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Three stands, tale of a man who wont give up.
I'll confess, I'm not into building once, I like to do it a few times, keeps me occupied. When I was putting the motor together I got sick of it wobbling all over the bench, so I built a stand ,just a simple one, big mistake. So, I finished putting the motor together and was ready to start it, but decided, as entertaining as it would be to watch the motor vibrate all over the bench before falling on the floor, I'd better build a better one, not bench homed.
Most tools seem to end up on the floor so why not build a stand close to the floor so I won't have to chase tools all over the place, just push the stool over to a tool, bend and pick it up, easy as. What could be better? Build in an electrical system for starting, that's what. A fuel tank mount would also be good, so I built one on to it too. Now, what if I want to move it, easy, wheels, so, on with the wheels. Now I can wheel it around the shop and into the garage when finished.
Time to start it, push the button and it roared into life. Now, if you think Brit twins vibrate, hah, not compared to this, once started I chased it all around the shop, give it a handful and the damn thing jumps up and down. So, out with some rope and hook the stand up to the bench grinder, problem solved.
New problem: I don't like the colour of the motor, easily fixed, rip it apart, paint it black, polish the ally until it's shinier than the top of my head, buy some new gaskets, stick it together, buy a new PMA, against expert opinion of course (what can I say, I'm a rebel), make a mount for it, connect the motor to the electrical system, with soldered terminals of course (a true rebel, aren't I?) and push the button: Vroom, vroom, first push again. Tune it up, push it into the garage and forget about it for a while.
Up on the bench with the frame, WTH, it wobbles, can't have that can we, another stand from 32mm tube. Much better, solid as a rock. Make a new seat pan, new side covers, weld on some tabs, cut extra tabs off the telle legs and did I mention polish some ally, boy, did I polish some ally: Tele sliders, side covers, top triple tree, brake distributor, starter motor ends and did I mention the dipstick, yep, polished that too, panel beated the guards, made a new tail light bracket and welded on a new bracket for the battery and then out with the files. Apparently, the Japanese hire five year olds to weld their frames together, even I with shaky hands and poor eyesight can weld better than that. The welds may look like bits of chewing gum stuck all over the frame, but damn the chewing gum is hard to file, took me hours.
All done, off to the blasters and then stick some nice shiny black paint over everything, and I mean everything, it took me two days to clean the shop of dusty off spray. Painted the frame swingarm, brake steady, bottom triple tree, footpegs, horn mount, footpeg springs, seatpan and a few other bits and pieces. Making headway at last!
The Japanese are short a few marbles I think: We'll build a motor with an OH cam, twin carbs, roller mains and big ends, but we'll make the motor so tight in the frame It has to be removed to work on it, how smart are we. I could answer that, but I promise I won't.
Did I mention the motor was a tight fit in the frame? Well, to insert the engine you lay the motor on a rug on its right side, remove the left side engine cover, wrap the frame up in padding, talk to the wife nicely for a week, take her out for lunch, offer to make the breakfast, then ask her to help lift the frame, which incidentally weighs more than a complete Bonny, over the engine, jiggle it around for half an hour until the two mounts line up, insert the bolts, unwrap the frame, stand it up then take two Piroxicam and lie on the floor with your legs elevated on a few pillows for a couple of hours. All done.
But wait, it's on the floor, I need it on the bench so I can work on it. Three pulleys, 20' of rope and it won't budge. Tie a noose in the end of the rope and stand on it, surely I've got to weigh more than a motor and frame? Nope, this thing is heavy, won't budge. Think, think, think, got it, paving stones are the answer, I've got got 90 of them, that should do it.
Once again, be nice to the wife, make her breakfast, make the bed then ask her to stack some pavers for you, So, armed with a nice wife I insert two long lengths of RHS into the frame stand, lift and ask the wife to insert a few pavers under the front end. Push down on the front and ask the wife to put a few pavers under the back end and up we go, 60mm at a time. Took some time but eventually we get to bench height and I slide the frame and it's stand across onto the bench.
Eventually I'll have to get it back down off the bench, that's another story!
Thank goodness I made these three stands, so much easier and the wife says I swear less. Anyway some pictures from an old, bald headed, short bloke who won't listen to those who know better.
