It's ALIVE !

Well,I put in the oil and gas,installed the battery  and then got my camera so I could make a short video of the initial start up . So .here it is

She fired on the second kick ! The motor runs good with no strange noises .Now I have to get it to idle properly . I noticed the right side carb was flooding so after lunch I'll pull it off and see what that's all about . The cables may need some attention .This is always the way things are when they first start up after being all apart. So I'm a happy guy right now. No surprises and just the normal tweeking that is usual .

So I Pulled The Clutch

Yesterday after fooling around trying to free up the clutch I finally bit the bullet and dove in.Got it all apart and then took the clutch all apart.Everything looks good in there so I’m going to put it all back together exactly how it is shown in the parts manual.You see , the parts manual is like a blueprint to the entire motorcycle and shows every part it the order that they go .It may have just been stuck or perhaps something was put in the wrong place , who knows .

Of course once you take something apart that was just painted and all fresh it shows so I decided that I would repaint the clutch cover and related parts so when it goes back together it’s as if it was never disturbed.I also decided to use the clutch unit from the motor I removed because it is a known commodity . I can use this one on another build in the future . The one from the old motor is really good and I was riding the bike with it back in December .I’m ready to move forward with this project and bring it to a close so this seems like the best course of action .

So now I’m sitting here having my morning coffee waiting for the kerosene heater to heat the garage. In an hour I’ll be back at work finishing this bike up .With any luck this will be the last problem to overcome and she’ll fire up and go.That story will be told tomorrow if today goes as planned and then the next bike will move into the work space after a couple days of testing this one . When it leaves my hands it will be 100% turn key so the next person can enjoy it for a good long time. It gets crowed in my shop when I’m not working .When I work I make room in the shed for a few bikes and the shop becomes a work space. Sure hope I get more space when we move to Arizona !

A lot happens in this little garage. The photo above is a bike I built for a friend.It is the same bike I’m working on now but black and white.It was a replica of his very first bike that he had back in the late 1960’s I love doing restoration work.

Today She Runs

Like the title says ,today she runs.I'm close to the finish with this first project in the build 3 bikes for sale plan. Yesterday I got the carbs on , synchronized  , adjusted ,and connected to the air box and throttle cable.Got the oil pump all adjusted and hooked up ,the side covers on the left side of the bike installed,the exhaust , foot pegs,kick lever,and shift lever installed , and put on a better side stand . So now it's time to move to the right side of the bike and finish the exhaust , add oil to the clutch/transmission , put the gas tank back on and hook it up , install the seat and the luggage rack , put in some fresh high octane gas , and fire this mother ! Did a compression test yesterday and I have 130 psi in both cylinders which is exactly where it should be . She makes spark , the thing is ready to go. With any luck I'll be riding her tomorrow and then moving the orange 1969 DS6C into the work space.

I'll be glad when this bike is finally finished. I've wanted to do this motor swap for the past two years. The motor has been on my bench all ready for a top end and installation since the summer of 2017 . Life gets in the way sometimes . My camp needed my attention and the BMW needed my time . As I get older it becomes more and more of a struggle to keep up with all the maintenance but it also keeps me sharp and engaged so it's a good thing .Well,time to light the kerosene heater and warm the work area so I can finish this thing. If I'm lucky and it all goes smoothly I could be running this thing up the street this afternoon .

Work On The 1966 Yamaha YM1

So now it's nearing the end of February and I've been out in the garage working . After the fiasco with my wife's car I was left out of funds to go travel with this coming summer .I used it all on her car and keeping us going while it was being fixed.During that time I just burned thru my savings and with no work happening I decided I need to get some bikes together to sell and build up the Arizona fund .So with this in mind I went out into the shop and dove into this bike , a 1966 Yamaha YM1 305 cc 2 stroke twin.

I bought this fine machine way back in 1988 when I was 39 years old ! She was rough but complete and I set out to bring her back to life.I wanted a replica of the bike I crossed the country on back in 1969 when I was 20 but couldn't find one so I settled on this.It was close , a year newer,a 305 rather than a 250 cc , blue rather than red but it was cool and the price was right.This bike set off a whole chain of events that are still going on in my life.It brought me into the world of motorcycle restoration .I dove in and got her running . Called Yamaha International out in LA and they laughed at me and told me to buy a new Yamaha then handed me off to their PR person.She told me about this guy she heard about in PA  named Keith Baker.He goes around buying up old parts for these kinds of bikes and here is his phone number.Well this opened the door.He told me about the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club and an event he was hosting that was billed as their national meet. I joined,went to the meet and bought all sorts of parts,two parts bikes,and met all sorts of people.That club was good and I became very active.I ended up in the management after a while and then the politics of it got ugly and I moved on but that was 10 years down the road and after I had made all sorts of friends and connections.The White Rose Japanese Meet I go to grew out of this first little show Keith put on. Been going to that for 30 years now ! So,this was the bike that led me down the rabbit hole into vintage bike wonderland. As time went on I did get the bike I first set out looking for,that was in 1990 and I also found many others.Parts rained down on me and now at this end of life it's time to put some of this good fortune to work for me. I decided to put the original motor back into this bike and sell her.You see, I pulled it out to save it for just this time.I had a good spare so I used it all these years.This post is about getting her prepped for selling and now I'm in the end stages of this job.

After giving the crank new seals I honed the cylinders , gave the pistons new rings,wrist pins and clips ,fitted new gaskets and had a good top end on the original motor. Painted up the outer engine cases and installed the motor in the frame. There was nothing wrong with the spare motor so she sits waiting for another project to power.I just wanted to bring this bike back to original with the matching numbers on the engine and the frame.I always prefer to have them match when possible.

Yesterday I got the oil pump installed in the clutch cover and mounted it on the engine,hooked up the feed and delivery lines,the clutch cable , and did the oil pump bleed . At the end of the day I painted the side cover for the generator side and this morning I shot the clear coat on it. Today I'll hook up the carbs and get them all adjusted properly .The timing is all set,I just have to do some little things like the carbs,exhaust,gas tank ,and seat and she's ready to run again.I'll also do a complete polishing and cleaning before the test rides begin.Then she's on the market for  $5200 dollars and I move forward to this one.

This bike is basically finished.She had something fall on her in the garage and the battery side cover got damaged so I have to paint up another one . Then it's just gas her up and fire her for the first time. This one is also getting sold , price to be determined . The Blue YM1 has come a long way since she entered my life in 1988.This is what she looked like when I first brought her home.

This is what she looked like after I first restored her.I had to learn how to paint  before I could do this bike . I also had to get the equipment .I went for the HVLP turbine system and never regretted that decision . I painted so many motorcycles and cars using it and here I an 30 years down the road still using it. I shot the orange bike above with it.That was my very first proper motorcycle paint job. By the time I shot the blue one I had already painted many motorcycles for guys from all over the country.They used to ship me the parts and I'd send them back in like new condition.This was practice for me to get ready to restore my 1965 Barracuda pictured here.I painted this car,did all the body work too and all the mechanical stuff as well. I'm a motorhead !

The YM1 after the restoration. This was my very first restoration !

The Barracuda !

So,there will be one more bike being built for sale as well this Spring.I have this 1970 Yamaha R5 350cc 2 stroke twin I bought way back in the early 90's sometime . The frame is all painted,the parts are all gathered ,and she waits as I get this blue YM1 and this orange DS6C completed .If all goes well and I get these three bikes sold.I'll be able to go on that trip out west  on my 1988 BMW K 100 RS and my house in the desert fund will be back in good shape .It's a fucking dance but somehow it makes sense in my mind anyway.Well,time is marching on so this is being declared FINISHED ! Time to head out into the garage and build a bike.
An Update  November 2019 :
The YM1 fix up went well.I got her up and running .Put it on Craigslist but there is really no action there for anything nice.The only bikes that sell there are cheap shit or new stuff. So,I still have her in my garage , running ,all legal ,and used. Haven't gotten to the Orange DS6C to finish it or the 70 R5 , life got in the way . Perhaps this winter ( 2019 - 2020 ) I will make progress and come spring I will get some bikes sold. Had much to do up at my camp in the Adirondacks and the BMW & the Moto Guzzi both needed major servicing .It's all behind me now so keeping my fingers crossed that this winter and spring will be productive and profitable so we can get the hell out of New York . I just want to get out  to Arizona and RIDE !