Has moved on a bit since this:-
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One Mans Junk.... '72 CS5E (RD200) Build.
- Thread starter Jim
- Start date
Yeah, me too. Both in the drill press and in the lathe, when tapping a hole in a turned piece. I also got a couple of tap wrench/ ratchets that have a center hole in the top. So when tapping multiple holes, I put a MK2 dead center in the drill press. I first use the center to position the hole just right, then I use it in the center hole in the tap wrench/ ratchet. Easy peasy
Yup, another very workable method. For lathe operations, I use a shop-made spring-loaded tap-follower in the tail stock of the lathe.Yeah, me too. Both in the drill press and in the lathe, when tapping a hole in a turned piece. I also got a couple of tap wrench/ ratchets that have a center hole in the top. So when tapping multiple holes, I put a MK2 dead center in the drill press. I first use the center to position the hole just right, then I use it in the center hole in the tap wrench/ ratchet. Easy peasy
No worries. Any info on better ways to do stuff is welcome.
Small bites please...
Wire wheeled, bead blasted and otherwise removed over 50yrs of dirt, grime and rust.
I painted the battery box a light grey and cleared it. Decided against adding any more glitter for the time being. It's mostly hidden, and whatever does show should blend in with the rest of the bike nicely.
Polished stainless hardware, of course....
Tested the starter/generator rotor as best I could without access to a growler. It ohmed good, so fingers crossed, it's fine. Commutator was pretty nasty, but it cleaned up.
Wire wheeled, bead blasted and otherwise removed over 50yrs of dirt, grime and rust.
I painted the battery box a light grey and cleared it. Decided against adding any more glitter for the time being. It's mostly hidden, and whatever does show should blend in with the rest of the bike nicely.
Polished stainless hardware, of course....
Tested the starter/generator rotor as best I could without access to a growler. It ohmed good, so fingers crossed, it's fine. Commutator was pretty nasty, but it cleaned up.
Let the hardware collecting/polishing begin....
Right now it's heavy on the collecting side... polishing, not so much... 
More hunter gatherer....
^^^^
It's an addiction...
It's an addiction...
That it is.... 
OEM oil tank sight glass. Rare as unicorns....
To spark, or not to spark... that is the question.
Two brand new (from 4 into 1) coils to fire the beast. Just need carbs, and cylinders... and....
Phew... I'm beat.
Two brand new (from 4 into 1) coils to fire the beast. Just need carbs, and cylinders... and....
Phew... I'm beat.
To spark, or not to spark... that is the question.
Two brand new (from 4 into 1) coils to fire the beast. Just need carbs, and cylinders... and....
Phew... I'm beat.
View attachment 358056
Don’t hold your breath! Haha
I had a set of their coils fail in about 10 mins.
You think MikesXS has bad customer service, 4into1 says “hold my beer!”
Time for a little baby RD love.
I wanted to paint the swingarm at the same time I painted the frame, but it needed some rework. Been puttin' that off, as I'm want to do these days.
The swingarm uses rubber bushings for the pivot. These were rock hard
They're available for about 50 bucks for the set, so that's not bad, but I've never been a fan of rubber bushings. Decided bronze bushes are the way to go...
So I pressed 'em out and took a torch to 'em. Burnt all the rubber out so I'm left with 2 pieces of metal.
Once cleaned up, the outer piece measured right at .3/4" ID and the inner piece was about 5/8" OD. Couldn't find any bronze (oilite) bushes the right size. Closest I could get was 3/4" OD and a 1/2" ID. Close enough.
Turned down the inner piece until it was a light interference (hand) fit in the oilite bush.
Then I pressed the outer piece of the old bush back into the swingarm. In another life I spent a fair bit of time installing bushing's in the landing gear of Boeing airliners. Boeing always called for a "wet" install for corrosion protection. Wet, in that context meant using either a chromate primer, a sealant or an epoxy smeared all over the hole and the bushing. It works 'cause I don't recall any instances of corrosion when we replaced 'em.
Treated these the same... used J B Weld. Lord help the poor sod that has to replace 'em.
Let that cure overnight. Then I cut off the ends off the (too long) oilite bushes so they are .015" shorter than the inner bush.
Gave the oilite bushes the same "wet" treatment and pressed 'em into the swingarm.
... and slicker-n snot, everything went together beautifully.
Absolutely no side to side play and the swingarm lifts with one finger. Happy dance time!!
One problem solved, one to go. The point's where the shock's mount are an eye hole. So it needs shocks that have a fork on the bottom and an eye on top. Those are pretty hard to come by, so I need to cut the eyes out of the swingarm and weld in a fork type attach point.... so I can have eyes top and bottom on whatever shocks I use. You know... the "normal" way of doing things.
We'll get there....
I wanted to paint the swingarm at the same time I painted the frame, but it needed some rework. Been puttin' that off, as I'm want to do these days.
The swingarm uses rubber bushings for the pivot. These were rock hard
They're available for about 50 bucks for the set, so that's not bad, but I've never been a fan of rubber bushings. Decided bronze bushes are the way to go...
So I pressed 'em out and took a torch to 'em. Burnt all the rubber out so I'm left with 2 pieces of metal.
Once cleaned up, the outer piece measured right at .3/4" ID and the inner piece was about 5/8" OD. Couldn't find any bronze (oilite) bushes the right size. Closest I could get was 3/4" OD and a 1/2" ID. Close enough.
Turned down the inner piece until it was a light interference (hand) fit in the oilite bush.
Then I pressed the outer piece of the old bush back into the swingarm. In another life I spent a fair bit of time installing bushing's in the landing gear of Boeing airliners. Boeing always called for a "wet" install for corrosion protection. Wet, in that context meant using either a chromate primer, a sealant or an epoxy smeared all over the hole and the bushing. It works 'cause I don't recall any instances of corrosion when we replaced 'em.
Treated these the same... used J B Weld. Lord help the poor sod that has to replace 'em.
Let that cure overnight. Then I cut off the ends off the (too long) oilite bushes so they are .015" shorter than the inner bush.
Gave the oilite bushes the same "wet" treatment and pressed 'em into the swingarm.
... and slicker-n snot, everything went together beautifully.
Absolutely no side to side play and the swingarm lifts with one finger. Happy dance time!!
One problem solved, one to go. The point's where the shock's mount are an eye hole. So it needs shocks that have a fork on the bottom and an eye on top. Those are pretty hard to come by, so I need to cut the eyes out of the swingarm and weld in a fork type attach point.... so I can have eyes top and bottom on whatever shocks I use. You know... the "normal" way of doing things.
We'll get there....
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This little RD is getting better professional services refurb than it would deserve in most folks opinion. But why not, if you have the time and interest to solve all these little issues? Should end up a nice little bike.
How's the DT coming along? And the Victor?
How's the DT coming along? And the Victor?
Figured you was gonna ask... I took the DT engine out of the box it's been stored in for a few yrs so I could take stock of it... that count as progress?
Are they? Less common than eyes on the bottom, but I see them frequently. Here's new repop:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/233744695704
Hagon does fork-ended shocks, and they make up your shocks to your order so I'd imagine they could cater. P&P might be the snag of course.
https://hagon-shocks.co.uk/product-...del/1997-1997-st225-serow-enduro-style-model/
https://hagon-shocks.co.uk/product-...del/1997-1997-st225-serow-enduro-style-model/
Should have been a bit clearer. Yeah, they're available, but all I've run across are those cheap Chinese ones like Ebay carries. Learned my lesson about those with the SG resto... about broke my back, they did. Appreciate you taking the time to look though, William.
Haven't kept a running tally, Raymond, but I'd guess I'm somewhere around 5-600 bucks into this thing all told. Those shocks would double that and then some. It's a nice idea and I'd love to have 'em... but it's not in the
Not sure yet what I'll wind up with, but searching for some nice used ones will be easier with ones that have eyes top and bottom.
