1986 Aspencade Resurrection

[3KidsinAustin]

Picked up my next two projects today. I will be writing updates here as the rebuild of the 86 Aspy (Blue one in the foreground of the picture) progresses. It always helps me keep track of what I've done and a nice place to reference.

My plan is to resurrect the Aspencade similar to how I did my 85 Limited earlier. Get everything running and looking good, then sell it in to help fund the other bike, an 84 Interstate. That bike has been sitting since 1996 and will need a thorough going over. Had to unbolt and pry off one of the front brake calipers as it has seized onto the disc. These bikes are hard enough to push without any extra drag! I am envisioning something like a Standard conversion as the fairing and tank shelter have been filled with extra holes. More on that one to follow.

The 86 ran last year but needs some electrical troubleshooting, plus all the other work needed to sort things out. Came with a bunch of extra parts and tires that are less than 5 years old and about 4 miles on them. A little cosmetically challenged, but it should end up ok. The PO installed the Po -boy alternator and thinks he might have messed it up. Will figure that out as I dig in. Good thing I like electrical work!

More pics and info to follow, but I'm pooped from the loading and unloading, plus typing on my phone during my boys' swim lessons.

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[Fred Camper]

Ah, you are a busy man. Good luck with your new girls.

[3KidsinAustin]

Spent several hours this morning rearranging everything in the garage to fit the 84 Interstate out of the way until it's turn comes up. Only casualty is one of the plastic supports on the shelf behind it where - while trying to gain every inch of space- I crashed into it while getting the bike up on the center stand. Fortunately, the trunk frame is supporting the shelf, so no harm until I pull the bike out.

Sorted through the gobs of parts that came with the 86. Three starters (two brand new), 4-5 ignition modules, pair of ignition coils, extra front crash bars, two new starter relays, a cylinder head, headlight, 2-3 regulators, 3 fuel pumps (two new), full carburetor assembly, and about a pound of miscellaneous hardware, switches and things I cannot identify. Enough to keep me busy!

Battery on its way. Fuel tank definitely needs pulled, cleaned and electrolysis. Plus, I am hoping to find a way to safely remove all the extra vinyl wrap from the bike.

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[Fred Camper]

Been there regarding the ceterstand and the shelf. Happens to all of us.

[ritalz]

I find it easier to get the bike on the centerstand while still in the open area. Then get the mc jack under it and leaver it into place an inch at a time. Slow going but it works.

[3KidsinAustin]

I find it easier to get the bike on the centerstand while still in the open area. Then get the mc jack under it and leaver it into place an inch at a time. Slow going but it works.

You are right, that would be easier! I have held off on buying a motorcycle jack. Had one many years ago and sold it before moving to Texas almost 8 years ago. It just took up so much space and was not used very often. That being said, I occasionally look for a used one in the area for a good price but haven't found one yet. I built a platform for my Quick Jacks that will lift the bike about 20" up. Probably get to that today as I start to disassemble the 86 for rear wheel removal.

Picture of that process and the lift to follow.

[3KidsinAustin]

Bike is up in the air. With the weight of the bike on it, the platform is rock solid. Does a nice job getting it to a more workable height. Will be fun to test it out while tooling on the 86. Hoping to get rear end disassembled today and wheel pulled tomorrow. Have company coming, so might slow me down a bit.

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[3KidsinAustin]

With the cycle on the lift, I started tearing it down to get to the gas tank. Along the way, found the usual assortment of non-OEM fasteners, one frozen bolt that broke, and non-professional electrical wiring. A new one for me today was this little guy stuck to the wheel. I'm giving him a day to see if he moves off.

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My battery arrives tomorrow, so I was not able to test the electrical before beginning my teardown. This bike wasn't covered in aftermarket lights like my 85, so I was surprised to see the additional wires clipped into the factory system. I'll have to hook things up to see what they light up.

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Here is where it sits at the end of the day. Might get the tire off tomorrow. While raising it on the scissor jack, I noticed a fairly evident flat spot from sitting for awhile. Tires are only 5 years old and still have the little rubber fingers coming off them, so I'm hoping a few miles cruising will bring them back around. The platform is great - it is rock solid with the bike up in the air, even while jacking the rear end up higher with the scissor jack. Very pleased with it.

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[3KidsinAustin]

First order of business is getting the fuel tank out. I want to give it a pine sol bath and electrolysis treatment, similar to how raiddrten detailed in this excellent post: https://ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php ... is#p711565

The 86 tank isn't the worst I've seen (that award goes to my 85 Limited where the inside had rusted through with pinholes and vent tubes just completely missing), but I figure still a good practice to get it as clean as possible. Plus, the electrolysis process is a bit like magic to me. Practical uses for chemistry! In addition, with the tank out there is a ton more room to fiddle with everything else. Rear master cylinder needs a rebuild and that is almost impossible to remove with the tank in place.

The rear wheel came out without too much difficulty - I had to air it down to allow it to squeeze past the final drive. Of note, the left side rear shock leaked fluid (red - I'm assuming ATF?) from the air fitting junction on the right side of the bike. I'm guessing that is indicative of it needing a full rebuild or replacement.

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Similarly, the tank came out much easier than on my 85 LTD. It had a few extra nipples for gas to return and exit the tank, but it was a bear to get in and out. Pulling this one was relatively easy in comparison. I didn't know the filter was bolted to the tank until the line from it to the fuel pump pulled tight. Sliding that hose off and the tank just glided out of there. A win for the home team!

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Here is how it sits. The platform I built for the Quick Jacks is fantastic. Everything right at a good level to work on, without having to bend way over or lay on the ground. I can just spin around it on my little mechanic stool - very pleased. I think I'll next pull the front fairing so I have better access to diagnose the mysterious electrical issue the PO told me about.

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[Oldewing]

Been there regarding the ceterstand and the shelf. Happens to all of us.

Yep, I am a long standing member of that club....

[Rednaxs60]

Quite the project. Looks worse than it is. Clean up the rust and you'd never think it was so bad. Recommend to remove the exhaust, remove, clean, paint and lube the centre stand. Might be a good time to rebuild the rear MC if that is your intention, and replace the rear brake line to the rear brake caliper.

Good time to clean and paint the swing arm. To remove it I used a Park Tool FR-6 from a bicycle shop:

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Cheers

[3KidsinAustin]

Thanks for the tip on the tool! Found a "Used Like New" on Amazon for $12 and snapped it up. Probably won't separate the swingarm on this bike, but at that price too good to pass up.

No real rust on the frame, just one spot where clearly a battery boiled over in the past. I'll sand that down and get some paint on it.

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Interesting point on the center stand. It appears that at some point, someone cut off the feet of the stand and welded a piece of bar stock to the legs. It doesn't lift the rear wheel of the ground, had to use a jack to get it high enough to slide a 2x4 underneath.

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Lots of kid and family activities today, not sure I will get much done on the cycle today.

[3KidsinAustin]

Spent today working on getting the fuel tank into better shape. Started by filling with Pine Sol and rotating it around every 15 minutes. That really helped break up the crud that was still in the tank. To get the tank ready, I pulled the fuel sender and cut up a pair of heavy duty rubber kitchen gloves, making circles to fit over the sender opening. I did two layers of those, just because it fit, then filled the gap with some bubble wrap envelope until the lock ring was snug.

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Worked it for about 90 minutes the first pass, then had to leave for lunch with the family. Drained out the Pine-Sol as I did not want it sitting in one place for an extended period of time. Had some nice crud left behind.

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While the tank was being rotated around, I worked on the rear brake caliper. It took a LOT of air pressure to get the pistons clear of the bore. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get it out, but persistence finally paid off. Everything here will get deep cleaned in my ultrasonic cleaner and the pistons polished up.

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To get the sacrificial cathodes ready, I bent my two pieces of rebar into an angle, hopefully giving them more surface area in the tank. I don't use my Harbor Freight 12-ton press very often, but it sure comes in handy when you need it!

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Then, it was just a matter of experimenting with power sources. I ended up using my battery charger set to "trickle" as the straight car battery was way to aggressive a reaction. To get the charger to actually work, I had to connect the battery in parallel with the tank and cathode. That started the charger, then I could disconnect the battery. I miss my old "dumb" chargers that just sent out voltage whether anything was attached or not.

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I'll let it run until nighttime, a few more hours, and then probably shut it down. Will see how it goes. If everything still looking good, then might leave it overnight. Not pumping a lot of amps through it, would rather take it slow and steady.

Updates to follow!

[Fred Camper]

I still have my dumb charger that I used 15 years back for electrolysis. Worked great on the 5 amp setting.

[3KidsinAustin]

Another day of teardown for the Aspy. I drained the fluid in the fuel tank and refilled it with brand new washing soda (sodium carbonate). I wasn't thrilled with the results after almost 24 hours and then saw the shelf life of an opened box was 1 year. I don't remember the last time I'd done electrolysis, but I knew it was FAR beyond that timeline. Quick trip to HEB and a fresh cup of powder for the new solution. I also cleaned up the cathodes and the reaction seems to be moving right along.

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Other goal for today was to get the front fairing off. That is always a chore with those tricky plugs on the left side of the fairing. I must have wrestled with the lowest one for an hour until I finally wiggled it loose. If anyone has tips for getting those off, I'm all ears!

After all that work, this was a pleasant sight.

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This job was complicated by trying to decipher all the extra wiring a PO had put into the bike. So far, I found a mystery relay tucked into the right fairing pocket. That wouldn't be so bad, but whomever wired it made sure there was no way to remove the fairing without cutting all the wires to the relay. It might be to the aftermarket front wheel covers - if so, the covers and wiring are all hitting the trash bin!

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The Seller had wired in an alternator conversion, so lots of unknowns going on there as well. At least now, with the fairing off I will be able to wire the battery back in and start troubleshooting the ignition system.

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