Jim's 1980 SG Miss September

I can certainly sympathize with you, Jim. Some days my left leg is a bit too swollen to bend easily, and I find myself resting my calf on the left peg. My sweet spot would probably be low, at the lower/front frame curves.

The thing that I don't care for with forwards is all the exposed dangly linkages, especially having rods in compression, requiring fat rods. A few years ago I was daydreaming about torsion bars, tucked in close to the frame, somewhat hidden. :cool: :cautious:

Anyway, watching with interest... :thumbsup:
 
Short term, option 2 is to put highway pegs on her. To be honest, I've never liked 'em... but unless someone has an idea I ain't thought of......?

So, out comes the cardboard, TIGer, plasma cutter etc. I have an idea in my head as to what I want to build but if any of you guys have any ideas or pics of some well made ones, I'd really appreciate any input you think would be helpful. The idea is a bolt on installation I can take off once my knee is fixed.

Awwww sh!t Jim. That’s my first thought (and you know that I DO feel your pain).

OK - more constructively, this past weekend at the Ozark Rally, I noted that Ross Hebert had a very discrete and slick set of forward pegs on his Special. I’ll bet someone who was there got a photo or perhaps Ross could shoot one for you.

Pete
 
The thing that I don't care for with forwards is all the exposed dangly linkages, especially having rods in compression, requiring fat rods. A few years ago I was daydreaming about torsion bars, tucked in close to the frame, somewhat hidden. :cool: :cautious:

Anyway, watching with interest... :thumbsup:
I guess using 2 rods in tension would allow them to be very slender, maybe 5 mm with M6 thread at the ends. That would require custom levers at both ends though :)
 
So.... turns out the petcock kit from Mikes was a waste of 25 bucks. Never could get a good seal on the diaphragms o-ring. Even stretched the spring about 25% longer and let the seal soak in gas for a few days. Since I got all the other seals from Partzilla, the little o-ring was all I needed... but the old one was too crushed to measure, So I guess the 25 bucks wasn't a total waste. :rolleyes:
Anyway.... bought some Viton seals. Installed diameter of Mikes seal was 7.59mm. The Viton installed is 7.94mm. Seals up just fine now and doesn't restrict flow when vacuum pulls it open. Got my happy face on... :D
Mikes seal is on the left, Viton on the right. It's noticeably bigger....

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Dental picks are fantastic for removing very small o-rings.

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So.... turns out the petcock kit from Mikes was a waste of 25 bucks. Never could get a good seal on the diaphragms o-ring.
I tried one from someplace else, maybe same thing, that wouldn't seal. I fixed it by using the original o-ring. Problem I think is it's made for several different models and prob isn't perfect for any. gggGary has written a good tutorial on rebuilding these, involving polishing the two halves where they meet the diaphragms. After my rebuild finally failed (in the middle of nowhere) I removed all the guts and stuck the two halves together with gasket paper between them. When I got a chance I put in a lawnmower valve downstream so I could turn it off. Reserve is still reserve as is prime, and run is run.
 
Odds & Ends....

Installed petcock yesterday and put about a gallon and a half of fuel in the tank. No leaks, so I did the final install on the tank... all plumbed up. Also plumbed the crankcase breather.

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Spent hrs. goin' through boxes and finally found a good battery box cover......

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While hunting the cover, I found a sacrificial brake and shift lever for the forward controls...

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With the help of several of you guys I've expanded my knowledge base on highway pegs and fwd. controls. Thanks guys!! If I get my honeydo's done with energy left over, I'll start drawing and cuttin' cardboard tomorrow.... or maybe I'll finish the rear brake, or..... aww hell.... I'll just wing it. :rolleyes:
 
Slightly surprised you've kept the RLU, though.
When I started, I was shooting for a full restoration back to original... including the electrics. That's sorta out the window now... but the RLU is in... and it works. If it ever goes bad I'll revisit removing it.
 
You really should consider bracing your centerstand tang. Mine broke off after a few years, so did my buddy's .....

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Maybe you have a spare in your parts stash you could brace up? I also recommend grease fittings on the pivots. It makes a noticeable difference in how easily the stand deploys when you keep the pivots greased .....

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The Special is much harder to get up on the centerstand compared to a Standard due to it's 16" rear wheel and more angled shocks. Once on the stand, you can see why - that 16" wheel is a good 1.5", maybe even a little more, off the ground. A Standard with it's 18" wheel and more upright shocks is probably barely half that. I know many claim there is very little difference in the circumferences of the two wheels, but that's just not true. My buddy recently swapped an 18" rear onto his '80 Special II and while off, he compared both wheels side by side. There was a 1.5" difference in height. Now, only half of that is going show at the outer edge once the wheel is mounted, but that's still a 3/4" difference.
 
You really should consider bracing your centerstand tang. Mine broke off after a few years, so did my buddy's .....
The Special is much harder to get up on the centerstand compared to a Standard due to it's 16" rear wheel and more angled shocks.
I can't get my '81 on the center stand unless I push the front wheel up on to something to lift it. I weigh 160, so that's not the problem. If you have just slightly longer than stock shock though then you don't have that problem. Once your center stand tang breaks off, if you look hard enough you can replace it with a later one with the reinforcement from the factory. Reinforcement there is really indispensable. The tang is just a hollow tube with thin walls. You'd think it was for a much lighter bike.
 
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The stand is on there temporarily (note the safety wire holding it instead of the spring). It'll come back off for some rework.
 
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