Carburettor Rebuild – GT750

Posted on December 28, 2008 by Ian R. Sandy

With the engine in the frame, and the electronic ignition fitted in my GT750 project bike , it was time to dig into my box of bits to see what I could do in the carburettor department.

The local Water Buffalo folks have been urging me to use the Amal style VM 32 carbs as used on the early GT’s, as these do provide better throttle response and also flow better than the Mikuni constant velocity (CV) BS40 carbs used on later models. In the interests of simplicity, I plan to start with the later style CV carbs and then look at replacement options later as they are (I think) easier to set up and will require minimum modification to my current configuration. If I were to use the VM carbs, then I would have to find a three-into-one throttle cable, as well as the handle bar mounted choke lever and its cable assembly, fiddle with the air inlet boots on the  engine as they are a different size,  modify the air outlet from the air box as that is also different (or switch over to carb mounted air filters) and switch to a cable actuated oil injector setup rather than use the CV style pull rod.

Frankly – I just don’t have the energy to start making this number of changes at the moment, and since I have access to additional CV units via the local CVMG club to supplement the box of parts I’m starting with if required, then CV it will have to be. One change I will be making is to rejet the main jet on the centre carb to match the two outside ones as I will be using a three into three exhaust pipe setup, rather than the stock setup in which the centre cylinder exhaust was split into two pipes.  For a main jet, I’m starting with a 115 rather than the stock 110 and we’ll see how that works. The other thing I’d like to do, but will probably pass on for the moment is to install the ‘anti-surge’ fix that was detailed in Service Bulletin GT-36, March 11, 1977 and which can be found here. As I will not be using a stock exhaust system I thought I’d wait and see whether it will actually be required.

I used the Keyster KS-0029 kits to rebuild the carbs – everything they supplied fit just fine, but I was slightly disappointed that the small o-ring (part number 13295-31210) for the needle jet was not included, nor was the fuel filter (13376-65010). Both of these are still available from Suzuki, but it would be nice of Keyster to add them to the rebuild kit just to make it fully complete. These kits are available all over the place and can be picked up on eBay for between $15 USD to $30 plus shipping.  Luckily the kits do include new starter plungers which are not available from Suzuki, as these were all noticeably worn at the shoulder  where the actuator engages it. The photo to the left is slightly out of focus, but gives the general idea.

 The other problem I had (other than the usual corrosion and cleaning items) was that the oil pump arm was missing the small plastic ball used to connect the carbs to the oil injector pump rod.  Each of the available carbs I had all showed the same problem as the metal bush the ball mounted into was so badly worn that it wouldn’t stay. Fortunately, Fred in the local CVMG had a spare carburettor set I could use for parts, and so I swapped out the shaft as can be seen in the photo to the the right. My younger son Derek handled the metal polishing of the carbuerettor caps, and he did a nice job of making them look almost new again !

So – now I finally have a set of carburettors ready to go so the next step will be to see if I can get the engine started !

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GT750 Rebuild – Instruments

Posted on December 26, 2008 by Ian R. Sandy

For my GT750 project bike, I was faced with the option of either rebuilding or replacing the gauge set as I was starting with just a box of bits as seen to the right. I have been collecting these for many years, and had been using them as a source of parts for my other two GT750 bikes – as a result, what I had was quite a jumble. Fred, the Calgary GT guru was kind enough to let me poke through his own bin of gauge parts and pieces so between the two I was able to rebuild something that works.

There are several ways to rebuild these – the best write-up I’ve seen is by Paul Franchina who wrote an article published in 2004 for the VJMC member magazine and which also appeared in 2005 on what is now a dead speedometer repair web site. If you are a VJMC member, then you can find the VJMC version in the 2004 member archives, otherwise you can download a copy of the 2005 public web article from here. Getting the chrome ring off and then re-installed is the hardest part, and rather than prising it off as Paul describes, a second method some folks use and which can be simpler to do is to use a small cut-off wheel (on a Dremel for example) and just cut the ring, rather than trying to prise it off as described in Paul’s article. To reinstall the cut ring, the suggested method is to use a similar clamp/jig setup as Paul uses, but then use epoxy glue to fasten the ring which is held in place and positioned using gear clamps. If done well, the cut is not easily visible, and as the ring is not deformed in any way, the ‘fit and finish’ is a bit cleaner. Of course should you ever have to take the gauge apart again, you will have a bit of a problem because of the glue, but it can work quite well. The best option of course would be to replace the ring with a new one, but a special tool would be required to reset a new ring on the gauge housing. I have been talking to Wolfgang Haerter  who does this using a lathe and tool he made for this purpose when restoring Laverda gauges, but it isn’t an option for most shade tree mechanics.  The ring size he uses appears to be about the same size as is used on the Suzuki gauges so I will likely have him give this a try in 2009, but of course he doesn’t have anything to fit the water temperature gauge, so I’ll have to sort that out myself.

Gauge sets are available fairly often on eBay, but generally suffer as they are obviously 30 to 36 years old, may have been sitting outside in the weather etc. and the speedometer usually is missing the trip meter reset knob as this is easily broken off or lost. Generally these will start at about $50 USD for a single gauge through to whatever level people get carried away with during the bidding. NOS and professionally rebuilt GT750 gauges are available from GTReiner in Germany, and sometimes from folks like Paul Miller in the US.  These new or professionally rebuilt gauges will range in cost between about $200 USD to $400 USD depending on exactly what you are looking for – the plastic housed gauges on the early models usually cost more than the metal housed gauge sets used from late 1974 onwards.

gauges

Here is where I got to (just ‘click’ to see a larger photo). You will note that the water temperature gauge is brown. The brown faced gauges appeared on the GT750 in late 1976 through 1977 and so in keeping with my theme, would likely have been used also in 1978 had a GT750 continued to be made. I have a brown faced tachometer which I will be rebuilding at some point in 2009, and am keeping my eye’s open for a brown faced speedometer, but for the moment will make do with the most common blue-green coloured ones as I had enough parts to put one set together.

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The Coyotes Aren’t Singing !

Posted on December 13, 2008 by Ian R. Sandy

It appears that winter may finally have truly arrived here in Calgary, as the current temperature according to the thermometer by the back door is about -25 C,  and the local news channel cheerfully reports that with the slight breeze that is blowing, it actually feels like -34 C. For my Australian cousins in Perth, that would be roughly 55 degrees Celsius colder than your current temperature as measured at 2 am your local time today – it is just a tad on the frosty side in other words. As well we have also had yet another fresh dump of snow as can be seen in the photo to the right.

All of this snow is starting to pose a bit of a problem as it is only mid-December, and as I clear the driveway and walkways, I am already running out of places to put it ! As may be expected with something that is delivered to your home free of charge and in large quantities, snow has no resale value in Calgary at all. Last year, as our former neighbours Gwen and Brendan relaxed on a beach for the winter somewhere in sunny Mexico,  only half of their driveway was being cleared so I saw no harm in adding some of my snow to the un-dug heaps that they were collecting on their side of the property line, assuaging my conscience by knowing that it would largely be melted by the time they returned and none would be the wiser ! This year though, we have new neighbours possessed of enviable snow shovelling habits, so storing snow surplus to my own requirements on that side is no longer an option.  Perhaps I may end up loading it into my trailer and hauling the excess snow to the dump to join my compost already deposited there.

At this time of year, the coyotes can usually be heard singing away at night in Fish Creek Park behind our place, but they were not singing last night ! Possibly given a choice between partying and keeping warm, they have done the sensible thing – unlike the dog owners who can be seen today trudging along  in the park with a leash in one hand and their very quickly frozen collections of animal emissions stored in a plastic baggie clutched tightly in the other ! As I watch them, neither the owners nor the dogs look especially pleased about their enforced morning constitutional strolls in the frozen fields, and it occurs to me that perhaps that is why the coyotes sing – they aren’t on leashes and they are not bound by city stoop and scoop laws, but I digress.  It is quite pleasant and warm here beside the fireplace as I consider whether I should head outside and shovel snow yet again and also where to put the stuff.  I suppose I may convince myself that there really isn’t any hurry and just go and do some more work on my motorbike, as we have several months of winter ahead of us, and I’m reasonably sure the snow will still be there tomorrow. Plus, it just occurred to me that there is always the possibility that our new neighbours may also go somewhere warm for the winter, so I may be able to store some of my surplus frozen white stuff on their yard while they are gone …………….

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A Sad Day

Posted on November 28, 2008 by Ian R. Sandy

Warren D. McKendry

November 18, 1926 – November 28, 2008

Warren passed away this morning after a lengthy fight with cancer – he was a role model husband to his wife Isobel who previously passed away in 2001, a hard working Father to his three daughters and son, a Father-in-law who welcomed me into his family, and a loving Grandfather to our two sons.

He will be missed, but not forgotten.

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Suitably Retro

Posted on November 27, 2008 by Ian R. Sandy

For the past several months, I have been looking for a suitable set of turn signals to fit the 1966 Yamaha YA6  that I bought earlier this year. I haven’t had too much trouble finding other bits and pieces – original style mirrors for example – but finding NOS turn signals from that era has proved to be a challenge. What are offered either from a dealer or after market reproduction supply, are examples of plastic and chrome ugliness that are closer to the look of more modern motorcycles than the older 1960’s look. I have seen a few custom lights intended for choppers and custom HD’s, but frankly the idea of putting Harley Davidson lights on a one eighth litre Japanese two stroke just didn’t feel right, and as well most of the custom lights are either halogen or LED’s which again just don’t match the era. A large part of the problem is that signals themselves were not a factory original item, but instead were offered as a dealer equipped option. As a result, finding a part number has not been easy, and in the past six months I have only actually seen one light for sale on eBay which went very quickly, and which just shows I’m not the only person with this problem !

The other day, I was puttering about the showroom of Universal Cycle in the north of Calgary while I was waiting for some tires to be installed for my GT750 project bike, and I literally stumbled across a temporary solution that will do till I can locate some originals.  Buried in one of the display cabinets was a light from a company called Emgo, and while this light wasn’t the same as what would have been installed originally, it did have that pleasingly ‘Flash Gordon’ retro look that I was looking for ! I’ve included a photo to the right.  The owner, Don Fergin, was able to dig up another three to go with the one in the display case, so I bought the set of four and walked away a happy person !

I’m still debating whether to paint them black as the original lights would have been done, or to leave them as chrome, mainly because at the moment the new chrome really stands out and makes the rest of the unrestored bike look a bit tired, but I’m in no particular hurry. My longer term plan is to do a ground up rebuild with new paint etc., sometime next year so I’ll decide then, and perhaps powder coat them with the rest of the parts I’ll be doing, plus of course I’ll still keep an eye open for an NOS style set as it seems everything shows up on eBay eventually !

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Cancun, Chichen Itza and Pyramids

Posted on November 22, 2008 by Ian R. Sandy

We are in transit back from our Cancun getaway, and I am pleased to report that we had a good time. While the weather was windy it was not too hot which made it perfect for doing some sight seeing, a bit of shopping and spending time perfecting how to laze about the pool. Clearly I still have to work at that last part as people did look at me in an odd fashion as I was typing things up on my Linux based eeePC by the pool. No one asked me, but of course I did have a ready made excuse at hand – that was the best place for wifi based Internet reception, so really what other choice did I have ? At any rate, it was pleasant and I managed to get a lot of writing done while SWMBO‘d caught some sun and we both sampled the occasional tequila based wobbly pop in order to remain properly hydrated in the tropic heat.

The absolute high point of the week for me was the day trip to the ruined Mayan city of Chichen Itza which flourished in the northern part of the Yucatan peninsula roughly between 600 AD through till about 1200 AD. This visit had a special significance for me as back in the early 1960’s when I was in Grade 5, I had had a ‘difference of opinion’ with my grade 5 teacher about whether South American pyramids were the same as Egyptian ones. According to the teacher I lost that debate, and I then had to write out several hundred lines as a result. Since that time I have been lucky enough to see the pyramids in Egypt with my own eyes, and then this past week also see the central-American version. OK – I am not one to hold a grudge, so I will admit that the temples at Chichen Itza are indeed ‘pyramidal’ in shape, so my Grade 5 teacher was (perhaps) half right.  On the other hand, I think he owes me a refund of about 250 lines as they clearly were not built for the same reasons. If I see him at the 50th Anniversary event for Crosby Public School, I may ask him about that and see what he says – and then again, perhaps I won’t as based on past experience, doing so could earn me another few hundred lines !

Cancun itself was slightly different than I had expected – Walmart was packed with locals as well as tourists all doing their regular shopping, and it was the best place we saw to buy vegetables and other odds and ends. The beach area was lovely where it could be seen, but for the most part was totally blocked out by massive resorts which stretched for miles in all directions. It is an unabashed tourist town and does not pretend to be anything else which clearly is what most visitors are looking for – and it does have its own Hard Rock Cafe which of course we did visit one evening.

Bottom line – I’m not sure we will be back, as there are so many interesting things still to be seen in other parts of the world – but if all you need is nice weather with a nice pool to sit beside, with good wifi service and a decent means of keeping you properly hydrated, along side a happy SWMBO’d, then its quite tolerable ! And seeing the Mayan ruins fulfilled the childhood dream I’ve had since I was about 10 years of age, of seeing both old and new world pyramids so I am returning home happy.

Still on the list of places to be seen are Easter Island and Moscow. An observant person will note that they aren’t very close to each other, so it will be tricky to work them into one trip, and of course I’m not at all sure what the wifi Internet access is like in either place !

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Stuff That Works

Posted on November 17, 2008 by Ian R. Sandy

Every once and a while, you come across something that works even better than advertised , and as this just doesn’t happen very often these days, one really does have to celebrate the event !! The other day, we were on an Air Canada flight to Houston, and somehow or other red wine ended up all over ‘She Who Must Be Obeyed” (yes – I admit that I enjoy Rumpole of the Bailey) – it was not a pretty sight. While one could take the view that the dark red blobs contrasted nicely with the pale yellow jacket, she was not at all happy The flight attendant provided some soda water, but it really had no effect and the red wine stains seemed destined to be a permanent part of my wife’s jacket decor.

Once we had arrived at the hotel where we were over-nighting between flights, and had checked out the cleaning options that were available to us (none within the timeframe we needed), we figured we had nothing to lose and so we pulled out a couple of the ‘Tide to Go‘ sticks made by the folks at Procter and Gamble which we happened to have with us. As the stains were starting to dry and set, it looked as if the jacket most probably was ruined, and so it was difficult to see how it could be made any worse. I must admit that frankly I was amazed. I have no idea what chemicals they have in these things, but the wine stains just seemed to evaporate leaving no trace at all – you could actually see the stains change colour as you daubed them with the applicator, and after a few minutes work, the jacket looked as good as new. Needless to say, “She who Must Be Obeyed” was quite relieved, as was I as the Tide sticks cost much less than the cost of a new coat ! On arrival in Cancun one of the first things we did was buy a few more ‘Tide to Go’ sticks to replace the ones we had used, and you can be sure we will always have a couple with us on future travels also !

Tide to Go sticks – highly recommended

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GT750 Speedometer Drive

Posted on November 3, 2008 by Ian R. Sandy

In the process of putting together the front wheel for my GT750 project bike, I noticed that the speedometer drive housing had a problem. Basically the output shaft to the speedometer cable would not turn when the wheel was spun. These drive units are not intended to be repaired, and no parts are available for order to repair them – they were available only as assemblies. The specific part for the GT750 (54600-34000 or 54600-34001) is no longer be available from Suzuki and has been superseded by a new part number 54600-08C00, and can be bought new for about $84 USD in the USA. This speedometer drive assembly was used on about 25 different models of Suzuki motorcycle between 1973 through till 1982 so used ones should also be readily available on eBay.

At any rate, I’ve had this problem before and I also had a few spare drives so I thought it worth the time to try to overhaul the drive assembly that I had, rather than try and find another one.

The components of the drive assembly are shown in the  photo (just ‘click’ on it to see a larger image).

Taking it apart is not difficult – remove the snap ring on the back, then the space washer and (if it is fitted) the thrust washer – and then what I do is just carefully pull the main gear through the seal. For the speedometer drive itself, the bush and seal unscrew and the output shaft then is free to be removed. Don’t lose the small thrust washer on the output shaft ! There is a seal on the back of the drive housing facing the wheel, as well as a small one in the bush. As yet I have not had to look for a replacement for these.

Referring to the photo – the main gear and output shaft are machined steel and as yet, I have not seen them fail (although I’m sure it could happen). On any of the units I’ve looked at, the problem area always seems to be the two small tabs on the inside of the driven gear which is really just a mild steel washer and that was the case with this one also. The inner tabs mesh with the harder steel of the main gear and eventually just rub away. I was lucky to have a spare part, although I’m also sure a couple of small welds which would then need to be ground down and squared up would work just as well.

When reassembling, I repacked the drive housing with a bit of wheel bearing grease, taking care to ensure the bottom end of the output shaft is greased as it is a blind hole. Some units have the small thrust washer on the back between the drive gear and washer, and some don’t – basically if the snap ring seems loose such that the driven gear does not engage properly, then it needs the additional shim.

Now that its all back together and installed, it seems to work fine – so on the the next item ……

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Pirate Free ?

Posted on October 31, 2008 by Ian R. Sandy

I’ve been taking a look around the anti-piracy site Microsoft set up to honour their Global Anti-Piracy Day, which they chose to observe October 21. It includes quite in interesting map outlining what they are currently doing about their perceived problem, as well as thankful feedback from customers who have switched over to legal copies. Microsoft have always officially at least been quite indignant, not to mention litigious on the piracy topic and I understand why that needs to be their public stance, however methinks possibly they protest too much ! Putting aside the legalities for a moment, together with Romanian President Traian Basescu, I personally wonder whether consumer software piracy of at least the operating system is not actually a very good thing for them as it does a few things:

  • builds mind share – the vast number of people right wrong or otherwise associate ‘personal computing’ with Microsoft as evidenced for example by the return rate of non-Windows based netbooks (four times higher than for XP based ones for one manufacturer)
  • in the longer term it educates and influences the next generation of developers – cheap (free pirated copies) access to the OS actually sustains the pace of innovation of the Microsoft ecosystem
  • dependencies – these encompass device architecture, peripherals and applications which work to extend the reach and continued lock-in of the consumer and business to the Microsoft ecosystem 

As others have suggested – perhaps what they should do is just give a version of the OS away for free to consumers and focus on services and applications.

Getting back to the Microsoft web site and the detailed list of actions being taken – one thing that I found amusing is the apparent lack of Russian Microsoft pirates, although China and 47 other countries are specifically mentioned – does that mean they think Russia is pirate free ?

Hmmmmmmm.

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A Compost’d Tale

Posted on October 29, 2008 by Ian R. Sandy

Earth Machine

Like many folks, we gladly spend the $4 in gasoline to get our $3.50 in deposit refunds as we recycle cans and bottles, and we also brave -40 C weather, howling winds and snow to drag paper and cardboard to the outside recycle centres. I won’t say that we ‘hug trees’ as such, but we do like to at least look at them. It will come as no surprise at all then that when our friends Greg and Cate offered, for what I considered to be an excellent price (free) a deluxe, black plastic ‘Earth Machine’ compost bin, we leapt at the chance to try and make environmentally friendly dirt for our gardens.

I have to say that we doted on that bin – feeding it only the best hand picked vegetable scraps that money can buy. And when I say ‘best’ – I mean imported from far away places like Mexico and California. Of course one could argue that we really didn’t have a lot of choice. Lets face it, for 10 months out of the year there aren’t really any locally grown vegetables in Calgary, as we are locked in sub-zero weather ! At any rate, I suspect our ‘Earth Machine’ was better cared for than most people’s pets – due to the very dry climate here, I had to water the contents of the compost bin to keep it from drying out and therefore not digesting, and we fed it nutrients specially designed for composters to both speed up the process and also to ensure a well balanced, plant friendly resultant product. The contents were stirred weekly using a special tool to ensure an even mixture, and when its digestion was upset and the neighbours complained about the odour, we lovingly shredded newspaper in my cross-cut shredder, and thoroughly mixed it in to stabilise its delicate processes. In short, I have no doubt at all that it was a very happy, and contented composter. After many weeks of work, tender care and much, much eating of vegetables, we were verging on having what I would have to very modestly call ‘primo’ compost, and we were starting to discuss what part of the garden would be blessed with our cubic foot of natural goodness, and also possibly of organising tours so that friends and neighbours could come and stare at it and share our joy – but then a very unfortunate thing happened.

Our chimney needed repair, and when a crew of contractors dutifully showed up to get it started, we left them to it and went about our business elsewhere. At the end of the second day of renovations, I noticed that the beloved compost bin had had to be moved so they could do some of the work. No problem I thought to myself, and then I started to look around for where they had saved the contents of the ‘Earth Machine’ which we had so lovingly created. Alas, there was no little pile of deep, dark organic happiness to be seen anywhere ! It was with a sense of impending doom that I asked the owner of the stone mason company what he had done with the compost – ‘taken to the dump’ he replied quite cheerfully, together with all the other rubble from the work they were doing. You can well imagine my slack jawed look of utter dismay ! The only consolation I can draw, is that buried somewhere in the City of Calgary dump, is a small pocket of rich organic goodness which hopefully will have a positive impact amidst all of the other nasty stuff that goes into there !

Meanwhile – we have started to eat more Mexican vegetables ………

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