My What Am I Getting Myself Into Combat Build Thread

See, Nov 5 and 78 degrees this afternoon! Get that tank on and ride! Tomorrow and Monday will be 77/78 as well.
Yeah, spent the weekend apple picking :rolleyes:

Was able to get the wideband sensor installed on one side.

IMG_1780sm.jpg


Unfortunately, they welded the other bung at a 90 deg angle so the sensor hits the frame. I think this experiment is going to be a fail
 
Holland Norton Works have them in stock. by the looks
Your build and cycle have come together nicely 👍
HNW are great to deal with ...
I was thinking about that, but Matt keeps saying another month or so. I think by now, i'll keep waiting (have the original headsteady on now)
 
Yeah, spent the weekend apple picking :rolleyes:

Was able to get the wideband sensor installed on one side.

View attachment 101229

Unfortunately, they welded the other bung at a 90 deg angle so the sensor hits the frame. I think this experiment is going to be a fail
What brand gauge are you using ? It will be interesting to see what it is running at , if you have any sort of cam in it, the overlap will muck up idle readings .
 
14point7. I believe it's a one man shop in Canada. The gauge is a multi-gauge that you can plug in any number of sensors (water temp, oil pressure, oil temp, EGT, fuel pressure) and it logs the readings. I had it on my RX7 but pulled it because i'm changing the ECU that can input all those sensors. Unfortunately, don't think they sell it anymore.

 
AFR gauge temp mounted. It also logs so don't really need to read it on the fly, but why not

IMG_1836sm.jpg
 
Looks like you'll be firing it up soon.

May I suggest you only read the AFR gizmo on the fly when cruising. The logging feature is nice and safer to read later if chasing a better tune. As you must already know being a car guy that has worked with fuel injection.

My hot rod auto has real time engine and fuel system monitoring info that can be displayed on a large tablet or phone. It supports Android and MacOS devices. Hopeless trying to drive and read it at the same time. I've tried many times. I use my seat of the pants dyno, since the darn thing does not log. I'm babbling....

Fire it up!!
 
Yeah, there's a USB port that i can plug in a laptop and download the logs. This is primarly an experiment because i had the gauge laying around.
 
Brake fluid. Getting towards the end, but this bike continues to fight me. I have the Don Pender MC and went ahead and filled the resevour and then backfilled the caliper/lines from the bleed nipple. I then noticed it leaking at the hose mount

IMG_1818sm.jpg


Crap! Thinking it's coming from the hose, i'm now contemplating having to deal with Don and possibly international shipping. I then realized he uses a fitting on the hose. All i needed was to tighten this down (after all my fluid leaked out) :(

So think i'm now GTG, nope. I go to squeeze the brake to make sure there's no air in the system and all it did was recirculate the fluid in the reservoir. No pressure. Damn :rolleyes:

So i drain the fluid (which is a mess), pull off the MC and check to see if the plunger is in and working correctly. It is, hmmmm. Then i wonder if the reservoir is pressurized and i need the cover to keep pressure in the reservoir. Sure enough, i put the the reservoir cover and i got brake pressure :)
 
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Got the carbs hoses on and in-line filter attached. A little worried about how close it is to the barrel, but will keep tabs on temps and see if i need to relocate

My What Am I Getting Myself Into Combat Build Thread


All that's left now is fueling it up and kicking it over. But do i wait to spring (temps here are winter like)
 
Come on man. Fire it up. Rooting for your success here.

You have to do the cam break in thing. The cold weather will be your friend since break in is usually done standing still and the engine won't get as hot as it would in warmer weather. Riding in the snow is not recommended though. Hitting the deck first ride would be a massive buzz kill. ;)
 
Yeah, not sure i have the patience to wait to spring anyways.

There's a lot of debate on breaking in procedures (almost as many opinions as engine oil :)). From what i've read, this is my plan (the cam and lifters are orginal so no break needed for those, just the rings)

- 1 min @ 2500 (until oil starts flowing back to tank)
- 1-2 mins @ 2500-3500 until it gets to 70% high temp (~ 280F) (“mid-RPM WFO blasts”)
- Let cool (~ 175F)
- Restart, run at 2500-5000 and check timing with strobe. Make any carb adjustments. Run for another ~5 minutes 2500-5k
- Change oil and filter (still use break in oil)
- Get engine to temp
- Ride 25 miles modulating rpms (bed brakes during this time)
- 75 miles normal riding
- Change oil/filter to synthetic
- Re-torque bolts, check valve lash, and check belt/chains after 25, 100, 250, 500, 1000 and 1500 miles
 
Yeah, not sure i have the patience to wait to spring anyways.

There's a lot of debate on breaking in procedures (almost as many opinions as engine oil :)). From what i've read, this is my plan (the cam and lifters are orginal so no break needed for those, just the rings)

- 1 min @ 2500 (until oil starts flowing back to tank)
- 1-2 mins @ 2500-3500 until it gets to 70% high temp (~ 280F) (“mid-RPM WFO blasts”)
- Let cool (~ 175F)
- Restart, run at 2500-5000 and check timing with strobe. Make any carb adjustments. Run for another ~5 minutes 2500-5k
- Change oil and filter (still use break in oil)
- Get engine to temp
- Ride 25 miles modulating rpms (bed brakes during this time)
- 75 miles normal riding
- Change oil/filter to synthetic
- Re-torque bolts, check valve lash, and check belt/chains after 25, 100, 250, 500, 1000 and 1500 miles
Oops, I thought it was a new cam and radiused lifters. I'm getting the various builds confused. List looks great.

Patience is way overrated. Although lacking it has gotten me into trouble many times.
 
Yeah, not sure i have the patience to wait to spring anyways.

There's a lot of debate on breaking in procedures (almost as many opinions as engine oil :)). From what i've read, this is my plan (the cam and lifters are orginal so no break needed for those, just the rings)

- 1 min @ 2500 (until oil starts flowing back to tank)
- 1-2 mins @ 2500-3500 until it gets to 70% high temp (~ 280F) (“mid-RPM WFO blasts”)
- Let cool (~ 175F)
- Restart, run at 2500-5000 and check timing with strobe. Make any carb adjustments. Run for another ~5 minutes 2500-5k
- Change oil and filter (still use break in oil)
- Get engine to temp
- Ride 25 miles modulating rpms (bed brakes during this time)
- 75 miles normal riding
- Change oil/filter to synthetic
- Re-torque bolts, check valve lash, and check belt/chains after 25, 100, 250, 500, 1000 and 1500 miles
Yep all of the above
Don't let it idle
Don't let it lug
Don't baby it
Don't be afraid to rev it out
 
Got the carbs hoses on and in-line filter attached. A little worried about how close it is to the barrel, but will keep tabs on temps and see if i need to relocate

View attachment 101394

All that's left now is fueling it up and kicking it over. But do i wait to spring (temps here are winter like)
What's your spec on these miks ?
 
What's your spec on these miks ?
It was a while ago :)

 
D+1

I'm contemplating oil leaks, gas leaks, not firing (electrical issues), not firing (timing issues), gearbox problems, and/or gearbox problems :)
The above things have not happened yet, right?

So the bike is ready, but you aren't? :)

First kick start after a build can be intimidating. All those negative thoughts come up. Got to forget about all the time and money you poured into it, and just do it.

Ignore if you are already familiar with Norton twins:

Turn the gas and ignition off and repeatedly kick it over with the plugs out until you get some dribble at the return pipe in the tank. (If you can see the return pipe.) If you know of a better way to prime the oil system do that instead. Once oil starts dribbling out of the return pipe reinstall the plugs, turn on the fuel, pull up the choke levers, get the crank/pistons just over the top of the compression stroke with the kick start, switch on the ignition, and try to start it.

Mikuni carburetors on the choke tend to run the idle RPM up kind of high, so be prepared to turn off the chokes and keep it running with the throttle until it settles into something like an idle. If you don't have any air leaks, the carburetors are synched, and the ignition close, the standard adjustments should let it run. If the cam and lifters are previously used and are already broken in, the engine break in can be done on the street. None of the 15 minute multiple sessions at 2500 RPM nonsense is required.

If it is wet out, don't ride it. Riding in the wet won't make you feel super manly if you go down in a turn on cold wet new tires. Well, never made me feel like more of a man anyway.

I was hesitant to post the above, because there is nothing new in my drivel, but did it anyway.
 
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