Let's open it !

Ok let's start with the cylinder head, it came out pretty easy, the gaskets are not sticking, and i didn't have to hammer the head to take it off.
Maybe it has been done recently :S

Just a quick exam of the compression chamber ceilings :
The left cylinder (on the right on the pic) is cleaner than the other ones, I think it didn't burn lots of mixture cause it was starving !

Ouch

After a lil chat with Jeff, I think the pistons rings are not the issue since the compression in the compression chamber is good.
The issue might come from the crankshaft seal (the one between left and center cylinder).

I might have to open the crankcase.

I don't get it.

Now it's getting weird.

The compression is OK on all the cylinders, the tester shows 80-85 for the 3 of them.
But I still don't feel any vacuum from left and center intakes.

I'm lucky I met Jeff who will be a powerful ally through this, he made an awesome job on his GT and knows his stuff :)

Compression isssue ?

While the carbs were out, I decided to check the intakes, so I put my hand on the manifolds while kick starting the bike : only the right cylinder makes vaccum, nothing from the left and center cylinder :S

Might be dead piston rings, next step will be a compression test to know more.

Carbs

Everything was pretty dirty in there, lots of sand in the bowls and everything was very dry.
The worst part was the needle jets wich were very stuck but I managed to hammer them out without damaging them !

So I completely dismantled the carbs and clean the pieces one by one then put everything back together with 3-in-1 to smooth everything out.

I clean the outside too to give them this nice aluminum shine that i like :)

Note that the main jets are 95 for left and right cylinders and 92.5 for the middle cylinder, this will be useful for later.

Petcock

I took off the carbs from the bike and one of them is dry, it doesn't get any gas so I decided to check on the fuel petcock (I'll check the carb float needle later).
The Petcock is in good shape except the bowl that I can't unscrew.
I dremel a cut to unscrew it with a screwdriver but the bowl just cracked open :S
seems that the only way to get the bowl off will be to dremel a cut trough it's width.

Now i have to re build the bowl with my favorite material : Plunber pipes and fitting ! :)
Works pretty well.

New Project !

I got this Suzuki GT 550 Indy from 1973 for 400$ !!!

3 Cylinders, 2 strokes, 4 exhausts and lots of fun !

She's in pretty good shape but needs a good cleaning and tune up.
Let's start with the fuel line, petcock and carbs, then I'll check the lubrication system (wich is kinda messy on this bike).

DONE !

I'm finally done with the project, perfect timing since it's spring in Montreal !
that was definitely a cool winter project, stay tuned for the vids !

The exhaust that comes with the kit is attached in a weird angle, I changed the angle using a couple of 45 degres copper fittings.

Brake System

Since the rims won't allow any brake pads, I had to use the old backpedal brake system.
It's pretty simple, I just screwed an aluminium plate on the old sprocket and attached a cable to it, controled by a brake lever.
When I pull the lever, the plate (the sproket) rotate backwards just like when you pedal backwards.
The spring allows the brake drum to come back in position after applying the brakes.

Chain roller installed

I've installed the chain roller on the frame, since the engine is so low in the frame, the lower part of the chain had to go under the rear arm.
The chain was almost too short but i move the rear wheel forward as much as possible.
Everything is pretty tight but the chain will get loose after a couple of miles.

Centrifugal Clutch Installation Guide

1. Start by removing the right side engine cover by unscrewing the 5 screws.
Be careful with the gasket, it might stick a little bit.







2. Unscrew the big screw that keeps the small gear in place.
You'll need to block the gears rotation, for this, use a piece of copper wire so you don't damage the teeth.
A screwdriver alone might not be enough, use a wrench to help.








3. use the gear puller that comes with the engine kit, it's packed alone in a plastic bag.
Screw it by hand on the gear (it's threaded inside)
Then use a wrench to unscrew the whole, the gear should slowly pop out as you turn the wrench.
Once the gear is removed, remove the pin on the axle too using small pliers.





4. At this point, you need to install the new side cover but the studs from the big wheel won't allow it to fit.
You'll have to grind them to allow a perfect clearance with the side cover.
Be sure to mask with tape the center of the clutch cover to prevent any metal particles to get inside the clutch.







5. Now the new side cover fits perfectly, don't forget to intall the gasket.
I reused the same 3 bolts for the back but i used the 2 that come with the clutch kit for the front (they're shorter)





6. Now it's time to install the new centrifugal clutch, just slip it on and screw it in place (you might need to block the sprocket on the other side to prevent any rotation).
Don't forget the washers.





7. Then you just have to install the final cover, once again you'll have some clearance issues so I decided to cut some gaskets out of thick carboard, this will prevent the cover from touching the centrifugal clutch.
Rotate the engine to be sure the spacing is good.




8. DONE !
Put your home made gaskets in place using the remaining screws (2 long ones at the front, 2 short ones at the back).

You're ready to go !
No more messing wth the clutch lever (you might want to get rid of the clutch lever on the left side of the engine).

Finally attached the sprocket on the rear wheel.

I've read in the engine manual that they suggest to glue the sprocket on the hub with 5 min epoxy.
The thing is, the sprocket sits on the base of the spokes, I thought the surface wasn't big enough to have a nice epoxy bond.
So i cut away a ring of fabric (It's actually a fake Shamwow that some guy sold me in the street, i'm such an ass to have bought that) that i soaked with epoxy.
I used NU-LUSTRE-55 instead, same epoxy but dries in 24h :)

On the sprocket side, i carved little lines with my Dremel to have even better bond.
Once soaked, the ring of fake shamwow thickness is almost nothing so the alignment with the chain won't change.
Then I bolted the backplates and the whole assembly seems very strong !

The dismantled NEW DEPARTURE hub, i had to open it to remove all the sand from the sandblast and give it a good cleaning.

This is the rims after beeing sandblasted, looking cool !
The metal has been badly attacked by rust but the guy managed to clean it good.
for all your sandblasting and powdercoating works in MONTREAL :
RELEASE COATINGS 5505, rue de Marseille, Montreal, QC.
www.releasecoatings.ca

Done with the tank, the black lines are stickers, the gold letter have been cut out of vinyl sticker too then the black outline is handpainted.
Everything got a semi gloss clear coat, the fork on the foreground is ready to be painted.

Wooden gas tank in progress

The gas tank is made of plywood but the inside is coatd with fiberglass and the outside with pure epoxy resin.
The structure is a basic frame with planking, no need to make it super strong since the fiberglass will do the rest.
The color I chose for the tank is a basic primer color (brik)

pre-mockup of the board tracker

Here's the first assembly, the gas tank is a piece of cardboard as a place holder to give an idea of the final silouhette.
note the sweet springer fork and the big 28 inches wheels.
then engine looks tiny !
Noe i realise that adding 2 inches in lenght on the frame makes it WAY longer.

headlight position test on the XS.

this is gonna look cool ! :)

i received my headlights...

...that i won on ebay for 4$ :)
they're 35W tractor headlights, not sure wich one to choose but the green seems bigger, might be easier to hide my cables in it.

Workshop at night

Spent the night trying to reduce the amount of cables on the XS in order to fit them all in the new small headlight.
2 hours of soldering by -10 !
this garage is definitely cold.

Tank sticker photoshop

Here's a photoshop mockup of the sticker on the tank :
- the black outline will be pinstripe sticker from canadian tire
- I'll make the letters from a gold vinyl sticker roll then the letters outline will be painted by hand with acrylics.

Welcome !

Here's the first post on my blog, now you're gonna be able to follow all my works, motorcycles, mechanics, steam engines, Steam robots, kinder scratchbuilds and more !
lucky bitches !