Guzzis, Mustangs, Triumphs and other Projects

Well, the Harley decided not to act up when the technician went to look at it. I decided to not take it home and ride the V Strom. I decided the overly stiff suspension from a couple pages ago was unrideable and I got a little irritated that my "A" bikes are not up to the task. I decided to tear into the forks. I pulled the cap and immediately identified the problem.



The springs should be at like a 15mm preload max. I had... Like an inch.

I took nearly an inch off of it and buttoned it all back up.

It was late and dark, but I took it down the street and it seemed way better.

It is still stiff, but I have lost about 60lbs since I ordered the springs, so I think we're about as good as its gonna get with the parts I have.

If its nice out, I'll take a longer ride tomorrow.

Little catch up. Sunday, it was beautiful, so I went out for a ride to test my suspension tweak. I headed south of town... Which was a mistake. Road was all stopped up with tourists. I flipped a U and headed north. I ended up putting on about 415 miles. Longest trip on the 'Ole Vstrom in a few seasons. Mixed feelings, the bike performed way better, the preload spacers were the issue. The rear is still stiff and the steering head, I feel, should be tighter, I don't know if it will go more because it was near the limit after I installed the tapered bearings. It worked well, ive had the bike since new, but it's under powered and getting old. We've been so many places together, Highway 1, Bonneville, Alaska Highway 4 times, Glacier national park, Prudhoe bay, etc... Its like a friend.... But I really want an 800 triumph and I like my Road King... When it isn't broken.

I think I'm leaning toward liquidating the Harley and the Vstrom and getting the 800 XC Triumph.... Maybe next spring

Anyway... Here's a pic

I am tired of being without the Spada!!! I went after the charging system replacement. I got the rotor and new seal installed, diode board and the new regulator.

I ran into a snag, my soldering iron was too weak to melt the solder on the stator. Need to buy one tomorrow. I was able to get the brushes soldered to the brush holder though, had to use a torch.

In a side rant. The weller battery powered soldering iron I have seems too weak to do anything I need so far.

Upgrade needed.

Pic!!!!

Bought a heavier duty soldering iron and it didnt work right out of the box. So the spada is still down, I'm really wanting to ride it. I miss it.

I decided to tinker with the Triumph some more. I worked on cleaning up the front wheel. The tire isnt seating quite right. I didnt notice at first, but the tire seating pieces were not in correctly, gotta handle that.

I decided to tear into the front forks and get going that way. Not much fluid came out of the forks and the seals are blown. I can see daylight around the seal and the tube. The fluid that came out looked pretty awful too.

Get paid tomorrow, so I'm gonna order some pieces from Klemphs to do the forks and the head bearings. I also have a tank I got on eBay. It's a T140 tank, but the price was okay, and B50 tanks seem to be pretty tough to get. I'll run this for now and keep looking. I also snagged a parts bin seat from work as a maybe option. Waiting on the tank to see if it looks silly.

As always.... PICS!!

Last nightly update.

I made a decision. I am enjoying the TR5T and I want to hang onto it, but I do not want to put my efforts into the "restomod" vision I have. So... Believe it or not, my wife wants the Triumph, she got her bike licence a while back, and has wanted a bike, but she hasn't made it a priority. She has a short ride to work and likes the idea of a "cute little british bike" to take to work, and maybe to the store etc.

I doubt she will ride much, but it gives me an excuse to continue the project and have another toy in the garage. So the TR5T will be more of a rebuild what I have situation. I will rebuild the engine this winter and be 100% certain it is sorted for wifey,

SO...

I called Banke Performance to discuss the rest mod idea. For all that dont know, James Banke is an absolute master machinist and has built some amazing machines. Him and my dad go way back and we attend the same bike rally every year. We talked a while this week and his advise is to get the Buell, but ride it as a Buell and go a different route on the front end. I have a few options on parts and I am searching. He was also positive about the bike being A65 based.

SO.....

The plan is to finish sorting the TR5T chassis before the snow flies and pull the engine for overhaul. The 500 Triumph will be overhauled this winter and running by spring.

The A65 will be mainly parked while I accumulate parts. I will have a lot of fabrication and chassis mockup so when I have the parts to get going, I will pull the engine and start the chassis work.

Sounds like a plan... Right??

We'll see.

Not much to report tonight, mostly worked on the front wheel. The hub and rim were nasty. So I cleaned, and cleaned and cleaned.

Looks much better




I also got my england exhaust!!



My only gripe is I tried to order 2 clamps for the system. I tried to order two of the 1.5" clamps they advised me to get an 1 1/2" and 1 3/8" the 1 3/8 is too big. Maybe that is for the back of the muffler where the spark arestor is supposed to go.

I cleaned up the brake shoes as well, if I fix the tire mounting, I can get the wheel back together.



As I was cleaning, I couldnt help but think about the guy I got the bike from. He rides beater bikes and I think goes out of his way to "fix" things in terrible ways in order to get attention.

I spent two hours tonight with a wire brush, scotch brite, sand paper and various cleaners in order to get a wheel sorted.

Glad my Triumph is in my hands and not his. It really got a better home

One of the techs at my buddy's shop helped me out, and had a a soldering iron tough enough to melt the solder on the stator... Started installing it tonight, found another issue....



So it may be a cause and effect deal. The diode board definitely failed testing, but clearly, this is an issue too. Shorted a winding to ground and wiped that portion of the diode board maybe?? Regardless, both things were problems. I will work on repairing the harness and get her going, will be riding it this week. I need more Guzzi miles before Fall!!!

Big frustrations today. I got the guzzi buttoned up, fired it up, checked the battery voltage, 12.5 volts, increased the RPMS, Still 12.5 volts. Turned on the Lights, and put some load on it. Dropped to 12.2. I then started checking things. Everything seems to check out. Clearly something is wrong. So I have missed something.

I put about 2 hours into it, reading, finding specs, and testing. I'm tired and frustrated.

Random thought, I have an AGM style battery in the bike. Maybe it is causing an issue? I doubt this is the problem, since I have always had an AGM battery in there.

Hmmmmm

I have two days of updates. I called a buddy and discussed the charge issue, he concluded... It is probably fine and charging, but all the upgraded parts can only do so much. I decided to take it to work yesterday and see what was what. The bike started and ran perfectly. After about 5 minutes on the road the charge guage moved up and i was confident we fixed it. After work I decided to take a longer ride. I got about 70 miles on it. This was the first prolonged road trip with the bike since I got it. I was sorting issues, so I never wanted to take it too far out of town. Yesterday was the day. And it was amazing!! That bike really shows it's strength out on the open road. It is designed to eat up the miles. I could have gone for hours. It was my birthday and I had to get home. One of my most satisfying rides in the last 2 seasons.

Put about 100 miles on the Spada today. The first 14 were the usual to and from work, I then headed out of town. Again, bike ran great, even got it up to 90 on a strait stretch with a head wind.

Bike is charging well. When I have the headlight on, the charge gauge makes a noticeable drop, might be worth looking into a bulb that pulls less power.

On the way home, I had a couple straight shots where I could aggressively run it up and look for tuning opportunities. I noticed in the higher gears, I could grab throttle and it would pull rpm but feel disconnected. Obviously it doesn't have the power to spin the tire at speed, so I am pretty sure I am fighting a clutch slip. That isn't really surprising with the suspected rear main seal leak. It also seems to still be leaking from the neutral switch and from the dipstick fill. It has me thinking I might be fighting a crank case vent issue.

Anyway. If the clutch gets worse, I may get into it this winter... along with a triumph engine... and maybe an A65... and the mustang...

Thought for the evening. Obviously the tank will need work, and the seat as well, but it may be cool... Feedback is okay.



And for the record, I am looking everyday for a proper TR5T or B50 tank

Have you tried searching for a Trail Blazer tank? They used the the same frame and were more common in UK than TR5T's and B50's. That T140 looks a bit too big and removing it to check the oil level will be a chore. Glad to hear you've had some good rides on the Guzzi

I hadn't tried to look for on of those, I'll broaden the search. If you come across one in your neck of the woods let me know.

The Guzzi has been running great. My only gripe is as the summer days shorten I find myself out after dark, the headlight pulls a lot of juice. I have it on the list to swap it to an LED or something to save the charging system.

I've been pretty tired. Working 6 days a week to try and stash some money away for our Italy trip coming up. So I haven't done a ton of work on the projects. I did get to the garage tonight and put the forks back together on the Trophy Trail.



I plan on taking the top clamp to a locksmith to see if they can key the fork lock. If it's apart, may as well try and make it work right??.... Right?...

The bearing races are in the freezer so I can put the triples back together.

I keep thinking since the engine is coming out after the rolling chassis is straightened out, I should blast and powder coat the frame, swing arm, and work closer to a restoration. I want this one to be a freshened up rider so I am getting excited about the A65 on its way up. I am working on scraping parts together. I have high hopes.

Well I found this on Ebay over on this side of the Atlantic, seems pricey to me but it's in good condition.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/triumph-t...176758?hash=item4b1fa0c3b6:g:EJIAAOSwP2FZkdhG

Where are you going in Italy?

My wife and I are flying into, and out of, Milan. We are spending 10 days touring around the north part of the country.

Should be a good time!!

When you are in Milan, head to the railway station, catch the train that runs from the end platform, it goes up beside Lago Como to Mandello del Lario, hop off and you will see the Moto Guzzi factory across the car park.
The Museum is great, check the times on the web first, I think 3:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon.

We are riding up there. Wife is less interested in the Guzzi plant stop, but I'm working on it. We are renting a Guzzi California for the duration of the trip

Worked in the garage a bit. Didn't get too far. Cleaned up the front hub a bit and got the tire seated properly. I also cleaned up the lower triple and put it in the freezer for bearing install. I may duck out of work in the afternoon tomorrow so I can take the top clamp by a locksmith to see if they can make a key.

Don't have a pic of todays work... So how about this random one...



That is my dog eating a full bag of baking flour he sound in the back shed when we moved into the house.

She might prefer a restaurant for lunch and then a walk down to the gelato shop by the lake.