Café Commando build thread

[Hobot]

Glad to know your OIF works a treat Dyo. I may have to re-think my own OIF spine venting and never thought of primary venting to crank case as workable. Is there a worry about too long in nose low conditions, especially while braking to uncover oil drain to pump?

 

[Jeandr]

I've done the oif mod on my 1970 Comando and it works fine. The addition of a trident oil cooler and a spin on oil filter makes up for some of the lost capacity when eliminating the oil tank. The filler cap is just behind the steering head with the oil vent tube welded in between the steering head and the filler cap, this line is then connected to a vent tube from the primary cover which also vents the crankcase and a smaller line that hooks into the balance tube between the carbs. The return line goes to the oil cooler mounted behind the fork tubes and below the steering head, it exits the cooler and is plumbed back into the frame on the right side of the backbone adjacent to the filler cap.
Dyo

Can you post some pictures :?: Good to know it works well, I have no doubts it will be OK on my build. As for the breathers, my plans are way more simple, The oil tank will not be used to vent the engine, the only pipes going to the tank will be the feed and return lines, feed from the "bottom" and return near the filler. The engine breather will come off the timing chest and go to a catch can which will be vented to the atmosphere. I ran my Commando that way for a long time and had only one mishap after letting the bike sit for a really long time while I was hibernating. The startup when spring came saw the crankcase full of oil being dumped out of the vent while only a drop was present when the bike was used on a more regular basis.

Jean

 

[Hobot]

Wonderful report Jean, I'd really worried my venting along your lines was a dead end waiting for me to re do about everything.

 

[Carbonfibre]

The OKO carbs will work very well, but problems with flat spots may be evident unless you intend to fit a proper air box, ideally of larger volume than the OE part. Cutting away the bonding surfaces on the tank tunnel is going to make joining it back to the top of the tank very difficult, and if mild steel has been used to make the top tube into an oil tank, there may be problems with cracking in the HAZ adjacent to the steering head.

 

[Jeandr]

The OKO carbs will work very well, but problems with flat spots may be evident unless you intend to fit a proper air box, ideally of larger volume than the OE part. Cutting away the bonding surfaces on the tank tunnel is going to make joining it back to the top of the tank very difficult, and if mild steel has been used to make the top tube into an oil tank, there may be problems with cracking in the HAZ adjacent to the steering head.

Overwhelming positivism as always :roll:

Jean

 

[Cheesy]

The OKO carbs will work very well, but problems with flat spots may be evident unless you intend to fit a proper air box, ideally of larger volume than the OE part. Cutting away the bonding surfaces on the tank tunnel is going to make joining it back to the top of the tank very difficult, and if mild steel has been used to make the top tube into an oil tank, there may be problems with cracking in the HAZ adjacent to the steering head.

Overwhelming positivism as always :roll:

Jean

Its mild steel (1020 or similar), it does not have enough carbon in it to form martensite in the HAZ (due to the quench) so cracking will not be any more likely than it was when some guy welded the thing in the 70s.....

 

[Jeandr]

I received my small milling machine on wednesday and spent thursday installing it and figuring out where to put the things that were moved.

I opened up the rear wheel adjustment slots in the swing arm because the axle I will use is a bit bigger

I also had time to make the front brake torque arms. I will finish them off when I know what will be my speedo speed transducer.

Jean

 

[swooshdave]

I received my small milling machine on wednesday and spent thursday installing it and figuring out where to put the things that were moved.
I also had time to make the front brake torque arms. I will finish them off when I know what will be my speedo speed transducer.


Jean

More info about the mill?

What did you use to cut the torque arms with?

 

[Jeandr]

More info about the mill?

What did you use to cut the torque arms with?

The milling machine: http://www.kingcanada.com/Products.htm?CD=36&ID=21355 A few months ago I almost bought a used King PDM30, it was almost as expensive, but the clincher was the size, it was HUGE, I would have had to rearrange my garage completely.

I cut aluminium plates with a little band saw with an 1/8" wide 15 TPI wood cutting blade. The blades last a surprisingly long time considering their use. Thin blades don't cut straight, so after cutting them, I dress the edges on the mill and finish them on the band sander.

Jean

 

[Vulin]

end mill in a collect! You sir need some solid tool holders I love the project so far, and the new mill

 

[lcrken]

Jean, maybe I missed this somewhere in this thread, but did you mill out the swingarm axle slots for a larger axle? It looks like you might have from the picture of the swingarm on the lathe. If so, let me relate my experience with that particular mod. I milled out the slots on the swingarm on my Production Racer to take a larger (20 mm) axle for the mag wheel I was fitting. It eventually broke during a race, making the handling weird, to say the least. It broke completely through both upper and lower sides of the slot, so that the rear part of the swiingarm end was separated from the rest of it. The clamping force of the axle was enough to keep the wheel on the bike, and the chain kept it from moving completely out of the slot, so I didn't crash, but it wasn't a real fun experience. That's the incident that inspired me to make my own swingarm for the bike. I don't know how much risk there would be on a street bike, and I've seen other street Commandos with the slots milled out the same way, so you might not have an issue with it, but I thought I should at least mention it. Also, I raced the bike pretty hard, with a 920 engine and 18" racing slicks, before it finally broke, and your bike may not ever see that much abuse.

Ken

 

[Jeandr]

end mill in a collect! You sir need some solid tool holders I love the project so far, and the new mill

as you can see, I am not a machinist

Jean

 

[Jeandr]

Jean, maybe I missed this somewhere in this thread, but did you mill out the swingarm axle slots for a larger axle? It looks like you might have from the picture of the swingarm on the lathe. If so, let me relate my experience with that particular mod. I milled out the slots on the swingarm on my Production Racer to take a larger (20 mm) axle for the mag wheel I was fitting. It eventually broke during a race, making the handling weird, to say the least. It broke completely through both upper and lower sides of the slot, so that the rear part of the swiingarm end was separated from the rest of it. The clamping force of the axle was enough to keep the wheel on the bike, and the chain kept it from moving completely out of the slot, so I didn't crash, but it wasn't a real fun experience. That's the incident that inspired me to make my own swingarm for the bike. I don't know how much risk there would be on a street bike, and I've seen other street Commandos with the slots milled out the same way, so you might not have an issue with it, but I thought I should at least mention it. Also, I raced the bike pretty hard, with a 920 engine and 18" racing slicks, before it finally broke, and your bike may not ever see that much abuse.

Ken

Thanks, I will keep an eye on things given that warning. If I hold true to my record, I stand to do more mileage on my bicycles than on my motorcycle. When I see you guys push these old bikes at the vintage races, it is easy to see why things that never gave a problem on the street sudennly become recurring headaches on the track.

Jean

 

[Jeandr]

end mill in a collect! You sir need some solid tool holders I love the project so far, and the new mill

I have a set of end mill holders on order, I hope to live long enough to feel I have nothing else to learn, I am still a long ways from that goal :lol:

Jean

 

[Vulin]

end mill in a collect! You sir need some solid tool holders I love the project so far, and the new mill

I have a set of end mill holders on order, I hope to live long enough to feel I have nothing else to learn, I am still a long ways from that goal :lol:

Jean

Im not sure there is anyone who knows it all. They just do the best with their knowledge. Keep building beautiful bikes! Come down and ride the pedal bike around the area anytime.

 

[splatt]

end mill in a collect! You sir need some solid tool holders I love the project so far, and the new mill

I have a set of end mill holders on order, I hope to live long enough to feel I have nothing else to learn, I am still a long ways from that goal :lol:

Jean

Im not sure there is anyone who knows it all. They just do the best with their knowledge. Keep building beautiful bikes! Come down and ride the pedal bike around the area anytime.

Vulin, perhaps you could tell everyone whats wrong with using a collet chuck in a small mill thats not going to be capable of taking large heavy cuts.

 

[Jeandr]

Come down and ride the pedal bike around the area anytime.

I was there last year, pedaled from Montreal to New York, then to DC and on to Toronto finished in Gananoque.

This year, one trip will take me from Montreal to Québec, then to Sydney Nova Scotia where we will come back to Québec by car, then I will ride back home. After that, I should have the legs to start my Norton with ease :mrgreen:

Jean

 

[Jeandr]

... perhaps you could tell everyone whats wrong with using a collet chuck in a small mill thats not going to be capable of taking large heavy cuts.

I think he will say they can creep, I have seen that happening once so far and I haven't used it extensively.

Jean

 

[Jeandr]

Jean, maybe I missed this somewhere in this thread, but did you mill out the swingarm axle slots for a larger axle? It looks like you might have from the picture of the swingarm on the lathe. If so, let me relate my experience with that particular mod. I milled out the slots on the swingarm on my Production Racer to take a larger (20 mm) axle for the mag wheel I was fitting. It eventually broke during a race, making the handling weird, to say the least. It broke completely through both upper and lower sides of the slot, so that the rear part of the swiingarm end was separated from the rest of it. The clamping force of the axle was enough to keep the wheel on the bike, and the chain kept it from moving completely out of the slot, so I didn't crash, but it wasn't a real fun experience. That's the incident that inspired me to make my own swingarm for the bike. I don't know how much risk there would be on a street bike, and I've seen other street Commandos with the slots milled out the same way, so you might not have an issue with it, but I thought I should at least mention it. Also, I raced the bike pretty hard, with a 920 engine and 18" racing slicks, before it finally broke, and your bike may not ever see that much abuse.

Ken

I failed to mention, my axle is 17mm so I didn't remove very much material to make it fit, and I removed a bit on each side.

Jean

 

[Jeandr]

I painted on a coat of Hirsh gas tank sealer and let it dry for a day.

Then I mated the two parts and "glued them together with vinyl ester resin and matte material.

This is my not yet finished sprocket carrier. I am not yet sure what chain I will use, O-ring, X-ring or as a last resort this used but serviceable chain, but I want to go with a 530, at least for now.

Jean