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Messages - Clem2112
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31
« on: May 31, 2018, 07:36:55 PM »
Not like these heavyweights then....
ignore the young bikers !
32
« on: May 14, 2018, 08:09:14 PM »
Quality is a widely misunderstood and banded about word.
If Hondas were built to last 5 years, say? , at low cost and selling at an affordable price, but deliver reliable service to the customer then the makers would consider the bike was of high quaility.
If they had anticipated that some of their bikes would last even longer then perhaps their products were too good. Over engineering in design and manufacture would be seen as waste in their eyes.
33
« on: May 14, 2018, 07:54:06 PM »
My 63 year old Matchless appears to have either Oil-lite or ph-bronze bushes for the swing arm which show little wear despite the half baked way the assembly is sealed on these old bikes.
Even the engine uses a similar material for the main crankshaft bearing on the timing side and for the camshafts. Only the big end has a roller bearing setup.
Footnote....
After getting the powder coating done the frame parts for this oldie the finish looks even better than my much younger 400/4 did. I suspect the Plumstead paint was applied without the influence of the accountants.
34
« on: March 05, 2018, 07:45:55 AM »
Bought a cheapo one which was far too quiet.
Knocked up a new bracket in the same shape but in stainless, looks nicer.
That horn looked cheap and wrong so I sourced a plastic cover on ebay and boiled the horn in washing powder (someone else discovered this not me) to clean and encourage it to work.
After a bit of adjustment it worked !!
Eventually it got painted too.
35
« on: March 04, 2018, 04:32:52 PM »
The real cost and effort comes in the prep, surely.
Blasting is quick and will reveal corrosion damage, pitting, previous repairs etc .
Neither wet painting/stoving nor powder will disguise any underlying issues the framework has.
Some people may want to grind out the pigeon poo welds too, others like it as it left the factory.
When I had my frame powder coated I was offered a tough paint finish for not much more money.
I think that was air-curing polyurethane? , that went hard after a week or two.
If I had spent some hours with emery cloth, wet/dry etc I would have achieved a better result in a few places where the aged metal shows.
I am told there is a metal filler that will work with powder and the oven temperature used.
36
« on: February 26, 2018, 05:22:53 PM »
I had the generator and sprocket covers powder coated and the finish is fine.
Some minor blemish showed on one where the alloy had minute pinhole corrosion? but other than that they look good and shiny.
Plenty of choice in silver to choose these days too.
Not fully petrol resistant but better than the spray stuff which I used for the rest !
Others also have the crankcase and rocker covers done with no issues in service.
Honda didn't paint the lower crankcase, due to cost or heat dispersion?
37
« on: February 09, 2018, 10:11:24 PM »
As I said, had them on my 1978 400-4.
Maybe Mr Honda deleted them later on, if it saved money?
In my case, I suspect they got binned when the first new chain and sprocket kit was fitted !
I used stainless nyloc nuts on my restored bike plus that sprocket guard/shield secured with screws and domed nuts for the full effect.
38
« on: February 09, 2018, 07:57:28 PM »
I think they all had a pair of tab washers from new, plus a dab of yellow paint on each nut.
My F2 did originally but would they have lasted - after many years and multiple sprocket changes?
Maybe Silver Spares can get them.
39
« on: January 22, 2018, 12:58:13 PM »
Looking good... and unique.
The exhaust headers and collector look to be modelled on the Yoshi one I got in the late 70's... that was very loud and wouldn't be legal now 'm sure... sure yours will be though.
I like that improvised reg.rec mounting with the eye bolts... keeps it all tucked in. Did you have to cut some cooling fins from the unit?
I thought that my new reg/rec wasn't right at first when I flattened the battery... turned out to be a failing stator coil which was replaced with a used one....also very old, so I may yet save up for the DSS supplied pattern one as a replacement one day.
Want to hear it running.
40
« on: January 22, 2018, 12:19:41 AM »
Probably on of the fiddliest jobs on the whole bike .... apart from the brake master cylinder rebuild?
It does look like it was designed to stay put for life....so I considered leaving it alone ..... but then I found I could get a new seal from DSS and thought "that £££ing seal will only start dribbling oil at some future date so out out it must come !
My thinking was that the shaft, bush and seal were pressed in so should come out by some means.
Rather than risking damage to the casting I gambled that the shaft should be strong enough along its axis at least to push the bush and seal out.
After a bit fiddling I got the circlip off - using two small screwdrivers I think?
I can remember having stop it trying to turn in the groove as I did this.... took a few attempts too.
Once the circlip ws off there's nothing to keep the shaft and bush in place but the seal I assumed , although that will have been sitting in the cover for years..overnight soak with plus-gas helped.
Used a bigger screwdriver blade wrapped in some tape and wedged it between the end face of the gear and the recess in the cover and "eased" the shaft and bush out complete with the seal. Maybe I got lucky?!
41
« on: January 17, 2018, 07:27:43 PM »
I must be noticing more detail in things at the moment.....
been tiling some walls and wishing I was better at it !
Suitably inspired so my Honda will be next .... to get those valves looked at , once have I cleansed the garage bench of all the Matchless bits and boxed them up for a while.
42
« on: January 17, 2018, 07:05:33 PM »
Looks very tidy indeed.
Hope it fires up on all four at the first button press and sounds super quiet !.... should do after all that work and sweat.
Seeing the pics, I remembered that I also polished the outer cases on my original bike once the lacquer had gone west. Well, some old hand bench polisher at RR did it for me anyway.
Forgive me (Aero engine background so a proper fussy git) but I couldn't help but notice the clutch cable routing with that round guide clip fixed high up on the coil mounting...Could be a good idea but it may put the cable in a sharper bend and make the clutch action harder? I think Honda clipped it under one of the cam cover bolts to give a bigger arc as it were. You could always experiment to see if it makes much difference at the lever?
Well done !
43
« on: January 08, 2018, 08:16:52 PM »
I was paranoid about all the seals being renewed when I rebuilt mine....no leaks to date.
Now I just want it running right.... I suspect the cylinder head work that I offloaded, through lack of confidence in my skills, might not have been done quite thoroughly enough. This year's challenge.
44
« on: January 08, 2018, 07:14:25 PM »
Julie
Is that a new O ring on the starter motor spigot?
I doubt they ever leak ? .... just looks a bit flat in its groove.
45
« on: January 05, 2018, 11:01:13 PM »
Flying together now then....
I have the same bike ramp nowadays.... a bargain when MachineMart have their VAT free offer.
Wish I had got it a few years ago when I was rebuilding the 400/4.
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