First Street Bike Project - with a few questions

[brslk]

That sucks. I think you should concentrate on the CR 80 and send me the "zook". I will gladly pay you the $380 you paid for it. Heck! I'll give you $400 (that's $20 profit for you!).
Just think of all the work left to do on the GS... assembly... etc.
I'd be doing you a favor!

Let me know where to send the check.

Bruce.

[Sci85]

Hehe Bruce, nice try. That little stinker put up quite the fight yesterday splitting the cases but I prevailed and sure enough, both main roller bearings are shot. Another hour or so of running and this thing would have exploded. Oh well, 'tis life. It's gonna cost me another 70 bucks but I think I can still make a profit, just might not be much of one.

The good news is that I get to work on the Zook while I'm waiting on parts. Time to get busy cleaning up some parts and drilling out the one broken bolt I have.

Till then...

Sci85

[brslk]

Gotta ask, Is there a market for fixing up smaller old dirtbikes there?

Bruce.

[Sci85]

There's a market for anything if you understand your costs versus your return. Nice thing about little dirt bikes, especially japanese (avoid chinese), is that parts are cheap as long as it's not a major item link a cylinder or crank or case ($12 head gasket versus $90 bucks for a GS!). Plus, these little 2-strokes are really easy to work on and pretty tough.

I try to stay with '96 or newer (not much demand for older stuff) and buy in the winter and sell in the spring. Since kids outgrow bikes pretty quickly just like everything, they are always being bought and sold.

Lastly, we have a pretty long season in the states, especially as you go farther south.

[Sci85]

Man, It seems like forever since I was really wrenching away on the Zook. I finally got the little Honda finished and out for it's maiden test drive today. Little stinker runs great and will power wheelie in 4th even with me on it! Boy, nothing is more fun than a 2-stroke when it comes on the pipe. So, it goes up on Craigslist next weekend. Finally.

I've been traveling a ton lately (Ireland, Detroit, Minneapolis) so that's really encroached on my rebuild time. But I got the swingarm bearings ordered, a tap and die set and will start putting the frame together soon.

Anyway, I finally did get something done on the GS today. I have new wheel bearings for the front and back and went to do the rear wheel today. But, amazingly, the bearings in the rear wheel feel great. I'm wondering if they were replaced fairly recently because they all turned nice and smooth. Saved me some work hehe. So, I started cleaning up the wheels in prep for paint. I plan on going all black but for now, the rear cleaned up pretty good.

[Flyboy]

Sci, nice to see you back to working on the Zuk again, that back wheel did indeed clean up nice, can't wait to see it with paint.

[GateKeeper]

Hey now, don't be cutting corners and painting the rims all black, get that paper out and buffing compounds and get those spokes and that lip on the rim all nice and shiny.....come on you can do it....

just teasing, do waht you got to do, but make sure you scuff up the rims a bit with some paper, so the new paint has something to stick to......

don't ya hate when work gets in the way of a rebuild....hehehehehe

[Sci85]

Yeah, it feels good to finally be back at it GK. I need to take a week off and really jump on it. I've probably got 4 or 5 earned up by now! And Flyboy, that new avatar is...let's just say distracting.

I was in the local shop buying a gasket the other day and I made the mistake of walking by the row of sparkling new triumphs. Man, I almost broke down and made a 4yr commitment. If I didn't know my wife would literally shoot me, I would have done it. It's been so warm this winter I am just dying to go ride but there's still so much work ahead...

[Sci85]

Alright! My first parts order for the baby kat finally came in. Woo Hoo!


I can finally start the first step in assembly which is to put the rear swingarm on and the front steering stem. Both parts needed new bearings as you recall.

Stem - before and new:



Swingarm - old and new



After watching all the great progress Brlk, Redneck, Hoosier Daddy, GK, Flyboy, etc have been making I am really stoked to finally begin building!

[Sci85]

Well, I worked on getting the bearings into the swingarm today. Right side went in nicely but the left side gave me fits. I should have put the bearing in the freezer overnight now that I think about it in hindsight. Anyway, i could only get it to within about a 2mm



before I broke my installation tool



So I may go to the store and get a beefier rod or just take it to the shop and have them finish pressing it in. I don't like going to the shop right now though because I have riding fever and those triumphs call my name every time I go in there lol!

[GateKeeper]

was it clean on the inside, no powder coating, or paint or rust ? but sometimes it needs a press to get them puppies in there, take it to the shop, save yourself any grief if the bearings get damaged your gonna wait more for new ones...

keep up the progress....

[brslk]

Is it not possible to press the bearing in with your bench vise or even a large C-clamp? I have done that in the past with universal joints.

Bruce.

[Sci85]

Yeah i cleaned the inside b4 install. There was no paint in there.

My bench vise is too small. But I didn't think about using a clamp. I do have some long beefy ones I could try but not sure I can get enough leverage to turn it but thanks for the idea Bruce.

I think I will will just go with GK and take it by the shop. I just need to avoid going inside haha. I really want one of those 900cc twin triumph scramblers they have on the showroom floor. Amazingly, they are fairly cheap. The 2012 model was only $8599. I figured they would be more than that.

Anyway, will work on the steering stem bearings tomorrow. Any tricks on getting the lower bearing off the stem? In the past I've usually just cut it off but surely there's an easier way?

Thanks guys.

[Flyboy]

Nice to see it going back together Sci, those bearings had indeed served their lifetime.
Just take it to your local engineering shop of motor car workshop if those wicked Triumphs tempt you so much.
I just hammer the lower steering stem bearing off with a big hammer and a chisel/drift, as it starts to move you can get a gradually wider edge in between, I guess a bit of heat would make quick work of the job, but I don't have any.

[brslk]

No kidding about the Triumphs being unfairly cheap but within making the wife kill you expensive.
Sooo pretty yet out of reach.

Bruce.