siamesing the twins. (one from two) 82 GS1100G

[engel]

we have spark. fat and blue and timed. only took half a litre of scotch too.

swapped the starter switch and starter motor power leads over and ran an external earth lead to the starter relay. could have stripped down the switch and argued with it till i had a circuit but such is the luxury of a spares bike. anyway, its still there to be made functional if i need it later.

topped up the oil level a snippet as it lost a bit when her clutch centre was nicked and swapped over with tinkerbells. can't be too careful as the next trick was to throw a little juice in the fuel bowls and the last thing i want is a motor that fires and starts running only to starve for oil. fuel in, switch on, finger over the vacuum port for the fuel tap and hit the button. got a couple of pops out of it and satisfied with this and lacking fuel, a jerry can was found, the dog got her leash attached and off we went at 11:30 at night to procure 5 litres of unleaded for use today when the mood takes me to swap the carbies over between bikes.

placed two quite costly orders on wednesday night that have raped my bank account but should have all of my jap fleet maintained, functional, or safe and in a few cases even pretty. the most of it is servicing basics with camcover gaskets, air and oil filters, seals, manifold rubbers and the odd o-ring or two.

what frightens me is the disparagement between retail prices here and in the states. picked up a new electric fuel pump for the cbr as it's, even with babbitts phenomenal international shipping of 114 bucks plus 129 for the pump, still 48 dollars cheaper than the local dealer. grabbed some other basics from them as well to consolidate the freight and take some of the sting out of the shipping. was the same when i re-bearinged the gsx gearbox where i grabbed three pairs of shaft races for less than i was quoted for a single pair here in oz. as such i tend to buy in bulk through partshark and keep spares handy. takes a bit of forethought and a lot of will power not to go overboard. about the only pity is that partshark don't deal with honda too. well, it'd be even lovelier still if they did MZ, H-R-D and Chrysler bits into the bargain but you can't have it all i guess.

[engel]

she's runnin. and pretty smoothly too. have swapped over more componentry (horns, indicator switch and flasher unit, carbs, airbox, tacho cable) and made a few more electricals functional. still got to reroute all the harness and fix a few busted wires. unlocked the left pannier while trying to sort the rear indicators wiring and found a newspaper dated 1996. and impressively, the original factory back blinkers in near pristine condition with bracketry and insulator rubbers. chucked the housings on the front, plugged em in and they worked straight off. am holding off installing the headlight till i've done the forkseals in case i've got to swap out the legs.

selects all gears but not greatly impressed with a clatter coming from the rear shaft and a general stiffness in wheel rotation so she might be getting a final drive swap out as well if the other proves free'er as i think it is. has been stiff since i went to pick her up and i suspect the uni joint. particularly growly idling in fifth on the centrestand so might be better on it's wheels with weight and load on it but think its best i look into it first as sydney's not just round the corner.

gonna hold off on the clutch swap until the relevant gasket arrives as i'm not big on having them unsealed longer than necessary and i've an 1150 nut coming with the order too. going to pressure clean the engine tomorrow so no crap ingresses into the unit when i start doing the stator and clutch pulls. may help the roadworthy certificate too if she looks like i gave a crap about appearance and will make oiltightness proofing a bit simpler.

overall, bloody relieved that she's a runner. might treat her to a new set of plugs and exhaust gaskets but if she runs as well as i hope once i get an airfilter element in place i think i'll be able to leave well enough alone. valve clearances might get a look in if the cam cover gasket is leaking but bar that if it ain't broke........

[Charlie G]

" only took half a litre of scotch too." Is this your seceret for getting bikes to run properly. No wonder it's taking me so long. Sounds like your making good progress.

Do you know why it costs so much for parts in OZ? Is it a VAT that drives the price up so?

cg

[engel]

same reason juice is more here and even more vicious in europe charlie. some bugger has got in their heads that we all need a good screwing and is doing their damndest to see that it happens. we have VAT at 10% but 129 vs 291 is a tad more than 200% so that aint it.

my sunday was a disaster. fired up BLACK's engine again to make certain i wasn't just dreaming it all that she ranand checked the driveline noises this time in daylight. 5th sounded atrocious and had the jolts so i fastidled her to 3000 on the choke lever to see if i could suss it out from behind. the arse end was waving maniacally and not instilling much faith. thats where all the fun began.

shut off, plucked neutral and tried the tyre rotate thing again. still tight. grabbed the swing arm and checked for play and found the pivit bearings loose. could be tightened but shouldn't have needed that many turns. shocks off, exhaust down for the gaskets anyway so wheel out and pulled the three rear drive nuts and shes smooth as silkthough the drive splines are on their way out. dropped the swingarm and the uni is fine though the swing arm bearings were rusty, siezed, and the cups badly brinneled. the flexible boot around the uni is holding oil and the output seal is bulged out.

pulled the bevel drives filler plug from the crankcase and ominous vapour was underneath. gearlever and cover off and the level plug removed and nothing flowed out even though liquid could be seen in the thread. poked into it with a stick and it was gooey like caramel. drain plug out and the caramel crap barely trickled it was so thick. here was my stiff to turn rear wheel.

first things last, i later checked BLUE's bevel oil and all was good. in the interim before that i pulled BLUE's wheel, final drive, swingarm, uni joint and inspected them all. swing arm bearings are good and grease looked clean and fresh despite sitting nine years. final drive splines were perfect, uni is good, and output seal was fine. what followed wasn't fun but had to happen so i just took it in my stride. airbox, carbs, wiring, and all the crap i'd only fitted up three days ago came off and then i dropped all the engine mountings. the bloody camcover breather was next then i deadlifted the engine out and onto the floor. onto my furniture trolley and into the yard to have a set of pipes pushed into the exhaust ports, my spare carbs and airbox wedged into place and a dead tacho cable fitted then blasted the buggery out of all the joint lines to get it clean for after my holiday is over and i'll pluck the lower case off to see how bad the suspected rust is on the bearings and bevel drive gears. will need doing but i haven't the time at present. into the shed she went then i detached all the hardware from BLUE and took out her engine as well. onto the trolley, over to BLACK, and deadlifted up and in. bolted it in and knocked on carbs to stop dirt ingress and thats where we're at. have to transfer swingarms and other basics tonight and see where it leads from there.

my internet at home has died as well so all in all a great sunday. gonna head home now and finish thwe scotch bottle and burn a little midnight oil. wish me luck.

the sight that greeted me and started the debacle





BLACKS engine in the shed post cleaning, watched over by the faithful hound





BLUE, gutted and despondent.





end of day: BLUES motor beside then into BLACK and bolted up.

[mike-s]

the sight that greeted me and started the debacle

Looks like the engine had a big night out drinking after a fillup at a bad Indian restaurant

[Charlie G]

Engel,

Sorry to see your having such problems there. You'll get it sorted.

cg

[engel]

we'll get there charl, or at least give it a bloody good shot before failure is apparent.

used the right hand side swing arm bearings from both bikes to achieve a tolerable set. both bikes drive side item were upset (read dead and nearly terminal) and the arse end is back together. will need to check over all the bolts again in daylight but least she's a roller again. repacked everything that rotates or slides with grease while it was in pieces so with luck she'll be right for a good long while to come.

ignition pickups are transferred and brakes shan't be far away while the proper mastercylinder has a new switch coming. love having the two to devise which components are in the best order and it's fun to see what was factory on one, and what some monkey has slapped together carelessly on the other.lots of little detail bits and washers and basics missing from black that show up on blue. finding the variations as i go along.

fork reseal and harness and cable routing is tomorrow lights mission after i help the kat sort out her flat before she buggers off to canada for a 18 month holiday. gotta babysit her car, my old tv, the washing machine and a few other basics while she's away. less than three weeks to go and i'm gonna miss the **** out of her. my best mate. ah well, just means more time for the bikes and chryslers i guess.

[Charlie G]

I'm confused? Your Kat is going to Canada for 18 months. The 650m kat, a kitty cat. or a lady? Don't mean to pry.

I'd give up the cat....maybe my lady friend...but my bike never

cg

[engel]

the kat is my ex. her name is Katrin.

subsequently, the katana is also named katrin.

careful with your words charlie, the little 450 probably never thought it was getting the heave ho. i've heard tell in the past that everything ha a price but dispute this. i'll concede everything has a short or long term home, but not necessarily through any money changing hands. others say hoarding, i say "historical preservation for non disclosed future owners"

[engel]

little things sorted tonight.

reassembled the back end of BLUE so she is back on two wheels and less components are laying around waiting to be lost (engine mount bolts, footrests, brake pedal. gearshift lever and cover, ignition cover, and camcase breather with it fresh cut gaket onto its motor to leave her sealed against the elements).

used the washers from her footrests on BLACK as without them the rubber mounting feature is nullified. we have rear brakes again and have aligned the two lower control levers to a height that suits my frame and riding position. swapped in the complete lockset so now i have a working helmet lock as well as the ignition fuel cap and seat all being commonly keyed. the ignition barrel could use a good blast of wd40 and will receive it soon.

have decided to adapt the GSX1100 seat to get her through roadworthy as i plan to reregister her as a single seater as the compulsory third party insurance is about half that of a two perch bike. reluctant to recover a dual seat just to get her rego'ed only to have to make a solo seat and pay to have it upholstered as well a few weeks after my trip. with luck the solo seat can then be adapted onto the GSX to get her a single seat mod plate as well.

going out to check on the tinware tomorrow as my refinisher should have the paint by now.

have jacked up the front end in preparation for the fork reseal. last night was a writeoff where i slept from 8 pm till 7 this morning as i'm on the last stages of a flu. gotta do the preload and lock up on the swing arm bearings still and might regrease the headstock while the forktubes are out. with some luck i can get her roadworthied sooner rather than later even before the parts rock up from the US and get some miles on her well in advance of my trip. would prefer a good bug ironing out period as sydney isn't just up the street.

main things i'm waiting on are the airfilter, mastercylinder piston and switch, stator housing gasket to fit the new electrex generator and regulator rectifier, carb boots, and oil filter. all of which i can get around through substitution or making do in the meantime. total loss electrics and mildly lean running with light loads can be tolerated and sorted quick smart once it all rocks up. work in progress vehicles are a labour of love but they sure highlight any potential hiccups before you're 3000 klicks from home.

[engel]

fork seals are in, stanchions have been scoured to get rid of the rust and lower tubes washed down with petrol and are reasonably presentable. have the preload on the hardest setting and straight dexron 3 at around 220-230ml per leg.

can get to the preloaders with the bars in place with a narrow flatblade screwdriver, on the centrestand to give maximum extension though if i need to back them off. i run the gsx at it's hardest to help with ground clearance because of the low hanging four into one square collector exhaust but this one has a better design through which you can still reach the filter. guess i'll fine tune it as i go along.

scotch has been in the freezer a good long while so guess i should go fix the wiring.

[Charlie G]

fork seals are in, stanchions have been scoured to get rid of the rust and lower tubes washed down with petrol and are reasonably presentable. have the preload on the hardest setting and straight dexron 3 at around 220-230ml per leg.

can get to the preloaders with the bars in place with a narrow flatblade screwdriver, on the centrestand to give maximum extension though if i need to back them off. i run the gsx at it's hardest to help with ground clearance because of the low hanging four into one square collector exhaust but this one has a better design through which you can still reach the filter. guess i'll fine tune it as i go along.

scotch has been in the freezer a good long while so guess i should go fix the wiring.

I need to know what brand of Scotch you drink, because your getting alot done and I'm not!

cg

[engel]

i'm half slumming it with ballantines. dewars and canadian club also get some partaking dependent on whats on special that week.

special occasions draw out glenfiddich and chivas but the ten dollars i spare on those pays for a weeks commuting.

the least appreciated thing is people thanking you for your services with johnnie walker red. it's bathwater with urine in it for colouring. i simply refuse to accept it and ask that they take their vehicle and "appreciation" elsewhere in future.

rear mudguard is no longer the cracked item and the guard extender is on. got eight wires to solder (stator to harness, and a replacement plug for the instrument lights as theres a too-short busted wire) and all else is plumbed and functioning. plugged the fueltap vacuum line and siphoned some juice into the bowls and hit the switch to which she fired up. no pipes on it so she sounds like a outboard boat motor but ran sans airbox and the flames out the ports in the dark were impressive. clutch is disengaging as it ought and won't need disturbing as BLACK's would have which will save time and effort. all warning lights are warning after a contact clean and one replacement bulb. only other item electrically to sort is a front bake switch which is coming but could take a while longer than i'm keen to wait. i stole BLACK's for the gsx two years ago with the entire cylinder as the original had **** its switch and i was on a budget, so it's just reposessing in the short term. headlamp works as does all else with so far minimal hassle. have run the negative battery lead from BLACK's engine as a supplementary earth to the bottom of the battery carrier with a regulator rectifier bolt. would be nice if the yamaha headlight bucket had more space for the wiring but the hella H4 light should help out at least.

now needing the copper exhaust gasket washers and all of a few hours and she should be test rideable.

[engel]

i'm at the end of where i want to be at this time. BLACK is ready for a roadworthy and is wearing BLUE's bodywork for the moment. master cylinder and airbox went on tonight as with the last of the wiring. starting easily on the button and sounding ok through the exhaust with new gaskets.

took the hound for another midnight walk to the servo and as a nice surprise with the extra five litres josie and i picked up the fuel guage works too. in two minds as to whether to use the dealer plate for the roadworthy and ride it there or put it in my ute and cart it. have our first run on the board with a few slow laps around the backyard in first and the front brakes are dragging but may come good with use.

wish me luck. if you click on the above photo a short video ensues.

[Charlie G]

Sounds great to me. Good luck.

cg