CB100: Wheel Swap Test

 

Not the best session.  Found that the metal race doesn't actually seem to fit the bottom of the CB100 steering head.  Had to go with old fashioned loose ball bearings.

Also discovered that S90 fork bolts are way too short to use with the CB100 bridge.  Was cinching up the left fork using the temporary long 10mm bolt and ended up wedging the top of the fork into the bottom of the bridge.  Had to use a hammer to knock it out.

 Rear wheel installed with no issue, but it's a no go on the front until I can figure out the fork situation.

 

 

Summer Session #4: Epic Paint Day Two

Today was an 8:00 start and then just 3 hours (had to head to the musical theater performance).

Straight forward session.  Painted the frame (first upside down, let dry, then right side up).  Then clear coated the already painted component parts. 

Decided to paint the bridge white to follow the overall color scheme (white on top, red on the bottom).

Overnight, had realized that the reason I probably couldn't get the steering head off was because with the axle still bolted down, it was torquing the forks.  Loosened the axle nut and presto - steering slid right off!

So was then able to prime and paint the steering head, as well as swapping the springs over to the black ones.

Left everything to dry overnight.

Run Red Run: Steering Practice

Wanted to practice getting the steering head off in advance of the big paint job.  Would have been a lot easier if, ONCE AGAIN, I had checked the excellent notes I had made for myself before just diving in and re-inventing the wheel.

Everything actually came apart pretty easily.  Though I did forget that as soon as you remove the steering bolt the bottom bearings are going to start falling out.  I think I did lose a few before adding the little rectangular magnets to keep them from rolling away.

But ended up replacing them with the caged plastic bearing and now I really don't see any reason why you wouldn't use the caged ones all the time.

The problem came during re-assembly when the forks came up way too short to reach the bridge.  Ended up taking the whole thing apart again to see what I'd done wrong.  If only I'd read the old notes, I would have realized that it's easiest to screw in a long 10mm bolt and use it to yank the fork all the way up to the bridge so you can secure it.

Other than that, the only other thing to work out is how to lock the center stand in place so that the whole thing isn't so precariously balanced.

Also added in the recently white painted cushions for a color test.

Spares: Keyless Locks

Want to try to get replacement keys for these...

Red: Top on the Top

After realizing last night that the top cone race and bottom cone race are different sizes, I was worried I had put them on backwards when I did Red's steering.

Happy to report that the top cone (22mm ID) was indeed on the top.

Ivy: 21 Days Later...

The low bars from Thailand came after a total of 21 days (13 days just to get from customs through to SF).  Can't say I'm overly impressed with the quality.  But for $55 it's a good placeholder for now.

There were big chunks of very sharp metal still left in all the openings.  I had to remove big pieces with pliers and then try to file the edges down so they wouldn't cut my cables to shreds.

I was worried there'd be fitment issues with the throttle components but everything fit neatly.  The 44" brake cable is now the perfect length and I hooked up the front brakes, which actually have a fair amount of bite.

Got the steering lock along with the bars and even that felt cheap.  The action was rough on the locking mechanism.  Lesson learned.

Also got my $3.50 steering nuts.  They don't look to be genuine chrome (zinc maybe?), so that explains the price.  They have a cheap, "distorted" surface as compared to what I think is chrome like on Roxy's.  But still, perfect placeholder for now.

Also opened the new fork bridge.  Took some effort to loosen the handlebar mount nuts, but got them turning with just a wrench.  It's slightly different from the one on Ivy now.  Better fit!

Viola: Steering Head Off

Steering head came off Viola for the first time.  Thought the upper race was stuck in place so I was wedging it off with a screwdriver when it suddenly popped free.  The steering head fell out and I heard the sound of ball bearings dropping everywhere.

Unfortunately, found that the forks were frozen solidly in place where they're held by the steering head.  Maybe heat could free them...?