Screened on BBC 4 last night Tristram Hunt shows how motoring has gone from allowing us to explore the beautiful English countryside to the present day of speed cameras, congestion charges and environmental issues. Along the way, he looks at different cars through the ages that define a decade and a generation.
Those outside of the UK might not be able to get this sorry.
After finally getting the carbs off i attempted to clean them. Now i didn't really know what i was looking for in terms of them being gunked up but externally, they were pretty much fucked. The picture doesn't really do it justice but i definitely got through a few toothbrushes on this piece. I didn't get many pictures for some reason but with the aid of YouTube tutorials, the Clymer manual and a can of carb cleaner i go the jets, float bowl, needles etc scrubba dubbed.
They were pretty clean inside with only a bit of fouling on the two carbs to the left in the picture below which i learned, after taking them to a few local garages, was due to the choke butterfly valves seizing up. I reckon this could be why it wouldn't start when i brought it out of retirement after the winter. The mechanics offered predictably cryptic advice and committed to nothing, so i got them home and after scratching my head for a while, pushed them in really hard and they cracked open. I took them back to garage that was most helpful for a check over and they said they looked sound mechanically but i wont know until i put them back on the bike and fire it up for sure and that won't be for some time i can tell you now for nothing Barry.
Pre-Clean - i blasted them with push bike muc off cleaner, the pink stuff and some toothbrush elbow grease.
Top of one of the carbs with the cover off. The gasket, i learned is made from cork, though i thought it was just cardboard originally. That was one dirty arse spring and was responsible for the mechanism requiring Stallone's right arm to make it work previously.
I also had a go at removing and then bleeding the front brake along with the handlebars the next day. It was a messy do. Brake fluid is nasty. I'm learning.
No amount of Stallone arm could crack this bolt. I really need an impact driver immediately.
I hate machined wheels. It's also worth mentioning that the brakes on this bike are pretty turd at the best of times.
End of the day shot...
...and rehlaxxx (good on yer' Dad, you mucky 80's porno hoarding bugger)
Had a good do with the sound fellas from Warrington's Breakneck Riders to sunny Llandudno. It was a good turn out made even more impressive considering they've only been going just over three months. Good laughs, loads of different bikes and a down to earth bunch, boss!
Lads
Freaking out the squares in Chestah'
Slow and steady wins the race
La Ponderosa
Nice
Nicer
Nicest
Rayte old Honda 125 with a moles arse seat
Its 250cc bigger brother
The Rocket
BLOODY GREAT!!!! This gave me the inspiration and motivation to get back on with my bobber project. This used to be a Honda 360 Rebel.
Big shout out to The Sunn Inn in Llangollen for the free bacon sarnies and frothy milk coffee with not one, not two BUT THREE double chocolate cookies on the saucer!
Back to the garage for more grief, this time to drain the oil.
It took me ages to wrench off the oil pan drain plug. I didn't get a picture but the washer was mangled beyond recognition.
As with everything on this project, i'd never previously done this before so although seemingly boring i quite enjoyed it. The manual says the pan can hold 4 litres if oil, so i thought two ice cream tubs would be enough.
Wrong. It went all over the shop and when i dropped the oil filter housing in one of the tubs the whole place got covered in oil.
So, armed with the manual and some inappropriate B&Q 'mechanics' tools i set to it in my Dad's garage. This is a tiny red vice next to a soiled copy of Michael Palin's 'Around the World in 80 days' he has on the kitchen style workbench at the back. I need to take another pic with something next to it as reference because the pic doesn't do it justice.
I'll let you know if i ever use it.
It begins...
This one gives you a good idea of the condition that the bike is in. Brown has given way to black and the rust is that bad in places it comes away in your hand. I'm not too bothered as the majority of the mounts are to be done away with. I want the bike to look ratty, mainly to cover up how shoddy i anticipate my workmanship to be.
Here's the view of the garage and the bike after i did the easy stuff like remove the tank and seat. My main goal for the day was the get the carbs off as the RAC bloke had said they needed to be cleaned because the choke was sticking.
People who know whats up will know immediately how much of a pain in the arse this is but i jumped in with wild abandon leaving the manual where it belonged, unopened on the black and decker work bench. This picture shows a big mess (yes, i know the pipes are off at this point but i'll get to them) but reflects how annoying it was that no matter how much i ragged on the air box housing it would not budge.
After much effing and jeffing i sat down and opened it and read that you pretty much have to remove the arse end because the air box housing is moulded plastic forming part of the rear fender. First i had to remove the back wheel which involved the loosening this shithouse of a rusty bolt:
Now remember, i bought the all-in-one B&Q 'mechanics' tool set (with box) for about fifty quid which did not include the tool needed to get it off. I tried a few times with the adjustable spanner which did a good job of almost making it round instead of hexagonal which was handy. So i stopped that quite quickly. Then after about an hour of wondering what to do i remember the bike came with a tool bag so i opened it up and what was in there? This little ripper!
It came off with ease so managed to not fuck the bolt up and make some progress. It was one of those situations where someone can give you advice till their blue in the face but you'll go ahead and make the mistake they warned you about because you have to figure it out for yourself.
A quick consultation of the manual again and i removed the rear shocks. Connoisseurs will notice the can of WD-40 of which i got through about 3 cans up this point because pretty much every bolt on the bike had been welded on by rust.
This is me taking a picture of myself with the air box that took almost an entire day to remove.
And the guts.
Here are the carbs completely removed. They are completely filthy so not only will i have to clean the insides but i'll have to break them down and clean the outsides too. The choke sides butterfly valves(?) on the right were stuck solid so that explains why it wouldn't run. I think this is a bit out of my skill level so i'll take them to a few motorcycle mechanics for a second opinion before starting the clean.
This ends the first stage, next time: oil chicken shashlik.
My first bike was a 1995 Suzuki Volty TU250X, which although small it was a hell of a lot of fun to ride through the traffic in Manchester where i lived at the time.
Predictably, after a few months and due in no small part to my befriending of a German who'd just bought a 1987 Kawasaki GT550, i needed more power as going full throttle on the motorway with him to keep up wasn't doing anyone any favours. The pic below gives you an idea of my feelings of inadequacy:
So, after doing some snooping around i found this heap on eBay.
It took some strategic bidding on my Dutch friend's iPhone in the middle of Amsterdam as i was on holiday working at an Ultimate Frisbee tournament at the time. I knew and still know nothing about Ultimate Frisbee other than mainland Euros love it like a cult.
Now then, this is not a pretty bike and i HATE machined wheels but it went forwards faster than the Volty and had 100cc's more than mein Deutsch freunde. It was cheap and the next best thing to what i really wanted, a 70's era CB350/500/550 etc, so the point is, i never really felt any affection towards it like i did the Volty. This was in the summer of 2011, so as the winter approached and the riding season ended i though i'd take it to bits and put it back together in order to try and figure out how bikes worked and learn how to maintain a classic bike in the future.
To cut a long story short, in January of this year i bought this 1977 CB550F in pretty bloody good condition off a top bloke in London who was selling it to buy a Bonnie:
I had every intention of selling the 650 to pay for it but when i went to start it, after being sat for a few months, it wasn't playing the game. I got the RAC out and after talking to the bloke about wanting to get a wreck with a smaller engine as a fixer upper he convinced me that i might as well do it to the 650. So it did.
I'm using this blog as a way of reaching out into the North West England bike scene to help establish contacts with vintage and classic motorcycle enthusiasts. I read tonnes of blogs from the states and get frustrated because i can't go on the ride outs and camping trips with a gang of likeminded people, sharing in all the shit that comes along with owning an old motorcycle. I'm moving to the Lark Lane area of Liverpool in August 2012 to start a new job and intend on getting a garage/lock up to continue my 1980 Honda CB650Z bobber build so once i'm set up there will be a place for people to come and hang out.
Let's get one thing straight, i knew next to nothing about the mechanics of bikes before starting the build in January this year but i learn best by getting stuck in, so i make no professions that i know what i'm doing, but that's the point right?
If you're in a similar situation to me where you find yourself riding alone like i do or if you just want to come and help me with the build then get in touch.
