Monday, 2 November 2009
A Tiny Job
When ferreting about the in the box the charging and ignition kit came in I found the small packet that contained the float bowl seals. I knew I had ordered them and had in fact seen them but I could not find them all summer long. It took less than five minutes to fit both the seals. I just had to ping off the float bowl retaining clip on each carb, drop out the bowl, position the seal, reposition the bowl and refit the clip. Another job ticked off.
Boyer Bransden
I have always wanted a Boyer Bransden electronic ignition system. It was fairly expensive but I hope for great things from the unit, not least of which is not having to set the points every couple of weeks. Click HERE for the Boyer Bransden website.
I read the instructions through several time during the summer but without actually doing as the instruction said it was hard to figure what they where talking about. I got a brew and a stool and laid out all the bits on the bike lift. The ignition unit on the BM is the "Bean Can" type. I followed the instructions to dismantle the inner gubbins of the bean can. There is no way anything was going back in that can once it have it out. It would just be too fiddly. I followed the instructions very closely. Some items did not seem to work but it is Boyer B kit so it should work. After another brew the penny dropped. I rubbed a file though one of the locator recesses and the rotor just slipped in against the pins as per the instructions. After that it was plain sailing. When I got the Boyer B kit installed in the bean can I took the wire wool to the body of the can and polished it up. It is never going to be concourse condition bike but it will be serviceable. I greased the bearings and fitted the bean can into the eccentric drive off the big end shaft. It is a neat fit. Let us hope the oil seal is good and keeps the oil off the alternator.
The next job is to fit the coils, position the electronic ignition box and run the wires.
I read the instructions through several time during the summer but without actually doing as the instruction said it was hard to figure what they where talking about. I got a brew and a stool and laid out all the bits on the bike lift. The ignition unit on the BM is the "Bean Can" type. I followed the instructions to dismantle the inner gubbins of the bean can. There is no way anything was going back in that can once it have it out. It would just be too fiddly. I followed the instructions very closely. Some items did not seem to work but it is Boyer B kit so it should work. After another brew the penny dropped. I rubbed a file though one of the locator recesses and the rotor just slipped in against the pins as per the instructions. After that it was plain sailing. When I got the Boyer B kit installed in the bean can I took the wire wool to the body of the can and polished it up. It is never going to be concourse condition bike but it will be serviceable. I greased the bearings and fitted the bean can into the eccentric drive off the big end shaft. It is a neat fit. Let us hope the oil seal is good and keeps the oil off the alternator.
The next job is to fit the coils, position the electronic ignition box and run the wires.
The Year Turns
The BM has been siting on the stand all summer. It has been used as a rack, a support, it has got in the way. I have been thinking about what I shall do once the summer tasks have finished and the weather is too wet to go outside at the weekend. Last weekend the clocks went back to GMT [Greenwich Mean Time]. That means it gets darker earlier, however the weather is still quite warm. Warm enough to go into the garage at night and tinker with the bike. I have had the new charging and ignition gear since February. I have had the bits out of the boxes and bags several times. I even read the instructions a couple of times.
I started tentatively by disconnecting the battery. Then I fitted the beefy rectifier. The thing that has held me up in the state of the cover for the alternator. The old alternator was covered in oily grim. I needed something to get it off but I was not happy about using a smelly degreaser. I was in Halfords one day and came across a Lemon scented degreaser. I took a punt and bought a tin. True to the label on the tin the contents smelled of Lemon. H came in to see what I was doing. She said the air smelt zesty. I passed the test. I can carry on cleaning without stinking the house out. I bagged some wire wool and having degreased the cover plate I polished the surface with the wire wool. It has come up nice. I then had to tackle the tricky bit.
The next task was to connect the three wires leading from the alternator windings [The stator] to the distribution block. The block received the wires from the rectifier. It was a right beggar to position all the bits to solder the ends to the distribution block without cremating everything in site. After a false start, leaving things overnight and coming back with more patience, I managed to complete that task. Once the distribution block was fitted the other connectors and brush set were fitted to the plate. It was then a matter of fitting the rotor to the bike, easy enough, but then the stator and cover plate has to fit over the rotor. It was a bit fiddly to get the brushes to locate onto commutator but I remembered a tip. Place some card between the brushes and the commutator. The brushes, which are spring loaded, just slide over the card making the job much easier. I finally got the stator positioned and secured. It was a mile stone to connect up the wires of the charging circuit.
There was another job to do. The bike would normally have a mechanical regulator. The old one was junked for a solid state item. The new item went straight onto the bracket on the right side of the frame and accepted the block connector.It took longer to select the bolts than fit the item.
I started tentatively by disconnecting the battery. Then I fitted the beefy rectifier. The thing that has held me up in the state of the cover for the alternator. The old alternator was covered in oily grim. I needed something to get it off but I was not happy about using a smelly degreaser. I was in Halfords one day and came across a Lemon scented degreaser. I took a punt and bought a tin. True to the label on the tin the contents smelled of Lemon. H came in to see what I was doing. She said the air smelt zesty. I passed the test. I can carry on cleaning without stinking the house out. I bagged some wire wool and having degreased the cover plate I polished the surface with the wire wool. It has come up nice. I then had to tackle the tricky bit.
The next task was to connect the three wires leading from the alternator windings [The stator] to the distribution block. The block received the wires from the rectifier. It was a right beggar to position all the bits to solder the ends to the distribution block without cremating everything in site. After a false start, leaving things overnight and coming back with more patience, I managed to complete that task. Once the distribution block was fitted the other connectors and brush set were fitted to the plate. It was then a matter of fitting the rotor to the bike, easy enough, but then the stator and cover plate has to fit over the rotor. It was a bit fiddly to get the brushes to locate onto commutator but I remembered a tip. Place some card between the brushes and the commutator. The brushes, which are spring loaded, just slide over the card making the job much easier. I finally got the stator positioned and secured. It was a mile stone to connect up the wires of the charging circuit.
There was another job to do. The bike would normally have a mechanical regulator. The old one was junked for a solid state item. The new item went straight onto the bracket on the right side of the frame and accepted the block connector.It took longer to select the bolts than fit the item.
Monday, 23 February 2009
A Grand Day Out
I got a call from my brother to say that our mutual friends was having an open day the bike shop and would I like to come along for a day's worth of ride outs. That was a no brainer....YES. I got a call a day or so before the even saying would I mind leading some of the ride outs as they were short of out riders, no problem. I set off early with H and Miss L to Manchester. We made good time. As I arrived at my parents house to drop the ladies off the phone goes again asking when could I get to the shop as riders were piling up and one of the local out riders had not turned up. As it happened I was ready to go and was at the shop within 15 minutes. I was given my fluro jacket, it seems everyone in the would is wearing one these days, and the keys to a bike. I had to ask what the route was. Luckily it was the same as last time. All the bikes were lined up outside the shop. I looked at the key fob for the bike description and registration number. The fob just said "Wing". It did not take much to spot the Goldwing. The monster was on the end of the row. Half as long again and twice as wide as any of the other bikes in the row. Starting it was no problem but it took three of us a good couples of minutes to get the radio tuned in. I did not bother with the Sat Nav there just was not enough time. Then we were off. I took my charges round the 15 mile route. No one got lost or had any dramas.
I was a little disappointed with the Wing. It is massive, it is comfy, it has lots of toys [heated seats front and rear, heated grips, radio, sat nav, remote suspension tuning] but the gear box is like stirring a tin of nuts and bolts with a screwdrivers meaning it is noisy and not anything like as precise as the gearboxes on the sportier bikes like the CBR1000RR. The suspension needs a fork leg tuning option. The auto tuning only works on the rear shock.
The screen gave a lot of turbulence above seventy and the top edge of the screen was right on my eye line which was a bit irritating. The wing does not have an adjustable screen so I had to scrunch down or sit up extra straight to get my eye under or over the screen edge. Despite the niggles it was an experience. I had not paid the £18,000 price tag and could give it back.
The rides were organised with the out riders using whichever machine was free. The Pan European was very popular so I did not get a spin on that. I have something of a reputation for being a bit quick so I was moved to the sports bikes so that I could give the riders a quicker tempo ride but also over haul anyone who decided to tear off. Only two chaps tried it but were very quickly ridden down. When we got back apologise and handshakes made everything right although they did not get another ride all day. The weather stay with us, dry but over cast and getting brighter as the day wore on. It was still only February so it was quite parky.
The oddest bike I rode was the DN-01 which has been christened the Dino. It is a futuristic shaped thing with a 800cc twin cylinder engine and automatic clutch, essentially an 800cc twist and go. It is odd not having a clutch lever. The riding position did not suit me and there is no weather protection as at anything above 50 mph the wind pressure is felt and get worse as you go quicker. It is also a very odd sensation when riding to back off the throttle and get no engine braking. The power delivery is so soft one has to work to keep the momentum going. Perhaps you are supposed to doddle about town on it.
My brother bought me lunch, it was a free butty van with all the costs met by the shop, he is generous like that. Cheese burgers and a brew for dinner which was nice. It had been a long time since breakfast. Later in the afternoon I snatched a Mars bar and a brew. The other out riders, besides my brother and I, were getting tired so we were in demand. I saw one of my ex-dispatch rider colleagues at the event. He was keen to be associated with the out riders. I was told later that he told a few stories which apparently helped my kudos. That explains why folks came up to me to chat. It was odd being talked to by people I have never metwho knew stuff about my times at Speed Couriers.
One out rider who was supposed to be sweeping up at the back was first back to the shop. To the consternation of Honda's chaps the Wing had gone missing. It did not make it any better when we start pulling his leg that the rider was a scoucer so he was not likely to see it again. To make matters worse the booking procedure had broken down so they did not know who had it. Panic breaks out, where could he be, when was he last seen. I said I had seen him near the airport so was likely to on the motorway and heading for town as that was the line of least resistance. I would go and look for him, just give me a bike. Keys were found for the very quick CBR1000RR. I took off like a scalded cat with, what I thought, was a very long and elegant power wheelie. I got up near the motorway only to find the Wing pottering along. I spotted him as he spotted me. He was able to peel onto the right road. We trunddled back to the shop, the scoucer unconcerned with the mayhem a round him. After all he was the one left behind.
Harvey, one of the salesmen and my long time friend, gave me the keys to the CBR600RR special. It was a more or less standard bike but with a trick paint job. The suspension on this bike was more to my style so no one could get near me on the tight bends. It was just as quick as the other 600RR's and stopped just as well but the paint job and suspension made the difference.
The day wound down. The shop sold a bunch of bikes and set another load of people to thinking about a new bike. I got a final brew and watched as the bikes were packed away in to the shop. A knot a people stayed on to extract the very most from the day, excited by what the had ridden and spending the day with bike people. I am decided that the modern Hondas are not from me. The 600RR and 1000RR are too fast on the road and I will be parted from my life or license. The Hornet and Deauville are too light weight. They are for entry level riders. The Wing...say no more, stop that sniggering at the back! I am still stuck between the Honda's Pan European and BMW's K1300GT.
I was a little disappointed with the Wing. It is massive, it is comfy, it has lots of toys [heated seats front and rear, heated grips, radio, sat nav, remote suspension tuning] but the gear box is like stirring a tin of nuts and bolts with a screwdrivers meaning it is noisy and not anything like as precise as the gearboxes on the sportier bikes like the CBR1000RR. The suspension needs a fork leg tuning option. The auto tuning only works on the rear shock.
The screen gave a lot of turbulence above seventy and the top edge of the screen was right on my eye line which was a bit irritating. The wing does not have an adjustable screen so I had to scrunch down or sit up extra straight to get my eye under or over the screen edge. Despite the niggles it was an experience. I had not paid the £18,000 price tag and could give it back.
The rides were organised with the out riders using whichever machine was free. The Pan European was very popular so I did not get a spin on that. I have something of a reputation for being a bit quick so I was moved to the sports bikes so that I could give the riders a quicker tempo ride but also over haul anyone who decided to tear off. Only two chaps tried it but were very quickly ridden down. When we got back apologise and handshakes made everything right although they did not get another ride all day. The weather stay with us, dry but over cast and getting brighter as the day wore on. It was still only February so it was quite parky.
The oddest bike I rode was the DN-01 which has been christened the Dino. It is a futuristic shaped thing with a 800cc twin cylinder engine and automatic clutch, essentially an 800cc twist and go. It is odd not having a clutch lever. The riding position did not suit me and there is no weather protection as at anything above 50 mph the wind pressure is felt and get worse as you go quicker. It is also a very odd sensation when riding to back off the throttle and get no engine braking. The power delivery is so soft one has to work to keep the momentum going. Perhaps you are supposed to doddle about town on it.
My brother bought me lunch, it was a free butty van with all the costs met by the shop, he is generous like that. Cheese burgers and a brew for dinner which was nice. It had been a long time since breakfast. Later in the afternoon I snatched a Mars bar and a brew. The other out riders, besides my brother and I, were getting tired so we were in demand. I saw one of my ex-dispatch rider colleagues at the event. He was keen to be associated with the out riders. I was told later that he told a few stories which apparently helped my kudos. That explains why folks came up to me to chat. It was odd being talked to by people I have never metwho knew stuff about my times at Speed Couriers.
One out rider who was supposed to be sweeping up at the back was first back to the shop. To the consternation of Honda's chaps the Wing had gone missing. It did not make it any better when we start pulling his leg that the rider was a scoucer so he was not likely to see it again. To make matters worse the booking procedure had broken down so they did not know who had it. Panic breaks out, where could he be, when was he last seen. I said I had seen him near the airport so was likely to on the motorway and heading for town as that was the line of least resistance. I would go and look for him, just give me a bike. Keys were found for the very quick CBR1000RR. I took off like a scalded cat with, what I thought, was a very long and elegant power wheelie. I got up near the motorway only to find the Wing pottering along. I spotted him as he spotted me. He was able to peel onto the right road. We trunddled back to the shop, the scoucer unconcerned with the mayhem a round him. After all he was the one left behind.
Harvey, one of the salesmen and my long time friend, gave me the keys to the CBR600RR special. It was a more or less standard bike but with a trick paint job. The suspension on this bike was more to my style so no one could get near me on the tight bends. It was just as quick as the other 600RR's and stopped just as well but the paint job and suspension made the difference.The day wound down. The shop sold a bunch of bikes and set another load of people to thinking about a new bike. I got a final brew and watched as the bikes were packed away in to the shop. A knot a people stayed on to extract the very most from the day, excited by what the had ridden and spending the day with bike people. I am decided that the modern Hondas are not from me. The 600RR and 1000RR are too fast on the road and I will be parted from my life or license. The Hornet and Deauville are too light weight. They are for entry level riders. The Wing...say no more, stop that sniggering at the back! I am still stuck between the Honda's Pan European and BMW's K1300GT.
Sunday, 1 February 2009
An alternator at last.
The great day has arrived. Finally I scraped together the necessary to buy the electrical parts. They arrived in the week. I also found, on the Internet, a wiring diagram for an 80/7 which is result. My friend printed it off at A3 size and in colour so it is nice a clear. I have it taped up on the cupboard door ready for the time I get to start bolting on the new bits and connecting the wires.
The stator and rotor is on the right, the big thing on the box. That makes electricity when it is spun by the crank shaft. The shiny thing with wires, on the left, is the rectifier which turns the electical output from alternating to direct current. The round things in the middle of shot are the gubbins for the electronic timing.
I have been cruising the BMW notice boards for wiring plans. Unfortunately I found other goodies for the bike. I was pleased to find pods to house the ampmeter and clock which are waterproof and fit nicely adjacent to the speedo but that's more money. I have also had this idea it might be nice to have a pair of modern mini spots. Then again they are not in keeping with the bike and they cost a mint but they are smart and might be very useful when I go touring. For the time being they at the bottom of the wish list.
The stator and rotor is on the right, the big thing on the box. That makes electricity when it is spun by the crank shaft. The shiny thing with wires, on the left, is the rectifier which turns the electical output from alternating to direct current. The round things in the middle of shot are the gubbins for the electronic timing.
I have been cruising the BMW notice boards for wiring plans. Unfortunately I found other goodies for the bike. I was pleased to find pods to house the ampmeter and clock which are waterproof and fit nicely adjacent to the speedo but that's more money. I have also had this idea it might be nice to have a pair of modern mini spots. Then again they are not in keeping with the bike and they cost a mint but they are smart and might be very useful when I go touring. For the time being they at the bottom of the wish list.
Saturday, 10 January 2009
First session of the New Year
The bike has been sitting on the ramp at working height since before Christmas. We had visitors over the holiday period so I had no opportunity to send time on the bike. I did spend some time looking at it and pondering what to do next.
The temperature outside is about or below zero centigrade and has been for most of the past couple of weeks, so no allotmenting today. I got wrapped up and went out to the bike with the express intention of making a start on the the electrics. Whether it was the break from working on the bike or having sufficient time to muse on the problem of the wiring but I have had something of the break through. Often with difficult jobs it is finding a place to start. I found that start point.
The problem is that bike is an RT [BMW speak for Road Tourer] and I am to convert the bike to a naked [/7] version. I have a wiring diagram for a R100RT, I could not find one for the R80/7, which means the wiring diagram is not for the exact model and there is a good deal of difference between the two wiring schemes. The start point was to connect the wires to the ignition switch. The ignition switch on the RT is positioned in the centre of the fairing cockpit. On the /7 version it is in right hand pivot of the headlight. The ignition switch has right angled spade connectors. I salvaged the connectors when I had to pull the ignition cabled back into the head lamp shell. I trimmed back the over long ignition cable and soldered the connectors back on to the wires, rerouted the cable round head lamp shell to hook up the ignition switch. That done I turned my attention to the big cable hanging out of the bottom of the head lamp shell.
The cable had a multi-pin plug and relay. The relay was not shown on the wiring diagram, the plug was. I figured from the diagram that the plug was to connect the bike to the fairing for the indicators. The additional wires than the diagram suggested, together with the extra relay, that the relay was for a hazard warning set up. I figured I could do without the hazard warning flasher. With that decision I was able the figure out the wiring for the front indicators. I am now looking for some two pin connectors to make a neat job of the indicator wiring.
The temperature outside is about or below zero centigrade and has been for most of the past couple of weeks, so no allotmenting today. I got wrapped up and went out to the bike with the express intention of making a start on the the electrics. Whether it was the break from working on the bike or having sufficient time to muse on the problem of the wiring but I have had something of the break through. Often with difficult jobs it is finding a place to start. I found that start point.
The problem is that bike is an RT [BMW speak for Road Tourer] and I am to convert the bike to a naked [/7] version. I have a wiring diagram for a R100RT, I could not find one for the R80/7, which means the wiring diagram is not for the exact model and there is a good deal of difference between the two wiring schemes. The start point was to connect the wires to the ignition switch. The ignition switch on the RT is positioned in the centre of the fairing cockpit. On the /7 version it is in right hand pivot of the headlight. The ignition switch has right angled spade connectors. I salvaged the connectors when I had to pull the ignition cabled back into the head lamp shell. I trimmed back the over long ignition cable and soldered the connectors back on to the wires, rerouted the cable round head lamp shell to hook up the ignition switch. That done I turned my attention to the big cable hanging out of the bottom of the head lamp shell.
The cable had a multi-pin plug and relay. The relay was not shown on the wiring diagram, the plug was. I figured from the diagram that the plug was to connect the bike to the fairing for the indicators. The additional wires than the diagram suggested, together with the extra relay, that the relay was for a hazard warning set up. I figured I could do without the hazard warning flasher. With that decision I was able the figure out the wiring for the front indicators. I am now looking for some two pin connectors to make a neat job of the indicator wiring.
Saturday, 6 December 2008
Headlight and Exhaust
I had another session of buying the little things for the bike. The key parts is the mounting brackets that holds the head lamp shell. Putting the brackets on requires fittings the front forks. What is handy about the BMW front fork set up is the that the top yoke is not a clamp like the bottom yoke or, indeed, like top clamps on Japanese bikes. It means that the top "yoke" can be removed whilst leaving the fork stanchions in the bottom yokes. The importance of this function, is that once the stanchions are positioned and the clamps pinched tight, you can work on each legs independently.
Each leg has a indicator stalk which is fitted over the stanchion and rests on the top of the bottom yoke then comes a bottom rubber to position the head lamp bracket and a top rubber to maintain the bracket position. Only then the is the top yoke plate fitted and secured by two hefty shaped nuts which are threaded onto top of the stanchion. There is an additional shaped nut that goes on the top of the steering pin. So the top yoke is secured in three places. The head lamp brackets are quite a lose fit. Once the head lamp shell is bolted to the brackets it all becomes rigid. It was then a matter of fitting the front indicators to the stalks and wiring up the bulbs.
I decided to locate the ignition switch in the head lamp shell where it suppose to be. I fitted the ignition key barrel but the wires are too long because the bike had a fairing so needed a longer cable. This gives me a bit a job to do. I had thought that I would position the ignition switch under seat but changed my mind. I looked over the wiring again but it remains a challenge.
I also bought the metal gaskets for the exhaust headers. I had to take the exhaust header and balancer pipe off the bike. I lubricated the gaskets and header pipes with Copper slip and re-assembled the headers. I did everything up just hand tight. I had also bought the stainless steel nuts for the engine mounting bolts. The rear engine mounting bolts secure not only the engine but also the exhaust brackets for the rear end of the headers and the foot rests. As the engine mounting bolts are tightened the exhaust headers are eased into their final position. The exhaust collars are nipped up. The final tightening will be done when the engine is hot.
All of a sudden the bike is really taking shape.
Each leg has a indicator stalk which is fitted over the stanchion and rests on the top of the bottom yoke then comes a bottom rubber to position the head lamp bracket and a top rubber to maintain the bracket position. Only then the is the top yoke plate fitted and secured by two hefty shaped nuts which are threaded onto top of the stanchion. There is an additional shaped nut that goes on the top of the steering pin. So the top yoke is secured in three places. The head lamp brackets are quite a lose fit. Once the head lamp shell is bolted to the brackets it all becomes rigid. It was then a matter of fitting the front indicators to the stalks and wiring up the bulbs.
I decided to locate the ignition switch in the head lamp shell where it suppose to be. I fitted the ignition key barrel but the wires are too long because the bike had a fairing so needed a longer cable. This gives me a bit a job to do. I had thought that I would position the ignition switch under seat but changed my mind. I looked over the wiring again but it remains a challenge.
I also bought the metal gaskets for the exhaust headers. I had to take the exhaust header and balancer pipe off the bike. I lubricated the gaskets and header pipes with Copper slip and re-assembled the headers. I did everything up just hand tight. I had also bought the stainless steel nuts for the engine mounting bolts. The rear engine mounting bolts secure not only the engine but also the exhaust brackets for the rear end of the headers and the foot rests. As the engine mounting bolts are tightened the exhaust headers are eased into their final position. The exhaust collars are nipped up. The final tightening will be done when the engine is hot.
All of a sudden the bike is really taking shape.