honda built to that pattern I've taken apart has had a sludgefest in the clutch. Rest of it looks super clean though.

# ¿ Sep 1, 2021 20:04

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

Until the last paragraph I honestly thought that was your valve train organizer.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2022 18:58

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

Red sealer goo :catstare:

# ¿ Feb 10, 2022 19:09

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

I know there's no gasket, it's the red goo specifically giving me ptsd.

Allow me to explain: every time I see red sealer, without exception, it means that there is sealer loving everywhere, even and especially places it's not meant to be, and the person had no idea what they're doing. Never seen what I'd call a competent mechanic use it, the only place I've seen it used from the factory is on automotive transmissions, afaik it has different setting properties to the correct stuff, which is grey.

You are probably fine because you probably didn't slather it everywhere and use it on gaskets to guarantee they'll leak.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2022 21:03

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# ¿ May 15, 2024 01:49

Slavvy: Dec 11, 2012

Shelvocke posted:

Finished the hitch rack a little while ago, it works and didn't shake free on the way to the trails. (I have a mostly unfounded fear that everything I construct will fall apart at the most inconvenient/dangerous time).

I was thinking about doing some trial anyway because the Talaria seems perfect for it, and then the FortNine video coincided with the first sunny day in an eternity so I took it out.

Found some new places to ride near home that opened up with a silent bike and easy transportation. Lucky to live where I do.

This is a very good fear to have, not having it leads to disaster

# ¿ Mar 25, 2023 19:56

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