"Test Mule" '74 850 Monoshock build

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I fixed the hyperlinks, Danno; you can delete the re-fix replies...

Only moderators can delete threads, I think...
 
Wow that's great. I fired up that hooligan Honda for the first time today so I share your excitement. Looks like the electrical system and Holley carb are right the first time. It's a bit of a blast even at my age when one comes together.
 
My dang ankle is killing me. I was totally unprepared for that kickback; the bike is sitting balanced on the lift with no front end, and I was handling the throttle clip-on carefully so as not to ding the tank (it's held in place by a single 10mm bolt underneath the yoke). I'll be limping for a day or two.

Of course, I aggravated it straight away by installing the mufflers and re-starting it a couple of times to do oil leak checking. It sounds fantastic with the beancans, but I need to re-work the oil line fittings at the oil filter. With the upper swingarm and forward uprights, the hose routing is unconventional and is causing a partial kink in the return line; that's got to get fixed.

Those fork seals can't get here quick enough...
 
"Light of Day" at last...

I picked up the forks (seals still haven't been replaced) and installed them, scrounged around and found my spare "bum stop' seat, and rolled it out for the first photos that give you a better idea of what the bike will look like.

REMEMBER: It will have the Dreer "boat tail" seat/tail, painted Silver, Silver fiberglass sidecovers, Silver front fender, plus the headlight and probably peashooter mufflers; so these aren't totally representative of what the final package will look like, but they beat the one dim shot where the tires weren't mounted-

By the time I flipped the bike around, the sun had gone behind the clouds...

Oh, and it started on the first kick once I lowered it onto it's tires for the first time.

120 hours to this point, since 10/1/09.

So, this is basically the preliminary "For Sale" advert-

1984 Norton 850 Commando frame (powdercoated)

1984 Norton 850 engine, polished primary, timing & tranny covers, rocker inspection caps

.020 oversize pistons, mild performance camshaft (SS/2S/clone)

RH10 head with tapered 32 to 30 mm intake manifolds, Amal 932 carbs

Custom monoshock swingarm, Showa 3-way multi-adjustable shock absorber unit

Suzuki TL1000 inverted forks, dual 13" full floating cast iron rotors with 6-pot Tokico calipers

Mark III drilled & ground rear disc brake & sprocket / hub assembly, Nissin master cylinders front & rear

Excel non-shouldered aluminum 18" rims, laced by Buchanan's with stainless spokes

Avon AM 26 Roadrider 100/90-18 tires front & rear, Dreer VR880 front hub

Lyta Sprint polished aluminum gas tank w/ monza cap, Dreer "Boat-tail" seat

Suzuki TL1000 clip-ons, Magura clutch lever, home-made rearset footpegs

Sparx electronic ignition, Tympanium solid state voltage regulator/rectifier

Individually fused electrical circuits for ignition, headlight, tail light and horn

Final specs yet to be determined...
 
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Painter is done painting the seat & sidecovers.

I'm having a pair of Gold BAB logos done for the sidecovers, then clearcoat.
 
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Just trying out a different look...

Can't wait for the seat/tail to be done Monday morning...
 
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swooshdave said:
Hides the monoshock look too much.
Click to expand...
oh I don't know Dave, I think that's an interesting line, worth going a bit further in the mock-up with the right seat and a 'guard fitted.
Sure the mono's important - the basis of the 'experiment' but its presence is implied by the lack of normal shockies.
Just my 10c.
 
Definitely a different look with the seat/tail; just need to get it upholstered this evening-

Just need to finish up with the brakes and install a chain, and I can start test riding it in a day or two...
 
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I'm probably going to pull the peashooters off my Blue bike & install them with the downswept / crossover headers for a photo session after I get the seat, brakes & chain done.

Classic peashooters give the widest audience acceptance of all pipe styles, from what I've seen over the years.
 
I think it works, but you've got to change the angle of the tank a bit - either raise the front or drop the rear (if either is possible).
 
The tank isn't mounted yet; it will have a common bottom line with the seat pan when it's all done.
 
I was turned on to a great idea recently; in a discussion on crankcse breathers, George Baker suggested a reed valve from the Air Injection unit off a new Triumph, installed as a one-way breather.

So, the AI unit from my wyfe's '02 Bonneville-

I simply took a recipro saw and cut off the two reed modules-

Here's a close-up of one of the reed units-

The opening on the unit is centered, while the reed valve's "active" zone is on one end, so I figured I'd trim the opening for better alignment-
 
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Trimmed out the aperature in the body to the same size as the reed valve's opening-

(2) 1/4" holes for the mounting hardware, and a 3/8" hole for the breather opening-

Hand-cut gasket from a bit of piston box-

A little RTV silicone sealer and all nipped up-

(Plugged the existing breather pipe with a 3/8" bolt & some RTV)

I can't test ride the bike for another day or two, but I'm fairly certain this will beat the generic valves for performance and durability.

Benefits include a SLIGHT increase in available power (not used by pistons acting as compressors), and reduced propensity to leak oil (lower crankcase pressure attempting to pump oil out every available microscopic opening); possibly a slightly improved ability for the engine to rev freely, as well...
 
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That piece looks familiar -

My Speed Triple has those SAI (secondary air injector) valves, which admit fresh air into the exhaust ports, allowing for more complete combustion of fuel for better emissions. Anybody that puts on a pipe, however, gets a LOT of popping on deceleration when these guys are working, so they're often pulled off. A couple of vendors (like British Customs) make SAI blank-off plates, so these guys can be completely removed, along with their plumbing which would save close to a pound of weight.
 
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