My '73 850 rebuild..

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Jeandr said:
Man those headlight ears look good :wink:

A bit of black paint sure goes a long way towards making a bike look good. The way you did the back hub is a nice idea too.

Consider replacing the top head steady, that will do a lot to improve handling.

Jean
Click to expand...

I really like the headlight ears. They look a lot better than the stock chrome ears, IMO.

Dad suggested painting the rear hub and I think it was a great idea. He painted the front disc to match (nice) as well as the edge of the disc. We're not sure if that will end up sticking when the brake is being put into use, but we'll see. It's an interesting look if it manages to stay on the disc!

The head steady is on my list of future items to replace. Luckily I don't plan on really pushing this bike much at all so the stock head steady should be sufficient for the time being. We'll see. ;)
 
I will have a nice shiny gloss black Production Racer head steady ready in a week or two, just saying.
 
bwolfie said:
I will have a nice shiny gloss black Production Racer head steady ready in a week or two, just saying.
Click to expand...

It's probably that or a Dave Taylor for me, but I'm a ways out on buying that upgrade, ESPECIALLY after all the fun I had tightening the Allen screws on the stock head steady..yuck!

-Jordan
 
hehe I always reflect on various annal experts fitting the isolastic racer type head steadys, Especially Ben English in NY, who took at least a year to realize the extra annoying vibes he hated had nothing to do with his expertise nor fault in chassis or head steady, just innate physics with more rubber mass inserted in factory set up Norton had to cut back 3 times to function before mid or top end rpm. The 850 spring support is a good feature I will add on my 920 Peel top rod link.
 
Having never ridden a commando, I'm going to see how it all feels before adding any further "enhancements". If it drives me nuts as-is, I'll redo some things as necessary.

-Jordan
 
Hmm. I had added a 'caliper rebuild kit' to my list (mainly because my blanking plate looks like dog crap and I'd like a stainless replacement), but I'm seeing two different options.. There is a rebuild kit containing new seals and that's pretty much, and then there's a rebuild kit with new pistons, seals, and the blanking plate. It's $45 for the stainless blanking plate and seals or $110 for the stainless caliper rebuild kit (stainless blanking plate, pistons, and seals). Is there any reason I should need the full rebuild kit? I don't really know the condition of my caliper, but I do have a resleeved 13mm master cylinder coming so I'm trying to avoid setting myself up for failure with a weak link in the chain.

Suggestions?

-Jordan
 
KSUWildcatFan said:
Hmm. I had added a 'caliper rebuild kit' to my list (mainly because my blanking plate looks like dog crap and I'd like a stainless replacement), but I'm seeing two different options.. There is a rebuild kit containing new seals and that's pretty much, and then there's a rebuild kit with new pistons, seals, and the blanking plate. It's $45 for the stainless blanking plate and seals or $110 for the stainless caliper rebuild kit (stainless blanking plate, pistons, and seals). Is there any reason I should need the full rebuild kit? I don't really know the condition of my caliper, but I do have a resleeved 13mm master cylinder coming so I'm trying to avoid setting myself up for failure with a weak link in the chain.

Suggestions?

-Jordan
Click to expand...

Crack it open an look. Only a few parts in the dang things.
 
swooshdave said:
KSUWildcatFan said:
Hmm. I had added a 'caliper rebuild kit' to my list (mainly because my blanking plate looks like dog crap and I'd like a stainless replacement), but I'm seeing two different options.. There is a rebuild kit containing new seals and that's pretty much, and then there's a rebuild kit with new pistons, seals, and the blanking plate. It's $45 for the stainless blanking plate and seals or $110 for the stainless caliper rebuild kit (stainless blanking plate, pistons, and seals). Is there any reason I should need the full rebuild kit? I don't really know the condition of my caliper, but I do have a resleeved 13mm master cylinder coming so I'm trying to avoid setting myself up for failure with a weak link in the chain.

Suggestions?

-Jordan
Click to expand...

Crack it open an look. Only a few parts in the dang things.
Click to expand...

Well, yeah. Obviously. That being said, I guess what I was asking was more along the lines of "is there reason why a stock caliper with all stock internals would not be able to handle the resleeved 13mm master cylinder?" I mean, how often do the pistons really wear out anyway?

If the internals are shot, then it's an easy decision on replacing. I'll crack it open tomorrow.

-Jordan
 
KSUWildcatFan said:
swooshdave said:
KSUWildcatFan said:
Hmm. I had added a 'caliper rebuild kit' to my list (mainly because my blanking plate looks like dog crap and I'd like a stainless replacement), but I'm seeing two different options.. There is a rebuild kit containing new seals and that's pretty much, and then there's a rebuild kit with new pistons, seals, and the blanking plate. It's $45 for the stainless blanking plate and seals or $110 for the stainless caliper rebuild kit (stainless blanking plate, pistons, and seals). Is there any reason I should need the full rebuild kit? I don't really know the condition of my caliper, but I do have a resleeved 13mm master cylinder coming so I'm trying to avoid setting myself up for failure with a weak link in the chain.

Suggestions?

-Jordan
Click to expand...

Crack it open an look. Only a few parts in the dang things.
Click to expand...

Well, yeah. Obviously. That being said, I guess what I was asking was more along the lines of "is there reason why a stock caliper with all stock internals would not be able to handle the resleeved 13mm master cylinder?" I mean, how often do the pistons really wear out anyway?

If the internals are shot, then it's an easy decision on replacing. I'll crack it open tomorrow.

-Jordan
Click to expand...

Has nothing to do with handling anything. They don't wear out. If the pistons are rusty, replace them. Simple but require a visual inspection.
 
From my experiemnce, any old caliper that has sat with brake fluid in it will need new pistions. All the traped moisture destroys the sealing surface. Go with stainless and never worry again.
 
Alright..the post I WANTED to make:

Haha.. I told dad I was having a crappy day and needed another picture of the bike..

So...

He installed the kickstarter and right-side footpeg and sent me 12 pictures (including one of him flipping me off, HAHA):

My '73 850 rebuild..

My '73 850 rebuild..

My '73 850 rebuild..

My '73 850 rebuild..

My '73 850 rebuild..

My '73 850 rebuild..

My '73 850 rebuild..

My '73 850 rebuild..

My '73 850 rebuild..

My '73 850 rebuild..

My '73 850 rebuild..


Were more pictures really necessary? Not really. But it made me smile, so bite me. :p

-Jordan
 
KSUWildcatFan said:
Alright..the post I WANTED to make apparently wasn't going to cut it (images weren't under 550px--wtf)
Click to expand...



Jerry hasn't been able to find a way around the auto cropping issue-so we will just have to put up with that for the time being, and the 550 max image size restriction he introduced has now been removed.
 
L.A.B. said:
KSUWildcatFan said:
Alright..the post I WANTED to make apparently wasn't going to cut it (images weren't under 550px--wtf)
Click to expand...



Jerry hasn't been able to find a way around the auto cropping issue-so we will just have to put up with that for the time being, and the 550 max image size restriction he introduced has now been removed.
Click to expand...

The auto cropping issue isn't that big of a deal. It's a minor inconvenience but I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I appreciate that it's being looked into (and thank god the 550px limit has been lifted!)

-Jordan
 
KSUWildcatFan said:
L.A.B. said:
KSUWildcatFan said:
Alright..the post I WANTED to make apparently wasn't going to cut it (images weren't under 550px--wtf)
Click to expand...



Jerry hasn't been able to find a way around the auto cropping issue-so we will just have to put up with that for the time being, and the 550 max image size restriction he introduced has now been removed.
Click to expand...

The auto cropping issue isn't that big of a deal. It's a minor inconvenience but I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I appreciate that it's being looked into (and thank god the 550px limit has been lifted!)

-Jordan
Click to expand...

Now can we see the picture of him flipping you off? :mrgreen:
 
Yay! New parts from OldBritts arrived today!

Got a stainless blanking cap for the caliper, a stainless bleed nipple, a caliper rebuild kit, some misc items, and tank mounting hardware.

NOW, if only my master cylinder would show up... I called Clubman to get it paid for and I figured it would have shipped by now.. No charge yet, so I guess I'll have to call back tomorrow. Damn.

Nevertheless, I can get the bike pretty close to finished this weekend if I really try. We'll see if that actually happens!

-Jordan
 
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