Engine Tear-Down Part I

Engine Tear Down Begins:


Lots of valves for such a little single.

Little dirty:

Piston top is bloody filthy.

Cylinder looks pretty decent.

More incomprehensible Graffiti.

Piston has some scuffs.

Man, this thing has to have been running crappy for a while to grub up the piston like that.

Looks good in there anyway.

The "I-forgot-what-Mike-wanted-to-call-this-post" Post

Tear-down day No.2.

This doesn't look like it got used much:

Draining the oil:

Mike thinks the Stink Bugs are tasty.  He's weird.

Some things don't come out so easy...

Engine Out:

Mike test drives our new XL000 cafe-coaster.

Same weird serial number again on the rim:

Some more things don't come out easy:

How many times do you get to lift a motorcycle over your head?

Down to the frame now:

This disassembly sponsored by Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye.

Coming Next Time:  Engine disassembly!!

Sneak Preview:  More inexplicable markings!

Discovery & Dismantling

Mike found the little XL online & I was immediately smitten.  So we packed up my old Dodge to see it in person. Mike seems unsure about all this:

And after a minor transmission hose failure that made the seller's driveway look like the processing line at a turn-of-the-century slaughterhouse, we made it home.

Mike tries it out:

And the tear-down begins.  One very interesting thing about the bike is that various parts of the bike are signed by a Dave (or Dale??) Jackson and a serial number of sorts (UT45260331) that differs from the serial number on the bike, all etched in by hand.  To date the number has been found on the carb, left-side of the engine case, petcock, and forks.  We're guessing that maybe it could be some kind of enduro racing markings to make sure parts weren't swapped out during a race?  Actually we have no idea & would welcome anyone's findings.

Some shots to remember her by, as she won't ever look like this again:

Here's the reason she got the name " 'Ol Stinky":  dozens of dead stink bugs in the frame:

And 30min & 1 beer after pulling into the garage, she was down to her bones:

Bringing her home

Upon arrival, we noticed some red fluid in the snowy driveway.  Resolved it must be the other guy's car leaking, we walked over to the motorcycle shed filled with Hondas and the like.  The one sore thumb in the bunch was the little single,  it's aftermarket air filter dwarfing the carburettor and surely larger than the piston and sleeve itself.

The owner asked if I wanted to try and get her started.  After a bit of tweaking, I had her running, put on a helmet and took her for a spin through the yard.  The nice thing about old hondas is they always seem to be willing to start and ride after sitting for some time.  Not all...but a surprising many.  After a spin around the yard, Beard and I looked her over for corrosion, rust, serious backyard mechanic botches, missing nuts and peculiar craftsmanship.  Lucikly for our checkbooks, we uncovered all of the above.

After some contemplation, we both agreed it was a promising candidate for some customization.  It needed many updates and changes, few to get it road legal, but more to meet our expectations and desires for a reliable bike.  We hammered out a deal with the owner taking into account the missing title, the dubious compression and a number of other nitpicking issues to arrive at $300 cash and a handshake.

Beard went to move the truck around to load it and discovered a bloodbath of ATF fluid where he had parked on the snow.  NOT GOOD!  

 

Further inspection revealed a disconnected transmission cooler line and an undercarriage coated in road salt, mud and red ATF.  Some generous help from the seller, a hose clamp and some added fluid brightened our moods and we were soon loading the bike into the slushy bed and strapping her down.

We had an uneventful ride back to Alexandria and snapped a few pics of it while unloading to it's new home.

We took it for a spin up and down the street without any issues then ran it into the garage for a quick assessment before we began disassembly. 

During the course of a Sierra Nevada Rye IPA, we had it down to the engine, frame and bars.  Two boxes of parts and an assorted pile of seats, fenders and gas tanks marks our first steps toward progress...

In the beginning...

Cruising around craigslist always puts me in a creative mood.  I spotted this little gem on Tuesday, again on Thursday and finally emailed the poster on Friday.  I received a friendly call from him shortly thereafter and arranged to meet on a snowy Saturday.   Of course none of this would be possible without the help of 'Beard' and his truck, which pissed itself in the owner's driveway...