Somewhere in amongst all this I rewired the bike with the original loom all cleaned up.. it's not difficult, but for some reason absolutely not a pleasurable thing to do. I do wonder why mechanic-y people hate electrics?? I found the cabling ugly, and got thinking that it would be so cool to have all the cables inside the frame... big job, but maybe one for a real custom bike?
I did a bodywork test fit...hmmm...it's still an ssie... Not entirely sure where to go with this one..I'm going to finish everything except paint/bodywork and then decide outside in the sunshine. The garage is too small to stand back and really see.
I never did sort the tank issues started quite a few months back. So armed with 15 litres of vinegar and a water heater from my plating kit... Woke up the next morning to a garage floor covered in vinegar..bugger! The vinegar did a good job of cleaning the corrosion off the inside of the tank, but it was clear that there was a hole.
Tracked it down to the left side...I did think about welding only that edge, but the reinforcing plate is spot welded in place so the chances were that the fuel would just come out from under the plate in a different location. In the end I decided to remove the hinge with a Dremel, cutting through the weld carefully, so you can put it back exactly where it has come from. Then weld the complete edge of the reinforcing plate.
It's a nice idea , especially for a "show" bike , but very difficult to do ( as you said ) . It would need holes drilled for the various sub-looms to exit , and grommets fitted to stop any chafing . But the biggest problem would be creating weak points in a tubular frame ... .... just my dos pesetas worth ....
It's been more than 30 years since I have gas welded, but it's still my preferred method. Not perfect, but considering how long it's been... I managed to cure the leak on the left, but then the expansion and cooling of the sheet metal started to cause cracks on the right, typical of rotten steel sheet...(I remember this well from VW Beetle floorpans!) Ended up chasing it for hours...weld, cool, add fuel, test, drain, vent and repeat...eventually got it in the end, and welded the hinge bracket back on in exactly the same location.
Oooo....! So ready to attempt an initial fire up...hopefully not literally... In fact I got this ready nearby, even took out the pin
Turned key...lights...primed oil pressure by having plugs out. No sound from the fuel pump...hmm.. Turns out having an old pump dry means it will likely seize...sprayed WD40 inside...still nothing. Eventually freed it off by attaching it to a battery and very quickly whacking it multiple times on the bench.
Yeah...shitty oil just for startup and checks... good stuff comes later! Edit: Oops.. do you mean the bottom of the tank?...well it will all get painted up...and it's invisible.
So with a splash of EzStart it was up and running, it's rough and tick-over is high... it's probably to be expected, but I have a set of vacuum guages en-route, and then will decide how to navigate the CO2 tuning...
Thought the bolts were for a bracket to hold the brake pipes, only 1 brkt with 1 hole, it looks like you take your pick which hole you use. Great thread, but can I ask one thing. Could you change the cap screws holding the rear hugger on to something with a lower profile, flat or button head cap screw. Obviously you don't have to (and tell me to get stuffed) but feel it would look better as they jump straight out when I saw the picture. Nice sticker / graphic work. Cheers Gaz
You know that on the SSie running IAW15M there is (significant) fuel enrichment for the first 2 mins of running, that resets if the ingition is interrupted? You might find that it settles down when run longer.
Surely the broken Stainless fixings would be more exciting... That always gets a good crowd going... "fight fight fight...." @RickyX
