There's lots of good web based video editors out there. Don't let that hold you back. :whistle:

Well, I did not know that. Hmmm.....I’ll have to explore that further. Thanks Jim!

Mailman (Bob), I had to log in to congratulate you on a job well done.
I, along with many (from all around the world) have enjoyed your updates.
You have put the hard yards into this build. The time, quality of work and perseverance you have shown to not only build this beautiful motorcycle but to document it fully is something to truly be proud of.
Not to take any of the kudos away from you, however, the help provided by the brains trust of this forum was definitely a contributing factor to the success of this build.
I know I definitely enjoyed hearing it idling properly and watching the maiden voyage - enjoy your motorcycle

Thanks Hotdog! I appreciate it, and believe me , I take no offense regarding the brain trust being a major contributor to my success. I relied on them heavily! :thumbsup: Thanks for checking in.
 
It's been a real pleasure following your restoration Bob, congratulations on a beautiful bike and a story which I think will give future owners and old hands alike the inspiration to have a go.

Thanks Meddy! :)
 
Bob: I wanted to let you know that you have done a great job of restoration and that your documentation is outstanding. Sometimes I feel like we are loosing younger and inexperienced people because they feel that they might be belittled or made fun of in forums like this. You have certainly been an exception to this. Please continue putting the information out there because a restoration is never completed. Thank you very much for the mention and I am truly honored to have had a small part in your adventure. I hope the seat foam will perform for many years to come. David Jones
 
Bob: I wanted to let you know that you have done a great job of restoration and that your documentation is outstanding. Sometimes I feel like we are loosing younger and inexperienced people because they feel that they might be belittled or made fun of in forums like this. You have certainly been an exception to this. Please continue putting the information out there because a restoration is never completed. Thank you very much for the mention and I am truly honored to have had a small part in your adventure. I hope the seat foam will perform for many years to come. David Jones

David, I am absolutely delighted that you checked back to see my finished bike. Guys like you set the bar pretty high for the rest of us. And by the way, that seat is the most comfortable seat I’ve ever sat on. Thanks again! :thumbsup:
 
Congrats Bob..............Sure is a nice looking bike...........gotta be proud of this and thanks for taking us on the journey, sure we helped but you did the work. poor old 77 will be sulking in the corner...............says a lot about the build that when the right jet was installed that the bike started and ticked over like a watch, without any adjustment.........

What do you say to collectively getting Travis to make or convert one of the forums into a dedicated ride forum..........some great rides have been posted and lost on here..........be nice to be able to read a dedicated collection......


Ha, Ha, ha, it will take another year to make a prefix menu for the thread.............
 
Thanks Doug, I appreciate it. I’ve been having a blast with it.

poor old 77 will be sulking in the corner

Not for long......:rolleyes:

What do you say to collectively getting Travis to make or convert one of the forums into a dedicated ride forum

Hey that sounds good to me! I like following the guys on rides!
 
Just a small update.

The bike has 160 miles on it now. It starts, runs, idles and charges great , and it doesn’t do anything that worries me. It makes all the right sounds and doesn’t make any scary noises.

I did the first oil change on it yesterday and there was a pretty good amount of metal flake in the oil and in the side filter. I am attributing this to the fact , that it has so many new parts in it, bedding in. I’m willing to bet that the next couple oil changes will see a significant reduction in sparkly stuff.

I checked the timing and it was right on and advancing properly. I also adjusted the timing chain, which didn’t take much.

I also took the time to go over the bike, looking for any loose fasteners, and I did find a few.....some valve cover nuts, and one that surprised me was the rear fender mount bolt,
96D398B6-7897-441F-83B6-0C788D9381F5.jpeg


Under the fender is a rubber washer and a fender washer, lock and nut. I grabbed the fender and was surprised to see there was a surprising amount of movement. I looked underneath and the rubber washer had been chewed up from vibration? I replaced it with a thicker one. I may have overtightened the first one and damaged it during installation.

Some first impressions

The bike rides and handles really nice , but you can feel it squirm a little if you try to push too much speed going into corners. I believe most of that is due to the retro tire tread pattern of the Dunlop K70’s, also the 34mm forks probably have a little flex to them. The tires are also VERY wiggly when rain grooves are present.

I have been a little surprised to see that despite the fact that every gasket and seal have been replaced, she’s still a dirty girl. Reminding me of my old Triumph Bonneville. Oil vapor seeps past the valve cover gaskets, my starter gear cover gasket , the base of the oil tube on the front of the motor, and don’t get me started with how messy the two crankcase breather hoses are. The underside of my bike was an oily mess. When I got the bike, the crud underneath was THICK. I can now see why, if you don’t stay on top of it. I may have to revisit putting some PVC valves or something down there.

I was also a little worried about my cam shaft seals , if they would leak or not. I know some guys have had a lot of trouble. One side was bone dry, the other had just a really small drop of oil inside the housing, I can live with that.

Mostly, I’m just enjoying riding it, and I hope it just gets better and better as the miles go on. :bike:

—Bob
 
... you can feel it squirm a little if you try to push too much speed going into corners. I believe most of that is due to the retro tire tread pattern of the Dunlop K70’s...

I'll double-down ditto with you on that.
Great all-around tires, but...

When I cafe'd mine, Dunlop K-81s really Improved the corner handling...
 
How much side to side play does your fender have? I couldn't get the correct rubber dampers for the rear fender, so I used ones made for the battery box. For the top ones I added collars to hold them tight to the fender. I have no side to side play.
upload_2019-5-10_9-21-15.png

It's important to keep an eye on the rear bushing.:doh:
upload_2019-5-10_9-24-2.png
 
I have been a little surprised to see that despite the fact that every gasket and seal have been replaced, she’s still a dirty girl. Reminding me of my old Triumph Bonneville. Oil vapor seeps past the valve cover gaskets, my starter gear cover gasket , the base of the oil tube on the front of the motor, and don’t get me started with how messy the two crankcase breather hoses are. The underside of my bike was an oily mess. When I got the bike, the crud underneath was THICK. I can now see why, if you don’t stay on top of it. I may have to revisit putting some PVC valves or something down there.
Sounds like your rings have not seated completely and you are getting a lot of blow-by past the rings. I only have 100 miles on mine but not seeing any oil leaks. I used nothing but red grease on the gaskets. I have both breather tubes wide open and the hoses are pretty dry.
upload_2019-5-10_10-1-53.png

You restricted your tubes. That coupled with blow-by could cause pressure in the crankcase forcing oil past the gaskets.
How have you been breaking the engine in?
upload_2019-5-10_10-0-19.png
 
What size tire do you have on the front? I know 3.25s aren't very good on rain grooves. They tend to track in them. That was the size I had on my 650 Seca and it wiggled all the way. Almost dangerous.
 
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