I noted on another post I had cut an oring on the filter cover. I participated in an AMCA National Road Run last week in Oregon. It was a lot of fun. I rode the CA77 two days, kept up with the big boys- Indians, Harleys, BMW, BSA among others. Lagged a little behind on one long hill, but that was it. Back to the point, I didn't seem to have done any noticeable damage, still ran strong with no additional noises.
When I changed the oil ( and found the cut oring) I went from 30W to 10W50 synthetic motorcycle oil. I run mostly in warm to hot weather (over 95 I usually park it)offing, figured the multi grade would be an improvement since the operators manual calls for 20W40 general purpose except cold weather.
I had been experiencing an oil leak from the head blowing back on the battery and coil covers on runs of 40 miles or so. The two runs last week were 72 and 110 miles with no leak. I suppose it's from the more consistent oil viscosity.
The labor of love (& nostalgia) begins!! 1963 CA77 DreamBike still going strong- for a Dream. Latest issue was electrical. I Found a loose connector and seems to have cured it.
I've had saddle bags hung over the seat for a while, but the would rub on the shocks, so I tried various methods of protecting them with limited success. I finally made some brackets to keep them clear and secure- had them bounce off the back once when they came untied. Metal is re-purposed from a hand truck handle.
63 CA78
Put about 4000 mile on it since the restore. I finally decided to do something about my tank. Originally I painted it with Duplicolor Engine Enamel, but the fuel has taken it's toll. It has bubbles in the paint and has peeled to bare metal around the filler. I had a spare tank which I painted with Majic tractor and implement paint from Tractor Supply using Majic hardener. I had another project for the paint as well and did a test panel to check out the fuel resistance. After curing for a month I put some gas on it and wiped it off immediately, no damage to the paint. Tried leaving a puddle of fuel on it to evaporate and no damage, so I'm fairly confident it will hold up in the long run. I sealed the edge around the filler with JB weld.
I did notice when I installed my replacement tank that the left crossover port aimed slightly forward so the line clears the choke lever better than my old tank. Also the new fuel cap that I'd been using just barely fits into the filler hole, where on the old tank (and my CL as well) there is a fair amount of clearance. In all other respects it seems to be the same tank. Was there a change on those items at some point? 63 CA78
I picked up a rack from a smaller Honda of a similar vintage and repurposed it. Looked better than my previous setup. It's set up so I can throw my saddlebags on and they'll hang properly.
On another item, I found that the yellow Majic brand paint I used on another tank (purely decorative, not functional) faded badly after sitting outside in the elements for a couple of months. Hopefully the black on the bike tank won't fade. Of course it's exposure will be minimal.
63 CA78
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