| Author | Message | ||
     Easy_rider |
I'm managing to get an hour here and a half hour there. Progress has been two steps forward and one back. The frame, wheels, and swingarm are at the powdercoat shop. I learned yesterday that the front wheel is bent, most likely beyond repair. Unfortunately I found that after the sandblast shop did their piece. Fortunately, Brinutz is going to be able to provide me a replacement. I began tearing down the engine. The heads are off. All of the bolts broke loose fairly easily even though some were completely covered with rust. After the problems with the isolator bolts I wasn't too sure that it would come apart without a fight. The bolts on the cam cover and primary cover have loosened pretty easily as well. The only thing that kept me from going further tonight is that I bum the neighbor's oil pan rather than keep my own, and he's out of town for a few days. Apparently the manual doesn't tell you to empty the oil before teardown, (if it does I missed it), and I wasn't smart enough to think about it on my own. With the heads off it looks like the front piston is frozen to the cylinder wall. I really wanted to not touch the mechanicals but now I'm glad I did. A 1250 kit is tempting, but finding a set of heads may be tough. Can't quite justify $700 for the kit and $850 for vendor heads. Not sure where I'm headed just yet. It would be nice to be able to say I'll wait for a deal, but that won't get me to Colorado in June!!! I'll post pics later... | ||
| F_skinner |
Roger, if you need anything let me know. Frank | ||
| Brinnutz |
Roger, I'll sell you my Thunderstorm heads and cylinder/pistons! Whattaya say to that? That will help me get the 1250 kit and motor mount. You might have to drive up Saturday though for that as I haven't torn into the motor that far. So, for $50 less than the price of those XB heads, you could have T-storm heads, cylinder and pistons (14,000 miles), and a full set of wheels. I think that's a damn good deal myself. W. | ||
| Easy_rider |
Looks like the S2 will be sportin' a T-Storm!!! Thanks, Brin! Thanks for your offer as well, Frank. I think I'm good for now. | ||
| Easy_rider |
I've always preferred the engine trim configuration to be a black case, polished primary and cam covers, and highlighted fins on the cylinders and heads. The FXRS I had years ago must have shaped that. I don't think Buell has ever shipped that configuration. The T-Storm is completely black. With a little insight from a coworker I bought a sander from Harbor Freight and took a chance.... Here's the sanded jug on the left and the stocker on the right. You can see an "ooops" at the bottom of the modified jug.  I bought the sander because I was concerned about getting into the fins behind the pushrod tubes. Turns out the factory doesn't worry about it. Not sure if I should have tried it or not. The first head went fine, the second was more challenging. The casting must have been more worn, leaving less fin to aim for.  The pics make the jugs look closer than they are. The modified fins definitely have less meat on them (the shiny spot is thinner). I could take the time to remove more material and the thickness of the shine would approach the factory job. The heads look closer than what they do in the pic. There's a couple of things I'd have done differently, but overall I'm happy with the result. | ||
| Brinnutz |
So which are my old one's again? On the Left?? Lookin good! | ||
| F_skinner |
Roger, I liked that blacked out look as well. I need to touchup the rear head and jug on the 95 S2 (as well as replace gaskets) I was just thinking how to do the fins. A sander sounds like a good and easy way to do it. Is your seat pan back in shape? | ||
| Firemanjim |
Wheel must be really bad,have a shop near our shop that works miracles-- did both wheels on our 220 mph Gixxer with excellent results.GP Frame and Wheel. | ||
| Phelan |
FMJ, how much did the shop charge you to straighten the wheel? I have 1098S front wheel with a bent lip that I would like to repair and adapt to my S2. Gotta love that 10-spoke design! Plus a 7 lb wheel would be nice... | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
I love the highlights! That's exactly what I did to my heads after getting the highlighted cylinders with my 1250 kit. Did you get a mouse sander to do the hard-to-reach spots like behind the pushrod covers? I used a dremel with a high grit sanding wheel, then finished up the detail work by hand with torn strips of sandpaper. Don't worry about that "oops" spot. It adds character. The PC on the bottom left side of my front jug has a chip where the cylinder sits on the case. I was so disapointed when I first noticed it. Oh well - these bikes are too much fun to ride to waste time sweating the small stuff. | ||
| Easy_rider |
Brin, In both pics your old babies are on the left. I have a pic of the sander that I meant to add. I'll get it tonight. The box is sneaking into one pic on the left. The sander is on the right of another pic, but not enough to tell what it is. The sandpaper is a belt about an inch wide. I used 60 to get the fins from the thin edge to a wider look, 120 or 180 to smooth it out, and then 240. You can see some grooves on mine above, but mine are actually smoother than the factory. I still want to take some higher grit to the fins to smooth it out/brighten it up a touch more. Frank, The seat pan is finally ready, outside of welding a nut to the plate. The project is a fine example of how someone in a hurry can do all the wrong things. I may add a "lessons learned" to Loren's original post. | ||
| Easy_rider |
Zee tool:  | ||
| Brinnutz |
What's the status Roger? Going well? | ||
| Easy_rider |
Slow, but it's going! The seat and body panels are all off to their respective dealers. I got one fork apart this weekend. Stopped there since I didn't notice earlier that I needed to replace a copper washer. Now that I've seen it the other will go pretty easily. I just got off the phone checking status with the local dealer. Turns out the part I thought I told them not to order, they ordered, and the copper washers aren't on order. I'll get them from a sponsor here. I cleaned up the upper engine mount, the front mount, and the rear support, and started on the case. They were all pretty well oxidized. I got new paint on the upper mount and started painting the rear support black krinkle. My goal is to paint the rear support and the case black. It's now occurred to me that I should have freshened up the paint on the head/cylinders before shining up the fins. Another ding for not having a complete plan in place first! I also noticed while cleaning up the block that it's going to be tough to paint in it's current state. I may need to rethink that part. The tires came in. I got my bearings installed. I apparently tossed my old stems. The dealer only had one in stock. The front will have to wait a few days... A couple of small issues are starting to show up. The smaller bolts on the front isolator don't match. I'll get new ones. The nut for the main bolt suddenly won't run down the threads. That bolt/nut are just beyond the reach of my tap set, so I'm not sure which is the culprit. I foresee many stops at the local hardware store, a couple pieces at a time. Hopefully I'll get some major assembly started this coming weekend while everyone else is playing at Homecoming. I'll try to put up some pics soon. Seeing the fork springs out reminded me that I was going to look up S2 and S3 numbers for you. I haven't forgotten, but I only remember when my hands are covered in oil! | ||
| Easy_rider |
These are not for the faint of heart. I only show them because I'm optimistic about the near future... This does not reflect "best practices", nor is it an S2 in it's normal habitat. Look at the pics, and pray to the Buell gods for me.. The mount cleaned up nicely. It's hard not to pursue what it would take to truly polish it.   This is going to take some work. It's about 25% done, but no pics of in process work.  If you look closely, shock parts close, engine halfway, and a frame at the back. Heads, cylinders, and whiles are playing "Where's Waldo?" I've got it all under control....  | ||
| Essmjay |
I wish I could keep my garage that clean and organized. I would be using the kids toy car for a cylinder rack and the top of it for a workbench. Seriously, good to see someone who can work in similar chaos. | ||
| Gowindward |
There is always a fine line between genius and madness. LOL My genius work always looks like that too. Keep walking the line.  | ||
| Easy_rider |
I got a little farther this weekend. I'm still managing to be my own worst enemy at some times and get great help at others. The fork tubes are rebuilt. Not completely to specs, but they're in good shape. The top tree brace and one isolator plate are cleaned up. After realizing that the cylinders and heads would look faded compared to fresh black elsewhere, I freshened them up and repolished the jug fins. Heads will come tomorrow. A huge thank you to Ratbuell and the Buell of Frederick guys for getting me a pair of copper washers. I had tried to order a pair of washers as well as support rings at a local HD. When I heard that "those rings are $45", I assumed support rings. Checking here, I decided I could reuse the support rings and waited for copper washers. I called Monday to get a forecast on the due date and learned that the washers were not ordered and support rings were. Ratbuell comes to the rescue with washers. He puts them in the mail before collecting payment (still owe him). Meanwhile, I decided to take fork #2 apart. I forgot to remove the retaining ring first, so I created an extra issue I'll cover soon. After a few days I'm beginning to worry. Did the envelope tear in shipping? Is the address wrong? Is it sitting returned at Buell of Frederick while Rat' is off playing? Finally, on Saturday, I get the washers in the mail. They're protected from tearing the envelope by cardboard, and on the cover is a handwritten "Thanks! Joe" from Ratbuell. Remember, he's thanking me for the parts I haven't paid for yet. Many, many thanks to you, Joe! While Joe was goofing off I talked to a couple of other Buell of Frederick guys getting other parts ordered and they all were very helpful. Washers in hand I begin a rebuild. It turns out the support rings that I "ordered" are the incorrect inner diameter, and don't stop the DU bushing from pressing on the fork seal at all. No problem, back to plan B where I reuse support rings. I then notice that the ring from the second fork is cupped because I beat on it so hard trying to disassemble without the retaining ring being removed. Back to the local HD/Buell dealer. Yes, they gave me what the system said the new part number is. No, they don't have anything that matches what I pulled out. The guy behind the counter also works the same place I do. He let me know that I could carefully beat the ring back into shape. I tried it, and it went very well. I go back home, move to the next part of assembly, need to use Badweb to figure out how to get the fork seal down where it belongs, front fork assembled on Saturday. Basically 8 hours for 1 fork. Rebuilding fork #2 today, sanded the rust off of the retaining ring. Should have replaced it. I notice that the the spacer ring is really bad, and looks about the size of the "support rings" I returned. I need other stuff from the dealer (I never ordered isolator brace bolts!), I also need to represent the family at a anniversary party. Coworker is behind the counter. Pulls out J9130.8, and sure enough it matches my spacer perfectly. I'll post a complete set of old/new numbers later in the knowledge vault. | ||
| Easy_rider |
Other helpful sources this weekend, American Sportbike, as always, with a great inventory of parts on hand. Also Route 66 HD had two rebound adjusters on hand. Mine are very faded. HD shows they are obsolete/no replacement. The counter at the local HD was good enough to check the system for inventory and found these. From Route 66, "That's the second time someone has come here for Buell parts that noone else has..." | ||
| Easy_rider |
Taking time off work and having the kids go to the grandparents for a couple of weeks wasn't enough to finish by the Roundup. I've kept at it just about every night until the last few. Depending on work and kids, I may have the three major assemblies bolted together this weekend, though. Except for a few minor instances, the bike is in build up mode. It's still two steps forward and one back. I learned that when switching to the M2 cams that came with the Thunderstorm heads you also have to change the pinion gear. I also learned that the T-Storm heads have the same size bolt for the engine mount bolts, where my support had different size holes. Minor, but just one more thing to slow me down. I took a look at my oil pump when it was out. Something has gone through it. At $200 for a new one I'm going to try to file the rough spots clean, first. What's interesting is that the pump gear looked absolutely perfect. I'll be selling the bronze gear I picked up. Here's where I'm at today. It's a little deceiving, in that the parts that are mounted to the frame aren't bolted down. The front wheel needs to come off in order to install the front rotor. The original has more pits than surface, and I ended up picking up an S3 rotor. I'm still holding out for an original to pop up, though. The rear wheel needs to be removed to install a bolt in the rear caliper mount. The engine still needs the main seal replaced, but that's pretty much it other than the top and side covers. Looking ahead, there are a few other parts that may not make the cut. It looks like I don't have a backing plate for the intake. The boots in the mirrors are ragged, and my speedo/tach are going to need some attention. Outside of that I think my only worry will be the wiring. Recent posts have got me concerned about my front isolator. I think I'll run it and cross my fingers for now.     Since I missed the roundup deadline I'm trying to clean up the rocker boxes, cam cover, and primary cover. They're coming along nicely, but it tends to take a few attempts before I'm happy with the result. All below show a before and after, though not necessarily complete.      I haven't picked up the bodywork, yet. Actually, I owe them the artwork for the rear fender. I'm afraid to bring the parts home and not have a bike to put them on, though. It seems like an accident waiting to happen. Hope to show a finished product soon. | ||
| Firemanjim |
IIRC it was 50 bucks,check out Gerry Piazza at GP Frame and Wheel in Napa CA. | ||
| Easy_rider |
FMJ -- Once I scored a wheel on ebay, I set the bad wheel aside. It's on the things to look at in the future list. I Googled the data. By the time I shipped to Cali and back, I think I'd have more in the wheel than what it's worth. I do appreciate the info, though. There should be something around here. In fact, there's a possibility just down the road. | ||
| Velocity |
Hi Roger, I see you finally have an S2, congrats. I did end up selling one of my S2Tes. Looks like a fun project. Scott |
