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1973 Super Rustbucket Resurrection
- Thread starter DogBunny
- Start date
Congratulations DB!
X77S
Let's do this!
That's pretty awesome! Those were some pretty cool entries.
Found some new pics of the Bat City Tire Fire show on their FaceBook page:
Yours truly, 63 year old fossil.
Couple of artistic biker-types making the awards. Some were old, re-purposed athletic trophies.
Making my trophy...
Wow, I guess they were proud of my trophy -- it got a lot of pics.
Crowd scene...
Yours truly, 63 year old fossil.
Couple of artistic biker-types making the awards. Some were old, re-purposed athletic trophies.
Making my trophy...
Wow, I guess they were proud of my trophy -- it got a lot of pics.
Crowd scene...
maico996
XS650 Addict
X77S
Let's do this!
I just used your link and almost hit buy it now without looking. Current price is 109.99
+ shipping!
+ shipping!
Glad you looked before you leaped.
Here's one with a chrome or aluminum handle:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/263028199279
which would have better matched my clutch lever.
There are bunches more, some cheaper...
Here's one with a chrome or aluminum handle:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/263028199279
which would have better matched my clutch lever.
There are bunches more, some cheaper...
Re-using a torn gasket. You know you've been tempted to try this...
Well, you never know what's possible until you try.
A few weeks ago I had to get under the right-side case cover of the Super RustBucket. The old gasket was pretty well stuck to the case, except for the two spots above that were stuck to the cover.
I cleaned both surfaces with mineral spirits, NON-aggressively. The idea was NOT to remove any bits of gasket. I wanted all of the various bits to match up to each other like pieces of a puzzle. No gasket-scraping. This saved some time.
The only reason I even used the mineral spirits was to remove grease and oil so that sealant would stick. I used MotoSeal, my go-to gasket maker. BTW, I contend that Motoseal, ThreeBond, YamaBond, etc., -- all of the grey gasket makers that we commonly use, are exactly the same product. It all comes out of the same vat. I use MotoSeal because it's easiest to find (any auto parts store), and is cheapest.
Anyways, I put a very thin smear of MotoSeal on one surface. I applied it slightly heavier at the two torn areas, but still pretty thin.
That was a few weeks ago. NO LEAKS.
I hope to never have to open up this cover again, but if I do, it will be interesting to see if I think I can re-use this torn gasket again.
Anyone else have a similar experience?
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Nope, unt-uh NEVER done that! 
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Poor men take poor man shortcuts. Yes, done it in the past more times than I'll admit to. 
With generally good results I might add.
With generally good results I might add.
Never cut a gasket out of a cereal box either.
It's not the $$$ it's the wait for the replacement gasket.
Why I have so many of the common XS partz in stock...........
I find that RH cover gasket usually stays with the cover, the factory only used a little dab of sealant on the case side at the front and rear where the top n bottom engine cases join. Careful work with a ground and corner rounded putty knife aids in getting the gasket free in one piece to be reused. (So I've heard)
Ahem Hylomar Blue.
It's not the $$$ it's the wait for the replacement gasket.
Why I have so many of the common XS partz in stock...........
I find that RH cover gasket usually stays with the cover, the factory only used a little dab of sealant on the case side at the front and rear where the top n bottom engine cases join. Careful work with a ground and corner rounded putty knife aids in getting the gasket free in one piece to be reused. (So I've heard)
Ahem Hylomar Blue.
I actually had a good gasket that I could've used, but I really wanted to see what's possible. If it hadn't worked, not the end of the world, just drain the oil and do it the right way. But, I gotta say, under the right circumstances, I've sold myself on this method.
I have a 1914 Victrola. It was a popular and common model back in the day. Mine looks very nice and seems to function perfectly. My research say it's probably worth about $150. 78 rpm records were last pressed in 1960. So, it's probably another thing that gets junked when I'm dead. Old, doesn't mean valuable. We need to enjoy these bikes as we see fit and preserve them for ourselves. The next generation may choose to toss them on the trash heap. It's possible that there won't be fuel to run them. So, YEAH! The rat bike is awesome!
Here's why I had to open up that right-side crankcase cover. The hook was broken off of the shifter stopper assembly spring (red arrow) resulting in a significant air gap (green arrows). Also the shift arm claw was way off-center with regards to the star wheel. Together, these two problems resulted in missed shifts and dropping out of gear. So, I wasn't riding this bike much.
Replacing the broken spring without removing the shift shaft and claw, and with the case cover gasket still in place, was challenging, but I finally got it on.
In order to center the star wheel, you turn the adjusting (eccentric) screw. This too was a challenge to do with the shift shaft in place, but it can be done.
So now, I have a great engine. No leaks, no seeps (I did do a head bolt re-torque, first thing). This is possibly the best and strongest "as-is" or "found" motor I've ever had. You can't judge a bike from its cover.
World’s most sun-bleached taillight lens.
It’s been a while since I’ve added to this thread, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t steadily been making improvements to the Super RustBucket. Actually, in this case, improvement is something of a misnomer – improving the Super RustBucket means making it rattier.
I recently acquired a lens which has morphed from red to white, shown next to the lens I just replaced it with for comparison. I’ve never seen a lens go white before.
The white is on the outside. The plastic on the inside is still red. So at night, the lens lights up red, not white.
I should have some springs with more rust on them than yours.
I'll bet you don't.
These are the original springs.
I swapped them for 1-1/2" lower Honda Rebel shocks in post # 150.
I won this helmet today.
Today was the East Side Classic vintage motorcycle show. I entered the Super RustBucket in the Rat Bike Category, but I lost to a Triumph. At least the Triumph was a legitimate rat bike, unlike last year's bogus Rat winner. In my defense, I got to the show late, and was relegated to a crappy display area, where it was hard to appreciate the RustBucket's charms, and the Triumph was in an excellent spot, and besides, those grapes were probably sour anyway.
But, I was still a winner! Won this baby, by far the best helmet in the Art Helmet raffle. This is the fourth helmet I've won over the years. There is a lot going on here -- enjoy.
