Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Discouraged but not dismayed

Well, in case you were wondering, Jerry did come back from that vacation he was on...not that it did me any good. I went back to the DC Cycles the morning after they were supposed to reopen. Jerry was there but he was on break (they'd been open for half an hour already.) They weren't very busy, there were two employees (counting Jerry) and another "customer" in the office. No one reacted to me coming in so after browsing the custom bikes and chrome and leather motorcycle accessories for a few minutes I felt compelled to interrupt their little coffee break. Shirley came out to see what was so important that I couldn't have waited.

Let me set the stage a little here: Shirley and Jerry and the "customer" were all about my age, but that was about where the similarities ended. I, in my 'duck head' khaki shorts, Virginia Tech T-shirt, and sandals, obviously didn't fit with they, in denim, chains, bandanas, boots, leather, and Harley T-shirts. Who's not the real biker in this picture? Did I mention that the "customer" was about 5'10", and weighed about 325 with a beard to his nipples and hair to his lower shoulder blades? I didn't think so.

Anyway, Shirley was nice, asked how she could help, took a few notes and my phone number and said that when ever Bobby, who is the evidently the parts guy, came in he'd give me a call if he thought he could help. Bobby hasn't called. He's probably networking with bike shops around the world looking for parts for me. Or maybe he never came in, I don't know, but I've gotta grow my hair out some and get a chain for my wallet before I go back so I can get some respect.

partsbike73-1 But I haven't given up, I found this gem on e-Bay. It was billed as a 1973 CB500. I communicated with the seller who said that he thought that many parts may be interchangeable between the '73 and the '76. There were however some contradictions in his listing. On the one hand the listing indicated he was in Columbia, South Carolina, somewhere else it said he was from Columbus, Ohio. (That makes a big difference because it costs $18.00 to ship a bowling ball from Detroit andpartsbike73-3 I can drive to Columbia.) On the other hand there was the issue of price. In the listing heading he cited a price of $175.00, very reasonable if any of the parts which I actually need are interchangeable between the two models and if he actually still has the parts I need, but in the item description he said he wanted $2750.00, which seemed a little (a lot) steep. We got the price and location worked out but he never specifically said that his bonanza of parts even contained the parts I was looking for...forget about whether or not they would work on my bike, Then there was the fact that this wasn't actually an auction but a "classified ad", the intricacies of which on e-Bay I am not familiar with. Alas, by the time we ironed out all the inconsistencies the item listing had timed out. I received a subsequent e-mail from Stephen, that's the guy's name, stating that the bike, well the pieces of bike, hadn't sold and was I still interested in working something out... I haven't gotten back with him because I really wasn't sure I wanted to drive 70 miles to pick up 400 or 500 pounds of motorcycle parts that may or may not do me any good, especially in the Jeep, which has over-heated the last two times I tried to leave town (which problem I have never addressed.)

Meanwhile I was still searching parts on the Internet and found a solenoid, which I ordered, so that's good. While perusing the site I found the solenoid I needed. I decided to look up the parts for the '73 (and other models) to see if they were the same. I found many parts that were available for other models of similar vintage that looked very much the same (though they had different part numbers) which were still available at this site. So I e-mail this guy and ask him what he knows about parts from other models being interchangeable and he says he doesn't know about compatibility and that I'd be taking a chance. I figured if he reckoned I'd be taking chance trying to cross-match new parts I'd for sure be taking a chance trying to cross-match old used parts that may not be any good to start with.

So, here's where I stand: The alternator I have isn't really any good to me as it is because it won't stay together, and getting it fixed in a machine shop seems like it's not going to happen because of cost, so how much worse can I make it if I fill all the holes with JB Weld and try to re-drill and tap them. I've got a solenoid to put in the starting circuit now so that has to help something, right? I mean, maybe that's why it wouldn't start before. I mean if it's supposed to have one and it doesn't , it must make some difference, right?

So that's what I try next...just as soon as I finish the bathroom which I finally started working on in earnest while scouring the "World Wide Web" for 33 year old Honda parts. By the way, I was wondering...and if anyone can explain this please do, how can it be, that if you remove the old vinyl floor from a room, and use it as a template to layout and cut the new vinyl floor, and if you do all that very carefully, then how can it be that the new floor doesn't exactly fit the very same space the old floor came out of? It's not going to be a huge problem, it is, however, going to require a little creativity, but I really don't understand how it could happen, really.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Jerry's on Vacation.

So...

I've spent time pouring over the phone book this week, and made several trips around the Lancaster area in search of a machine shop or welding shop that might be able to do something about those sloppy holes in the rotor part of the alternator. Most of this has been futile...well actually all of it has been futile. I don't know, several of the places have been abandoned, some seemingly non-existent. Two of the places actually had signs, but alas, no people.

img142Today I found an old welding shop that was open. Actually it looked like it had been open since shortly after the Civil War, and while the guy who seemed to be in charge was most definitely not a Civil War veteran, his pappy may have been. I looked around as I walked up to him and it was the most unlikely place you'd think to go to get something fixed, but I'd had that feeling before. It called to mind that taxi shop I was led to by a policeman in Bennetsville when that Cavalier broke down on the way home from the beach a few years back. That turned out to be a pleasant surprise and a bargain as well, so I was not immediately discouraged. After all, their ad in the Yellow Pages proclaimed that "Anything Manufactured Can Be Rebuilt." (Just maybe not by us.)

Any way, we talk and I ask him what I'm thinking "Can these holes be welded up, re-drilled and re-tapped?"

"Yup" he says. "First I have to cut away all this metal up here, and around here and then I build it all back up and you have to find someone else to recut all this and drill the holes cause you need one of those things that holds stuff so it doesn't move while you're working on it. " 'Course," he said, "you'd have to take it to him first so he'd know what it looked like and be sure he could fix it after I got done with it."

"Is there anyone around you know of that could do that?" I asked

Some guy who came over said "Maybe ol' what's-his- name."

First guy says "maybe."

By now a couple of other guys have moseyed on over to see just what was so interesting. One of them says what is that thing anyway. I tell 'em it's a part from a 30 year-old motorcycle and one of them kinda makes one of those whistling noises people make when they're astonished or impressed or what-ever. One of the guys studies it for a while and says maybe the holes could be drilled out and some inserts placed inside the holes rather than all that cutting away and welding. I looked at the old guy hopefully and asked, "Could you do that?"

He looked at me and said "Hell son, you're talking about millionths of inches here." Then he wanted to know what one of these things cost. I told him about $150 but I couldn't find one anywhere and he said that what I was wanting to do if I could find someone to do it would probably cost $400 to $500 dollars.

There was some discussion about California and the Internet and I told them about the futility of that process so far. One of the guys wanted to know if I'd talked to Jerry about this. I told him I didn't think so but who was Jerry anyway.

He says, "Jerry runs C D Motorcycle and i bet if he doesn't have one he can help you find one. Shucks he may have one on the shelf!"

And so there it is. The consensus of the forum was that I should go to see Jerry. "He's out 903 past the bypass right next to Sambo's."

Jerry's on vacation.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Balls

The other week some kids were playing with my balls and they busted my balls. I have to admit my balls were not looking so good anyway, so yesterday morning (since I still haven't had any luck finding a source of parts for the Honda) I decided to spend some time on my balls. You know cleaning them up, shining them up, re-hanging them, etc. I think it’s probably safe to say that I now have the best looking balls in the neighborhood. (Kathy said she wished I had done them in pastels but I’ve always been more of a brass balls kind of guy.)
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Friday, July 10, 2009

I KNEW IT WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!

We went to the beach for a couple of days after I ordered all those parts.  When we pulled into the driveway I was hoping to see a box of motorcycle parts that the UPS guy had dropped off.  Not there.  Well, there really wasn't time for them to have gotten here yet anyway...it was just wishful thinking.

Did I mention that I had found several sites on the Internet (brought to us by...)  Anyway after spending hours looking for parts on line, finding numerous sites that list every single part of the 1976 Honda CB500T right down to the smallest washer, most of which are no longer available through their site, I found one site that stated not all parts they list are available but if they show a price for a part they stock it.  That's where I ordered parts from. 

I didn't have any part when I got home, but I had an e-mail from the site I'd ordered parts from.  Two e-mails as a matter of fact.

The first e-mail listed the parts I had ordered which they couldn't send, because they didn't have them in spite of the fact that they were listed and had prices, and what did I want to do about the rest of the order.  The second e-mail said that since I hadn't responded to the first e-mail they were canceling the whole order.  Not really a big deal because the parts I needed the most were the ones they didn't have anyway.

I found a motorcycle salvage yard in Beaumont, TX which purports to be one of the largest motorcycle salvage yards in the US.  Hopefully they will respond in a more positive fashion to my inquiry as to what pertinent parts they may have in their stockpile.  Meanwhile I'm on hold here for a while.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

KICK START

Sunday I was ready to order some parts.  Well actually I had ordered parts when I remembered the broken kick-starter  shaft.  I canceled the order and decided I'd better look into that kick start thing to see if I was going to need any parts for that beyond the shaft.

I knew the right crankcase cover needed to come off and I could see that the right exhaust pipe was going to have to come off in order to get the cover off...

The studs where the exhaust bolt to the engine were bent, and after about two hours of careful prying and shimmying (which resulted in me getting my head skint (#@@&??!!!) on the turn signal. I was able to get the collars holding the exhaust pipe off. 

Now the bad news:  I've gotten both crankcase covers off, and still can only see one end of that danged kick starter shaft.  Hmmmm.  Maybe I need to look at the book.

P7070065 Hmmmm, step one; drain the crankcase oil,  Hmmmm,  guess that explains all that slippery liquid that came out unexpectedly.  Step something- or- other:  separate crankcase halves as in chapter 4.  Oh-Oh!  Chapter 4 is about the engine and it's... Whoa, you have to pull the engine to do that, and I can do that, I mean I did it to the old VW,right, but I'm not really ready for that just now, I just want to get the dog-boned thing running.  I've considered the fact that I may, at some point want to, or need to rebuild the engine, but I really wanted to ride it once or twice and maybe get attached to it, and you know, give her a nick-name so I could whisper sweet nothings to her while I was caressing and removing her cylinders heads.  You know what I mean, right?   But all that for a kick starter?

I don't know somehow it all seems a little too forward.

I ordered the parts I've decided I need to get the electric starter working.  If it starts and runs, all's well.  If not...Chapter 4.

Friday, July 3, 2009

PROGRESS?

Well, not really.

I guess I'm just gonna have to tear the thing apart and order some parts.  In spite of the Lock-Tite the screws holding the starter clutch to the rotor worked loose.  The holes in the rotor are just too far gone, and it looks like short of replacing the rotor this is going to be a continuing source of aggravation.   The good news is that it's cheaper to buy the whole alternator assembly than it is to buy a rotor.

I did learn what the awful clunking sound was that occurred when you let off the starter button.  Did I mention that sound?  Anyway the starter chain is a little loose and was jumping a couple of teeth on the sprocket sometimes when you let off on the starter, so that's good because it sounded pretty rough, like something was tearing up in there, but that's gonna be a relatively easy thing to correct.

It also looks like some light sanding with very fine grit sand paper and some rubbing compound is going to clean up enough of the rust to at least make it presentable.

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Thursday, July 2, 2009

RATS

Well, I didn't accomplish much yesterday.  Cleaned some parts, J-B Welded the wallowed out hole on the alternator stator and went shopping for some parts at a big bike shop up in Rock Hill.  That was rather thankless as the only thing they had on my list was the woodruff key.

When I put the alternator together this morning I was very optimistic.  Everything fit together snugly and seemed solid.  That was a big improvement.  Even the worn out screws seemed to fit tightly and I lock-tite-d them in.  I got everything back together and didn't have any left over parts, (that's always encouraging.)

The moment of truth came and I hit the starter button.  The engine turned over and fired briefly, but failed to catch.  I kept trying but was hearing that freewheeling sound again, and occasionally things would mesh properly and turn the engine over but it never actually did start.  I'm confident that the rotor is no longer slipping on the shaft so the starter clutch must not be locking on the starter sprocket fully.  The manual said to grease the clutch parts, and I did, but perhaps I gummed it up with too much grease.  I guess tomorrow I'll pull it back out and clean it up and try again.  (I'll also have to check the position of that 'neutral indicator' thing-a-ma-jig, 'cause right now it seems to think everything is neutral.)

Did I mention that the original starter switch is missing and that there is a makeshift button in the starter circuit that essentially puts the thing in a state of perpetual 'hot-wire?'  Well, that's the case, and while looking through the manual at the wire diagrams and comparing the schematics to the reality of what was actually there I noticed that there is no starter solenoid.  Hmmmm.  Did I mention that since it seemed like it was close to starting, I kept trying until that makeshift button kind of started smoking?

I guess I'd have to say that the most positive thing that I accomplished today is finding an on-line parts source that actually seems to have more parts "available" than "not available."

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

In the beginning

P1010029
Saturday, June27
Today I took possession of a 1976 Honda CB500 T motorcycle.  My son Tony brought it up from Charleston for me to tinker with.  (I had made 2 failed attempts to drive down to pick it up.  Both times I was thwarted by my Jeep over-heating.)  Tony had owned this bike for about a year and had had limited success with getting/keeping it running.  He finally decided he'd rather ride his new Kawasaki than work on this old Honda.  I know almost nothing about motorcycles but have had a moderate yearning for one for a while but could never really bring myself to make the leap.  Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of this is that my wife didn't object.  She actually has been rather supportive to the extent that she actually found a friend to loan me a trailer with which to get the bike.  This is a major turnabout for her since in the past any mention of a motorcycle was met with scorn and ridicule.
Here's what I knew about this particular bike: a) it didn't run, although I had heard it run once, b) the electric starter was non-functional, c) the kick starter was broken off, d) when Tony had gotten it running it was never for very long.  I am looking forward to the challenge of getting this thing going at least as much as I am actually riding it.  Maybe even more because let's face it, at my age and with my total lack of motorcycle riding experience, I'm much safer sitting on the floor in my garage working on the thing than riding it.
Over all the bike looks to be in decent shape for being 33 years old.  The chrome is all bad, rusty and pitted (but solid) but not as bad as might be expected for being in the salty air for so many years.  I like the style of it a lot, and if I get her running and reliable it might be worthwhile to do some restoration, you know, get some parts re-chromed and what-not.
Tony also brought along a couple boxes of miscellaneous parts, some of which were for the electric starter which he had taken out since he couldn't get it working anyway.  the first thing we did Saturday was to reinstall these parts.  While doing so I noticed that there was a key way cut into the rotor for the alternator but there was no key.  This looked wrong but what do I know about these things.  After putting it together and trying it out it sounded as the engine was not turning, the alternator was just spinning around on the crankshaft.  Tony got out the manual and I was looking over his shoulder and saw a mention of the woodruff key.  I said we hadn't put one in.  He asked what it looked like and I drew him a picture.  He said he'd seen something like that fall out a while back and didn't know what it was and just tossed it into a box.  We found one at a small engine repair shop and installed it.  It wasn't an exact fit but we managed to get it in, but the battery was too weak to turn the engine over.
Then there were these three screws which kept mysteriously wearing out in the middle.  I think these were the original reason Tony had given up on the electric starter.  They connected the starter clutch to the rotor of the alternator.  The cause of this wear is obviously caused by the wallowing out of the hole where the dowel pin locks the clutch to the rotor, which can be seen in the right photo below.
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It was my feeling that the reason he could never keep the bike running very  long was that without the key in the shaft, the alternator wasn't actually charging the battery so when the battery ran down the bike quit.
The next day (Sunday June 28) we got a battery, charged it and installed it.  The engine turned over and actually fired up, but only briefly.  Then the poor fit of the key came into play and the rotor began mostly slipping again catching occasionally but not long enough to actually do any good.  But it was a promising sign, I thought.

P1010034 Monday, June 29
I tore back into it and found another problem.  I actually think I may have created this one.  The wires for the alternator were damaged because they were not fun through the slot in the housing.  On a positive note I found the rubber grommet that was missing which caused the alternator wires to get damaged, and which Tony says had been causing a small oil leak.  At some point in time it had slid up the wires and gotten out of sight.  If I can find an electrical repair shop to fix those wires I'll be in good shape there.
I found another key today at Home Depot, but it isn't an exact fit either.  I'll either have to modify it or try to find one at a motorcycle shop.  (I actually found the right one on-line for @ $2.50 but the shipping was $14.95.)
Tuesday, June 30.
2 words..."liquid tape."
I took the alternator down to the auto electrical repair shop today.  The guy took one look and said "I don't really work on that stuff."  Where the wires were damaged he said he couldn't splice them because they wouldn't have room to be flexed in the housing the way they needed to be.  I knew that, and that was the reason I decided to take it to the shop.  I was hoping he'd just replace them, but he wouldn't do that.  Another guy came out of the back of the shop and told him to put some "liquid tape" on it.  The first guy said he didn't have any more.  I wasn't sure how to take this 'cause I'd never heard of "liquid tape."
Then the second guy says "just go over to Auto Zone or Advance Auto, they'll probably have some.  It's like the paste you used in school with the little brush and all."  Well, I was feeling a little foolish but I went to Auto Zone and asked for "liquid tape."  The sales-dude in Auto Zone looked kind of quizzical and asked a sales-dudette who pointed to a display on the counter.  Did you know they have a spray on product called "Liquid Duct Tape?"  Well, they couldn't find any of what I was looking for and didn't really know what I was talking about so I went to Advance.  I asked the clerk if they had liquid tape.  He actually knew what I was talking about but said that they no longer carried it.  He described it the same way the guy at the repair shop did so I figured maybe I wasn't actually on a snipe hunt.  I decided to try the local Wal-Mart Super Center, and what do you think?  They had it, and I bought it, and while it was kind of messy to work with, it seemed to do the trick.  Below are before and after photos of the damaged wiring and in the center:  what to look for if you have a problem.  (this is an unsolicited testimonial)
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