The 2,298 Mile Wes Cooley

[Vmass]

[QUOTE=russr33;1949574]

Ah well you never know; I just might know a guy that has an extra one laying around.....

Well, if you happen to run into that guy, please have him PM me with his demands......

[russr33]

I'll send you a PM; I'm sure we an work something out.

[Vmass]

I found a little time to do some exploring of the bike.

I did the following to see what things look like:

1) Remove exhaust
2) Removed plugs
3) Drained oil
4) Inspected gauges and controls
5) Cleaned exterior of tank and inspected inside
6) Overall scan of all components

The pipe came off without issue, I was able to separate the header and can with 30 seconds of wiggling. Overall, the exhaust is in nice shape. Has a couple dents underneath in the usually spot and a little scrape/dent at the end of the can. I like Larry's idea to ceramic coat the pipe, although bringing it to it's original chrome state would be cool too.

The spark plugs gave no indication of issues. They are NGK plugs that appear to be period correct. I had this thought as I pulled them, wondering if they are the original plugs. I don't think there is any way of knowing.

I pulled the drain plug and prepared myself for a flow of some ugly fluid, gunk and bits. I was pleasantly surprised......... the oil looks very close to what you would expect oil to look like after running it for 2,200 miles. Is it possible?? It had a very light smell of fuel. The drain bolt had just a bit of sludge. There is no indication of the pan being dropped, this will be one of my next tasks.

Gauges and controls are I great shape. Missing the little knob on the clock. Cables lines and grips all seem to be original.

The fuel tank interior is virtually rust free and does contain small amount of fuel. I will drain and inspect it soon. The tank and all top surfaces have some type of overspray on it. I can't tell if it is 30 years of dust or something else. I did a quick hand compounding, followed by a clay bar. This process cleaned up the paint, but did not remove much of the overspray feel.

After a good scan of the bike, the history we were given of the bike seems plausible. The tires are matching IRC brand, which are mentioned in the 1979 owners manual. All brake lines are dated 1979. Cables and lines are all directed properly.

With the help of you guys, I have located an air box, original pipes and a baffle for the yoshimura. I am not sure if I will be setting it up with the Yoshi/stacks first or back to original first.

Thanks!

[Kiwi Canuck]

I found a little time to do some exploring of the bike.

I did the following to see what things look like:

1) Remove exhaust
2) Removed plugs
3) Drained oil
4) Inspected gauges and controls
5) Cleaned exterior of tank and inspected inside
6) Overall scan of all components

The pipe came off without issue, I was able to separate the header and can with 30 seconds of wiggling. Overall, the exhaust is in nice shape. Has a couple dents underneath in the usually spot and a little scrape/dent at the end of the can. I like Larry's idea to ceramic coat the pipe, although bringing it to it's original chrome state would be cool too.

The spark plugs gave no indication of issues. They are NGK plugs that appear to be period correct. I had this thought as I pulled them, wondering if they are the original plugs. I don't think there is any way of knowing.

I pulled the drain plug and prepared myself for a flow of some ugly fluid, gunk and bits. I was pleasantly surprised......... the oil looks very close to what you would expect oil to look like after running it for 2,200 miles. Is it possible?? It had a very light smell of fuel. The drain bolt had just a bit of sludge. There is no indication of the pan being dropped, this will be one of my next tasks.

Gauges and controls are I great shape. Missing the little knob on the clock. Cables lines and grips all seem to be original.

The fuel tank interior is virtually rust free and does contain small amount of fuel. I will drain and inspect it soon. The tank and all top surfaces have some type of overspray on it. I can't tell if it is 30 years of dust or something else. I did a quick hand compounding, followed by a clay bar. This process cleaned up the paint, but did not remove much of the overspray feel.

After a good scan of the bike, the history we were given of the bike seems plausible. The tires are matching IRC brand, which are mentioned in the 1979 owners manual. All brake lines are dated 1979. Cables and lines are all directed properly.

With the help of you guys, I have located an air box, original pipes and a baffle for the yoshimura. I am not sure if I will be setting it up with the Yoshi/stacks first or back to original first.

Thanks!

Rich, that's great news, good to hear the "his-story" of the bike is matching with the actual condition.
Will be interested to see if any other Yoshi stuff was added other than the pipe.
Those were definitely original tires, I remember them well, first thing we did when we raced was to replace them, so always had a bunch to sell.

One of our team mates was sponsored by IRC so he had to run them and they were OK but not quite as good as after market tires, probably cost him 1 sec a lap on most circuits and was a pretty hairy ride for him.

We used Avon Road Runners in 78, Dunlop Red Arrows in 79 and Pirelli Phantoms in 1980 IIRC, same as the ones on the ebay Cooley Replica currently for sale in CA.

Good luck and keep posting, I'm eager to hear how it's coming along.

[Vmass]

No real progress, but getting closer.

I have the complete original air box setup.

I also picked up the original pipes that Dave found on the Burlington, VT craigslist.

The seller of the pipes is a restorer of British bikes. Turned out he was heading down to Bellingham, MA (40 miles from me) to a specialty shop that corrects motorcycle tracking issues. He had a 70's Norton rolling chassis with him, pretty cool.

Anyway, that made getting the pipes easy, a well as reasonably priced transaction. I think the only missing part is the clamp for the cross pipe.

I have a baffle for the Yosh en route to me, thanks to Russ and a broom handle!

Thinking of maybe seeing what is available for stock set of carbs and then keeping the current set to pair with the Yosh.........worth the effort money, or just swap jets as needed?


Picked up my Robert Barr O-rings and hope to set up the bike on my new HF lift today.

[Vmass]

Picked up the new HF lift and set the Cooley up! What a great lift for 299 bucks!





Started cleaning the original pipes, they will clean up well with steel wool and polish:





Aside from the Yoshi pipe, still haven't found anything that looks altered from it's original state:














Happy Thanksgiving!!

[jwhelan65]

So what is the plan in the end for this one?

[tatu]

Very nice sharp edges to everything no bolt heads damaged, is that a 530 chain?

[Vmass]

So what is the plan in the end for this one?

Hey Joe,

I don't have an end plan for this bike............ I really enjoyed the last Cooley project and I certainly didn't do it with the intent to sell.

I just had the sense the timing was right and it was. The new owner was thrilled and I hope is still enjoying the bike (ratty Yoshi excluded).

With that said, I do seem to have the tendency to enjoy something for a bit and then move on to something else.

However, this bike just seems special. The chase was interesting, with lots of help along the way and the story behind the bike is somewhat cool!

The nice thing about the Cooley is the following. It's a bike that commands a price high enough to keep them in caring hands.

[Vmass]

Very nice sharp edges to everything no bolt heads damaged, is that a 530 chain?

I haven't touched the chain..........do you see something that indicates a change from the original 630? I am thinking no............even the tires are original.

[jwhelan65]

Hey Joe,

I don't have an end plan for this bike............ I really enjoyed the last Cooley project and I certainly didn't do it with the intent to sell.

I just had the sense the timing was right and it was. The new owner was thrilled and I hope is still enjoying the bike (ratty Yoshi excluded).

With that said, I do seem to have the tendency to enjoy something for a bit and then move on to something else.

However, this bike just seems special. The chase was interesting, with lots of help along the way and the story behind the bike is somewhat cool!

The nice thing about the Cooley is the following. It's a bike that commands a price high enough to keep them in caring hands.

I could not agree more, they are golden. My hunt continues for the right bike. I have had a build list going on for a couple of years for one of these things. I luv the stock look but my spider senses tell me a non-invasive, reversible, period correct, lightly modified build would happen if I get ahold of one.

Great job on your second go around, its always a thrill to see your steady attention to detail as it progresses.

[nvr2old]

I agree you guys. That was what I wanted with mine, also. Slightly modded with era correct changes that wouldn't affect or change what's so special about the S to begin with.

[Vmass]

Finally got a little time to continue the breakdown. Pulled the carbs and everything seemed to move freely.

Unlike my 1980, these carb boot screws came off with a simple twist. I remember having to use and impact driver and was expecting the same. O-rings were in good shape.

Very clean inside the intake port. I did notice the inner edge of the port looks like it was beveled ad I don't recall seeing this on the 80'.

[Vmass]

Valve Clearance Check

I was happy to get a little garage time today and did a check of the valve clearances. Here is what I found:

Exhaust

1) .051/2.80
2) .076/2.75
3) .076/2.75
4) .076/2.75

Intake

1) <.038/2.80
2) .051/2.80
3) .063/2.75
4) <.038/2.75

I am not sure if others add or subtract rom the feeler gauge measurements, depending on how tight the fit is.

Intake #1 and #4 would not take the smallest feeler. However, the shims and buckets would spin freely.

Should I order a couple 2.70's and 2.65's?

Here is a couple pictures of the cams and chain......looking very young!

[Nessism]

Looks like you need one 2.70. Pretty sure I have a spare so PM me if you want it. Doubtful to be needed on anything other than a super low mileage engine.

Interesting that the cam sprocket has that resin cushion shoulder for the chain. Pretty sure Suzuki stopped doing those in 1980, for the 1000 anyway. The resin would sometimes crack and separate, so keep an eye on that.