Getting closer to looking complete! Since last post, only 2 things out of the ordinary for me as I continued to rebuild:
- even with new bronze bushes, the swingarm had some play i.e. the tube was also worn. I experimented on some scrap tube to see if I could add a layer of weld then turn down to size on my old lathe but my skills are not up to it. As a temp solution, I wrapped some 0.05mm shim stock around the tube ends. This cured the play nicely but obviously this is not a long term solution so I'll search for a new tube.
- the front forks felt very stiff/sticky. I checked for straightness and alignment but it ended up being extremely tight fork boots and a light smear of lubricant helped enormously.
Rattle can paint job came out ok (Rustoleum sunrise red with Spraymax 2k clear - and yes I was careful with correct PPE), although my filler skills are as bad as ever. No matter how careful I am with my sanding blocks, I always seem to end up with the filler level a fraction low such that you see the outline of the filled area through the paint. Anyway, it stands the 3 metre appearance test ok. I did end up shortening the rear mudguard a bit to get the aesthetics to my liking.
Everything else was more or less standard re-furb/re-fit. I pulled the valve cover and thoroughly checked the cams, journals and also the rubber faces of the cam chain tensioner blade and guide. All seems good so as mentioned before, I'll run the engine as is for a bit then see if anything warrants a re-build. It starts and runs and I've been riding it around my neighbourhood. If you recall how bad the front brake cylinder and caliper were, miraculously it works great!
Immediate to-do list is:
- throttle response is a bit fluffy just off idle. Also, the float valves occasionally stick. So, it's off with the carbs for another go through...
- the chain is occasionally flapping against the chain guard so that needs a tweak (the guard is not actually a 400-4 item so it's already a bit of a kluge).
- find some correct mirrors.
- front brake works great once the lever contacts the MC piston but there's quite a bit of wasted lever motion before that happens. I seem to recall using a 1p coin as a shim in my original bike!
- indicator flash rate is far too fast (it's got some generic car item in it) so need to find a proper flasher.
- after a few miles I'll go over the valve clearance, timing, carb balance etc. again.
