Lovingly restoring the worst bike I've ever ridden.

[qwiky]

read the whole thread tonight, and i must say... you are a brave (or idiotic) man! working on old bikes is fun because no matter how much you weld them, smash them and jerry rig things, they work somehow.. btw.. i laughed for atleast 5min on the whole soda blasting part.... rediculous
worked on a 73 suzuki 125 for about 2 years, and i know how it feels to put money into somthing that seems hopeless

good luck!

[unheatedgarage]

Originally Posted by qwiky

i know how it feels to put money into somthing that seems hopeless

good luck!

I too have been working on a completely pointless project--CB550K--a total money pit:



but it's slowly coming together:





Ok, ok, back to your regularly scheduled 2-stroke goodness--whar Minsk updates whe

[Mullet5]

Thanks guys, good to see some other people spraying money into deep dark holes. The new tires, tubes, and rim strips arrived, just can't find the time to put them on. Soon!

[s1000rr]

Mullet I just finished reading your post you are hillary ass. I was howling when you did the soda blasting in your garage. I give you credit for staying with the minsk I would have cut my losses a long time ago.

[Incredulous]

Originally Posted by Mullet5

Thanks guys, good to see some other people spraying money into deep dark holes. The new tires, tubes, and rim strips arrived, just can't find the time to put them on. Soon!

[Twin-shocker]

Originally Posted by Mullet5

It is actually using a readily available tire size, 3.00-18. Funny you should ask, after we finished working last night (well, this morning technically) Derek and I picked out some new tires, and they are on their way.

I'm feeling good about the Minsk right now. After last night's Heat & Smash, Derek measured the head tube, and he says we are very close. What a relief. I feel like we made actual progress last night, like we may have progressed a few yards towards the light at the end of this long, long, crumbling, stinky Soviet tunnel. Can't wait to do the next step!

Does Derek actually know what he is doing? It would have taken a lot less time to have made a new head tube and fitted that, rather than messing around doing a very crude bodge job on the original (which seems to me like its scrap).

[2trally]

They didn't want to make a new head tube and they didn't want to fit a new head tube. What they're doing isn't exactly crude either, applying heat and pressure to the metal will not only reshape it, but it will probably act a little like forging, making the metal stronger.

[husqzilla]

Ya know once you're done with the restos of the Minskis the next logical step (as if there is any logic in that at all) is to do the same to a Trabant. Just imagine the Trabi pulling the trailer in to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in a big cloud of blue smoke. You roll out the Minsk and fire it up. More smoke. Much more smoke. You rip around a couple of greens to show what it can do. Probably not much, but what the heck if it's still running after a few minutes. When the show is over you take your shoe off and bang it on the trophy table where you were denied, shouting "Мы вас похороним!" You load the Minsk on the trailer and dissappear into the still lingering haze as the line of Sheriff's cars comes racing in. Remember, comrade, there is no victory; your reward is entirely in the struggle.

[dentvet]

Originally Posted by husqzilla

Ya know once you're done with the restos of the Minskis the next logical step (as if there is any logic in that at all) is to do the same to a Trabant. Just imagine the Trabi pulling the trailer in to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in a big cloud of blue smoke. You roll out the Minsk and fire it up. More smoke. Much more smoke. You rip around a couple of greens to show what it can do. Probably not much, but what the heck if it's still running after a few minutes. When the show is over you take your shoe off and bang it on the trophy table where you were denied, shouting "Мы вас похороним!" You load the Minsk on the trailer and dissappear into the still lingering haze as the line of Sheriff's cars comes racing in. Remember, comrade, there is no victory; your reward is entirely in the struggle.

classic, thx for that

[jdgretz]

Originally Posted by husqzilla

Ya know once you're done with the restos of the Minskis the next logical step (as if there is any logic in that at all) is to do the same to a Trabant. Just imagine the Trabi pulling the trailer in to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in a big cloud of blue smoke. You roll out the Minsk and fire it up. More smoke. Much more smoke. You rip around a couple of greens to show what it can do. Probably not much, but what the heck if it's still running after a few minutes. When the show is over you take your shoe off and bang it on the trophy table where you were denied, shouting "Мы вас похороним!" You load the Minsk on the trailer and dissappear into the still lingering haze as the line of Sheriff's cars comes racing in. Remember, comrade, there is no victory; your reward is entirely in the struggle.

Perhaps one like this one???



But probably more like this one:



jdg

[Twin-shocker]

Originally Posted by 2trally

They didn't want to make a new head tube and they didn't want to fit a new head tube. What they're doing isn't exactly crude either, applying heat and pressure to the metal will not only reshape it, but it will probably act a little like forging, making the metal stronger.

If they didnt want to do the job properly, it would have been a good idea to take it somewhere else, as I would guess you have probably paid 2-3 times as much for a lash up, than a proper job would have cost.

Heating and working cheap ERW mild steel is very likely to weaken it substantially, and I would guess cracking near the join is going to be relatively likely.

The people that lashed your frame up do seem to be pretty good at BS and overcharging, but I guess as times are hard dishonesty like this is getting more and more common.

[Treadless]

Originally Posted by Twin-shocker

If they didnt want to do the job properly, it would have been a good idea to take it somewhere else, as I would guess you have probably paid 2-3 times as much for a lash up, than a proper job would have cost.

Heating and working cheap ERW mild steel is very likely to weaken it substantially, and I would guess cracking near the join is going to be relatively likely.

The people that lashed your frame up do seem to be pretty good at BS and overcharging, but I guess as times are hard dishonesty like this is getting more and more common.

Yo n00bie d00d, you need to lighten up a bunch and get with the flow of the thread, you know feel the rhythm. So far your posts are seriously rocking the boat and IMO out of line. Bad mouthing someone and or his work at it is clear you don't know enough about isn't going to earn you any creds around here.

Relax, enjoy the party, life's to short.

[2trally]

Originally Posted by Twin-shocker

If they didnt want to do the job properly, it would have been a good idea to take it somewhere else, as I would guess you have probably paid 2-3 times as much for a lash up, than a proper job would have cost.

Heating and working cheap ERW mild steel is very likely to weaken it substantially, and I would guess cracking near the join is going to be relatively likely.

The people that lashed your frame up do seem to be pretty good at BS and overcharging, but I guess as times are hard dishonesty like this is getting more and more common.

I suppose we'll see when he gets it running.

[Twin-shocker]

Originally Posted by Treadless

Yo n00bie d00d, you need to lighten up a bunch and get with the flow of the thread, you know feel the rhythm. So far your posts are seriously rocking the boat and IMO out of line. Bad mouthing someone and or his work at it is clear you don't know enough about isn't going to earn you any creds around here.

Relax, enjoy the party, life's to short.

Just dont like to see anyone getting ripped off for shoddy poorly done work! In this case it would have been far easier to machine a new head tube and fit to the frame, than mess around with a bodge job which I guess would have probably cost 3 times as much as doing it right!

[DaverCoe]

Originally Posted by Twin-shocker

Just dont like to see anyone getting ripped off for shoddy poorly done work! In this case it would have been far easier to machine a new head tube and fit to the frame, than mess around with a bodge job which I guess would have probably cost 3 times as much as doing it right!

+1 for Treadless

Twin-shocker, this aint about you dude.
How about something positive from your keyboard for a change.
Mullet5 is doing his thing, and it's working for him. We're here to ride along with him and support the little bike coming back to life. -and having a serious hell of a laugh doing it. Positive man. Positive!
Just my $0.02

Killer thread Mullet5! You've laughted me to tears bro.
Hang in there, the head tube will be fine.
Lets get that engine running!