Switch internals

I've been doing some work around the handle bar region lately. Levers, ignition, switches etc. I started taking the switch apart and figured I should snap a few pictures to update this blog. I was hoping to finish it all up then get pictures, but it's taking too long. So here are a couple pictures of the switch and internals.

Almost ready to test

I'm getting pretty close to being able to test this bad boy. I put all the major electrical components on today, along with the triple trees and new bars. I swapped out the stock motocross bars for some drag bars. I've also included a picture of the gas tank I'm working on so you can get a feel for where this bike is going. Once I get the gas and oil tank finished up, throw on the wiring harness, it will be time to see if it runs.

AS3

The Gods of 70's street bikes were looking down on me today when they brought me this Yamaha AS3 for $70! 100% original and 95%+ complete. From what I can tell, the only thing it needs is two carbs. It even still has the infamous rubber boots with the original clamps. The bad news. The front forks are finished, both bent and dry. Inside the gas tank is pretty bad, probably do some electrolysis and naval jelly. The seat pan is on its way out, but the original cover is in excellent condition. 2800 original miles, brakes work, throttle works, clutch works, transmission shifts, engine is not seized.

Project lawnmower

I decided to add a new section to my blog. This "Projects" section will mostly show everything I work on aside from motorcycles. I really had to start it after todays find.

So, this entire summer I've been complaining about our electric lawnmower. Those of you who have used one will understand, those who haven't NEVER BUY AN ELECTRIC LAWNMOWER. I'm not talking about battery operated lawnmowers, I'm talking about extension cord, plug into the wall style. Whoever invented these should be shot. It should be fairly obvious to anyone why this is a terrible idea. First off, most lawns are 500 square feet +. Most houses have one plug outside. Long extension cords, sharp spinning blades, cords tangling getting in the way, 30+ degree weather. It's just a disaster.

Back to the project. Today, being garbage day, I noticed a lawnmower on my neighbour's sidewalk. Beside that lawnmower was a collapsed cardboard box with a picture of a lawnmower. Obviously he got a new lawnmower and was throwing the old one away. Was there anything wrong with the old one?

I wheeled it into my back yard, pressed the choke button a few times, five or so pulls later it fired right up! I cut a bit of grass with it, worked like a dream. Aside from being a little dirty everything seems alright. I flipped it over, not to my surprise the blade was dull and neglected.

Good thing my friend had just purchased a bench grinder as a gift for me a few weeks ago.

I went to work for no more than ten minutes and the blade came out fairly decent.

I reinstalled it and gave it a couple more pulls. Nothing. Choked it a few more times followed by a good 20 pulls, still nothing. I gave up. It is fairly low on gas so I'll try adding some and see what happens. Otherwise I'm sure it could use an oil change and carb cleaning. Really though, how can you go wrong with a free lawnmower? Just goes to show, you never know what people will give away.

More progress

As you can see from the picture I installed the carb with a pod style filter. I went with the pod filter for a few reasons. It looks way more bad ass, it's way cheaper than buying OEM, and maybe it will even slightly enhance the performance. I figure it's a win win. I also attached the swingarm and rear shocks. Cleaning up the rear shocks was time consuming, they were coated with 40 years worth of grease and oil. The good thing is that all the grease and oil prevented them from rusting. They almost look like new! I decided not to bother re-sanding and painting the swingarm, the paint I'm using isn't gas/oil resistant and will just get chipped/worn away anyway. Besides, the main goal of this project was to get the bike running, and if I want to achieve that before I leave for school I've got to get moving.

Minor setback

Well, I'm a little disappointed today. So far I've done some painting with moderate success. Today, for some reason, the clear coat decided to react with the base and shrivel up like a dick in a pool.

It's not a huge deal, I'll just have to sand and repaint, more of an inconvenience. Just goes to show you should buy the same brand base and clear. The weird thing is I used the same paints on the frame and it worked fine.

Carb cleaned

So I finally got around to cleaning up the carb. Before I got the bike I had heard of carbs but wasn't really familiar with their parts of operation since my generation operates with fuel injection. I have learned carbs are still used in a lot of motorcycles. Now I realize how important they are and how crucial it is to keep them cleaned. I cleaned this one using the soda blasting method (worked well), carb cleaner, Amway metal polish and Nevr Dull. I should have taken before pictures but I forgot. I also replaced the needles, jets and made a new gasket.

Motor mounted

Found a bit of time and managed to get the motor mounted in to the frame. I went with the black/silver paint scheme on the cylinder and head. All you really do is paint the cylinder and head black and then sand the fins to bring out the aluminum. Hoping to continue with the assembly this week.

Gibson Southern Jumbo

My good friend purchased this guitar a while back. When he bought it the bridge was lifting off the body, not a huge deal since the guitar is 30+ years old and it was an amazing deal. A guy at the place he bought it said he could fix it for $40 or $50 (I can't remember). Seems reasonable enough for a $2000+ guitar. Well, he had his way with it, needless to say the bridge lifted right back up.

I've done my fair share of guitar repairs and research, everywhere I read it seems you need to use animal glue for acoustics. Well, when the guitar was fixed the first time, it was done "properly" and animal glue was used and, well, it didn't work. Now, from a normal carpentry point of view I see, the body of the guitar is wood and the bridge is wood. So.... why not use wood glue? Well, I'm attempting my fix using Gorilla Glue brand wood glue. I squeezed it under the bridge and tilted the guitar (the glue is thin and runny) to get it all the way under. Clamped it with these two clamps (wrapping the ends in cloth to prevent damage) and as of now it's been sitting for 24 hours. I plan on letting it sit for another 24, maybe even longer. I'm fairly confident this will work. We'll have to wait until my friend gets back to try it out and see how it holds up.

Wedding/Frame

Another busy weekend, as usual. My long time best friend got married and I was the best man. Everything went very smoothly and the wedding was great. I may have had a bit too much to drink, but I feel I did prove myself on the dance floor. Ha.

On the motorcycle side of things, all I was able to do was snap a picture of the painted frame (I promised I would). Here it is.