Topic: What did you do to your bike today ?

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Throttle cables installed. Don't like the feel but it will do for now.

Took the battery to O'Reilly's for a load test. He put it on HIS charger for 28 minutes and it tested good. Back home I installed it. Turns over better but not as fast as the 1000. Second pull the pressure popped!

Still need to set the timing advance. Waiting on info for that. Replace the plugs and attach the wires. Running outta #$%* to do except for the starter button.

Anticipation and a gas tank.

[MD]

Removed the rear tire on the '85 GL1200A.  Required some metal work on the left side exhaust to allow the axial to pass underneath.  If the muffler section was 1/4" shorter, the axial would have had clearance.  Research on the web stated that stock mufflers do not block the axial.   Date stamp on the tire indicated it was 10 years old. 

-MD

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

It lives! 

Took a bit to get it started. Battery ran down even with headlight fuse pulled. Strong gas smell. Dyna 2000 ignition dialed in. I don't believe the battery is as "good" as the guy says so that will be replaced. It's old for a motorcycle battery even if it stays on a Tender. Just wasn't running properly YET. Sounds solid. No smoke. No leaks. Tight. No chain rattles. No clutch rattle. I should replace the plugs. Not hitting right on all 4 YET. Expect a battery will help that. Exhaust temps not consistent across all 4 with #4 relatively cool compared to the others and it was spitting out gas fumes from the carb intake. Oh yeah, no pod air filters mounted yet. 

Next up: insure the top end is oiling properly ; check valve clearances ; replace battery and plugs ; work on throttle to loosen up return ; check, set and sync carbs

Close

Oh, and my Flickr has gone Photo#$%*it on me. Still can't do pictures or videos. Too much to wrap my head around with the bike work. "You have 2000+ auto uploaded photos and the NEW Flickr free account limit is 1000". I sent a request for my info so I can off-load them. They said they would delete them if I don't pay their ransom to go ULTRA or PREMIUM or whatever. I still can't find the damned link to copy and paste either!!

[Terry in Australia]

Good work Jerry, re: the fuel spitting out of one carb, check your inlet valve clearances, I had the same problem last weekend on my "Swamp Rat" build, I'd muffed the inlet clearance on #1 and only had 50 psi on that cylinder, so I re-did it, and (with new rings not bedded in) immediately got 120 psi, and no more fuel spitting out of that carb. Make sure you upload a video to youtube of that bike running, it sounds like a beast!

[PeWe]

315 cam has and should have huge valve lash. 0.3mm (0.012")
Less lash will give more overlap, less compression and less power. I tested various lash settings one year ago on my DP315 cam. I guess really high compression pistons can use less lash.

Really rich stinking idle can be floading floats.  My K2 with stock K6 carbs smoked worse than Bob Marley due to my 25mm float settings. 26mm OK.

My old smoothbore 29's smoked too. Clear tube verified cause and when sorted.
This smoking consume some plugs...

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Thanks Slim. Checking clearances is top on my list right after battery.

Pewe this one has the Megacycle 125/75 cam. My card says lash = .005" intake and exhaust. Much easier to do on the bench  After checking clearances again I am going to investigate the CR31's. #2 had a sticky float and overflowed. A quick rap on the bowl solved that but it tells me to look inside the bowls.

Gotta get my ass off here and to the battery store. Later news. 

[PeWe]

Aha 125-75!
I mixed up with another build then.
Adjust with valve cover off much easier (see which rockers that are on base circle and lash) than thru the small tappet holes. Last time I bent the feeler gauge to fit easier. It broke, luckely outside engine. I'll remember for next time.

I set my RC295 profiled cam 0.10mm IN,  0.15mm EX
 (0.04/0.06")

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Slim. Checking clearances is top on my list right after battery.

No worries Jerry, also if the guy at the shop checked your battery and it was good, but your engine is cranking slow it might be your starter might be buggered, the one on my F2 was doing the same thing, so I swapped in a spare, and it was good.

[BPellerine]

Thanks Slim. Checking clearances is top on my list right after battery.

Pewe this one has the Megacycle 125/75 cam. My card says lash = .005" intake and exhaust. Much easier to do on the bench  After checking clearances again I am going to investigate the CR31's. #2 had a sticky float and overflowed. A quick rap on the bowl solved that but it tells me to look inside the bowls.

Gotta get my ass off here and to the battery store. Later news.

is this the 890 engine reworked  jerry?bill

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Yeah Bill, AGAIN. LMAO. New kit and new crank.

New battery makes a big difference. I had the maintainer on the old one all night. 12.01V in the morning. Cranked it for less than 10 sec was all it would do. Volatge dropped back to 11.7V after that. Now it cranks much better and I even recorded 13.89V at a fast idle. At least I am pleased with something as the electricals on this bike really sucked before I replaced most of it. I had my buddy look inside the exhaust valve caps to watch for oil flow. He hasn't worked on one before. He is up close at idle and "sees a little oil flow" then I rev it up. That is when it got funny. He got a 20W50 oil squirt bath and just about jumped out of his skin trying to get back out of the way.  But hey, I have voltage AND good top end oil flow. Something positive.

Soooooooo...... new plugs and it fired up and sounded a little/some better but #4 still off just not nearly as bad. I checked my valve clearances and guess what... I did my cam timing off #4 intake since it is much more convenient to be/stay on that side for the ignition and my degree wheel has the hole sized for the points shaft. And you set the intake to zero lash and look for .040" lift at 26 BTC. All good. Except every other valve was set to .005". All the OTHERS... Looks like I didn't set #4 intake to .005". The cam checked out at .402" lift. Reset it and checked all the others. Fired up better and sounded better but it ain't right. #4 is still spitting fumes back at the intake somewhat. I can cover up all the other carb throats with my palm and there is more of an effect of choking it off.

I'm trying to formulate my plan hoping I haven't bent a @#$%^&* valve. Thinking I'll check compression in #1 and #4 to compare since they are easy to get to. Gotta find my tester now. I'll get my scope out too and take a look inside.

Thoughts from the gang?

Telling on one's self may be cathartic but it sucks.     

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, yeah, do the compression check Jerry, I'm betting that #4 inlet valve isn't sealing, so yeah, maybe you have bent a valve, maybe there's some crap stuck under it, I gave all my valves a whack with my plastic hammer when I had the head off before I flipped it and poured degreaser into each combustion chamber to ensure the valves were all sealing, as at least two valves were open for 10 years, allowing all sorts of horrors to enter the cylinders. Can you think of a time when the piston may have kissed the valve mate?  

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Unless that additional 0.005" that I did not set up as lash coupled with the .402" (=.407") valve lift created a problem I do not know. These pistons have better deeper valve pockets than the last kit.

Just about time for my afternoon in the garage

[Gurp]

I picked up some auto exhaust adapters and rain caps for the VLX bob.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Fukme!!!! Zero compression in this cylinder

SOS out to Mike. Anyone seen Mike today?! MAYBE I can turn this around before Vintage Days.

[Terry in Australia]

Fukme!!!! Zero compression in this cylinder

SOS out to Mike. Anyone seen Mike today?! MAYBE I can turn this around before Vintage Days.

Oops........... 

[BPellerine]

Fukme!!!! Zero compression in this cylinder

SOS out to Mike. Anyone seen Mike today?! MAYBE I can turn this around before Vintage Days.

man that really sucks jerry,not nice to see the mark on the piston,after all that work!bill

[PeWe]

Really sad news about bent valve, piston hit.
Do it quick, forget and have a nice ride is the way.

Lift head, inspect all valves, replace the bent one or more, quick lap of the new valve(s). If one is bent others of same side might be bent too. Inlet or exhaust.
MLS gasket? No problem to reuse it.

I always turn crank around several turns without plugs to feel that everything is right, check timing again.

Around 15 degrees before and after TDC tighten the adj scew until it hit piston. 2mm free until hit is OK. Usually more. Both in and ex.
At max lift and TDC too. If it will hit on e.g. Ex with small clearance, change timing. And redo procedure.

Cam chain tensioner must be set correct and tightened before timing. Too easy to make a mistake with cam chain slack on wrong side.
Time on 1 or 4 should not cause any issues. I checked all 4 first time as a training getting it right and similar numbers.

When one cam is properly timed, no problem next time if engine needs to be opened. (I have all my cam timings of all my cams except stock cams saved in an excel file) Then a quick timing of IN only getting same value as before or the few degrees difference planned. A quick check of EX to verify same value as before. No need to test different settings to get an eventual LC balance in vs ex.

Other cam holders can make very small differences depending on wear.

Do not let this stress you, other mistakes can occur when fixing this as dropping something in engine. I'm always sure that the cam sprocket bolt will snap and jump down or something falling in with help of oily fingers or magnetic tools. Always a clean cloth cover the cam chain tunnel. It has been very close for me several times. It is situations like this when cam holder bolt threads gives up in need of time-sert.... Especially the inner ones trickier to reach if engine sit in frame with frame kit.

One more thing.
No problem to time cam with running lash, even better. This will give the real timing especially when in valve lash differ from ex.
0 lash when confirming total lift, cam card data.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Quick checking in. Gotta turn some wrenches. Yeah this sux but I WILL get it right. I have had worse p[roblems in my life but I got rid of her 

Good tips Pewe. Thanks. Crank turned fine or so it seemed. Didn't feel any hits. I only scoped that one cylinder as the others had compression. Head's coming off anyway  Did I check clearance? No. It was fine before or at least it didn't self destruct at 135 miles. Lesson learned the hard way. Plan on shipping out the head tomorrow for a newvalve and possible guide and possibly cut valve pockets deeper. I KNOW the head has been surfaced once. The cylinders yes but not sure how many times or how much.

Now it's a battle of me vs the shippers haha. All good kinda. I'm chill. Get er done!

Terry called it 

 

[PeWe]

I done a mistake like that many years ago. Cam (AF SS-1) was timed by the shop that did the work.  Sprocket and cam had punch marks to line up for later work and no need to time it again. That rather modest cam can differ a few degrees in both directions without problems.

I did everything right except double check afterwards. Cam chain slack probably on wrong side when lining it up.

Engine in, started it and heard the ticking sound when the F2:34 mm valves in K-head kissed the 836 pistons.
Out with engine, valves not bent did it again correct this time. Small marks on all 4 pistons on Inlet side.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Head off. Nothing catastrophic  Other than a slightly bent #4 intake.

 

[Terry in Australia]

Looks pretty good Jerry, are you gonna pop that valve out and take a peek? It could just be tight in the guide?

[Bankerdanny]

Ordered a repop right control from 4into1. Mine was shorting out and the button was sticking.

[BPellerine]

Head off. Nothing catastrophic  Other than a slightly bent #4 intake.

that was fast!if .005 causes that,I wonder what valve to piston clearance you have,and what would be "normal".bill

[PeWe]

Head off. Nothing catastrophic  Other than a slightly bent #4 intake.

that was fast!if .005 causes that,I wonder what valve to piston clearance you have,and what would be "normal".bill

Timing must been off. I noticed good clearance with CycleX CX-7 cam, NOS cast RC836 pistons, 34 mm in valves.

Good news that only 1 valve need to be replaced.

[CarbonK]

Tried my hand at flux core welding for the first time. Shortened a brake pedal to fit cb400f pegs on cb550.