Woo Hoo! A Big Project!

[melville]

Alright, I just know you've been on the edges of your seats, wondering "Just when will melville be done with that thing?"

Well, not yet, but some action to come in the next couple weeks. Meanwhile, I've been trying to make money with my coaster Airhead:



Photochop courtesy of my Sea Elephant friend.

[Major Softie]

You need better protective gear...

[Deleted User 287]

Isn't that what they call a push-bike? Albeit a very fancy push-bike!

[Chuey]

Is that a back flip or a forward flip? Way to go, bro.

Chuey

[melville]

Doing odds 'n' ends while I'm waiting on clutch bits. Rolled the bike out, dusted it off, and figured this was a good sunny day to glue rubber bits on. Got out the kneegrips and sat them in the sun for a while, cleaned off the mold release with lacquer thinner, and got out the gorilla snot:



Let it dry to a tack and stuck it on:



Also mounted roundels:



Yes, that's me reflected in the tank. I like my painter!

And the wide shot:



In the next week or two I should be able to remount the transmission, and with that I can get the air filter clamshell back on, and then the carbs and throttle cables.

[melville]

Mrs. melville took the boys geocaching and left me at home to play with the motorbike. Clutch installation time, new disc and pressure plate!

First, I had to make a clutch centering tool. Haynes told me the size it needed to be:



And I found that my 15mm deep socket was darn close to the 20.7 size, making me wonder how I could make the pointy end of it. A little thinking and a $2 trip to the hardware store, and it was off to the races:











Soon afterward, the clutch was mounted:



And centered:



Next up, reinstalling the transmission. A year after I cleaned and refinished the trans, it needed a little cleaning:



But just three minutes with a softish ScotchBrite and it's all better:



Then it was time to get the trans in. I keep hearing about removing the swingarm pivots and pushing the swingarm back to remove/replace the trans but for the life of me I can't see why. This time I removed the rear engine mount and tilted the rear of the engine up just a bit, but I'm not sure even that was required. Anyway, it's in now:



I got new clamps for the trans/swingarm boot in SS, but they were not to my standard. A quick run on the buffer got them up to spec (before and after seen here):



I've also heard grumbling about getting the boot onto its various flanges. I used an old bicycle spoke to get the boot over the flanges, and it didn't seem too bad:



The last thing was to get the battery and airbox back in place:



I do want to curse the guy who used the top right trans mount stud to mount the right half of the airbox--no room to swing the wrench there, and hard to keep the airbox half aligned as you crank it in. I ended up wrenching a bit, knocking the thing into alignment with the rubber mallet, wrenching a bit, knocking a bit, until everything looked good. That's all for today.

[Deleted User 287]

First, I had to make a clutch centering tool.

Duane will tell you that tool is not necessary. (I really like mine, though - shhh!)

But just three minutes with a softish ScotchBrite and it's all better:

Three minutes? I hate you.

I've also heard grumbling about getting the boot onto its various flanges. I used an old bicycle spoke to get the boot over the flanges, and it didn't seem too bad:

Probably because you didn't have the battery box or the air filter housing in yet. Looks like wide open spaces, to me.

I do want to curse the guy who used the top right trans mount stud to mount the right half of the airbox--no room to swing the wrench there

Yeah, I can only move the nut the slightest amount - flipping the spanner over for each bit. But I find that the big spring steel on the top of the gearbox holds the clam shell half in place while I am doing it. Maybe adjusting once or twice. Never thought about cursing this particular chore, though. I have many more I consider worse. We all have our personal burdens?

Too bad you had to miss out on the Geocaching, though. Chuey doesn't know how much fun that "space junk" can be!

[Chuey]

Some guy in Indiana said:
[/quote] Chuey doesn't know how much fun that "space junk" can be![/quote]

Rob, Watch Out! That space junk is Sharp! Take a first aid kit and for goodness sake, be careful.

Chuey

[melville]

Too bad you had to miss out on the Geocaching, though. Chuey doesn't know how much fun that "space junk" can be!

This one was up a tree!

[Deleted User 287]

This one was up a tree!

Only one cache? No marathon?

Chuey - I sure hope you were being phesetious!
(Geocaching - a sport using GPS receivers to have fun getting exercise with friends & family.)