'66 N15 coming together

gpzkat said:
Not sure anyone reads this but here goes....

I should have the toolbox cover after 6 months delay. Painter has the oil tank he painted back in '94 that I gave back to him for reference. He works out of his garage so I understand, the weather hasn't cooperated and backed things up. I should have in a couple weeks, in the meantime I've finished everything electrical, brakes, etc. So I hope to ride in June.

'66 N15 coming together


'66 N15 coming together
Click to expand...
Looking really good
Are those Dunlop K70s on there?
They are surprisingly good these days I hear,and made in a more modern softer compound than the old granite ones !
 
baz said:
Looking really good
Are those Dunlop K70s on there?
They are surprisingly good these days I hear,and made in a more modern softer compound than the old granite ones !
Click to expand...
Yes they are. I'm sure they will be fine and I like the look.
 
Hi Tom, a discussion wih member Gilesy on the subject of G15CS centerstand made me examine your pictures, and I noticed the spur of your stand is at the right side, it should be on the left side. Did you possibly fit the stand reversed, or has it been altered?
Changing it now with the gearbox in place is a nightmare apparently. Once it's been fitted correctly, does it lift the rear wheel off the ground?

- Knut
 
Last edited:
mdt-son said:
Hi Tom, a discussion wih member Gilesy on the subject of G15CS centerstand made me examine your pictures, and I noticed the spur of your stand is at the right side, it should be on the left side. Did you possibly fit the stand reversed, or has it been altered?
Changing it now with the gearbox in place is a nightmare apparently. Once it's been fitted correctly, does it lift the rear wheel off the ground?

- Knut
Click to expand...
Good eye. It didn't make sense to have it on the right side and from step 1 I tried mounting it 'normally' on the left as I figured it should. But it would not work, no way, no how. The arm would not go past vertical so it wouldn't support the bike. I could also see by the wear on the contact points at the top on the little stop arms that it had been fitted with the spur on the right. With it on the right, it swings into place and it sits with the rear wheel off the ground.

I'm still scratching my head how this could be, did it get modified and why? The loop style spur's arc was such that it would come up under a silencer on the right side in an upward and correct fashion. Turning it to the left side meant it would point down and not be accessible for deploying as easily, or for pressing on while lifting the bike onto the stand. So I was convinced.

It's not that terribly difficult to take it off, and I may do that. I am actually thinking of running without one, for some time anyway. I inquired about the Rob Swift one, but I'd still be faced with welding the tang on to suit my pipes and more fiddling. In the garage at least I just use a chain hoist to lift either end for servicing. Not much help out on the road but I've had several bikes with no stand, I can live with it given my riding area etc.
 
Last edited:
Donor of the stand may have been a left-handed man (literally) who had the tang repositioned to suit his needs?

- Knut
 
mdt-son said:
Donor of the stand may have been a left-handed man (literally) who had the tang repositioned to suit his needs?

- Knut
Click to expand...
I suppose so. I took three indications that I was mounting it right, the wear marks, the position allowing it to sit right on the stand and not collapse back onto the rear wheel, and the angle of the tang going downward. But it still seems strange. So now I ground off the tang and no way to get at it without some welding. Well, I can get it up on the stand 'sorta' easy by rolling the bike back onto some wood to lift the rear, but it's a hassle and the benefit really isn't there.

If I rode long distances with tools and spare tube or patch kit, I'd want the stand. I also remember in my younger days having a bike sink on its sidestand into the hot asphalt and tip over, so on hot days I'd be inclined to use a center stand. Hockey puck works on that problem though.
 
Last edited:
I'm getting close now, having retrieved the matched up side cover, done by the fellow that did the tanks back in '94. He signed them so I tracked him down on FB. Just need to spend a couple afternoons getting the bits all buttoned up, not a huge amount. Really pleased to take a pile of grimy parts to this state, which I think hits the right notes with a mild custom look. I think about an inch of seat height reduction will help so I'll tackle that.

'66 N15 coming together
 
gpzkat said:
I'm getting close now, having retrieved the matched up side cover, done by the fellow that did the tanks back in '94. He signed them so I tracked him down on FB. Just need to spend a couple afternoons getting the bits all buttoned up, not a huge amount. Really pleased to take a pile of grimy parts to this state, which I think hits the right notes with a mild custom look. I think about an inch of seat height reduction will help so I'll tackle that.

'66 N15 coming together
Click to expand...
Very cool looking bike
 
It's a nice looking ride. Should be real comfortable seating position wise. I predict you'll have some fun on it.

Being that guy that I am I note 3 maybe 4 screws at the bottom of the primary could be missing. I'm guessing you know that.

First iteration of my rusty pile of P11 had those pipes and those Harley style mufflers on it. I was young then and ran a rod through the mufflers to knock everything down inside that was making it quiet. I thought it ran well at the time. Definitely the best it ran while I was putting up with Amals. Oops, did I say that.
 
Schwany said:
It's a nice looking ride. Should be real comfortable seating position wise. I predict you'll have some fun on it.

Being that guy that I am I note 3 maybe 4 screws at the bottom of the primary could be missing. I'm guessing you know that.

First iteration of my rusty pile of P11 had those pipes and those Harley style mufflers on it. I was young then and ran a rod through the mufflers to knock everything down inside that was making it quiet. I thought it ran well at the time. Definitely the best it ran while I was putting up with Amals. Oops, did I say that.
Click to expand...
Yeah I put the side cover on w/o gasket for the drive down from northern WA back to Southern CA. I need to understand more about whether there are going to be issues with the new 3 phase alternator's clearance and how to adjust, and also I may need to take the clutch basket off and put a felt washer in to help seal the inner primary that I may have missed. It's been a sporadic project and a lot of learning.

There are several such tasks left. Those tapered mufflers were new and free and suit the bike to my view anyway. I need to drill the hangers. My '66 Bonneville had Amals and ran amazing, it was a fantastic running bike my late brother had rebuilt in MA. I also had a '66 Hornet with Amals, and besides the gas on my fingers from tickling them, they worked fine, first or second kick on both bikes. Somehow I have now had BSA, Triumph and Norton all '66.
 
@gpzkat, Yes, many people follow these threads!

That is a very nice "mild custom". Your mods are all quite reasonable for the sake of performance. Of course, the color is your personal choice and I'm never one to quibble with the styling aspects of personal customs.

Any chance you have photos of the "Before" Bike, or piles of rusty parts? They make a great contrast when the bike is done.

By all means let us know how the test ride goes!
 
grandpaul said:
@gpzkat, Yes, many people follow these threads!

That is a very nice "mild custom". Your mods are all quite reasonable for the sake of performance. Of course, the color is your personal choice and I'm never one to quibble with the styling aspects of personal customs.

Any chance you have photos of the "Before" Bike, or piles of rusty parts? They make a great contrast when the bike is done.

By all means let us know how the test ride goes!
Click to expand...
When I got it the tanks were already painted and never mounted. The side cover and toolbox/battery tray were missing. The color is fine by me, very striking.

These pics are the boxes of parts. It has matching numbers and most of it was there plus some stuff I sold. I got more for a Royal Enfield instrument housing and yoke set than I paid for the bike, which was nice. But many parts were shot like rims, fork legs, etc.

'66 N15 coming together


'66 N15 coming together
 
gpzkat said:
When I got it the tanks were already painted and never mounted. The side cover and toolbox/battery tray were missing. The color is fine by me, very striking.

These pics are the boxes of parts. It has matching numbers and most of it was there plus some stuff I sold. I got more for a Royal Enfield instrument housing and yoke set than I paid for the bike, which was nice. But many parts were shot like rims, fork legs, etc.

'66 N15 coming together


'66 N15 coming together
Click to expand...
That is a very fine pile 'o parts, especially since you were able to recoup the purchase price!
 
gpzkat said:
That was quite a find. Read about it here if interested:

bringatrailer.com

Turbocharged 1982 Suzuki GS1100E

Bid for the chance to own a Turbocharged 1982 Suzuki GS1100E at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #84,542.
bringatrailer.com bringatrailer.com
Click to expand...
I like the Don Vesco connection. I still have one of his Rabid transit fairings (Mad Max police bike style)
 
I got my title and registration/plate, working from a bill of sale only. CA DMV is not bad to deal with, but I had the Vermont workaround option in my back pocket just in case. First inspection on my trailer at the DMV was to establish it was a street bike. Then they sent me to the CHP, they do a stolen check. The officer was really cool, and it came back clean. But the number (119799 on both engine/frame) had a hit per the DMV on 'something' in Oklahoma. $2 for a title search plus $15 for notarized form and a week later I got the all clear. Back to the DMV and walked out with plate and stickers, title on way in the mail for $200. A little bit of a pain but not bad. I always make an effort to be extra friendly to the clerk at the DMV. They deal with idiots like me all day long!
 
I'm working on the bike's ignition now. I got a piston stop tool (yeah, could have made one...) so I can establish 28-31 advance. The Wassell Micro-MK2 that I'm using is a bit tricky to set up, due to the housing location behind the engine and the overall design.

Edit: I figured it out. It's a bit cramped, but using a mirror I could see the rotor and 'C' marks lined up in the center of the unit.

As I understand the pretty poor instructions, the rotor has a mark that needs to be aligned with the engine position set to 28-31 degrees via the timing wheel, to a spot that you will somehow be able to perfectly align with the soon-to-be-hidden mark at the 'C' clockwise position......AFTER you attach the slightly adjustable plate containing the electronics and 'C' mark over it, hiding the mark! Oy vey. The instructions mention marking the spot that you settle on outside the apparatus on the engine or whatever. In my case on the custom housing I purchased with it. That's probably the only way to do it, but it will take some doing to get that mark done and actually be accurate and visible. Then, god willing it gets done reasonably accurately, it seems there's no way to time it with a strobe. Seems tricky and I hope I don't goof it up terribly!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top