Re: brass connector - these are almost certainly off an inlet manifold from an Elefant or an M900/M750 (carbed version) as these all use a vacuum supply for their standard fuel pumps unlike the SS.
Thanks very much! One hose disconnected might be an accident, two must surely have been deliberate? I'll get the bodywork off again soon and investigate further. Will place an order for some of those bungs too.
Steve from BBB isn't currently making the link pipes or bolt on headstock brackets. When I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago he thought he had found a new fabricator so maybe he may start again soon. I'm in the process of restoring a 900ss & my frame had cracked - it was a hairline crack to the left of the headstock & actually quite difficult to see under the 27 years of road crud. I've had the frame welded up & a strengthening T45 tube welded in place, see before & after photos.
And this is the big question! The fabricator says it will & to be fair he did ask for the petrol tank & air filter box when he did the job, so I have to take him at his word. Once I get the frame back from powder coating & the rebuild starts I'll report back
That was good thinking by the fabricator. Were the engine and carbs in the frame at the time? It looks like it will be absolutely fine, but from experience the extra tube may make it a bit more difficult to wiggle the bulge at the front of the airbox under it whilst still being high enough to pass over the top of the carbs, before being pushed down over them. If that makes sense. You don't need a lot of extra height over the carbs because the stubs to the airbox are not very long. Are you doing a dry assembly before having the frame painted or powdercoated?
Everything was off the frame when he welded it. I did consider a dry build but to be honest it is what it is now so I’m having it powder coated & crossing my fingers
Thinking of your opening title, what are your thoughts now on a £2k bargain? These old boys will have you constantly reaching for your wallet, mine does!
Thanks for the question Anthony. Unfortunately a death in the family has meant I haven't had much chance to do more assessment of the condition of the bike. I need to get my garage in order with adequate bench space and shelving to allow me to start disassembling. Once I get back to work on it I will post plenty of pictures of my progress and costs. I think my answer to your question is going to change over time! Right now I feel like an MOT'd runner in reasonably good cosmetic condition as this is remains a bargain. The engine feels fine to me although I'm not used to twins. Once warm it ticks over very reliably and pulls strongly. Suspension is harsh but its still enjoyable to ride. Ultimately though the engine has to come apart for a mechanical and cosmetic overhaul so that will be my first challenge.
I agree with some of the others that it may be a tight squeeze getting the airbox top cover down at the front (even without the added cross strengthening rod it's a bit awkward) but good luck. You could always leave the airbox cover off I suppose .... looking great so far
On the plus side, the bike has received the open airbox modification, so if it is snug, then some gentle trimming to the front part of what is left of the airbox lid and you should be able to fit it comfortably.
So today I thought I would repack the old Micron silencers to try to reduce the volume a bit. First I wanted to measure the noise level in decibels to see if it made any difference but I couldn't get the bike started. The starter seemed to labour before giving up completely. Assuming a flat battery I put it on to charge for a bit and decided to adjust the steering lock bolts while waiting. That didn't go well as the left one sheared off with virtually no effort. That will have to wait til the forks come off I think. Went back to check the battery and realised it was in fact fully charged so looked at the fuses and found the ignition one needed replacing. So got the bike started and I measured 92 decibels on a phone app which helpfully described that measurement as being equivalent to a motorcycle 25 feet away! Upon trying to remove the silencers they wouldn't budge. So I decided to just repack them while fitted. Drilled out the rivets and this is what I removed from each: Repacked them both and sealed them back up. After all this work I started the bike up again and measured virtually no reduction at all. So not what I was hoping for but I would say it sounds a lot better if no quieter. I will have to address the fact that I can't get the silencers off when I try to remove the engine. Any advice on that front gratefully accepted!
