Finished!

Finally, the completed bike! After completing the rebuild, I added a set of Chase Harper saddlebags and some other extra bits. This is a nice studio shot a friend of mine did of the completed project.

Broken Camshaft Tip

Just found out that at some point the camshaft tip (lower part of the photo) had been broken. In order to hold the advance unit in place on the shaft, someone tapped into the tip of the shaft and the advance is now held in place with an allen screw and washer, with a small circlip of some type in between to keep it tight.

Almost Finished?

With the new Corbin seat in place, I'm only waiting for a new headlamp rubber gasket and I'll be able to finally assemble the headlight.

Then, I'll go through the whole bike one more time to recheck torque settings, adjust cables, and make sure there isn't anything I've forgotten.

Work In Progress

Haven't had an overall shot of the work in progress for a while, so here it is. I've got the handlebars and controls mostly back on, and the big task at this point is installing all new cables. I put the tank in place to make sure all the wiring and cables avoid hitting spots they shouldn't.

Also at this point, the carbs are back in place, since I'm done adjusting the top end (except for a teeny problem on the right side I'll discuss later). Back to work!

Ignition Switch Cover Dilemma

As I was installing the ignition switch cover on the headlamp bucket, I realized that the little brass post for the plastic slider spring was missing. Since I had bought the new (used) headlamp bucket on ebay, I still had the old one. The original still had the brass fitting attached, but as it turns out, the fitting (right) was riveted into the bucket and was not reusable.

Long story short, I needed a quick fix. I broke apart an old spark plug (left) and snipped off the end, just below the washer-like lip pictured. Then, using an extra washer inside the bucket and another one on the outside, I had a new post! I used a little blue Loctite to secure it in place. And the fix is hidden from view by the chrome ignition switch cover.

Restriping Chrome Panels

The black stripes on the chrome battery covers and the fuel tank panels badly needed repainting. I wiped the panels clean, and scraped off any loose bits of old paint. Then, I carefully masked off the areas I didn't want to paint with masking tape, even curving the corners to match the original paint job. I used a large sheet of paper to make a window that covered the remainder of the panel.

I used a matte finish trim black, available at most auto parts stores. It's an aerosol product, and I used four or five coats, letting the paint dry between coats. After I removed the masking, I touched up a few small areas the paint missed by spraying some paint in a jar and brushing it on with a touch-up brush.

Clutch Throwout Bearing

The throwout bearing sits in the back of the gearbox, where it is normally held in place by the clutch arm assembly. My model /5 has the ball bearing type, as pictured. Some later ones had "needles" instead of the ball bearings. Moving the gearbox around the shop during disassembly, I've been careful not to lose this piece, as it drops out fairly easily once the clutch assembly is removed.

On reassembly, the throwout bearing should be lubed with non-moly NLG1-2 grease, the same stuff you use for other bearings (fork, wheel, etc.) After lubing, insert the bearing back in, then put a drop of regular moly grease on the tip of the clutch rod (you can see the rod sticking partly out in the center of the photo). Then you're ready to reassemble the clutch arm parts.