Work on the motor begins

At last I've started work on Abigails motor. Whilst it was whole I de-greased it, paint stripped it and washed it off. this was followed by vigorously wire brushing the inner casings. I've decided to keep the inner casings as bare aluminium whilst polishing the outer ones. The barrel will be high gloss black and I'll figure out what to do with the head and rocker cover later.

First part of the strip down was to remove the head and barrel. Three bolts in the rocker cover sheared off with no hint of resistance as soon as a socket was applied. Too be honest I wasn't shocked and my local engineer will be called upon to extract the stumps along with the three already sheared exhaust studs. The first glance inside wasn't too depressing. The cam followers looked fine and their is only very slight pitting on the lobes. I've yet to get the callipers out, but I'm optimistic. No other bolts put up a serious fight and soon enough the head and barrel were off. Again, only slight wear is evident in the bore and it's not bad enough to catch your finger nail. Like the cam, I've yet to measure things accurately, but am reasonably pleased so far (I mean, there could have been all manner of scares in there). The inside of the head is sootier than I would have liked with a thick carbon lining and I haven't ripped the valves out yet to check them for damage either.

As you can see, I've placed masking tape over the crank mouth as a precaution against foriegn bodies falling in. I don't intend to split the crank as I know the motor and know there was nothing wrong in there. This bike will not be living a hard life once I've finished it so there is no point in costly work for the sake of it.

Next it's time to rip off the outer casings, starting with the clutch side. Easy work with no grumbles from any bolts. I'll check over the clutch basket and plates just to be sure, but like I say, I know the motor and she never displayed any clutch problems in the 60,000 miles I had her.

And finally off comes the rotor side casing. Just like the clutch side. No struggles here either.

The plan now is to put it all back together. I'm going to start with the outer casings, mainly because it's the cheapest bit. I will be putting the top end together as I can afford it and will be sorting it out one stage at a time. So here's a picture of the outer casings currently. The next entry [hopefully] will see them begin to sparkle.

Just a foot note to that last part. I want these casings to shine, but I don't want to polish out any of the character this engine gained in its faithful service so far. This bike must look like it was born in the 60's, which was a long time ago, and so you'd expect a few 'laughter lines'.

A tidy up in the Dray

Abigail has hit a bit of a wall at the moment. Everything will cost more than funds will allow and I have to square the balance sheet before I can proceed. It's really tough, but if I'm not strict with myself I'm in danger of breaking the bank.

To keep myself out of mischief, I decided to invest a little time (and money) into sprucing up the shed. I had recently had a massive tidy up and re-organise, but now it was time to get out the paint. I had some left over exterior emulsion after painting the outside of the house in August and thought £25 for a tin of floor paint wouldn't kill anyone, so the job was on!

My two sons were volunteered to help and the three of us set too with emptying the shed and sweeping it out. I went on with 'cutting in' and the boys attacked the walls with the 4" brushes. By lunch time the first coat was on and we were all very pleased with our efforts. A quick tip to any budding Dictators out there... NEVER LET THE SLAVES REST! No sooner had I fed my tiny work force than the little buggers were off! I went into the kitchen to make a brew, turned round and they were gone to the distant cry of "Off to my mates, see you later. Oh and thanks for the sandwich" Charming!

Alone, I quickly got on with coat number two. As I was going over my lads handy work for myself, I started to be rather pleased they had left me to it. Patchy wasn't the word for it! Still, I was glad for their help and coat #2 would cover all the sins. By the end of day one the walls were finished and I was knackered.

Day two was 'floor day'. Everything that had been taken out on day one (and stuffed back in anywhere that night just to get it under lock and key) was whipped out again! Some of the wall fixtures could now be put back up and the large floor unit re-fitted in its usual spot. The floor was attacked with large scrappers and swept within an inch of its life and I was ready. My would be slaves had got wise to the old mans methods and made themselves scarce with feeble excuses like playing rugby for the local team so I was going to have to do this alone.

I 'cut in' the edges and around the bench with a 4" brush then attacked the main area with a 9" roller. Too be honest it went on quicker than I thought. It looked a big area, but wasn't that bad. The only downer was the fact that one tin wasn't enough for the two coats it was going to need. Bummer! Another £25, not such a cheap job after all! Another problem was the drying time between coats. 6 hours, plus I couldn't use the floor for 24 hours after the second coat. Abigail and Lucy would have to camp out for a night.

By 7pm the job was done, and rather good it looked too.

Jobs left to do include fitting the wood burner flu pipe and running a water supply to the shed. I would like a small steel sink out there for parts cleaning and have had thoughts of heating the water via the wood burner. Always things to do.

Abi's heart and soul

I'm about to begin work on Abi's engine, but before I do there's a little bit of history to be told first. Although I've had lots and lots of bike's over the years, there was a change in my attitude toward them back in 2002. Back then I bought a little GN400 called Beryl and she was my first bike since my marriage and the arrival of my two boys. She took on more significance than the others as she was my escape from my responsibilities and soon enough, I was fettling away. This is what she became.

Fettling Beryl gave me a taste for building my own bike and from that first attempt was borne the idea that gave rise to Abi. Although Beryl was great fun, a house move meant I needed something more practical. Enter Dolly, the Honda NX650S.

Dolly and I had some great adventures. We travelled all over the Country together and even did a John 'O' Groats to Landsend solo charity ride together. I loved that bike, but after 5 years together, my travels were starting to tell on poor old Dolly and I took the plunge and bought Lucy to take over domestic duties. Yet I couldn't just abandon Dolly after all we had done together. I decided to put her engine (after some surgery) into Abi along with her switch gear and levers. That way her heart and soul would live on and when I touched the controls I would be talking to her again. (Yep, I am quite mad!).
That's the background, now here's the motor.

There is a lot to do. Problems I know about are; 1) top engine mount still stuck in the head (the mounting bracket was cut to get the engine out of the frame), 2) sump oil drain plug is rounded off, 3) three exhaust studs have sheared off. As well as that lot the original finish is badly flaked and there is aluminium corosion all over the head and barrel.

The plan is to clean and de-grease as a complete unit before a top end strip and re-paint. I don't plan to delve into the crackcases at this stage. I know that for the last 58,000 miles of her life she had a new oil filter and semi synthetic oil change every 2,000 miles. Also her future life will be light on miles. I know the motor was getting tired, but I'm hoping this will be limited to top end problems (rings, valves maybe a rebore).

Next stage is to fabricate some sort of support frame to make working on the motor easier then get cleaning. If I was wealthy I'd ship it off for vapour blasting, but I'm not, so it's me, the paraffin and a tooth brush. The next report maybe some time. heyho.

Lucys' first camp

Last weekend saw me and Lucy at the VJMC's 3rd Uttoxeter Classic Motorcycle Show. Too be honest, I'm not so fussed on the classic bike scene (too much polish and not enough riding), but friends of mine in the 'Thumperclub' were planning a rally based at the show.

I took friday off work and had a lazy start getting ready and packing Lucy. I hadn't tried out the panniers and tank bag before as it was all new kit. The bike before had a custom fitted set-up that was scrapped when she was. The biggest headache was my new Army surplus sleeping bag. I'd invested in an artic version ready for the winter rally season which meant a seriously bulky bag. In the end this was stashed in the tank bag on it's own with the rest of my kit in the panniers or the drysack on the seat. This is what Lucy looked like;

Although rainstorms were all around the country, I managed to dodge them all on the trip up. It was a lovely ride through the heart of Wales stopping at Craven Arms for lunch and fuel. Lucy didn't miss a beat and carried her load without complaint. Apart from not being able to see the clocks, I could have forgotten she was loaded at all.

Once at the showground it was time to make camp and await the lads. It wasn't long until we formed our own little village and the beers started to flow around the assorted BBQ's.

Here's a view of my home for the weekend. I pitched up a tarp shelter for either sunshade or as a rain shelter as you couldn't guess what the weather would bring.

The Show was pretty much as expected. Lots of shiney things and very expensive. To me the best bit was just to chill out with my mates and watching the cricket match played out just behind our camp. Uttoxeter lost, but invited us to the pavilion afterwards for a beer after our sterling work cheering (almost in all the right places).

Sunday saw the morning peppered with light showers, but the sun came out long enough to break camp in the dry. I decided to head for home down the Fosse Way to make a round trip of it. Fine weather stayed with me all the way to Gloucester but there my luck ran out. Home was a greatful sight and after sorting out Lucy and the kit I hit the bath before a family trip to the pub.

Lucy was a delight. Never straining under her load and never wandering from her line. She is a superb traveller and those that say the seat too narrow for touring are talking out their arses (either that or they are softy part time riders only used to weekend stuff!)

I'm already looking forward to the next trip.

This is home

My last introduction is for my shed. All true petrol heads need a creative space, a cave in which to create and this is mine.

Things to note;

1) Shelving and storage is mainly confined to the back wall. I used to have shelves all the way down the side walls but this restricted the floor area too much. The new layout is better but I have to be quite strict on what I keep.

2) Bench situated under the window for maximum natural light and a pleasing view of the garden. The window also overlooks the kitchen door giving an early warning of approaching wife or child.

3) A large chalk board for scribbling down ideas or plans. Very handy.

4) Large gas bottle cut and ready to become a wood burning stove. All it needs is the flu pipe and I will be snug as a bug on those cold winter evenings.

The bench, window and double garage doors are all of my own creation (I studied bench joinery when my wife and I bought our first house together) and I fitted all the electrics myself as well as re-roofing the structure with corregated tin. It could do with a lick of paint on the wall and floor and that is planned for this summer.

Not a bad little den though I say so myself.

Oh, and here's Lucy

Finally for tonight, let me introduce Lucy.

Lucy is my 1996 VX800 that I bought on 14th February this year (2009). She is the current work horse tasked with pulling my lardy arse to work or wherever else I want to go. I have fettled her a bit to make her more to my liking, but basically she will remain as is (for now!)

Changes made so far include a bubble flyscreen, 33" 'cowhorn' bars, new mirrors, mini indicators (the original ones were massive and flopped about) and the polishing of the rear grab rail as the paint was all chipped.

Hopefully pictures will appear from time to time of me and Lucy at exotic locations as we explore our little universe. I intend to diarise all our adventures big or small (I expect small) as and when they occur.

This blog will form a history of our lives together, man and bike. Ah bless.

Abigail ~ the story so far

Right then. I've introduced myself, now to introduce Abigail.

Abigail is a 1988 Honda XBR500H. I was given her by my mate Graham in April 2005 when I went looking for a project bike. My big idea was (and still is) to turn her into a 60's cafe racer. She was in a very rotten state when I got her and wasn't a runner with half of her missing and the other half knackered. Sadly, I didn't take too many digital photos back then so I can't post a record of what I had to start with. However, early into the project and I got this on the computer.The sharp eyed will notice the wheels are wrong. I wanted spokes for the look but disc brakes for the ride. What we have fitted is a Honda Dommie rear and a Transalp front. Later these hubs get laced to some 18" alloy rims with stainless spokes.
Leaping ahead, all is stripped and the frame gets 'cleaned' of all unnecessary clutter. The seat rails get extended and returned to form a continuous loop and bracketry is braised on to accept new tank, seat and side panels. I want the frame to be exposed and visible where possible to give that lean, basic, racer look. I also decided to dabble into moulding fibreglass parts like the tank, seat, side panels and front mudguard. This was a big mistake as you will see. Very, very time consuming as well as expensive and the results were disappointing. Here's a shot of the finished rolling chassis with the fibreglass parts mocked up.Here's another shot taken after I experimented with paint to see if I could create a silk purse from my pigs ear!

The only piece I'm going to keep is the seat hump and this is going to have to be re-painted.

I haven't talked engines yet have I. Investigation of the original motor proved that it wasn't fit for scrap! A snapped cam chain tensioner had lead to the cam chain jumping a tooth and bending every valve. Also fragments of the tensioner were to be found all around the clutch side which includes the oil pump. Up top, the cam lobes were worn out from lack of oil and the followers were no better. Inspection of the gearbox showed signs of heat damage and wear to the cogs so I reached the conclusion to trash the motor.
On the up side, before I bought Lucy (the vx800) I was the proud owner of a Honda Dominator 650S (Dolly). Tired old girl that she was, she has greatfully donated her motor to Abigail along with levers, switchgear, rear brake assembly and some much needed electrical parts. I haven't started work on the motor yet, but will keep this site informed as things progress.

So that's the background, what's next?? Well I'm off in search of an ali tank and front guard. I'll make the side panels from some sheet material to match and with a painted seathump, that'll be the bodywork done. I've a bin full of parts waiting to get cleaned, painted and fitted, so I'm working my way through those too.
I plan on updating this blog as and when bits get done. I'm hoping by doing this sort of stuff will keep me on track and plugging away at the project. Don't expect to finish any time soon, but I ain't in any rush.