PAINT AND ETC. (PART 1)

I'm a little behind on my posts right now, so here's an update on a few things that happened with the bike over the past few days; this post'll be a two parter.

First off, I started painting components. I decided on a Rustoleum Satin Black since my buddy just did his Sportster with it and it looks sick. Rather than tear down the whole bike, though, I decided to paint as many parts as I could in place. I pulled out every rag and sheet of packing paper I could find and started wrapping up everything I didn't want painted.

Here's the setup for painting the tank- note the use of an empty organic chicken feed bad to cover the crankcase. Profesh.

 
The tank came out nice, I think. I debated whether to leave the lettering chrome, but a lot of the finish was flaking off so I just sanded everything a bit and blacked out the whole thing. The paint on the back of the tank was pretty cracked in spots, but the satin fills it out ok... it might not look professional, but it does look badass, which is what counts, right?

The gauges sucked. When I took off the speedometer one of the mounting bolts came loose and fell into the case. I had to take the whole thing apart to get the screw out and put it back on the correct hole. So after an hour of screwing around with that (and the rubber facemounts that disintegrated and the almost slack-less cables, etc.,) I was able to 'mask' them off from the rest of the front end shoot them. Then I did the bars brake levers and lever mounts, top of the triple tree and the headlight bucket, leaving the ring around the lens chrome. I'm still deciding whether or not to do the fork ears and boots... Suggestions? 

the finished (for now) front end

DAMMIT.

Just a quick update on the bike this morning; in an earlier post I mentioned that I took off a broken horn and blinker controls... Well, turns out that this particular set of controls also ran the headlight. I missed this fact since the guy who owned the bike before me also installed a hi-lo beam switch on the frame. Confusing. I only left about 1/2 inch of wire in the switch box when I cut everything out, and fortunately I was able to VERY carefully connect the wires back together. Now my problem is that I'm not sure I can get the box back on the bars, so I might have to tape it all up, leave it on low beam and tuck it into the headlight bucket; I guess I got lucky with that extra switch on the frame. This was definitely my FML moment for the weekend.

XS 850- TEAR DOWN AND DESIGN IDEAS

I figured the first thing I should do is make the bike rideable and as safe as possible, so I decided to start with the rear brake. I've never worked on disk brakes on a motorcycle, and my experience with them on bicycles has been limited to cable controlled, not hydraulic. The problem was that the brake would stop the rear wheel but only back off very slightly when the brake was released, causing some very noticeable friction. I wasn't quite sure what was happening inside the caliper. But that's what the internet is for, right? I started watching some instructional vids on how to free a stuck piston; however, most of them recommended taking the brake to a shop, or buying a rebuild kit. I figured, though, that a combo of common sense and Firestone DBA was all I needed. 

My buddy Karl came over and, seeing as he had never worked on hydraulic motorcycle brakes either, we figured between the two of us we should be able to fix it easily. After both of us put flathead screwdrivers worrisomely deep into our respective palms, we decided it was time for a new plan. Karl pulled up some more videos on his iphone, and we agreed the best plan of attack would be trying to push out the piston with compressed air. My compressor decided it was too tired to help, so after giving up on that, Karl pulled the end off my bicycle pump and attached the rubber hose to the bleed nipple. He gave it 2 pumps and the piston shot out immediately, almost snaking one of my fingers. Underneath, the seals were soft and in great shape, so I cleaned all the corrosion off the piston with some brake fluid, reassembled the who thing, and mounted it back on the bike. We bled the line (another thing neither of us had done) and called it a night after testing what is now a smooth, correctly operating rear brake. I'm going to buy a new rotor at some point, as this one is pretty bad, but at least it stops well and doesn't lock up.

Next I started taking shit off... anything I don't absolutely need is going: rear fender (soon to be bobbed... somehow,) blinkers, passenger pegs, broken horn and blinker control assembly, running lights, old sponge grips, etc.. I also started cleaning, got rid of the wasps and most of the spiders, and started Google searching for design ideas. I don't like cafe' racers all that much (although some are definitely cool); it's not really my style. Since this bike is already a beefcake, I don't think it makes much sense to try to get it too slim. So I'm thinking lean and mean, but not anorexic and bitchy. After some searching, I found this pic:

I don't know who built this bike (it comes from an online used vehicle database) but as soon as I saw it I knew that this was the style I was looking for. I recently met a dude at a poker run my band played who has a Street Bob set up in a similar way and it looks badass... so I'm using this as a template. I like the satin black with tasteful chrome highlights, and I like the short rear end. I also think the black mags are killer. The gauges sort of create a little extra hight in front too. 

So I've got my inspiration. But I think I can make my bike look better than this one. For one thing, it needs a rear fender that comes up past or flush with the back of the seat, and I don't like the tank he used... the stock one looks better (even though it's a goddam whale.) So here we go; next post, new paint and new, lo-pro seat mounting.

UH OH. XS 850 PROJECT BIKE!

It's been a bit since my last post, mostly because I finished the SL125 (dubbed the "Nazgul") and haven't had anything to do (except work 55 hours a week.) Lately, though, I've been itching for a bit more power and reliability than the Nazgul can deliver. This is probably the fault of my buddy who lets me take his 883 Sportster for a spin every now and then. I even started thinking about dropping an old 250cc motor in that little frame (which I have been told, categorically, is a bad idea.) But a few weeks ago I was helping my friend's dad clear out his garage and (cue singing angels) lo and behold, in the back, covered in spider webs (and, as it turned out, filled with wasp nests) was this 1980 Yamaha XS 850.

                                                                   




The bike had technically been for sale for a while, and had been sitting for about 3 years, so the owner was anxious to get rid of it. I payed $500, loaded it into the trailer, and that was that.

I got her home and took a quick ride around the block before the battery died, and the motor runs fine considering it hasn't been started for a long time. I'm used to the Nazgul (top speed, 55mph) so when I hit 60 in second gear I realized... this is going to be fun.

The XS 850 is a sweet bike. Shaft drive, 3 cylinder, dual front rotors-- all power and BEEFY. Check out the size of that tank! Usually these bikes either get restored as close to original as possible, or they get cafe'd out. I'm not sure what to do with her yet; the first order of business is to clean her up.

Obviously, she needs some work. A new battery was a must, as the old Wal Mart special was refusing to recharge and blowing fuses.  Also, the rear brake was stuck, and, unfortunately, had been ridden that way for what looks like a long time, judging from the glacial tills in the rotor. The whole thing is riddled with spiders, and there's a lot of corrosion and rust so most of the components could use a good scrubbing and probably some paint of some sort. The seat is giant, so if my feet are going to even get close to reaching the ground she's going to need a new, lower profile saddle, too, at the very least, and maybe shorter rear shocks.

Next post, I get at that rear brake, start slimming her down, and begin brainstorming design ideas.

ANOTHER FORAY INTO RECORDING

This week I took a break from working on the bike to do some rough recordings of some of my older songs. I gave myself a crash course in playing the upright bass, bought a handle of Gin and a pack of smokes, and went to work. I started with an older tune from a few years ago, and re-wrote a large part of it. After a couple nights in the garage until after midnight, I finished it to the best of my abilities... me and garage band ain't that great of friends, but still, it's not too bad. You can listen to it at http://jonbartel.tumblr.com/
I apologize for mixing my blog sites, but whatever. Tumblr is awesome for music. While you're there, check out some of my older tunes too.

Enjoy!

PICS!

Here she is, at least for now. Like I said in my previous post, I still have more to do, including new tires, brakes, sissy bar, etc., but I thought some pics were still in order at this point.

FINISHED SPRINGER SEAT AND FENDER

After I got the seat mounted, I went back to the welding supply shop and bought a prefabbed trailer fender ($19). It was designed for a 14" wheel, but I had to cut 1/3 of it off anyway, so the length I used is short enough to look good on my 18".

I made a mounting bracket out of an old framing strap and bolted it down to the original seat mounts. In the picture, I haven't ground off the corners yet so they don't show on each side of the fender. Next I notched the sides of the fender so it fit as low as possible under the seat. I drilled out a mounting hole and bolted the fender to the bracket, and that was it. I went back and did a little tweaking here and there, including shimming the seat springs up about 1/2" with some washers for some extra clearance, and remounting the tail light on the throttle side strut.

So what's next? Hi-Beam switch, maybe a rebar sissybar... I'm also going to replace the rear sprocket with something a few teeth smaller, put on new street tires and mount new foot pegs, My new brake shoes are on the way from Ebay as I write this (I figured better braking was a priority right now.) So there's still a lot of work to do, but as it stands right now, I have a pretty badass little machine that has come a long way from it's trail bike days. Next post, some full bike pics.

SEATS AND SPRINGS

My buddy Taylor was interested in my idea of building a custom springer solo seat, and decided to make one for his sportster. So we made a template and he cut out 2 seats, one for each of us, made from some 12 gauge steel we picked up at the welding yard for $14. Once the seats were cut, we got to work with the bench grinder and a ball peen.

This was my first time trying to shape steel using only a hammer, but it was surprisingly easy... just beat the shit out of it until it does what you want.

Next Taylor welded me up some seat springs, made from 2.5" of the old rear suspension with washers top and bottom to provide a solid mounting surface.

I stopped by Ace and picked up some mounting bolts (hex drive pan head). I drilled out two holes on the seat frame bracing and did the same to the seat. My fingers are huge, so it took a while to thread the nuts on inside the spring coil, but after a good hour of pinched fingers and a shit-ton of swearing, I had the seat mounted. Next post, steel fender.

DRINKIN'

I've been working on the bike on and off this week, but before I get to those pics and descriptions, I figured I'd post a few photos I took the other night when the boys were over getting drunk in the garage. The bike at that point had just been hardtailed. All pics taken with the Toy Camera Ap for iphone.

Kenneth Bonelove, trying to calculate his Bud Light count. 

smoke break 

The Dirty Rambler himself, gettin' his lean on.

GAS TANK UPDATE:

Only time for a quick update tonight: I modified the tank lift. On my buddy Chris's advice, I used a deeper socket and got rid of the washers. I also pulled apart the front end again, took off the dust boots and flipped the headlight. I'll post some pics tomorrow. Also, soon to come, custom made 12 gauge steel springer seat... hopefully that'll be done soon.

GAS TANK LIFT: GHETTO OR BADASS???

I woke up yesterday morning with a plan already formed in my head for lifting my gas tank. Like I mentioned in the previous post, my goal here is to beef up the aesthetics of the bike, for that "gorilla" geometry. I think I got the term "gorilla" from my buddy JMan who once claimed that a dude should transform into an ape as soon as he straddles a well-built bike. So, in an effort to make myself and my motorcycle more ape-like, I headed out to the garage to forage around in my many tool boxes of random shit until I found the perfect riser mount.

I started by removing the original rubber mount that friction fit under two tabs welded to the frame. Then, I ground out the rivet on a turn of the century window sash lock that I had left over from a remodel we did on a late 1800's house a few years ago. I knew it would come in handy at some point! Thanks to homeowner Joey Meese for letting me keep all that old hardware.

I drilled out the old mounting tabs on the frame and bolted on the sash lock. Then I began the arduous task of selecting spacers. I wanted to raise the tank about 2 inches, so I started with some washers and then started trying out random other items. Finally, I found the solution.

An old, stripped 14mm socket put the tank just about where I wanted it, so I stacked everything up, ran a 2.5" bolt up the middle of the spacers and through the tank mount tab, which already had a hole in it. A couple nuts on top secured everything down, and I was done.

Next, it's time to move my headlight down, and I think I'll get rid of the dust boots on the forks. Then, I have to figure out how to fab and mount a springer seat... I'm thinking straight steel. So here's my question: is this super ghetto? Or just straight up badass? I'm ready for some feedback on my project, so let me know!

'72 HONDA SL 125 HARDTAIL

Once I decided to hardtail this bike, I had to figure out the best way to do it. I played with a few ideas, and then went down to the local steel supply warehouse to see what they recommended. I ended up with two, twelve inch lengths of 1/12" wall 3/4 square stock.

The width was the exact same as the original suspension mounts, so all I had to do was drill out the holes in the right spots for the bottom stud and top bolt. I was about to make a plywood template when I realized I have a doweling jig, donated to my garage by my father in law. The jig self-centers, and keeps the bit perfectly plumb during drilling.

Fortunately, the bottom stud diameter was 1/2" and the top bolt was 5/16- both dimensions included in the doweling jig. I clamped it down and used my corded drill for a little extra power- the holes took a while, but they came out perfect.

I set the first strut, leaving the seat frame about 3/4" off the rear tire. Then, I drilled the bottom stud hole in the second strut, so I could mount it and mark the exact center of the final top bolt hole. This strategy worked great; I drilled the last hole, mounted the second strut, and that was it. Now I've got a (sort of ghetto) hardtail frame.

The location of the rear light will have to be changed, and I'm gonna have my work cut out for me trying to figure out how to mount a fender, seat, and sissy bar., but I'm stoked on the way the bike sits so much lower now. I went back to Google Image Search to get some ideas for the fender, etc., and came across a couple pics of bikes similar to mine: small frames/motors with a bulky look to them, but I couldn't put my finger on what was different about them. Finally, around midnight, I realized that all those bikes had an elevated gas tank that provides a sort of "gorilla" geometry. Also, many of these motorcycles have a lowered headlight. I like how both these elements really make a bike stand out, and I ought to be able accomplish both pretty easily, so... I guess that'll be the next post.

'72 HONDA SL 125 FINISHED! (OR IS IT...)

Well, I finished it... at least as of a month ago. Once I got the bike together I still had a couple tasks- namely, registering it and getting licensed to ride it. I went down to the DMV and got my permit since all it takes is passing a written test. That made me feel comfortable riding it around the streets of our immediate area. Then, I took a 3 day motorcycle safety/training course through CCMT. It cost $250 but it was worth it. After the course I felt safe and confident on a bike, and just taking it waves my DMV licence test.

(Done)

Next I had to go down to the DMV again and try to register the bike for dual use- street and off road. So I went down and filled out a billion forms and hoped that they didn't ask to see the bike... no blinkers and a chopped exhaust probably wouldn't go over so well. The lady at the DMV asked to see it right away. "You don't need to see it" I said, using my Jedi powers. "It has lights and it's an SL, so its Street Legal- you know, 'SL'." Apparently that was pretty convincing; the lady looked at me strange for a second and then sighed and handed me plates. I guess SL could stand for 'Street Legal,' who knows?

I've been riding her around for about a month now, and it's awesome. Top speed is about 55 mph if the conditions are right. For getting around town, going to the store, or riding out to my Dad's house ten miles away, this is the perfect bike. Since this is my first motorcycle I'm fine with it going slowish. And I'm fine with it being the obvious street legal dirt bike that it is rather than a cruiser.

But... I sort of want a bike that can at least go the speed limit, and I've been spending a lot of time looking at a shitload of bikes on the internet and in magazines. The speed problem is easy; my rear sprocket is a 58t, which is huge. I could easily drop 10 teeth and still be on the big side. I figure I'll go down to a 48 and see what that gives me. Maybe it'll get me to 65 mph. Plus an OEM sprocket for this bike isn't too expensive. The magazine and Google image problem is much bigger. I've realized recently that there are a lot of people out there who aren't in to stock motorcycles, cool though some may be. These people aren't into fancy show choppers either. Rather, they're all about building a rusty, badass conglomeration of gasoline, steel and anything else that can be altered or transformed into a low slung, growling bike to get you from A to B. It's not flashy, but it exudes creativity, individuality, and ton of real, gritty, knuckle grinding work put in at night, on weekends, any time there is a spare second. Poring over these bikes for the past couple of months has really inspired me; hell, the whole purpose of this blog is to showcase the shit I build, and there's a reason the blog's called contraption.

So I decided I'm gonna go all in. I'm hardtailing this baby. Dropping the frame 4 inches. Installing a springer seat, etc. I think I just can't stand to have a project finish. My brother was over the other day when I was working on the bike, and he asked me, "is it fun to own something that you have to fix constantly?" My immediate answer was yes. That's the best part, in some ways. So I'm going to make this little bike look smaller and bigger at the same time. It's going to be a beast. A relatively slow beast. Next post, the frame gets slammed and strutted.

'72 HONDA SL 125 PART 4: CHOPPIN' PIPES AND MOUNTIN' LIGHTS

After spending some time poring over a ton of similarly ratty bikes in Google Images, I decided to ditch the original seat in favor of a flatter, leaner looking one... so I pulled out an old sheet of 3/4'' ply and a jigsaw and went to work. I've never upholstered anything before, but I was surprised at how easy it was. I stapled a couple layers of carpet padding to the wood base, wrapped it in batting and finished it off with some faux-leather I got cheap at the local fabric store. My wife is an avid seamstress, so she gave me some tips; I think the whole thing came out looking pretty slick, and it's not uncomfortable.

I also shot the tank with some flat black barbeque paint. The dents are still noticeable, but at least I got rid of the surface rust and old orange paint.

I think a motorcycle should be as loud as possible, so, seeing as how the exhaust pipe looked pretty stupid to begin with and had a hole in the muffler, I went ahead and sawzalled it off just past the foot peg. I flat blacked it to match the tank, and remounted it with new bolts to replace the rusty, stripped studs that miraculously didn't snap during removal. Now the bike sounds like an amplified, coal powered chainsaw on steriods. I recently left my buddy's house and rode home, a trip of at least a mile through my rural hometown. He called me to say that he could hear me all the way to my house!

The next day all my new cables and my headlight finally showed up. Unfortunately, it didn't come with mounting hardware. I dug through my bin of old bicycle parts and found a couple of crankset bolts from an old fixie project. They look great as mounting bolts and even have rubber bushings that keep the light snug and relatively vibration free.

Now that I had a headlight it was time to think about tail lights. I shopped around on Ebay trying to find an old bobber-style break/tail light, but I didn't want to drop the 50-100 bucks that a cool one would cost. Finally, I went down to Kragen to see what they could do for me, and I ended up just buying a replacement 12v Taurus tail light. I replaced the bulb with a 6v, mounted it with a modified Simpson framing bracket, and wired it up.

It works great, and looks pretty good sitting on the edge of the old plastic dirtbike fender I chopped and painted. A little conduit routes the wires up under the frame. The whole setup cost about $7: way cheaper than anything on Ebay.

'72 HONDA SL 125 PROJECT: PART 3

After I replaced the battery and coil I was able to get a weak spark, but I still couldn't get the motor to start up. I tested the compression, which was ample, kicked it over until my leg felt like it was going to fall off, and even tried bump starting it on the hill in front of our house. Nothing worked. Finally, I realized that the fuel line (which I had not checked, for some reason) was attached to a vent port that the previous owner had JB Welded a fuel nipple into. I decided to take apart the carb and see what else was wrong, so I disassembled it and bathed everything in carb cleaner.

Since the fuel nipple had been welded into the wrong hole, I had to make a new one out of a brass vacuum hose fitting (see pic above, the old nipple on the left and the new one on the right, in the correct port.) It worked, and finally I was able to get gas into the float bowl. I shot a little starter fluid into the spark plug hole for good measure, and she fired up on the 20th kick-- for about 2 seconds. I repeated this process a few times and gave up for the night, satisfied that I could at least get some combustion. The next day I bought and installed a hotter plug, smashed around the wires a little bit more, and she fired up. I was able to keep the motor running for a few minutes this time, until I accidentally touched one of the wires and immediately lost spark. Also, the timing seemed pretty off. So I cleaned the points, adjusted the gap, which helped the spark issue a little bit. Still, the bike still wouldn't run for more than a couple of minutes and it died every time I rolled the throttle. Finally, I called my good buddy known locally as The Scoutmaster, a mechanical engineer with an addiction to restoring vintage scooters and Volvos; I figured if he couldn't get this thing running right no one could.

(The Scoutmaster (left) and me all dressed up)

The Scoutmaster took one look at the wiring on my bike, cracked a beer, swigged, and burped. Then he rewired the whole thing. With a brand new harness, an oil change and a little work on the timing, the bike fired on the first kick and ran strong! Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that if you tighten the nuts that attach the carb to the manifold even a bit too snug, the throttle slide tube will bend slightly out of round and cause you to spend an hour sanding the slide into an oval. All in all, though, the day was a success, ending with a fat spark, a running bike, and clean wiring with tight connections.

(New low-profile, conduit wrapped wiring harness and new battery)

Next, I get busy with a sawzall, build a new seat, and make this baby street legal (sort of.)

MORE PROGRESS: '72 HONDA SL 125 PROJECT

Since I had the front end pulled apart and the new coil and battery were still in the mail, I decided I'd just do all the suspension components at once. I pulled off the rear shocks, which were pretty much locked with rust and dirt. At some point I'd like to replace them, but not right now. So I spent a few hours cleaning, wire brushing, re-oiling and finally re-painting. The result wasn't bad- they're not the smoothest or quietest shocks ever, but they get the job done and they look a hell of a lot better.

I also removed the 2.5" extension spring, which lowered the bike a bit. I've since gone back and forth between shock heights a couple of times, but I think I like the bike as low as possible in the rear- both because I'm not very tall and because it looks better than way.

I removed the fork arms and flat blacked the bottoms and tops, leaving the middle in it's chrome-and-rust condition. I ordered some black rubber dust boots to cover that part. I didn't bother changing the fork oil for now, since everything operates smoothly and the seals seem fine. I bought some used chrome headlight mounts off Ebay and I ordered an OEM headlight from Thailand, which ended up taking 2 months to arrive.
Once everything was painted and lubed, I put the front end back together- a task which ended up being fairly time-consuming. I also took apart the front brake and cleaned everything with heavy-duty degreaser. I re-oiled the springs, adjusted the arm and put the old cable back on while I waited on the new one I ordered. I also ordered a new clutch cable, OEM levers and a lever mount to replace the one I snapped a bolt and then 2 easy-outs trying to remove. Sometimes, rust just wins.

MOVING ON TO MOTORCYCLES: 1972 HONDA SL 125 PROJECT

I've been wanting to buy a motorcycle for a while now; it's not that I've lost enchantment with building bicycles, but something about the noise, power, and (i'll admit it) cool factor of riding a motorcycle has always appealed to me. It's like picking up smoking for older people. My wife has been opposed to this plan, since she's concerned (rightly) with my safety, but it's not like the past few years of weaving through rush hour traffic on fixies sans brakes was particularly smart or safe either, so in September, on my 30th birthday, I convinced her to let me buy this non-running 1972 Honda SL 125. It was a steal on Craigslist for $160, registered off road through 2011 and complete with a clean title. I made it my goal to get her running and revamped for around-town duty by Christmas. It took me a bit longer than that, but as of now this bike has a new lease on life, as my next few posts will show. I'm still building bicycles, don't worry- my current project is a 26" MB/road crosstraining bike- but I thought i'd share the process of building this motorcycle with the 7 or 8 people who still read this blog. Keep in mind I've never rebuilt or even worked on a motorcycle, so everything I did here I learned as I went. So, here we go...

The bike as it looked when I bought it: non-running, with a bad orange paint job and a bunch of corroding plastics, dents, rust, and greasy mud from almost 40 years of being used in the dirt and stored outside. It was time for a little TLC, degreaser, and a self-taught, crash course in motorcycle maintenance.

After a little research and some advice from my more mechanically inclined buddies, I decided to start with the electrical system. I pulled the tank and seat, and started checking the wiring. A tug on the plug wire pulled it right out of the coil; it had literally been melted in half, possibly from a short. I ordered a new OEM coil/plug wire off of Ebay, as well as a new battery. While those were being shipped, I began pulling the front end of the bike apart and cleaning it up.

I pulled the forks, bars, and front wheel off, teaching myself how everything connects... as far as the headset/tripletree is concerned it's not much different from a bicycle.

The cups and races were pretty much welded together by rusted bearings, but once I tore everything apart, went to town with PB Blaster and repacked it all with a liberal amount of lithium grease the headset works great- smooth turning and silent.

A wire wheel quickly took off the corrosion on the triple tree, brake mounts, throttle switch box, etc... I love the wire wheel. Next, the forks get a new paint job, the front brakes get overhauled and the front end goes back together!