what did you wrench on today??

[storm 64]

Dang Jedzster, that looks pretty spiffy! It looks like you're ready to rock&roll this summer.

 

[alke46]

Heck yeah, nice transformation. Happy trails to you.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Nice. Look forward to seeing it close up.

 

[1978GS750E]

That looks great Jedz! Nice combination with the gold wheels. Now what color are you going to paint the Sportster?

 

[Jedz123]

Thanks dudes! I'm pretty taken with the paint job. I have shown it a few folks and it's stunner. I did my best to correct the orange peel, I have to get some paint touchup for it but all in all looks great and I love riding it.

AS for the Sproty... You don't like the ratty black rattle can job?

Cheers.

 

[dorkburger]

Wow. Jedz, that's quite the transformation. Your logo on the wheels is a cool touch. Looks great overall, and I'm interested / impressed at how good the candy color turned out. My 1150 is a candy color as well and I've often thought about attempting to do a panel or two as a test.

 

[Wingsconsin]

I decided to put on some new rubber this weekend -
Last year when I was riding in the rain the rear slipped out on me - I did a power slide at 65 mph -
Thankfully it only went half way sideways and I got it going straight again -- but thought -- NEW TIRES !
A Sale on Dunlop E4's came up adn I purchased set for the 850 - I wanted to try them out as they are a popular choice for the Wing as well
Then as the season winded down last Fall I got a LOT of terrible cable whine in the speedo cable -
So I ordered new cables as well --

here they are - New cables and tires

 

[cowboyup3371]

Finished buttoning the top end of the Bandit back together tonight after my first foray into its regular maintenance and just need to reinstall the lower fairing on Wednesday. I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoy doing a complete valve adjustment on my 550 as doing just the clearance check on the Bandit was painful. Especially since I could have completed the check and been out for a ride on the 550 in the same time it took just to get to the valve cover on the Bandit. Fortunately everything on the Bandit is still well at the top end of the clearance specifications even with 93,407 miles on the clocks so I didn't have to remove the cams.

Now to get the 550 back in the shop for an oil change and carb sync so I can ride it to BC next month

 

[Wingsconsin]

Take a look at this picture and you MAY guess what I am doing ---

However what I am really doing is fixing an oil leak -
The lower most bolt was not able to pull the cover tight
Some previous owner decided that more torque would easily stop the leak -
I have been chasing it for years and finally figured out the hole was slightly stripped -
So I did a TimeSert in the hole and now it tightens up really well

 

[Grimly]

Sheesh, isn't there an Imperial coarse thread the PO could have forced in there instead?
Like, often done with 1/4 UNC instead of 6mm metrickery?

 

[Wingsconsin]

Sheesh, isn't there an Imperial coarse thread the PO could have forced in there instead?
Like, often done with 1/4 UNC instead of 6mm metrickery?

Weirdly the hole was still threaded - the last one or maybe two turns - but it wouldn't pull tight enough to seal the gasket .
I was very reluctant to apply any more torque as it was just barely holding on - I am sure the first few turns were GONE -
The bolt was finger tight immediately after tightening it down - so not reliable in any way
The TimeSert kit was remarkably easy to do (albeit quite expensive) {$73.39 - Kit with 5 inserts -- https://www.amazon.com/TIME-SERT-M6x1-0-thread-repair-1610/dp/B00NWWGB5G}

But keeping the oil inside will be nice

 

[Baatfam]

Autozone, (and I am sure other stores), have thread repair kits for about $30.
They work well. I used a bunch on my dragbike, and a couple on the 1100E.

 

[Wingsconsin]

Autozone, (and I am sure other stores), have thread repair kits for about $30.
They work well. I used a bunch on my dragbike, and a couple on the 1100E.

The heli-coil style - Which I am certain work really well -
I chose the TimeSert because I KNEW I wanted to apply some real oomph (technical term for torque) to the bolt and this seemed to be more better
Also it came with 5 inserts so I could do other holes if I found them to be lacking in integrity along the stator cover

 

[grcamna2]

Sheesh, isn't there an Imperial coarse thread the PO could have forced in there instead?
Like, often done with 1/4 UNC instead of 6mm metrickery?

I can find 7mm bolts,it's what I like to do when stripping-out a 6.They aren't very common although some Good bolt suppliers/stores who get lots of metric fasteners still have a few;they're Much more common than other sizes like 9 or 11mm which can only be ordered custom.

 

[Buffalo Bill]

Track bike prep

Track bike prep

Did some safety wiring today, I'm a beginner at this, but I only had to wire the oil cap, plug and filter.
I did the brake caliper bolts too, because they unscrewed last year at a track day.

 

[Brendan W]

Take a look at this picture and you MAY guess what I am doing ---
However what I am really doing is fixing an oil leak -
The lower most bolt was not able to pull the cover tight
Some previous owner decided that more torque would easily stop the leak -
I have been chasing it for years and finally figured out the hole was slightly stripped -
So I did a TimeSert in the hole and now it tightens up really well

The three on the bottom are the shortest, 35mm, on that cover. Anyone attempting to put a 40mm in there might just find the head a few mm short and get tempted to force it.

 

[Carter Turk]

Hey Bill, curious what the first picture oil drain bolt is safety wired to? Is there a cooling fin we can't see behind the bolt?

Might go for my first outing of the year @ the end of month, if the weather cooperates on a freshly repaved (entire) track.

 

[grcamna2]

Hello,I'm installing a new China piston kit w/ rings into my small motorcycle and have a question for you rebuilders.This is a decent quality one with good directions on ring installation and I'm following the directions on it;I'm filing the end-gaps on the rings to match the OEM specs and notice the rings are marked for position: '1' Top compression ring, '2' Middle compression ring and '3' Bottom 3-piece oil control ring and they came in a marked plastic envelope where each ring is separate.When I take the '1' Top compression ring(the one closest to the firing zone)and file it,it's easy to file using my standard file:when I do the same with the '2' Middle compression ring,that particular ring is much harder and resists my file and a stone is required to open-up the ring end-gap.These Top '1' and Middle '2' compression rings look identical when viewed and the only difference is the hardness of the steel.Have any of you encountered something similar ? I'm just guessing that the quality control of sliding these rings into the marked envelopes could have been compromised in China:someone may have made a mistake. thanks,Bill H.

 

[Buffalo Bill]

Hey Bill, curious what the first picture oil drain bolt is safety wired to? Is there a cooling fin we can't see behind the bolt?

Might go for my first outing of the year @ the end of month, if the weather cooperates on a freshly repaved (entire) track.

I wired it around the exhaust bolt and clamp on the header. Oil pan is mostly smooth, nothing to drill through.
I haven't been on track yet this season, rather cold here still. The outfit I ride with has been working their way north from Alabama since Feb., some peeps have been riding a lot.
I fouled the plugs last Dec. trying to start it on a very cold day. Cleaned them up this weekend, lowered the needles one notch. It's running fantastic now.
I'm going up 1 tooth in front to 16/48. It's a torque engine 86 ftlb.

 

[Nessism]

I wired it around the exhaust bolt and clamp on the header. Oil pan is mostly smooth, nothing to drill through.
I haven't been on track yet this season, rather cold here still. The outfit I ride with has been working their way north from Alabama since Feb., some peeps have been riding a lot.
I fouled the plugs last Dec. trying to start it on a very cold day. Cleaned them up this weekend, lowered the needles one notch. It's running fantastic now.
I'm going up 1 tooth in front to 16/48. It's a torque engine 86 ftlb.

No disrespect Bill but you might want to do some more research on how to safety wire. There is an FAA standard which is a great place to start. If you can't get a copy of that standard I may be able to help.

Do you have a pair of wire twisting pliers? Your twist isn't tight enough and some good pliers will help. Also, your pull angle should be as close to 90 degrees as possible (3 o'clock). Your pull angle looks like 5 o'clock. The bolt can back off the way you have them wired.