NGWClub®, Inc.

Been getting some work done on the bike.

The bike came with a box of six turn signals (all with cut and hacked up wiring) and in various stages of disrepair, including four yellow lenses and two red lenses. Out of the six I managed to salvage enough of the internal sockets and undamaged housings to make up the turn signals that I needed although I could only use single filament wiring in all four. I also broke down and bought a battery so I could start to test the electrical systems. The headlight, neutral indicator light, and dash lights all worked but no flashing turn signals. I picked up a NAPA 552 flasher (thank you ngwclub parts cross reference) and the turn signals started working.
I had already added oil, no leaks, and today I filled it up with water - two big leaks - both 90 degree elbows at the cylinder heads. Drained the water, disassembled, and found that I had somehow pinched the O rings at both elbows. Luckily I had some spares and I tried again. I think on my first try I had put the O rings in the elbows and pushed the water pipe into the elbows, everything coated with some silicone. This time I put the O rings on the pipe and used a thicker plumbers grease to coat everything. Filled it back up with water and no leaks so I learned a lesson about the best way to assemble the coolant manifold.

I also took a little time to work on cleaning up the exhaust manifolds. I was going to paint them black but they cleaned up so nice I think I’ll leave them unfinished with a natural patina.
I think I’ve been really lucky with this bike. The frame only had a little surface rust, the heads and pistons were a little carboned up but appeared to be in good condition, the cylinders were nice and clean with good cross hatching, the water pump had been updated to one with metal vanes, and I’ve been missing very few parts.

I hope I didn’t just jinx it!

My battery ground strap came in but where does it attach to the motor or frame? It looks like it will only reach to the top motor mount - here?

That's exactly where it mounts. Bottom of the three bolts, between the engine block and mount. IIRC, there should be a 'star' washer between the block and cable end to improve the contacts.

No pictures today but spent a few hours on the bike.

Handlebars are on, left side grip and controls were installed, right side controls are loosely fitted pending assembly with throttle cables.

Installed the mechanical advance and points and just for grins did a quick check for spark. One and two had no spark, three and four had spark. Read the shop manual a bit and tomorrow I’ll dig into it, starting with the basics of checking the points for gap, etc. and go from there.

I also checked over all the cables, especially since I’m getting close to rebuilding the carburetors. The push throttle cable is frozen, the clutch cable is really stiff, and the choke cable is broken so I ordered replacements for all three.

Other than that I was able to install the exhaust manifolds and the speedometer and tachometer cables. Spent some time thinking about what to do with the rear fender and tail light. I’m thinking about cutting a chunk off the front of the fender so I can rotate it forward in a kind of a “bobbed” style. I’ll have to think about that before I cut up a perfectly good fender.

Onward and upward.

Check post #52 here for an idea of making new bolt flares in the fender. https://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic ... y&start=45

Thanks for the suggestion on the fender. I spent some time looking through your build thread - congratulations on a beautiful bike!

Thanks! It was a blast, even recovering from all of the neglect and PO issues. Last summer we had fun taking her to shows but that won't happen this year until at least July.

Today I set the gap on the points and set the static ignition timing (previous gap on both sets of points was too large). I rechecked the ignition and the missing spark from one and two was back although number two looked weak and a little intermittent. I’m calling it good for now.

I’m pretty much tapped out on other things to do so it’s on to the carburetors.
They are pretty grimy and dirty on the outside but I don’t think they have been molested. I don’t see any rounded out screw heads and all the parts appear to be there. Later today I’ll watch the video that came with Randakk’s kit and start getting a carburetor education.

I also have some extra parts that look like optional chrome dress up items.
The part on the upper left would fit as a cover for the fuel pump, the two lower parts look like they might cover the spark plug wires but I don’t know how they attach to the bike. I have no idea what the upper right item is. I also have two chrome covers that fit over the speedo and tach housings.

Yep, those carbs look kinda dirty, lol!
The upper right chrome cover looks like it bolts over the bottom section of the fuel pump. The two lower covers do indeed cover the plug wires, but I believe there's another 'shroud' like piece that covers the carb tops that the pieces you have attach to.

About cleaning the carbs, if I take off the intake manifolds I think I can fit the whole assembly into my ultra sonic cleaner one side at a time, maybe up to near the plenum. Is there any reason to not do this, is there a risk of damaging anything? This might get rid of most of the grime before disassembly when I expect to again use the ultra sonic cleaner for most of the parts.

Thanks.

You really should separate them from the plenum, but you can re-attach the chrome "garnish" to keep pairs joined and thus avoid the difficulty of re-joining choke and throttle shafts. Make sure ALL jets are removed, also emulsion tubes and "pucks". Each should be cleaned, blown-through with cleaner and compressed air. Making special tools for doing things like removing emulsion tubes pays dividends.

Watched the Randakk carb rebuilding dvd, I think it’s over three hours long, then made a first pass on cleaning the carb rack with engine degreaser and brushes. I’ll give it one more pass on cleaning then I’ll move on to start the rebuilding process. It’s certainly more complicated than the old two barrel Rochesters I remember working on in the early seventies.

Did a second pass on cleaning the carb rack - it’s better but still plan to do more cleaning as part of the rebuilding process. I think I have all my tools and supplies ready so should get a start on the disassembly tomorrow.

To begin the rebuilding I restarted Randakk’s instruction video at the beginning. One of the things he talks about is making sure your ignition system is in good condition, including doing a resistance check thru each pair of spark plug wires and their individual coil. My 3 and 4 test was right on at 23,000 ohms, my 1 and 2 was at zero ohms (I mentioned previously that my #2 had a weak and intermittent spark). So lots of searching here and on YouTube and checking things on the bike I found the spark plug wire on #2 was half pulled out of the boot. When I pushed it back in tight the resistance test on 1 and 2 jumped up to 23,000 ohms. So, I think I’m going to cut about 1/2” off the spark plug wire and reinsert it into the boot for a tighter, more permanent fix.

So here’s my question - what actually holds the wire in the boot? When I cut a chunk off and reinsert it into the boot should I add a little super glue to keep it from pulling out?

Thanks.

The plug boot actually has a 'screw' threaded prong, so rather than just pushing in the wire, the cap needs to be twisted onto the wire. If the wire is in decent condition, you shouldn't need anything to help secure it.

I'd avoid most any glue as most glues are insulators. Just screw it on (righty tighty) until you feel the increased torque resistance as it bottoms in the cap (you can also note that ~1/4 - 3/8" goes in as you tighten it). I you cut the wire, cut as little as posdible to find good center conductor, and try to only cut insulation. These wires are not easily replaced as the coil end is molded into the unit. You have to dig out potting compound, solder in new wire, and repot. New caps (from NGK) are still available from many online vendors if needed.

Also: Note that Randakk suggests leaving the chrome "garnish" attached (re-attach yours) to keep the pairs joined and avoid the rather tedious and error-prone task of rejoining the throttle and choke shafts. This is a great problem-avoider.