This post will be almost all pictures there is some really cool stuff that I have never seen anywhere else. Check em out and leave a comment telling us your favorite(s).
(comments are moderated so please be patient, and once again please excuse the low res pictures)
Peace Y’all
Would you like to have a brand new vintage Triumph or a first year Gold Wing? I know where some are, but I don’t know if you can buy them. They are part of the Carpenter Museum collection along with the 2 MZs that I showed to you in my last post. Take a peek at these pictures!
A Honda collectors dream come true!
Read it and weep.
It would destroy the value but I would take this one out & ride it if I could!
I’ve been traveling a lot for work lately and have not posted as much. While in Concord N.C. I stopped by Dennis Carpenter Ford Reproductions to look at a beautiful old Falcon that was sitting out front for sale. The gentleman who owned the car worked there, and came out to greet me and we talked for a while. I used to own a 66 Falcon and if I ever find another one at the right price. This one was a beautiful powder blue with the original engine and less than 70,000 miles on it!
classic Ford Falcon
Ford Falcon all original engine
Of course the focus of this blog is all things 2 wheeled and we know that if you need Cushman scooter parts Carpenters is the best game in town. While I was talking to the guy about the Falcon he told me about the museum out back and where to go in the showroom to get to see it. I like old Fords (I’ve owned a few) and Cushmans are cool so it was definitely worth a look. The cars and the scooters did not disappoint but what blew me away was the large and diverse collection of classic motorcycles and bicycles of all kinds from every continent! Please keep in mind that I was totally unprepared for this and all the pics you are about to see are crappy low resolution cell phone pics.
Badass old lawnmower!
Before we get to the bikes when was the last time you saw a lawnmower like this?
Here is a view down the front aisle. Its a little fuzzy but you get the idea.
Honda CTs etc.
twin Trumpet twins!
Check out this twin engine Triumph dragster!
a bunch of mint vintage bikes
seriously cool old bicycles
Did I mention bicycle? Here are some samples.
a row of classic Triumph motorcycles
A Triumph lovers dream many with zero miles on them!
Beezer!
Triumph X-75 Hurricane
Don’t forget BSA. Do you see the white Guzzi?
Got Hurricane?
Brand new MZ motorcycles
This is just a teaser for now I’ll post more pics at a later date. There where several large boxes like this sitting around too….
Peace Y’all
Yep I went and moved into town, to make matters worse the town was 2 and a half hours away from home. Couldn’t help it, it had to be done, opportunity was knocking too loudly for me to ignore, sometimes you just gotta go for it etc. ad nauseum….
The problem was leaving behind one of the better equipped workshops on the planet, and moving to a rented house without so much as a storage shed in the yard. So I did a little research into my choices and after weighing all the social, political, and economic consequences went to my local Lowes store to pick up a 10′ x 14′ Arrow brand metal storage building, of the model designated Lindale.
Interestingly enough this model had very mixed reviews, but having put a similar building up before it is my opinion that most of the bad reviews were due to excessively high expectations. This is one of the least expensive buildings you can get in this size so you should be realistic. The steel panels are thin and can be damaged easily, but this is not the result of poor quality, it is the result of engineering it to a price point that can be sold readily.
I already had an existing concrete slab in the yard that was left behind by a previous resident so my site prep was nil. You really need a reasonably level spot to install these buildings. But that’s beyond the scope of this article.
You need to get the building a day ahead of time before you plan to start it. Take the model number and go to the Arrow Sheds website and download and print the instructions for your shed. Yes I know there should be a set in the box already but a. you should not open the box until ready to begin, and b. the instructions for mine had a page missing so I’m really glad that I did. After you print the instructions spend a couple of hours studying them. Then check your weather forecast. You will need 2 full days (8-10 hours each) of light or no wind to install construct this building. If all of these conditions are met charge up all of your electric screwdrivers and plan to get up early on the first day. Be sure you have a good helper and a ladder also. This is not a job for one person.
Get up early in the morning and open up your box, and lay out all of the parts, grouping them together by part number and checking to make sure you have everything you need to build it. I am not going to repeat the instructions, just some observations. Remember when using power tools to install this use a very light touch as the screw holes in the thin sheet metal will strip very easily. Do not use a full powered electric drill. I recommend a battery screwdriver, or a battery drill with a slip clutch set to the lowest possible setting that will drive the screws in. You should at least be able to get the walls up the first day.
Here you can see the sheet metal roof trusses better.
Now you can eat supper and recharge your battery powered tools and get some rest because you and your helper are going to put the roof on in the morning. Be prepared to lean on walls or to gently push and pull on the building as needed to get the screw holes to line up properly at times, and don’t worry if you ding a panel or to just pop it back out after you finish attaching it. Just remember this building is not capable of supporting your weight so do not try to climb on top of it. If you do, be prepared to be nominated for the Darwin Awards
If everything is done just right you should be able to install the last roof panel without much trouble.
We'll know in a minute if this building is square :0
I am making no resolutions this year, except to try to survive until next year. Thanks to all for reading these few posts of mine and I hope you return.
Peace Y’all
Floyd
Actually this article is a little late, I actually finished this engine up months ago, rode the snot out of it, and sent it home with its happy owner. Here are some pictures of the process. This is not nor is it intended to be a step by step guide. It just your chance to see something the average person normally never gets to see.
Let’s start with a view of the transmission and shift drum sitting in the now very clean engine case.
Add the crankshaft,
To keep the gaskets in place I use Hondabond 4 gasket sealer. This and similar products do not allow the gasket to squeeze out the way silicon based sealants sometimes do.
Here it is with the front half in place.
Next pic shows the reverse lock out lever (red arrow) and the shift actuator rod (gray arrow) installed into the rear crankcase half. The shifter rod passes completely through the crankcase to the linkage that operates the shift drum.
Back to the front of the engine here is the oil pump drive chain.
Now insert the camshaft, chain, and tensioner, be sure to line up the timing marks as noted in the service manual.
After adding the rest of the small parts that were laid out in a carefully organized fashion on the workbench put the front and rear covers back on.
The cylinder wear was very light so I felt safe just honing it out and replacing the piston rings.
Here’s a shot of the cylinder installed to the crankcase with the piston at top dead center
After everything else was back together I was ready to line up the timing marks and set the valve lash.
Check your service manual for the specification for your engine.
Everything else was just a reversing of the diss-assembly. Just keep putting parts back on until you have a working four wheeler again.
I know that I’m not the only one that love both bicycles and motorcycles check out this website; BREW Bikes LLC
Normally I prefer my motorcycles to be rockets and my bikes to be laid back cruisers. This shop prefers things the other way around. Although my taste in bikes is different I can dig an old school chopper especially since these guys really seem to be able to dig the performance out of old flathead Hogs.
Plus they build some of the best looking custom mountain and bmx bicycles I’ve seen on the web. Go check’em out you’ll be glad you did.
Haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been busy relocating the motopsyco.com world headquarters to Wilmington N.C. I will be posting the Recon re-assembly pictures soon and doing a little work on my Ninja, and will let you follow along. I have permanently closed my backyard cycle shop (at least for as long as I am gainfully employed). Motorcycles are supposed to be about fun! Of course I’ll do a lot more posting about bicycle stuff too. This is a serious bicycling town and home to the best damn bicycle shop I have ever been in in my life. Who knows? one day I might visit the other 5 or 6 bicycle shops in town too.
I have befriended a couple of other cyclists of both motorbike and pedal bike varieties. I’ll try not to leave you hanging so long next time!
Peace Y’all
Some motorcycle dealerships are truly different.
This past weekend I traveled to Georgia for the 1st annual Coasters Kustom Bicycle Club show and swap meet. Since I have wanting to look at and swing a leg over one of the new Royal Enfields ( and they have a vintage motorcycle museum.) I added this as a side trip on my way to Powder Springs.
From the outside the building looks ordinary, industrial looking even, but once you step inside and look around the showroom you begin to realize that this is a special place for motorcyclists and gear heads. I’ll just let the pictures do most of the talking…
Showroom at Blue Moon Cycles
The picture above was taken from a corner of the museum. The combination of model airplanes, new BMW’s, and exotic vintage motorcycles and bicycles is amazing.
It turns out that the museum by itself is worth the trip. The first motorcycle that I saw at the top of the stairs was this Munch Mammutt which at the time it was built was the largest production motorcycle in the world.
The Mammoth!
In today’s world 1200cc is a mid-size cruiser, the difference is this bike was an attempt at higher performance. Most of the 1200cc plus bikes built today have only half the power of your average early 90’s 600cc sportbike.
Being a vintage bicycle nut it was a pleasant surprise to see a couple of bicycles in the place as well. Here my beautiful traveling companion poses next to a vintage tandem.
vintage tandem
There was also this.
the Ultimate Period Bicycle Accessory
Of course the museum had a wide range of vintage Beemers including a gorgeous silver R90S, and a number of military motorcycles. They also have a wide range of vintage cycles and scooters from all around the globe. Present at this place you’ll find; NSU, Moto Guzzi, Harley, Jawa, Norton, Triumph, and many other brands on display.
The other great thing about this place is the staff. They were helpful, but not intrusive. It was a great experience to be able to gawk at motorcycles both in the museum and on the sales floor without being hassled by a salesman the whole time, yet they were always ready to answer any questions that I asked.
My main motivation for stopping was to check out the new Enfield, but after my wife and I tried out one of the Ural side car outfits, well let’s just say now it’s time to find a demo ride somewhere to see if I could enjoy flying low and slow.
Until next time,
Peace Y’all
fun dude to hang out with!
Hello once again Ladies, Gentlemen and Russell,
When last I posted the engine was sitting on the bench with the top end and most of it’s accessories removed. The next thing I did was to remove one of the piston pin circlips and push the pin out far enough to remove the piston from the connecting rod.
If you don’t have an impact wrench available you should probably remove the alternator rotor before removing the top end. This is one job that really does require the factory special rotor puller. Fortunately they are not expensive and like the service manual worth every penny.
To remove the camshaft and timing chain first remove the camshaft bearing retainer and rotate the engine until the crankshaft is at top dead center and the timing marks on the cam sprocket and the crankcase line up. Now you can slide the camshaft out while working the cam chain off of the crankshaft. For the picture below I stuck the camshaft bearing retainer back into place after removing the camshaft so you could see how it fits.
Now it’s time to split the cases first remove all of the bolts and gently tap on the small projection around the cases and they should begin to come apart. If they do not easily come apart double to be sure that you have not missed any bolts like the one in this picture, that is inside of the engine where you might miss it.
With a TRX250 Recon engine I like to place it front side down on a workbench that allows me to place the protruding shafts through the bench so that it sits level. Then gently lift up on the rear case while tapping down on the transmission output shaft until it pops free. If you need to pry on the case to move it remember that you should never pry on any of the gasket sealing surfaces or around the cylinder hole. The outside of the engine mounting lugs is okay and there is on small place in between the lifter holes that can be used.
Just remember that if it requires any kind of force to remove something may be wrong and you should re-check everything before proceeding.
Here’s another shot of the transmission innards.
As you pull the pieces out of the transmission and lay them out on the bench like this be sure that you keep track of every single piece, all the washers bearings etc. and where they go in the assembly. I like to re-assemble them all back to their respective shafts as fast as possible. Keeping these parts in order is critical because just 1 misplaced or omitted washer can destroy the transmission and maybe the engine itself.
Here’s a picture of the failed gear so far I have only found one of the lugs that snapped off of it. The others probably drained out with the oil.
One last shot of the nearly empty crankcase, only the crankshaft and bearings remain.
Now I have to clean everything up good and order the required parts so it may be a week or two before you see this engine again.
If you really want to keep up with how this is going please be sure to subscribe to this page via the link on the upper right side of the page.
Peace Y’all
Welcome to the Asylum 