Trixie Combat 4.4th recovery ends & begins.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

bwolfie said:

I also picked up 3 gallons of dog poop, fun fun afterrnoon.

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Ha, I did my winter poop clean up last Saturday, one wheel barrow full and an illegal dumping in the country and I'm good. On a commando note, I had to take my single carb manifold to the machinist last night to have it faced off 1/4" and hope my air filter fits this time. Steve the blue bike is nearly ready as is peel.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Ugh I have to haul a couple 5 gal buckets of spent kitty liter too often to edge of wood to dump. I just wasted an hour putting up aimable antenna to have radio rock and roll in shed, but the bargain 100 watt reciever tuner was dead so tossed it to look for another. Found primary cover don't need sanding just buffing to dress up, cool. Tranny cover is dull but not damaged so hand drill buffer in place should shine it up to be acceptable for real life appearances. Only thing I can't really buff up on Trixie is the thumb size rust spots on front rim, but will check my self in for mental exam if I get to thinking about re-spoke another disc brake front.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Getting warmer, spring time and Combat wise, but slow with constant minor hang ups - duh. Wes claims he's comes over to get refreshed on Nortons but I know its to save my Combat from my own errors. Expected to get primary on and at least set valves but only got inner case on - in couple hours, then I had to leave the scene.

I can hear his Commando about a mile away, just lightly tooling along, as THE Gravel travel requires, first sounds like big radial engine aeroplane in distance as he crests a rise, then on next one sounds like a semi truck growling along under load, then a V8 pu with glass packs, then about 1/4 mile away the tinkles and distinct rumble of a Commando approaching on effortless torque.


Rats ate up all my gaskets, properly stored on flat cardboard in plastic wrap, in a metal cabinet draw, like toys on a protected tray to em. So we looked around for gasket material to go between the inner case and crankcase and found the perfect piece. A wipe with blue RTV was used as Hylomar is more trouble to apply, expensive and not needed in such mild sealing need area. Oh yeah, too much yellow showed hanging out on test fit so flipped it to dull side to razor off when bored.




No special tool needed to nip up the big ole sprocket nut, just extra hands to hold brake by breaker bar as well as stake through the spokes. If alone I'd vice gripped the chain behind sprocket to jam up.


Main issue, still up in the air over, is the felt seal holder is clamped very tight to the inner case so was not moving to clear main shaft to stick cover on. We had to back off tranny adjuster to get cover on, with some fine tuning by hitting drift on edge of felt holder. It barely moved even so. Not good as must move some to shift with chain tensoning. Not sure how to solve, will try heat and catalyst-penetrating oil while trying to bump it around in range needed.

Also a minor surprise the center post needed ~1/8" more washers stacked on to not strain case with cover nipped up. We did get the felt seal/main shaft aligned so that isn't hanging up rear of case.

I tried to kick Wes's '71 off 3x's with miki carb enricher on but quit as only wearing moccasins on raw peg. Wes with boot fired up on one more kick. His lever broke off after only a few seasons Gravel travel, so vise grips repaired.


So I was being too optimistic on just a long weekend to finish, undetermined is a safer bet, but before summer please.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Hi Hobot, glad to see your getting on with things, the real question on my feeble mind is how is "Justice" doing? Does daylight savings mess with him? My Sis & Brother have allways had birds & critters of sorts. My Sis had a huge white Mcaw that hated men. It was fairly old & must have been abused by some jerk at one point. It would truely seek out & destroy any male in the house. Once I stopped to visit her before she was home so I thought I'de go get her guitar from the back room. I walked in, got the guitar & was half way back down the hall before I realized the bird was free just sitting on the cage. As soon as the thought crossed my mind the bird came flying down the hall and took a chunk of my hair ( maybe a little scalp too) and the fight was on! I was trying to fight it off without banging the 50+ year old Beautiful Martin 0018 guitar on a wall etc. I really wanted to use it like a bat and knock that over grown pigeon into center field but didn't. I used to take baby crows from the fields and raise them as pets, Crows are the smartest things around. They would fly around all day doing crow things, and at night they would fly in a open window in our house and sleep in ther crow house box in my bros bedroom. In the morning they would ask for food, & hop out the window & be gone again. Smart little pups. Ooops I guess this isn't real Norton stuff, hope Justice is well.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Hey Gtsun, yes sir ole bird brains are awesome in operation both, ways LOL>
Justice seems fine, active talking, greeting me, asking 'Th'is'ti-good at any kitchen noise or food offering. I've read they are suppose to get their sleep in chunks but MaCaws are like big kids, always ready to get up when lights on. He stays on a preach next to my rocker while i'm online most the night. Every now and then offer him a treat or fingers to nip at but he's knows its a play so only hurts a little bit. I test him much to wife's amused amazement by sticking a bare toe at him but he seems to know how sensitive they are and so far only squeezes nicely.
If you have such bird fascination, hard to beat big hook bill for energy and affection and skewed intelligence to train around. Last year I taught him to shake hands, but had to train him on both sides - as if two separate brains running him.
He sheds such nice long tail feathers I'm wondering how to use them on Peel.

Here's their level of of humor, I'd taught him to go AHHGGGGH, with me acting like an attack, till he got to AHHGGGH right back at me as I leaped at him. Some months later stumbling though dark ness across the room, out the blue
ARGGGGHH, in my voice that about dropped me to floor in fright. He got me back good.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Well Wes and I had another fine day to run into another show stopper. First thing was to try to free the felt seal slider, which prior drift hard hammer barely moved a couple 1000's. Figured heat it good then penatrate oil it and bump to free up. Started the torch and stood it on desk to grab sprays and it just went out. Tried to warm it and relight it but no go with full tank, had worked fine prior, oh well, plan B, use Mr. John Hudson's video example of really flaming it, minus the bench on fire. I grabbed a can of ether by error first but made the best of it.

http://rides.webshots.com/video/3041616 ... 1179TuGXJY
http://rides.webshots.com/video/3049243 ... host=rides

Installed 1' case and then could not fine the clutch circlip locator spacer, just this mystery part that would not slide on the main shaft, nor anything else in containers or spares bins that could work. Will have order it and wait some more.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Cleaned fire damage out of shed and looked deeper in parts bins to fine a clutch clrclip spacer. Had today off in fine weather so got the primary side installed. Only took about a dozen hard sledge>wood blocks smack to get sufficient rotor-stator clearance. Rear part was rubbing. Taking a break then out to pump oil in crank, put on points and adjust valves. Maybe even boil my Amals a bit then fight with the air box and rubbers. Either fuel or ozone in air but last set decayed in 2 yrs, mostly just sitting on damaged bike. Gaiters also came apart, but not so much- the didn't come apart before being installed : (

To turn engine via the rear wheel and to lock up primary to nip up nuts I use some 1/4" Al plate scraps.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

My Commando life style motto seems a simple - Ugh.

Went to adjust the triplex and drive chain before valve adjustment to hear this clinkGong sound - coming from the drop of LH intake valve, it seems. I assume push rod is not seated in the lifter, didn't seem to notice prior, ugh. Now what do I do?

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUKHIl5Gk3A[/video]

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

I was advised to do two thing, turn engine correct direction, duh and check lift inequalities...

I turned crank counter clockwise > for a new hound dog cocked head puzzlement moment, the clingGong sound switched to the LH exht vavle not intake. hm.
Looked close at exht valve to see it catch and release in a sideways jerk at full lift. hm. Maybe just maybe valve stem was hanging up in the hollow of the rocker with the adjuster backed out. Sooo, screwed em in for a by gosh/by golly set near normal lash - held breath and turned - anticlockwise- to hear essentially- Nothing!!
Hot Dog!

I had a good omen on entering my shed - I was straffed by two large bats, so I entertained them tinging on head and making hi pich whistles which caused one to aim right at my face and almost brush hair on way pass. I love it, healthy bats w/o white nose disease and healthy head w/o white knuckle syndrome : )

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

LOL, About the bats. Great to hear nothing major was wrong. :shock:

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Thanks, helps to bounce off others as I'm innately manic/depressive- bipolar and boy howdy do Commandos jerk my moods up and down fast as a blink. Norton is constant testing therapy for me. Thrusting one's judgment with reality checks.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Hobot,

Glad to hear that both Trixie is healthy as well as the bats (EEK EEKS as Queenie( my wife) calls them). Had a bad case of the white nose up here in eastern PA. last year. Just love those little mosquito eaters!

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Thank you TJKthe2nd. Used to cave with bats clouding our ways in tight passages, loved it, but for crawling over,in, through, mounds of guano, crawling with its own life forms. Our water comes out a cave with a lake in it, someday want to duck into the stream to enter. I'm told it opens up after short ways to 1/2 mile long lake. We've open creek water so they got it made here with our farm light as bait.

I've held off pressing my luck further before Texas Mile trip, to extend savoring last small success, knowing next move starts a new game. Put Trixies yellow parts out in sun to bake while gone, then wax and dare I say it, install and fill.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Got a free Sunday so Wes on the way over to work down list.
1. set valve lash
2. oil fill crank, seal TS cover and install points and time
3. clean and fit Amals
4. flush front brake fluid
5. adjust chains and rear brake
6. fit and wire pig tail to head light
7. steal battery form goat smashed SV650
8. fit tank and fuel lines then gas up
9. fire up, dial in then try to load rings sealing by short blasts up Gravel steeps then shut off coast down restart and do it again till no smoke
10. barrow Ms Peel's license plate and hope for the best.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Good luck!! I'm going for a ride myself right now.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Good luck!! I'm going for a ride myself right now.

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Gosh that sounds great and trying to join ya fast as I can.

Wes exercised his '69 Bonnie, always trying to rationalize owning it, or about anything else, said its easier to ride THE Gravel on than Commando, as didn't spin tire with torque power, or even ever made much power, so just rolls along no excitement. Just after Wes arrived he was startled by a cat size animal that darted by the door close to him. He jumped up to follow it but it was gone. I showed him the big holes dug under the shed pad, cute healthy ground hog home.

Valves set pretty straight forward, most time finding tools. I found a 4 blade feeler gauge 006, 008, 010, 012, handier than the full set. Turn engine, forward, till a valve stops going down then set lash on its loose mate.

Got degree wheel out but couldn't use DynoDave's crank end mount adaptor w/o removing the alternator nut, Ugh. Wes said a Magnet with spacer behind to hold off the alternator charge cable. I got a 1" OD ring magnet and thick washer thinking we'd have to magnetic clamp the plastic wheel on but I'd pressed a steel washer in the ' wheel as bush so slick as can be, Wes put magnet on crank nut, then just placed wheel to stick to magnet, done. Turns out my prior rebuilds left correct TDC and 28' marks so removed the wheel about as fast as it went on.

We got the points in and set to mid slot range ~28' with mech adv. on full. Did not check gap yet but didn't fart with that on removal, but can't take nothing for granted on no Commando, not even new parts.

Head light and its toggle switch installed. Coil pack rusted and oxidized so painted and clear coated then set to dry. This delay decided me to leave electrics to later with all the smoke handling kit out. So hiked up skirt and got crappy rusty chain guard off and beat even and then smoothed over then silver painted. May do same yellar as tank but no on hand here.

Did run into one brute force bodge. On trying to get proper slack in triplex chain the gear box didn't move forward enough, so loosened drive chain and gb still didn't. Peered down in to see the breather tube hose clamp screw butted against gb, ugh.
No screw driver access with primary on, so grabbed hose and pulled the sucker off with not too bad a fight. Bodge part is putting it back on not to weep oil. No way to tighten jubilee clamp down in cradle, so tighted it up to be stable on hose, ether cleaned the hose and barb then smear with slick Hylomar I was able to shove the booger back on, after really lining it up straight and grunting.

Was going back out instead of typing but tornado filled thunder storm hit. A lull is here now so off to cover engine and close shed. Oh yeah I hosed down Justice MaCaw, to dry out in the sun by us on about summer temp day.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Here's photo's of above weekends progress After Wes left I stay out to 2:30 am mostly refinishing stuff with rust and crud, wire brush, sanding, buffer wheel and rattle can. Got the air box on surprising easy even with the big Round factory paper filter and made another discovery of Norton bean counters short changing us and causing extra hassle.

Wes's '69 Bonnie with custom period paint.


Me nipping up valve lash.


Here we are in common posture of Cdo worth ship. The spring in oil seal in Timing cover somehow was displaced, I'd started to probe it back in to realize I needed two picks so let going and it disappeared!. We hunted and hunted till it occurred to me the last place it could hide was back in place and sure enough it somehow re-installed itself. Moods elevated again.


Wes's idea to use magnet to clamp degree wheel on but turned out its steel washer center bush was sucked tight to crank slick as can be.


Wes using Ozark nail cleaner to hold mech. adv to time points.


Ready to leave after a Norton nest day.


Wes kicking off and leaving
http://rides.webshots.com/video/3060755 ... 1179YoupvQ

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

A few days later a few more steps ahead, mostly just spiffing up parts before install. This time around I'm try ing Duplicolor on polished stuff to see if retains sheen longer and easier to just wipe off instead of degrime Al pores.

Flintstones sparkler


Condensers polished up to be hidden. I like the symmetry hanging in breeze.


Just how picky do ya get with cleaning seams, ain't attended much to barrel but started on cover seam with paper gasket form package of factory gaskets rats had a meal with. Hylomar is dang sticky but not adhesive as RTV.


By far this is most seen scene to me burning beyond midnight oil since '99 when a motorcycle won out over a mower decision. 12 yr w/o stereo till yesterday. Took 20 ft boosted rotating multi element antenna and lots of aiming to get more music than static and even then antenna best signal from home roof metal roof reflection than directed at station. Rock and Roll keeps the ground hog and bats entertained too.


Can't seem to get webshot to display video but this is what I can annealing copper but head gaskets too, no cherry red for me, no sir, glowing intense yellar turns it almost wax like. Oil feed banjo prep.
http://rides.webshots.com/video/3067122 ... 1179GeUhoy

Handy hollar socket ratchet to nip up clutch adjuster just right.

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

I cant work with out tunes. Google Meantooth Grin and listen to, I hope you get to heven, before the devil knows your dead. I think you will love. I need to get a Wes. Looks like your allmost ready to ride her.

Phil

Re: Trixie Combat 4th recovery begins

Yeah man sassy ass semi bluegrass rock! They hold mini woodstocks up in the more mountainous parts here a handful full a year, June Bug Boogey, Moo Moon Madness, etc. 150>300 show up to camp for a weekend of endurance partying and playing. I used to take Peel there but headed home 1 am a couple of times, a mistake I'll not do unless emergency any more. Deer shot across my bow, many more springing away at sides or just staring and daring. One section in the real steeps and twisties shear wall one side, shear drop after rail the other. Came upon a mystery tree left so close to the road, like its trunk loped off at 10 ft but new growth shooting up 4-5 ft so stood about 6 ft higher than double stack hwy sign some what in front of it. so courious a sight I slowed way up to get a look but stopped up short in shock about dozen yds from it. Its was a bull elk.
I dared not pass between it and the railing, so waited a minute or so then got impatient and SNORted Peel ...
YIKES he leaped to mid road facing me and lowered his huge rack and pawed the pavement, OH SHHHHIT!
I idled back and he relaxed and ambled off the road a few yards and stopped. I thought neat photo opportunity and idled towards him which made him move away a few more yards, so I followed to come up short by cattle gate, the bugger had stepped right over it w/o lifting its belly at all. Made it home intact more weary of night rides I love to do, at speed. So i might as well get looped as anyone and camp over with Trixie by my side. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4Ym7nmH ... re=related

Every Cdo owner could use a Wesley. More proof my life is more fate controlled than planned. I moved here thinking Nortons dead dyno's in museums then stumble on un advertised Combat then after dozen crashes got to my village to check out place to work and see a Commando parked. Village is just a wide intersection pop under 600 for 10 miles around. Befriending Wesley was like taming a wild animal shy of strangers, he didn't say much and left pretty quick. He ain't heard the shed stereo yet. Anywho its paradise for me here, I don't carry keys, don't lock clinic, folks come in take supplies and leave cash checks on counter. 12 yr ago my bother's car alarm went off the young teenagers asked what was that!!!!
Come on out and stay a spell.