Author Topic: The Blackhawk Cafe Project  (Read 131299 times)

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ERC

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Reply #30 on: June 08, 2014, 01:47:17 pm
That lever stop will be fine I did that on one I put together.  ERC
2-57 Apaches, 2-57 Trailblazers, 60 Chief, 65 Interceptor, 2004 Bullet, 612 Bullet chopped.


High On Octane

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Reply #31 on: June 08, 2014, 02:01:57 pm
That lever stop will be fine I did that on one I put together.  ERC

Great minds think alike.  :)
2001 Harley Davidson Road King


azcatfan

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Reply #32 on: June 08, 2014, 02:26:40 pm
I'm not sure I could ride my iron barrel without the N-finder!  Nothing like coasting to a stop with the clutch lever out, I love that little lever.  Too bad you had to ditch it  :'(
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ace.cafe

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Reply #33 on: June 08, 2014, 02:35:56 pm
The 5-speeds don't have it. You get used to downshifting after a while.
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High On Octane

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Reply #34 on: June 08, 2014, 03:10:14 pm
The 5-speeds don't have it. You get used to downshifting after a while.

I need to get used to downshifting this bike smoothly anyhow, I want to start doing some road racing.  The Auto Sports Complex I did the flat track racing at also has a paved road course that I went to start playing on.
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azcatfan

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Reply #35 on: June 08, 2014, 03:50:19 pm
I still have the sloppy 4 on the left so the N-finder gets used all the time.  Down shifting isn't the problem, hitting neutral is though.  I bet the 5 speeds are much better, the RHS kit for this bike will come in time...

Nice work on the bike so far, glad you decided to keep with it  8)
-2002 Bullet ES Up-Jetted with Ace Air Canister and punched HD Exhaust.

My MotoVlog Channel:  http://tinyurl.com/nnso3av


Bullet Whisperer

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Reply #36 on: June 08, 2014, 05:50:29 pm
Don't know if this might be of interest, but here's how it was done [originally] on the Bob Mcintyre Super Meteor for the 1958 Thruxton 500 miler. It took a bit of working out until I found the original R.H. exhaust pipe, then it all became clear  ;)


High On Octane

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Reply #37 on: June 08, 2014, 06:04:55 pm
BW - I've seen that bike posted on here before.  The rear sets are definitely a different set up than Hitchcocks sells.


I took a short ride around the block and all seems well, except finding neutral.  THAT is going to take some getting used to.  lol  The bike shifts fine, but now has a completely different feel, and it feels the part.  It seriously feels like riding a 60's race bike.  Downshifting is going to take some practice as the trans is a little hard shifting to begin with and I need to get used to the angle of my feet.  Need to tighten the rear brake rod a little bit too.  Going go grab some lunch with the wife and then I'll go out for an afternoon ride and see how she's doing.  Also, leaking ATF out of the primary already and I noticed it looks like it's coming from where it mounts to the engine case.  I must not have put enough sealer on that flange to run it gasketless.  And I didn't use a gasket because I wanted to make absolutely sure that the bolt holes were fixed and not going to loosen up again.  Oh well.  I'm used to pissing anyways.   ;D

Scottie J
2001 Harley Davidson Road King


High On Octane

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Reply #38 on: June 08, 2014, 11:03:52 pm
Went to lunch with the wife and it started raining.  Go figure.  It had slowed to a drizzle at around 2:30 so I went out for a short ride in town.  All in all the new stance is pretty comfy.  The bike shifts nice but something must be up with the clutch lever.  I get it to where the cable slack feels good but the clutch slips, I back it out and it stops slipping but then it starts to drag.  i guess I'm going to have to replace the levers after all.  I didn't have too many problems getting into neutral but there were a couple of times I had a problem.  It got stuck in 2nd at one light and I ended up stalling the bike trying to get back to 1st, luckily I got it kicked over again before the light turned red.  About 20 minutes into the ride it started to actually rain again so I just headed back home.

The only 2 issues that I see so far is that you have to raise the right foot peg to kick start or your heel will hit the peg.  And you have to raise the left foot peg to get the bike on the center stand or you will take the peg right in the shin as you try to roll in onto the stand.  Both remedied by raising the foot pegs out of the way.  A bit inconvenient but tolerable.

Also, I'm a little disappointed.  The exhaust headers are sealed tighter than a dolphins asshole now.  No more entertaining backfires out of the exhaust.   :(

Scottie J
« Last Edit: June 08, 2014, 11:17:30 pm by High On Octane »
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High On Octane

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Reply #39 on: June 09, 2014, 07:59:47 pm
Rode the bike to work today and the clutch is still slipping pretty bad and also leaking ATF really bad.  I have half a mind to drain as much ATF out as possible and only leaving a splash in there.  I'm thinking this is still a residual problem from using the Advance Auto brand type F ATF, I think the plates might be glazed. 

Scottie J
2001 Harley Davidson Road King


High On Octane

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Reply #40 on: November 23, 2014, 03:46:17 pm
I'm bringing this thread back to life, as I believe that I have come up with a plan for my motor build, and I also have couple questions for the performance guys.

I've been speaking with a gentleman at M.A.P. Cycles, which I believe to be the leader in Brit Bike performance here in the States.  I told him my plans of building, and the fact that no one here in the US sells performance RE parts, and quite frankly, I'm tired of sending my money overseas, paying twice as much for parts, when I should be supporting the struggling economy that I live in.  After about 2 more weeks of research I have come to this conclusion:

I want steel conrods.  I'm not wasting time or money on billet aluminum rods.  I've seen too many pictures of them failing and taking out the engine.  M.A.P. Cycle makes steel H-Beams for Triumphs, BSAs and Nortons.  Upon my research, I have found that the BSA A10 conrods are damn near identical to the RE twin rods.

A10 Specs:
CtC - 6.5"
Small End Dia. - .75"
Big End Diameter - 1.8435"
Big End Width - .955

RE Specs:
CtC - 6.685" (I can't remember exactly, but this is what my memory is saying)
Small End Dia. - .75"
Big End Dia. - 1.8755"
Big End Width - .790" (measured on the crank journal).

Marino at M.A.P. believes that these will work well, and just need to have my machinist alter the big end of the rods to match the crank.  If the RE rods are in fact 6.685" (6 5/8") then using the A10 rods will actually "stroke" the motor.


Upon the recommendations of Bullet Whisperer, I will be using Triumph T120 71mm pistons.  Standard compression for the T120 is 9:1, but the dome of the piston is still 3-4 times bigger than the 8:1 RE piston.  BW recommended using the Wiseco Norman Hyde pistons, as that is what he uses, but there's an issue with this.  Even tho Wiseco is only a couple of states away from me, they will only sell those pistons directly to Norman Hyde.  So, they will more than likely cost a small fortune by the time I have them paid for and shipped.  M.A.P. Cycles sells a very nice forged piston set for $350 and appears to be very high quality.  They also happen to sell a very nice cast piston for the T120 that is only about $120 for the set with rings.  Marino says they are not as good as the forged pistons (obviously) but are "still a high quality piston, especially considering the price".

So, by going with the cast pistons and the steel rods I will only be spending about $600 for both sets.  As compared to $1200 for making custom rods or pistons, or even $1000 for H's sub-par rods and pistons.  Also, I'm going to figure out how to convert my clutch to a dry system to eliminate the slipping.  I think the only real issue that I might run into is the alternator not getting lubricated.  If it burns again, I'll just remove the charging system entirely and look into using a larger battery with a bigger reserve.

And lastly, the wheels.  I'm thinking that because I want to race this bike, and I'm not concerned with either of my bikes being completely original, that I may be better off using the fork and wheels from the Chief for the Blackhawk.  The fork is 1.25" wider than Interceptor fork that I have now, and the wheels are 16" which gives a little bit more options for performance tires.  But, I'm not sure if this will have a positive or negative effect on the handling.  If I do use the wider fork, I will have a custom billet fork brace made to help stabilize the front end.

All in all, my calculations say that I should be able to build the motor for $1800 or slightly less.  then the only other items I will need is tires, a big tach and a cafe seat which should be less than $600 for all of that.


Forged Pistons
http://www.mapcycle.com/map/index.php/categories/engine/top-end/pistons/triumph-t120-tr6-650cc-forged-pistons.html

Cast Pistons
http://www.mapcycle.com/map/index.php/categories/engine/top-end/pistons/triumph-650-1958-later-piston-set.html

4340 Steel H-Beam Rods
http://www.mapcycle.com/map/index.php/categories/engine/bottom-end/con-rods/conrod-a10-late-6-5-4340-h-beam-p-r.html
« Last Edit: November 23, 2014, 06:26:39 pm by High On Octane »
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Blltrdr

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Reply #41 on: November 23, 2014, 06:08:25 pm
Scottie you pasted the cast piston link twice.
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High On Octane

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Reply #42 on: November 23, 2014, 06:27:02 pm
Oops!  I fixed it.  :)
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ERC

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Reply #43 on: November 23, 2014, 06:46:31 pm
Scottie if I remember correctly you will have to be careful turning the crank down if you have to cut to much the crank will be soft.  ERC
2-57 Apaches, 2-57 Trailblazers, 60 Chief, 65 Interceptor, 2004 Bullet, 612 Bullet chopped.


Blltrdr

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Reply #44 on: November 23, 2014, 07:28:24 pm
$200 extra doesn't seem like that much more to pay for the forged set. If you can, I would budget for this set. I see they have a T120 forged sets for $299. Why couldn't you use that set Scottie?
2003 Classic 500 5 spd
2009 HD FLHT Police 103 6 spd
1992 Kawasaki ZG 1200 Voyager XII