Topic: The Lost Socket Garage

[Scott S]

 She saw it with this solo seat and likes it. The P.O. wanted that back for his Sportster. It came with another solo seat, but it's not for this model.
 


 Parts are cheap for these bikes. I can get a brand new solo seat and pillion for less than getting the CB360 seat repaired. You can also get a small luggage rack for the pillion area.
 I'd insist on one of the two. I hated the un-finished look with that solo seat on there.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROYAL-ENFIELD-FRONT-REAR-SADDLE-SEAT-CLASSIC-ELECTRA-BULLET-FITTING-CAD-/362036322817?hash=item544b0be201:g:o8EAAOSw0UdXqG7Z&vxp=mtr

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I haven't ridden one.  Single (thumper) 500 should have some torque.  I hear they don't have much top end, so maybe they are akin to a single in a dirt/enduro style bike??

[Fezzler]

Get the 360 to the point where she can ride both it and the RE and see which one she feels more confident on?

[RAFster122s]

Sorry to read of your companion and loss.  It is not easy to say goodbye to them.
You have all the good memories.  After some time you may want another companion like  Guster, but you will have to go through the grieving process for Guster.

The S90s are fun bikes.  The label on the harness below the tank, if still there, can give you a clue to the year of the bike.  The year is printed on that tag if intact.  Everyone loves the bike and its beautiful tank and  lovely lines.  Nice amount of silver for early bikes and the bike color or the chrome on the last year and half to two years of production for US market.  They go for good money when in good shape too, if you market to the right group of sellers.  Do be sure to cover it for the loss if it occurs due to theft or to an accident.

[flatlander]

yes, sorry to hear about guster. these fourleggers become parts of our familly and our lives. although dog's lives seem unfairly short she became a good age and sounds like she had a wonderful time with you.

i've ridden the royal enfields in india. i like their look and the mix of old and new technology. for around town i would definitely consider one. that and small relaxed backgroads. but longer distance at higher speed or more agressive riding is not their thing, and on the highway i'd feel terribly exposed. they do have torque but virtually no hp. on indian roads where you can't go fast anyway that's all fine, but in the western world you need to be realistic about its limitations.

[MoMo]

I like the Enfield, especially with the original seat back on.   It'd be my choice over the 360, which was an awesome bike.  Sorry to hear of your loss...Larry

[RAFster122s]

The Enfield is an old design thumper and not the best at that...so with a light female it is going to feel great and give even better performance.
The more modern thumpers like a KTM 690 Duke, Aprilia Pegaso 650, Yamaha MT03. The first two might make good small touring bikes but they all shine in urban riding and in the twisties.

The old Enfield is not as refined a motor as the latest gen XT500, so you have to recognize its limitations.  A motorcycle has to know its limitations...to steal a bit of Clint Eastwood's great line...

So, she will love the bike in the twisties and around town but like Flatlander has said, it ain't gonna be much fun trying to do highway miles on it.

The Yamaha MT03 has 20 hp less than the SV650 "Wee Strom" that shows up when trying to do highway miles.  Oddly enough the Aprilia Pegaso uses the same Yamaha xt660 powerplant to better effect and not as noticeable an issue on the highway.

So, what kind of riding does she like and will the two of you be doing?

A XT500 motor dropped into an appropriately braced light frome could be entertaining, or find a good condition Ex500 or similar old Kawa sport bike motor with some good life left in it and go down the path of the Thorn build.

There is a thread of a 400 chassis being fitted with a Honda CB500R motor, the oil pan replacement might be a bit much though having to pay for that cnc work.  A crude TIG welded solution might be a far cheaper solution if the stock part could be TIG'd without massive issues.

Just some idle musing

[RAFster122s]

BTW, the S90 label is inside the frame and you would likely have to remove the harness to be able to access the tag around the harness.  A long "endoscope/boroscope" for a cellphone might be able to show you the tage without pulling the harness.

The S90 motor had many many variants, so research before buying to eliminate picking up the wrong gaskets and other parts and be careful with case gaskets as a mistake there can be quite costly if you block an oil passage.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I think the RE is an affordable option for entry level riding and the vintage look. It will be plenty of fun for a beginner.

[Scott S]

 I like the R.E., and so does she, but she's so short that the kick stand hits her leg when she tries to stand up on  the bike. The 360 fits better but, honestly, I don't feel like working on it any more.
 I want to finish the S90 and the Ascot.

 I have the 360 and the Bullet 500 on Craigslist. If she rides the S90 and decides that she DOES want to get back into riding, I'll find her something.

 I sure do dig the Enfield, though....

[Scott S]

Fired up the '84 VT500 Ascot project today. This bike has been sitting for at least ten years, probably longer. Runs pretty good, too. Smoked for a second, as to be expected....a sitting bike and I put some oil in the cylinders for initial start up....but cleared up. Idles and revs good on the stand. No leaks or drips. Ran it until the fan came on. I'll let it cool down and check coolant level. Dropped off the bodywork yesterday. This one might be a runner by next week!

[Fezzler]

A++

[Scott S]

 Rick at Oldskool Carbs did a great job, as usual. Installed these and didn't have to touch them (at least not while running off the I.V. bottle).

[Scott S]

 I don't know why vids embed on every other forum but this one, and I'm not smart enough to figure it out, so here ya go:

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Probably a great bike to flat track.

[Scott S]

 The choke is still on in that video. I later hooked up my fuel jug and ran it until the fan came on.

[RAFster122s]

I couldn't remember whom had asked the question on the Clutch discs for the 90cc vs 70cc...
Took a little digging...plus I had to be on the computer instead of the tablet to do this post.

"S90 clutches 101

The auto clutch disks from the CT90 will definitely not work.
I'm not sure about the CL70 or the S65 but I can offer the following.
The early S90 uses the same clutch as the pushrod 87cc CA200. They both have 2 fiber discs.
The C110 (50cc pushrod sport model with the manual clutch) has a thicker single fiber clutch plate that fits in the CA200 and S90.
(this I'm told was done in the 60's for added clutch pressure when higher performance motors were built)
Because it is thicker when 2 are used in a CA200 or S90  it requires a shim under the clutch actuator (against the actuator bearing).

Keep in mind thicker clutch plates compress the clutch springs more and cause the clutch housing to move closer to the center of the engine, NOT closer to the actuator. If thicker clutch plates are used a shim over the actuator bearing roughly equal to the added plate thickness is required. This can be done with a common (5/16" washer) if memory serves me correctly.

I would expect that this is also true for later S90 clutches as the main difference is that they have a larger root diameter in the crankshaft splines and use the same clutch plates as the early models. (someone correct me on this if I'm mistaken)

ScottK
St. Louis"

Scott is a member of the Yahoo S90 group

David

I have a bag full of clutch friction discs. Probably 25 or 30 of them.
None of them are the exact part number for the S90.
There are some S65, CL90, ATC, etc. I don't see any reason why they wouldn't work. The grooves are slightly different on some of them. But they fit the clutch basket and the thickness seems the same.
Can I use them in my 1965 S90?

[Scott S]

 I went through my entire bag and couldn't find any that measured out to the proper thickness. Or rather, "thin-ness"...they were all too thick and would have made the stack too high.
 Luckily, the one's in the bike were still within spec, so we cleaned up everything and reassembled the clutch basket.


 Not much to report these days.
* Sold the 360
* Waiting for the title for the Enfield so I can sell it
* Cleaned up some covers, scraped off some old gaskets, etc., for the S90 project
* Dropped off the bodywork and fairing for the Ascot. Only the fairing is being painted and the painter had some trouble with getting the paint to stick. He's going to buff out the original paint on the tank and side covers. Except, I got it all to him just in time for him to start vacation. So, everything is just sort of sitting right now.

[Scott S]

 Got the fairing and bodywork back from the painter. He buffed out the original paint and color matched the fairing. Looks really nice, I think.
 The petcock is leaking behind the selector lever, but only when in ON or RES, not on OFF. It's a riveted type and I don't know if they're rebuildable or not. Also, while the bike ran great on the IV bottle, I think the slow jet in the rear carb is now plugged. Doesn't want to run on that cylinder at idle and there's a big surge of power when I get above the pilot jet circuit. Guess I'll be tearing this thing back down to remove/rebuild/replace the petcock and clean the carbs one more time.....GRRR!

[Fezzler]

When black is done well, it is nice!  Great job, as always. 

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I bet that would be a fun bike to learn how to flat track on without dying trying.

[MoMo]

I bet that would be a fun bike to learn how to flat track on without dying trying.

It probably is, there is a guy around here with dozens of them(both twins and singles) who races them.  Larry

[MCRider]

I bet that would be a fun bike to learn how to flat track on without dying trying.

It probably is, there is a guy around here with dozens of them(both twins and singles) who races them.  Larry

Biggest drawback (I've heard) is the driveshaft limits the gearing options.

[Scott S]

 I've heard of people swapping in the Shadow rear end for different gearing ratios...lower, I think?

[Fezzler]

I owned a 98 Shadow ACE.  Yes, folks did that a bunch.