Sorted? Not Too Far Now…

Okay, so the last time I posted there was a problem with the Guzzi firing only on one cylinder.  Fuel was clearly coming through the carburettor as the flame in the exhaust and the rather loud misfire was testament to.  So a couple of days ago the left hand spark plug was pulled out and held against the engine with it being started to check on the strength of the spark which on inspection was considered very good.  So today the float bowl was taken off again to check that the float wasn’t set too low and running lean.  It was fine.  We changed the spark plugs over and checked their gaps too to find that one was way out…could this be the culprit?  Indeed it was as we are firing on both cylinders and the exhausts are hot on both sides whereas the left one was previously stone cold.  Sorted!

The next issue was the intermittent starter motor which was requiring a ‘tap’ with a screwdriver handle to ensure the solenoid engaged properly.  The starter motor can be seen below picked out in a lovely shade which will need re-painting…or replacing!

So the starter was taken off and the solenoid taken apart to inspect and clean the contacts which are the likely cause.

 

 

Once back together tapping on the solenoid casing was still required, however it then started to engage as it should without any tapping needed.  I am hoping that this situation continues and that a new starter is not needed…it could be that the contacts have bedded in slightly from their earlier cleaning.

Next up was a bit of fabrication and welding for the seat pan…none of which I have the skills to do, so these tasks were handled by my brother-in-law again who has done a smashing job as usual.  Now the seat pan will be secured in the middle and has an extension at the front that was welded on today that hooks under a lip at the rear of the tank.

  A piece of box section welded to the underneath of the seat pan raises the hook enough for the pan to be correctly seated…

…and temporarily fitted…

…along with the rear light and number plate mount which requires a little adjustment to centralise it.

The gear lever needed some adjustment as I had positioned it too high originally, but as these lovely rear sets have plenty of adjustment potential I am sure I can fine tune it as required.

And finally…away she goes!!!

So, what’s left then?  Well, some adjustment to the seat pan to centralise it better and in due course a lovely leather upholstered seat will take the place of a small square of race seat foam!  But for the purposes of the MOT the foam will suffice.  The bar end mirror needs milling down a tiny fraction to go inside the clip-on tube.  There is a problem with the front right brake calliper binding on so the front wheel is going to be coming out again to try and find the cause…then it will be MOT time, hopefully within the next couple of weeks or so.

Nearly There…

…well it feels that we are closing in on the finish line.  No doubt there will be more issues to resolve once the finish line has been passed.

The first issue that came to light once a 50m test ride showed was that something was holding the bike back.  This was traced to an everso slightly too long pair of bolts holding the rear brake caliper on…might have been my fault that…picking up the wrong bolts.  The disc has been slightly scored as a result but nothing major that will impact upon the braking operation.

As can be seen from the photo above some bits of paint are going to need touching up where brake fluid has got on it whilst bleeding them.

As can be seen from this photo below the brake calipers are in my ideal position behind the fork legs, simply aesthetics.  However, reversing them to this position has the unintended effect of making the speedo needle try and run backwards.  Also, as I didn’t get the tyre taken off and reversed the correct rotation direction is now back to front.  I could have spent an age looking for an anti-clockwise speed drive and taken the tyre off and turn it around, but it was easier to put the fork legs back as they were from the factory.

 

The white residue that can be seen on the wheel and mudguard is from using brake cleaner to remove brake fluid…it will all tidy up by the end.

 

 

The process of removing the front wheel, whipping the forks out and bleeding the brakes was surprisingly straight forward.  The brake lines will be clamped to the forks with p-clips to tidy it up.

 

Considering how useful the centre stand is I am thinking that although it keeps quite a bit of weight on the bike I may keep it on permanently…not sure yet, but whilst debating the pros and cons I thought I would put another spring on it…not a lot of skill required.

After a little tweaking we now have a working throttle assembly from a Honda 250 crosser.

…and whilst balancing the carbs the throttle is working perfectly. 

 

Once the brakes had been filled with fluid and bled using the back bleeding method with a syringe on the caliper bleed nipple the front brake lever still travelled too far back to the bar.  As the span adjuster screw was in as far as it would go it was decided that the actuating rod that enters the master cylinder could do with being longer.  So a slim bolt was cut down and shaped and has firmed up the lever with enough travel to work the front brakes without going back to the bar.

 

With a little stutter we tried the Little Goose up the road…in the second clip you can see flame coming from the nearside (left) exhaust silencer….hmmm…unburnt fuel for some reason?

 

 

Can’t beat a misfire late at night!  Consideration is being given to the float possibly sticking in the left carburettor as the left hand cylinder and exhaust silencer were both barely warm compared to the other side which was as hot as you might expect.  So a clean of the carb is on the cards…again.

Next time more fabrication on the seat, fit grips to the bars and pop a bar end mirror on…then we might be ready for the MOT once she runs right.

I Have Seen The Light…

…in the form of a Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welder, wielded by someone who knows how to use such a beast. 

Yesterday was a pleasant three hours tackling the seat fabrication mainly and adapting a throttle assembly.  Naively a couple of blogs ago I thought the finish line was within touching distance.  I liken this to the same way I find that it is the last mile to any unknown destination when using a Satnav that is the hardest to navigate; so it seems is completing a motorcycle.  To be fair, what I am learning now is that when deviating even a little from the original specification will no doubt require quite a bit of problem solving for the seemingly smallest of tasks.  Greater planning at the beginning of the next project, as there will be a next project, will hopefully be tackled with more forethought.

 

It was decided that in order to mount the original seat pan securely it would need a bracket to be welded to its underside for the most forward mount.  So a spare piece of flat bar that used to be the homemade regulator/rectifier bracket on this very bike was pressed into action as a seat mounting point.  Skilfully, my brother-in-law used the MIG welder to fill a previously drilled hole that was in the wrong place, so that a hole could be placed in the right place, allowing this bracket and therefore the seat to mount to the frame.  Welded to this were a couple of captive nuts for the locating bolts to attach from underneath the frame into the seat.  I describe this as I forgot to take photos of this bit but will post some next time.

 

…welding on the captive nuts.

 

…some grinding to prepare the seat to accept the newly made flat bracket.

Another bracket was formed to hang from under the rear of the seat that mounts the rear light…curiously not seen in this photo!

A new, supposedly ‘twin-pull’ RFX throttle assembly had to be modified as it was not a twin pull...it was a ‘push-pull’ type.  So another channel for the second throttle cable was formed in the assembly with an angle grinder making the cables both go in the same direction, transforming it into a ‘twin pull’.  As the assembly has the correct 90° bend in it, the cables will be routed correctly behind the headlight and along the main frame tube neatly.  The length of the plastic grip was also not long enough so the sealed end was cut off to all the throttle to meet up with the front master cylinder.

And just to be sure that the cable barrels/nipples I got last week, a quick solder proved they fit this throttle assembly just fine.

 

…and fitted securely in the throttle twist grip.  Brilliant.

So, what remains to do now?

• Clean out the carburettors , adjust their float levels and balance them if required.
• Clean out the remaining shot from the petrol tank when it was shot blasted.
• Use shorter fuel pipes from carburettors to the petrol tank taps, possibly with an additional set of glass fuel filters.
• Mount the rear seat to frame bracket with any welding if required.
• Continue with bleeding the front brakes.
• Put fluid into the rear brake system and bleed.
• Finalise the routing of throttle cables and ensure they work smoothly in the new assembly.
• Upholstering the seat is going to be left to a professional.
• Ministry of Transport Test!!!

It’s Always The Little Things…

…that throw a spanner in the works.  This time in the form of leaky carburettors.  They were a little gummed up and have been given a bit of a clean out but there’s still something sticking that is making fuel torrent out of the overflows.  So, some work there needed, with maybe some more adjustment on the float height and cleaning.

Seen in the daylight proper for the first time in a while, resplendent with a super new loom…back of a trailer doesn’t really count.

Just add fuel…

  

  The nearside carb was whipped off and given a cursory clean whilst a puddle of petrol can be seen under the offside carb in the close up.

 

…and then back on and and off with the offside carb.  Cleaning and what I think will be the start of a process of elimination with float height ended with both carbs pouring fuel out.  So the carbs are the ‘little things’ that have chucked a minor spanner in the works along with the starter motor solenoid which was previously suspected as being a little sticky and requires a gentle bash from time to time to waken.  This will require a strip, clean and re-grease in the none too distant future.

So that was Saturday morning…Friday night was more productive with the correct braided brake line fitted at the front and partially bled.  Not having done this before on a bike, I was surprised how long and delicate a task it is…probably half way with the fronts being bled and just the rear brake to do.  The banjos on the front calipers are orientated so that there is ease of access to the pads…which was a great idea…not thought up by me I hasten to add!

And just to prove that Friday nights are better than Saturday mornings, a quick video of the bike alive and breathing with lights and sound.