"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
07/09/2016 at 21:05 • Filed to: Can we limit this project to one ER visit?
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"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
07/09/2016 at 21:05 • Filed to: Can we limit this project to one ER visit? | 2
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The torn seat and dented tank project the right amount of “I don’t give a fuck”
I promised my kids we’d start work on this tomorrow. It’s my first wrenching project. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing, but I don’t fear failure. So I’ve got that going for me. Which is good.
So over the last few evenings I’ve been reading this:
So that I have a more than a snowball’s chance in hell of fixing things like:
Damage from a right side fall
An extremely slow oil leak
Missing turn signal from the fall
Aside from “fuel, spark, air” can anyone offer some advice on where I should start? What are the ways I can catastrophically fuck up? Where the hell can I find parts for this beast?
The upside is that my kids will be ridiculously easy to entertain on a rainy Sunday. They absolutely love being in my workshop:
Captain of the Enterprise
> The Lurktastic Opponaught
07/09/2016 at 21:13 |
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Bag and tag as much as you can and take pictures so you know where everything goes
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The Lurktastic Opponaught
> Captain of the Enterprise
07/09/2016 at 21:15 |
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Good one, thanks. I’ll gather the sharpies and ziplocks.
Danger
> The Lurktastic Opponaught
07/09/2016 at 21:16 |
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Clean out the fuel tank, lines and carb with berrymans or something similar.
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The Lurktastic Opponaught
> Danger
07/09/2016 at 21:18 |
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Thanks. My first thought was also to tackle the fuel system.
Birddog
> The Lurktastic Opponaught
07/09/2016 at 21:20 |
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When you start in let me know. Awesome project, anything the manual confuses you on. Birddog85@gmail.
Your awesome workshop needs 100% more greasy bits.
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The Lurktastic Opponaught
> Birddog
07/09/2016 at 21:21 |
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Thank you! I’ll shoot you an e-mail. We’re digging in tomorrow after breakfast. I’m not sure who’s more excited between the kids and I.
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Birddog
> The Lurktastic Opponaught
07/09/2016 at 21:24 |
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The excietment is a damn good thing on both sides.
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The Lurktastic Opponaught
> Birddog
07/09/2016 at 21:44 |
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Thanks. It’s taken me about a decade to cobble together this workshop from stuff I’ve been given or found at the habitat restore. My sweet corian kitchen island with sink was $40! For most of the countertops I’ve just built a 2x4 box frame, but the bluish one is ramset pinned to the concrete wall to provide for chair clearance and better storage.
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Birddog
> The Lurktastic Opponaught
07/09/2016 at 22:05 |
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Restore is an amazing place sometimes. Pennies on the dollar.
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The Lurktastic Opponaught
> Birddog
07/09/2016 at 22:22 |
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Especially in my area- The wealthy seacoast folks are always updating, and their tax deductible refuse becomes my next bargain.
Needmoargarage
> The Lurktastic Opponaught
07/09/2016 at 22:27 |
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Take pictures (and video!) of everything before and during disassembly. Use and label small ziplocks, or even little hardware storage drawers for each component/subsystem’s hardware and bits. Keep a running list of things you break and/or find need replacing as you go - note part numbers, dimensions, etc as you go. Try to focus on a singular task at a time as to avoid getting overwhelmed. Consult Youtube and forums for help on specific things you don’t understand (e.g. manual only says to set valve lash to a measurement but doesn’t walk you through.) Presoak hardware with a penetrate to avoid scary bolts shearing, rounding off heads, etc. Don’t worry too much about messing anything up...you can always learn how to fix it! Look at every setback as an opportunity to learn something new.
Whew...sorry. I’ve taken on some really really big projects and this is the basics of what gets me through them.
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The Lurktastic Opponaught
> Needmoargarage
07/09/2016 at 22:33 |
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I’m a research scentist, and to be honest, I hadn’t considered taking the same approach on the motorcycle project as I do on my professional research: document meticulously.
This sort of project is out of my comfort zone which is exactly how I like to operate. Thanks for the perspective, that was really useful. I’ve got a blank notebook that’s just itching for a project. Between that and my pocket computer, I’m going to record the shit out of this one.
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Needmoargarage
> The Lurktastic Opponaught
07/09/2016 at 22:37 |
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Engineer here...totally get it. I’m in the middle of tackling an engine and turbocharger rebuild right now and I’d be so overwhelmed and hopeless without a ridiculous amount of documentation.
Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
> The Lurktastic Opponaught
07/09/2016 at 23:09 |
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You really can’t fuck up small old bikes. It’s how I learned to wrench and they’re awfully forgiving and allow for a lot of trial and error. You can do everything wrong the first ten times you attempt each task, but by the time you get it right you’ll generally have a pretty good understanding of how everything works, not just the steps you need to repeat to do it again.
That manual and the internet are your friends. Needmoargarage has it nailed, although your background suggests to me that you won’t have any issues at all. Being methodical, documenting well, and a little background research all go a long way.
Good luck, looks like a fun bike! And literally, fuel/spark/air is going to be the solution to every problem you have from the standpoint of getting/keeping it running, it’s astounding how much easier that system sets in when you’re only dealing with one cylinder.
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The Lurktastic Opponaught
> Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
07/09/2016 at 23:12 |
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Dammit. Now you’ve gone and given me hope!
DipodomysDeserti
> The Lurktastic Opponaught
07/09/2016 at 23:23 |
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Before you take anything apart, make a video of what it looks like with your cell phone. Also, most thumpers leak oil when new. You can change the seals, but if it’s not a bad leak you’re better off leaving it. For a lot of these old bikes eBay is the easiest place to find parts. If you’re in AZ there’s Bob’s Used Cycles which has approximately 1 kazillion bikes to pull stuff from.
I’m currently putting together a ‘73 CL450. I deleted the battery and converted it to run off capacitors. It’s up and running but still needs some tweaking.
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The Lurktastic Opponaught
> DipodomysDeserti
07/10/2016 at 00:25 |
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It’s mind bending to be restoring something a decade older than I am. Failure is not an option.
Edit: I speak bad English? That's unpossible!
BoulderZ
> Needmoargarage
07/10/2016 at 01:07 |
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^This. Buy the 100-count box of Ziplocs (or several boxes), a pile of 3x5 index cards, and a couple hundred each of the paper tags on wire (big, like 3 x5) and string (small, 1 or 2 inch square). Label everything as it comes off, box by area/system/theme. Have a journal where you note conditions, issues, tasks you’ll have to address later. I did my entire ‘78 Z that way, down to the bare unibody and back up, and that approach does work. FWIW, I’m also a research scientist, a geologist (specializing in geohazards, remote sensing, and earth surface processes), so the document-everything plan really appealed to me. Cell phone photos and videos are good, vital even, but I found written info and sketches to be invaluable. For example, the video or photo might not capture that the 10 bolts on the timing cover which outwardly look identical are actually three different lengths, and you have to keep track of which one goes where (actual issue on my truck, thanks Toyota). Most of all, take your time and enjoy the project with your kids! I love taking my Z out to the track or for a fun drive, but I’m itching to build another car, this time with my son. The process is a huge reward in itself.
MonkeePuzzle
> The Lurktastic Opponaught
07/10/2016 at 16:05 |
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start with a darned good cleaning. I have frequently been surprised by how many issues I find by cleaning. Things hidden in oil and dirt, or things I didnt notice until I got up close and noticed as I washed by hand.
secondly, take pictures as you take things off. A) its an easy task to have a kid do. B) hubdreds of the pics will be useless, but there will be one that reveald a vacuum hose you forgot to reconnect and will solve some problem thay had been driving you nuts
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The Lurktastic Opponaught
> BoulderZ
07/10/2016 at 18:57 |
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Cool! I got my start in GIS, remote sensing, population biology and bulk resource flow through esturine systems.
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BoulderZ
> The Lurktastic Opponaught
07/11/2016 at 21:44 |
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Excellent! Good fields to be in, at least the last 5+ years the job opportunities have been excellent. How’s the rebuild going?