A journey-1972 Commando Roadster

bill said:

that head steady is a well known failure point. the best place for it is the scrap metal bin before it breaks. do your self a favor and replace it as it is a safety issue.

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Thanks for pointing that out. Out of all my reading, that's the first I've heard about this being an issue and looking at Andover Norton's website, they don't sell the style head steady plate in my picture, only the modified version GP mentioned.

I took the frame and gearbox cradle to the blaster today. Should be finished Friday so I'll post more pictures as I progress. It'll be the first step in putting this thing back together!

Beezer Josh said:

Thanks for pointing that out. Out of all my reading, that's the first I've heard about this being an issue and looking at Andover Norton's website, they don't sell the style head steady plate in my picture, only the modified version GP mentioned.

I took the frame and gearbox cradle to the blaster today. Should be finished Friday so I'll post more pictures as I progress. It'll be the first step in putting this thing back together!

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Yep definitely do not use that early head steady
Either go for the box section one or upgrade it further there's a few types on the market

Beezer Josh said:

Out of all my reading, that's the first I've heard about this being an issue and looking at Andover Norton's website, they don't sell the style head steady plate in my picture, only the modified version GP mentioned.

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Bill is correct so maybe consider fitting one of the head steady upgrades?
The Taylor head steady being one of those (preferably with the suspensory spring option).

Beezer Josh said:

Thanks for pointing that out. Out of all my reading, that's the first I've heard about this being an issue and looking at Andover Norton's website, they don't sell the style head steady plate in my picture, only the modified version GP mentioned.

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Its not a major issue, the early version can crack the main body, the side plates can bend.
I see no reason why a later box version could not be combined with strengthened side plates unless you want to spend money for the sake of it.

Time Warp said:

Painted without being straighterated within 0.0002", yikes.

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I've checked frames by the manual but never needed to straighten any. How would one go about straightening a frame to within .0002"?

There's so much flakey paint that it was difficult to see, so I'll do a more thorough inspection of the frame after it's stripped before any painting (or not if there are any issues).

Beezer Josh said:

I've checked frames by the manual but never needed to straighten any. How would one go about straightening a frame to within .0002"?

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I deleted that, in that case google the worlds straightest Commando (not that I have read it personally)

Time Warp said:

I see no reason why a later box version could not be combined with strengthened side plates unless you want to spend money for the sake of it.

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I can't see any reason to strengthen the side plates as they attach to the rubber mounts.

L.A.B. said:

I can't see any reason to strengthen the side plates as they attach to the rubber mounts.

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The two side plates bolt to the head steady unit itself to become one fixture which needs to have integrity.
The two stud spacer tubes in the box are supposed to stop the box collapsing and make the joint as above which it mostly does.

The plates can bend just above the upper surface of the box. (Most I have seen are bent outwards because it is easier to compress the plates outer flange than stretch it)
The idea being that attached to the cylinder head is rigid as a total of parts so the rubber bobbins can do their job radially between them ?

If the plates were strong backed (2 x 2 OEM plates) and that bending did not occur (and the box could take that new load) the stock system would be more than adequate for most riders. (imho)
For the system to work the two sides plates need to remain parallel to each other.

Time Warp said:

The two stud spacer tubes in the box are supposed to stop the box collapsing and make the joint as above which it mostly does.


The plates can bend just above the upper surface of the box. (Most I have seen are bent outwards because it is easier to compress the plates outer flange than stretch it)
The idea being that attached to the cylinder head is rigid as a total of parts so the rubber bobbins can do their job radially between them ?

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Well, maybe but I'm not convinced that the plates need to be absolutely parallel or significantly stiffer for the AV mounts to work.

Time Warp said:

If the plates were strong backed (2 x 2 OEM plates) and that bending did not occur (and the box could take that new load) the stock system would be more than adequate for most riders. (imho)

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I can't see how stiffening the plates could make that much of an improvement or be worth the trouble to try to improve it as any of the available upgrade steadies do a better job.

Time Warp said:

For the system to work the two sides plates need to remain parallel to each other.

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If the head steady had been a third Isolastic then I'd agree that the plates would need to be parallel but for the standard assembly, any misalignment would be absorbed by the rubber mounts so I can't see that further stiffening of the plates would do much unless the rubber mounts were also replaced by something more rigid. Significantly widening the mounting by doubling-up the plates could, I think, cause problems with it fitting in the tank tunnel.

I've been trying to basically give away a late style box section part for a while; so far, no takers...

$$= postage of $7 + whatever you feel like paying

It's a bit rough, but will clean right up.

Thanks GP. Is it pitted?

A few days ago I bead blasted the bottom yoke, primed and painted it an aluminum color. It looks fantastic! I'll do the uppers sometime soon.



I also began tearing into the forks. The top collar on both lowers came off without any issues. The plating, whatever it was, is in pretty bad shape and they aren't that expensive, so I'll order new. The lower bushings looked fine as did the brass. One side was slightly scored, so I just ordered new ones. I made my first order from Old Britts. Hopefully it will be in shortly.





I got the frame, gearbox cradle, and swingarm back from the blaster today. With the metal exposed, I did a thorough inspection of the frame and everything looks good. The rusty, paint peeling state it was in looked worse that it actually turned out. I'll try to take some pictures of the primed frame tomorrow when the sun is up.

Beezer Josh said:

Thanks GP. Is it pitted?

... made my first order from Old Britts. Hopefully it will be in shortly.

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I don't think it's pitted. I'll be out at the ranch tomorrow and I'll have a close look.

I should tell you that you can save a significant amount of money WAITING. Go thru the parts book during the teardown, jotting down ALL the part numbers you'll need, and place ONE big order. You will save enough on shipping to pay for a battery and chain AT LEAST. Probably a lot more than that...

grandpaul said:

I should tell you that you can save a significant amount of money WAITING. Go thru the parts book during the teardown, jotting down ALL the part numbers you'll need, and place ONE big order. You will save enough on shipping to pay for a battery and chain AT LEAST. Probably a lot more than that...

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I completely agree with your above statement. Shipping is brutal! This build is the first time I created a speadsheet and broke down how much the parts cost, shipping, and sales tax. I'm curious what it'll be at the end.

For me it's a fine balance between cost and timeline. I work months at a time offshore, so at the beginning of my time home I need to order parts, ship parts off for machining, etc. so I have plenty of time to deal with them before I'm at sea and out of communication again. Rebuilds would be much simpler if I could be home every evening, but then I couldn't afford to do them. It's a fine line I have to walk.

You think shipping is brutal? Try living in NZ.

gortnipper said:

You think shipping is brutal? Try living in NZ.

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Yes, but you get to live with some of the most stunning scenery on this planet!

Here's a question for the collective. Has anyone used the Micro Vapor Hone? I love the look of a vapor blasted aluminum-my aluminum BSA parts were done that way years ago. The nearest vapor blasting places are not near to me and shipping can get expensive. At $800, it would pay for itself in two rebuilds (this one included) if I could blast all my motorcycle parts.

Beezer Josh said:

Here's a question for the collective. Has anyone used the Micro Vapor Hone? I love the look of a vapor blasted aluminum-my aluminum BSA parts were done that way years ago. The nearest vapor blasting places are not near to me and shipping can get expensive. At $800, it would pay for itself in two rebuilds (this one included) if I could blast all my motorcycle parts.

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Just buy it.

Thanks GP! I love buying new tools, but I hate wasting money on something that doesn't do what I need to do. I conducted a bit of an experiment today. I previously bead blasted two exhaust valve covers that were very corroded. I figured I didn't have anything to lose since I will eventually sand them down and polish them. I started off with 80-grit glass bead at around 40 psi. It does a fantastic job of taking off the corrosion but leaves an incredibly dull finish. I always thought that would be an all encompassing solution, but I was way wrong.

I ordered some 100-170 grit (#10) glass bead through Amazon that came in last week. My blast media was finally finished up, so I had good excuse to change out to the finer beads. I blasted at 30 psi and made a side by side comparison and really like the results of the finer bead.



The 80-grit job is the cover on top, the 100-170 grit is on bottom. It's much closer to a natural look. I then tried using the finer bead to clean up the intake valve cover.

Here's what I started with.



After the same amount of time I was only able to clean a very small spot and it didn't look nearly as good.



So I guess it's like polishing: start with a course grit and work up to finer grit, and lower air pressure seems to be better for making the media last and keeping down the dust. Changing out media is a pain, so there will need to be some planning ahead.

Yep, in most refinishing, you want to do it in steps, or it'll take longer or not work at all.

You don't take rubbing compound to a rusty rim...

I purchased the Micro Vapor Hone this afternoon; they had a sale. It should be here in a few weeks, just in time for me to go back to sea for a few months!

In the meantime, I'm waiting for shipments from CBS, Old Britts, and Baxter. CBS and Old Britts should've been here a few days ago and today, respectively, but apparently the USPS is running a little behind. Baxter should be here via UPS tomorrow, which means I'll have new fork stanchions and springs, but none of the rest of the parts. Ugh.