Adventures on the Old Girl, and with the Old Girl

[sarals]

Graham!!!

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I'll keep my eyes open for that!

I removed the regulator/rectifier some time ago, for some reason the charging system just wouldn't work with it, even though it tested perfectly. The charging system was delivering adequate voltage, too, but it wouldn't charge with that unit in circuit. I put a plain-jane Radio-Shack rectifier in circuit, which seems to charge weakly. Better than not at all, though.

Reminder - I have to call LM!

Graham, good to hear from you!

Sara

Great to hear of your exploits. There has been some discussion here on modern reg / rectifiers draining batteries.

As for the rotor magnetism, I did a little trade (some monitoring hardware / knowledge) with my friend who runs a company making magnets. He gave me a tutorial on re-magnetising rotors and gave me a little gadget for testing polarity of the the magnets in the rotor to make sure I don't screw up.

It's on the to-do list but I took him a Honda stator and rotor and he pointed me in the right direction. He says it should be possible to re-magnetise the rotor using just a power supply and the Honda stator, if you get the Norths and Souths lined up properly.

More on that in my resto-log when I get around to it.

G

I took a brief ride on the Old Girl yesterday afternoon. She needed to be started, and after I did that, I thought - why not, take her out for a short ride.

She runs nicely, but... The clutch slips on shifts - shift up, let the clutch go, and slipperoo. Backing off the throttle reengages it. What's causing it? I'm not sure, but I think it might be the (original) cable, and the clutch lifter mechanism probably needs to be (re)lubed. I hope.

The shifter is just so loose! The splines are worn on the shifter "claw" (the thingie that clamps to the shift shaft). I've thought about opening the slot in it up slightly so the bolt can draw it tighter, and I should give that a try. I do have my eyes open for a less worn one, though.

The speedo needle STILL bounces all over creation. I'm going to have to bite the bullet and send the cluster out for a rebuild. Someday.

I'm not convinced she's charging properly. The battery seems to run down over time, and if I use the lights, all bets are off. My hunch is the rotor needs to be remagnetized, but I'll be damned if I can find anyone who can do that.

I found another photo of the bike from Back In The Day. I'll have to scan it and upload it - it's kinda cool!

[sarals]

Ride Report!

Today was a perfect storm of conditions, the good kind, so good I was able to get on the Old Girl and take her out for a ride. I've done some minor repairs to her since my last ride. I replaced the speedometer cable internal drive cable, and I replaced the shifter clamp - the part that attaches the shifter linkage to the shift shaft. My deepest thanks to LM for both of those parts!

First, a summary. That old bike runs great! The engine is smooth, it shifts beautifully, it's fast (yes, it is!), it handles solidly and confidently, and I had just a wonderful time.

I found out that 8000 RPM in top gear is just over 90 MPH (I know, irresponsible), and she was still pulling strongly when I got to that speed. There is more! She sounded DELIGHTFUL at that RPM, too! And she was handling perfectly, rock solid.

She shifts great with a tight shifter, gosh, what a surprise!

The speedo needle is stable, at least until 45 MPH, when it starts to bounce upward. After a time a noise developed coming from the front wheel area, and when that happened, the speedo needle became a bit more lively. I think the front wheel needs to come off and I need to give the speedo drive some attention. LM suggested I carefully flush out the speedo cable and then relube it during reassembly. I'll do that.

The post ride inspection showed some oil around the spark plugs. That's the "cap" issue with the head, and it's very mild. She was running beautifully, idling perfectly, and she had crisp throttle response. She'd pull pretty darned hard, too, when I opened the throttle all the way!

I still question whether or not the charging system is working properly. She started right up, and ran just fine, and I ran her for a good 45 minutes. I didn't turn the lights on, though. So, I'm still a little hesitant to go very far on her until I'm certain the battery is being properly charged.

What a terrific motorcycle. I got several "Nice Bike!!" kudos while I was tooling around, and one fella stared and smiled at me as I went by. I gave him a wave, and he waved back enthusiastically! That would NEVER happen on the SV650 Suzuki I used to ride!

Anyway - fun time - and now I have more work to do!

[G-Man]

Sara

I'm envious. I spent the day at a railroad innovation conference. Happy to swap with you!

I was hoping to get one of my projects on teh road this year but it's obviously not going to happen. I did manage to wriggle out of a trip to Brazil so maybe a little more progress before Christmas.

It sounds like you have got teh "Old Girl" under control. Cleaning and re-lubing the speedo cable sounds like it might just fix the speedo oscillation.

G

[LOUD MOUSE]

You are welcome. ............lm

Ride Report!

Today was a perfect storm of conditions, the good kind, so good I was able to get on the Old Girl and take her out for a ride. I've done some minor repairs to her since my last ride. I replaced the speedometer cable internal drive cable, and I replaced the shifter clamp - the part that attaches the shifter linkage to the shift shaft. My deepest thanks to LM for both of those parts!

First, a summary. That old bike runs great! The engine is smooth, it shifts beautifully, it's fast (yes, it is!), it handles solidly and confidently, and I had just a wonderful time.

I found out that 8000 RPM in top gear is just over 90 MPH (I know, irresponsible), and she was still pulling strongly when I got to that speed. There is more! She sounded DELIGHTFUL at that RPM, too! And she was handling perfectly, rock solid.

She shifts great with a tight shifter, gosh, what a surprise!

The speedo needle is stable, at least until 45 MPH, when it starts to bounce upward. After a time a noise developed coming from the front wheel area, and when that happened, the speedo needle became a bit more lively. I think the front wheel needs to come off and I need to give the speedo drive some attention. LM suggested I carefully flush out the speedo cable and then relube it during reassembly. I'll do that.

The post ride inspection showed some oil around the spark plugs. That's the "cap" issue with the head, and it's very mild. She was running beautifully, idling perfectly, and she had crisp throttle response. She'd pull pretty darned hard, too, when I opened the throttle all the way!

I still question whether or not the charging system is working properly. She started right up, and ran just fine, and I ran her for a good 45 minutes. I didn't turn the lights on, though. So, I'm still a little hesitant to go very far on her until I'm certain the battery is being properly charged.

What a terrific motorcycle. I got several "Nice Bike!!" kudos while I was tooling around, and one fella stared and smiled at me as I went by. I gave him a wave, and he waved back enthusiastically! That would NEVER happen on the SV650 Suzuki I used to ride!

Anyway - fun time - and now I have more work to do!

[sarals]

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!

May your 2016 be filled with warmth and joy, and the sublime satisfaction of a perfect restoration of a Classic Honda! ;)

Happy Holidays!!!

[G-Man]

Sara

Here's wishing you a happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year.

We need some of your weather here. Rain, rain rain at the moment.

G

[LOUD MOUSE]

4:40AM here in the STATE OF TEXAS.
HAPPY NEW YEAR to each of you on the forum. .........................lm

Sara

Here's wishing you a happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year.

We need some of your weather here. Rain, rain rain at the moment.

G