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Mat Oxley 1986 IOM TT


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Topics - Kawtriplefreak

#1
Turning Wrenches / Push of Shame 75 RD350
March 23, 2024, 10:29:56 AM
I was excited to take advantage of the weather yesterday and finally test ride my RD after the fork ears headlight bucket change. Fired on the 2nd kick. Warmed it up and took off down the road. Came to the 1st intersection put on the right turn signal and the motor died shortly thereafter. I was about a half mile from home. No lights. Very dim neutral light with kill switch off. I got my aerobics in on the 1/2 mile push of shame back to the shop.
Got my meter out and read a lovely 5.4 volts of battery voltage. I charged the battery for 10 minutes and had 12.5 volts. 1st sign indicator that something was amiss. Cranked it up. Checked the charging system 14.7 volts. Headlight on turn signals on motor dies. Interesting parallel to the white RZ except it kept running of course since it is CDI. Battery voltage again 5 volts. Battery is 4 years old so it will get replaced today. Did a final test to confirm by running bike with charger hooked up briefly and it runs and idles perfectly with lights and turn signals on with brake lever pulled as long as it is hooked to the charger.
In other news the white RZ test ride with the new battery was flawless.


 
#2
Took the white 84 RZ350 out for the 1st time in three months. Noticed the instrument lights on the Koso flickering and turn signals coming on but not flashing. Switched to the voltage screen. Read 9.6 so I took it back to the shop. The 8 year old Moto-Batt battery showed a full charge after only 10 minutes on the trickle charger but dropped to 9 volts as soon as the ignition was turned on. I went to O'Reillys auto parts and got a slightly shorter slightly wider power sport battery like I put in the Gray Ghost RZ. 12.75 volts, jumped to 13.6 when I blipped the throttle. I filled in the space in the battery box with some foam and all is well again. I got my money's worth out of that one. It has been in there since the bike was built...

#3
Turning Wrenches / Ears and Bucket 75 RD350
March 13, 2024, 05:03:02 PM
LH headlight ear cracked. RH side of headlight bucket cracked at the mount hole. Luckily I have a spare ear and new repro bucket from John at Economy Cycle bought last year because one of the mount tabs on the rim broke. I will do a better job with isolation this iteration.
Disassembly was straightforward.


About 20 minutes in the bead blaster and the old paint on the ears plus the new shiny black on the bucket are gone.

 
Put on some rubber gloves to keep my greasy paw prints off of the freshly bead blasted parts and shot a nice coat of Rustoleum's finest etching primer. I hope to paint them on Saturday with good old Chevy orange 500 degree engine enamel.
#4
Turning Wrenches / Fuel starvation 75RD350
February 11, 2024, 08:44:11 PM
Last time I rode the RD350 a couple weeks ago:
Half tank of fuel or a little less running hard through the gears shifting at 9000. 1/2 mile from home headed uphill at the top of 3rd lost power and nosed over at 8500. I got out of it and shifted to 4th and ran easy the 1/4  mile or so to the driveway. Ran fine no noise. Revved normally with no load. Pulled plugs: coffee and creme. I parked it and hadn't messed with it since. I don't have fuel filters installed so it can't be that. I contacted M in SC and he said either petcock or vent obstruction. Then he told me the test I needed to do to confirm whether it was the petcock or vent. Fast forward to yesterday. Frank B stopped by and we checked it out with the test Mark gave us. Fill the tank all the way up.Crimp one fuel line (hemostats) Place the other line in a graduated container. Turn petcock on for exactly one minute with the fuel cap on. Record the fuel level and pour the gas back into the tank. Leave the fuel cap open. Repeat the test. If all is working as it should be and the timing is identical the fuel level in the graduated container should be the same. It wasn't. 2 ounces difference in one minute. Next step is to take the cap apart and very likely find the little vent hole plugged or compromised in some way. Thanks M in SC and Frank B. More to follow.
#5
Day before yesterday I took the Gray Ghost RZ out for a romp through the Valley. It ran great and at the last intersection before the house I accelerated vigorously in 1st resulting in a near vertical power wheelie (actually a little further up than I am comfortable with). Made it home unscathed and parked it in the shop. Then I went on with my day.
Yesterday while walking by it in the shop I noted a puddle of oil under the center stand. I got out my dryer box cardboard creeper and my initial inspection revealed transmission oil all over the back of the engine, dripping off the center stand and a drop hanging off of the pipes.
 Further investigation determined no vent hose anywhere to be seen and for the life of me I couldn't find the vent as I never had a need to know where it was.
 I contacted M in SC and he sent me a picture of the microfiche that shows it is in the case between the aft motor mount. With all the covers and the chainguard in place it is hard to touch and impossible to see. I was out of play time so I  went inside for the day.
 This morning before work I got the seat, left sidecover and chain guard off and with a mirror and a very bright light I was able to see the case nipple intact.
 I went through my hose stash and located a suitable hose and was able to push it on with a very long set of needle nose pliers. Then just like  I do on Kawasaki Triples, I routed it up and away then down the  LH frame rail with the outlet positioned above the chain. I verified the passage was open with safety wire before I put the hose on. This should prevent any further shenanigans of this nature.
 Thanks to M in SC for the help and advice. I am very thankful that oil didn't get on the tire and kill me.
 The moral of the story is make sure you have a vent hose if you are going to pull a big wheelie.
#6
Turning Wrenches / Intakes and other stuff 75RD350
November 13, 2023, 07:12:10 PM


The intakes on the RD have some surface cracks starting. The clutch pivot is sloppy and the plastic ears that hold the front turn signals in place have broken pins. Economy Cycle and Yambits to the rescue. I have all the parts. Started disassembly today...
#7
General Chatter / Happy Veterans Day
November 11, 2023, 07:54:28 PM
   
To all who served. I salute you and wish you a Happy Veterans Day!!!
#8
General Chatter / Happy Birthday Evans Ward
September 11, 2023, 10:05:56 AM
I hope you have a wonderful birthday my dear friend :patriot:  :patriot:
#9
Turning Wrenches / Spec 2 chambers Gray Ghost
August 16, 2023, 04:16:01 PM

Big brown goodie truck came yesterday with a box from Evans Ward  :ups:
#10
Show Off / Gray Ghost Romp
August 12, 2023, 11:47:54 PM

I took the Gray Ghost out of the shop for the first time since Deals Gap. My DGs have broken baffle tubes and I don't have the brazing proficiency to repair them so that's a story for another day. I stuck my beat up old Toomeys on a week or so ago and decided I would go out for a ride despite Temps in the 90s here today. I am pleasantly surprised how well it ran as hot as it is.
#11
After doing some research I am unsure if there are any differences between the wiring for a USA spec 1984 RZ350 and a Canadian spec 1984 RZ 350 for the purpose of Zeeltronic PCDI10VT install. John at Economy Cycle sent me a couple of different sets of instructions and said use the RD350CII for the USA version as I forgot to tell him this bike originated in Canada. Does anyone know off the top of their head? My CDI box says 29L50.
#12
Show Off / Early Father's Day Gift
June 11, 2023, 07:02:42 AM


The Bridal Unit found these shelves on sale and bought me two of them. It takes less than a minute to fold or unfold them. They come from a company called Oregami. They come with wheels and advertised as 250 pounds capacity per shelf without wheels and 75 pounds per shelf with wheels.

I put my little brazing outfit and my wire feed welder on one of them and it is quite easy to roll around in my shop.



#13
Show Off / Evel Al T- Shirt
June 07, 2023, 03:53:06 PM


I had to have it...
#14
Turning Wrenches / DG chambers can maintenance
May 31, 2023, 07:44:47 PM




I had a few minutes today before work so I thought I would take the loose can off of the RH chamber on the Gray Ghost RZ and repack it,then come up with a fix for the loose rivets. Looks like I will be ordering some perforated tubing. Glad I didn't just replace the rivets to tighten the can. This could have blocked the exhaust and caused real problems.
#15
Events / Deals Gap 2023 Pics and Vids
May 09, 2023, 07:17:52 AM
Put your stories, pics and video links here for the meet.
#16
Show Off / New fenders for the 3 bike trailer
May 02, 2023, 04:42:39 PM

After the RH steel fender departed the aircraft uncommanded in the last 20 miles of the return trip from the Gap last year I ordered a new set of ABS fenders from etrailer.com and as usual never got around to installing them. Now the Gap is 4 days away so here we go. I bought 4 lengths of 5/8 threaded rod and all the nuts, washers and attaching hardware from Lowes.
I also bought some 1/2 and 5/8 drill bits to drill through the frame. Luckily the only damage when it flew off due to a failed weld was two very small punctures to the seat cover on the Gray Ghost RZ. It could have been so much worse. I drilled the pilot holes with the 1/2 inch bit and followed up with the 5/8. Then put a nut and a flat and lock washer on each side of the frame and adjusted the width to 2.5 inches from the frame to the inner fender which centers it on the tire. The top of the fender worked out to be 3 inches from the top of the tire, up 1/2 inch from the steel fender as it looked too close to me with 3 bikes loaded last year. I also put a double nut on the end of the threaded rods to prevent the fender from migrating outward as I am using u-bolts to attach the fender to the threaded rods.
I  also bought self locking nuts for the u-bolts to eliminate any chance of them backing off. The fenders say you can step on them but I don't plan to. They are very light. I used the bottom bracket for the u-bolts to pick up the holes I drilled in the fenders. Tomorrow I will cut the remaining steel fender off of the other side and repeat the process.
#17
Show Off / NOS Nelson Rigg tailbag
April 23, 2023, 04:11:21 PM

Scored this for $60 on flea bay. My 1st Nelson Rigg tailbag bought used on flea Bay was $50 several years ago and has served me well. Recently the zipper has been slowly separating so I started looking. I also bought an extra set of straps so transferring it between the RZs will be a breeze.
#18
Turning Wrenches / 75 RD350 Deals Gap Prep begins
April 23, 2023, 03:59:38 PM

Started on 3rd kick after setting 3 months and ran perfect. I just won a new to me speedometer off flea bay as the odometer reset function just shit the bed on the currently installed speedometer. The neutral light sometimes fails to light always cured by a light slap to the gauge face so that will be addressed by bulb change and or socket clean up. Other than that, adjust the chain and wipe it off and Bob's your Uncle. Hopefully the Phoenix Project will just need a chain adjustment and a wipe down. I did uncover it and saw no obvious leaks or other anomalies but it too has not been started in at least 3 months.
#19
Happy Birthday my dear friend. :rock2:
#20
Show Off / Apache ( Harbor Freight) camera case
April 11, 2023, 05:21:49 PM

Thanks to Frank B for my HF gift card  for my birthday back in November. I just got around to using it. :patriot: :patriot: The HF brand is Apache. I am told it is similar to Pelican. They have them from small to long gun and every size in between. I caught this one on sale and got it out the door for $40 and change with my membership. The pre perforated foam makes fitting your stuff in there a breeze. Placing all my stuff took 15 minutes and now it is organized. It also has a pressure relief valve for putting it on an airplane. I have accumulated a lot of Go Pro stuff over the years and was toting it around in a small zippered bag with the cameras stuffed into Crown Royal bags and the rest of the mounts just thrown in around them.