Finally finished!!! Well, almost... (Pic Heavy)

[Stripes]

Here's a couple of shots of the old exhaust & when we started to take things apart





Did you notice D-Macs beautiful project in the background?

[Sport-Touring]

[Stripes]

More disassembly shots

[Stripes]

After we took the rear wheel off & dismounted the old tire, I scrubbed & brushed the shit out of the inside of the whhel


Stupid rim lock on the rear wheel


After mounting the rear tire twice because of the fricking rim lock we finally got the rear tire mounted & replaced the rear wheel back on the bike


We got the front tire on w/ the 1st attempt though! No thanks to TheRedOnesAreSlower!

[Stripes]

Then the mechanical genius D-Mac adjusted the chain & realigned the rear wheel & then we mounted the new exhaust. We had trouble alighning the new exhaust bolt holes w/ the original bracketry but once again D-Mac saved the day w/ a drill & bit & reamed the bracket holes out just enough so we could bolt them on.

New exhaust installed!


Notice there's no dents in the pipe! More on that story to follow later...

A shot from behind!

[Stripes]

Time to reline the original fiberglass tank... I had asked Cafe Racer Ypsi to do this but apparently they don't know how. When I asked them why they didn't do it before they had it painted their response is that it wasn't necessary. I then told him that I was told that the ethanol in todays gas would eat away at the fiberglass & their reponse was to not leave any gas in it whenever I was done riding it & parked it. I guess I was supposed to drain the gas out after every ride. Seems reasonable to me. Yeah right! Luckily D-Mac is a tank religning expert! Anyways, moving on. D-Mac had recommended a product called Caswell that I could order online & that he was familiar w/ using. So I ordered it fo $40.00 + $10.00 shipping & had it 3 days later.

Here's the tank before we started. They didn't worry too much about painting the under side of the tank...  

Before we removed the 2, yes 2 petcocks & cobwebs!


Ready for prep


We wrapped the shit out of it w/ saran wrap! Almost a whole box!


1st thing we did after all of the gas was drained of course was rinse the inside w/ paint thinner & drywall screws. After we drained the paint thinner out & shook out all of the screws we rinsed it out w/ ascetone for 2 minutes shaking it vigorously & rotating it & then immediately drained it. Then we took the tank in his house & rinsed it several times w/ straight hot ass water & soap & then finally rinsing it w/ Hot as hell water several times. We then took it back in to his shop & blew it dry w/ his air compressor & a special blowing attachment until it appeared to be bone dry & then we removed the protective wrap. Upon unwrap we found that the fumes from the ascetone had bled through the fiberglass & bubbled the paint. Thus being the reason to reline before painting. D-Mac felt absolutely terrible & was extremely apologetic & you could tell that it reallky bothered him but I told him not to worry becausse it was getting repainted anyway. Here's a couple of pics of the minimal, not so bad damage

[Stripes]

I replaced all of the rider & passenger Foot pes rubbers. Cafe racer thought this was acceptable & didn't notice that they were all nasty & cracked


I put the petcocks back in the tank & mounted it back on the bike & installed a breather tube on the battery that Cafe Racer Ypsi said I didn't need on the brand new battery, reinstalled the seat put a little gas in the tank & tested it for leaks & when I didn't discover any I filled it up w/ Premium & checked for leaks again.

They also didn't put a grommet back in the oil tank cover so I took care of that as well


I took the Maine plate off & replaced it w/ my own


Here's the almost finished Norton

[Stripes]

Finally everything is just about the way I want it so it's time to fire this bad boy up & see how it runs! There is a long list of procedures to go through to get it started. Stradle the bike w/ the key off, turn on the gas, push the button on each carb until gas just starts to spurt out, push the kickstart lever down until you just feel tension, turn the key to the 1st position & kick the shit out of it once, full choke & then drive the kickstarter down until it starts & once it's running, turn the key to the second position. Okay, I think I have it all memorized, so let's do this. Okay, gas on, prime carbs, tension on the lever, key on, ready to kick the shit out of it, here we go... WHAM!!! WTF was that?! Oh no... the kickstart lever bangs right into my new pipe. Abort the mission...


So now it's time to back up & explain the knick in my new shitty paint job... When I picked the bike up, they explain to me that there is a knick in the new paint but they would be more than happy to have their painter mix me up a batch of touch up paint. I tell them that that would be great, please do so. I still haven't heard about it since or have I yet to see it. Anyways, after further inspection we notice that it appears that the bike must've fallen over because there are some other knicks here & there & oh yeah, the kickstart lever is bent in. I wish I would've noticed that before I tried to start it. Okay, I'll just order a new lever. $196.00... Maybe not. I've already dumped more money into it than I had originally wanted to. I realize it costs money to re-do a bike & re-do it right, but I want a rider not a 100 point show bike! So w/ TheRedOnesAreSlower & my friend Ken's help, a set of acetylene torches & an old aluminum fence post we heat it up & bend it back into position so it will clear the pipe. We discolored the finish a little bit, but I don't care, it saved me $200 & it's functional. Maybe Santa will bring me a new lever for Christmas. I've been a good boy this year... For the most part anyway!


Alrighty then. Let's try this again. But this time I decide to video record the 1st time starting experience! As soon as I figure out how to post video I'll get that up ASAP. So after about 10 minutes of trying to start this bad boy, she fires up! Man I just have to take this thing for a spin! So I grab a helmet & ride down the road about 3 miles & turn around. I don't want to stray too far for the maiden voyage. This Norton is a delight to ride! Why haven't I had one of these things years ago?! The brakes take some getting used to & remembering that the shift pattern is opposite of what I'm used to & on the wrong freaking side, I absolutely love this thing! Thanks Dad!

So the only thing I want to do now is install the new sidestand, get a new bezel kit & glass to replace the broken glass on the tach, get it repainted & clear coated & have the seat re-apohlstered or replace it w/ a new one. British Only in Garden City, MI has every part that you need in stock for old Nortons, Triumphs & BSA's. I've actually thought about finding another old British project bike. Although I'm no motorcycle restoration expert, I've had a blast working on it & learned a ton of stuff! Feel free to comment, negatively or positive. Thanks for checking it out. Cheers

[SprintRSrider]

It must have fallen over and bent the kickstart lever?  looks awesome dude I'll have to come down and check it out as soon as I can.  My semester is almost over!

[stromgal]

     

[monkeybuttpowder]

Very cool! I'm sure your dad is proud. You guys did an excellent job.    Are you going to relace the pipe with the dent? If you think that the shop that had it did the damage to the kickstarter & you can prove it I would ask them to replace it.

[D-Mac]

Nice work Stripes! YOU did all the hard stuff. I just jumped in with some suggestions (some good....some bad). Good times for sure.

I really enjoyed having a 'real' motorcycle in the garage. You have no idea how much I stared at it, gawked at it, and crawled around looking at it from all sorts of angles (kind of like watching a stripper......look, but no touching! )

You're right that I felt bad about the bubbling in the paint. I think it might have have happened because I didn't re-seal the bottom enough when I cut the plastic wrap that was blocking the petcock holes, although the damage has not directly in line with either hole. Some solvent vapors either got trapped or leaked up through during the few minutes it was in there, or a little solvent got up inside the plastic wrap during rinsing. At least it won't spring a leak or clog your carbs up.

It really pisses me off that a "professional" shop would clean the carbs, paint the tank, and ignore a peeling liner. The fiberglass tanks on the bikes they've built in their own shop leak (that's what they told me anyway), so you'd think they'd have figured out that something has to be done about that issue. The fact that they returned a bike with a bent lever, misadjusted gauges, and chipped tank sucks, although the completely tight chain and old tires are worse because those are real safety issues. Reminds me of the time a dealership that sold me a "road ready" FZ6 with low tire pressure, low coolant, and a loose front brake caliper. In your case, it might have been a case of "damn.....that owner is HERE and he wants his bike! Quick! Throw it back together!" Those guys are capable of some nice work, so I'm baffled about what happened with your bike. When you think about it, you did more in three weeks than the shop did in a year.

Anyway, I can't wait to hear it (for those who weren't there, I was out of town when Stripes finished up and rode her home). Those mufflers look even better in person than in the photos.

Stay tuned.....I have some photos to post.....

[D-Mac]

A few pics....

The bike arrives! It was a little sad at first, and insisted on crying some oil on the floor.   As promised, the leaking slowed as soon as I got around to sticking a drain pain under it. Compared with every other old Brit bike or Harley of the same vintage, it wasn't very much.
 

Stripes had the honor of spreading the Caswell sealer around the tank. I gave him a lot of unnecessary encouragement....."shake it this way....now that way.....now this way again......" High entertainment value. Here he is rising it out. Note the intensity on his face.  


The new mufflers didn't quite fit. Stripes had a great idea of cutting down and re-using the inserts from the old cans. Worked perfectly. I lacked the precision machine tools to make it easy, but the 'ol hacksaw worked just fine. Now as much fun as the "tank shake" dance, but a close second. He still has that same look of intensity too. Note the stuffed dog looking on.....that's another story.



After wrestling with the rear tire (that thing was a PAIN), RedOnesAre______(Faster/Slower) brought his fancy Nomar setup over. That thing is SWEET, although it didn't play nice with the unusual shape/size of these wheels. The fact that it was FREEZING out didn't help our concentration much either (there's nothing quite like prying off an old tire in the cold.....). Here were see the dynamic duo doing battle with the front wheel (front and rear are the same sizes for those who don't know). They got the old tire off OK, but getting the new on one was another story.....


This is my last pic. At this point, Stripes still had to re-seat the rear tire and fix the kick start (nice solution for that by the way).
Pretty!


I'd love to work on another Brit bike. The fact that you can get parts around here within a day is a nice plus too.

[Stripes]

Thanks to those of you that had commented thus far!

Very cool! I'm sure your dad is proud. You guys did an excellent job.    Are you going to relace the pipe with the dent? If you think that the shop that had it did the damage to the kickstarter & you can prove it I would ask them to replace it.

My Dad is proud! I may just let him ride it when he comes to visit in a couple of weeks!    (that was a joke! Of course I'll let him ride it. I'd probably give it back to him if he wanted it.) I haven't decided if I'm going to replace the pipe or not. It's really not too bad, it just bothers me that the pipe is brand new & that it even happened. It will always be a conversation piece too! I don't have any way to prove that CRY bent the lever. When they had it, it had different pipes on it & they were the width of the header pipe so it cleared when they started it when we picked it up. The even worse part is weeks after I picked the bike up they are saying I still owe them another $1800 on top of the $2300 cash & parts that I had already given to them after we had agreed that I didn't want to spend more than $2500-$3000 max. I am just now seeing an invoice w/ everything on it that they said they did, but it just doesn't add up. Their communication skills were very piss poor, they would never return my calls, the owner would cop an attitude whenever I asked for a progress report or what the money I had given them was used for, he even had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to know what he had for lunch & when he went to the bathroom & that he had customers spending tens of thousands of dollars in there & never asked him questions. I would never treat my customers like that. I should've taken the bike home that day, but I wanted to give him the benifit of the doubt. Maybe he was having a bad day. 4 of the 5 things that I had asked him to do he never did. They would always tell me I could pick it up on such & such a day & then I would drive there or call & they would always have an exuse to why it wasn't done, my favorite is that they had to wait days or weeks for parts when British Only is 15 minutes down the road & I've since learned that they have every part imaginable for my bike in stock at all times & I know CRY uses them because when I went there to get my parts they(CRY) had an order on the bench waiting to be picked up. I've handed everything over to my corporate council at this time as I am disputing the additional billing w/ CRY at this time. I really shouldn't have said what I have said & therefore am not going to speak about that matter anymore. But feel free to talk about the bike!

[Stripes]

Nice additions D-Mac! Thanks! I need to figure out how to post the video of the initial start up...

[Flyer]

Very  

[bomber]

Just gorgeous! Stand tall, be proud!

[ConPilot1]

Reliable or not, that bike is a classic old beauty and you guys did a really great job restoring it up.

Looks awesome.  

[Stripes]

Thanks for the kind words my fellow STNers! +1 Rep points for everyone!    Anyways,  it was 47º & mosly sunny today here in Michigan Center, so seeing that I got done working early today I took the old girl out for a little cruise! 26 miles total round trip but they sure were a fun & smooth 26 miles! Now that I've come accustomed to the starting procedure, it fired up on the 3rd kick! I was pretty excited about that too! Now if British Only & I can figure out the sidestand issue I'll be all set. Although a sidestand isn't critical since I have a center stand, it's just more of a convenience factor. That is all for now. Cheers

[st2sam]

AWESOME job Jayson, the bike looks great.
Thanks for sharing with your friends at ST.N..
It'll be neat too see your Dad's reaction to the finished product!  

[Papa Lazarou]

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo