hmmmnz

ok where was i, i degreased the frame and gave it a general tidy up. put new shoes in both drums, changed the fork oil and seals got the bike back on its wheels again and fitted the engine ran the cables, and connected carbs up connected all the electrics back up, best bike ever for wiring, see a wire, connect it to another wire of the same colour, and repeat, was so easy, no stupid indicators,, and a cool old school rectifier, plus the coolest brake switch ive ever seen then chuck the tank and seat on, then connected the exhausts, and kick starter and gear shift, so thats where i stand, ive got to get a few bits before i can attempt to kick the old girl over, fuel hose, fuel tap, 2 stroke oil, engine oil, battery acid and then charge the battery, at some stage i will need to get. new tyres, new throttle cable, throttle grips, new tank pads (missing from original parts order) kick start rubber, gear change rubber, foot peg rubber

right, i managed to get the generator rebuilt, im pretty fucked off though, the parts i ordered for it, new cam, points etc were all for the older model which had a big gear which spun at half the speed. so the cam needed to have 2 lobes on it, where on my model they put in an idler gear and a small main ger to get it to do a single rotation for every rotation the engine did, i ordered the right parts but the wrong parts turned up, this was a year ago, so didnt notice till now, och well, cant do much about it now, old cam back in ;( so i got it in place and spent a supid amount of time getting it timed up, mainly because i cant tell my left from my right, and was timing the wrong cylinder then i went about rebuilding the carbs, setting the floats etc cleaning everything again, and fitted them so thats it for now, engine is now fully rebuilt and ready to fit back in the frame, but first ill degrease the frame from its 38 year old grease and muck, change the fork oil and probably seals change the front and rear shoes, and check all the bearings etc, and order a new chain for it as well, the end is neigh

right ive gone as far as i can on the motor until the seals and bearings arrive for the generator, ill also have to wait until the bits from the states turn up to finish the carbs. was looking for a new set of tyres, and couldnt find any to fit made by bridgestone funny shit.

ok clutch off , idler bearings replaced, and fitted all back together next hiccup was i was missing a pin that the left hand side rotary valve needed to turn old number 2 screwdriver to the rescue the steel shaft on that screwdriver is bloody hard, ended up wrecking a new hacksaw blade cutting it time for pistons and what not to be fitted love the new old stock 60's era bearings, barrel posts fitted and barrels i have to wait on 2 bearings and a seal turning up so i can finish the generator, also went to fit the new points and condensers, fucken points were the worng size, but i managed to fit the new condensers, and cleaned up the old points which turned out pretty good any way. the generator is going to be the bit that holds me up, along with random carb parts that are coming out of the states. plenty of other shit to be doing i suppose,

after fitting the spring and split pins, refitted all the bits and bobs, you know cogs and all that manly shit then got the 2 halves of the crankcase together, pretty painless, then went about popping the right side rotary valve and cover, and what no in prep of the clutch going on, made a very advanced clutch plate soaking device, made fully from recycled materials, im upto date and very green in my ways. i give you mince tray clutch plate soaker the name could do with some work, but you must admit its very effective. och the joys of cork clutch plates. put the clutch together, lined up the crank sprocket, was quite pleased with myself until i noticed another gear.... bugger it, wont go on unless i remove the clutch and what not, of course i can't undo the clutch because it just spins, and i dare not use the 4mm clutch bolts to make a holder in case i brake something, so, have to bring the rattle gun home from work tommow, spastic.

ah ha, well that didnt work out to plan, almost a year since touching the bike. to be fair, ive had 4 different bikes stolen, done 2 top end rebuilds on my own bikes, done a full rebuild to a tdm 850, and another to a ktm990 (dont ever buy one of them, bastards to work on ) fitted double glazing to the house, cut down a dozen trees on the property, helped convert a bus to a motorhome, started a new job, missioned about france and belgium in the campervan, rebuilt my old 1970s swiss made revox amplifier, plasterboarded all of the upstairs and painted, re-wired most of the house, yeah i know, excuses excuses anyway house is looking ok, untill a building warrant comes through for the extension down stairs, so i have some time on my hands. so i was back to bolting the 2 parts of the bottom end back together, but thought id go over it all just in case i missed something a year ago, just as well as id missed a spring that activates the "highway gear" selector (basically lets it go from 4th back into neural, or allows it to shift into 5th and stops it going into neutral) pretty cool idea, and also forgot 2 split pins on the selector forks, that keep the pins in place and keep it located on the selector drum, of course like a retard, i didnt have a single split pin any where, so that made short work of my evenings work on the bike, hopefully work on this will pick up, and ill have it finished before,... before sometime

i had to shoot to new zealand for my grandads funeral had his last ride in his faithful 55 morris (had it since new) when i got back my barrels were waiting, even champhered the ports for me, which was nice they are like brand new, pretty impressed, with the results... not so much with the service though. also the new clutch metals and fibres had turned up, along with new points and condensers. and a cool little tool box cover lid which i was missing. they fall into the unobtainium category of rare metals, but managed to find a brand new one in the correct colour so thats where i stand now, i pretty much have everything i need now to finish the engine, just a couple of carb kits, and a couple of bearings for the generator to fit, and a few days she should be back together, time permitting

right been a while. lots of waiting when parts have to come from the other side of the world, any way first to arrive was my new shift drum and selector dogs. i had to buy a whole set to get one dog. but thats the way it goes sitting nicely in their new home next up was cleaning the gear box, removing and replacing all the bearings, thankfully simply bearings in the uk had every thing i needed in stock, most of the bits i need arrived from richards relics in the U.S, the new intake to airbox rubbers and chrome joiner the new pistons, rings, pins, small end bearings, and circlips gasket set and brake shoes and a funky little key ring also a new cam lobe for the points inside the alternator/generator still waiting on http://www.poetonaptec.co.uk/ to return my barrels, they were remarkably quick to take my money, but refuse to return an email, i guess ill have to suck it and see but the good news is i can atleast rebuild the bottom end back up.

arhh the joys of honda twins, ive owned a couple of the early cb250's a k2 and a g5 the g5 ate cams, broke rockers, dropped valves, threw a rod, the k2 blew 2nd gear, snapped the kick start shaft, holed a couple of pistons, and ate some rings, cool bikes when running, but was never sure how honda got such a good reputation, i think it was on on the back of the c90 good luck.

most parts have been ordered, it pretty great expense out of the states the mrs even noticed the drop in the bank account, which she doesnt normally notice. bugger. but she just got a new car so i didnt really get in trouble just a stern look ive decided im going to have to rebuild the alternator, after finding out the price on a replacement item, (more than the price i paid for the bike) ive managed to get the cam that opens the points, so i'll have to free the old ones off, and replace the bearings, barrels were sent off to http://www.poetonaptec.co.uk/ to get ceramic plated. here is the left hand barrel, it had the rings stuck to the bore, and required a stupid amount of effort to free them from the piston. you can see the chrome chipping off at the top, and faintly see the mark just above the transfer?? port where the rings were stuck next up is the right hand cylinder, which is actually in pretty good shape, and if the left had been like this i wouldnt have sent them off to get ceramic plated. so thats the befores, ill update on the afters

ordered all the seals and bearings tonight. im having trouble finding a shifter fork to replace the broken one, i was hoping for a second hand part, but looks like im going to have to "fork" out for n.o.s. .... bugger, so my list of bits to get are * clutch basket / steels and fibre plates (£60-100) * pistons, rings, pins and clips, (2 sets) (£200) * barrels, replated or replaced (£130 per barrel to replate) (£160 for new barrel) * tank rubber knee pads (£75) * intake rubbers (£110) * gasket set (£90) * brake lever (£15) * brake shoes (£ unobtainable!! ) * gear change dog (£unknown ) * carb rebuild kit (£ unknown) * alternator (£100) so atleast £1k to spend first up will be to get the engine internals. as they will hold up any sort of progress, and i'd like to get the bottom end back together, whilst i still remember where shit goes

ok finally got a decent internet conncetion in the new house so i can upload some photos and what not carbs was next 40years of petrol turns into this.... yum so those and the crankcases went along to my mate with a new ultra sonic cleaner.. most of the stuff is done being unltra sonicly cleaned, i think im going to have to buy one, bloody awesome. crank cases. and carbs. the floats need a bit of work, as they were floating and couldnt be done properly. not sure why my mate dint just weigh them down, but im not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. now its really time for the moths to hop out of my wallet, and start ordering shit

yep. no mew old stock available, thakfully richard from bridgestone motorcycles in the states got reproduction ones made a full set for both sides crank case rubber and airbox/filter to crankcase is $160 usd so not bloody cheap. but available non the less

right where was i. so cases got split, crank got pulled, and onto the gearbox, the selector dogs had partially welded themselves to the selector shaft and i couldn't free it to pull the shaft free, but with a combo of blow torch and almost a can of penetrating spray and a few dozen taps from a hammer i managed to get all the dogs moving. so the shaft came out, and with a bit of wet and dry and oil i cleaned up the shaft to a nice smoothish and more importantly re-useable condition. i found this bit of metal in the bottom of the gearbox... hmmm, oh so it looks like i have to buy a dog, not to worry, first broken thing ive found, gearbox bearing are a bit notchy so i'll replace them, and have decide to replace to 2 outer crank bearings as well, just because. cases are off to a mate to get sonic cleaned, and get rid of the 40 year old shite on them. next up, carbs and alternator, then to spend a stupid amount of money on almost impossible to find parts

well all tell and no show for this post. pics in the next post..... anyway, split the crank cases, and the news is pretty damn good. all 3 crank bearings are in good nick with no play, the conrods and bottom end bearings are good, all the gearbox and bearings are good. only the selector forks and the selector barrel are stuck at the moment. even the center seal is good, (was my secret dread, all good bearings but fucked seal, which would have meant spliting the crank.) so thankfully that'll all save me around £500-600 ill still have to spend around 250quid a side on barrel re-plating, pistons, rings and top end bearings, plus another 100 on intake rubbers plus another 100 on clutch parts. and atleast another 100 on gaskets seals and other random bits, get a vintage 2 stroke they said, cheap fun ... aha

yeah, pretty good idea, my vespa has a similar idea, but instead of using a disk it uses a notch cut out of the crank itself, which obviously is a bit more of an issue to change, you could possiby use a down draft carb and do a little sweeping curve to feed the port. obviously these days if you were going to make a 2 stroke you'd just fuel inject it.

right, update time. basically moved house so now have a garage and a place to work on the bike, has been a bit of a mission getting settled in, but been worth it, the garage first off had to remove the carbs etc from the side of the engine, all the wiring, hoses, foot rests seat tank etc, so i could unbolt the engine and pull it from the frame, not a too hard of a job, the chain was stuck pretty solid to the front sprocket next up was to pull the heads which was super easy, next was barrels. not so easy. managed to pull the right hand one no bother, the rings and piston were in pretty good nick, and if it was cast iron bores i'd have been happy with the barrel as well, the left hand cylinder wasn't going anywhere, so left it for a time until i could get to the nut on the crankshaft and try and brute force it out. pull the clutch side case, a combo of black sludge and water came out to reval the mess that is the clutch, all new friction and steel plates are going to be needed pulled the basket and all the associated cogs etc, a bit of rust on some, but easily save-able. then into the rotary valve, everything is nicely marked so you can't really cock up the timing if you pay a wee bit of attention rinse and repeat on the oil pump side. you probably noticed the alternator is out, that fucker is also seized solid and will also need new bearings. yep much the same so that pretty much it. i did get the other piston out. piston is pretty much done for, and rings are poked, but i sort of thought it was always going to be the case. crank is feeling really good, so hopefully i dont have to spend $800 usd on a new crankshaft, its probably going to cost me around that for all the bearings, pistons, rings, seals, gaskets, etc etc tomorrow night hopefully split the cases.... may be

cool project, always liked the old dr/gn donk. but you are the worst at taking pics,

100% their own design. chrome bores were well ahead of the time, and having a rotary valve was pretty much revolutionary for the time, kawasaki stole that design for its a1r race bike. bridgestone took on lilacs engineers (another jap bike company) when it went under, but they produced 4 strokes, mostly v twins guzzi style.

7 years ago i bought and rebuilt a mini buffalo which turned out to have a bridgestone 60cc engine fitted (rotary valve 2 stroke single) wtf bridgestone as in the tyres guys??? yep. duning the 60's and 70's they made and competed very sucessfully with motorbikes read the history and demise of the bike division here http://bridgestonemotorcycleparts.com/index.php?topic=149.0 anyway its taken me 8 years to find another bridgeston. ive now moved to scotland and managed to find a mkII rs that had been imported from the states along with a bunch of rd350's the guy who bought it over had no interest in it so sold it to me, it was produced in december 1968. (1 of 7800 built) mk11 rs200 dual rotary valve induction, twin cylinder 2 stroke, pics so the good bits are its pretty much complete, its only done 2900 miles. paint is ok and has a cool patina frame is in excellent condition bad bits are, its been sitting for 40 odd years its seized solid, all the rubber bits are perished or missing front brake lever is busted, my plan is to get it running, by doing as much of a rebuild that is necessary, i wont be touching the paint, as i dont want a show bike, replace any missing bits, get it registered over here in scotland and ride it. im guessing im going to need: rings for both cylinders top and bottom bearings, new conrods, and new crank pins, piston pins, all new internal bearings new chain and sprockets, rubber carb boots (carb to airbox) tanks rubber knee pads, new tyres, and probably a rebore/re-chome depending on barrel type . i'll post photos as things happen (which may be a while, in the midst of moving house at the moment)

well, not much done to the old girl, it went through another mot (wof) with out even a single advisory, i cleaned up the bottom of the doors, patched a little hole on the wheel arch and changed out the rear shocks 1 of which looked to be the factory sachs shock and the other had been changed to a monroe, the monroe was still servicable, but the sachs shock was as good as useless, a mate went over to ireland for a week in it and it behaved like it should, and we are off up to the isle of skye in scotland for a wedding for a few days, so should be good.

ive had two, both got abused like you wouldnt beleive and wouldnt die, did some awesome off road riding on one up the back of waitahanui (near taupo) with mates on dirt bikes, went anywhere they did, great bikes.

Well, where was I . . Oh yes - the clutch. All the new parts (plus one old one) were laid out: I then de-greased and washed the flywheel and housing as well as I could with Industrial cleaner and hot water (DOH, I should have set the camera 'white balance' to "Daylight" :blast). I used 'Optimol TA' on the splines and spring contact points before assembly to make sure that everything moves smoothly. Its just like a car clutch and the friction plate needs to be centred before the cover plate is tightened down. I used a spare Input Shaft with the pushrod pushed through to the diaphragm spring to align everything before the 6 set screws are tightened down evenly to a final torque of 17 lbs/ft. The Input shaft is then withdrawn and the gearbox installed. I had removed the swing arm to make this easier. With the gearbox installed (the splines lined-up OK, thankfully) The airbox goes on - this is not a nice job as the two upper bolts are a fiddle. I should have ground a 6mm Allen Key down a bit but decided to just take my time over it. Notice anything missing . . . Yup, I forgot to put the cross-over fuel pipe in so it all had to come apart . . Bummer :blast. The clutch operating arm is then installed and set to the requisite 203mm clearance from the cable mounting lug (The BMW Club had long articles in their mag about this :augie ). I thought I'd better put a new Air Filter in while I was at it . The rear brake stoplight switch looked a bit past its best - but it works :thumb. The swing Arm was installed, centred and torqued-down. A new Speedo Cable boot was fitted in place of the hard and cracked one and everything started coming together. I remembered to fill the gearbox with oil and while I was at it checked and topped up the bevel drive and drive shaft. The engine oil was nice and clean so didn't need touching. Then the rear carrier, tank, seat and silencer (:confused:) were fitted. This involved bad language and a lack of photographs but finally here we are . . . . The Rat Bike Lives :bounce1 :clap. so thats it, got the bike back today, ride home was interesting, would only fire on one except at idle or with the choke on, so i rode home on the choke still managed 65mph with the new higher 5th gear just on choke clutch is super easy, easier than any of my other bikes in fact, to do jobs are, unblock main jet, replace all the cables, balance the carbs, do the valve clearances, tighten the rocker arm end play, replace the indicator relay with a led unit, then start the rear spoked wheel. and come up with a steel front mud guard

fuck yeah he's an awesome dude, i have to get him something for all the work, but he doesnt drink, so i can't even ply him with copious amounts of single malt whisky. i guess ill give him a resturant voucher and some cash. roughly in parts, just for the gearbox its cost about £400, ive seen complete "rebuilt boxes" out of germany for £550. it makes me wonder how you could viably rebuild gearboxes for £150 labour, seeing the labour bob put into the job, there must be atleast 15-25 hours worth in there, and the germans are selling the boxes, not even a swap, a second hand box of unknown condition costs roughly £250-£300 soo you only have at best 300 to play with for all the parts and labour!! any way, he did the cluch as well, it took bob 2 hands to pull in the lever i'd just assumed was a bmw dry clutch thing, I had employed my massive forearms to better effect but this wasnt right, so bob got on the case and fixed that, along with all the rest of the dodgy bits on the bike that i didnt give a shit about but bob woth his O.C.D. couldn't live with, i think it was driving him mad that i wouldnt let him paint the tank ill get some photos up when i grab the bike

ok, well as some of you know, on my way to do my euro trip i blew the gearbox coming into stormin the castle, so i ditched the beemer and bought a bandit12 to do it on, fast foward to a few weeks ago when i finally got round to picking up thebmw and dropping it off to a local guy who is an expert on air head boxes, he has dozens of them and they get sent to him from around europe to do, luckily he agreed to do mine as he had nothing on, and didnt even want to get paid for the job, just pay for parts, so here is his write up on the job I had a quick look at the bike after you had gone. That box sounds as though its got a really serious problem, I've never heard a noise like that before. It will be interesting to see what happened (I'll post pictures). I was out with horses today and tomorrow I've got to sort out a neighbour's chainsaw before doing anything else but hopefully I'll make a start at getting the box out. I'll report back on progress. .... Just to remind you, this is what turned up: It was very difficult to push about as the box wasn't running free in Neutral, this was accompanied by horrible 'clunking' noises. Pretty soon it was a sorry little Rat Bike Taking it apart wasn't difficult. The tank was held on by the single fuel pipe and the airbox only had one bolt - which was very loose. The seat was clinging on with two nuts that were just started on their threads The air filter is a scrapper :blast. Anyway, the box was soon on the bench: The Output Flange nut came off OK, but the taper was very tight (a good sign). The box was very dirty around the clutch end. The clutch lever was very stiff so I was expecting trouble there. The magnetic drain plug didn't look too bad - which surprised me as I was expecting more swarf than this: Soon the box was apart to reveal . . Swarf everywhere I can't show it in stills, but the rear bearing on the output shaft was the worst I've ever seen - its almost possible to remove the outer track from what's left of the balls and cage. The other bearings are shot as well - but are not as bad. The output shaft has been pulled back from the front bearing. There shouldn't be any discernible space between the bearing and the fifth gear pinion. This is why we fit circlips to the front of the inner bearing The swarf has contaminated the oil and has worn the two bearing sleeves that the first and second gear pinions run on - The plain sleeve for First Gear: The First Gear pinion has a plain thrust washer on each side. The inner one has been pressed into the Third Gear sliding pinion - its supposed to be flat. This has further damaged the bearing sleeve that did the damage to it. The (expensive) roller Bearing on the front of the Input Shaft is usually OK, however, this one is jammed solid and the rollers won't turn so I guess its full of swarf I think the box has run low on oil at some point in its life (there was oil in it when I drained it) as the Input and Output shafts have been 'blued' with heat where the bearings have been choked with swarf: I'm not intending to replace them as the bearing sleeves will be renewed. I can't see them going soft (or brittle) with the heat treatment. Some of the retaining washers and circlips on the Output Shaft are damaged and will be replaced. One circlip has been reduced to almost half its circumference, yet I didn't find any broken pieces The 'clunking' noise heard when the bike was being wheeled about came from the Drive shaft. The rear bearing on the Output Shaft was so worn that the Drive Flange was hitting the outer sleeve on the rear gearbox cover - where the 'boot' attaches. This movement allowed the Worm Drive on the Flange to chew-up the Speedometer Drive gear - you can see how the spline teeth are now tapered towards the lower end. I have ordered a 'Good used' one from Motorworks. Worse, the Drive Flange has cracked the rear cover. Its not critical and I'll put a touch of Epoxy adhesive on it. A 'Good Used' rear cover is £110 from Motorworks The good news: There is some. The selector forks are fine with just one tip showing signs of heat. They will go back in OK. The complete Selector Mechanism is also A-OK. I'll replace the springs and Indexing Roller as a matter of course but this is actually better than some I've seen The cam faces on the Input Shaft Shock Absorber are also very good. The Clutch: The Clutch assembly looked well past its sell-by date and I wasn't very hopeful about saving all of it. I removed the six 'hold down' bolts and expected the outer retaining ring to fall off and the Friction Plate to fall out . . . not a bit of it, the thing was welded together and nothing would shift it. I soaked the three locating pegs in Penetrating Oil and left it for a couple of days - still no movement. So with a gas torch and a hammer and cold chisel (to use as a wedge) I eventually got the bits separated. The Friction Plate is just down to the rivets and the rest is rusty and seized. I'll save what I can but I have ordered three new parts from Moto-Bins today. The problem then was that all the components were contaminated with very fine metal swarf and I didn't want to put anything back in that state. Washing the Gear Pinions in Kerosene didn't remove the swarf so I dug out my 27 litre Ultrasonic Cleaner "Hubble-Bubble" After two 20-minute sessions, the cleaning fluid was a dark brown colour. When the fluid was drained the bottom was coated in particles - mostly steel swarf. I cleaned the tank out with a large clump of paper towel which came out covered in sparkly bits. As the gear pinions and so on were now thoroughly de-greased I carefully re-oiled everything and set it aside ready for assembly. I have a couple of (large) orders outstanding with Moto-Bins and Motorworks so assembly will have to wait until the shiny new bits have arrived. To be continued.... ..... I fitted the centre track from a 6403 bearing onto the Output Shaft and then stuck it in the lathe. Using a carbide strip ground down to a shade over 1mm thickness and given a cutting tip, I cut a circlip groove into the forward end. It doesn't take long and a new circlip fitted OK. Then a van arrived . . Oooooh, shiny bits Hmmmm, doesn't look like £432-worth does it It's not all for this bike as I'm re-stocking some of the small stuff . New vs. Old. The second gear bearing sleeve was a nice tight fit on the shaft. Always ensure that these oil holes are lined up as there isn't an oil groove on the inside of the sleeve. The new 'High Fifth' gear was fitted, along with fourth & Second gears, front bearing and the all-important circlip. Second gear is a lovely fit on that new sleeve - smooth without any hint of play I then added the third and first gear pinions. First gear is also a nice smooth fit without shake on its new sleeve - quite unlike the way it was when it came off originally. The 'Standard Fifth' gear is shown, there is no difference in diameter they just cunningly re-profile it to include fewer teeth I built up the Input and Intermediate shafts yesterday, but didn't take pictures (it involves spring compressors, various home-made steel 'dollies' and my floor press) all three shafts are now ready to go back in. The Gear Selector mechanism is also ready with new springs and Indexing Roller. I may get the box assembled tomorrow but then there will be a short break as I'm off to "The Bristol Classic Bike Show" at Shepton Mallet on Friday/Saturday. I won't be on the 1150GSA this year as I don't fancy the M6 on a Friday with snow and ice - I'll be taking a large 4x4 . I must be getting old and soft I put the gearbox casing through the Ultrasonic Cleaner yesterday. It is clean but the alloy is now dark and mottled. I'll see if I can clean it up with something before building it up. To be continued . . . . ..... More progress to report Having assembled the three shafts I heated the gearbox case with a Propane torch and fitted them along with the intermediate shaft selector fork that has to go in at the same time. There are two oil baffles in front of the Intermediate & Output shafts and the Input shaft's roller bearing has to go in before the others as all three bearings are an Interference fit. It entails a bit of juggling and one has to be quick. A quick tap with a rubber mallet ensures that all bearings are seated before the case cools. Then the Selector mechanism, Output Shaft Selector forks and shaft and main oil baffle are fitted. When the case has cooled the gear lever if fitted and the gearchange is checked. It isn't great with the rear bearings unsupported but as long as all gears can be selected it will be OK when the rear cover is fitted. Then the rear cover gasket goes on with a light smear of Blue Hylomar. And now for the technical bit - Shimming the end-float . One needs a 'Shimming Plate' for this job: I have drilled mine so that I can bolt it down on top of the gasket. I think that this gives me the most accurate measurements but people have different approaches and may just rest the plate on the case or put the gasket in after the measuring has been done - each to his own. I use a 'Outside Micrometer' and a 'Depth Micrometer' for this job. First measure the thickness of the Shimming Plate: Then measure the thickness of the oil baffle that goes on the rear of the Intermediate shaft: Using the Depth Micrometer, measure the height of each bearing above the plate - I take about six measurements around each bearing. Then measure the depth of the bearing housings in the rear cover - again, I take about six per bearing. All of this is written down and then the shim thickness is calculated for each bearing: The formula goes . . (Depth in cover - 0.05mm clearance) - (height above plate + plate thickness + baffle thickness) = Shim thickness. One then has to assemble a collection of shims to the right value. These come in four nominal sizes - 0.20mm / 0.28mm / 0.38mm / 0.50mm. However there is quite a variation and I spend time mixing & matching until I get the right result to within 0.02mm. Here, I am looking for 0.95mm for the Output shaft and the shims measure 0.94 - good enough for me . The collection of shims are lightly greased and placed centrally on the bearings - you don't want them moving as the cover is fitted I screw four 6mm studs into the back if the case as a guide for the cover. It will be hot and if fumbled causes mayhem with shims falling about the place . A final check is made of the rear cover to ensure it is flat. If not it will cause problems. And then the cover is heated with the Propane torch and carefully lowered onto the bearings. It is then tapped down with a rubber mallet and five of the nine set screws are fitted. The studs are removed and all set screws fitted and torqued-down to 9 lbs/ft. When the box has cooled and I am happy that the clearances feel right I fit the three oil seals. First the input shaft splines are masked and the shaft given a light smear of grease. I use a long socket of appropriate size to seat the oil seal into the case. The seal is given a light coat of Blue Hylomar to ensure its oil tight around the case. Surplus compound is wiped away and that's one done :thumb. Now remove the gear lever and repeat the process with the gear lever shaft oil seal. I used an 18mm socket to seat it. The gear lever shaft is given a light smear of grease and replaced. The Output Shaft oil seal is given the same treatment. This is a Monolever bike so the oil seal lips face outwards to let the box breath into the leg (which has oil in it). Paralevers have a different oil seal that is faced inwards as the leg is dry. Paralever boxes breath through the hollow bolt that secures the speedometer cable and battery earth strap. I use a flat steel disk I turned on the lathe with a 50mm 3/4" drive socket to seat the rear oil seal. The output Shaft drive flange is then given a light greasing and fitted to the taper shaft - the taper is kept dry. The nut is torqued down to 161 lbs/ft which is a bit of a heave. I use a long locking bar and a Certified 50-300 lbs/ft 3/4"-drive torque wrench for this. Almost finished now. The Neutral Switch is checked with a Multi-Meter and fitted with a new washer. The Drain Plug is also fitted with a new washer. I cleaned the swarf off the magnet with cloth and a high-pressure air line (don't try this at home kids :rob). The replacement Speedometer Drive, a new collar and the breather bolt are then fitted (it doesn't strictly need a breather bolt as a plain one would do but it has one so it went back in). And that's it - the box is finished . . . . Now for the clutch . . . . ...... so thats it, box is done clutch done, bike back together and a massive parts bill to pay, almost to the price i paid for the bike a couple of years ago