Sept 16 2014:

I know.. can’t tow two RV’s ..and where do I store a second one anyway..  However when it’s FREE.. .and my Nephew was going to need a place to sleep while reno’s are happening … then you say YES !

A friend and long time customer of Mo’s .. husband got ill and has been in the hospital for a few years now .. she sold the house and is moving to a condo… also getting too old for towing a trailer around.  all those things and then the roof got a leak…She just wanted it gone.   The whole trailer is in great shape except the roof.. In fact it’s a very deluxe trailer..  all the goodies you need for “Glamping”

I also got the hitch.. and I’ll mount that in my truck..   Free stuff does not come without work.. and so the roof needs to be peeled back and repairs done.. That will be next spring.  For now  we will tarp it for the winter and deal with it next year.

A new Chevy 2500..

We decided that a more reliable truck would work better.  I bought this one before I quit the car lot..  This truck came equipped to pull trailers. Even has the fifth wheel hitch installed..   Also has the heavy duty Allison Transmission and a 399 hp V8.   It’s a big truck ..  the quad goes in the back with room to spare.

Well it’s June 2015 and I’ve got the Fifth wheel in the Franknport  to get the roof fixed.  It’s taken a few weeks just to remove all the vents ,  A/C  and the trim from the roof.   I’ve now rolled up the aluminum roof..

 

Well you find out quickly how bad things are once the aluminum is off.  It’s still wet under the metal..  even after months of no rain getting on the roof.  Quite a bit of the plywood is de-  laminating .

I’ve got about half the roof off.. the rotten half.  Once I’m done with the demolition I will clean up …then it’s construction time !

I’m just tossing it all on the ground for now.. I’ll clean up.

July 5 2015:

The Roof is completely cleaned off.  The mess is gone… and we are ready  to build a new roof.

I have all my supplies :  new rubber roof/ glue,  New fridge vent & cover, new plumbing vent.  Maxair covers for the roof vents.    I also have enough 2×6 treated lumber for the rafters..

And because I don’t want the roof to sag ever again..   I’m custom cutting all the rafters to be arched on top.. Thicker in the middle where it’s needed.   I’m building in 4 ft x 8ft panels so they can be lifted into place easy.

I have now got four of the five sections in place..  Only the rear one is screwed down..  Once they are all up I’ll attach them with ceramic coated screws.. they won’t rust or react with the treated wood.

A thing of beauty..  There is finish strips for the seams, lights and vents..   The big whole is for the A/C unit .  I laid the tin roof out and copied the location of all the vents and A/C..  fudged just a bit on some to get the right spacing on the rafters.  But it’s all back the same .. Minus the skylight..  and the TV antenna.

The whole roof is on now..  Interior I mean.  and most of the finishing inside is done as well.

Like this new light I added to the living room..  It’s close to the kitchen so it benefits from some extra light.  The wires went across the roof anyway so why not add a light.  The new ceiling is a brighter white as well, making it far less dark.

Onward…

I now have all the insulation done and today I got the 1/4 ”  ply on the roof.

Here’s the batting all in place…

And here’s the 1/4″ Ulay ply installed..  lots of screws..  5 sheets did the whole roof.   You can really see the slight curve in the roof..   Now to glue the rubber on.

July 19 2015:

Well … Git R Done..  and with only a week to spare..   So close to a finish..   The wrinkles are ok..  you should never stretch the roof..   and I was working with a fast drying glue..   As you can see all the vent’s, covers and the A/C is back where they belong..  All the trim is back too..  Just some fiberglass repair and a bead of RV sealant left and we are ready for whatever mother nature can throw at the roof.

Well the Fiver can come out to play now..  Install the fridges and give the plumbing the once over.

 

Aug 26 2014:

Time for a new Quad.  Everything came together .. I sold the 300 Polaris… These were on sale till the end of Aug.  Very low financing rate..  If I take good care of it … should last me a long time.

Here’s what it looks like without the extras.  I’m adding a few goodies.

Here’s what it looks like in my shop after a quick trip to get it.   I am thrilled ..  brand new .  Because I’m enjoying quading so much..  and the older one was… old..  and would always need help.  This is going to be a pleasure to ride..  can’t wait till Sunday.  I need to attach the accessories I got .. the photo above shows the new bag I have..

Last night I got all the goodies mounted up..  A railing around the rear rack, My new three compartment bag and the mirrors.

I also mounted the LED brake light .. but I need to figure out the wiring to hook it up.  And I had to cut slots in the rack to run the hold down straps for the bag through.  A draw back for a big flat rack.. but with the padding in my bag and that flat surface..  things I put in the bag will stay protected.  Plenty of room for my little gas can too.

When you add all this front storage .. I have way more than I need.  This is a cool feature of the Sportsman,  dry, hidden and lockable.  I don’t like anything on the front rack to block my view so this is nice to have.

The mirrors are fold away and very rugged..  I’m hoping that they work well and I don’t grow to hate them..  On lots of rides there is always someone behind you.. and I like to check to see that they are still there..   Compared to the 300 the body of the 400 is way wider.. the fenders cover the wheels and then some..  The foot wells are huge.  I could wear shorts & sandals… but I wont.  The quad is quite a bit higher too.. but that’s because we are now riding on 12 ” wheels not 8″  and the clearance under the 400 is close to 12″  wow.  I also think that at 688 lbs we are now more than 200 lbs heavier.  That should translate to a better ride.

I could not resist at least one pimp…  I found these in one of many  boxes of goodies from the motor home.  LED marker lights that you can change the color..  Red, green, yellow.. but Blue is cool.   I was nosing around under the access panel to the fuses and found two auxiliary power wires..  They would be for things like hand warmers.  So I used one..  Also noticed the wires are in place for a winch.  And yes I’ve got a winch.. 4000 lb one is now on the front..

I’ve been on no less than 8 rides now..  20 hrs on the meter..  and I love this quad..  so smooth..  quiet..  so far reliable.

Jan. 2019:   After enjoying this quad for years I traded it for a 2014 RZR 570..  same color of blue..   Post is HERE

Aug 2014:

This was a good deal… and we felt it was time for a truck up grade..  The decision was made to advertize the Avalanche and see what happened.. it sold within a week.. so home came this LOADED.. Dodge.  Just in time to go camping..  So I had to get some racks installed for the kayaks..

These quickly put together racks turned out to be great..  And this truck has 100 more hp than the Avalanche.. so the trailer is no problem..  Has trailer mirrors and factory built in controller.  In fact it has every option possible for the year..  Nav, heated /cooled seats, back-up cam, remote start…. on and on..  Check out my new plate.. yup “robeye”.  The Interior is very nice .

This photo was taken by me for the lot..  hence the price tag..  I’m a console type of guy.. so this suits me just fine..  And I’m very fussy about gauge placement, and Dodge got it right in 2010.  I also don’t like cheapness in the trim.  They got that right too. The knobs feel good to the touch. And everything is trimmed nicely.  Even the top of the dash is stitched leather… nice.

July 1 st  2014:

My Sister wanted to come over for Canada Day and join the GF ATV club in the parade.  “I’ll bring a quad from work” ( Polaris Dealer).  I said see if they have one of those new Polaris Ace’s.  She said “yup there’s a new one in the showroom”  So that’s how I got to try one without even leaving home..  This is so very new concept.. like quad meets side by side.  Same size as a quad, but you drive it like a side by side..  They basically took the motor in the quad and moved it back to make room for a floor , a comfy seat, and gave you a tilt steering wheel and foot peddles.  Add a roll cage and the all important cup holder and there you have the Ace.

I took her up some very rough trails close to town..  Lots of big rocks, washouts..  and generally rough going.  Those big tires .. the clearance and it’s heavy 850 lbs … smoothed out the whole works.  Wow .. this thing is like bringing you new $50,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee on the trail.   No fighting the wheel…  no steering around the rocks..  The cup holder down beside the seat is kinda shallow.. And we were sure the water bottle would go flying .. NOPE.  That smooth !

Now this unique machine has a unique motor as well..  it’s got only 32 hp.. it’s fuel injected, counter balanced and multi valved.   not neck snapping power..but it gets the job done.  And reportedly good on fuel.  Typical  Polaris drive line.. hi, low range but with an added “park”.   AWD drive is a button on the dash..  Quite simple and user friendly.  The roll bar keeps the trees out of your face.. and you have a feeling of security in the seat..

Anyways I was impressed enough to desire one in my garage..  We’ll see.  It’s would be cool to go all day and not need physical therapy after.. its that comfy !  You drive this … not ride it..   so there is that,  of which the die hard quader’s reject.   And did I mention the cup holder !  But !  this is not the quad for me..  So back it goes.

 

 

May 29 2014:

Don’t even try to keep up with me !

You will hurt yourself..

Everyone was getting a quad..  I had a Sportsman 500 this winter… as a fixer upper project…  but I found it to be complicated and just a tad too big to fit my Avalanche.  They are great quads.. but I sure liked the profit that the sale brought me.. and it was time to move on to the Bazoo . Now with that done..  it’s again time to move on.. But I want to have some fun this summer..  Then this little guy kinda fell into my lap while advertizing a trade with the Bazoo..   The price was low enough that I could just buy it and not trade.  It’s in awesome shape.. not a fixer.. not a project..  Oh but I can always find something to fiddle with..   Also it fits in the back of the Avalanche ( if I wanted too).  That’s how it came home.  I would rather use the trailer,  less scary when you’re backing up off of..

There was some questions as to what model this Polaris is.. a call to MainJet and with the vin # was able to clear things up.. it’s simply a 300 4×4.   And it was purchased new in Deer Park, Wa.  just south of here.. so it’s a US model..  I believe it was bought there and brought here..  so it’s a GF’er .. Cool..  The 288 cc motor is a 2 cycle with oil injection.. Plenty of power and still good on fuel.  No liquid cooling on this one.. just a fan when needed.

I’m going to service it.. once I get a peak at the repair manual..  Then I’m going to ride it..  Oh it came with a snow blade..  That I don’t want,  so I sold it.. Made the 300 4×4 even cheaper

The Green & tan kinda grows on ya..  Look at the seat.. other than being dirty.. it’s in good condition for 20 years old.

June 10 2014:

Now that we are back from our trip to Alberta I want to get caught up..  This Sunday I would like to use the Polaris so I’m giving it a go over.  And that required the removal of some of the plastic..   First: … it runs good  IF you remember to shut the fuel off.  Seams the float in the Carb is not doing a good job and the fuel will flood the motor..  So I’ll need a carb kit to rebuild the carb..  Second: .. The front drive chain did not “just” come off.. It broke.  Not a biggy..  it’s just standard motorcycle chain.  Really… that’s only two things out of a possible many..  Oops I forgot the pull start rope could use another wrap around the pulley..  but it still works.   Everything else is working good.  Dave and I are marveling at how good shape the little Polaris is..  So I’m ordering a Carb kit, chain & air cleaner.. that’s it.  For Now..

More like 5 wraps for the pull starter..  Over time the spring gets weak and won’t return the cord.. all fixed now.   As I was putting the body parts back ..the head light bulb went pop.. and that was that .. These are a special bulb that you have to buy from Polaris..  I’ll have none of that.. so I’m adapting a regular  Brake/ Taillight holder into the old bulb.. this way I can use a LED bulb I have.. If this ends up not working I can easily revert back.    As for the Override switch issue …(the Guy that I got it from thought it normal to push the override button every time you use reverse) NO.. shouldn’t have to…  I decided to disconnect the speed limiter circuit for now..   It stalls the motor ..  So something is not working there..   I’ll have to be careful because this is a safety thing.. preventing you from going too fast in reverse. I also added a 12 volt power outlet.. newer quads have them..  and I’ll need that for my GPS.   Let’s see how the ride goes this Sunday..

First Ride..  Fathers Day too.

Don’t have to go far.. just a 5 min drive and you are on some great trails.  Dave , me.. and my neighbor Brian..  And we choose to just go up behind Valley Heights.  Just over 3 hrs of riding.   Brian’s new Honda..  Dave’s trusty Yellow Polaris Sportsman 500 ..(the one I rode when I first went quading last summer.. see POST) and my little Polaris 300…  The weather was threatening to rain.. .but it held off for the most part..   Great ride..  And the 300 purrrred like a 2 cycle kitten.   Didn’t need 4×4 .. nope.. got along fine without.   The only thing that may or may not be an issue is my front struts.   They bag hard when you “top out”  ( wheel off the ground)  I’ll find out if I need something for that..

Anyway this was a familiar trail for me from my mountain biking days .  The others had not been there before.  So I lead the way..  If I’d had a map we could have made a loop trip instead of doubling back..  But we took a few side roads and checked out the pond that’s hiding up there.  Hey it was fun.. and I wished the weather was better.. and we went longer..

Fixin a few things:

As mentioned at the start of this post there are a few little things to fix..  I got the parts this last weekend..  A new chain for the front drive, a carb kit to fix the flooding issue ..  and a new air filter.   One more thing that I found to be needing is a new fuel shutoff . The 20 year old one has a tiny leak… Can’t have that..  So that’s on order.

If you turn the fuel valve to off.. it leaks..  If you leave it on.. the carb filled up with fuel.. or did till I fixed that.  Also of interest I found a vent hose in the overflow place and the overflow hose on a vent ?  That would not help at all with that flooding !

Here you see the carb all clean and rebuilt.. and the vent & overflow hoses in the right places. The two lines tee together and have a one-way valve.  Their purpose is not explained any where..  I’m thinking of adding that extra shutoff and a new filter.   The new shutoff will be under the seat..  I bought new 3/16 ” fuel line today..  as well.  So all will be good… Just the way I like it..

I decided not to install the extra shut-off.  Keep it simple.  I re-assembled  everything and put some gas in the tank to check for leaks.. none.  Then I fired up the motor to make sure nothing went out of adjustment..  runs good.  So I must have the float adjusted properly…

With the mechanical end of things in good order.. I decided to do a little “pimping”.  I’m building the winch mount .. and I’ve repainted the racks.

The green paint was wearing off … and I like the look of the satin black..  it matches the frame.  I also installed the new bag I bought for the rear rack..

But it works..  I’ll maybe get a couple of small tubs to put inside .. hold some tools & stuff..

The Winch:

This quad never had a winch..  So I had to start from scratch.  There was lots of room up front.. so I built a holder.  It’s just a small 1500 lb one.. but the quad is light.. and the winch was a price I could live with..  A nice little roller fairing in front..  and there you go.  I always carry a tow strap as well and I’ll have a “snatch block” which doubles the pulling power.. if needed.  I’m not one to go places I’ll get into trouble.. But one never knows !  Boy Scout rule applies here..  The other rule is don’t get lost… !

So my GPS is also there when I need it..  powered by the 12volt plug and I will mostly use the trip / speed feature.   Would be nice to have a new one that had topo maps.

As the Summer goes on:

I’ve gotten out on a few great rides.  Been to the top of a few local mountains.

Old lookout towers are on a few peaks, so there is a trail to the top.  Like Mount Morrissey in the above photo.  This is the highest peak between here and Christina Lake.  We’ve explored a lot around the Phoenix area too.   Lots of good trails up there..   And the last trip (with the ATV club)  was to Renata on the Arrow Lakes.  A long 120 km ride which really challenged the little 300.   My tank of fuel won’t last that long..

Now that fitting a regular sized quad in my truck is not an issue .. a newer 400 or 500 would be nice.  Hmmm.

Aug 23 2014:   SOLD

I’m taking the plunge…  will be buying a new quad next week.  I sold the 300 within the day of listing it.  Off the Nelson on Tuesday to pick up a 2014 Sportsman 400 HO.

May 26 2014:

Three weeks ago I bit the bullet and ordered (on line) a very small backhoe attachment for my Kubota.  It came to the Depot just the other side of the border and I went and brought it home..  That free shipping within the US was a deal breaker.. so that was the best way to get it.

This is the SMALLEST backhoe that you can buy..  And that’s good because my tractor is small too.   I ordered orange.. though not quite a match , But I can live with it.  It took me about 4 hours to unpack, assemble  & get it attached to the tractor.  The instructions are poor..  so it was a “figure it out yourself” kind of project.  Good thing I’m a “figure it out myself” kind of guy..  My overall impression is good.. The quality seems to be at par with any Kubota attachment I have.

In this photo you can see the reason I have yet to really try the backhoe out.. the roll bar on my tractor is IN THE Way.. can’t sit on the seat..  I’m not a fan of the roll bar anyway, hits trees..  Kubota has R.O.P.S on all the tractors for safety.  It was suggested to me to just cut off the top only so that there is still some roll over protection.   Not a bad idea… Hmm maybe arm rest and grab handles ..  cup holders !  I do have metal & welder..

As I look at the three point hitch mount I see room for improvement there too.  A sub frame like the BX 24 D has for the Kubota backhoe is something I could make.   One cool thing with this backhoe is that it has it’s own hydraulic system , tank, pump and valves..  it’s driven with the rear PTO from the tractor..  and works even at low motor rpm’s.  They supplied me with a new PTO shaft .  But it needs to be trimmed to length.  So I just used the one from my Rototiller .  it was the right length.

So I took the rops off.. so I could at least give the backhoe a try.  The perch (seat) is good you can really see what you are doing… but the doing is going to take some practice.  I found the controls to be … “unnatural” .

I kept wanting to push forward on the left stick to lower the main boom.  And pull back to raise it..  I guess that makes sense to me because the front loader works that way.. and I’m getting very good at that.   As you can see by the control diagram that they have it the other way.   Which is different than the manual.  Scratch..scratch..  I will swap the hoses around ..   Because I’ll wrap my brain around working with the two sticks better.   But I was digging away awkwardly and yes it’s small but it digs !  and I tried some sod too and no problem… big rocks are a problem …  Big roots too.. so there are limits.

May29 2014:

I removed the backhoe from the tractor  tonight and pulled the cover off the valves..  Yup will be easy to swap the hoses..  not bothering till we get home from our Alberta trip in a week.

With the hose swapped the operation is more natural now..  And by the end of summer i’ve had a few chances to use the hoe.  first I found out how deep it will dig when trying to remove a concrete slab in the yard.  4 ft ! that’s it..  It is a very small hoe after all.. so I can’t expect much.   But dig trenches… Yes !  and quick too.. I can move forward from the backhoe seat too.   I’m getting good..

2019…

I’ve used the back hoe lots over the years with very few problems..

April 2014 :

Once again .. new month ..new page.. Welcome to Page 4.

Links to :  Bazoo Page 1 : Bazoo Page 2 : Bazoo Page 3

After putting new seals and bearings in it seamed pointless to use the bad axle.  So I had a new one made. Nothing was happening to the Bazoo while waiting for a new axle. And that took weeks.   But it’s here now so it’s back to work , and get the Bazoo finished.

It’s a work of art.. That’s what we said..  Nicely made.  and pricey too.. but good work is not free..  So I cleaned it and painted the outside end like the others..  And the assembly starts..

Installed with the axles are the sprockets & lock collars.  It took hours to line up the sprockets and fit the chains on..

After I tidy up some wires and put some in a loom the motor can go in..  We are getting close to launch here..  Here’s what’s left to do for testing..

1. Install the motor.
2. Finish the wiring.
3. install a battery
4. Install the choke & Throttle cables
5. Run a fuel & breather line to the motor.
6. Put the wheels back on..

If the test run is good and there is no other issues… then I want too:

1. Buy new tires.
2. Sound proof the engine cover.
3. Cut a rubber mat for the front floor.
4. Build a bush bar for the front.

But back to the “Git R Done” stage.

Getting there..  The motor fits perfectly.. as it should.

So much time before hand was spent on lining these things up.. it was a pleasure to have them just fit !   If the weather is bad tomorrow I should get everything ready for a test drive..

Sure nuf.. the weather gods were in favor of working on the Bazoo..  Everything is in place..  The top list above is done..  Boy are my tires in sad shape.. two of them will not hold air.. So they go in the middle where it won’t matter.  It’s kind of a 4×4 now.. 🙂

Here it is back on it’s wheels after a bit more than three months.  We wore the battery down tuning up the motor today.. and discovered that the kill / solenoid system I devised turns the spark off when you turn the key to “start”.  not good. so that has to be figured out..  Also the belt we have is too small so the motor still turns it at an idle..  Makes it hard to change gears.  I’m sure more stuff will show up after the test drive.  Tomorrow.

Hooray it’s May  2014:

Never did get the test run..  The motor started to act up and would not stay running..  Then the weather got nice and yard stuff had to get done..  Anyway going to look into the why, thinking a fouled plug ?

Here’s the Video.. after a lot of fiddling around

Yes We changed the two spark plugs and still the motor would stall.. Figured it was a fuel thing.. so we rigged up the tank that someone had in the Bazoo.. just to see if the motor was starving for fuel..  and it ran great !   And that is why you are seeing the video..  The sun came out for a few hours..  and so did the Bazoo..  And boy does it go..  Still need to make some adjustments but she flies..  I’m going to abandon the front gas tank.. just like before I got it.. So I’m looking for a good replacement that will fit on the back of the seat..

May 24 2014:

Bazoo is just sitting there while other things get done.. So I thought I’d see if there was interest in a trade for a quad.  Yes there is lots of interest..  But that also made me want to remedy some of the little things wrong..  Last night  Dave & I fixed the kill circuit on the key switch.. so now the motor starts and shuts off with the key.  I also totally removed all fuel lines to the front tank and configured them properly in the temporary tank .  and the motor ran great.. better that ever !  Now I have the throttle response I was hoping for.  That just showed  The other little mod I did was with the drive belt.. I knew that the common belts these days are wider than the one that would have been on the Bazoo’s drive.. So I trimmed 1/4 ” off the spare belt I had.. and the drive works so much better.  So I when for a little drive around the yard…  even more fun when things work good.

The Bazoo is SOLD.. 

The last photo pf the Bazoo..  loaded on the trailer bound for Indiana where it will live in a private collection of 6×6’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring 2014:

Boy oh boy .. I’m I distracted from the stuff I should be doing..  Too much to do .. If I was retired I could maybe get it all done .. Here I go with yet another project.  When this trailer was offered to me for a price that was hard to pass up I didn’t have to think about it long..  Especially considering that my good old utility trailer that has served me long is rusting badly..  And now when I pack some weight..  well twice now the spring shackles have broken from the frame..  Also I can’t carry my Kubota in the little 4 x 8 trailer.

No it’s not a car hauler.. It’s built from an old travel trailer.  So the frame is not strong enough for a car.. but it will work great for tractors.  It has brakes… something Dave’s trailer does not have.. It’s nice and low ..and balanced.. tows great..  The deck is treated 2×6 and measures just over 5 ft between the fenders.  And 16 ft long.  Those wire hubcaps are only on one side.. so I’m removing them. It needed a new safety chain.. and then you could use it.  Lights and brakes work good.   However there is no ramp for loading..  And the tires are old..  but they are just common size car tires.

How to make it MINE..

I’ve had the trailer sitting in the driveway for a week now.. thinking of a ramp for the back..  And today I pulled those hubcaps off and gave the trailer a bath..  Then Dave showed up and said, ” hey we should pull the hubs and grease the bearings”.   So I lowered the front of the trailer to the ground and put some blocking under the rear.. then lifted the front up with the tractor till the wheels are off the ground..  If the tractor can do that then it must not weight more than 800 lbs.  Cool. While servicing the hubs.. and the trailer up in the air I wanted to have a good look under.. Yup I’m thinking that the wiring under the trailer is messy… Not surprised with that.. and to find some wasp nests.. too..  not surprised again.  Also a lot of the nuts were missing from the bolts that hold the deck on.. Hmm.   I don’t care much for the pipe structure on the front.. and there is no sides for mounting stuff..  So I’m going to spend a few days and make this trailer GREAT.

Starting by removing the floor & the pipe railings. Then I can add to the frame, paint the frame, and re-do the wiring.  Here’s the want list…

•  Stake pockets for removable sides:
• Tie downs inside :
• Ramps for the back / or a wind gate:
• A front structure that will hold a winch.

 

Here you see the work is started..  I have acquired four newish tires for a good price.. That will take the flat worries away.. I was given some heavy mesh that will make good ramps.  Dave & I have been debating the width of the trailer..  There doesn’t seem to be a good reason to have the trailer wider behind and in front of the fenders.. So we may just keep the 61 ” width all the way.. and we may trim 12 ” off the back..

I’ll sleep on the width thing.. In the mean time I sand blasted the rims and gave them a satin black paint job..

And they are unique.. notice the Four bolt pattern..  and the large opening..  These could be hard to find.. good thing I made them nice again.

Here you see the new tires on the rims…on the trailer..  Also you will see that we’ve stripped the wood deck off, fenders off..  and now it’s time to decide what to do..

The frame is very minimal as you can see.  and some of the cross members are very light.. I could bend them easily.  So after looking at all this weakness.. we need to beef things up a bit.   The first thing is to add a third frame right down the middle.   A 2×2 ” square tube would do nicely.  That would take a bit of the flex out of the frame.  Then we will replace the lighter cross pieces with more 2×2″ tube.  All welded to make a more rigid ladder frame.

Also we decided to shorten the trailer by a foot on the tail.  This will do two things :  First it will mean less stress on the back of the trailer when loading something heavy.  Second it will move the two axles back further and make the trailer handle better.   Sadly we will loose a foot in length..  but hey it’s long enough for me..

Here you can see the shortened frame, and the new 2 x 2 center frame plus cross pieces.

The 2 x 2 square tube runs the whole length and has stiffened the trailer a lot.  We added new outer frame pieces and there will be a 4″ deep plate on the outside.  When the 2×6 decking goes on this should be a strong but lite trailer.  And yes I decided to take the deck out to the outside of the fenders.  I have also forgone the stake pockets for a 12″ high wall on the sides..  sloping up to a 24″ high front wall.   No wind gate either..  just two 16″ x 48″ mesh ramps that will slide from side to side and fold up.

This has turned into quite a lot of work.. but the result is great.. You can see in the photo above the vision I had has taken shape.  A spare tire and winch mount on the front.  The 12″ high frame on the sides acts like a truss and stiffens up the frame.

Here’s a photo of the winch mount.. I have a new 2000 lb winch for the trailer..  At the bottom is of coarse the battery tray.   I also bought a new hitch & jack.  This will be a new trailer when done.. and it’s registered as a 2014 U-Build .  Prior to this photo we used the tractor to lift one side of the trailer and had it up on it’s side.  That allowed us to rewire the brakes.  Proper soldered connections & loom , all routed through the 2×2 center beam.  I also took the opportunity to give the underside a quick coat of grey paint.

June 29 2014:

Another case of “put aside”..  The weather has been ify for painting..  and other stuff got in the way of finishing the trailer.  But today with improved weather I got er done..

All the welding & grinding is done..  cleaned it up good and gave the trailer it’s grey paint job.

Once the paint is dry I’ll wire in the lights.  Then it’s decking time.

Here’s the lights all on.. took a few hours .  all the conections are behind the license plate..  The wires all run through the 2×2 square frame.  Clean !

At the front  they all meet here..  easy to get at and make changes..

DECKIN !

2×6 treated lumber & 2″ heavy metal screws..  And lots of cutting.

Got the fenders back on too.. and they fit perfectly.  All that’s left to do is the ramps and wire up the winch.

I did not realize that at some time during our construction .. the shackles on the front axle got flipped around.. and this caused the tires to rub together.. it took me a bit of head scratching to figure out what it was that was wrong.  But I got it..

With the completion of these heavy duty ramps.. the trailer is getting closer to being 100% .  The ramps adjust for width and can be removed.  The Kubota fits with room to spare. It looks like I may have  a mowing job.. so this trailer will be used.  now we need to see how many quads we can carry !

 

 

March 2014:   Back at it…

Don’t forget to read PAGE 1 first…  Spring is in the air.. and soon the snow will be all but a memory..  I do need to get the Bazoo 6×6 finished and out of the shop..  Set up the Costco garage again..  and get the boat done..

Delays Again:

Never got to move the boat out of the shed.. there was other things that were more pressing to do.. There’s always next year..  But I did get some prep done this fall..  The Sabercraft  boat that I got for free.. was kind enough to donate a few bits.. before getting cut up for the landfill.  First was the motor well ..

This Motor Well is prefect… and I’ll make it work.   The other important stuff was the side trim..

It’s aluminum trim in the perfect shape I want for the side..   Also saved the bow light.. and a few other bits.

New Power :

As well this year I decided to pass the Chrysler 55 ‘s on to a new person.. and go with the 50 hp Merc I was given…  Supposedly it runs !  We’ll see.   I’m going to make it one of my winter projects this year.

Jan 2017:

It saddens me to think I’ll never get to see this boat finished..  But so many things keep me away..   The latest is the cost of finishing the boat.. I’m living on fumes here… yes by choice.. but I’m not able to do any projects that will cost money..   So I’m going to part with the boat.. and move on.. I’m also realizing that I have a lot of toys to play with and hard enough to use them all… one more is too much..  there would be litte time to even use the boat..   And my storage is filling up and since the Fifthwheel takes up so much room the boat got kicked out of the nice cozy place it’s been for a few years now..

So it’s up for sale..

Welcome to Page 3..

Link to Bazoo Page 1  : Bazoo Page 2  : Bazoo Page 4

New Month… New Page…It’s now March 2014

And I have the goodies I need to make the secondary drives new again.. I also bought new master links for the chains.. and some nostalgic looking beehive marker lights.. that I’m thinking would look good for my running lights. Back to the drive line…

All new axle shafts and the inner bearings too.  Looking good.. time to work on the motor mount.  I added an extra 1/4 ” of rubber to the motor mounts.  and I trimmed the mounting plate, flipped it over and the motor is in the right place.  The belt lines up and there’s just that little extra room for the air intake on the carb.  Forgot the photo..  Took the motor back off so the chassis is not so heavy.

This photo shows the chains for the drives and a stop plate for the levers..  After trying things out and seeing how they work we realized that this was a necessary part.  So I made a new one ..  When the clutch levers are in the release position, they rest against the stop plate. ( adjusted properly ).  To use the brakes you pull back further compressing the two springs you see..  This way you can’t engage the clutch & the brakes at the same time.   ( Brilliant ).  The one axle is now out getting fixed.. But I can still carry on.   Just a few things to do and Dave & I will fit the chassis  back into the Bazoo. I don’t know if I should call it a chassis or the frame.. it’s both !

In the mean time.. I’m cleaning up stuff and getting the bits ready.. I know your thinking why paint the gears..Well RUST..  I don’t want them to rust.. that’s my answer and I’m sticking to it..  I have gold paint so that’s the color..Those black blobs are the seals & bearings that hold the frame to the body.. and keep the water out at the axles.. They bolt through to the frame on the inside. Four bolts each and a rubber gasket.. it’s all that holds the two together sandwiching the fiberglass body and the frame.   I’ve got three different kinds… two are the factory aluminum castings, two are machined aluminum  and two are machined steel.  Can’t explain that one..

Here you see them again after we put the frame back into the Bazoo.  I still need to paint the ends of the axles. Just stuck them in there to see the fit. So yes we got the frame in, and bolted five of the seals in place..  one is with the axle getting fixed.

There is still a lot to do.. but this means more room in the shop 🙂 .. When I get the repaired axle back all the drive gears and chains need to be installed.  In the mean time I could do the wiring now.

Even the choke control is in..  After I wired everything up.. I put power to it to see if things work as they should.. I think I blew ( no pun intended) the fuse for the horn..  but the rest works fine..  The red light is to show power on.. It’s kinda over kill because the hour meter has a flashing light.  I may just rethink the running light thing.. and hook the tail lights to the head lamps.. and use the other switch for the bilge pump.. Yes a bilge pump.. don’t forget this thing is part boat too. I did not want drain holes in the bottom so a bilge pump is a better choice.  I’ve got one kicking around somewhere.. As for the lights.. I have three different sets.. that include those beehive ones, some LEDs and good old trailer side marker lights..  the marker lights are my favorite because they are easy to install and durable.

Maybe they aren’t the prettiest lights out there but they work for me.. If you break a lens you can get a new one cheep.  These now turn on with the head lamps.  I’ll be using more of these on the Kubota BX  to replace it’s factory tail lights. ( I broke one this winter) and I’m not buying the Kubota one..

Where your WAZOO goes in the BAZOO

Other than the wheels, the seat was the other only thing to be untouched.  I set it aside to be worked on later… Later has come now that I’m waiting for drive train parts.  The upholstery on the seats is in remarkable  condition for it’s age… presuming it’s the original.  However the plywood that it’s stapled to is not.  So I’m mulling over what to do.  Mean time I set to work on the frame..  Someone had welded extra pieces to the top bar for a gun rack.. I used the grinder to remove those.. One of the cross bars had a broken weld.. and one mount was missing..  Zap Zap with the welder.. fixed.  And above you see a new satin black paint job.. As for the cushions I’m thinking that at the least new plywood could be a good thing..  But a part of me would like to send them out for new covers too. However I should just wait and see .. they are easy to remove if I change my mind later.

So when I took the cover off the seat.. I found that the plywood base was only bad where the rusty blind nuts were.. so I got new blind nuts and moved them to a clean part.. basically turned the plywood around front to back..  sanded it all down and painted the bottom..  Re-stapled the cover back on.. and it’s like new.. See for yourself…

 

Yup that works..  Ya know I never sat in the seat till today.. I took things apart right away..  It’s actually comfy.. certainly does the job..   Next I cut new plywood sides for the interior..

There you have it.. They are bolted through with carage bolts… that way the heads are flush. These add a bit of strength to the sides..  And I stained and varnish them too..  I’m jumping back & forth a bit , just trying to take care of loose ends.. & things I can do for now.. The muffler was one of those things..   A while back I cleaned and painted the muffler..  I have now taken the old piece of aluminum they had for a heat shield and re-worked it..  so it attached to the muffler mount and not to the body of the Bazoo..

This is a much tidier set up..  and it’s all got hi-temp paint on it.  I used a rubber gasket between the muffler and the body.. and the best part.  Only two mounting bolts.  I’m all about having less holes in the fiberglass body.

Continued on  Bazoo Page 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A (not mine) Sportsman 500… or what mine should look like..  IT WILL

Dec 9 2013:  And I’m at it again !

In my search for something to work on / putz with in the shop.. This Quad popped up and got Dave & I’s attention.. Cheap ! Beat up , dirty, not running good… and left outside .. PERFECT for me.. And more so because these are one of the best quads out there..  Not too big ..not too small.. go anywhere.. I know cause Dave has a 2004 version of this quad and I rode it for a whole day. .SEE POST .  But mine is missing a few things, like the rear rack. And some of the body parts are broken.. but I’m good at fixing that sort of thing. Needs a new muffler too.. and as I get involved there could be more things. For now it’s getting stripped down and cleaned.

My Quad..  The good side.

It’s Green !..  that’s ok Dave’s is Yellow! HA

I’m waiting for a warm day to do the cleaning.. or maybe take the quad to the shop at work..  Anyway what you see in these two photos above is me placing the body parts on for a photo shoot.. and another one from the net.. To show what it would be like in nice shape..The one I have came all in pieces. and one interesting thing was the carb wrapped in a bag and hanging by the throttle & choke cables…  Was told that the quad would run but barely .. and would stall out.. thought to be carb issue.  And that was correct !  And it wasn’t just the spider making a cozy home in there.. nope the first thing I found was the choke spring not in it’s proper place. See the following photo..

Found Spring here.. not the proper place. and it tore the rubber..

With a hole in the diaphragm the throttle would not open all the way.. So I’m thinking once I get a new one the quad will run fine..Or there could be more..won’t know till I get the parts and try starting the motor..  In the mean time a bath is needed.

Needs a Bath !  So do I..

Ya I know.. they are suppose to get dirty.. but wash it when you get back from getting it dirty !  For me it’s way easier to work on.. and this poor quad has not seen a grease gun or an oil can for a while.. So take note of the photo above.. cause it WILL look different after the bath.  One other thing that is of concern is bent stuff.. this quad had a rough life.. and the owner had replaced the front suspension …so it’s good to look at the frame carefully.  First thing I noticed was the bent down handlebar.. a common thing but I will fix that. You can see in this photo below..

See how they don’t line up with the back of the frame… I’ve mostly fixed it now

But which is bent ? Well it’s a little of both.. the bars are bent down on the right side, but there is also a slight “skew” to the right-top frame rail.  not enough to be overly concerned about. If I’m able to pull it straight then great.. if not.. no worries.

Much cleaner ! and the way I like it !

Now it’s had the much needed bath. And under the dirt you always find stuff.. Missing screws, missing front disc brake.  Hmm.  I would have discovered that when I pulled the wheels off anyway.  Just another part needed. Last night I took the pull starter off and cleaned it up.. wound the rope in a bit.. and put it back on.. one more thing fixed.

Used a mild acid to wash the aluminum transmission.

Today we tried in vane to pull on the upper frame.. just to tweak it a bit.. wouldn’t move.. So I’m thinking leave it alone.  We also pulled the valve cover off to see if the cams are worn..  nope everything is fine..  I bought a motorcycle lift today and now the quad is up higher and easier to work on.. pulled the front wheels off and found … the right side had a brake disc.. but no pads left.. the left side is missing the disc but has wore out pads.. So there’s more stuff to buy.  Then I moved on to the speedo cable .. and where it goes on the transmission.  That part was seized.. so I took it apart and freed it up.. but I need a long square key to put it back on..

Sad looking front brakes 🙁  The hubs have no oil in them..

I’ve now ordered all the parts I need. and they are: new front brake pads, new front brake rotors,  new carburetor diaphragm, new key for speedometer, new shifter switch. Then there is the stuff I will fix: the muffler, the plastic body parts, the speedometer, the rear rack.  I have a few days before my Sister brings the parts.  So I’m working on some of the small stuff.. I took the rusty but functioning starter solenoid off and cleaned it up and bench tested it for function..  Works fine, but I have a bare wire that will have to be covered.

I was also working on the Rear/ Drive train brake.  Unlike the front bakes this one is all there and working good.. So I just pulled the caliper off and cleaned / lubricated stuff and made sure there was enough brake pads left. Oh and today I ordered LED lights to replace all the bulbs except the high beam light.

Rather then flipping between the different things..  And now that my parts are on the way.. I’ll list the fixes.. Starting with:

The Speedometer:

My poor sad speedometer.. I’ve taken it apart a week or so back and left it for dead..  Basically it has not been working for a while.  And upon investigation… it was the right angle drive off of the transmission that was seized.  And that twisted and sheared the square 2 inch long drive key. It is supposed to do that but then you fix it 🙂

This little baby with two 45 degree gears was the problem. Normally you would get a new one.  NA  I was so bold as to take it apart ( you can see where) and clean it and make it work . I may not have done the neatest job but It works again..  So once I get the new key (not able to fix that) then this goes back on the side of the transmission.

The cable is good. .. but the speedometer had a broken glass..

Letting mother nature into the speedometer is never a good thing. You can see what’s left of the glass..  I CAN FIX.  So I took it all apart too.. (I have no fear with this stuff)  I clean and lubed it up and it works fine now.  I made a new lens from some lexan I have .  And …

I say “almost” because the black face is weathered.  And it’s in miles !  what’s up with that ?  Speaking of .. there is got to be more than the 2603 miles that shows in the ODO ., but I’m leaving that alone. Dave says set it to 0.  I’ll just be happy to know how fast I can go before I get scared.

The Battery:

And the holder ..and the solenoid.  I was contemplating removing or cutting the battery holder to fit the battery I have but I’m thinking it would be better to just buy the correct size battery.

I removed all the rust and gave it a paint job… new positive red wire too.  Seams a little exposed for a hot lead.. I need a second rubber boot.  I’ve still to go over all the electrical, but I have not found a problem yet other than the shifter switch and a few burnt out bulbs. Speaking of those.. one of the burnt out bulbs was the AWD light.. a tiny bulb , never seen anything like it.. So in my bag of tricks I found a blue LED tiny bulb that I soldered on to the old bulb holder.. and now the AWD lights up blue.. very cool..  I took the handlebar off and all the switches that mount on the bar.. and I’ve tested and cleaned all of them now.. The exception is the brake switch, I’ll need all the brakes installed to test that because there needs to be pressure on the brake lines.   If that works there should be no electrical woes ..  Hopefully.

The New Parts:

It’s Christmas.. and the parts arrived with my Sister.

Not shown here is the shifter switch .. I was antsy to see if it would work.. It’s a new design.  Seems ok.. it fits and should do the job.

I’m a bit nervous putting the shifter back together.  The service manual tells you to be careful because the switch needs to work !  but does not go in great detail.  And this being an expensive part I do not want to damage it.. I can see now that it’s a more robust switch, it’s metal not plastic like the old one.. The shifter went back together without a hitch.. the switch works good too.  Yessss..  Now I can finish the carb.. and work on the front hubs.. Today is Boxing Day..  I thought I would take the handle bar over to Peter’s shop and use a torch to take the slight bend out.. So I heated it up carefully and got it perfectly straight.  I sanded the bar and gave it a new paint job.  I also cleaned and polished the bar clamps and replaced the missing bolt.  Done.  When I was taking the grips off I noticed there were a bit ratty.. so some nice new ones … maybe heated would be good 🙂

Them’s The Brakes :

Now that I had all the parts I needed it was time to do the front wheel hubs and brakes.  You need to pull the hubs off to replace the disc rotors.  It’s a good thing to inspect the locking hubs for wear and broken parts..  Everything was in good order despite the fact that one hub hadn’t seen much oil for awhile.  Your supposed to  fill them 1/3 up with oil.. there was a bit in one side only.  So they got some oil and put back together with new rotors.

So the brakes are like new.. and the brake light switch is working too.. There does not seem to be any air got into the lines.  So them’s the brakes 🙂

Sunday Dec 29 th :

I thought I’d get a lot more done today.. but I ran into a snag or two.  I did get the carb back in it’s proper place.. I now have the proper battery.  And with those things I thought I’d be starting the motor.. But I wanted to have ALL the electrical in place and working..

The other evening I got the handle bars all fixed and painted .. installed with new grips. So today I figured I better get the pod back together.. witch meant fixing the broken mounting holes.. I used new metal to reinforce the plastic . Worked great. Even did a bit of plastic welding with the soldering iron.

I placed the top here so I could check out the lights .  See the little red light in the middle. That’s my new brake light. It will tell you when ever you use the brakes.. but the idea is for you not to drive with the parking brake on… Something I did and not proud of.  Will it be annoying..  ?  I’m not sure yet.  Anyway I got to testing all things electric.. and found that the starter would not work.. Wow whoda thunk..  I seriously could not get it to turn over. 🙁

So out it came.. not to hard .. two bolts. When I did get the shaft to turn it make some BAAAD noises.  I printed the instructions for taking it apart, and got to it..

Boy was it dirty, no lube , and one of the brushes was welded to the armature..  None of which was good, but explains why it was a no-go.  So Clean-Clean.. lube-lube and back together.  And it works.  Yay.. :)….  Until I put it back into the motor.. it cranked the motor over about six times and click..  nothing.  Took it back out and apart.. The brushes are too short.. or wore out too much.. need new ones if I’m going to have electric start.  So I’ll move along to something else:

Bonus !

Dave Had a motor brush that worked ! With a little modification and some solder I repaired the brush.. and the starter now works great.. all the time every time..

You can see the difference in length in the photo above.

I also got the pod all together and as you can see all the lights work, red speedo light , and the bright red one is the brake light..  coming along nicely. 🙂

The high beam light got a new H4 bulb, and a polish to take the yellow and scratches away. It’s mounted properly now and you can adjust the angle..  It always should be that way..

Where are we at :

Time to take stock:  I’ve yet to start and run / test the motor.. But as of tonight I could, it’s mechanically all together,  but there is no muffler yet. Here’s what I do know..  The starter and all electrical is working. The brakes are excellent. The wheels go round & round.. Ok that’s silly.  Maybe it’s easier to say what I know needs work.  The left hub did not engage when I tested the AWD .. That side had a bent disc that I straightened, it’s also got a bad rear oil seal.. so that’s work to do. Strangely the tail light won’t work ?? it worked before ?  not a big deal but it bugs me. The Unknown: How well does the motor run ?  Does the belt drive do it’s thing ? Does the charging system work ?  Will the wheels fall off.. That’s silly again. Seriously though I’ve done a lot of hours of work.. and spent some cash here .. so crossing my fingers.

We have a running motor !

Took most of the day to fart around with checking for fuel..and trying to mickey rig a muffler.. but it started and it ran good enough for a boot down the street and back.. but the muffler is to restrictive and the motor runs like crap with that.  The good news is it RUNS, The Drive line works good too.. and things like the fuel pump are working good.. But I need a proper muffler.

Welding Plastic 101 :

Well I’ve heard of it being done.. but never tried it till today..  I have a flat tip for the soldering gun.. that’s just the ticket.

One of the foot rests for the quad was broken right in half.  not anymore !

Here’s the step by step..  of repairing the other foot rest.. it to had pieces broken right off.

Oh ya try too glue that and not have it break again..  I’ve done that with little success. This is a piece where two parts bolt together.. needs to be strong.

With the hot blade on the gun I melted the plastic just enough to bond. From both sides. And I added more scrap plastic where I needed to fill a hole.. It was important to clean with a wire brush where you are welding.

After you sand the weld down it only shows a bit.. Sweet !  and you can feel how strong it is right away..  Buy new plastic for the quad…. are you crazy !  Why.

Exhaust & Muffler :

Breath in … Breath out.  Instead of spending hours TRYING to build my own muffler I found an “off the shelf” one at Lordco that is perfect.. and cheap.

This seams to be working fine.. the mounts are a bit of a compromise, but I’m thinking the muffler will do the job at a fraction of the cost of the Polaris one. Once we get the motor running better we’ll see.

Dave’s coming over and we are going to check the gap on the valve cams.. Very important that they work good.  But what I found today while removing the fuel tank ..  may be the problem with the motor performance, or a good part of it..  I noticed that when I pulled the fuel line off the shut off valve .. I saw the fuel just dribbling out of the fuel line.. even though there was lots in the tank. So I replaced the two fuel lines coming from the fuel tank.. better flow..  While setting the valve clearance the starter calved again..  I’m buying a new jobber one it’s not expensive.. so why fart around with the old one. Also seemed the carb was not working good .. pulled it off and apart to check the float setting and found the jet seat loose in the float bowl.. All these fixes should mean a running motor when I get the new starter.. So no more work on quad till new starter comes.

Wee Haa !

Yup Got the starter installed and Dave & I fired up the Quad …  runs great, idles nice .. so we put the air box back together and the seat on and went for a boot… Even better with all the stuff properly together..  Much quieter .. Gobs of power… and go.. Speedo works  ! It was dark so I did not video that.. maybe on the weekend. A few tweaks are still needed.. and the left hub needs it’s parts to function properly.. will get this stuff done on the weekend.  So I also need to build a new rear rack and put the body back on. Oh and the problem with the tail light was a bad bulb.. Ha.

More Tweaking:

I got the parts to fix the Left hub.. and after getting that done Dave was anxious to test that the 4×4 was working.. The Polaris fired up without choke in seconds..  It’s running great.  So here’s the Video..

Short little clip, but shows the 4×4 working in the snow.  I’ve got all the front body and rack on today..

after the bit of fun… I went cruising all over the back yard.  We set to work on a rear rack..

This is what we came up with.. it’s only to mount the box that I have for the rear..

This box will be at home on the back of the quad.. It’s roomy , weather proof.. and will hold plenty of stuff.   I decided to work into the evening.. and see what I could finish.

I put the rack on , and all the body panels.  Need to mount the box, and I’m still waiting for the LED lights to come..

If the LED’s ever show up and go in we are done..  Up for sale now.. we’ll see what happens.

Lots of action on the sale.. someone came and took it for a ride.. really liked it.  Others want to trade everything and anything for the quad..  Guys like quads !  ??

Sold…. On to the next project….

The Bazoo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Second Scooter for the shop.:

1982 Yamaha CV80

80 cc

5440 KMs

I’m not going to count the parts machine as a Scooter.. it’s just a bunch of parts…. which will be very handy for getting this new one on the road again. So this I will call the second scooter, and it came to me NOT running.. BUT this is a complete Scooter, with registration..and with a few extra goodies . Another front fairing with a windscreen, and a nice lockable trunk box for the back.  And upon a closer look .. almost perfect body parts..  I say “almost” cause it’s missing just a few trim pieces, and I found two small cracks.  

And why was it not running ? 

This is what I found…  A 12 volt battery was installed in the trunk ? not the proper place.. not the proper battery. The Scoot has a 6 volt system and fortunately the 12 volt battery did no harm except to have possibly  burnt out the start light.. So with the proper battery it turned over nicely ( but won’t start) and there is lots of spark.  Electrical stuff ruled out..

   So I moved my attention to the fuel stuff.. the carburetor.  I suspected this first, but it’s easy to check the spark and rule that out.  After I removed all three covers and poked around a bit to see that the hoses are all hooked up proper ( I have studied the hose routing carefully) Yup it’s all there.. dirty but it’s all there.  So I pulled the fuel line off to see if the petcock is working.. yup there is lots of fuel to the carb. So a dirty / plugged carb is most likely the problem.  But that’s no problem for me.. ..The other day I rebuilt / cleaned the carb from the parts scooter.. and so I simply swapped the carbs.  And that did it ! fired right up.. ran great.  So I put more air in the tires and off down the road I went.. It’s raining so just a short trip.. plenty of power too.   WE HAVE A WINNER !

 When I got back to the shop I tried all the lights and the horn.. they work fine.. It looks like the speedo and fuel gauge are working good too..

So I need a plan..

And here’s what I would like to do..  New tires, New drive belt, New battery,  New flasher relay, New paint…new Color ! and of coarse all this means a tear down and cleaning.  The complete “ROB” treatment.. I love this stuff.. now that I know it runs I want to get at it.. I have lots of spare parts to choose the best ones from.. I have a near perfect seat.. new looking brake shoes, good cables. So away we go…..

The Rebuild… 

What can I say.. I’m a cleaning nut.. So I’m stripping down the scooter.. and tomorrow I’ll take the greasy parts to the solvent tank.  The body parts will get a bath with “Superclean” degreaser.  Same way I cleaned the red CV80. 

What’s left on the scoot will get a Degreaser bath as a whole.. before I remove the motor & drive.  I’ve removed the Gas & oil tanks , carb (it’s already clean) , muffler and cooling shrouds from the motor, air box and the electrical stuff from the rear… This evening I cleaned the dash gauges and replaced the burnt out bulb, tested the others. I cleaned the front flashers , and while I was in a cleaning mode I cleaned the carb that wasn’t working.. Found the float to be way out of adjustment. So it should still be good and used again.

Stuff I’ve found so far:  The front brake cable is seized.. I have a good one.  The carb was in need of a bath & adjustment. Done.  

For reasons unknown I could not log into my Blog and keep current… all is good now. so I’ll catch up … cause I got a lot done.

 As I said I’ve been busy taking every part and cleaning them.. in the case of these switches ..improving them.. cleaning the contacts and applying my electrical grease. 

 Here’s a photo of the pile of parts & pieces that I’ve cleaned and made ready for re-assembly.  I ‘ve done painting all the pieces that are black .. I use a satin black paint that is for bumper’s & trim.. great product.  

This is the fork after it’s rebuild.  Carefully greased and repainted.  

 Well “Bahama” blue to be more precise.. I told you I would change the color !  No more white.  This color looks great with the satin black.

 Shinny… Yes.. I love what the clear coat does for a paint job..  As soon as the parts are completely cured.. it’s time for putting things back together.  But not until we do a little extra with some pin striping..

Check out the side panels ..and the decals I made.. plus black pin stripes… Looks “factory”

It arrived in the mail !

 I’ve got the highly coveted European “Hercules”   tail light. Read more about this in the Red CV80’s Blog.  They never came with North American CV 80’s. now I can shave those ugly lights off of the rear rack. You can see in the photo the white piece that would be used instead.  Total Upgrade ! 

 I had a problem with the paint on the fender.. my bad .. I tried to add satin black to the bottom.. and in the process ruined that paint.. So I had to sand off the bad and repaint the fender.. here it is all fixed up with the clear on.. nice !  Next step pin stripes..  Really close to putting things back together..

I’ve got the front all together now.. minus the wheel..  need new tires first.  Note: the front brake cable is no longer hanging on the outside of the fairing. Check the photo at the top of the post !  

The “BELUGA” is now gold as per theme.. used to be chrome.  I sure hate those “after thought” turn lights.. they are a sloppy fit. To get the flush ones like they had in Japan would be awesome..  but they are hard to come by.   Robeye Restore.. you bet. I want to sticker my best work. 

Sunday Nov. 24, 2013 

Today I got quite a bit done.. It really isn’t hard to put things back together when it was only a week or so that you took it apart.  And I’ve done this before.. 

 As you can see most of it is done..  I just put the sides on for the photo..  I’ve got to solve the problem of missing edge pieces for the front fairing.. Then I can put the front all together..  I tested the electrical all out and seams fine. 

Need the rack on to make it more complete.

This scooter in looking “spiffy” The blue and the satin black look so nice together.  The turn lights work way better with the new electronic relay.  May still spring for those LED lights !  I got some black door edge trim  from the auto parts store and it works great to replace the missing trim on the front. 

 The blue scoot is all together now .. runs good.. so I ran the fuel out of the carb.. and moved it to the basement for safe storage till spring.  Only one thing that seamed not working good was the fuel gauge..(stuck on full)  so I’ll check that out in the spring. Most likely a simple fix… I plan on using the blue scooter next year..

Any updates to this posting will be on my new BLOG… HERE