Well the tail section/rear subframe assembly has been brought back to spec...the only reusable parts were the frame and the foot brake pedal....oh and the brake/tail light electrical sub-harnesses after I soldered new Lucas bullet connectors on the ends
Supposed to be near 50 tomorrow and this head cold is on the wane so I might venture out to the garage and pull the primary case and tranny off the main cradle and start hacking away at getting the motor out so I can get the cradle powdered
This has not been a bad project so far...but I have yet to open the motor up and it has for certain had the top-end "reworked" by some prior owner :-\
I love all the empty bedrooms in the house these days...this one is in the back corner on the first floor with steps out to the yard...perfect for rolling the finished bike out this Spring
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRRearSubFrame003.jpg)
This second picture...well I will confess I am a graduate of the IZ School For Excellence In Imagery The box propping up the fender has the original Smiths Tach and Speedo rebuilt by Joel Levine at Precision Instruments in Atlanta. The front fork tubes are completely redone as well
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRRearSubFrame002.jpg)
10 years ago I swore I would never restore another one of these British wallet bleeders after my last P11
I really do try to stay out of my own way...but then I have moments of epic-fail
Sonny Defeo of Ghost Motorcycle family called me
he found this one in his accountant's basement
make the beast with two backs!! its on its way over here now
1967 G15CSR...complete w/1970's-era "delusions-of-coolness" modifications
oooohh this one is gonna hurt
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSR.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSR2.jpg)
well, at least it's already the right color [thumbsup]
Yup...original showroom was a deep candy apple red
it will be renewed
You WILL ride that Matchless down to Bar Matchless when it is done. Restore or cafe?
Quote from: howie on October 26, 2010, 04:24:16 AM
You WILL ride that Matchless down to Bar Matchless when it is done. Restore or cafe?
It is an oddball one in that they made less than 100 for export in 1967 with high handlebars and the 2 gallon scrambler tank and the swept-back exhaust pipes as shown on this one...as bad an idea as the Norton Commando Hi-Rider [puke]
So I will do a spec resto until it comes to pipes and bars...that scrambles tank on it now was customized with bondo to some awful ridge lines on the top so I need to carve it back down to the proper contour...
for pipes I am thinking of using the open cross-overs they used on a few Matchless racing scramblers...they flowed like the Honda 250/305 scrambler high pipes and/or the old Triumph scrambles pipes both running up the left side of the bike.
but the bars are going no matter what...may go in a cafe direction which would just mean scrapping the bars ...but in my heart I am a scrambler junkie
Scrambler is cool ;D
anything that includes ditching those pink huffy bars sounds like a great idea!
Quote from: herm on October 26, 2010, 05:40:55 AM
anything that includes ditching those pink huffy bars sounds like a great idea!
<laughing> yes its dignity (such as that is with an old Brit) shall be restored...that seat, sissy bar and fender assembly is going to the curb as well
[popcorn]
From the pictures, I deduce that the bike has no oil in it at all.
You poor bastard. What monstrous karmic dog did you kick to deserve this?
Oh, I vote for scrambler as well. It's not my wallet.
Fonzi called..... he wants his bike back
Quote from: Speeddog on October 26, 2010, 09:05:59 AM
[popcorn]
From the pictures, I deduce that the bike has no oil in it at all.
You are a man schooled in great powers of observation and deductive reasoning...clearly it's floor has not been marked
Update bump
photos in first post up top
Quote from: RAT900 on October 26, 2010, 01:27:43 AM
I am a graduate of the IZ School For Excellence In Imagery
My star pupil!! [thumbsup]
WTF Rat?! [cheeky]
This being the no-moto board, I assumed this was a thread for wankers. Which, ah, explains why I ended up here. Thought I'd pick up some pointers on perfecting the craft. But I too am vexed by an old 67 brit bike, a 67 bonny. Good luck to ya. Keep us posted on your progress. A very cool and rare bike. I vote scrambler too.
Any problem finding parts?
Parts have been pretty available...exception being certain make-and-model-specific sheet metal items.
I have been using Walridge Motors up in Canada...Mike is an old Matchless and Norton Scrambles fan so his stocks are decent
I will say one thing from a forensic mechanical anthropology perspective....I would rather have a resto project that died of passive neglect and sat for a few decades...over one that was kept alive and flogged with all sorts of "imaginative" fixes
This bike scares me to think someone actually rode it in its current state of ignorance...they were damn lucky it died in a manner outside their skills to revive it.
Don't forget about Baxter Cycle here in Iowa too for classic parts:
http://www.baxtercycle.com/aboutus.asp (http://www.baxtercycle.com/aboutus.asp)
mitt
Quote from: mitt on January 05, 2011, 06:05:52 AM
Don't forget about Baxter Cycle here in Iowa too for classic parts:
http://www.baxtercycle.com/aboutus.asp (http://www.baxtercycle.com/aboutus.asp)
mitt
Oh Randy and I go back years ...he was good for Norton P11 parts in the past...already tapped him for the correct Matchless tank badges for this project and a pair of headlamp ears for the Roadholder forks [thumbsup]
Updated...now all powder coated and oil-free, preassembled and new wire harness strapped in....motor due back in a week or two....wheels are done and ready for mounting......moving it back out to the garage now that it is getting warmer and the oil leaking stuff needs to be installed...besides the wife does not appreciate the Dining Table work bench :-)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRFeb24-2011002.jpg)
I have yet to find one damnable bit on this machine that does not have the personal "signature" of a Prior Owner Idiot on it.....right down to every mis-matched or incorrect skinned and rounded nut or chewed-up screw head.
I am in a continual state of slack-jawed amazement at the level of thoroughness and detail involved in making every last single bloody piece of this bike that I examine somehow "wrong" or otherwise compromised for re-use....
I am actually at the point where, when I am in the garage alone....I am laughing out loud like a madman...awash in ghoulish anticipation each time I pick up or pick out a part to assess....fully knowing... as sure as the sun rises and sets....that it will have its own unique
scar, blemish or fatal malfunction
I am so far underwater on this restoration...it has exceeded my worst-case estimations by at least 2 or 3 laps
But it is so bad it is theatrical.....like some horrific "Performance Art"....I would so dearly love it if somehow there was a way to capture the historical footage of the crimes visited upon this machine over the years.....I would want to study the faces and actions of those who were previously charged with maintaining this bike
Clearly this will be a gem when completed...but I will never realize any return on this investment...other than the satisfaction of having resurrected a fine example of the later days of the British Motorcycle industry.....
Looking good. [thumbsup]
Sweet. 8)
Reminds me of the days when I built my first bike in the kitchen. :)
Great work. I'm amazed your wife let you get that far.
Well we have been busy over the winter and through the winter extension known as Springtime
It has been about 10 years since I did a resto...and in those 10 years I forgot what an expensive PITA they are
But my rosy recollections as viewed from the safety that time and distance offered were really run through the shredder on this pig
Waiting on the transmission and then the final assembly...hope to have it fired-up by early May.
As you can see the bike has traveled from the dining room table/workbench to the living room coffee table/workbench....
lower surface made it easier to hump the engine back into the frame
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRSheetmetal003.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRSheetmetal002.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRSheetmetal001.jpg)
^^^^ Very nice.
yup, this one will show well...for someone else...
probably will score in the 90's from a 100 point concours grading since I have used some repro parts for the lighting/electrical
I refuse to drop another 1500 bucks into it to correct the tail lamp, headlamp, rectifier and tach drive to New Old Stock originals
The Emgo/etc repro parts are just fine by me.... they are nearly exact to the original patterns....with the exception of not having the original manufacturer's name/data stamped/labeled on them
someone else in the future can knock themselves out on that level of madness
Quote from: RAT900 on October 26, 2010, 01:27:43 AM
Well the tail section/rear subframe assembly has been brought back to spec...the only reusable parts were the frame and the foot brake pedal....oh and the brake/tail light electrical sub-harnesses after I soldered new Lucas bullet connectors on the ends
Supposed to be near 50 tomorrow and this head cold is on the wane so I might venture out to the garage and pull the primary case and tranny off the main cradle and start hacking away at getting the motor out so I can get the cradle powdered
This has not been a bad project so far...but I have yet to open the motor up and it has for certain had the top-end "reworked" by some prior owner :-\
I love all the empty bedrooms in the house these days...this one is in the back corner on the first floor with steps out to the yard...perfect for rolling the finished bike out this Spring
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRRearSubFrame003.jpg)
This second picture...well I will confess I am a graduate of the IZ School For Excellence In Imagery The box propping up the fender has the original Smiths Tach and Speedo rebuilt by Joel Levine at Precision Instruments in Atlanta. The front fork tubes are completely redone as well
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRRearSubFrame002.jpg)
10 years ago I swore I would never restore another one of these British wallet bleeders after my last P11
I really do try to stay out of my own way...but then I have moments of epic-fail
Sonny Defeo of Ghost Motorcycle family called me
he found this one in his accountant's basement
make the beast with two backs!! its on its way over here now
1967 G15CSR...complete w/1970's-era "delusions-of-coolness" modifications
oooohh this one is gonna hurt
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSR.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSR2.jpg)
Is that a Smith mechaniacal Tach ?
Do you have a soure for one ?
Dolph :)
Yes a Smiths...BG1508/05 for this bike. Which is the reversable 1:1 drive for the Norton Atlas motor
The repros are going for around 250-300 bucks...original Smiths units are only found on eBay sometimes and bidding gets crazy...just be certain of your version
Places to try sourcing a repop are Rabers in San Jose, British Cycle Supply in Hackensack NJ and Canada, Baxter Cycle in Marne Iowa, DomiRacer in Ohio
Triumph and BSA tach drives are common and 1/3rd the cost
I scan eBay UK as well as US and Canada for parts
The one that was on this bike had a Jefferson head nickel banged into it as the end-cap
Looks good Rat!! [clap]
Looking good great! You are saving the Ghost license plate frame I hope [thumbsup]
Quote from: howie on April 14, 2011, 03:17:12 AM
Looking good great! You are saving the Ghost license plate frame I hope [thumbsup]
Absolutely Howie...it completes the retro pedigree...I got a half-dozen of them a few years back from Sal that I use(d) on various old resto's
Awesome dude!!! [clap] [clap]
My advice is that you keep in mind that this is your bike. Having a 67 Triumph Bonnie myself I understand think you feel a sense of obligation to do a perfect restoration to original condition. At times I think I'd rather have an early 80s Suzuki GS to bring back to life. I'd do anything I damn well please with the thing. Keep in mind that just as now, back in the day, avid riders made the bikes their own. So if all original new old stock is what makes you happy fine. If your budget or your vision is good with reproduction or borrowed items, so be it. That said, I love what you are doing.
Thanks akmnstr
yes I was one of those who was always personalizing them back when they were recent-issue machines.
Guess I am repaying a debt of sorts buying them here and there and putting them back to stock 4 and a half decades later
I usually throw one thing on that is out of line...for this one I may install the Cat's Face rear tail light lens
If I was going to make it a daily rider I would scrap the magneto in favor of a boyers unit and trade monoblocs in for Concentrics or Mikuni's and throw a twin leading shoe front brake on it so it could actually stop
the first bike I restored was a Royal Enfield Single Model G. I built it upstairs in my bedroom above the garage because it was winter. It was awesome. I lived in a house iin London and once the thing was together I could not get it around the tight hallways or down the curved staircase [bang]I had to disassemble the damned thing and have my eldest brother help me carry it down stairs. It was bloody heavy. The bike was donated to a retired police officer a couple of years ago and now resides at Inverness Castle in Scotland. I gave it to my friend Ian's father upon his retirement from 30 years in the met Police of London.He always wanted to have the bike as he had bought one just like it brand new all those years ago. I think it was the right thing to do. I moved to America in 1985 and the bike had sat under a dustsheet for 25 years completely restored and perfect in every way at my brothers house.
I love British motorcycles from 1930-1970 the earlier ones are rolling works of art with swoopy lines.Magnificent in every way. One of the prettiest bikes ever made in my view is a P40.I am also extremely fond of the final offereings from Royal Enfield 1970 Interceptor MK 11 736 cc.They were a superbike back n the day that ran circles around T120'S and Nortons famous 750 Commando.As it was with most of the British Industry in those deep dark days it was too little too late.RIP .
BGB.
QuoteIf I was going to make it a daily rider I would scrap the magneto in favor of a boyers unit and trade monoblocs in for Concentrics or Mikuni's and throw a twin leading shoe front brake on it so it could actually stop
My Triumph would stop faster going backwards than forward with the original front brake. I picked up a twin leading shoe off ebay and put it on. Now it will actually stop and I no longer have to drag my feet to bring it to rest.
Quote from: badgalbetty on April 14, 2011, 12:50:37 PM
the first bike I restored was a Royal Enfield Single Model G. I built it upstairs in my bedroom above the garage because it was winter. It was awesome. I lived in a house iin London and once the thing was together I could not get it around the tight hallways or down the curved staircase [bang]I had to disassemble the damned thing and have my eldest brother help me carry it down stairs. It was bloody heavy. The bike was donated to a retired police officer a couple of years ago and now resides at Inverness Castle in Scotland. I gave it to my friend Ian's father upon his retirement from 30 years in the met Police of London.He always wanted to have the bike as he had bought one just like it brand new all those years ago. I think it was the right thing to do. I moved to America in 1985 and the bike had sat under a dustsheet for 25 years completely restored and perfect in every way at my brothers house.
I love British motorcycles from 1930-1970 the earlier ones are rolling works of art with swoopy lines.Magnificent in every way. One of the prettiest bikes ever made in my view is a P40.I am also extremely fond of the final offereings from Royal Enfield 1970 Interceptor MK 11 736 cc.They were a superbike back n the day that ran circles around T120'S and Nortons famous 750 Commando.As it was with most of the British Industry in those deep dark days it was too little too late.RIP .
BGB.
That bike, and the Velocette's of the same era was what opened my eyes to motorcycles.
I love to look at the old bikes...but the new ones are way more fun to ride.
The transformation is absolutely remarkable; strong work sir! [beer]
I'm drafting a letter of petition for restoration sainthood to be bestowed upon you.
To take that bike from it's former heinously molested form to what it obviously will become... fantastic!
Quote from: badgalbetty on April 14, 2011, 12:50:37 PM
the first bike I restored was a Royal Enfield Single Model G. I built it upstairs in my bedroom above the garage because it was winter. It was awesome. I lived in a house iin London and once the thing was together I could not get it around the tight hallways or down the curved staircase [bang]I had to disassemble the damned thing and have my eldest brother help me carry it down stairs. It was bloody heavy. The bike was donated to a retired police officer a couple of years ago and now resides at Inverness Castle in Scotland. I gave it to my friend Ian's father upon his retirement from 30 years in the met Police of London.He always wanted to have the bike as he had bought one just like it brand new all those years ago. I think it was the right thing to do. I moved to America in 1985 and the bike had sat under a dustsheet for 25 years completely restored and perfect in every way at my brothers house.
I love British motorcycles from 1930-1970 the earlier ones are rolling works of art with swoopy lines.Magnificent in every way. One of the prettiest bikes ever made in my view is a P40.I am also extremely fond of the final offereings from Royal Enfield 1970 Interceptor MK 11 736 cc.They were a superbike back n the day that ran circles around T120'S and Nortons famous 750 Commando.As it was with most of the British Industry in those deep dark days it was too little too late.RIP .
BGB.
That is a great story BGB. I once did a P-11 restoration down in my basement and hauling that up the stairs was a real trial....you lose track of how big/heavy it becomes when you're incrementally adding stuff on.
As a youngster I had a late (pre-series II) RE Interceptor...I believe it was titled as a 1967
It was my first real road bike back in the late 60's early 70's and it would put anything else on the road to shame....I wrote a long tale a few years back about that bike and how my late sister loved it when I'd take her for a ride on it. Hands down THE most handsome of all the British machines of the 1960's
I tracked an Enfield down in the late 1990's and restored it...it had been languishing in a barn in Kansas for a decade or 2
it was used in a couple of fashion magazine shoots as a prop for the models...it was a joy to ride that bike again after having been away from them for 2 decades or more. Sold it to someone over in France and exported it...
needed to fund the P-11 solo seat scrambler
The old classics have a way of getting under your skin.....
I guess maybe I can't much repair the dents, scars bruises and insults to my tired old carcass,
but I sure as shit can bring a 40 or 50 year old mechanical icon of my younger days
back to its full stature and glory :)
I typoed.... that should have been P11 I must have been thinking planes or something.... [bang]
Enfield made many magnificent motorcycles over the years , the earlt v twins are hard to find these days and The J2 was a really pretty bike twin port single. Just Beautiful.At one point Indian motorcycles were selling re-badged Enfield twins like the meteor and constellation. Such lovely names....They also made a very nice 500 twin, which was always a favourite. Yes I have a fondness for all things Enfield except the latest offerings from Madras which are a cobbled together mix of old and new to get it all legal. Technologically they are one step above a sock....perhaps. [laugh]
BGB
QuoteI love to look at the old bikes...but the new ones are way more fun to ride.
I think the old brit twins are fun to ride too, but in a different way. The vibration, bad brakes, shift on the wrong side, and a very vertical riding position gives me a very unique feel. I love the kick start, except when the engine dies at a traffic light. The feel of the bike I think can be best described as an over bearing feel of risking your life anytime you ride above 65.
what an awesome transformation.
looking at the pics, reading the story so far, and thinking of the anticipation you must feel for firing her up & taking on her maiden re-voyage, giving my a big shit eating grin. [beer] [clap] [thumbsup]
oh we are now getting close to the moment of troof
maybe as early as this Sunday morning....
my way of thanking my fabulous neighbors for the daily endless armies of lawn care crews
armed with screaming deafening leaf blowers that make working from home almost impossible
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRBackstretch005.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRBackstretch003.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRBackstretch004.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRBackstretch001.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSRBackstretch002.jpg)
Giggity. [thumbsup]
Wish I could be there to see you kick it over and hear it start up! [popcorn]
Should have a start it up bbq
The BBQ idea is good....then I'll have people available to help push me around trying to start it after my knee and hip give out :-)
Right now I am double-checking the nuts and bolts on the bike from the tranny to the tail light
and painting them with Locktite Blue so I know I
A: got to them and
B: to gum up the exposed threads
so when the nuts back themselves out with the vibrations they won't litter the roadways
and bounce up and hit windshields of cars tailgating me
riding behind a British bike is more potentially expensive than tailing an overfilled gravel truck on a bumpy road
Quote from: RAT900 on April 29, 2011, 06:06:13 AM
The BBQ idea is good....then I'll have people available to help push me around trying to start it after my knee and hip give out :-)
Right now I am double-checking the nuts and bolts on the bike from the tranny to the tail light
and painting them with Locktite Blue so I know I
A: got to them and
B: to gum up the exposed threads
so when the nuts back themselves out with the vibrations they won't litter the roadways
and bounce up and hit windshields of cars tailgating me
riding behind a British bike is more potentially expensive than tailing an overfilled gravel truck on a bumpy road
RAT - Use the green loctite for this. Specific use is for already assembled fasteners...
http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/t_lkr_green/overview/Loctite-Threadlocker-Green-290.htm (http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/t_lkr_green/overview/Loctite-Threadlocker-Green-290.htm)
looks amazing man, take a vid once you get her started up :D
Quote from: thought on April 29, 2011, 02:22:50 PM
looks amazing man, take a vid once you get her started up :D
I want to see the puddle of oil after he shuts it off. :-*
Quote from: ducpainter on April 29, 2011, 07:46:48 PM
I want to see the puddle of oil after he shuts it off. :-*
Nate, as an old Sam Avelino Royal Oilfield fan
you should know that a brit bike does not have to run in order to leak oil...in fact it does not need oil to leak oil
in fact if you park a completely dry one next to a drum of oil...the drum of oil will begin leaking within 3 days
just by sheer proximity ;)
Like Sir Winston and his martinis.
Lookin' good RAT900! [thumbsup]
[bacon]
Quote from: The Bacon Junkie on April 29, 2011, 10:47:18 PM
Lookin' good RAT900! [thumbsup]
[bacon]
Agreed
[bacon] [bacon] [bacon]
OK so the bike is now outside but still has tweaking and fitting issues that need to be sorted out
I had to remove the speedo drive to keep the wheel from binding...the drive lacks sufficient stand-off from the hub cover (it rubs)
so one of the hub or axle spacers that I reused from the basket bike is either incorrect or worn down or something.
The motor is tight...tighter than I prefer but once it fires up that should be self-remedying
So there are a dozen or so things I need to adjust or figure out
The magneto is throwing a yellow spark and not a fat blue one which has me annoyed...got to sort through that
mostly stuff that you don't know and can't know until you start buttoning down the last bits
But we are getting close!!!
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSROutsideApril30003.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSROutsideApril30002.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSROutsideApril30001.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee91/visigoth9/G15CSROutsideApril30004.jpg)
Gorgeous.
[beer]