The 520 Chain Cafe

Kenny Roberts

2012-01-29T10:47:00.001-08:00

summer

2012-01-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from last year, I'm ready for winter to be over with.

TC90 Blazer part 5

2012-01-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

Getting a start on new seals and some clean up on the TC90 engine, it really isn't too dirty for an old 2 stroker.

Cleaning the gunk off.

Clutch removed and rotary valve opened up.

The right side crank seal is in the outer part of the rotary valve assembly.

Pretty typical of what you'll find on an engine this old, the seals almost shatter when moved.

I picked up a TS90 seal kit on ebay for $12. Apparently the TC90 and TS90 use a different front sprocket shaft seal, so I left that seal in place for now, but otherwise they are all the same. I've found parts are fairly easy to find for this bike. The clutch basket was somewhat loose on it's gear, and I don't know if that is a big concern or not, but I bought an NOS one for $9, also on ebay.

This is the left side with the crank seal removed. This engine only has a little over 800 miles, and I couldn't detect any play in the crank bearings, and no sign of any corrosion, so no need to split the cases or go any farther into the engine. You can see the oil feed for the left side bearing in the top of the picture.

The oil injector pump.

The clutch cover/carb housing was scratched up, so I decided to strip the paint and clean it up some.

I used a paint stripper, then a palm sander to smooth some of the deeper scratches, then wet sanded with 400 grit paper.

Then buffed it out with car wax and a non-scratch Scotch-Brite pad. I really like the finished look it gives, and takes a small fraction of time compared to a full polish job. It looks dull here in my basement, but great outside in the sun.

Back in the frame, starting to look like a motorcycle again.

I had an old pod filter that fits the cover, and will likely go this route instead of using the stock airbox.

four more gears

2012-01-27T13:34:00.000-08:00

Hot-Dock

2012-01-25T16:14:00.000-08:00

http://hot-dock-blog.scm-cbn.sub.jp/

Trey Canard

2012-01-23T16:27:00.000-08:00

Hoping the best for both Trey Canard and Ryan Morais. Trey has had more than his share of injury lately, and looked very strong in his return, but now faces even more recovery.

http://treycanard.com/

Velocette

2012-01-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

http://ohvsingle.exblog.jp/

Indiana Motorcycle Expo

2012-01-21T17:11:00.000-08:00

The 2012 Indiana Motorcycle Expo will be on February 24-26 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Here are a few pictures from the 2011 expo.

winter

2012-01-21T14:04:00.000-08:00

Overall it has been a mild winter here in Indiana, but the cold and snow finally arrived. I've been getting the TC90 engine sorted in my basement, and should have it ready to go back in the frame soon.

I also have a slot car table in the basement. My 6 tear old son is really into the slot cars, and it is a fun way to pass the winter months.

Here are some of the cars, most of them are the Tyco 440x2 chassis. If anything, slot cars are more fun now in the digital age, than before.

250TR

2012-01-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

source

Vintage Motorcycle Swap Meet - March 18 - Lebanon, Indiana

2012-01-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

Looks like a great event. Go to http://www.bcswapmeet2012.com/ for more information.

James Stewart

2012-01-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

roach

2012-01-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

I just picked up this roach of a TT500 for $100. I've got a pair of XT500's and a titled bare XT frame, so I'll eventually make good use of it one way or another. Not sure what the tank and seat are from.

AMA Supercross...

2012-01-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

...starts January 7th!

photo source: http://js7.com/

Ironhead

2012-01-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

source

TZ250

2012-01-01T17:31:00.000-08:00

source

The Indiana War Memorial Plaza Historic District

2011-12-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

While Indianapolis is known as a big racing and sports town, it is also home to the largest veteran's memorials outside of Washington DC. Many drive by and don't know that The Indiana War Memorial Plaza Historic District has two museums. Here are some pictures from my visit today.

The first is the Indiana War Memorial Museum, of which the cornerstone was laid in 1927.

The building itself is incredible, the lobby shown below.

The museum has an amazing collection of battle flags, along with other displays.

The auditorium is a work of art in itself.

Up the stairs leads to the Shrine Room, above the auditorium.

The Shrine Room has to be seen in person, truly breathtaking. The ceiling is 110 feet tall and has 24 pillars, to get an idea of it's size.

The other museum is the Colonel Eli Lilly Civil War Museum, located inside the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. This monument, dedicated in 1902, is a symbol of Indy, still decorated with Christmas lights here.

The museum, while not a large one, gives a good look at the Civil War.

The Soldiers and Sailors monument has an observation level which gives a great view of the city, looking north toward the Indiana War Memorial in this photo. You can either walk the stairs to the top, or ride the elevator.

Museum of Science and Industry

2011-12-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

We visited the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago today. My favorite part of the visit was an on-board tour of the U-505 German submarine which was captured by the US Navy during WWII. The museum is well worth a visit, and here are a few pictures from the day.

holidays

2011-12-26T15:13:00.000-08:00

My younger brother is visiting from Florida for the holidays and has been thinking of getting a bike, so I gave him a quick lesson and got him riding my DT3. I think he's hooked.

Kawasaki

2011-12-25T07:11:00.001-08:00

'48 WL

2011-12-23T14:25:00.001-08:00

Photos from this listing from Nice!MC. Click here for their other listings.

Pikes Peak

2011-12-22T16:42:00.000-08:00

Panhead

2011-12-19T16:06:00.001-08:00

source

SR400

2011-12-18T13:12:00.001-08:00

source

TC90 Blazer part 4

2011-12-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

After cleaning all of the fork parts I put them back together using All Balls seals and dust wipers. While not listed for the TC90, the kit is part # 56-105 and is used on many older bikes with 30mm forks and fit perfect. This bike uses the old type forks with steel lowers and a screw on seal holder. A Craftsman strap wrench works great for these.

Here is the front brake plate.

Here it is cleaned up and disassembled. Both brake plates had peeling paint.

I stripped the paint and cleaned up the aluminum.

The hubs on the bike have a factory paint also, but no peeling, and cleaned up nicely.

The tires are Inoue (IRC) Scramble, and in great shape. It uses a 2.75-18 on the front and 3.00-18 rear.

The front tire has a date code of 191 and the rear is 201, so the 19th and 20th week of a year ending in 1. The bike has a 6/71 build date, so these are most likely the originals. For a road bike I'd never use 40 year old tires, but they should work for a play/trail bike.

The wheels ready to go.

And it's a roller! With the very low miles, and generally nice shape of the bike, I ended up having to spend very little money on the chassis, and now time to get going on the engine work.

750 SFC

2011-12-10T15:36:00.001-08:00

http://britz-motors.com

F750

2011-12-10T15:25:00.001-08:00

http://ameblo.jp/ducati750/

SR500

2011-12-04T12:21:00.001-08:00

http://beone-racing.com/

TC90 Blazer part 3

2011-12-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

Continuing on the just-for-fun TC90, we had some decent weather this week, and I took advantage of it to get much of the chassis done. The engine work I can do in my basement shop, so will be better left for when the weather turns colder.

You might be a redneck if...
I'm using this Valspar paint for the bike. Seems like good stuff so far.

Always save old pie pans. Great for cleaning small parts, and keeps them from rolling all over the place.

The steering balls and races were all good, so just a cleaning and grease.

Some of the parts are in super nice shape, like the aluminum top fork clamp. The original paint still looks great.

Getting it back together.

I disassembled the forks to see if I'd need anything other than seals and dust boots, and all looks good other than some minor pitting on the tubes, but they should be good enough. I'll try to get them cleaned and reassembled this week.

RZ250

2011-11-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.bikebros.co.jp/vb/sports/spc/

TC90 Blazer part 2

2011-11-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

I've been getting some more work done on the little TC90. Down to the bare frame now, and ready to clean up, here sitting on my shop porch. It is a rainy day anyway, so a good time to do it.

It is in about as nice of shape as you'll see for being 40 years old. I first hit it with the pressure washer to knock off the big stuff, then scrub with hot soapy water, then the pressure washer again. I'll touch up any bad spots in the paint after it completely dries.
The skid plate doubles as a perfect work stand for the engine. I've got a complete seal kit on the way. I'm hoping the engine won't need much more than the new seals and a good clean-up, but I'll have to see. Sometimes the crank bearings can be rusty on a 2 stroke that has sat, since they aren't bathed in oil like a 4 stroke.

Looking for some ideas and inspiration I found a couple Suzuki 90cc racers. The first photo is a 1970 TS90 TT racer from a Flickr member. He has some excellent vintage race photos, and click the pic to see them.

Here's another TS90 racer project from Youtube. I might have to see if a can find a low chamber like these two bikes, but plan on just using the stock high pipe.

tailgating

2011-11-26T09:03:00.001-08:00

XS650

2011-11-25T17:48:00.001-08:00

source

XL

2011-11-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

source

TC90 Blazer part 1

2011-11-23T17:24:00.000-08:00

It's getting about time for winter project season. I've got a few other things going on this winter, but decided to get started on this one also.

The story starts back in 2009. Browsing eBay I noticed a "buy it now" listing for a 1971 Suzuki TC90. Complete, only 2 hours away, and $150. Why not? The worst that could happen is that it would be worth that in parts. The "runs" in the listing title wasn't exactly accurate, as the description explained it didn't actually run, but I figured it wouldn't take much to get it going, and would make a great vintage play bike.

The next Saturday morning I set off early to pick it up, on I-65 headed north here.

The bike was in Chicago. A beautiful day and the traffic was light.

Got it!

I left the truck at home and used the van to save gas.

At home and unloaded, not too bad of a bike...

...with a very optimistic 100 mph speedometer. The manual I have says it is rated at 11 hp at 7500 rpm, more than enough to have fun with anyway. I think the 831 miles is likely accurate. This is one of those bikes that got stuck under piles of junk in the back of someones garage for 30 or so years.

It does have a great stance. The rims are 18" front and rear. The TC90 is different than the TS90 in that it has a dual range transmission, so 4 gears in both low and high range, which is neat. I did get it running. The problem was simply the wire from the magneto was rubbing the flywheel, grounding out the ignition, but the crank seals quickly went bad, and the tank is very ugly inside, so those are the two big items that need fixed.

Not the best service manual, but the picture on the front is cool at least!

I got an NOS gasket set from Thailand. It was $14 shipped. It is for the TS90, so not sure if all the gaskets are correct for the TC, but I might not need them all anyway. I'll need to get a seal set.

And so it begins, getting started taking it apart. It will be off road only, so no lights. I'd like to do something cool for the rear fender, and maybe a vintage number plate up front. Mostly just a lot of cleaning, inspecting, greasing and some paint. It should be a super fun project, and great fun when it is done.

chin on the tank

2011-11-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

oil change

2011-11-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

I was doing an oil change on my SR500 this morning and thought of this great video a member of the SR500 forum made. You'll enjoy it.

today

2011-11-12T17:03:00.000-08:00

EMC

2011-11-09T16:33:00.001-08:00

http://www.krs-j.com/

John DeSoto

2011-11-09T13:55:00.001-08:00

Josh Hayes

2011-11-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

Josh gets a 7th place finish in his MotoGP debut riding in place of the injured Colin Edwards.

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=46570

today

2011-11-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

A very windy but otherwise really nice November day, I got the XS out for a nice ride getting the mold release compound worn off the new front tire and bedding in the new brakes. I like the new 17/30 gearing. The 17/34 it had before would be better in the city, but the 17/30 works great for faster backroads or on the highway.

XS650 Special

2011-11-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Just a few checks and adjustments to do and it is ready to ride.

The exhaust cleaned up nicely. This thing is very quiet. My '75 has much longer mufflers, but is also much louder.

The black chain guard looks great with the new gold chain.

I'm glad the fork dust wipers I bought didn't fit right, since that led me to use the gaiters, which I think look great.

At first I had a set of old Suzuki GT250 bars on it, but I went with some Bikemaster "European" bars, which are a bit lower, and just right. The grips and mirrors are what came on the bike when I got it. I don't care much for the mirrors, so might change them later on, but they'll work for now.

I kept the old sticker on the rear fender.

And here was the starting point for this, the Special model I swapped a Suzuki GS for. I think that with just a few minor changes to take the bike back to it's standard roadster roots, and the Special models look fantastic. I like certain things better than the standard XS, like the slimmer gas tank.

This was the second old Yamaha I got this year, and just fixed a few things and kept it stock. Really a lot of fun for just the cost of a few payments on a new bike.

Now back to some other projects.

rusty chrome

2011-11-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

If you like to work on old bikes then you'll inevitably have to deal with rusty chrome. On a full restoration you might either replace the part or have it rechromed, but no need to do that if you are just making a decent rider like what I'm doing. Here is what I did to a couple of the worst parts on the '79 XS650, the headlight bucket and chain guard.

Here is the headlight bucket after washing. Rust and lots of hazy chrome. Most of this is hidden, and never gets washed, which is why it looks like this. The top and sides where it is exposed look fine. Nothing here a quick polish won't fix.

Ten minutes later and it looks much better. Any visible areas look just as good as new. You can then use clear coat touch-up paint on the pitted areas to help seal them up, then wax it and it'll look fine for years.

And now the chain guard. Like the headlight bucket, areas that get washed look fine, but not so much the more hidden parts.

Here is the inside. Rust like this is too far along for polishing. I decided to sand blast and paint this. The gunk buildup underneath here needs cleaned before sandblasting, or the sand tends to just bounce off it or push it around, so I hit it with my pressure washer first.

This is what sitting under a battery for 30+ years will do, and why I'll be using a sealed AGM type battery in it.

Here is what you are doing with the sandblasting, basically roughing up the chrome for paint adhesion. It feels smooth to the touch, but lets the paint get a mechanical bite in the chrome.

Nice and clean. The chrome around heavily pitted areas will peel away with the sandblasting, so hit these areas hard to remove any chrome that isn't firmly attached.

Ready for paint.

I start off with a self-etching primer for better adhesion, shown here. Next was a high build primer filler to smooth some of the pits, sanding, and then I painted it black.

RS125

2011-11-01T16:42:00.001-07:00

source

almost

2011-10-31T15:38:00.000-07:00

I didn't get the '79 Special finished up over the weekend, but almost there.

DT1

2011-10-29T17:07:00.001-07:00

Great stuff from the Yamaha Enduro forum. Click here to see more.

Indiana

2011-10-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

The view from my back porch.

old bikes and old tires

2011-10-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

I got more work done on the XS650 this week, and might have it ready to ride tomorrow.

Here are the wheels and Shinko SR712 tires all set to go. I bought a new front, but I'm using the rear tire that came on the bike. With all of the older bikes being put on the road I thought I'd go over a few tire basics, like determining if the tires are good or need replaced. This bike only has about 12,000 miles on it, and being 32 years old has obviously spent some time sitting, so typical of what you find with an old bike.

Here's the rear that came on the bike, which was obviously much newer than the front. No cracking, soft and flexible rubber, and no flat spotting in the center. Looks good.

Looking at the date code "5109" shows that it was manufactured in 51rst week of 2009. So, this tire was likely installed in early 2010, so nearly a new tire. All good here, with plenty of years and miles to go.

Below is the front which was in really bad shape. It has a 3 digit date code "458". Before 2000 3 digits were used, meaning the tire was made in the 45th week of a year ending in 8. Tires from the 90s will usually have a triangle at the end, so going by this, the tire was made in 1988, 23 years ago. Bad. I don't use a set expiration date, most tires are in their prime for 5 years or so, and deteriorate from there, but by now anything that has the older 3 digit code should be suspect.

This picture below reminds me of those you see on a Craigslist ad showing how good the tires are. I'd guess that when a previous owner got the bike back on the road and replaced the rear, they probably looked at the tread left in the front and thought it looked fine. It doesn't look too bad at first glance, but it feels like plastic, and you can't indent it with a finger nail.

And look at this spot. This is on the left side, so likely where the bike sat for years on the side stand, maybe a concrete garage floor drying the tire like a sponge.

Before dismounting from the rim, I let this tire sit in the sun to warm, but it was still so hard I choose to do the reciprocating saw removal method. Just cut through the tire, and use a tire iron to lift the bead up to cut.

The new front from the Motorcycle Superstore, with a "2811" code, so made in the 28th week of 2011. Less than $60 for a new tire and tube, money well spent.

Good rubber makes a bike so much more fun to ride, and safer also.

H1

2011-10-28T18:59:00.001-07:00

FLH

2011-10-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

http://blazejapan.com/

Marco Simoncelli 1987-2011

2011-10-23T06:57:00.001-07:00

today

2011-10-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

progress

2011-10-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

I got some work done on the XS650 stocker this week, and hope to have it rolling soon. The TC Bros. Choppers swing arm bushings were a perfect fit, and also the All Balls tapered steering bearings.

One problem, the dust seals that came with the fork seals in the All Balls kit didn't fit right.

They are too short.

I'd thought about using gaiters, so decided to fit some for a '69-'70 Triumph Bonneville.

The end that goes to the top on the Triumph has a lip...

...that is a perfect fit on the Yamaha lower.

The other end doesn't fit the tubes. There are a few ways to remedy this, but I decided to use the All Balls dust seals.

They have an OD slightly bigger than the ID of the gaiters.

So, fold them in a C shape and pop them in and unfold. It is a tight interference fit, but I also glued them in place. It should work alright, and does look nice. If is doesn't work, I'll make some rubber bushings and use a hose clamp or zip tie. I also added vent holes in the bottom side on the lowest bellow in the back, so they won't be affected by pressure from fork movement.

Kobe CCM

2011-10-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

http://kobeccm.com/ccm14-report-top.htm

Dan Wheldon 1978-2011

2011-10-16T16:55:00.001-07:00

Ryan Villopoto

2011-10-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

http://ryanvillopoto2.com/

parts for the XS650

2011-10-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

Parts for the '79 Special have been arriving this week. Here are some of what will be going on it. The bike came with a new Shinko SR712 on the rear and a rock hard and cracked Bridgestone on the front, so I got a new SR712 to match the rear. I ordered it from Motorcycle Superstore on Saturday and got it Tuesday, so very quick service. I also got a new tube. The front rim looks identical to my '80 SR500, which doesn't use tubes. The SR has "suitable for tubeless tires" stamped onto it, and the '79 XS rim doesn't. I think the stamp is the only difference, as I don't recall the tubeless SR rim having any "safety lip" I'll just run a tube to be on the safe side.

The bronze swing arm bushings are from TC Bros. Choppers. They'll be a nice handling improvement over the stock plastic bushings for sure.

Free beer coozy is a nice touch also!

Up front, EBC brake pads and All Balls fork seals and dust wipers, tapered steering bearings, and wheel bearings. The nice thing about All Balls bearings kits is that they include new seals.

Of course lots of stuff from Mikes XS. I got clutch and throttle cables for the standard XS650, which will fit better than the long Special model cables, since I'm using lower bars.

The rear brake line was pretty ugly looking, so I got a braided line from Mikes XS. The bike came with a new braided two piece line on the front. The top line is a bit long with the lower bars, but I think I'll be able to route it to take up the extra length.

I'm going from the stock 17/34 sprocket ratio to 17/30. With the stock gearing the bike was really screaming at 70 mph+, so this should help it out.

fork leg clean up

2011-10-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

I got the parts ordered for the '79 XS650, so doing some prep work before they get here. One of the things I'm doing is a fork rebuild, and wanted to clean up the fork lowers, not doing a full on polish job, but just to get a nice clean look. I thought I'd start with the worst one, the left side on the top in the picture.

First thing was wet sanding with soapy water, using both 320 grit paper and also Scotch-Brite heavy duty scour pads. I also cleaned the inside at this point. The very top is covered by the dust wipers, so no need to be too concerned there.

Next is to buff it out using a Scotch-Brite non-scratch stove top scour pad and Meguiars car wax. This gives it that just right sheen and keeps the aluminum looking nice for a long time.

Then wipe off the wax with a dry paper towel, afterward rinse it off and clean off any remaining wax with another towel and dry it off. This is it before drying, and you can see how the water beads.

The finished part, looking great for not a lot of work.

more feeling fall

2011-10-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

SR400

2011-10-08T16:47:00.001-07:00

source

BSA Gold SR

2011-10-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

Spokes or mags?

source

source

feeling fall

2011-10-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

Such a great time of the year.

'79

2011-10-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

I got a little more work done on the XS650. I got the frame paint touched up, which actually turned out to be a coat on most of the frame. I brushed the areas near the engine first, and then sprayed the rest.

It turned out really nice. Not the "proper" way to do it, but it looks fine, and I'm trying to keep it simple and fun. My '75 XS is going to be a complete teardown, but no need to do that with this one.

Then some sandblasting on some of the other parts.

I've mentioned this before, but I use play sand from the home center. It's really cheap, and works great at removing rust and paint, while being very gentle on even thin sheet metal. It is usually too wet to use out of the bag, so I always have some drying in my basement. I also filter it with a piece of window screen since it will sometimes have small rocks that can clog the nozzle. If you ever do any sand blasting, be sure to wear a good mask since the fine particles are harmful if breathed in.

The pile of crusty parts here. The slotted rotor is from an XJ750. I had a pair of them, and used the left one on my SR500, so will use the right one on the XS.

Clean!

Even the nasty battery box came out nice.

Self-etching primer first.

My painting "tree", part of an old weight bench.

Color going on here. I'll have it all ready to go in a day or two, and make a list and get the new parts ordered by this weekend, then put the bike back together.

GPZ900R

2011-10-01T17:47:00.001-07:00

http://www.spec-hiroshima.com/

elbow grease

2011-10-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

I worked on the '79 XS650 Special a bit this morning. I'm keeping this one stock, and just doing some maintenance and detailing on it. I'm starting with the frame and engine.

A quick tip here, I always save old coffee cans. They are great for storage, but also make excellent scrapers. Just cut out the size and shape you need. Great for scraping grunge off aluminum without damaging it like a metal scraper might.

I decided to use my engine hoist.

Starting with the worst first, the front sprocket area. I want to replace the seals here, but need some cleanup first.

Much better.

Now for the rest of it, first making sure the engine was completely sealed up, plugging places like the tach drive and vacuum ports on the intakes. The engine tilter on my hoist makes it easy to get underneath.

Finishing up here. Next will be touching up the frame paint.

SR

2011-09-26T16:40:00.001-07:00

http://greed54.blog26.fc2.com/

garage stuff

2011-09-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

Rain and thunderstorms this morning, so I thought I'd might as well get a start on the '79 XS.

The to-do list includes forks seals, tapered steering bearings, bronze swing arm bushings, chain and sprockets, wheel bearings, and a lot of cleaning. I'm going to do some paint touch up on the frame. The bike has the typical rust in the battery area, so I'll be sandblasting and painting the battery box, and will get a sealed battery to help prevent that from reoccurring.

Shikoku CCM

2011-09-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

From the latest Sportster meet in Japan.
http://shin883.com/

GT250

2011-09-18T16:45:00.001-07:00

source

My XL1200

2011-09-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

XS650

2011-09-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

I got some of the maintenance items done this morning on my "new" XS650. I adjusted the cam chain and valves, and changed the oil. No surprises on it, and it seems like a very healthy engine. A proper oil change on an XS650 is a bit more involved than some bikes. The "filters" on these are just screens, so it's important to do it right and change the oil regularly.

Here is what I got from MikesXS, a new sump filter and gasket, the right hand cover filter and two gaskets, and new copper crush gaskets for the two drain plugs.

Pretty much what you'll always find on the stock sump filter is a tear in the spot shown below. This one may have never been cleaned or inspected before.

The new improved filter from MikesXS fixes this. I've heard of quality problems with some of these Fuji filters, but this one looked fine.

Afterward I went for a nice ride. I stopped for lunch, and then hit some back roads. The bike handles excellent, and is great fun to ride, even with the sketchy front tire. Other than the front tire, the bike needs all the typical things like chain and sprockets and fork seals, but this late in the year I'll just wait until winter to do all that.

horse tradin'

2011-09-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

I did a bike swap on the Labor Day holiday. I've owned this GS850 for about 3 years, and it has been a great bike, but began thinking of getting something lighter and more fun. I've been wanting a '75-'76 DT400, or something similar, so listed the GS for sale or possible trade for an old Yamaha enduro. I got an email asking if I'd be interested in trading for a '79 XS650 Special, with pictures of the bike. Not at all what I was looking for, but certainly interesting. We talked, and both bikes being close in value, looked like a deal if everything checked out. I rode the GS Monday afternoon to take a look at the XS.

We did the swap. He was a Goldwing guy, so really liked the shaft drive Suzuki. Here's the XS650 on the way home. I was really nervous about having seller's and buyer's regret at the same time, trading a solid bike for something unknown, but the Yamaha ran like a top on the 50 or so mile ride home. XS650's have both characteristics of my SR500 and Sportster, so just right for me. I love 'em.

Here it is at home. The most horrendous seat possible and horrible handlebars, but those are quick fixes.

It does have some rusty bits, but nothing too bad.

I don't know the bikes history, I didn't ask, but a bit of a hint of the bikes past with this sticker. The title lists California as the previous title state.

I ditched the tiller bars for a more standard set. I think these were from a '75 Suzuki GT250. They are a little higher than what I'd get if I bought a new set, but I'll give them a try.

Looking better already.

The seat pan was in decent shape...

...so I removed the backrest part. I then sandblasted and painted the pan. The early XS650 Special models have more in common with the standards than the '80 and up models do. One is the seat that is hinged on the side. My '75 project XS650 came with a '78-'79 Special seat on it that had a decent Saddlemen cover on it. I'd removed it to use the pan for the scrambler seat I'm making for it (more on that in a later post), so I used the foam and cover on this pan. It worked out great.

Now it looks like a motorcycle.

It came with a new Shinko SR712 on the rear, and a old Bridgestone on the front, so I'll get another SR712 for the front. It's a 90/90-19 on it now, but I'll get a 100 to better match the 130 on the back.

I've still got to do a full maintenance on it, and some detailing and touch-up. It is far from pristine, but a decent 32 year old survivor, so just going to keep it stock.

today

2011-09-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

SR400

2011-08-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

www.sairen-jp.com

125

2011-08-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

The last year for the 2 strokes.

King Kenny

2011-08-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

National Moto+Cycle Co.

2011-08-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

Go to the NMC site for more information on these.

randoms

2011-08-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

XR1200

2011-08-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Performance Machine 48

2011-08-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

This was a nicely done custom show bike.

The seat mounts the same way as I do on my bike, using the rear inner shock mounts.

750

2011-08-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

A beautiful bike on display at the Desmo Owners Club tent, it was probably my favorite.

Ducati Island

2011-08-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Rooke Customs

2011-08-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

on track

2011-08-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

I only have a Kodak point and shoot camera, so not the best for on track shots, but I got a few decent ones.

Indy

2011-08-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

I rode to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Saturday to watch qualifying and check out the displays. Click here to see the photos from the day. I'll be posting some of my favorites later.

T120R

2011-08-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.light-sports.com/

Sportster

2011-08-26T12:31:00.001-07:00

I like the tail light and plate mount on this Sportster from Nice! MC.
source

The Walmart $5 movie bin...

2011-08-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

...is like a treasure hunt. I stopped in to pick up a new camera card and found this gem.

A50

2011-08-25T21:13:00.001-07:00

http://sidemotors.karou.jp/

XS650 Scrambler seat part 1

2011-08-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a few things figured out on the XS650 before it gets torn down for this winter's rebuild. First, here's the bike that's a big inspiration for some of what I'm going to do on it. It was probably my favorite bike at the Indy Rockers Reunion earlier this year. Still mostly stock XS, but with some very nice changes.

So, looking at seat options I set some on the bike to get ideas. The seat from my '71 Suzuki TC90 is just right. It's about 22" long and 11" wide. I need the seat for the TC90, so I'm not using this one for the XS. Instead...

...I bought a TC90 seat cover on ebay, and will either modify the stock seat pan, or more likely just make one from sheet metal. The cover is from Mac Motorcycle Seat Covers in Illinois. He hand makes covers that aren't an exact reproduction, which works out great for what I'm doing, since it doesn't say Suzuki on the back. At $25 plus shipping, it is a great value. It is much better quality than I would have thought for the low price. I should end up with a cool new seat for about $50 total and a few hours work.

The piping on the rear part is very nicely done, and plenty of material on the sides to attach it to the pan.

It has a soft foam sewn into it, which should work out great with the firmer closed cell foam I'll be using.

Yamaha production line

2011-08-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

Done

2011-08-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

Just gotta go get the license plate for it! It doesn't really look any different than a couple weeks ago, but is mechanically good to go now. This bike is just a blast to ride. I do still need to find some mirrors for it, and get the signals working, but no big deal.

250

2011-08-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

The rest of the parts came in this week, so I'm getting the DT3 back together. I dug through my parts stash and found some old turn signals from a Suzuki to replace the missing ones on the rear. The bike had 13/44 sprockets and felt like it was geared to climb utility poles, so I bought some 14/44 sprockets and I'll see if that makes it better on the road. I might give a set of XT500 rear shocks a try on it.

Here's the front Shinko SR241 with the Dunlop trials universal. They keep the original look and a good deal at about $70 for the pair from Chaparral Motorsports.

Royal Enfield

2011-08-17T13:08:00.001-07:00

http://blog.livedoor.jp/shoutrc/

Redlight King

2011-08-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

XS650

2011-08-13T11:14:00.001-07:00

source

another Saturday morning

2011-08-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

I took the DT3 apart last Saturday and looked it over. I ordered the parts I needed, and hoped to have them all for this weekend, but didn't really expect they'd be here. I'm waiting on fork seals, the front tire, sprockets, exhaust gasket, and a few other things. I did get the rear tire, chain, and new clutch cable. I put on a set of old XT500 bars, and some new Scott grips. The XT bars are about a 1/2" wider on each side, but will be perfect.

I cleaned up and painted the exhaust, and straightened out the heat shield. I'm not doing any restoration work on the bike, but some fix-up and preservation on a few parts.
before:

after:

Here's the rear Shinko SR241 4.00x18 with the stock Dunlop. They have the right look, and should make the bike much more fun to ride, both on the road and trails.

The IRC tubes I'm using have a blue line that makes it very easy to see if the tube is installed without any kinks or twists. I got new rim strips also, but the bead locks were nice, so reusing those.

The wheel bearings had no play and are very smooth, so I just greased them. I popped out the seals, hosed them out with brake cleaner, dried with compressed air, and repacked them. This bike certainly shows it's age, but with the low miles many of the wear items are in great condition.

This was the contents of both forks. Gross.

The fork internals looked excellent though, so getting everything cleaned up and ready to reassemble when the seals get here.

One problem with the bike I noticed when riding it after I bought it was the gas cap seal leaked very badly. The seal is no longer available from Yamaha, and I didn't feel like hunting down a New Old Stock part and then paying NOS prices. I measured the seal on my SR500, and it was the same diameter, so figured I could make one work on the DT. SR500 tanks use the same gas cap as an XS650 "Special", so I ordered part # 20-0036 from Mikes XS. I took just a few minutes to make it work on the DT.

The XS650 seal upside down, which is how I installed it on the DT.

The gas cap taken apart.

The side of the seal that goes against the tank when used on an XS650 or SR500 was too thick for the DT, and wouldn't allow it to close properly. I mounted the seal upside down, and then trimmed the thicker part from the top with a utility knife blade, to allow it to work in the DT cap.

This puts the smooth untrimmed part on the bottom to seal with the tank. I also cut off the center part of the seal. I reinstalled the cap on the tank, and it's now leak free.

Hopefully I'll have the rest of the parts soon. She's still going to be a bit of a rat, but should be super fun to ride for not much money.

Gary Nixon

2011-08-06T16:55:00.001-07:00

Barry Sheene, Gary Nixon, Cliff Carr, Paul Smart & Suzuki's test rider, Ken Aroka

source

Sportster

2011-08-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

source