Topic: The highs and lows of old bikes

[BomberMann650]

Loud pipes save lives.

In a manner of speaking 

[WhyNot2]

Well, I'm about to sell mine...........750 can't get it running right, no matter what I do.

The 350F pisses all over the place, and can't get it started.

The 100 smells of gas when running, and the oil has a gas smell.

The 350 twin is spread out through the garage, shed, and back yard.

The 175 has no motor.

[rb550four]

  I have found that the high is the rebuild, no matter how many machines I have . And if I keep them long enough my taste will change or better parts come along  and work will begin again on the once finished machine. The build doesn't have to end,  it can be improved. And it's always fun to be at work in your own garage doing what you wish you could do full time. It don't know if it can get better than that!
   And yes , I've found it like what SteveO  says, 6 runners for a rider with half a life is a handful. There isn't enough time off (for me) to exercise 6 in NY , maybe if I was in a southern climate I could get a few more miles in. But  even so there's gonna be some dead batteries, some funky fuel, oil changes , spark plugs ....and then the normal stuff that needs to be maintained. It can always be done on a rain day or when American Idol is on....That show is on most every night , could get em all done in a week or 2  around here when I get the urge.
  It's the tires I hate the most , not enough miles but more than enough time on them to make me wonder just how safe they are when I get frisky on the back roads. Better safe than sorry or, park it and ride one with new tires on it, better safe and not broke and not sorry, there 's some tires round here and a balance must be found. 
   Keeping them all shined up and the rust off , thought that could be a bother , but I find that when it's time to shine em up , I reconnect with each of them, maybe change some parts around with some of the others just to make each one of them a little better.
Then fall in love with them all over when I wax them......slowly .......on the beach under the shade of the palms. Nevermind, it never happens like that , but I do find it enjoyable with the tunes up high and the clock justa spinnin' away in the background.
  Even with new gaskets that leave drops of oil beneath some of them( I have paint trays under each machine to collect those drops whether they drip or not) , yeah if there's any lows, I think that 's the one I like the least. All the rest of it is just a little slice of heaven.

[scunny]

" wax them......slowly .......on the beach under the shade of the palms"
and that is funny as #$%*. thank you.

[70CB750]

I have only two on the road and one in boxes.

The plan is to dedicate the 900 as full time cargo sidecar rig and when I am done with Dorothy I will have three bikes to juggle - seems doable now 

It is much easier with guns 

[simon#42]

my mate said that fixing bikes is much easies than fixing cars , my other mate just shook his head and walked off ..... he restores steam locomotives !

[rb550four]

  That is a strange hobby but not as strange as one might think .I've seen a few steel fabricating companies locally with locomotives being rebuilt on the sides of the shops. There's a guy out in buffalo ny that actually has his trains running around his yard, circling his house. That hobby is one of massive scale, everything is super heavy ,probably very expensive and dangerous. I wonder if parts are easy to get? Amazon won't be doing much free shipping on that stuff I bet.

[BomberMann650]

I have only two on the road and one in boxes.

The plan is to dedicate the 900 as full time cargo sidecar rig and when I am done with Dorothy I will have three bikes to juggle - seems doable now 

It is much easier with guns 

Make sure there isn't one in the chamber before juggling the guns 

[BenelliSEI]

Sean......that is one fine looking ride! What brand of clip one did you use? I need something with some adjustment on the Rickman.......

[ken65]

In the last few days I've rebuilt and been testing  my vacuum fuel tap for my H1.
I flatted and polished all the mating surfaces and it still leaks albeit about one drop every minute or two out of a couple of lines.
I've had it apart a dozen times and this is the best result.
So near enough doesn't cut it with these things. I'm waiting for a NOS oil line to arrive and if it fixes my air in oil pipe woes I'm flogging
this beautiful looking heap of #$%* ASAP.

[seanbarney41]

Sean......that is one fine looking ride! What brand of clip one did you use? I need something with some adjustment on the Rickman.......

check out Tarrozi at FastFromthePast...they have two different heights of fully adjustable riser clip ons and the ones I have the angle of drop is eccentrically adjustable all available in lots of fork tube diameters...hopefully even 41mm?

[grcamna2]

Just remember, newer bikes have problems too.  The only old bike that has ever stranded me anywhere was the newest street bike I have ever owned.  It was not repairable....a clean old vf500f left this world.

Terry jinxed that VF500 Sean,all the way from Aus.
I would love to get a hold of another Honda VF.

[seanbarney41]

Just remember, newer bikes have problems too.  The only old bike that has ever stranded me anywhere was the newest street bike I have ever owned.  It was not repairable....a clean old vf500f left this world.

Terry jinxed that VF500 Sean,all the way from Aus.
I would love to get a hold of another Honda VF.

to be honest...I really miss that bike.  Holding out for 87' up VFR of any size

[grcamna2]

I had an 86 VFR750F1,had it bored 4mm per cyl. with an 840cc Dynamo Hum kit(JE pistons) and had a guy port the heads w/ Megacycle cams.The bike really needed a set of HRC kit carbs and custom exhaust,then I ran out of $ 
The 2nd and 3rd Gen. VFRs are more of a mid-range power bike with a really fat midrange.The 1st Gen VFR750s and VFR700s had that powerband similar to the VF500F Interceptors,you hit 7K and they had a big step up in power.
The problem with the older ones(I didn't like)was an 18" rear and 16" front wheel,tough to find any tires like the new ones with 17".
"More Stock Than Not" makes it better for me lately,unless I've got time and $ to burn,haven't got there yet 

[bear]

I've finally made the decision to let go of all my competition stuff.
My wife's right, it makes no sense hanging onto it but with a twenty foot shipping container full of it to sort out I'm not sure where to start.....at the front I suppose.
I feel fairly pragmatic about it all but letting go of my last sidecar maybe a different story and I'm not sure why, the bloody thing nearly killed me.

[simon#42]

I've finally made the decision let go of all my competition stuff.
My wife's right, it makes no sense hanging onto it but with a twenty foot shipping container full of it to sort out I'm not sure where to start.....at the front I suppose.
I feel fairly pragmatic about it all but letting go of my last sidecar maybe a different story and I'm not sure why, the bloody thing nearly killed me.

cant seem to sell mine even though i know i cant race any more . at least i haven't bought any more for a while ! 

[Scott S]

 This weekend, I plan to install a new valve cover O-ring on the 550 project to stop a leak. Might go ahead and sync the carbs and set the timing with a light. It has points and I was waiting to do all of that once the electronic ignition shows up, but it seems to be on a slow boat from China. Literally.

 And I'll install the new voltage regulator on the VW. There are two styles of Bosch 82N alternators. The regulator is a drop in for one. The other takes a 30 minute wiring job. Oh, boy... I can't wait to see which one I have! Any bets?!

 Or...I could just turn my back on all of this and go for a ride.

 That new Triumph Speed Twin sure is looking good these days. Maybe when they start showing up used...

[Trevor from Warragul]

In the last few days I've rebuilt and been testing  my vacuum fuel tap for my H1.
I flatted and polished all the mating surfaces and it still leaks albeit about one drop every minute or two out of a couple of lines.
I've had it apart a dozen times and this is the best result.

One word - Pingel

http://www.pingelonline.com/motorcycle-fuel-valves/triple-outlet-8210-t-ah.asp

Okay, so you have to turn it off & on, but hey, I have a twin-shock CBX, so it's second nature...

[grcamna2]

That Pingel may not look 'oem period correct' but it works  that's the thing that matters to me

[ken65]

The Pingel sure is the way to go. I've got a couple of last ditch options to try first.
Fingers crossed.

[grcamna2]

Ken,
When those carbs flood,plugs foul.
I hope that oil pump problem is mended with the new line,have you replaced(or rebuilt) the pump ?

[grcamna2]

This weekend, I plan to install a new valve cover O-ring on the 550 project to stop a leak. Might go ahead and sync the carbs and set the timing with a light. It has points and I was waiting to do all of that once the electronic ignition shows up, but it seems to be on a slow boat from China. Literally.

 And I'll install the new voltage regulator on the VW. There are two styles of Bosch 82N alternators. The regulator is a drop in for one. The other takes a 30 minute wiring job. Oh, boy... I can't wait to see which one I have! Any bets?!

 Or...I could just turn my back on all of this and go for a ride.

 That new Triumph Speed Twin sure is looking good these days. Maybe when they start showing up used...

Ruby is a sweet looking VW Scott Here's hoping you put some miles on her.

[scunny]

I'm running an el cheapo motion pro tap on the 650.
For those that aren't looking to spend top dollar.
It flows more than enough than the engine requires.
It turns off, when you turn it off.
Caveat required, mine is a male threaded petcock into the tank. I don't know if they make the petcocks that use screws to connect to the tank.

[Scott S]

This weekend, I plan to install a new valve cover O-ring on the 550 project to stop a leak. Might go ahead and sync the carbs and set the timing with a light. It has points and I was waiting to do all of that once the electronic ignition shows up, but it seems to be on a slow boat from China. Literally.

 And I'll install the new voltage regulator on the VW. There are two styles of Bosch 82N alternators. The regulator is a drop in for one. The other takes a 30 minute wiring job. Oh, boy... I can't wait to see which one I have! Any bets?!

 Or...I could just turn my back on all of this and go for a ride.

 That new Triumph Speed Twin sure is looking good these days. Maybe when they start showing up used...

Ruby is a sweet looking VW Scott Here's hoping you put some miles on her.

 Thanks! I was able to fix the charging issue with relatively few curse words. It was easier than I thought but, initially, I thought it was gonna be "one of those" jobs.
 Now..on to tackle the oil leak on the 550.

 But I'm also gonna take some time to ride. And maybe find a place to go hiking with the dogs and my girl. Try to decompress a little.

[ken65]

Ken,
When those carbs flood,plugs foul.
I hope that oil pump problem is mended with the new line,have you replaced(or rebuilt) the pump ?

Have replaced the pump and rebuilt the original  pump. Same symptoms. Recently was told it sounds like the check valve in that line..
Turns out its possible for the cylinder to draw more than  the pump can flow if the check valve isnt spot on  hence air being sucked in from the pump end.

The carbs aren't flooding, they're ok. Valve and seats are working as they should.  Long story but its fuel tap related.