Author Topic: v7 sport "fence post" rebuild (Read 131616 times)

siabeid · « **Reply #120 on:** March 14, 2018, 05:02:47 PM »

Last weekend I got the wiring sorted and all of the cables installed and adjusted. The new ignition switch had the wiring colors different than the original, so that took a little figuring out. I got the battery hooked up and everything worked! The turn signals flashed, the horns beeped, the light dimmer dimmed. The new ignition switch has the cool car style way of engaging the starter. I cranked the engine over 4 spins and the oil pressure light went out - a very good sign. I put it in gear and the neutral light went out - another good sign. I had an old set of Napolean bar end mirrors sitting around, so I gave them a fresh coat of satin black and got them installed. I also had a used Dart flyscreen laying around, so modified and installed that, too. I test fitted the new tank and it looked like a motorcycle. I got a nice looking set of used Lafranconi mufflers off ebay, and they are on their way here. I had ordered some sharkgills, but they were back ordered, so the used Lafranconis saved me a couple hundred bucks and are still period correct. I hope they aren't too loud. This Saturday, I am taking the tank and tool boxes to Sandpoint to be painted green. Larry finally got me scheduled in. All that I have left to do to start it is get the mufflers on and check the timing. I even got 2 gallons of ethanol free premium gas the other day. It is getting close...

Does anyone know the official paint code for the metallic green color? I have not been able to find it anywhere. My wife thinks that the color used on Kia Souls called Alien2 is really close. If I can't find the factory official color, we will probably use that. It seems like the v11 sport green is a little more yellow than the 1970's green, though I really like it.

Tom · « **Reply #121 on:** March 14, 2018, 08:39:53 PM »

I just got some oem handle bars for my '73 maroon.

Turin · « **Reply #122 on:** March 14, 2018, 10:22:24 PM »

That is coming along very nicely.

siabeid · « **Reply #123 on:** March 25, 2018, 05:25:15 PM »

Last weekend I took the tool boxes and tank over to Sandpoint to the painter. Monday the mufflers came and I put them on. Yesterday I checked the valves and timing. This morning I hooked up the temporary tank. I cranked it over until the oil pressure light went out then opened up the tank petcock. I had to tighten up a couple of hose clamps and it was time. It cranked over 3 times and fired right up. I let it run for about 5 or 10 minutes until it got warm. Synched the carbs and it ran really nice! The only glitches so far are a slight oil leak at the right head. I think it is the valve cover. The other is the charge light stays on. Max charge is 13.6 volts, so it is charging somewhat. I think it should be a little over 14 or so. So that is the next thing to check out.
It sure is a great feeling when you first fire up something that was so neglected and it comes back to life!

Tom · « **Reply #124 on:** March 25, 2018, 06:16:55 PM »

Way to go! Start doing a virtual ride in your mind. Left foot brake and right foot shift with one up/four down. Start training your mind. It'll be real fun till you get the muscle memory.

Lannis · « **Reply #125 on:** March 25, 2018, 06:39:33 PM »

That's a great result and I know it's got to feel good, endorphins flowing like crazy listening to it beating along ....

The saga continues ... !

Lannis

smdl · « **Reply #126 on:** March 25, 2018, 09:14:23 PM »

wirespokes · « **Reply #127 on:** March 28, 2018, 03:15:12 AM »

HOW COOL!!!!

I'm thinking something's not right with the diode board. But who knows? It's a simple system, but troubleshooting it can be crazy.

Diploman · « **Reply #128 on:** April 04, 2018, 01:55:15 PM »

You might want to try on of these adjustable voltage regulators to get your charging voltage up to snuff... I fitted one and it works very well. The adjustment feature is quite useful.

http://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_161&products_id=1110

siabeid · « **Reply #129 on:** April 08, 2018, 05:21:16 PM »

This weekend, I retorqued the heads and readjusted the valves. No more oil leak. The charging system was more interesting. I started at the rotor and stator. Everything checked out, but I found a few more connections to clean up. Got up to the rectifier and voltage regulator. It turned out that I had wired the charge light into the lighting circuit instead of the rectifier. Got that switched around, started it up and the light went out. It is charging 13.8 volts with the lights on. According to Dave Richardson in Guzziology, that is about all you get with the early 14 amp charging system that the v7 sport and 850t came with, so for now I'm calling that good. All that is left is getting the tank and tool boxes back from the painter and it will be road test time.
Thanks to Dave Richardson and Greg Bender for all of the info they have provided to us all over the years. It would have been a lot tougher doing this rebuild without all of their writings. And thanks to all of the rest of you for your tips and encouragement. When I get the tank and tool boxes on, I'll post some pics of the finished project.

Si Abeid
Kettle Falls, WA

Lannis · « **Reply #130 on:** April 08, 2018, 07:11:39 PM »

Quote from: siabeid on April 08, 2018, 05:21:16 PM

Thanks to Dave Richardson and Greg Bender for all of the info they have provided to us all over the years......

Si Abeid
Kettle Falls, WA

Hard to believe it's been "years", but it just about has been!! That's some stick-to-itiveness right there ....

Lannis

SED · « **Reply #131 on:** April 11, 2018, 11:37:42 PM »

Congrats for fixing the charging. Can't wait to see the photos. Looking forward to seeing it this summer.

mcdammitt · « **Reply #132 on:** April 27, 2018, 08:00:32 PM »

That plate is the bees knees, maybe you can plate it with the post in mind. Great Job

Chuck in Indiana · « **Reply #133 on:** May 06, 2018, 06:09:20 AM »

Fix it, repair it, make it work.

Attaboy X3.

siabeid · « **Reply #134 on:** July 05, 2018, 04:05:04 PM »

I finally got my parts back from the painter on Sunday. He sure did a beautiful job. The pearl in the green paint looks great in the sun. It was definitely worth the wait! I got them installed Sunday evening and was able to go for about a one mile ride Tuesday evening. I know that I have a lot of tweaking to do, but so far I am pretty happy with it. It starts instantly, but is a bit cold blooded. The clutch and brakes seem to work well. The shift pattern is 1 up and 4 down. I only got it up to second gear on my gravel road, but those two worked well. I had to tighten up a couple of bolts, and a carb float bowl. My neighbor who is a professional photographer is coming over tonight or tomorrow to take some "glamour" shots. I want to do that before I venture out down to the highway and really test it out. Once I go 3.5 miles down the county road to the highway, it will never be as clean again!

Tom · « **Reply #135 on:** July 05, 2018, 04:10:17 PM »

Congrats.

Brake left side and shift right side....correct??? Have fun retraining your brain. To get a good feel for the engine and drivetrain. Ignore tach and shift at higher rev's around 5K.

canuck750 · « **Reply #136 on:** July 05, 2018, 04:41:21 PM »

Looks fantastic, great work saving that old classic!

Antietam Classic Cycle · « **Reply #137 on:** July 05, 2018, 08:32:44 PM »

Caffeineo · « **Reply #138 on:** July 05, 2018, 09:58:45 PM »

Quote from: siabeid on July 05, 2018, 04:05:04 PM

I finally got my parts back from the painter on Sunday. He sure did a beautiful job. The pearl in the green paint looks great in the sun. It was definitely worth the wait! I got them installed Sunday evening and was able to go for about a one mile ride Tuesday evening. I know that I have a lot of tweaking to do, but so far I am pretty happy with it. It starts instantly, but is a bit cold blooded. The clutch and brakes seem to work well. The shift pattern is 1 up and 4 down. I only got it up to second gear on my gravel road, but those two worked well. I had to tighten up a couple of bolts, and a carb float bowl. My neighbor who is a professional photographer is coming over tonight or tomorrow to take some "glamour" shots. I want to do that before I venture out down to the highway and really test it out. Once I go 3.5 miles down the county road to the highway, it will never be as clean again!

I'll have to get those pro pictures on my tablet and show .....Dan (I think his name was) what has become of his old decoration.
I would have never imagined it could look so good. Great job!

jas67 · « **Reply #139 on:** July 06, 2018, 08:17:17 AM »

Quote from: siabeid on July 05, 2018, 04:05:04 PM

Wow..... just wow. Great job saving it from the slow painful death that it was suffering.

It looks great. I'd be proud to have that in my garage!

SED · « **Reply #140 on:** July 06, 2018, 11:22:01 AM »

Beautiful work! Congratulations.

siabeid · « **Reply #141 on:** July 08, 2018, 05:27:08 PM »

I ran into my first major glitch. After returning from my first test run of about a mile, it looked a little strange how it sat, and was harder to put on the center stand. The front end was compressed, and it would not return to normal at rest position. I have rebuilt the front end on my t3 and lm3 and this one is the same. It even uses the same components. I pulled it apart today and it was very difficult to get the front axle out. When everything was out of the way, the right fork sprung back to where it belonged, but the left one stayed compressed a couple of inches. I pulled them off of the bike and put both assemblies on the bench for comparison purposes. I completely disassembled the left one. The fork tube will slide about 2/3 of the way into the lower fork leg, but then becomes stuck. These are new fork tubes in the original lower fork legs. I checked the tube for straightness and it was straight. I also mic'ed it and it was the same all the way around and for the entire length. This bike definitely had a rough life before being abandoned. I know it went down on the right side. It is the left side that is sticking. I could not tell for sure if the lower fork leg is bent, but it looks ok. I don't even know how that could be bent. I was hoping that some of you more knowledgeable rebuilders might have some ideas, and also how to correct it. I think finding a lower fork leg for a drum brake v7 sport might not be very easy. Any ideas?

Tom · « **Reply #142 on:** July 08, 2018, 08:40:36 PM »

Something has to be misaligned preventing the movement of the tube. Sorry, I don't have any input for correction of the problem.

philmac · « **Reply #143 on:** July 09, 2018, 04:25:56 AM »

Have you checked the diameter of the stanchions against the spec (max 34.690mm for a T3)? I brought 2 new stanchions from Stein Dinse and had to return one because it was oversize.

siabeid · « **Reply #144 on:** July 09, 2018, 07:12:36 AM »

Good thought. I will do that this evening.

siabeid · « **Reply #145 on:** July 09, 2018, 10:29:44 PM »

I think I found the problem. I pulled the old tube out of the scrap iron pile. It slid right in. It measures 34.65mm. The new tubes measure 34.70 mm. I think that I will carefully use a brake cylinder hone on the lower legs to enlarge them slightly. The reason it goes partially in is probably due to the top part being slightly worn.

wirespokes · « **Reply #146 on:** July 10, 2018, 10:43:58 PM »

You might try something a little less abrasive - I'd be wary of using a brake hone on aluminum.

I'd suggest using some valve grinding compound or even polishing compound and working the old tube into the slider.

siabeid · « **Reply #147 on:** July 11, 2018, 07:13:20 PM »

The wheel cylinder hones did the trick. The tubes are now sliding like they should. I should have checked that the first time. The other times that I have had front ends apart, they were in working condition to start with. It never occurred to me that the tubes would not necessarily fit. Duh! You live and learn. Now to put it all back together again....

Tom · « **Reply #148 on:** July 11, 2018, 08:20:55 PM »

izzug otom · « **Reply #149 on:** July 12, 2018, 08:58:05 PM »

What a great job you've done here .......... tips hat

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Author Topic: v7 sport "fence post" rebuild (Read 131616 times)

canuck750