sunshine, fresh air & an open road....bliss

So far I have rode every day this week and clocked up about 160kms, but without the speedo working, it's just an educated guess, I pretty much know the distances around town and I have ridden the routes many times. Through the latter part of the week a lot of motorbikes have been passing through town on thier way to Phillip Island for a racing event, its funny how they all stop in large groups, big burly mens men in leathers and all sit around in the cafes resting thier tired butts, comparing facial hair, who has the fattest tyres and the longest penis extension all whist sipping soy lattes and screwing up thier noses at me doing laps past them and giving them the helmet nod, hehehe.
Today I got a good ride in before the wife went to work, it is a beautiful day, I took a couple of photos enroute, token rusty windmill and arty front shot, not bad I think.
I had a light bulb moment whist cruising along the country roads through gum tree shaded sections, passing cows and sheep, and fields of vegies with tractors and rusty sheds. I was cruising at no more than 60kms, and that allowed me to take in the scenery, It was relaxing, I had the road to myself, I have always been hell bent on trying to get the bike to go faster and faster, and probably still will, but riding the open road somehow seems so much nicer when I'm not wringing Glorias neck, listening and waiting for the engine to shit itself, worrying about the rattles and wondering if something is going to fall off....all the cars that pass me will pass me if i'm doing 60 or 85 so what's the point?
One minor incident, I mentioned earlier on in the piece that I had accidently stripped the thread on the bracket that holds the top of the dampener, well the bolt came out and hit the underside of the bike, thankfully, because I wouldn't have noticed it straight away, It took twenty minutes of looking along the highway to find it and the ride home was a bit bouncy and didn't feel too safe, so now I have to find a thin nut or soething similar to slip in between to fix it so it doesn't come out again.

Front shock sorted.

I rode to work yesterday and noticed after about 15km the shock started to slip a little, about 10mm, I strapped it up with cable ties as best I could for the ride home and it seemed to do the job. I was advised by the suppliers that I try and glue it in there, but I had enough touble getting the rubber back in there as it was, I ended up using a vice and an old socket. I used a large enough washer to fix it so it can't go anywhere. I will just need to watch it for wear.

shocking

Now that I was all set to go, I set out for paynesville to visit Ian at the cafe, I hadn't seen him for ages, being off the road etc and the last time I rode down there he was away.

The new main jet seemed to make a little difference, but not enough to go wow, the speedo actually worked too, with the damaged drive gear and the dodgey connection.

Heres where things go a bit wayward, I get about halfway to Paynesville and the engine starts to bog down, I clutch in and pull over, stall and wonder why. It was almost the same spot I soft seized the first time but with 1700 kms more on the clock since then has just confused me. I wait 30 seconds, give her a kick and away I go as normal, that was about 20kms into the ride.

I get to the cafe, have a quick chat and a coffee and out I go to leave, now there are people everywhere, two cafes full of people all watching me as there wasn't much else to look at, I put my key in, fuel on, should still be warm so no chike, kick kick kick kick, ok here we go kick, shit I try the choke and realise I hadn't turned the key on, dumb ass, kick and after the smoke cleared I zoomed off trying to look cool but feeling like a tool.

I ride back into town, about, 20kms, and proceed to just ride around, laps of the main st, getting plenty of looks, a few toots and thumbs up, I missed this part. I found a few locations for some arty photos, see above, I pulled up at the busted ass caravn out the back of the saleyards and the scoot stalled, whaich it never does unless its my fault, mmm here we go, at least I can push it home from here if I had to, I took the photo and she didn't want to start, I got her going eventually and decided to give the idle screw a tweak and that seemed to do the trick. I decide to give the front brake a road test and thats where My speedo stopped working, turns out the cable was fouling just enough to put a kink in the cable outer and in turn causing the cable to break, and I will need to adjust the brake cable a little so the brakes work a little better.

I do about another 20kms before I get home so I will need to remember approx. how many kms I do so I can keep an accurate history of the running of the scoot.

Once I get home I go about removing the speedo drive gear and this is what I see. See pic. one.......

My brand new dampener has all but slid completely off the rubber, it was clearing the hub by a couple of mm and I'm not sure what would've happened if it came completely off, but it wouldn't have been pretty.

I put it all abck together and vow to keep an eye on it until I hear back about what I should do next or if something else is stuffed i.e. the fork is bent, or the front end is bent or both. Maybe it can be sorted easily, which would be ideal.

My ride into work today was good, I kept checking the dampener every few minutes, I rode about 15kms and by the time I got into work it had slipped about 5mm, thinking I might do a cable tie job for the trip home.

Front end build

The pictures speak for themselves, old Vs new, I knew the dampener was stuffed but didn't really know how much until I got a new one to compare it with.
The first pic. is well, weird, there isn't a weld there it looks like it might have had an outer layer of maybe 50,000 layers of paint and its chipped away around the hole, I gave it a wire brush but it didn't do much, so I sealed it with some more paint and left it as it is.
The others speak for themselves.
I had a successful re-build, It took about three hours, but I also changed my main jet too a 100 that is on loan until I get a set of jets ranging from 90-112 which is on it's way. Thanks Kelvin. I adjusted the gear cables, topped up the fuel, checked the tyres and gave her a general all over inspection.
As this was the first time I have done a front end, I started with part A and realised it will be easier to install part B and C first then A, but if I put D and E there first, B will be easier and A will be impossible. so after a head scratch or two, a flick through the manual and a beer I got it all together, The three washers at the top of my spring were there because the old dampener was rooted, I dont need them now which is the way it should be. One downside was that the top dampener connection bolt actually threaded out the fixing point on the fork, well it didn't, I did, so I'm not sure what to do there, I'll keep an eye on it, maybe loctite it, see what happens.
I salvaged the speedo drive gear where I had damaged the grooves, I used a stanley knife to clean it up and put it all back together, plenty of grease etc. at the speedo end the screw connection at the end of the cable is gone, the actual cable is just in the speedo by upward pressure from slightly pulling the the cable outer up, I spun the wheel and the needle flickered a bit so it might be ok, until a new one arrives in a week or so, the cable almost fouls the front end with the dive from braking, just in the garage by pushing and braking fully, it will do for a week that is forcast rain everyday, I might not get a chance to do much riding but if getting a wet arse and riding or sitting and looking at Gloria like I have been for a few weeks and staying dry are my only options. Wet bum it is.
I have kicked her over a couple of times, which is probably not a great idea without a front wheel on, 2-3 kicks is standard from cold, but I have a habit of turning the fuel tap off a hundred or so metres before I get to where i'm going, my theory is,  I roll her out onto the drive fuel tap still off, straddle it and give it a good wobble to ensure that any oil in the fuel that may have settled is mixed back in, tap on, kick kick ting putt ting putt off I go. Turn it off and run it until it starts to sputter and kill it, there is hardly any fuel left in the hose to evaporate and leave the carb with a film of oil that is hard to ignite, as apposed to if I turn it off after I stop and dont swish it before I try and start it, some of the oil in the hose will settle if left long enough and the same for the tank and this might cause problems starting. Right or wrong I'm not sure, but it's working so far.

Waiting and tinkering

While I have been waiting on a few parts, the first shipment will be here anytime now, the second due late next week at the earliest, I'm desperate to get back on the road, so I have been tnkering, cleaning, examining etc.
Pic. one. is the assorted bits from my front end, some ok, some old and worn but ok and some completely stuffed..
Pic. two and three Two shots after I drilled out the rivets that hold the rubber mat down, I just bought a rivet gun so I can put the brake drum dust cover back on, so I thought I'd take a look. The seam looks like its supposed to be there, but how it is supposed to look I dont know, a magnet check for filler didn't seem to indicate any, but because of previous comments on the welding underneath this I am being very cautious and looking for any sign of cracking after each ride.
Pic. four. I bought a new set of brake/clutch levers in case I break one if I drop the bike, the new ones look way better so I put them on, they are slightly different to the old ones, and a bit thicker where they go into the handle bar, the old ones were packed out with washers. They fit ok, a bit stiff though. I cleaned up the cable ends and headset, greased them up good.
Pic. five I had to disconnect the clutch cable to change the lever so I changed the cable anchor too, the old one was very tired and rusted.
I still have to adjust the gear cables and after my first box arrives, rebuild the front end using the old parts until the new ones and the missing ones arrive in box two and just get out there.
Can't wait

1985

It's a year that some will remember fondly, depending on your age, some would say if you remember it you weren't really there, it was about big hair, skinny jeans, thin ties, for the ladies it was blue eye shadow, or black, pink blush or white and of course the hairspray, there was cool music, well sort of, it was cutting edge then and I defy anyone not to smirk and hum along, tapping thier foot, slippers and all, when they see a clip from back then,  for me well I was half way through high school, discovering the joy of a slow dance at the school disco with the girl of my dreams, at the same time trying to figure out if girl germs would actually kill me , why the ugly ducklings had turned into beautiful swans overnight and what I would lie about what actually happened to my mates the next day....ahhhh coming of age, my wife was 5 and from all accounts and pictures, just a wee cute girl with a big smile. Gloria was probably loaded up with some ducks and a pig, three toddlers, mum and grandma off to the market for the day.
Today it's the number on my speedo, detached and waiting, I haven't riden in about two weeks, I have all the bits and pieces I need on order and now I wait, had I ignored the speedo light that I dont really need, it would be business as usual, the parts, as they arrive, I could replace and when the bike is running well, then I'll start on the wiring issues, at least I'd be riding.....

I'm thinking of putting together a list of things I have replaced, but that can wait, I will say that I'm swapping out the exhaust for a Sito Plus, upjetting to suit, I have a new air cleaner/filter, all I have to say is that in comparison, the new one will do what it's supposed to, the old one kept the flys out at least.....
So I'm excited about the tuned exhaust, and getting the whole thing doing the best it can, a solid front end, new speedo gear and just being out there, wind in the hair, smile on the dial and two stroke smoke in my wake. ahhhhhh 1985.

Front end part two, or is it three?

I was going to leave the rest of the front end alone, but I was thumbing through the haynes manual and got to page 78, the exploded view of the front end, a great drawing, as a draftsman I might look at it with two minds, all the pieces that need to be there and the drawing itself, probably done 40+ years ago and by hand, a good job, to draw it these days, if you did mechanical exploded views (I do structural engineering) and quite easy as such, they would be crisp, precise , but by hand, it is a credit to the draftsman, the clarity and ease in which a lay person can read and understand the basic breakdown of each part of the scooter....
Anyway.
After I made note of all the bits that were missing I decided to continue pulling all the front end apart, just to see what else was missing.
First up I went all old school and used my Pa's Hand drill to get the rivets out of the dust cover, pic one, its quite obviously not the correct one, it was hard to remove and you could see the indentations and ripples where it had been, not forced but screwed in"well", that off I used a  punch to push the main pivot shaft through, it went through easily, some resistance which is good.
I pulled out all the bits, well a couple of washers and an end plug thingy, the one on the wheel side wouldn't budge, I tried with a screwdiver and hammer and no matter how hard I hit it, it wouldn't move, I relented and stopped before I had a brass end bush that was bent,useless and stuck.
The pics speak for themselves.

axle out, mystery bit

This morning I got the axle out by screwing the nut back on to protect the thread and hitting it with a hammer and a piece of wood, it took five or six hits and it came out easily.
The bearings were actually reasonably new and looked to be in good condition, I left them in, I could see something inside though, it was a washer of some sort, i got it out easily enough but dont have a clue what it is, so I'll be doing some research later.
As for the shaft, its a little worn on the brake end where it sits in the bearing, strangely enough there are a lot of letter "H" stamped into the shaft all around where the worn part is, I'm guessing that the bodgers do it because its a little loose and stamping it will raise the surface a bit to seat in the bearing a bit better, the drive gear end was clean and not damaged, the thread on the tyre end has seen better days and the hole for the split pin has too.
I cleaned it all out as best as I could and left it at that. I need some parts before I can put it back together.
The bottom pic is the home made rubbers and shaft pieces from the dampener the other pics speak for themselves. Now I play the waiting game.

snowballing effect

What started out as a simple exploratory examination of the wiring, turned into pulling the whole front end apart.
I couldn't make head nor tail of the wiring, it didn't match any of the wiring diagrams I could find, not so much the colours but the switch too, I used one of those continuity meters and only got minimal joy,  I took the horn out to find that the screws holding it in were all over the place, two of them had little washer type nuts holding then in, I couldn't for the life of me get them back in, I would need to take off the front gurad to get then in, so I just have two screws holding in place now, the inside behind the horn was all covered in surface rust mixed with dirt and paint but looked to be ok, just in need of a good clean. So after some head scratching and a beer I thought I'd replace the little bulb in the speedo, this is where it all began. I undid the screw and prised it out, only to discover that the end of the outer cable was held to the speedo by an elastic band, I then wanted to see that the cable was still in position, it wasn't, I turned the front wheel and the cable didnt turn, mmmm, so I undid it at the wheel and pulled it out and it was stuffed too, my doing this time, it was all frayed and the grease in there felt a bit gritty, I thought I'd pull the dampener out since I had a new one on the way, so wheel off, dampener off, bugger it that axle should probably feel a bit smoother, might check that out too, dust cover off and with a bit of improvising and an impact wrench got the outer and inner nuts off and thats where I hit a wall, I'm not sure how to get the rest apart, so this ended my evening, I need to find out how to get this off.

I have now resigned myself to the fact I won't be riding the scoot for a little while while I sort the front end, as for the wiring, well I will replace it in the future, it still works but replacing it will be a big job, so when I have to do some major work, like dropping the engine, I'll do it then when the bike is out of action.
Pic one. The screws and the washer thingys that hold two of the screws in place
Pic two & three. the horn and the parts that have been ground out to fit the screws, the tab bolted on the back??? I think might be an earth for the wiring, can't see what else it's there for.
Pic four. the holes for the horn and the grimey layer inside behind it.
Pic five. the horn in position, it was a tight fit getting it in and out was a task.
Pic. six. the elastic band that was hilding the top of the speedo cable outer to the speedo connection, classy stuff
Pic. seven  the speedo drive gear I partially stripped and the worn connector that held it into the front end.

head light & wiring

                                     

I haven't ridden much in the last week, due to weather, 40 degrees C (about 105F) for three days, my wife's family are here to assist with the boys while my wife covers someones leave at work etc. But I was looking at the bike one afternoon and saw that the headlight had moved down, see pic one, so I took it off to find that three of the six little tabs had broken off, now I knew two had broken prior to this but the ond at the bottom of the headlight went this time, hense it falling down, see pic three. However a tiny spider had taken residence in the headset and wasn't happy I had evicted him, pic two. I have packed out the light in the meantime, until I can get a new one, not urgent.

I have been meaning to map out the wiring and try to find the reason I blow headlight bulbs, now was the first time I started to look into this, the rest of the pics are of the headlight set up and the switch box on the handle bar, the switch needs a good clean up and both that and the headlight could probably do to be replaced eventually. I now plan to work out what the colours used here are and what they do, see if they match normal wiring diagrams for the model,  if this is "new" wiring and connections, I'd hate to see old....

I will be replacing the speedo light which has gone too and tidy up as best I can inside the headset itself. That should be an interesting exercise for the weekend.

I have a 100 main jet in the mail from my man in Brisbane, he had it laying around and offered to let me try it before I go any further with working out how to get the extra 10+kmph that I should be out of the Veloce. I am also expecting some parts over the coming weeks, as I fit those I'll go through what I've got and what else I find on the way. Call it a work in progress.