New bike project.

New project, a bike with a motor this time, I’ve been working on this for a while so done quite a bit so far. It’s been 20 years since I sat or worked on a bike, last one was a Triumph Bonny, they just cost too much these days so I settled for a 74 TX650 wreck and boy did it turn out to be a wreck. I have psoriatic arthritis so I’ve largely lost the use of my hands but I manage a few hours work on it every day. I’ll never be able to ride it thanks to the PsA so this will be a long term project: Every nut, bolt spoke, piece of steel was rusted through. Inspection also revealed the chain had come off at same stage, as well as removing the top section of the crankcase as in the picture, it also tore the top section of the gearbox drum shifter bearing housing off. After tearing the engine apart I sent off for a second hand set of crankcase.

The bike came with an extra set of carbs, mag wheels and a pair of spoked wheels and a box of assorted bits and pieces. While I was waiting for the cases, I cut the rusted spokes off the wheels, stuck the hubs on the lathe, trued up the castings and then polished them using cloth wheels and progressively finer compounds. The rims, which were badly damaged from tyre irons and badly pitted from oxidisation, were repaired, ground and polished. While on a polishing kick I also polished the top triple tree, lower fork sliders, brake backing plate, brake fluid distributor, brake master cylinr and also bead blasted the switches and polished them up. Polishing on the buffer machine really hurts my hands so I have to loop a roop around my neck, tie it to the item to be polished to support it and then polish. It took quite a while to do the polishing as I could only manage an hour or under each day, any more and I’d be laid up recouperating for a few days. A very painful job for me, polishing. Some pics of the journey:

 

No, disagree. Cast ally can be made to shine as good as billet, may take a little longer and a different approach. Proof is in the pudding, look at the finish on the cast ally on the bike.

 

This afternoon I taught myself to mig aluminium. The key was finding the right volts, wire feed, stick out, speed and watching the heat build up, that had me stumped for a bit, wondered why each successive run was worse than the last - heat build up!. Oh, a steady hand also helps, but that's beyond this old codger now, hence the wobbly runs. Excellent penetration too, after welding an external edge joint, I ground it down flat then belted the hell out of it trying to separate the joint. Not too bad for an hour or so practice. A whole new world of aluminium fabricating has opened up now, should have taught myself to weld aluminium year's ago. Talk about messy though, splatter everywhere. And I burnt the crap out of my arm from flash, the flash is 10 times brighter than when welding steel.

 

Amazing work especially considering the hand. I'd like to teach myself to MiG weld Al. but so far no luck.

Your project shows some very special skills. I like your home made manometer for tuning, I never used one, always tuned by ear, only on cars in those days. Didn't get into bikes until much later.

The polishing job reminds me of when I did a similar job on my 1993 HD FXR. The motor had busted a crankpin so while the motor was out being rebuilt I set about polishing all the polished Al bits. This was around 2007-8, it was a huge job, but finally got it done I also had the tank and guards etc repainted at the same time.

Finally the bike was all reassembled, just like a new one. It actually went really well. A couple of years later I bought a new 2010 Road King, and sold the FXR to of all people a Ducati guy. He later told me that he had ridden it to the super bikes at Philip Island, and he now preferred it to his Ducati.

I'm still have the Road King, although it now has 3 wheels courtesy of motor trike conversions.

Keep up the good work, and keep posting

BTW I also live in Adelaide.

 

You probably know this but I didn't see it mentioned. The primary "trick" to welding aluminum is, wait for it, material prep and cleanliness. Yes heat buildup happens fast with aluminum, but you can't imagine how much cleanliness means. A little film of oxization builds up fast with aluminum. Clean up the particles and oils with acetone. FYI which you may already know, stay away from brake/carb cleaners. Their is an ingredient that used to be used and can be found in some formulas, that is triggered by the temperature in combination with the UV light. It essentially creates the same phosgene gas that was used in WWI. I don't trust anything from China due to their process handling, and QA, so I don't even keep it in the same area as where I weld.

While I am thinking about safety, welding in shorts and flip flops? I see that on vids and always wonder. I have burnt holes in my cloaths, don't need a zipper on one pair of pants. Burnt through the top of my steel toe shoes, synthetic sneaker style, and through the sock. This little piggie went WEEE WEEE OWUHH. I now put my full leather steel toe boots on if I even contemplate welding that work session. It always seems that I start with "I am only going to do this little seam." Kind of like most car accidents happen within two miles of the home. I am not griping, just don't want to see you stalling your project due to an injury.

 

Yep, I wear shorts, short sleeve shirts, crocks and no gloves. Been welding for 55 years, now in my 70th year, never wrapped myself in cotton wool and still have all my toes, all my fingers, all my skin and good eyesight. That pretty well sums it up.

When I started work in a metal fabrication business in the mid 60s, there was no PPE: no glasses, no gloves, we all wore shorts and short sleeve shirts, about the only nod to safety was boots, not steel caps either as I don't think they were even available then. And we only wore boots because they lasted longer than tennis shoes. Wrap yourselves up in cotton wool all you like, I'll keep going as I have for the last 55 years.

When I served in the RAAF as a police dog handler there was no PPE then either, no earmuffs on the range, no full padded suit when being attacked, just a padded arm protector and some fancy foot and arm work. Over the years I had half my left tit ripped off, 15 stitches worth, still have the scar 45 years on. I had a 50c size chunk ripped out of my arm, and later on spent two weeks wrapped in bandages from shoulder to finger tip on both arms after being mauled, and you know what, I still went to work, still trained dogs, still got bitten and still have all my fingers toes and skin. And most importantly, I have no regrets!

 

Different places had different rules I started my apprenticeship in Jan 1961, they had very strict rules about safety clothing. The apprentices, the tradesmen, and all the production line workers, all had to wear mostly combination overalls, some jobs like welding required leather apron, hard boots leather gauntlet type gloves. within a few months of starting all the presses wee fitted with safety gates etc It was a very safe place to work back in that era. It was a non union shop, and yet nearly all of us got well over award pay. It was a good and happy place to work.

I still mostly follow those rules I don't use leather except for gloves, but I do wear sturdy shoes, denim jeans. and denim shirt plus leather gloves. and of course auto helmet/

 

Good for you!

 

I am just thankful that the next generation of machinists, carpenters, fabricators, and welders are being trained to protect themselves from injury and long term buld up of carcinogens. Guess it is just playing the odds as to the degree of what injuries are sustained when performing operations that have a high risk associated to them. Just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should do something. As dinosaurs, we should help to promote better processes rather than defend our archaic ways. Good for you that you still have all your limbs at least. I'll leave my injuries for the stupid stunts I pull. And god knows I pull some daisies.

 

I don't preach. Perhaps you shouldn't either.

Anyway, that's the end of my posts here, the fwits are invading.

 

Don't know if it's been mentioned but there is a very good forum for the XS650