The Best of VJMC2003-2006 · to do. These gorgeous bikes need to be displayed … in your home, office, work-shop or garage. Our new line features custom clocks, plaques, laptop skins,

The Best of VJMC 2003-2006

Volume 28, Number 1 • February/March 2007 • $4.50 • Celebrating 30 Years of Vintage Motorcycling

2 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007

Fellow VJMC Members,

I f you’re like most of us when your new VJMC magazine arrives, youwill pick it up and do a cursory scan through all of the pages beforeyou choose the items you want to examine in depth.

If this holds true for this issue, you have found that this magazine is acompilation of all the good stuff from as far back as 2003. Tech tips,restoration projects and “how to” is the focus of the content. While wehave discussed doing this for some time, the reason we did it now wasn’tplanned for in advance.

In mid-December our Editor, Jason Roberts, suffered a motorcycle acci-dent severe enough to prevent him from continuing his effort as such.Jason’s past work has been a grand display of quality and workmanshipthat we can only hope to match in this issue. I have spoken with Jason onmany occasions since his unfortunate accident and I am glad to reportthat he is doing better and recovering well, albeit slowly. There have beenlong hours of surgeries, healing and rehabilitation that he has undergoneand must continue to endure in the near future. We here on the Board ofDirectors wish him a speedy and full recovery and hope that Jason will beback in charge of the publication very soon.

Jason had planned a fantastic magazine for this issue but that contentwill wait until the April/May issue. In the meantime, please allow us to re-present some of the best articles from past issues that we feel are ofvalue to our membership.

One additional item of great importance: The magazine that you are hold-ing was put together by our interim Editor, Erik Ness. Erik has stepped upto the plate and offered his talent to provide professional input for this andfuture issues until Jason can return. As President, I want to thank him forhis hard work; we all are a better club for his efforts.

Please feel free to comment directly to Erik at [email protected] may also wish to contact Jason and wish him well. He can be reachedat [email protected].

Thanks to all of you for being a member of this great club and be sure tolet us know how you like this magazine and if you would like to see moreof our past issues. —Pete Boody

From the President

President Pete Boody (865) 607-8179 [email protected]

Magazine Editor Jason Roberts (562) 777-2565 [email protected]

InterimMagazine Editor Erik Ness(303) 947-3619 [email protected]

Classified Advertising Gary Gadd (817) 284-8195 [email protected]

Commercial Advertising Director Bob Billa (949) [email protected]

Webmaster Beth Braun (860) 228-4252 [email protected]

Art Director Nadine G. Messier (310) 574-9474 [email protected]

©2007 Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club. All rightsreserved. No part of this document may be repro-duced or transmitted in any form without permission.

The opinions or views expressed in letters or articlesare those of the author and do not necessarily reflectthe policy of the VJMC. The VJMC accepts no liabilityfor any loss, damage or claims occurring as a result ofadvice given in this publication or for claims made byadvertisers of products or services in this publication.

Mission Statement The Purpose of this organization is topromote the preservation, restorationand enjoyment of Vintage Japanesemotorcycles. (We define vintage as those20 years old or older until 2011. We willstill embrace 1990, 1989 and 1988 untilthen.) and to promote the sport of motor-cycling and camaraderie of motocyclistseverywhere.

H ello VJMC readers! I am the new Art Director/Graphic Designer,and I just wanted to introduce myself and the new “look” of theVJMC Magazine. I came on board in mid-November when I met

the editor, Jason, via a mutual friend, who told me that he was looking fora new designer for his vintage Japanese motorcycle magazine. Soundinglike a really fun project, I contacted Jason, emailed him a sample layout,and was able to convince him that I was the right person for the job. I hopethat you will agree.Feel free to email me any comments or suggestions as to what you like

about the new format and/or anything that you would like to see added orchanged. I look forward to your responses, and thank you for letting mebecome a member of your club! —Nadine G. Messier

From the Designer

Volume 28, Number 1February/March 2007

32007 FEBRUARY/MARCH

From the President ..........................................................................................................2

VJLA/VJMC Annual Death-Valley-March ........................................................................4

Meet the Advertiser: M&M Gifts and More ......................................................4

Eastwood Electroplating System ........................................................5

Preparing Motorcycles for Winter Storage ....................................7

Removing Fuel Tank Rust..........................................................7

Homemade Valve Spring Compression Tool..............................9

The Ultimate Cheap Wheel Bearing Removal Tool ..................9

Rust Removal: What Works?........................................11

Fork Restoration: An Easy Weekend’s Work ..........12

A Primer on Threaded Fasteners ..................15

Spoking and Aligning a New Rim ............16

I Am A Battery ..................................18

Air Filter Saver ................................19

Balancing Carbs with TWINMAX ........21

Broken Stud and Screw Removal

in Aluminum ....................................22

DOT 5 Brake Fluid and VJMs ............23

Setting Ignition Timing......................25

A Primer on Chrome Plating ..............29

Classifieds ................35

Table of Contents

M& M Gifts and More is a family-owned business serving our on-

line customers since November 2000.We are a licensed distributor for JebcoProducts. Our original product line con-sisted of limited edition collectible clocksfeaturing all your favorite NASCAR drivers.We also carry a complete line of militaryand public service clocks that can be per-sonalized for that special “one of a kind”gift to honor our service men and women.An example would be a police clock thatis personalized “Officer John Doe, ABCPolice Department.”

We are continually searching for ideas toexpand our product line and after webecame members of VJMC and attendedour very first Mid-Ohio Vintage MotorcycleDays last summer, we knew what we hadto do. These gorgeous bikes need to bedisplayed … in your home, office, work-shop or garage.

Our new line features custom clocks,plaques, laptop skins, corn toss gamesand gallery photos. All we need is a qual-ity photo. If you’re going to a show andcan’t take all your bikes with you, we canmake a gallery photo for you that will

show the bikes that you had to leavebehind. The gallery photo measures twofeet by three feet. It is hand-mounted to awood base with a hidden frame, and has ahigh-gloss black finish.

These products make great gifts for anyoccasion. Ordering is easy, on line go towww.m-mgiftsandmore.com, click onVintage Motorcycles, then click on “orderyour own personalized custom clock.” Ifyou prefer, you can call us at (513) 403-7511. We look forward to serving you. rWade and Debbie McRoberts, M & M Gifts and More


T he VJLA (VintageJapanese LosAngeles Motor-

cycle Club) in partnershipwith the VJMC (VintageJapanese Motorcycle Clubof America) presents the10th annual Death-Valley-March. We will ride fromLancaster, California toFurnace Creek Camp-ground by scenic andsometimes unimprovedback roads. You will camp

in Death Valley Saturdaynight, and ride back toLancaster by way of scenicDarwin. If you’ve neverbeen on this ride, it is amust attend event for any-one interested in a ridingadventure in the starkdesert landscapes that

mimic the surface of dis-tant planets.

This year’s trip will beopen to all bikes and scoot-ers, preferably old Jap-anese models. The varietyand eclectic nature of themotorcycles that haveattempted this ride is trulystaggering. From theHonda step-throughs toSuzuki T200 Invaders, younever know what may showup to take on the unrelent-

ing desert moon-scapes.

For those of youwho would like totry to conquer thedesert with asmall-bore motorcy-cle, please keep inmind that the chase

trucks typically follow thelarger motorcycles, so youwill need to provide yourown chase vehicles.

P lease bring amotorcycle thatcan survive two

solid days of wide-open

riding in thedeceptivelyh o s t i l edesert envi-r o n m e n t .Or, if youlike, bring arat bike youknow willblow up sowe canmake fun ofyou! One ofour members has onlymanaged to make it bothdays twice in fiveattempts, but then againhe believes a big bore is200 cc. A special awardwaits for the rider whocompletes the ride on thesmallest displacementmotorcycle.

You will need a tent and asleeping bag. We will havechase trucks availableto carry gear (and bustedbikes, if needed). We rec-ommend bringing your ownfood for dinner, but thereis food available at FurnaceCreek.

Cost: $15, includescampsite reservations,chase truck, gas andmunchies. This does notinclude the $10 per vehiclepark entrance fee but isstill such a deal! Riders canbring their own food or eatout at Furnace Creek.

Checks for the trip can bemade payable to:Brendan Durrett1137B El Centro StreetSouth Pasadena, CA91030

Send your questions orRSVPs to me at [email protected], or by phoneat (626) 755-6825. r

VJLA/VJMC 10th Annual Death-Valley-March:Saturday, March 31 & Sunday, April 1, 2007

Meet the Advertiser: M & M Gifts and More


I have a 1965 Honda CB77 that I restored, in fitsand spurts, over more than a decade. I startedout intending for this bike to be a “daily rider.” But

after a couple of years had passed, I came to think ofit more and more as strictly a showpiece. Therefore, Istarted taking pains to make it appear as “original” aspossible.This included reusing, to the greatest extent possible,

the original fasteners. Some reutilization was out ofnecessity; the CB77 has many deeply shouldered orotherwise oddly shaped bolts that are unobtainableelsewhere, the oddly flared seat mounting bolts beinga prime example. In addition, although there were alsomany bolts of standard size and thread pitch, the orig-inal 1960’s vintage bolts on the Super Hawk hadsmooth faces, whereas the current production metricbolts have raised markings on their faces. Ultimately, I realized that many of these original, and

rather specialized fasteners were too corroded to getby with just a squirt of WD40 and a lick with some steelwool—they would have to be re-plated: not chromeplat-ed, but zinc plated, as they came from the factory. Ihave had the experience of having personnel in com-mercial plating shops roll their eyes at the little hand-ful of bolts I offered for processing, and subsequentlywaited six to eight weeks for them to “get around to it.”Thus, it was with a great deal of interest that I read thereviews of both the Caswell and JNT home electroplat-ing systems in the VJMC magazine. However, when Iinvestigated those systems, neither seemed quite rightfor what I had in mind.While perusing the latest Eastwood Company catalog

one evening, I noticed that they too offered a homeelectroplating kit and supplies. And their systemenabled plating in a zinc-tin alloy.The catalog offered a complete kit for $69.99, as well

as replenishment materials, in this case electrolytesolution and zinc-tin anode bars, which together wouldcost $49.99. In addition to a plastic battery holder, thekit offered a number of items which I considered super-fluous, primarily because I already owned similar ones:safety goggles, a plastic funnel, rubber gloves, a plas-tic “plating jug” and a tube of metal polish. My initial inclination was to buy just the electrolyte

solution and the anodes. What finally changed my mindwas an uncertainty regarding the little plastic box, pro-vided as part of the kit that holds the two D cell batter-ies that power the plating process. While I was pretty

sure I could get something similar at my local RadioShack relatively inexpensively, I really had no idea if thebattery box was constructed so as to put the batteriesin series, in order to obtain 3 volts, or in parallel, toobtain greater current. Figuring I’d be sorry more thantwenty bucks worthif I guessed wrong,I ordered the wholekit. Induced bythe promise ofa 10% discountfor on-line ordersplaced during thefirst weekend of thenew year, I orderedthrough the compa-ny’s web site,which is www.east-w o o d c o . c o m .However, they alsohave both a toll freeand a fax numberthat can be usedfor placing orders. The plating kit

arrived more quicklythan promised.After it did, Iunpacked the con-tents and read theenclosed instruc-tional leaflet beforestarting to work. The principle was pretty straightfor-ward: the zinc-tin anode bar provides the metal whichis to be deposited on the object being plated. A smallplastic box holds two D size dry cell batteries, and oninspection, it proved to be constructed so as to put thetwo batteries in series, just like a flashlight. The posi-tive (red) lead of the little battery box is clipped to theanode, and the negative (black) lead is clipped to theobject being plated.

T he kit’s instructional material emphasizedthe need for having the parts to be platedscrupulously clean. So, although only a couple

of the fasteners that I wanted to plate were actuallyrusty, they all spent a night in a bath of the vintage

Tech Tip: Eastwood Electroplating Systemby Richard J. SulikOriginally published in the October 2004 issue

continued on next page

Re-plated CB77 special fasteners.

Plating set-up. (Shown without plating solution).

motorcycle restorer’s secretweapon: Milkstone Remover, diluted3:1. The next morning I cleaned theresidue off them in hot water anddishwashing detergent, using a non-woven nylon pad. Many people knowthe familiar green household varietyof these pads by the brand nameScotch Brite. However, for shopwork, I like to use the harder, gray orbrown varieties that are sold inhardware and auto supply stores forsanding down paint and removingrust from metal. Ignoring the specific warning not to

do so, I set up the kit on my kitchencounter next to the sink. My onlyconcession to safety (and commonsense) was that I placed an oldwooden cutting board on the coun-tertop first, deluding myself that anyspills or splashes of the acidic elec-trolyte solution would be confined

harmlessly to the board. Upon set-ting up the kit though, it quicklybecame apparent that the Eastwood“System” was a one piece-at-a-timeproposition. And, in my estimation,the plastic plating container provid-ed in the kit was both too deep andtoo narrow at the mouth to be ofmuch good for my use. The applica-tion of a little ingenuity quicklyresulted in a solution to the prob-lem. An empty one-pound handcleaner container was obtainedfrom my workbench. Four incheswide, three inches deep, and madeof heavy plastic, it was perfect for aplating tank when filled with theelectrolyte solution to within aboutan inch of the top.The anode bar is a flat strip about

one inch wide, eight inches long,and very soft. You can easily bend itin your fingers to any requiredshape. Generally, that would be witha short hook in one end so that itcan hang over the mouth of the plat-ing jug and dangle in the electrolyte

solution. In my case, I made it bendjust about in half. This allowed theanode bar to stand on its own, andmade it easy to attach the positiveclip from the battery box.The piece to be plated must be

attached to the negative battery clipand immersed in the solution, atwhich point the plating processbegins. However, I immediately real-ized that if I just clipped on the neg-ative lead and dropped the bolt inthe solution, the side of the bolt lay-ing against the bottom of the tankmight not get plated, or at least notvery well. Somehow, I had to sus-pend the piece so that no part of itwould be touching either the bottomor the sides of the container. I madeanother trip out to the workbenchand obtained a piece of 12 gaugesolid copper wire about a foot long.I stripped it, then starting in themiddle of the piece, I wrapped acouple of turns around the threadedportion of the bolt that I had select-


Electroplatingcontinued from page 5

continued on page 8


I n many parts of the United States, Canada, theUK, and Europe, this is the season when we beginto think about protecting our bikes for winter.

There are many ways to accomplish this task and thisarticle will go through some of the techniques thathave traditionally been used.Let's start with the fuel tank. Most of our vintage

Japanese fuel tanks are steel and the inside of them isbare metal. For tanks that haven't been coated, therequirement here is to prevent rust from forming (anda good idea, even if the tank has been coated). To accomplish this there are a number of tactics that

can be employed. The simplest one is to fill the tankwith fresh gasoline (or petrol) and use a product suchas Stabil to insure the fuel doesn't degrade (toomuch). The fuel denies the oxygen in the air the oppor-

tunity to attack the inside of the tank and form rust.Stabil isn't a bad idea for most of us who don't ride ourvintage Japanese bikes regularly, anyway. Modern fuelscan degrade quickly so that the premium gas that wasin the tank last month is less than regular grade fuel bythe end of this month. The advantage of this measureis that it allows you to start the bike if you get a niceday and the inclination to ride the bike. Another approach is to drain all of the fuel from the tank

and then spray the inside with a rust preventative such asWD-40. If you can get the tank clean and dry, productssuch as Desiccare’s Pillow Packs can be placed insideit to prevent rust formation. The downside of this tech-nique is that you can’t easily go from unridable to ridableand back without going through all the previous work of

Tech Tip: Preparing Motorcycles for Winter Storageby Ellis HolmanOriginally published in the December 2003 issue

Supplies: rusty tank, mediumsized steel or zinc plated bolt,piece of 10-14 gauge strand-

ed copper wire, battery charger with10 amp output, sodium carbonate(pool/spa chemical pH+), and water. Remove the sender if the tank has

one; if not, shake out any loose bitsof rust and vent the gas vaporsfrom the tank by leaving it open forat least a day.Mix 1/4 cup of sodium carbonate

solution for every two gallons ofwater. Stir it up well and pour thebrew in the tank (you might want tomake a little extra, as some usuallyspills). Clip the battery charger ground

lead to the tank body in a cleanarea. Strip both ends of the strandedwire, one end 1/2-inch and theother end about 2 inches. Split thestrands on the long end, andsecurely wrap the wire around thebolt. I use a 5/16-inch diameter

bolt about 2 inches long, eithersteel or zinc plated.Immerse the bolt in the solution

and attach the wire lead to the pos-itive terminal of the charger. Set thecharger output on the 10-amp set-ting. The mix will start to bubble abit, and rust and gunk will formaround the bolt and upper tankopening. Rinse the bolt off everyfew hours, carefully pouring addi-tional sodium carbonate/watersolution into the tank opening toflush out the gunk there as well.Keep the tank as full as possible.

A fter a day or two, as theprocess slows down, theamount of gunk generated

decreases. Most of the bolt will dis-appear as well, so keep an eye onthe copper wire holding it; the boltmight need to be replaced.When it looks as if the process

has finished, rinse the tank with

clear water. Slosh it around andeven use a handful of 1/4-inch nutson a string to scrub out any looseresidue. Rinse again and dry withwarm air. A vacuum cleaner outlethose or hair dryer can be used tosupply drying air.This process only eats up rust, not

steel. It converts rust to blackoxide, which is a more inert materi-al. Unlike acid etching, the surfaceleft behind is rust-resistant. Acidetched steel left bare is much morelikely to re-rust. This process workswell, the chemicals required aresafe if properly handled, the tankshouldn’t need to be coated after-wards (unless it’s leaking), and thetime required is minimal. rEditor’s Note: All tech tips printed in the VJMCmagazine are submitted by readersand are not endorsed by VJMC. Trythem at your own risk! Remember,always think Safety First.

Tech Tip: Removing Fuel Tank Rustby Curby KeithOriginally published in the October 2003 issue

continued on page 10


ed for plating. The wire holder was bent into a slight Vshape to submerse the bolt fully in the electrolyte solu-tion without touching the bottom of the tank, and“ears” were bent down at each end of the wire to holdit in place.

W ith the bolt and the anode in place, the plat-ing process started immediately after con-necting the battery leads. The instructions

indicated that the average bolt should plate in three orfour minutes. However, I found that on my first try, witha non-critical bolt, leaving it in the solution for four min-utes resulted a rough coating of material which lookedalmost white when it was rinsed and dried. However, acouple of swipes with the nylon pad removed most ofthe roughness and brought out the start of shiny metal.The instructions emphasized learning by practice, and

I found this good advice. After a couple of tries, I foundbetter results were obtained when I removed each boltafter about a minute of plating, rinsed off the slightgrayish film that was developing, and replaced it in thesolution, repeating this process two or three times untilI was satisfied with the results.

I nitially, the anode bar, where it lies below the levelof the electrolyte solution, appeared to diminishat a rather low rate, and lead me to expect that it

would have a fairly long life. However, after plating fouror five bolts, I noticed that it was starting to disinte-grate at the point where it enters the electrolyte solu-tion. It is this tendency that will ultimately prove to bethe factor limiting the life of the bar.Worth repeat-

ing is the factthat the elec-trolyte solutionis acidic. Theinstruction man-ual specificallywarns againstusing the sys-tem on yourkitchen counter.I ignored thewarning, figuringthat: (1) thestuff couldn’t bethat power ful,and (2) I’d just be careful. It turned out that I waswrong on both counts, and I ended up with an ugly,blotchy, indelible stain on my wife’s kitchen counter-top. If that old countertop hadn’t already been slatedfor replacement, I’d still be sleeping in the garage.Also, be sure to wear rubber gloves and your oldestshirt; if you have an “Oops!” while handling the solu-tion, you don’t want your favorite red flannel shirt look-ing like Swiss cheese.

Overall, I was very pleased with the way thebolts turned out. And, I discovered that thezinc casings of common D cell batteries can

be used as an acceptable substitute for the zinc-tinalloy anode bars, although they give a somewhat soft-er and less brilliant (without polishing) finish. In sum-mary, Richard’s Recommendation Regarding theEastwood Company’s Electroplating System is that itworks, and works well for most uses you would put itto. However, unless you are a total newcomer to eventhe most basic kinds of automotive or motorcyclerepair, save the twenty bucks, and just order the elec-trolyte solution and the anode bars. Except for the littlebattery holder, which you can easily get from RadioShack for a buck or two, you probably have most of theother stuff you need already in your garage, and the fullset of instructions can be copied off their web site.Just use a little care, the usual parcel of commonsense, and you will be able to produce zinc-plated boltsand other bits that you’ll be very pleased with. r

Close-up of the installed, finished product.

Electroplatingcontinued from page 6


A s usual, I needed a special tool for my motor-cycle hobby and no one seemed to have one toloan me. So after soliciting suggestions from

the VJMC chat line, I decided to make my own. Themajor part of this tool is a large C-clamp. In this case,a cheap clamp will suffice because the force needed tocompress the spring is small. Looking closely, you cansee a pipe coupling cut in half and two studs welded tothe sides. The shoe is just a short piece of pipe withthe side cut out but leaving the bottom ring to pushdown on the spring retainer. The benefit of using a pipe

and coupling is that the position of the shoe can berotated as needed for different heads and valves.That’s about all there is to this tool. I used it last nightand it worked great! r

PHOTO CAPTIONS (below)1. Side view of the assembled tool.2. Pipe coupling with mounting studs.3. Compression shoe.4. Compression shoe assembly.5. Tool in use on a Honda cylinder head.

Tech Tip:Homemade Valve Spring Compression Toolby Ken CarlsonOriginally published in the August 2005 issue

L ast night I triedwithout success topush out a wheel

bearing on a small Hondawheel using the old punchor screwdriver method.Those who have done thiswill appreciate the difficul-ty in removing the firstbearing. In fact, numerousarticles have already beenwritten about the strugglesencountered in trying touse a punch to drive outthe bearing because ofHonda’s internal spacertube getting in the way.

But today I made a newtool that allowed me toremove the bearings inminutes. I started with anordinary 1/2-inch expand-ing sleeve anchor asshown in the first photo. I then used a stationary

belt grinder to make thetapered head small

enough to pass throughthe inner race. I used apair of tin snips to cutabout 1/16-inch from eachside of the expandingsleeve so that it wouldalso fit through the innerrace. Using the beltgrinder, I also reduced thediameter of the threadedportion of the bolt so thatit would fit through thereduced diameter of theexpanding sleeve.To use the finished tool,

slide it into the bearingabout 3/4-inch and lightlytighten it. Now when usinga punch from the oppositeside, the force will slidethe tapered head into theexpanding sleeve andpush that nasty old bear-ing right out. This worksgreat and has the addedbenefit that the tool isreusable. r

Tech Tip:The Ultimate Cheap Wheel Bearing Removal Toolby Ken CarlsonOriginally published in the June 2005 issue

PHOTO CAPTIONS1. The 1/2-inch

expanding-sleeve anchor.2. The modified anchor. 3. The finished tool.

1

2

3

1

2

3

4

5

draining the tank, etc. Don’t forget the carburetors.

Carburetors should be drained offuel, or if you’re using Stabil, makesure to run the engine long enoughto insure that the stabilized fuelreaches the carburetors. This usual-ly takes about 3 minutes (more orless), depending on the size andnumber of carburetors. A spinaround the block should take careof getting the stabilized fuel into thecarburetors.

T o protect the engine’s inter-nals, it’s always a goodidea to bring the engine to

operating temperature and then per-form a complete oil change. Bycomplete I mean that all the old oilsremoved, along with replaceable oilfilters (and cleaning the centrifugetype used by small Honda twins).Old oil can contain acids that duringstorage will promote rust. The oilchange is intended to minimizethat. For increased protection, pre-servative oil like the kind used forstoring aircraft engines is an option.Companies such as Wicks can sup-ply preservative oil.During storage, some owners favor

turning the engine over to help cir-culate oil and prevent the pistonrings from sticking, while othersremove the spark plugs and sprayoil into the cylinders to prevent cor-rosion. Another good way to preventcorrosion is to use dehydratorplugs. Dehydrator plugs replace thespark plugs and absorb moisture.14mm plugs can be ordered for$5.00 each from PROTEKAIR (seechart for contact information).For water-cooled motorcycles like

the Honda CX500 and GL1000,don’t forget that winter storage is agood time to flush and refill thecooling system. This is especiallytrue if the bike will be exposed to

freezing temperatures. Antifreezeused in the coolant does degradeover time. Annual replacement is agood idea.

With the inside of the enginetaken care of, now let’s look atsome other items. Disc brake sys-tems should be flushed and refilled(good to do on a regular basis any-way) if common petroleum-basedbrake fluids (DOT 3 and DOT 4) areused. The hydraulic fluid absorbsmoisture and causes corrosion. Analternative to this is to use siliconebrake fluids that don’t absorb mois-ture and that prevent corrosion.NAPA Auto Parts stores sell asilicone-based brake fluid that’scompatible with petroleum-basedbrake fluids. This allows a simplereplacement of the petroleum-based brake fluid with the silicone-based brake fluid. There is norequirement to dismantle and cleanthe brake system.

If the bike isn’t going to be riddenfor a long period of time, inflate thetires to the correct pressure andplace the bike on its center stand.Block the bike so that the front tireis not resting on the ground. To helpprevent weather cracking, apply aprotectant like Armor All.

For the bright work and paintedsurfaces, use a covering of goodquality wax. Put the wax on all exte-rior surfaces (not hand grips orother rubber!), but avoid flat orsatin finishes such as those foundon switch housings or many masterbrake cylinder housings. Put it onand don’t wipe it away.

If you are not lucky enough tohave a nice heated, environmental-ly controlled garage to store yourbike in, consider using a cocoon.Companies such as Bull Frog makea full enclosure bag that protectsthe bike from corrosion.

The nice thing about using one ofthese covers is that it eliminates allthe work required for putting on andtaking off wax and other protec-tants from exterior surfaces. It also

keeps surfaces dust free. The bagis simply laid out, the bike is riddenonto the bag, and then the bag iszipped up around it!

Batteries should be removed fromthe bike and stored where it theyare protected from freezing. Thereare a lot of schools of thought sur-rounding the care of batteries; how-ever, the common threads are touse distilled water to fill the batteryto its full level markings and keepthe battery fully charged. This maybe done with frequent shorter dura-tion charges or a 24-hour chargeonce every 30 days. Battery Tenderfrom Deltran Corporation is anexcellent “smart” charger thathelps maintain optimal batterycharge without a lot of work on yourpart. These are available at mostBatteries Plus stores. r


Winter Storagecontinued from page 7

4 PRESERVATIVE OILWickswww.wicksaircraft.com

4 DEHYDRATOR PLUGSPROTEKAIR2392 Jamestown RoadFernandina Beach, FL 32034904-261-0601

4 ENCLOSURE BAGSwww.bull-frog.com

Cortec Corporation4119 White Bear ParkwaySt. Paul, MN 55110Toll Free: 1-800-4-CORTECPhone: 651-429-1100Fax: 651-429-1122Email:[email protected]

4 BATTERY CHARGERSDeltran Corporation801 US Highway 92EDeland, FL 32724Phone: 386-736-7900Fax: 386-736-6458www.batterytender.com

CONTACTS FOR WINTER STORAGE PREPARATION:


One big problem when restoring old motorcyclesis rust: Rust on chrome wheels, rust on fend-ers and rust inside gas tanks. There has been

a lot said about this on the internet on various lists anda lot of hearsay passed around. From what you see andhear, almost every concoction known to man has beentried at one time or another to remove the rust andcrud from gas tanks. Coke, molasses, MilkstoneRemover (MSR), Muriatic acid, phosphoric acid, swim-ming pool cleaner and various other rust removers onthe commercial market. Each of these has its follow-ing, but some are far better than others. But which oneis actually the best for what you want to do?

Being rather curious, I wanted to know too, so I setup a semi-scientific workshop experiment. I say semi-scientific in that I did not go to extreme efforts to makesure everything was done under strict laboratory condi-tions. I did try to run all my tests in the same place andunder the same conditions and for the same length oftime. This was done in about the same way you woulddo it in your own workshop, and I think the results Iobtained will be similar to what you can expect inyour shop.

T he first step was to accumulate the various liq-uids for the project. Most of them can beobtained from a local hardware store, grocery

store or farm supply store. I did not go to any greatextremes to buy super special supplies; they are thesame as what you can buy just about anywhere. Thereare jellies also, but I primarily wanted to see what youcould use in a gas tank. The first trials were withMuriatic acid and MSR. Muriatic acid is the same stuffavailable for cleaning garage floors and is available injust about any hardware store. The MSR was pur-chased at a local Tractor Supply Company (TSC) store.Muriatic acid is a form of hydrochloric acid, which isabout the meanest acid known to man. It will react vio-lently with many things and is not to be mishandled. Itmust be kept in a plastic container. I purchasedstraight hydrochloric acid and it came in a sealed plas-tic bottle which in turn, was sealed in a heavy plasticbag. After thinking it over for a day, I returned itunopened. I just didn't want anything that powerfulwithin a mile of my shop -- the milder (?) Muriatic acidis mean enough!

Milkstone Remover is used in a very dilute form toclean the milk lines in dairies of the white residue left

over from milk extraction. The active ingredient in MSRis phosphoric acid diluted to 58% acid. Phosphoric acidis found in many products in very dilute forms. It is inalmost all cola drinks and root beers, including Dr.Pepper and a lot of other soft drinks. It is found inalmost pure form in the Kreem gas tank liner kits also.I am told it is also in Grout Cleaner and similar prod-ucts. When it is in most products, you will find it listedon the label. Look at a Coca Cola can.

SAFETY FIRST! Using some of these products canbe harmful to your health and your shop. Thereare certain rules you must follow to be safe.

Rule 1. ALWAYS pour acid into water. Never pour waterinto acid.

Rule 2. Keep an acid neutralizer handy. Water dilutesthe acid, but baking soda neutralizes it. Keep an OPENcontainer of baking soda right where you can get yourhands on it in case you spill some acid. (It's handywhen working with batteries too.)

Rule 3. Have plenty of water around to wash off yourhands or any spills.

Rule 4. Protect your eyes with goggles and wear a plas-tic or rubber apron if at all possible. Keep it off yourclothes and shoes. Wear rubber gloves!

TEST #1:Muriatic Acid Vs. Milkstone RemoverIn order to have identical test pieces, I placed the gastank off of a CB350F on the sacrificial altar (my workbench) and proceeded to cut a large square right outof the top. This was cut up into strips about 1" by2"and punched a hole in them to suspend them on apiece of wire. The wire made it easy to get in and out of the glass-

es I used as containers for the various acids andother liquids. They were all covered on one side bythe usual crud found in 30 year old gas tanks thathave had gasoline left in them for 15 years and thenset outside for another 15 years. In other words, thistank was a total loss anyway—rust inside and out.The first group was tested in five small glasses con-

taining various mixes of Muriatic acid and MSR.

Tech Tip: Rust Removal:What Works?by Jim TownsendOriginally published in the February 2003 issue



Sometimes I’m amazed at allthe nicely restored VJMs Isee here in central Florida.

Then again, sometimes I wonderwhy the owners don’t bother toclean up their forks, when – downhere at least – “love bug” residue

can eat right through the clear coatand make them look like they’remade of concrete instead of alu-minum. Is the job of removing theforks just too intimidating, or is itthat the owners just don’t know howto reestablish that nice factory fin-ish? In fact, all it takes is part of aweekend or several spare eveningsto do a nice fork cleanup job.

The process begins by removingthe front wheel and fender. Raise

the front end and support the bikewith a small jack or cinder block,with some wood shims placed toprotect the engine. Next, removethe brake caliper from its mountand hang it with a wire on any con-venient point on the frame or

engine. Remove thespeed-ometer cablefrom its housing andcoil it out of the way.Loosen the axle nutand slide the axleout, noting the orien-tation of any spacers.Pull the wheel downand straight out, andplace it aside.Remove the frontfender and forkbrace,if any. Finally, loosenthe upper fork pinch

bolts, then the lowerpinch bolts one sideat a time. Gently slideout each of the tubesand you’re ready tostart.

At this point, if youwant to polish yourfront wheel, now isthe time. Need to lubeor replace wheel bear-ings? Do that, too.

You might want toreplace your fork oil orseals if that’s on your

maintenance list. But for now, let’sjust consider the cosmetic forkrestoration.

I n order to get your slidersready for recoating, you’llneed:

• semi-paste paint stripper• an old sash brush• a few pads of 00 steel wool• some acetone• wet-or-dry sandpaper in

80-100, 220, 400 and 600 grit• a small plastic pail or basin• some old newspaper, rags

and towels.The first step is to strip away any

of the remaining clear coating. I usea two-inch China-bristle brush toapply the stripper. It resists thechemicals, and can be reused. Iwork one slider at a time, rolling thepart over and over ‘til I know I’vegot the whole thing coated withstripper.

D on’t go overboard, but usejust enough so that thestripper doesn’t dry, and

keep moving it around with yourbrush. When you see the old coat-ing begin to wrinkle up, it’s time torub it off with a pad of steel wool.Observe the pattern of the metal asyou work. You’ll notice that the orig-inal finish on the aluminum goes“round and round,” and you want tomaintain that finish. Spinning theslider with one hand while holdingthe fork tube with the steel wool inthe other works for me. Finishremoving the coating from all thenooks and crannies by laying thepart on your bench and scrubbingwith wadded-up steel wool as need-ed. Keep scrubbing until you’veremoved all the loose coating.

You’ll probably have to reapply thestripper, but two applicationsshould be enough if you’re using agood quality product and giving itenough time to work.

When you’ve got all the old coat-ing off, wash the sliders down withwater and a little dishwashing deter-gent. Once it’s dry, you’ll be able tosee any spots you missed; they willhave a cloudy, yellowish tint that willstand out next to the exposed alu-minum.

Tech Tip: Fork Restoration: An Easy Weekend’s Workby Eric WalaOriginally published in the February 2006 issue

A makeshift holder for the forks.

The finished product. Photo courtesy of Kelly Wright.


Muriatic acid in a 1 part to 10 parts water, 1 to 20,MSR straight from the jug, MSR 1 to 4, MSR 1 to 8parts water were what I used. After 1 1/2 hours, theMuriatic acid showed very little signs of activity, butthe full strength MSR had removed almost all therust from the outside of the sample and the insidewas about 1/2 clean. The 1 to 4 MSR had done evenbetter. The outside rust was almost gone and theinside was about 85% clean. The 1 to 8 MSR wasbetter than the Muriatic acid. I checked again afterthree hours and the results showed that the Muriaticacid 10 to 1 had done in 3 hours almost as much asthe 1 to 8 MSR had done in 1 1/2 hours. However,the 1 to 4 MSR had almost cleaned the sample onboth sides. With just a little brushing, the samplewould have probably been completely clean. I didn'tbrush or even shake the samples as I wanted tosee for myself exactly what action the acids alonewould do.

I let the samples sit overnight and after 12hours, the Muriatic acid samples were begin-ning to show some signs of action. The 1 to 10

sample had most of the rust off the outside, but theinside was almost untouched. The 1 to 20 sampleshowed very little action. However, the straight MSR

sample had almostthe entire outsideclean and with aphosphate coatingand the inside just afew specs of dir tremained and it wascoated too. The 1 to4 sample was aboutthe same as thestraight MSR. Eventhe 1 to 8 MSR mixwas better than theMuriatic acid samples

and were almost the same as the 1 to 4 MSR mix.I expected that after 24 hours the results produced

by the Muriatic acid and the Milkstone Removerwould be about the same. However, the Muriatic acid1 to 10 sample still had at least half of the crud andrust on the inside and the outside was clean. The 1to 20 sample was a bit dir tier inside with the outsideclean. The 1 to 8 MSR sample was clean inside andout and coated with a phosphorous coating. Theother samples were the same.

TEST #2:Various Other ProductsI bought various other products to try: CLR (Calcium,

Lime, Rust remover), molasses, Coke, pool stain treat-ment (powdered Oxalic acid) and I had a bottle of 3year old Rusteco liquid. The CLR was mixed 1 to 1 withwater. The Rustecowas straight fromthe bottle. I mixedthe molasses abouta tablespoon full to175cc of water, anddid the same withthe Oxalic Acid. TheCoke was straightfrom the can and Idrank the remain-der. (Didn't eat outmy insides either.). After 1 1/2 hours I

could not see any action on any of the test strips withany of the products. I then waited for 14 hours to seewhat had happened. The results are as follows:

• CLR:The inside was about 1/2 cleaned, but the outside rust was almost untouched.

• Rusteco:The inside had very little action and the outside had most of the rust removed.

• Molasses:It smelled good, but there was little or no action visible.

• Oxalic acid:Inside there was very little action and outside there was almost no rust.

• Coke:No visual change, but it tasted good.

CONCLUSION:Considering the dangerous fumes with using theMuriatic acid and the dangers it poses compared toMSR at any dilution, it is surprising that Muriatic aciddid not perform any where near as well. MilkstoneRemover was even safe enough to put your hand in fora short time when diluted 8:1. The only differencebetween full strength MSR and the 4:1 and 8:1 mixeswas that the dilute mixes took a little longer to do thesame job. It can be diluted a bit more and in my shop


Test 1:Muratic acid vs. Milksone Remover

Test 2:CLR, Rusteco, molasses, pool staintreatment (Oxalic acid) and Coca-Cola.


Rust Removalcontinued from page 11


If your sliders look crusty, like those I mentioned atthe beginning of this article, you’ll need to start bysanding away the major corrosion on the leading edgesof the sliders. I cut my wet-or-dry sandpaper into oneinch by nine inch strips so I can use the “shoe-shine”method to polish. After wetting down the part and thepaper, I use a side-to-side stroke to gradually removethe pitting, while observing the part’s finish.

A s shown in the photo, I fashioned a hold-downof sorts by banding the slider tubes with wireand padding, and held them straight with nails

driven into my workbench. A small vise would workbest, of course, but I have such limited space that Idecided not to mount one. Anyway, this method workedfine for me.

If you’re in doubt about what grit to start with, polishthe backside of a slider first, using a fine grit so youcan see how much metal you’re removing. Then selectcoarser grits until you start effecting some visiblechanges without too much time and effort. Just keepsanding, making sure that the part and paper are wet.Rinse your paper frequently.

DON’T SAND AGAINST THE METAL GRAIN! You’ll getscratches that will take hours to remove. Don’t evenslide the paper up or down the part between areasyou’re working on. Instead, LIFT the paper and blendthe new sanding work into the area you’ve just finished.Just keep buffing…aluminum responds to sanding liker-e-a-l-l-y hard wood. If you do get a scratch, you’ll beable to remove it with more sanding, but that will takeconsiderable time and effort.

Gradually sand with finer grits up to 600 as you seethe finish improving. After a couple hours of labor, youshould have one side done. At least that’s how much

time I allow, but it could take longer depending on howmany trips you make to the fridge for cold beers!

W hen you think you’ve got it right, wash thepart down with water and wipe it downusing a clean cloth wetted with acetone.

This will remove fingerprints and sanding residue soyou can really judge your work. You’ll want to view itunder very good light to observe the continuity of yoursanding. Check for especially bright or dull areas, andalso look for striations, or stripes, up and down thepart. If you see any inconsistencies, you’ll have toresand with a fresh piece of 600. This may try yourpatience, but stay with it. It’s important that you dupli-cate the factory finish, which is very consistent. A littleextra effort will assure you get results you can beproud of: not too bright and not too dull, but just right.

Finally, you’ll want to apply a clear acrylic coating topreserve the shine. After wiping the part down withacetone one last time to remove any skin oil, I hang itfrom a wire in a doorway where I have plenty of goodnatural light, and spray my coating up and down thepart, laying on one light coat at a time. You should getthe feel for this pretty quickly. I recommend two lightcoats. If there are any runs, drips or errors, you cansimply wipe the acrylic off with more acetone andtry again.

T wo acrylic coating sprays have worked well forme. The simplest and easiest I’ve used isCrystal Clear Acrylic Coating from Krylon. It’s

a very durable finish, especially if you bake it under anIR (infrared) light during the curing process. And it’scheap and available…about $3 at Kmart. The instruc-tions say your parts can be handled in one hour, butdon’t believe it. There’s nothing worse than creating abig dirty thumbprint on your nice fresh part as you try toreinstall it before the coating dries. Don’t ask me how Iknow. I’d wait at least 12 hours before handling yourparts unless you decide to bake them with an IR light.

The other spray is Diamond Clear from the EastwoodCompany, which they describe as a “gloss clear forbare metal surfaces.” I ordered some of this when Iwasn’t achieving the “uncoated” look I wanted forsome brightly buffed aluminum parts. In that case, theKrylon seemed to veil the parts’ shine and looked mot-ley. Eastwood’s product worked very well for that appli-cation, but it’s not necessary if you’re reproducing anOEM finish on a typical VJM part. Eastwood recom-mends a 24-hour drying period. If you’re a purist,spend the $11 plus shipping from Eastwood. Call themat 1-800-345-1178 or go to www.eastwood.com.Then, as they say in the shop manuals,“installation isin the reverse order of the removal.”Good luck! r

Fork Restorationcontinued from page 12


Bolts, nuts, screws andstuds, are the things thatliterally hold our motorcy-

cles together. But when was thelast time you really gave thought tosize, pitch and thread? In this arti-cle I will present a primer aboutwhat those things mean and whatto do when determining what youneed in the way of hardware for yourscooter. There are many types of thread

systems in use based on both inchand metric measurements. For thepurposes of this article I will confinemyself to the Japanese ISO(International Organization forStandardization) metric standardwhich is used on Japanese bikessince 1966. A quick word is in orderabout Japanese bikes manufac-tured prior to 1966. Many of thosebikes used the Japan IndustrialStandard (JIS) for threaded fasten-ers. For the most part JIS fastenersinterchange with ISO fasteners,the exception being the 4 and 3mm thread pitch. Post 1966Japanese ISO fasteners are typicallymarked with a small dimple and/oran “8” to indicate ISO and grade8.8 (which isn’t the same as inchgrade 8). Many hardware stores have start-

ed carrying metric hardware. Themetric hardware you’ll find in mosthardware stores is European DIN(Deutsches Institut für Normung, orGerman Institute for Standards)standard. Among other things, theheads vary in design on the boltsand screws generally have a flatter,wider head which doesn’t fit therecesses on the Japanese enginecases. So what is the basic layout of a

piece of metric hardware? Let’stake a look at a typical metric bolt

(Figure 1) and see what’s involved. When we look at the typical desig-

nation of hardware such as an 8mm bolt we are speaking of thediameter D in the picture. The hexorwrench size is the span across theflats, item H in this diagram. A fas-tener is described in parts books bythe diameter and length such as an8 x 22 mm bolt. Here we are talkingabout the diameter (8) or D in thepicture below and length (22) or

item L in the picture below. Pitchdefines the type of thread used ona fastener, or P in the picture. Pitchis designated by a numericsequence such as 1.25 or 1.0. Onour 8 mm bolt we would say thatthis bolt is an 8 x 1.25.

W hen trying to determinewhat the dimensions ofan unknown fastener is;

first measure the major diameter ofthe fastener (that is to say over thethreaded area). If you’d rather,most hardware stores sell gaugesyou can use to determine the diam-eter too. Next use a thread pitchgauge to determine the pitch of thefastener. Thread pitch gauges havevarious leaves with serrations which

fit the threads and have the pitchstamped on them. You’ll find theseat most tool shops and they normal-ly come as part of a tap and die set.When choosing a threaded fastenerfor a particular application, finepitch is preferred in situationswhere resistance to vibration loos-ening is desired. Coarse pitch ispreferred in light alloys such as alu-minum to help insure that thethreads do not pull out. Clearances

around other parts and materialthickness can modify these generalrules.

T he chart in Figure 2 (page26) lists some commonsizes and pitches found on

our Japanese bikes. When the worst happens and

you’ve got to put new threads into apart, there are a few things to keepin mind. The chart will give you theinformation you need to drill the cor-rect sized hole. Then you need totap that hole.Tapping is the process of placing

threads inside a hole so that a boltwith matching threads may beplaced and held in the hole. Cutting

Tech Tip: A Primer on Threaded Fastenersby Ellis HolmanOriginally published in the April 2006 issue


Figure 1 Showing the basic layout of metric hardware.


I nstalling new rims or rechromed rims is a job thatmany of us look at and just throw up our handsand say we can't do it and send out to someone

else. But this is a job that you can do with minimalequipment and some patience. The whole job from

start to finish willprobably take abouttwo hours.

Before dismount-ing the old rim fromthe hub, take a digi-tal picture of it andkeep it on file unlessyou have anotherwheel that has thesame spoking pat-tern. You will needsome pattern to fol-low this first time. Before beginning,

you should alreadyhave the spokes,nipples, hub andrim, and pattern.Notice that thereare different kindsof spokes. Hondawheels have twokinds; one has ashorter bend and isangled dif ferentlyfrom the other.These are the insidespokes; the oneswith the longer bentend are the outsidespokes.

Insert the inside spokes for the first bank and startthe nipple about two turns on the end of the spoke.Also, make sure that the spokes are inserted in theproper holes because there are sets of four and eachone is a different angle. Refer to your picture or exam-ple wheel. Once you have the inner spokes in one side, turn the

assembly over and insert the inner spokes on the otherside. You will have to do this with the hub and rim partway over the edge of your bench so that you can insertthe spokes. Just start the nipples on the spokes.

Again, make sure that you are using the correct holes.The next step is to insert the outside bank of spokes

on one side into the hub. The third bank of spokes is inserted so that the

head of the spoke is inside the hub. The outsidespokes will have a longer bent end. These spokes willcross the inner spokes and go the opposite direction.Again, do not do any more than just start the nippleson the spokes.

A fter you insert the last remaining spokes inbank 4, it is time to tighten up the spoke nip-ples a bit more. I use an electric screwdriver

since there will be either 36 or 40 spokes and theyhave very fine threads. Screw them on until there areabout 2 or 3 threads still showing. This will be enoughso that you can mount the wheel either on your bike orin a truing stand. While using a

truing stand is thebest way to go,you can do anexcellent job oftruing your rim byjust putting thewheel (without thetire) back on thebike and usinga simple pointer.Since I was amachinist for manyyears, I use a dialindicator. Thisgives me an ideaof exactly howfar off the wheelis from perfectlytrue.

Truing the Wheel

F irst we willtrue therim radial-

ly, that is, we willmake it round. Puta pointer or indicator on a flat spot of the rim and begintightening up the

Tech Tip: Spoking and Aligning a New Rimby Jim TownsendOriginally published in the October 2004 issue


The first bank of spokes. Noticethat the rim is narrower than thehub and is supported on centerby wood blocks.

The second bank of spokes partially inserted. Notice that the rim is supported by blocks.You may want to insert all thespokes and then start the nipples.

The third bank of spokes.

A setup with the front wheel in the forks and with an indicatoragainst the rim. It is mounted on a magnetic base and just attachesto the fork tube. You can alsocheck the radial runout on theinside of the rim where the rim isflatter and smoother.

spokes. You can use a screwdriver for the initial stageuntil you have them about evenly tightened all the wayaround. An easy way to keep track is to start with thevalve stem hole and tighten each one a little at a timeall the way around the wheel.

For general road use under 90 mph, try to align the rimto within .030 inch total indicator reading. If you areusing a pointer, touch the pointer on the high spot andthen try to get it as close as possible. This will proba-bly be within 1/32-in and is good enough. For a dirt

bike or motocross-er, anything within1/16-in will proba-bly suffice, but thecloser the better. Ifyou plan on racingthe bike or ridingat speeds over 85or 90 mph, I sug-gest that you try toget the rim within.015in or lessthan 1/64-in. Foryou metric folks,that is about 1/2mm or less.

Axial Alignment(side to side)

After the radialalignment is fin-ished you canbegin the axial orside-to-side align-ment. After theradial alignment,the spokes shouldbe fairly tight. Setthe pointer or indi-cator on the sideof the rim. Turn itslowly and you willeasily see anydents or bulges inthe rim. Ignore the

spot where the rim has been welded.

I f you have a high spot indicated, tighten thespokes on the opposite side of the rim.Depending on how bad it is, you may want to snug

up about 4 spokes that are on the opposite side.Continue around the wheel and tighten spokes accord-

ing to the high spots. If the spokes are really tight, youmay want to loosen the spokes on the high side a bitbefore tightening them on the opposite side. After the wheel is aligned axially, re-check the radial

alignment and make any necessary corrections. Thencheck the axial alignment again. Next, take a metalwrench or screwdriver and see if all the spokes “ring”like a violin string. If any give a dull “thunk,” tightenthem until they ring like the others. They should allsound very similar in tone. Recheck your alignmentagain and make any necessary corrections, but youwill probably find it to be okay. You are now ready tomount the tire.

T hese instructions are for wheels with thesame length spokes on either side of the hub.If you have a large brake drum on the hub,

you may have 4 different kinds of spokes. In anycase, there will be inner and out spokes and youshouldn’t confuse them. r

Editor’s Note: Jim Townsend has a booklet available that describeswheel building in more detail and with references to tiresizes, chain sizing, and other useful information for$10 postpaid. Contact him at [email protected] or(260) 839-5203.


A wheel rebuilding stand with a pointer set up to check radialrunout. Stands like this are generally a bit expensive for theaverage home shop, and unless you plan on doing a lot of wheels,you are better off just using thebike as your aligning stand. This particular stand can also be used to balance wheels byinserting the axle and putting it on the bearings. Static balancingwill probably be fine for any ridingat normal speeds.

I am your motorcycle battery and I would like you toknow what you can do to make me happy. Butbefore I get into just what it is that I like, I would

like to explain to you how my family of battery productsworks. If you know the basics of battery care and mixthat with a bit of advanced battery knowledge, we maybe together for a long time. My goal in this article is tohave you treat me better than you have in the past. Inreturn, I promise that I will start your bike consistentlywith an increased life payback so that you can spendyour “every other year” battery allowance on otherthings, like a new set of driving gloves, or possibly anew helmet lens, or a helmet, or…..?

Let me begin by stating that what I am about toexplain about myself is basically true for all of my leadacid brothers and sisters, including wet lead acid (his-torically used in motorcycles) as well as valve regulat-ed lead acid (VRLA), or as many people call it, mainte-nance free, gelled, or absorbed glass mat (AGM) batter-ies. Other rarely used battery types such as nickel zinc,or sealed nickel cadmium or others are not covered inthis article.

Safety First

Lead acid batteries are heavy for their size, have sul-furic acid in them, and produce hydrogen gas.Therefore, use caution when lifting me. Even thoughmost motorcyclebatteries are not aweight threat tomost people, I amheavier than I look.

Under my coverand while I amcharging, I producehydrogen gas alongwith other byprod-ucts of charging. Ifyou forget aboutme during arecharge, you couldfill your garage withunwanted, EXPLO-SIVE gas that couldbe unexpectedly ignited by any spark. NEVER put asource of flame or spark near me, especially whencharging. Sulfuric acid can cause severe burns.When working with me, always wear safety goggleswith side protection to protect your eyes and weargloves to protect your hands. If you come in contactwith the sulfuric acid, flush the affected area withwater and get medical attention.

This is What I am

A s a lead acid battery, I am an electro-chemicalstorage device made of two dissimilar metallicplates immersed into a diluted solution of sul-

furic acid (H2SO4). All of my plates are neatly pack-aged into a 3-cell (6-volt nominal) or 6-cell (12-volt nom-inal) mono-block, thermoplastic container that is con-structed to keep the acid inside. My negative (Pb)plates and positive (Pb02) plates are paralleled thenseparated by a separator in each cell so that they don’tshort circuit while you are riding; that way I can give youhigh motor starting current when needed. By usingthrough-the-partition cell-to-cell connections under mybattery cover, I can deliver 3 or 6 cells of power (2 voltsper cell nominal) for your use.

Tech Tip: I Am A Batteryby John UrbanOriginally published in the August 2005 issue


A typical motorcycle batery.



V intage motorcycle paper element air filters arenot only getting harder to find but are also con-stantly going up in price these days, to the tune

of $50-$100, especially if they are NOS/OEM parts. Well,we can’t hardly get around the increases in cost of parts,as these vintage Japanese machines appreciate in value.But here’s a tip that will at least save you some money inthe long term by saving that expensive filter, be it new or

used. Once you have purchased

a new paper filter (or if youalready have one installed onyour bike), go to any HomeDepot, local hardware, or gro-cery store and get a sheetof replacement window/wallunit air conditioner foam fil-ter (1/4" thick; black). Theycome in various sizes, so

get the biggest sheet instock. These usually costaround $1-$1.50.

M easure the widthof your air filterelement and

then cut a strip of the foamsheet the width of the ele-

ment using a single edgerazor or X-acto knife and aruler or straight edge. Thefoam sheet can be cut a lit-tle oversize in width byapproximately 1/4-1/2",

which will compensate for the foam getting narroweronce stretched over the element. To determine thecorrect length, wrap the strip around the element andmark it where the strip overlaps. Cut the length justabout 1/4-1/2" SHORTER than the guide mark. Thiswill compensate and create a tight fit by forcing thefoam to be stretched in length onto the element.Next, get some Super Glue GEL (I recommend Zap AGap Gel and its companion catalyst “kicker” spraybottle) and put a light bead of gel glue along bothedges where the sheet’s length ends will meet. It’s not critical ,but use glue SPARINGLY! It won’t take

much glue to get the job done! Hold the ends together,preferably while laying it on a flat surface. I like to use a

short section of 1 by 6 thruthe middle of the “O” beingformed, but a corner of a workbench or table will work finewith some wax paper under-neath to keep the filter fromsticking to anything else andalso to keep any excess gluein it’s place.

H olding the foamends flat, lined up,and together, spray

the glued line with the “kick-er.” This will adhere theends instantly so you don’thave to hold it togetherpatiently waiting for it to dry.Let the assembly cure forabout 1-2 minutes, andvoila! Instant filter saver!You can now stretch thefoam strip “O” you’ve justcreated around the paperelement and even spray itwith WD-40 or silicone spray(preassembly with elementis best). This will make thepaper element last forever, as you can remove thefoam outer sheet and wash it in dish detergent,lighter fluid, or mineral spirits from time to time, letdry, and re-use! You won’t have to buy another expen-sive paper element again for possibly the life of thebike! Ya gotta luv that! r

Tech Tip: Air Filter Saverby T.D. BashOriginally published in the October 2004 issue

HELP US GROW!We’re looking for a few VJMC membersto volunteer by helping to expand our commercialadvertising in the VJMC magazine. We need membersin each time zone, Pacific, Mountain,Central and East to solicit motorcycle related businesses. Wewill provide the leads, ad pricingdetails, ad layout assistance, provenstrategies, and expense reimburse-ment. If you have some marketing expe-

Please contact our Commercial Advertising Director, Bob Billaeither directly by phone at (949) 916-7734 or send him an e-mail at [email protected] for all the details.

In a pinch, masking tape makes a fine flexible tape meaure.

STEP 1: Measure Width & Length

STEP 2: Cut A/C Foam to Size

STEP 3: Apply Bead of Glue

STEP 4: Bring Ends Together

STEP 5: Stretch Over Filter

STEP 6: Apply Silicone Spray

Cut approximately 1/4”- 1/2”shorter than the overall length.

Use Super Glue GEL. Apply to one side only.

Meet ends, hold together. Tin can aids in alignment and a safe working environment.

Once dry, test material by stretching seam

then install onto filter.

Apply light coat of silicone or WD40. This can be done before installing onto filter.


I Love to DischargeNow it is hard to believe that while

you are reading this article, I am inyour bike doing what I do naturally—sulfating. In a lead acid battery, sul-fating is a chemical way to describewhat is commonly known as dis-charging. That’s right; unless youhave connected a voltage-controlledfloat/trickle charger to me, I will sul-fate. When you use me to start yourbike or to listen to the radio whileparked with no engine running, I amsulfating. It’s by the laws of physicsthat without a constant voltage-con-trolled charger connected to me (ora running engine with a properlyoperating regulator), I dischargeuntil I am useless. I sulfate muchfaster at higher temperatures inyour summer garage. And when youstore me for the winter months (for

you cold-and snowy-climate people),I discharge slower and developsulfate crystals that can be mostdamaging.

W hen you combine therate that I will naturallydischarge and any key

off load that many bikes have withdevices like clocks and ignitionprocess or controllers, I can losepower quite quickly. Fur ther,depending on the alloy of my plates,my self-discharge and water usageduring riding sessions could vary;even more as I age. If kept in afreezing garage I might freeze andpoke a hole through a plate separa-tor and develop a short circuit path,again rendering myself uselessbefore my time. If I become too sul-fated, your attempts to charge mewill be met by the charger as twoinsulators in a tub of water.Remember, a battery is two dissim-ilar metal plates in an acid solution.

When these plates are most dissim-ilar, I am better charged. If youapply too much charge current tome for too long, I will use a lot ofwater and overheat. But if you doyour best to keep me properlycharged, I will do my best to per-form well.

I am not too hard to keep happy,but perhaps because of my out-of-sight location (usually under yourseat), I am often abused by beingforgotten. Most people forget aboutme needing water, or during thecold season, to give me a smallamount of charge.

My brothers and sisters are not allalike. Some of them are made ofdifferent plate compositions thatwill determine how much water theyuse during regular operation oraffect the rate of discharge whenjust plain sitting (sulfating). If I ammade with antimony plates, my self-discharge is five to ten times

Batterycontinued from page 18



One of the tuning items thatcan really affect an engineperformance is carburetor

balance. Many people complainabout vibration of a twin. Whenproperly balanced, vibration can besignificantly reduced. I noticed thiswhen balancing the carbs on aHonda CB450. The owner was con-cerned that the engine had a severeproblem. When its carburetors hadbeen properly balanced, the bikewas very smooth. What I am reallytalking about here is ensuring thatboth carburetor slides (or butter-flies) open and close precisely atthe same time. Engine noise, aswell as performance, can be affect-ed by carburetors that are not bal-anced correctly. The traditionalmethods of visually checking to seeif slides or butterflies are moving inunison can be time consuming andnot always accurate. Feeling theexhaust pulses at the exhausts onscrambler-type bikes using a singlemuffler can be impossible. OurEnglish cousins have come up with abetter way. It is called the TWINMAXsystem. Adventure Motorcycle Gearimports it into the U.S. for those ofus over here.

A note here is in order beforegoing through the mechanics of set-ting carburetors with the TWINMAX.Balancing is the LAST thing that isdone. It cannot be accurately doneif valves are misadjusted or the tim-ing is off or the carburetors aredirty. So before even thinking ofusing the TWINMAX system, makesure that the bike has had a com-plete tune-up and it is running prop-erly in terms of ignition timing, valvesettings, etc.

Start by zeroing the TWINMAX bal-ance meter. To do this, connect onetube to each cylinder and place the

TWINMAX where you can easily seeit. Select a cylinder and then turn thesensitivity to MAX. Turn the TWINMAXon and adjust the ZERO knob so theneedle on the balance meter isthrough the center of the “0” mark.The knob is very sensitive and smalladjustments make a big difference.When the meter is zeroed, turn sen-sitivity to MIN. Start the bike and letit run at idle. If the bike isn’t alreadyat operating temperature, let it reachoperating temperature before pro-ceeding. Balancing the carburetorsmay take a bit of time, so to helpkeep the bike from overheating youmay want to put a fan in front of it topush air past the engine. Of course,if the bike won’t idle or it has an errat-ic idle, that must be corrected beforeproceeding.

On most of our bikes there is nota reference cylinder, so check eachcylinder and use the one with theleast deflection from zero as thereference cylinder. Next, adjust theidle/slow speed (or throttle stop)screw, NOT the idle MIX screw!Watch the balance meter and adjustthe screw until there is equal devia-tion around the zero point. Blip thethrottle slightly after making screwadjustments to ensure that thethrottle is settled. Repeat this forthe other cylinder. Check betweenthe reference cylinder and the othercylinder to make sure that the set-tings are matched.

W ith the idle running bal-anced, we need to bal-ance the carburetors on

throttle opening. Start with the sensi-tivity set near its mid-point. Gentlyrun the engine up to 3500 RPM andnote the meter. If there doesn't seemto be much deflection, increase thesensitivity. Adjust this using the cable

adjuster at the top (or side in thecase of CV carburetors) of the carbu-retor. Remember to back off theadjuster(s) at the twist grip. Workbetween the two carburetors, tryingfor the same amount of deflection oneach carburetor as the throttles areopened and the engine is accelerat-ing, NOT when the throttle is closedand the revs are dropping. Soundssimple, eh? In practice, it takes a bitof patience going between the twocarburetors to get them balancedproperly.

I used the TWINMAX on my1968 Honda CL175 that I hadjust finished restoring. It took

me about 20 minutes to get thethrottles balanced on the bike.Scramblers like the CL175 are diffi-cult to manually balance becausetheir exhausts come together in onemuffler. That makes feeling for theexhaust pulses nearly impossible,so a tool like the TWINMAX reallyhelps out. Another little “gotcha”with using the TWINMAX system isthat you have to have some place toconnect the vacuum tubes. Most of

Tech Tip: Balancing Carbs with TWINMAXby Ellis HolmanOriginally published in the April 2004 issue


Balancing the carbs on a vintage twin-cylinder bike, using the TWINMAX system.


H ave you ever undertaken a project on yourbike that involved removing screws from theside cases, fork tubes, or even the steel

bleed screws in aluminum brake calipers? You knowthe ones I’m talking about, the Phillips variety that —before you came along — have almost always beenabused by someone else with the wrong size or worn

out screwdriver. Faced with this situation,

you undoubtedly bust outyour faithful impact screw-driver and take to whaling onthe stuck fastener with surgi-cal precision. But after sometime of carefully applying the“beat it into submission”technique, you gaze down atthe head of the screw. Younow begin to reflect on theperfectly cone-shaped holewhere the slots in the screwhead used to be. The dread-ed “now what?” sign beginsto flash. Drill it out? “Yeahthat’s it! I’ll either drill thehead off entirely and dealwith it once the case isremoved, or maybe I’ll drilldown into the screw and usean extractor.” Ummm....get-ting back to drilling the headoff, you may or may not beable to get a firm grasp onthe shank of the screw afterthe case is removed, depend-

ing on its location and what’s in the way. But drillinginto the shank of the screw and attempting to use ascrew extractor could end up with the extractor justsnapping off into the shank of the screw.

So what do you do? Now you have not only wast-ed time drilling, but have ruined a perfectly goodscrew extractor in the process. Keep in mind that

if the force of an impact driver with the proper tip didnot dislodge the screw, a screw extractor likely neverwill, either. So as you stand at the crossroad of what’snext, consider this: if you have a MIG or TIG welder atyour disposal, give this a try.

Clean the outside of the screw head as best you canwith a metal wire brush. You won’t have to worry toomuch about the inside because after coning it out withthe impact driver, it should already be fairly clean. Goto your local hardware store and pick up a bunch (whybuy just one?) of 3/8-in. plain steel nuts. (A note aboutnut size: I have found that the 3/8-in. nut works bestwhen either removing a broken 6-mm shank screwflush with a case or welding it on top of a strippedscrew head. A smaller nut, say 1/4-in., will bridge withthe welding material before the wire penetrates proper-ly into the screw. This results in a weak weld, and thenut will break loose from the screw when torque isapplied to it. Also, a 1/4-in. nut deforms quickly duringthe welding process, especially if you don’t have asteady hand, and rides up on the wire while welding.)Take the ground clamp of the welder and ground it asclose as practical to the area where you are working.Position the nut over the head of the 6-mm case screw.

I t is helpful at this point to make use of an auto-darkening welding hood. I purchased mine atHarbor Freight near my home for around $60. The

auto-darkening hood allows you to see through it untilthe split second you begin to strike an arc. Being ableto see will insure that the nut is fairly centered over thescrew as you begin to weld. By now I am sure some ofyou are thinking, “Hey, won’t that damage the alu-minum?” It will not! I have used this method manytimes on outside cases, crank cases, and brakecalipers with the piston still in the caliper. Just makesure you cool it off in water right after welding (makingsure not to get any water in the caliper) and beforeremoving the bleed screw. I have never damaged anypiece on which I have performed this procedure. Theonly problem that I ever had, occurred during removalof a seized and stripped screw on the speedometercable of my 1974 CB500T. The heat generated duringthe welding process melted the end of the cable hous-ing. I was removing it because it was broken anyway,so there was no real harm done. But that is somethingto remember if you are planning to reuse the cable! If while welding you miss entirely, the wire will not

stick to the aluminum. At worst, it may leave a small pit(about the size of a sharpened pencil tip) in the alu-minum where the arc occurred. Remember that youare welding the nut to the screw, not the nut to the

Tech Tip: Broken Stud and Screw Removal in Aluminumby Bob Treon (aka the Body Man)Originally published in the October 2003 issue


Welding a nut onto a broken fastener.

The nut assembly after welding.


F irst, let me say that there isno “best” brake fluid thatwill stop you better than

another grade. To clarify, you canpretty much depend on the incom-pressibility of each type of uncont-aminated fluid being the same andin this regard they all will workvery well.

Why then would you want tochange to DOT 5?

The reason is fairly simple; allbrake fluids excluding DOT 5 arehydroscopic. In other words they willabsorb water. An over-saturation[above 3%] in the hydraulic systemcan cause a multitude of problems,including corrosion. But the mostcritical problem is that water boils

at 212° F, coupled with the factthat water is heavier than brakefluid; it will settle at the lowestpoints of the system and usually incaliper piston bores. A little hardbraking with this over-saturationcondition and the water turnsto steam and now you have dis-placed the incompressibility ofliquid brake fluid with pocketsof steam that has seriously reducedbraking force. Within safe absorp-tion levels of less than 3% waterthe boiling point is still around300° F.

OK then, score one for DOT 5because it will not absorb water,but are there any drawbacks?

DOT 5 has a temperature ratingof about 500° F, and unless yourace your vintage bike, it wouldseem that this is more than ade-quate and it is. For the sake ofargument though, if water doesenter the hydraulic system whathappens to it?

A nswer: It will migrate tothe same problem area asover saturated glycol brake

fluids and the same physics will stillapply: a loss of braking because thewater turns to steam. One addition-al drawback is that some externalsoft parts like piston boots may besilicone rubber and may beattacked by the DOT 5.

One more note on silicone-basedDOT 5 fluid. If you change to thistype of fluid, I would not recom-mend that you change back toglycol-based fluids. Silicone is verytenacious and you will never get it allout of your system. The answer is toflush it regularly as you would anyother fluid.DOT 3, DOT 4, and the recently for-

mulated DOT 5.1 brake fluids are

glycol-based and all of them haveadditives that are anti-corrosivewhen contaminated with water. Thisis good news because the fluid willdeal with absorption of up to 3%water and still work very well. Thesefluids are compatible with eachother and DOT 5.1 has a tempera-ture rating comparable with the sili-cone-based DOT 5. It is worth say-ing though that DOT 5 silicone-based fluid and the others are notcompatible with each other. In fact,serious braking issues will arise ifthis is attempted.

Excluding DOT 5, all of these flu-ids have a harsh drawback in thatthey will eat paint and as a restorer

Tech Tip: DOT 5 Brake Fluid and VJMsby Pete BoodyOriginally published in the April 2006 issue


Before beginning, tape a clean rag to the outside of the reservoir beforeremoving the cap. I use “drafting” tape so that it comes off easily.

Contaminated fluid will have a darkertan color. As you can see it was time for a flushing. I try to do this once every two years with a once a yearmoisture purge from the caliper.

As you can see, the nipple is rusty so it will need to be changed for a new one.

If you do not have a vacuum pump toflush the system, be sure that thehose is inserted into the old fluid.This will prevent air from creepingback into the caliper and it is thenpossible for one person to do the job.

or mechanic, spillage can be a real problem for thatvintage paint job on the tank. So the key to its use isbeing very careful when flushing or initially chargingyour system. All of my bikes will be flushed with DOT5.1 and here are some tips on how to do it. r


aluminum. The wire will beattracted to the screw andnot to the aluminum. Onceyou begin to lay the wire,lay it right onto the screwhead or the shank andbuild outward. I like to con-tinue laying wire until thenut is filled and flush tothe top. At this point thenut will be cherry orange incolor. This is per fectbecause this is the key tothe entire process.

A s you know, differ-ent metals expandat different rates.

Aluminum and steel expandat entirely different rates.This difference causes thescrew and aluminum tobreak free from one anoth-er before you begin toapply any torque to the nutthat has now been weldedto the screw. I like to beginremoving the screw while itis still hot. Just use a pairof leather gloves (weldinggloves work well) and asmall set of channel locks.The nut and screw shouldspin out easily.Keep in mind that if you

have a painted or coatedcase, the heat generatedduring this process willdiscolor or cause thecoating to flake or peel,but chances are you willdamage the coating usingother methods to removethe screw, no matter howcareful you are.I have used this method

successfully many timesand in many a differentapplications, includingmarine, motorcycle, and

automotive. It’s cheaperthan going to your localmachine shop to have thescrew extracted. I haveeven per formed this pro-cedure with the enginestill in the frame of thecycle, and experiencedgreat results. As long asyou have access to thefastener that you areremoving, it can be per-formed easily on the bike.The welding wire that Ilike to use is either a.023 or .030 flux core.You can use a solid corewire with argon gas or TIGwith argon or other inertgas. A stick welder with a3/32-in. 6013 rod couldalso be used; however,this is very difficult to dounless you are quiteskilled with this type ofwelder.A note of caution: it is

not recommended to usethis method on magne-sium unless you are askilled welder and can min-imize the heat from thewelding process. Mag-nesium can be ignited witha hot flame and burns veryhot once ignited.This is definitely an

event you don’t want toexperience at your work-bench or in your garage!I hope this helps someof you with your projects.Keep saving those beauti-ful old bikes from extinc-tion! r

Editor’s Note: All tech tips printed in

the VJMC magazine aresubmitted by readers andare not endorsed byVJMC. Try them at yourown risk! Remember,always think Safety First.

Broken Studcontinued from page 22

DOT 5continued from page 23

Finished and ready to stopmy bike. Note that thereis no air pocket in thereservoir. The reservoir bellows should contact thefluid for correct application.

Be sure to carefully clean all parts before reuse.Never use cleaners, oils, and spirits etc. to cleanwith. They will contaminatethe fluid immediately.

Sooner or later if youhave a Japanesebike of the ‘60s or

‘70s, chances are you’llneed to set the ignitiontiming. This procedurevaries somewhat betweenthe various machines butthere are some basics thatare universal for all bikes.

In this article I’ll be dis-cussing the general proce-dures to set ignition tim-ing. Details for a specificbike will be found in therelevant shop or ownersmanual. The general pro-cedure is quite simple,but there are some quirksand tips that you’ll needto know.

First thing is to get therest of the engine right. Ifyour carbs are clogged upor the valves aren’t setright it will be tough toknow if you’ve got the tim-ing correct because theengine won’t run right. Ifthe engine you’re workingon has an overhead camand the points are drivenby the cam, make sure thecam chain is tensionedproperly. A loose camchain can cause variationsin the timing that will driveyou absolutely mad tryingto get set. For all you twostroke fans, no worries onthis issue; you can pro-ceed to the next step.

Points themselves haveto be properly main-tained. If you’re notreplacing them, take aclose look at them andmake sure the two sur-

faces are clear of carbonand the faces are not pit-ted. Tiny spikes of metalcan be transferred fromone face to the other,leaving a pit. If you seepits, odds are your con-denser is on its last legsand you’ll need to replacethat before moving on.When installing newpoints take care toremove that little strip ofpaper that some pointsare shipped with, andensure the surfaces arefree of oil. Many replace-ment points have plasticinsulators where the wireattaches to the points.These have a nasty habitof melting, causing theengine to stop runningmysteriously. Save thephenolic bits from yourold points and replacethose plastic ones forpeace of mind.

N ow then, here’sthe first trick togetting things

running well. Install thepoints onto the base plateand center the adjustmentnotch. Snug the screwsdown so that the pointscan move, but not freely. Ifyou’re replacing the wholebase and points assemblycenter the base plate toits adjustment notch.

On some bikes there isan index mark on thepoints plate that lookslike an “O” and a line onthe points housing insteadof the notch. Now find the

highest point on the camthat opens and closesthe points. Twins likethe CB350 and CB450Hondas have two sets ofpoints so you’ll need toset the gap on both.

When you’ve reachedthe highest point of thecam where the points areopen their widest, it’stime to set the gap. Youmay have to rotate theengine around a fewtimes to make sure wherethe highest point is. Theeasiest way to do that isto remove the timingcover (which you’ll have todo anyway to set the tim-ing). Most Honda singlesand twins have oil underthis cover. To keep oil fromrunning out set the bike soit leans slightly to the right(away from the cover). Withmost two strokes you don’thave to worry about oil inthis area.

When you’ve found thehighest point of the camand the points are at theirwidest, set the gap on thepoints. Most manufactur-ers call for a gap between0.012 and 0.016 inch.Brass feeler gages orstainless steel gages areperfect for this. Set thegap so that you can feeljust a bit of drag as youwithdraw the gage; I setmine at 0.014. Why? Asthe points rubbing blockwears, the gap willbecome smaller. Settingthe points to 0.012 willcause the points to close

up relatively quickly, whileusing 0.016 may causeyou some trouble as yougo to set the timing. Againmake sure that the feelergauge doesn’t contami-nate the points with oil.

Now for the fun of actu-ally setting the timing! Forengines with less thanfour cylinders, the bestway to go is to static timeit. What’s that you say?Static timing means thatthe timing will be set with-out the engine running.There are a couple differ-ent ways to accomplishthis. The really frugal wayis to take a piece of cello-phane packaging andinsert that between thepoints. Now on the alter-nator rotor, most manu-factures stamp an “F”mark and a “T” mark. Fortwins you’ll have some-thing like “LF” and“LT” for

Tech Tip: Setting Ignition Timingby Ellis HolmanOriginally published in the June 2006 issue



fluid is required both to ease theprocess of cutting a thread and tomake the thread shape more uni-form. The tap is a long slender toollike a drill bit, but with teeth on theside. Taps may be tapered or plug,for more easily starting threads, orsquare ended, for cutting to nearerthe bottom of a hole (bottomingtap). If the hole you’re tapping is ablind hole you’ll need to start witha taper or plug tap and then finishwith a bottoming tap.

T ake your time when tap-ping a hole. Stop often andback out the tap. This will

give the chips created by materialcut by the tap to be removed. Onthe smaller diameter taps this isespecially important, because clog-ging by chips can lead to jamming.Jamming can break smaller taps.You can also use the tap to restoredamaged threads. However, badlystripped threads may not be able tobe restored with a tap. Badly dam-aged threads that cannot berestored by tapping may need to berestored by the use of an insert.An insert may take the form of a

threaded sleeve such as the Time-

Sert or it may be a Helicoil typeinsert. Either of these requires theuse of an appropriately sized (larg-er) hole to drill out the damaged

threaded hole. Then the hole istapped, allowing the insert to bethreaded into the new hole. Whenusing an insert it is ABSOLUTELYcritical to use the EXACT sized drillbit for the insert to be used. A drillbit even one size too large or toosmall will render the insert unus-able. The Time-Sert has a fewadvantages over the Helicoil typeinserts. For applications such asspark plug ports the Time-Sert isself-locking and uses a flange at thetop to prevent the insert from beingpushed fur ther into the hole.However, the flange is also a disad-

vantage where engine case threadsare concerned and a flush hole isrequired. When repairing thesetypes of holes and they are a blindhole, the Helicoil insert would bethe preferred one to use.

T he reverse of the tap is thedie. A die may look like arounded puck with open

teeth or it may look like a hex nutwith open teeth inside. No matterwhich form the die takes its pur-pose is to cut external threads onan appropriate sized cylinder ofmetal. As with tapping, cutting fluidis required to ease the process ofcutting the threads. You’ll also wantto stop and back up as with the tapto clear chips out. Dies are alsohandy for cleaning up damagedthreads on bolts and screws. Usecare when repairing damagedthreads. A die can also render abolt or screw unusable if an incor-rect pitch is chosen or is startedincorrectly on the bolt or screw.

T o help insure that threadsare not damaged in theprocess of reassembly, it is

a good practice to clean out thread-ed holes and clean corrosion andother debris from bolts, nuts andscrews that will be reused. Whencleaning out threaded holes, a bot-toming tap will allow you to get allthe way to the bottom of a hole. On engine cases, that will allow

getting out the gunk that seems toaccumulate at the bottom of caseholes. On frames, the corrosionthat develops in threaded holes isalways good to remove before hav-ing the frame painted or powdercoated. Sandblasting rarely reachesall the way in. Don’t forget to cleanthe holes when you get the frameback from the painter or powdercoaters.For threaded fasteners that you’ll

be reusing, clean up can be accom-plished relatively easily using a


Threaded Fastenerscontinued from page 15

Figure 2 Common sizes and pitches found on VJMs.

When using an insert

it is ABSOLUTELY

critical to use the

EXACT sized drill

bit insert to be used.



we use a 10:1 mix. The added bonus of a phosphorouscoating made the MSR even more appealing. The otherproducts tested were so poor in results that I don't rec-ommend any of them. Coke will remove very light sur-face rust, but there are much better ways and it justwastes a good drink.

I n this test no attempt was made to agitate or inany way assist the removal of any dirt or rust.Test Strips were only removed for a picture record

of the tests and then replaced in the containers ofacid. Since the results were so conclusive, I suggestusing Phosphoric acid in any form, whether it is groutcleaner, MSR, the Kreem kit or in any other productthat has a 5% or more acidity. While softdrinks containPhosphoric acid, the content is almost too small to beuseful. I know that it will work on very light rust, butwhy bother and it is more expensive. Molasses maywork for someone, but again, why bother.

A nother advantage of MSR is that you can keepit for years and it still works. I am using thesame 10 to 1 mix that I have had for at least

2 years and it is still effective. I just hook small partswith a wire and hang them in the 5 gallon plastic buck-et. For gas tanks, you just plug the petcock holes andpour it full and leave it sit. Knock the loose rust outwith a 3 foot piece of chain or a quart of rocks or oldnuts and bolts by putting them in the tank and shakingthe Bejesus out of it first and your tank will look betterand take less time to clean. The dilute phosphoric acidwill not harm good paint or chrome either and it won'tharm aluminum or zinc castings.In addition, the phosphoric acid seemed to cut

through what old gas varnish was in the tank andremove it along with all the rust. No other product,even Muriatic acid, came close to being as effective.The sample of Rusteco was a couple of years old, butwas still new in the bottle. I had expected it to do bet-ter. I have used it in the past and had better resultswhen used with a brass brush or fine steel wool.Muriatic acid will react violently with aluminum. Do

not use it around aluminum! An explosion could resultif you do and the aluminum WILL be destroyed. Aftercleaning a lot of gas tanks, it is my belief that mostrust in gas tanks is not very harmful. What reallyscares me is when I drain a tank and get out a halfgallon of stinking rotten gas and about half a cup ofwater. Some rust will be evident in fairly new bikes.A small amount of fine sur face rust will not causeany problems, if you have the normal filtering in thegas line. r

Rust Removalcontinued from page 13

vibratory cleaner. EastwoodCompany offers a number of themfrom as little as $100 to $250.Other sources for these are gemshops and gun stores which carryreloading supplies. The vibratorytumblers will clean corrosion offdown in the threads and is a loteasier to do than with a tap or die.If you have the equipment, blastingwith small diameter beads is anoth-er way to go. Cleaning up thethreads before reassembly will

make the work easier. It is alsogood preparation if you’re planningon re-plating the parts.

M any of the low cost tapand die sets are madefrom High Speed Steel

(HSS) for the occasional use theseare sufficient, but they will dull anddo not always offer the entire rangeyou need. Most of the kits only offertaps with either plug or taper whichwill not give you the needed bottom

tap for blind holes. Often the largekits supply odd sizes that you’ll notgenerally need. Depending on yourneeds you may find that buyingtaps and dies individually may be abetter value. If you decide to pur-chase them individually a goodplace to start is with the 6 x 1.0tap and die and a 8 x 1.25 tapand die along with the matchingtap and die handles. These willaddress the large bulk of Japanesehardware. r

I bought various other

products to try:

CLR, molasses, Coke,

pool stain treatment and

Rusteco liquid. The Coke

was straight from the can

and I drank the remainder.

(Didn't eat out my

insides either.)


the left cylinders. For earlySuzuki triples and someof the Kawasaki tripleswith three sets of points,you should have a set ofmarks for each cylinder.With the cellophane lightlytensioned, rotate theengine in the correctdirection (the rotor shouldbe stamped with an arrowto tell you which directionit rotates). When thetension just starts to drawthe cellophane out frombetween the points, you’vefound the point that theengine fires. That shouldcoincide with the “F” markaligning with a staticmark. For a bit moresophistication, use a lightclipped to the engine and

to the points. These tim-ing tools are sold on eBay,but you can make yourown with an old instru-ment light socket and acouple of alligator clips. Aslightly better way is touse a ‘buzzer’ whichsounds when the pointsbreak. This gives theadvantage of not having towatch both the timingmarks and the light. Withthe key on, the light willbe off (or the buzzersilent) until the pointsbreak. Where the lightgoes on (or the buzzersounds) is the point atwhich the engine fires.This should be where the“F” mark aligns with thestatic mark.

Rarely will this work thefirst time. If the marksaren’t aligned, you’ll needto move the base plate to

adjust the points open-ing. Which way do youmove the plate? Observethe points cam, noticewhich way it is moving.Move the points plate sothat the points’ rubbingblock moves towards thehigh point of the cam. Ifthe “F” mark is past itsindex mark when the lightgoes on, we say the tim-ing is “late.” Conversely,if the light comes onbefore the “F” markaligns with the staticmark, the timing is“early”. Move the pointsplate so that the rubbingblock is further away fromthe high point of thecam. Simple. Well,maybe.

After this is done andthe timing’s perfect, theengine may still run rough.You’ve checked the timing

and it is spot on. What’sgone wrong? There couldbe a number of problems.Bikes with points use amechanical spark ad-vancer; the springs andweights inside it advance

Ignition Timingcontinued from page 25



W ith every restoration proj-ect comes the decisionto replace or restore

bright work. To make the decision tore-plate bright work with new chromi-um plating, a number of items shouldbe considered. Badly rusted and/orpitted surfaces can be restored, butthose surfaces will need additionalpreparation work, and of course,additional expenditures. First let’slook at the traditional chromium plat-ing process and then some newspace-age technology that is chang-ing the possibilities for plating.Chromium plating, often shortened

to just “chrome plating,” is an elec-trolytic process of depositing chromi-um on a base metal. That meansthere is a medium of chromicacid/sulfuric acid in which a part isimmersed. The bath is maintained ata temperature of 110-150° F (43-66°C). Air is bubbled through the platingtank so that both chemical and ther-mal uniformity is improved in theplating bath. Electrical current ispassed through the tank bath, thepart, and the plating strip. The cur-rent causes metal to migrate fromthe plating strip to the part to beplated. The metal strip is called theanode. The positive side of thepower supply is connected to this.The part to be plated is called thecathode. The negative side of thepower supply is connected to thepart. Average time of a part in theplating bath is 20 to 30 seconds in aproduction-type chrome bath.Smaller, hobbyist-type systems uselower voltages and require longerplating times. Parts that have a yel-low cast to them have been left inthe plating bath too long.The base metal, called substrate, is

usually steel. Because chromiumdoes not readily adhere to steel, the

plating process usually involvesbuilding up the plating with thin lay-ers of other metals. Traditionally,nickel and copper were used in theprocess. Often a plating shop willadvertise “triple chrome plating" and“double nickel-chrome.” The“triple”refers to the three metals involved(copper, nickel, and chrome), but theterms really mean nothing. They'resales gimmicks to make one shopsound better than another. The nick-el and copper also provide some cor-rosion resistance as well. There are two types of processes,

decorative chrome and hardchrome. Hard chrome is that plat-ing you see on the fork tubes, whiledecorative chrome is used on partslike exhaust systems and handle-bars. There is also a variation ofthe hard chroming called “flashchrome,” often used on tools toprotect against corrosion.

I n a hard chroming process,for functional purposes,to take advantage of the

extremely low chrome coefficient offriction, or for wear build-up (bearingsurfaces or pistons, as examples),hard chrome is plated in thickness-es from 1 to 50 mils. The coating inthe process is usually depositeddirectly to ferrous substrates, likesteel, although it can also beapplied to non-ferrous substrates.For decorative purposes, chrome

sits best on nickel, which itselfadheres very well to copper; thiscombination also offers the best cor-rosion protection resistance.Decorative chrome thickness will varyfrom a few hundredths of a mil to 1mil. The mirror finish will only be asgood as the finish you put on the sur-face before you apply the chrome. Surface preparation is everything

when considering the final appear-ance of a chromed part. If you takea close look at an NOS part fromalmost any Japanese bike, you’llsee the evidence of less-than-perfect surface preparation. Thereare many imperfections that areobvious. This is especially true onthe back sides of large parts likemufflers. You’ll see grind marks,rough metal surfaces, and spatterfrom welded parts, for example.This is where parts become over-restored. A part must have its sur-faces prepared prior to beginningthe plating process. All of the origi-nal plating, painting, or powdercoating must be completely

Tech Tip: All Things Bright and Shiny: A Primer on Chrome Platingby Ellis HolmanOriginally published in the August 2005 issue


A part being final buffed prior to plating.

Overall view of the production platingprocess.


greater than my cousin with calciumplates, especially when I get nearthe end of my life.

It’s All in the NumbersNow for the bit of advanced bat-

tery knowledge previously men-tioned. At 77° F (lead acid batteryper formance standard tempera-ture) each of my cells is nominallyat 2 volts DC. The problem is that

the cells are never exactly 2.0000volts but for a moment when my sul-fating or loading decays me to lowvoltage values. My cells are usuallybetween 1.98 volts and 2.15 voltswhen I am just sitting around wait-ing to do work for you (open circuitslight key offload). If I am below1.98–2.02 volts per cell, charge meor I might let you down when I amneeded. I work on a sulfuric acidspecific gravity point drop range,

designed to give me orders to per-form for a specific length of time ata given discharge rate.

Considering that voltagemeasurements can be con-fusing depending on the

ambient conditions, loaded, charg-ing, or static, I thought that I wouldshare with you a lead acid batteryconstant to calculate my state ofcharge. The magic number is 0.84. Ifyou subtract 0.84 from the “at rest”per-cell voltage, the result is the spe-cific gravity or density of the sulfuricacid in my cells: the higher the spe-cific gravity of my acid, the higher thestate of charge that I am in.

Here’s an example: A 12-volt bat-tery has 6 cells. If the total terminalvoltage is measured at 12.8 volts,divide 12.8 by the number of cells(6) and you get 2.133. If you sub-tract 0.84 from 2.133, you get1.293. Are you with me so far? Nowthe magic begins. Water has a spe-cific gravity of 1.000. Most motorcy-cle batteries have a full charge sul-furic acid specific gravity of 1.265-1.300 and an “out of gas” specificgravity of 1.100. The differencebetween those two figures is 0.165-0.200, up to 200 “points” ofdesigned performance range. (Inthis example, 1.300 is referred toas “thirteen hundred” specific grav-ity in the battery business, and thatis a fully charged battery!).

P laying with sulfuric acid isnot fun; it is messy and asafety risk. VRLA batteries

are sealed with a pressure reliefvalve to force their combination ofoxygen and hydrogen to rehydrateme, so you cannot confirm the stateof charge by acid measurements. Byusing the 0.84 rule, you can benefitby knowing if I am half-way dis-charged or three-quarters fullycharged. Remember, the voltagereading to do this math must betaken when I am at rest; i.e., no loadand no charger connected. It’s

another tool to analyze my condition(or should I say, the condition thatyou have left me in?). And you don’thave to play with the acid. Be awarethat shorted cells can skew the per-cell values, but basically this exer-cise should work fine when determin-ing when to charge me. Below 1.180specific gravity, give me a charge.

Vintage charging systemsToday we have extremely small

microprocessors running provenalgorithms that calculate my rate ofcharge, rate of discharge, and volt-age level many times per second tooptimize the conditions that helpme to remain happy for a long life.But that was not always the case.

M any 1960s-series Jap-anese bikes had ab-solutely no means of

voltage regulation for the load busexcept for me and my counter volt-age to a charge. The basic compo-nents of the charging system were:a dynamo generating an AC outputvoltage, a rectifier (half- or full-wavetype), and me, a battery. It could besaid that I was the sacrificial lambto the system because in mostcases I was the only limit to theincreasing system voltage resultingfrom unregulated dynamo output.The faster the engine rpm, the high-er the AC/DC output, resulting incritically high voltage limits.Because of the uncontrolled outputand prolonged high engine speed, Icould overheat, use the water in myelectrolyte, and dry out. If left inthis condition I would fail open cir-cuit whereby there would beabsolutely no (in my absence) volt-age regulation, causing exceedinglyhigh voltages (sometimes as highas 16-22 volts), where it was com-mon to pop light bulbs as if theywere old camera flash bulbs!

Early Japanese bike designersattempted to calculate the addition-al headlight/taillight load by using a


Early charging system showing adynamo, high/low charge circuit, and half-wave rectifier.

Later charging system showing adynamo, high/low charge circuit, and full-wave rectifier.



the timing slightly when you accelerate and rev up theengine. You’ll need to ensure that the advancer is work-ing properly, and the best way to do this is to use a tim-ing light (you’ll need one on a four cylinder engine).Visually check the spark advance by gently moving thepoint cam; it should move smoothly and easily, andwhen you release it, it should snap back to its startingposition. If you want to check the timing using a timing

light, attach it follow-ing the maker’sinstructions. Start theengine and rev it toaround 2500 to3000 RPM. You’llwant to watch the twoparallel marks aheadof the “F” mark. Thetiming light shouldilluminate the staticmark between the

two parallel marks. If that doesn’t happen, then thespark advance may not be working properly. Note thaton most Hondas oil will be slung EVERYWHERE unlessyou have a special tool that covers the alternator!!! Oneother note specific to the Honda 100 and 125 singles– they are notorious for wearing out the cam bearingsin the head. When that happens it is nearly impossibleto get the timing right. A work-around is to gap thepoints down to 0.010” and then retime. This will allowthe cam to bounce around in the worn bearings andstill maintain reasonable timing.

Moving right along to the smaller Honda twins, the125/160/175/200 (also type II 250 and 305 twins).Time them just as you would the single cylinder bikesabove. The coils on these bikes are set up to fire bothplugs. One plug will be at the top of the compressionstroke while the other plug will fire on the exhaust stroke.

Other twins such as the CB77, CB350 andCB450 and some of the two stroke twins (butnot all) throw just a little bit of a curve into the

timing. These bikes have a set of points for each cylin-der, but only one can be adjusted with the base plate.Say what? Here’s the drill: on bikes like the CB77,CB350 and CB450 you’ll see two sets of markings onthe rotor. The marks are “LF”,“LT”, “F” and “T”.Engines like the CB77, CB350 and CB450 have bothleft and right points sets fixed to the base plate. Settingthe timing on these bikes requires that the left side is setfirst. Adjust the timing for the “LF” mark by moving the

entire base plate. Then the right side timing is accom-plished by varying the point gap. Match the ‘F’ mark tothe index line to set the timing on the right cylinder.

Now for the four cylinder machines. The four cylinderengines are designed similarly to the Honda 160/175series twins. The ignition coils fire the 1-4 and 2-3plugs together. One cylinder will be on compressionwhile the other will be on the exhaust stroke. The firingorder is 1, 2, 4, 3. The number 1 cylinder is the leftmost cylinder as viewed from the seat.

T he points are independently adjustable on thefour cylinder engines. Set the gap as dis-cussed earlier. A rough timing adjustment can

be done with a light or buzzer. First set the timing onthe cylinders 1-4 by matching the 1-4 “F” mark to theindex, then move to cylinders 2-3. For cylinders 2-3, thepoints are fixed to move independently of the baseplate used to set the timing for cylinders 1-4. Thatmeans you can set cylinders 2-3 without having to dis-turb the points gap. Four cylinders run best if you usea timing light to insure that the timing is set correctly.Once static timing is set, snug the screws down so thatthe plates move, but not easily. Connect the timinglight to the number one spark plug lead. Some timinglights use the high tension lead to power the light andothers are externally powered by a battery. The exter-nally powered ones are best for use on motorcycles asthey don’t reduce the marginal voltage being deliveredto the spark plug. These are commonly called inductivetype timing lights. There is a clamp placed around thehigh tension lead and the light flashes with the ignitionpulses. Start the engine and make sure it idles steadi-ly at 1,000 to 1,200RPM. Shine the timing light at thetiming marks. If everything is spot on, the 1-4 F markshould be ‘frozen’ by the light next to the index mark.Move the base plate until you get the two aligned andtighten the base plate screws. Move the lead from thetiming light over to the number two cylinder. Use carebecause by this time, the exhaust pipe will be hot.Repeat the process and insure that the 2-3 F mark isfrozen by the timing light at the index mark. Use themini-plate that the points are screwed to, rather thanchanging the gap to accomplish the correct timing. Onthe CB750 you may find that the timing is erratic or“wobbly”, never precisely lining up. This means thelong stud that carries the spark advancer is bent. Youmay have to remove it and straighten or replace it.

Lastly, insure that the spark advancer is working prop-erly by revving the engine to 2,500 RPM and watch thetwo “| |” marks move to the index mark. Correct advanceis when the index mark aligns in the middle of the two ver-tical marks. At this point your engine, whether single, twinor four, should be correctly timed and ready to go. r

Ignition Timingcontinued from page 28


removed. After the part isstripped, it is generallybead blasted to clean allof the holes. This is alsowhere parts that are rustycan have the “Swisscheese” nature of thepart revealed. The beadblasting can reveal multi-ple pin holes which willthen need repair beforehaving the part plated.After the blasting, themetal is prepared in anumber of different ways,depending on the type.Steel parts are cut-down,greased, detailed, andfinally buffed to a mirrorfinish. It is then that theyare prepared for plating.

A fter this prepara-tion process, thetypical vintage

Japanese part is going tolook far better than it didoriginally. At this point, apart is far smoother andcleaner than it would havebeen at the factory. As arule, steel parts are notcoppered, but sometimesold parts and castingsneed a bit of extra helpand are given a coating ofcopper before the nickeland chrome are applied.Pot metal (zinc die cast)should be given a heavycoating of copper to sealin the imperfections in thecastings. Copper will alsofill in small pitting found insand and pressure castparts. Good polishers andgrinders (who prepare thepart’s surface) remove allthe sur face imper fec-tions. Realize that on our

vintage bikes, that’s nothow the factory preparedparts for plating. Often, avery cursory grind and pol-ish sur face preparationwas done and little else.These parts were massproduced for machinesbuilt to a set price.Because of that, if youtake the par ts to achrome shop, the folksthere will do what comesnaturally—they will do thebest possible job to cre-ate a smooth lustrous sur-face. So if you are lookingfor an appearance similarto the original factory fin-ish, you’ll need to workwith the shop to ensurethat what you’re gettingisn’t their usual efforts. As mentioned in the pre-

vious discussion of theplating process, coppercan be used to fill in sur-face imperfections. Thereare plating shops thatspecialize in sur facerestoration using multiplepasses of copper platingto fill in the surface andthen a nickel plate fol-lowed by the final chromeplate. A good place to startlooking for one of theseshops, if you need thatkind of help, is HemmingsMotor News. You’ll findHemmings on most news-stands and there are usu-ally many listings forrestoration services. Bearin mind that this will not bean inexpensive proposi-tion, however.A few thoughts about re-

plating exhaust systems.The plating process is anelectrolytic process. To beproperly plated, the exactchemical balance of theacid bath must be main-

tained. Contaminants, likethe carbon in an exhaustsystem, will upset thatbalance and cause platingproblems. Remember thatit is not only the final bathbut the copper (if used)and the nickel bath thatwill be contaminated. Forthis reason many shopswill not accept exhaustsystems and those thatdo sometimes chargehigher prices to offset theadditional cost of cleaningthe plating tanks after thepart has been run throughthe process.

A nother source ofcost to the platersis the environ-

mental protection costs.The plating process gener-ates gases that are highlytoxic, and because ofincreasing concern overthe environment, manylocations require addition-al measures such asimproved air filtration.This is where space-agetechnology is coming tothe rescue. Many people think it’s

impossible to chromeplastic; it is not. Theprocess of plating overplastic is actually aprocess called vacuummetalizing and it is differ-ent than electroplating orchrome plating. Vacuummetalizing is processused to make flashlightreflectors and automotivelighting shine like chrome.Vacuum metalizing is theprocess of evaporatingaluminum in a vacuumchamber, forming an alu-minum cloud that thencondenses back onto andbonds to the plastic to

form a uniform layer thatshines like chrome. Afterthe metalizing takesplace, a protective top-coat is applied. Dyes canalso be added to the top-coat to achieve brightchrome colors and differ-ent shades of gold,bronze, copper, and gun-metal. This process is

Chrome Platingcontinued from page 29


Star Chrome4009 Ogden Ave. Chicago, IL 60623(312) 521-9000Mail order and open shop. HOURS:Mon.-Sat., 6am-12noon Chrome, gold, and nickelplating and polishing forantique and classic cars, streetrods, and motorcycles.Specializing in pot metalrepair and restoration of the highest quality. Worktaken only in the morn-ing. All work is showquality and guaranteed. In business since 1970.

A & A Plating, Inc.9400 E Wilson Rd.Independence, MO 64053(816) 833-0045 • Fax: (704) 455-3820Mail order and open shop. HOURS:Mon.-Fri.,7am-6pm & Sat., 8am-12noonChrome, nickel, and cop-per plating for steel, alu-minum, die cast and brass, castiron, pot metal. Polishing ofstainless steel, brass,aluminum, copper, nick-el, and silver. Customshow plating is theirspecialty.

Iverson Automotive14704 Karyl Dr.Minnetonka, MN 55345(800) 325-0480 •

SHOPS THAT WILL ACCEPTMAIL-ORDER WORK AND DO SURFACE RESTORATION:


switch in the headlight bucket that added windings ofthe generator for the added load output, but usually thismethod either left me undercharged or overcharged. Tomake matters worse, if the AC generator output wasrectified by a half-wave rectifier, the AC ripplevoltage/current measured at the battery posts wouldserve to overheat me until would just plain stop work-ing for you. Thank goodness that solid state regulatorsentered the picture by the late 1960s. Early bikes usedfor prolonged, high rpm trips were battery eaters andwould migrate sulfuric acid out of the vent tube, usuallycausing a mess, while low rpm nighttime runs tendedto undercharge me.

Conclusion

I know that I can be fussy at times and you don’teven know it. When I am not charged you don’tknow; when I’m overcharged, you don’t know;

when I need water, you don’t know; and to make mat-ters worse, I have no way of telling you other than justplain failing, and then it’s too late. So if you pay moreattention to me and apply some of the things you havelearned from this article, I will hold true to my openingpromise. I will last longer and be more dependable,thus giving you a better return on your investment inme. Who knows? With the money you save year afteryear, you might buy your wife a vintage motorcycle as aproject, a project that you can help her with! rLead acid battery maintenance tips• Think safety first—Protect eyes & skin.• Hydrogen is explosive! Ensure that no spark or

flame comes near the battery.• Never leave a battery in an uncharged state.• Use minimum charge current to recharge.• Water battery after charging.• Never add acid to a “low water” battery.• Always properly route and connect the battery

vent tube.

About the Author:John Urban owns J. Urban Power, LLC, a DC power consultingcompany that distributes DC power equipment and services.He started as a battery technician with EXIDE battery in 1978 and has contributed to IEEE battery VRLA maintenancestandards as well as conducted many battery industrial training seminars in the Midwest. His education has spannedmany years with studies at Milwaukee Area Technical College,University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Marquette University-Milwaukee. He currently enjoys vintage motorcycles and hasrestored a 1967 Honda CL 77, a 1975 Honda CB 750, and a1977 Kawasaki KZ1000A1. John and his wife Jan cruise withtheir 2003 Honda GL 1800. Visit him at www.jurbanpower.com


the vintage Japanese twins aren't equipped with ports.The good news is that TWINMAX supplies a selection ofadapters. You can drill and tap the intake runners onyour bike and use the adapter supplied by TWINMAX.Remove the adapters when not using the TWINMAX.Take short screws of the appropriate thread and sealthe vacuum ports. Give it a try. You'll be amazed at howmuch smoother a twin can be with the carburetorsdialed in. r

Balancing Carbscontinued from page 21

much more environmentally friendly and cost effectivethan chrome plating. Don’t forget though, whateverthe surface looks like before treatment is what it willlook like after the process is complete. This processdoes not fill in surface imperfections.There are some companies that offer “kits” that allow

limited chrome plating at home. Caswell, for example,offers kits in various sizes to plate parts. Again, the keyto successful plating will depend on surface prepara-tion. Caswell provides an extensive manual on how toplate parts. A word of caution is in order here: DO NOTuse kits of this type in an enclosed space. These kitsuse sulfuric acid and produce toxic fumes. The kits doprovide fume control schemes, but should not be usedwhere ventilation is limited. When talking to a shop about doing work for you (and

you should talk to a shop before giving them yourparts), here are a few things you should ask about:

• How much experience does your polisher have? Chromeshops can be distinguished by how good the polisher is.Polishing is an art and being picky here will pay dividendson the look of the finished part.• How long do you leave a part in the nickel tank? Nickelplating is the most expensive part of the process.Sometimes a shop will try to save money by using a verythin layer of nickel. It will look OK, but may rapidly start tocorrode and pit.• Will you do the prep work? The best shops always do theprep work. Usually they prefer that you send them the piecestraight off the bike and let them clean it. Check with theshop, though. If the part is excessively dirty or greasy, theremay be an additional charge.

Tip: Before shipping a part, be sure to remove allnuts, bolts, and brackets. The shops don’t want tokeep track of parts they are not plating and will chargeyou to do that work. r

Chrome Platingcontinued from page 33


FOR SALE

Bridgestone

1967 Bridgestone 60 Sport. Amazing, orig-inal, unrestored gorgeous example of a rarebike. 2400 original miles, a true survivor!$2100, call for details. John Pavich, (928)714-9610, Flagstaff, Arizona, [email protected]

Honda

For older Hondas, top end gasket kits.70cc-900cc singles, twins and fours. Alsopoints and condensers for most. Gasketsets for many older Kawasakis andYamahas. Points and condensers for themalso. William Mack, (865) 983-4204, 2329Airbase Road, Louisville, Tennessee 37777-4024, [email protected]

Old Honda projects. Several each S65,S90, CA200, CB/CL160, CB77, etc. Sell ortrade all for Italian motorcycles or scooters.Pat, (847) 328-5789, Evanston, Illinois

For 1960s Honda, just picked up large boxof NOS Honda fork ears and fork covers.Quantity 50+. Some have p/n, some donot. Factory painted and some primered.Mostly ‘60s stuff. Send e-mail with model #or P/N center code. And I will send image(s)Paul Enz, Titusville, Florida, [email protected]

For 1960/80 Honda, manuals. I havemany high quality replica dealer counterstyle illustrated parts manuals and someservice/shop manuals for 1960s Hondas50cc to 450cc. E-mail for the model thatyou need. Mike Dyer, [email protected]

1960-1980 Honda parts. I have approx. 1ton of used but very good condition vintageHonda body parts, speedometers, tachs,tanks, front ends, fenders for little Hondas

to 750 parts. Some other Big-4 partsincluded. Need someone in Florida toinspect and give best offer, ready to sellnow. I have some pics but a lot of parts arein boxes. Rick Thompson, Dade City, Florida(North of Tampa), [email protected]

Honda NOS and used parts for S65, 160s,CB400A, CA95 150cc, CT70, CS90, Z50Rand VT500 Ascot. NOS speedometers,Rubber, Gas tanks, mufflers and a lot ofuseable stuff. Trades OK. All must go. E-mail for info. Paul Enz, Titusville, Florida,[email protected]

Hondas. I am going to have to give a gener-al inventory of my motorcycles (Honda main-ly) in various states of preservation. 10-12bikes, some of which have titles. Othersmay only be good for head, jug, crankcasefinning, etc. Yet others are much more com-plete. Everything must go as a single saleor partnership. I will consider partial tradefor British motorcycle, GB500, and cash.Your understanding is appreciated. It wouldbe best if you are in close proximity.Additionally, I have the following and mostare barn-fresh, while a few are junkyardskeletons: 160 cc Roadsters, 150 ccDreams, 250 Dream, 305 Scrambler, a 250& 305 junkyard Scramblers, CB350 carcasswith engine, some tanks, mufflers, andother parts. Tom Crofoot, (517) 223-7108,Fowlerville, Michigan

For Honda Step Through 50cc, many plas-tic parts. Brand new.Walter Kimmel, (718)851-1237, Brooklyn, New York

1966 Honda C100. I’m selling my C110that I’ve owned for 30 years! I haven’t run itin 24 years but it has always been indoorsduring my ownership. It’s dirty, chrome isgood (not perfect) paint decent, needs seatrecovered. Comes with a spare (NOSchrome front fender, NOS tank Emblems)has 8800 miles, bored out to 63cc - did 53

mph in 1/4 mile! $750. Add $100 for tune-up and running, add $50 spare NOS crank-shaft, $20 spare head pipe. View photos atmembers.aol.com/barrysulkn. Go to C110Athru D; more photos on request. BarrySulkin, (310) 398-6406, Los Angeles,California, [email protected]

1966 Honda CB450 Black Bomber. Specialand collectable, amazing condition and2100 original miles - can be verified by therenowned collector I purchased this bikefrom. Looks and runs as new; call me fordetails and pictures. Jon Coltune,(305) 937-0660, North Miami, Florida,[email protected]

1969 Honda SS125. 8000 miles, limitedproduction, original owner, runs good,stored inside, original paint. $1750.George,(586) 286-3793 Macomb, Michigan

For 1970/’80s Honda CB750/650/900/1100, new OKI MPS-200 sparker units.Remanufactured with significantly improvedelectrical properties using FET-technology.Ready to ride. $115 USD ppc. Further info bymail. Bernie, Germany, [email protected]

1976 Honda XL350. Black, great restora-tion project, all original, $500. Scot, (586)468-8472/(586) 484-6939, Macomb,Michigan

1977 Honda CB550 Super Sport. 4 cylin-der, very good original condition. $1750.Larry Lawson, (239) 283-6198, CoralGables, Florida

1992 Honda NR750. Landmark oval pistonengine. Under 3000 miles, one of 300 man-ufactured. Excellent condition. Importedfrom Kyoto, Japan. Perfect for serious col-lector or investor. Frank Berkowitz, (608)270-1170, [email protected]

Classifieds

R emember that a ‘Vintage Japanese’ motorcycle is 20 years or older (cut-off for this year is 1987) and, of course, Japanese.Please be aware that ads may/will be edited to conserve space. If you have large business ads, please consider taking outa commercial ad (Bob Billa, [email protected], 949-916-7734 is our Commercial Advertising Director). Don’t feel reluctant

to use punctuation and proper case on e-mailed ads. Don’t forget the publication deadlines. Ads are due by the 20th of the month inwhich a magaizne is issued for the NEXT issue. For example, ads for the June 2007 issue will be due to the editor by April 20th.

Send all ads to: Gary Gadd, 3721 Holland St., Ft. Worth, TX., 76180 • (817) 284-8195 • e-mail: [email protected]

rrrrrrrrrrrrr


ClassifiedsKawasaki

1968/76 Kawasaki 100-250cc. Endurosand high pipers. Several nice, originalenduros, some Samurais and an Avengeras well. All are nice to very nice, runningexamples, none are mint, priced right butnot cheap, no junk. Contact me for detailsand specifics.Brad Powell, (678) 576-4258,Marietta, Georgia, [email protected]

1968 Kawasaki W2TT 650cc Commander.Original owner, 12000 miles, ran andlooked great at time of storage in 1989.Pickled and free engine. Original tool kit,owners manual, shop manual. $2000Richard Dreuser, (262) 681-0519, 2526Sunrise Rd, Racine, Wisconsin 53402

1973 Kawasaki MC1 90cc. Mini enduro,red, 5-speed with clutch. $800 obo ScottKendall, (817) 658-4275, Grand Prairie,Texas, [email protected]

1975 Kawasaki Z-1 900. Stock Z-1. Bikehas aftermarket exhaust and a very goodrepaint of stock Kaw colors on tank and tail.New tires, side covers and chrome are alloriginal. Bike runs well but needs someTLC. Would be a great winter project. E-mailme for pics; you decide if it is worth it.Asking $3000 obo.Dale, (312) 446-8427,Chicago, Illinois, [email protected]

1976 Kawasaki KZ900. This motorcycleonly has 6,721 miles on it. Green color.Asking $2500. Jeff Maynard, (440) 347-9593, Wickliffe, Ohio (east of Cleveland),[email protected]

Suzuki

1967 Suzuki X6 Hustler. Disassembled,complete Joe Skinner, (817) 229-4917, Ft.Worth, Texas

1972 Suzuki TS185. Old classic enduro.$450 Scot, (586) 468-8472/(586) 484-6939, Macomb, Michigan

1972/75 Suzuki GT380 to 550. I haveabout 5 GTs. One 1975 380 GT is com-plete, and one 1973 550 is close to com-plete. Of course gauges are foggy. Also 3 or 4frames, engines, wheels, many parts. All for$600. RE5 also. Art Tanner, (518) 789-0244,Millerton, New York, [email protected]

1977 Suzuki GT250. Please e-mail me fordetails, picture and price. Nice original bikeTodd Ritter, Muskegon, Michigan, [email protected]

For 1982 Suzuki GS1100E, headlightbucket and fork supports $65. Set of (4)turn signals $45. Rear shocks $35. Handlebars $10. Front master cylinder $10. Bothmirrors $10. Front brake junction cover $5.NOS left head pipe/muffler and #2 and #3head pipes (all chrome) $450. Parts for1981 GS1100 Suzuki, air box $30. Set ofcarbs $45. Patrick Wilson, (815) 232-7084,[email protected]

Yamaguchi

1962/63 Yamaguchi 50/80cc. 30 yearaccumulation of Yamaguchi motorcycles. 5nice bikes, 11 in parts. Plus boxes of parts,tanks, engines, some NOS sales lit. andmanuals. Rare poster and signs, etc. Toomuch to list, all or nothing sale. seriousinquiries only. James Rozee, (503) 287-6620, Portland, Oregon

Yamaha

Yamaha parts. New vintage Yamaha parts.Our dealership is remodeling and wants toliquidate vintage inventory. Please call 1-800-632-4075 for inquiry on vintage parts.Cheyenne Yamaha, (877) 632-4075,Cheyenne, Wyoming, [email protected]

1964 Yamaha YG1 80cc. Street model.Fresh restoration/rebuild. Bike is complete- nothing missing. Over $2000 in parts,mostly NOS Yamaha. Runs/rides good.www.pbase.com/jetdoctor/yamaha_yg1_80for hi-res pics. Douglas Walker, (770) 947-7860, Atlanta, Georgia, [email protected]

For 1968 to 1998 Yamaha, Parts. I haverecently acquired a large lot of vintageYamaha motorcycle parts from 1968 to1998 including pistons rings electricalparts. I could save members quite a bit.Larry McGee, (205) 269-6091, Haleyville,Alabama, [email protected] Yamaha DS6C. This bike is all originalincluding the tires. It is not a restoration.3300 original miles. Color is Californiaorange. If there is a nicer DS6C out there, it

must still be in the original crate. $10,000firm. Stuart Smith, (954) 561-0200, Ft.Lauderdale, Florida, smith_stuar [email protected]

1982 Yamaha Seca 750cc. Project Bike.The bike has 19k miles and needs somework. Carbs are off the bike and will need tobe disassembled and cleaned. Needsexhaust. Has clear title and good battery.Call or e-mail for additional information andphotos. $450. Jeff Kann, (920) 730-3898,Appleton, Wisconsin, [email protected]

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS FOR SALE

I sell used parts for just about all Japanesebikes from 1970-1986. Give me a call if youneed something; I may have it here in mypsudo-junkyard and I can ship itto you. I take Paypal too. Ed Allegretti,(585) 928-2483 Bolivar, New York,[email protected]

Gaskets. Please visit our Web site atwww.gasketstogo.com. We can make anykind of gasket, and there are NO tooling,set-up, or minimum order charges for mostgaskets. We can make individual gaskets,or small production runs, to keep yourmachine running. Gaskets-To-Go CustomGaskets, (661) 985-1218, [email protected]

Motorcycle transport for 1000cc & smaller.Offering Summer ‘07 transport of one (1)motorcycle (each way) from the San Diegoarea to Chicago area & return. Transport vialarge truck with fully covered (shell) bed andsecure motorcycle wheel chock. Able totransport up to 1000cc bike. Reasonablerate. Contact me prior to June 2007 toarrange transpor t date & shippingdetails.Ron A. Smith, (858) 270-3805,San Diego, California, [email protected]

Metric stainless fasteners for your vintageJapanese motorcycle. Many models tochoose from, or custom order! (330) 519-4772, www.stainlesscycle.com

Gas Caps. I have a few fuel tank caps withintegrated gages that supposedly fitKawasaki H1s and H2s and maybe someHonda CBs and CLs from the ‘70s. Theydon’t work on any of my CB750s. The cap is

rrrrrrrrr


Classifiedsapproximately 60mm and is made by theAsahi Denso Co. Ltd. and called a: Tank Capwith Fuel Gauge. Anyone need one or twoMartin Ernst, (604) 921-1978, WestVancouver, BC, Canada, [email protected]

Can Cooler. Great looking Koozies made ofblack scuba foam with white puff ink logoimprint. Fold up when not in use and fit eas-ily in beverage holders. Available withHodaka, Bridgestone, Rupp, Bonanza, andother logos. $3.50 each or any five mix ormatch for $14.99. Any ten for $24.99.Wholesale pricing on 100 or more, great forswap meets or mail order as they are light,compact and not easily damaged. Includesshipping and handling. Mail payment or Itake Paypal. Don Olson, (515) 332-3945,309 8th St S, Humboldt, Iowa 50548,[email protected]

Keys

H and T series and also some new oneswith no letter prefix. Let me know yourcode and I will check stock. $8 eachshipped to lower 48 Mike Schmeisser,(404) 386-7180, Atlanta, Georgia, [email protected]

For earlier model Honda, Suzuki. We alsocarry a lot of NOS parts for all 4 Japanesebrands, and have over 16,000 differentgaskets at our disposal. Open Tues-Sat 9-6(we close at 4 on Saturday) and are closedon Sunday and Monday. Queen CityMotorcycle, (931) 648-4355, Clarksville,Tennessee, [email protected]

Key blanks for classic vehicles! We stockkeys for cars, trucks, buses, motorcyclesand even some airplanes. Visit our websiteto browse our catalog, order online, or torequest help for the key you need: www.key-men.com Key Men: Keys for Classics,Monroe, New York, [email protected]

For 1958/85 Honda, Kawasaki, keys. Over4000 genuine Honda precut and numberedabsolutely genuine original keys. Send codenumber which is stamped on the face ofyour ignition switch or fork lock, later mod-els only had the number on the key. $5each plus $1 postage for any quantity, andan additional dollar for credit card paymentif desired. I also have 250 old KawasakiNOS keys and a few Suzuki. I can cut dupli-

cate Suzuki keys for the same price BarrySulkin, (310) 398-6406, Culver City, (LosAngeles) California, [email protected]

Have about 1000 NOS Yamaha keys. Somewith 3 digit numbers. $5 each + $1 ship-ping in the US. Same shipping for as manyas you need. E-mail me with the numbersyou need and I will check and see if I haveMike Bruch, (913) 256-6878, Osawatomie,Kansas, [email protected]

For 1960s-70s Honda, Keys. “H” & “T”keys. These are new OEM keys. Send or callme the key # you need. Example: T7614 orH1302. I will let you know if I have them. Ifso they are $10.00 for two (2) keys plusshipping. Mark Troutman, (503) 703-8511,Portland, Oregon, [email protected]

WANTED

Hodaka

Hodaka. I am looking for any parts bikes.Any size, any condition Greg Hall, (603) 582-0433, New Hampshire, [email protected]

Honda

1961 Honda Cuby engines, parts, andassembly manual (Copy OK). Have copiesof Cuby Owners Handbook and parts list toshareTom Kolenko, (770) 427-4820,Atlanta, Georgia, [email protected]

For 1965 Honda CA95 Benly, looking forengine, gas tank, speedometer, rearshocks, seat pad, shop manual, etc.Wilfred, (204) 489-2341, Winnipeg,Canada, [email protected]

For Honda C200 90cc, parts. Points, bat-tery, ignition switch, generator cover, sidecovers for battery and air filter (red), coverknobs, red front fender, red rear shocks,speedometer, speedometer gasket, air filterassembly, chain case, plastic front sprocketcover, badges, seat, carb screens, grips,front axle dust seal cap, wheels, others.Parts should be in good condition orNOS.Bob Shields, (207) 346-6791,Mechanic Falls, Maine

For 1965/66 Honda CB450 K0, I need torestore the seat rubber pan attachments orobtain suitable replacements. Shane Gelfer,

(412) 498-4155, Oakdale, Pennsylvania,[email protected]

1966/67 Honda CL77. Good survivor orrestored bike. Denny Stehr, (612) 968-5576,Minnesota, dastehr@ integraonline.com

For 1967 Honda CD175, looking for lowerchain case, seat, mufflers, and any otherparts that anyone might have. Merv Garrett,07 5782749 fax/027 2775580 phone, 3BGlenlyon Avenue, Tauranga, New Zealand,[email protected]

For 1969 Honda CB750 K0, chrome plasticstrips for bottom of gas tank without blackstripe. Cliff Gardiner, (610) 384-6238,Southeastern Pennsylvania, [email protected]

For Honda XL100, looking for small singlepiston Honda engine for project. 100cc orsmaller. Must run but not need to havegood bike, (wrecked bike is OK). Please e-mail with details. www.myspace.com/vin-tagemotorcycles. James D. Nold, Sr., (682)553-2531, Azle, Texas, [email protected]

For 1970/72 Honda CB100, I’m looking fora either used or NOS gas tank, either K0,K1 or K2 models. Any help would be greatlyappreciated. Gant MacLellan, Georgia,[email protected]

1972 Honda SL125. Brad Kay, (817) 715-3577, Ft. Worth, Texas, [email protected]

1976 Honda CB200T. Looking for CB200Tand CL200 complete bikes and or parts.Must be in good shape and fair price. Willtravel to pick. Also looking for CB & CL 175parts and bikes. For personal collectiononly, not a dealer. Looking for cafe partsand information/tips on making fiberglasscafe parts for above bikes. Any help is wel-comed. James D. Nold, Sr., (682) 553-2531, Azle, Texas, [email protected]

1979/80 Honda CBX. Want to buy a redCBX with factory spor t kit and stockexhaust. Mileage not critical if well main-tained, but must be a clean bikeDonMontgomery, (805) 523-0411, LosAngeles, California, [email protected]

rrrrrrrrr


1986 Honda VF500. I want to purchase aVF500 in excellent condition. No time or tal-ent for restoration. Prefer 1986, but will con-sider 1984-85. Willing to pay a fair price. BillRobinson, (904) 708-9434, Jacksonville,Florida, [email protected]

Kawasaki

For 1966 Kawasaki (Kenkay) Omega125cc? Looking for the engine, and sidecovers for a Kenkay Omega (in JapanKawasaki B-1? or B-2?). Will take whole bikeas wellChris Rosenquist, (612) 207-5532,Minnesota, [email protected]

1973 Kawasaki 900 Z1 model to restoreor a rider. Al Landry, (506) 849-4612,Canada, [email protected]

1983 Eddie Lawson Helmet (Bell Star).Looking for full face, Kawasaki Team Greenhelmet with white and blue stripe. Ed, (586)872-3839

For 1983 Kawasaki ELR, set of tires.Looking for NOS or reproductions of theDunlops, Front was 100/90-19, Rear was120/90-18.Ed, (586) 872-3839

Rockford

For 1970/75 Rockford Chibi 60cc,Standard or Deluxe, I am wanting any mag-azines which have write-up’s on theRockford chibi models. Starting with Mini-Bike Guide, for November 1970. Any gen-uine or Xerox copies would bewelcome.Mike Ridley, 07706-914113,England, [email protected]

Suzuki

For 1967 Suzuki X6 Scrambler, looking forNOS petcock and rubber air/carb jointboot.David Howell, (816) 941-2925,Kansas City, Missouri, [email protected]

For 1970 Suzuki T125 Stinger Ser #104699, looking for 2 pistons and rings JimRoback, (313) 608-4390, Detroit, Michigan,[email protected]

Suzuki GT750 Triple. Looking for a goodclean example “Denny” Lee Lacy, (270)498-4971, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, [email protected]

Suzuki TS-400 Apache.“Denny” Lee Lacy,(270) 498-4971, Hopkinsville, Kentucky,[email protected]

Tohatsu

For Tohatsu 125cc Twin Arrow, completemotor or parts. Also need complete motorfor a 50cc Bridgestone “7”- standard 6 voltmodel - no electric start Ed Wilcox, (248)388-1342, Michigan, [email protected]

1962/64 Tohatsu Runpet Sport 50cc. I amlooking for a Runpet 50 as I had one brandnew in 1963. Greg Parsons, (760) 451-0811, San Diego, California, [email protected]

1960s Tohatsu Run Pet Sport. CompleteOriginal 50cc Run Pet Sport model. Non-run-ners OK, please send JPEGs & info. TomKolenko, (770) 427-4820, Atlanta, Georgia,[email protected]

For 1962 Tohatsu Runpet Sport CA-2B, Ineed a chain guard. I will pay cash or I havemany 50cc Tohatsu parts for trade. Call ore-mail if you can help me. Jim Smith, (805)968-9748, Goleta, California, [email protected]

Yamaha

For 1958-62 Yamaha MF1, I am looking forany parts. These were built from 1958-1962. 50cc step through, 12V, pressedsteel frame. Especially interested in glassand plastic parts - lenses, lights, etc.JimRuther ford, (503) 318-8105, Oregon,[email protected]

1960 Yamaha MF1 50cc. Looking for1959-60 Yamaha MF1 scooter. Non runnerOK Tom Kolenko, (770) 427-4820, Atlanta,Georgia, [email protected]

1960s Yamaha Big Bear 250 or 305cc. Anycondition wante Wayne Modglin, (217) 895-2291, Neoga, Illinois, [email protected]

1965 Yamaha YG1-K 80cc Rotary Jet. Myfirst motorcycle, restored or excellent run-ning original, no project bikes, please. JohnJ. Cerilli, (510) 377-5575, Fremont,California, [email protected]

For 1965/66 Yamaha YG1 80cc streetbike, ignition switch with keys. Steering

lock with keys. Gas tank pet cock, preferNOS. Gas tank. Brake & clutch Levers.Muffler & exhaust pipe. Battery holding rub-ber straps .Signal lights. Rear luggage rack.Rear fender rubber mud flap.DaveBreakwell, (905) 935-3229, Niagara Falls,New York, [email protected]

For 1966 Yamaha YM1 305cc, looking forfront fender, oil pump cover, handlebars,levers, owners manual, speedo bezel. HaveBig Bear wheels, forks, bars and frame totrade. Chris Chown, (416) 504-4353,Toronto, Canada, [email protected]

For 1974 Yamaha RD60, NOS front fenderwith no dents. Bob Brandner, (561)776-6212, North Palm Beach, Florida,[email protected]

1986 Yamaha SRX 600. Looking for SRX600 in Midwest. Need not be a museumpiece, just in good running order. MikeShoger, (815) 622 3366 days, Sterling,Illinois, [email protected]

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS WANTED

VJMC to hold a rally at SnowshoeMountain, West Virginia. We are located inPocahontas County. Would love to have yourclub start a rally at our resort. Visitwww.snowshoemtn.com Gretta M.Vandevender, (304) 572-5885 SnowshoeMountain, West Virginia, [email protected]

Back issues of the club magazine. I will buyor swap the magazines. Good price paid.Surely someone has an old collection thatthey no longer read? Please phone Paul,(0191) 4561652, England, [email protected]

Looking for VJMC members from Mainewanting to start a Southern Maine chapter.Let me know if you’re interested. MikeMoore, (207) 284-9766 Biddeford, Maine,[email protected]

Classifieds rrrrrrrrr

Documents

The Best of VJMC2003-2006 · to do. These gorgeous bikes need to be displayed … in your home, office, work-shop or garage. Our new line features custom clocks, plaques, laptop skins,