Well I pondered about the shocker… The reason I took it apart was I wanted to expose the spring, but it just didn’t trigger that it works the exact opposite to normal! I looked around and liked the design of the Ohlins one and decided to copy the idea. Back to the water jet cutter to have some plates cut, and I turned them down in the lathe. I drained the oil out and put some in a small bottle with a funnel type top… I timmed how long it took to drain out… then tried some 10 grade oil… much slower… then tried 5 grade and it was the same time! Looks like its SAE 5 in there! Soon as it's on the road I will take it and get it nitrogen filled… but for now I have put some air in there.
Break in the weather last few days and I was able to paint the wheels… Etch primed, undercoat, and then clear over silver base. I don’t think I will ever go back to powder coat as the 2K finish is FAR better! One tip I picked up many years ago is if you are creating paint lines, (rims are only partially painted) use proper lining tape, not masking tape as that tends to slightly bleed under. Also, don’t wait until the paint is fully cured before removing the masking or you risk pulling paint off. I also stripped the brakes down and cleaned and re-assembled them… all good in there, the pistons were perfect
How does the 2K paint fare against tyre fitters? Just saying that as my tyre bloke was really pleased I'd powder coated some wheels not painted them!
Funnily enough this came up today when I had the tyres fitted... he was very complimentary about the finish and asked if it was powder coat... he also said that he prefers powder coated wheels, but said he was just more carefull if they had been painted. The secret however is the etch primer... that make it tough!
couple of milling jobs in the last few days… Firstly, I will be using an aftermarket speedo so I needed to have a pickup… I made a small bracket to bolt onto the calliper bracket, and fitted some magnets out of the speedo kit to the disc. Second job was actually quite challenging due to the multiple angles…. the original owner had cut the rear footrest mounting off… He hadn’t made a bad job but it didn’t look right, and was not that rigid, so I made a new bracket to also incorporate a side stand stop. this is the first time I have used the tilting head on the milling machine, worked a treat!
As I have got older (a lot older!) I prefer a more upright and less stretch riding position… The bars on this bike I really like as they are the 28mm fatbars, but they are a bit low, and too far forward. Hence I made some risers which will also support the speedo when I get around to mounting it. So back to the water jet cutters to have the risers, rear number plate backing and support bracket cut! While I was there the owner let me have a look in the scrap bin… She said to help myself to anything I wanted! She said she has never seen anyone so excited about some scrap metal! I have also made a new ignition cover, and electro etched it with the Buell Logo… I couldn’t resist doing a wine glass as well…. When our friends come round I will put his wine in it, he hates Harley and says that the Buell is just a Harley in drag!
