GregT

Don't know about car regs but I've seen a bike frame which was dipped to remove powdercoat - and subsequently broke. Internal acid damage. I've been told at some point in the past that Motorsport NZ won't certify tubular rollcages which have been dip stripped No idea if that is still a current reg.

i'll probably go along for a look. Go every few years to see who's still alive.

Side topic but I've ported Yamaha heads - 2,4 and 5 valve. And toyota 2 and 4 valve. Very similar problems suggesting a corporate design policy. Basically up until current product, too big inlets and too small exhausts. Really exacerbated on the 5v's.

Air shock is probably a Fournales. Very active agent in Aussie back in the day - and not a lot of alternatives.

FYI I took 15mm off the width of a GS1000 speedo drive for a road bike change to modern rims. You'd be surprised what can be done. Any info turned up about dad's engine mods ?

And relax. She's decided she doesn't want to hang around ChCh so is going back home and will get it done in Oamaru. Had a listen and i'm picking it's a noisy waterpump - but she'll get the cambelt done at the same time.

Daughter's Starlet needs cambelt plus probably waterpump. Do we use dealer or can anyone recommend a workshop? I don't have the space or energy to do it myself. Thanks

Don't want to rain on anyone's parade - but an original or close to original one is highly collectible. Please don't do anything irreversible. Story for context. My old business partner raced big Suzukis back in the day. The year that the NZGP was held on the Sydenham street circuit he was running the same model as you have in F1 and senior Production. On the second row for the F1 GP, got a good start - 3rd into turn 1 (as verified by the photo he had on his wall) Then the gear linkage fell apart leaving him in 2nd gear. Rest of the race in 2nd gear and still finished fourth.

I'd just put later 17's on it. It should be possible to get a 4.5in rear on without much trouble, a 5.5 is a bit of a squeeze. The 1135 donk is the king of the early GSX's, stock they are very quick. Judging by the pipe, pods and APE sticker your dad has already had a go at it. Any memory or record of what he'd done to it ? Over the years I've built a few of those engines for road and track. Just ask if you need to know anything.

Just how bad was the head injury ? Don't decide paint while stunned.

Those things and the similar 500 have a nasty trick. If the kickstart gear seizes on it's shaft, the whole assembly including the kickstart pedal can spin at the speed of the gear in the box. I'm told it can be spectacular - and painful. Moral is to never let the oil level in the box get too low. Good progress. Well done.

You can sidestep some of the aggro. A fuel pump from a bike - specifically one of the big Hondas or FZR Yamahas on carbs - will have an automatic cutoff which is backpressure sensitive. IE it only pumps when the float chambers need fuel and cuts when the float needles hit the seats. Volume shouldn't be a problem as they're used on sidecar outfits using Methanol.

The weld recommendation comes from one of the world's leading 2 stroke tuners - not me. He regularly uses mallory metal for balancing and invariably tack welds it in.

It can also be tig'd in. Spot welds around the edges.

Is there a damper on the operating arm of the throttle body ? If it's gone west the idle can be all over the place.

That tip about Holden diffs - PK is Paul Kirk, Very experienced and clued-up guy. Known him for decades. I put a used diff head from a 186 Kingswood in my hot 202 LJ Torana when I blew the original. Went down to the 3.55 - and drag raced it. No probs at all.

3rd gear crunch....My experience - limited as it is - suggests that the origin of the synchro damage is the OE very long clutch pedal travel. Combined with the Italian ergonomics - seat well back to fit behind the wheel which makes it a stretch to the pedals - complete disengagement of the clutch is an effort. So on quick upshifts it leads to making the synchros work harder than they're happy with. You moved the seat on this one didn't you ? Did it help ?

Freshly rebuilt plain bearing bike engines i use 20/50 straight mineral as the initial break in lube. After the first change use what you prefer. Don't try and reseat the rings on synthetic, it simply won't happen Ring tensions are very low on Honda bike multis in my experience.

I see you're prepping for engine assembly. As one who's seen the inside of a lot of Honda bike engines, I'd advise having a good look at the oil holes on the crank. Honda have a history of not finishing the holes properly and leaving sharp edges where they break out onto the crank surface. Often they do big mileages before any trouble - but put the engine under stress and a bearing will pick up. I use a small ball grinding stone in a die grinder to chamfer any sharp edges. The tiny amount of material removed won't upset the balancing job.

Forbes and Davies are the agents for NGK bike plugs AFAIK - but there's a lot of overlap.

Ball bearings will be fine as mains. I'd use C3 though. Where did you price the lipped rollers ? I bought a pair locally recently about $290 for the pair. Imperial sizing of course. They looked at their records and said I'd had them before. This time they are for a AJS Stormer twostroke. First time was for a 500cc Rudge special. Same bearing.

Only just seen your request for a baked enameller sorry. I use Industrial Painters 80 Buchan St Sydenham ChCh. Can reccommend. Powdercoaters have the ovens for baked enamel. Ask around the powdercoaters local to you to see if any will do it on the side. My main reason for not using powder is that even with ISO9000 standard prep and prime, if you get water uderneath as can happen from a stone bruise etc, the steel will rust under the powder. Several times I've had a frame for repair and found a lot of powder flaking off rusted parts. Also as most of my frames are race bikes, ease of repair is a factor. If welding is required on a damaged powdercoated frame it's a case of strip it all off as you can't do spot repairs. Paint is easy powder ain't.

It all makes good - and familiar - reading. We were a yachting family when I was a kid. Raced dinghys for years then built our first keeler. Raced and cruised that then built our second. A stub keel, centerboard Van der Stat design originally for the River Plate estuary. Turned out that it planed in the right conditions which meant that sailed agressively it was a winner in local BPCC B class. And the old man having raced dinghys most of his life was VERY agressive on the helm. From another forum I'm in contact with a kiwi living in the Med who runs a rigging business. Superyachts and race boats at top end and maintenance of a couple of hire fleets, He was talling me the costs of rigging using carbon fibre rod stays which are now the hot setup. Un bloody believable.

I'd just replace rings as they look like they've lost tension. Hone bore and wet and dry on piston. Do a crosshatch pattern on the piston skirts as it helps retain oil. Also take the carbon buildup off the top of the exhaust port. Top of piston does look a tad lean. Oil your filter element which will richen it up quite a bit. Timing you should be able to check with a strobe light.

Measuring is really your only criteria with the rods. Still round and within factory specs. I'm assuming it's a mainshaft integral with the web you're thinking is undersize ? Again measuring will tell you how bad it is. Possibly a combination of measuring the new mains and picking the smallest ID bearing and using bearing mount would solve it. There's sometimes a surprising amount of difference between "identical" bearings. Millyard I suspect is like me and a couple others I know. We have a pretty good idea of how bad things can be and still function acceptably. Doing it for 50+ years helps. How long do you want it to last - and how much mileage will it do ? Mine got raced and used as a daily but it gave 8mpg on the road - and 12mpg when raced lol. Not a cheap thing to use these days.