The Legend of Chang Mai and her rebirth

[logicquests]

One oversight I need to address.

Sprockets etc.

Chang Mai had a 15 t front 420 and a 37t rear 420.

The new chain I have is 428 so I need to swap over some sprockets. Just to add to the workload.

I have a 14 t front 428 and also a 37 t rear 428.

I have so far also had the suggestion of 13 front 38 rear. Lots of pick up on tight tracks.

If anyone else has some suggestions I would be interested to hear the merits of any other combination.

Sorry MF. I am not trying to overshadow your build. I just know less than you do and need more help.

logic

 

[logicquests]

O.K.

Sprocket issue has been sorted. I am just going to go with the 14 front 37 rear. Thats what I have here, so thats what I am using.

I went a bit bolt crazy today and bought a ton of both stainless steel and high tensile bolts to replace a great deal of the bolts already on Chang. I might as well do it now otherwise it will never get done. I might go into the nut and bolt game, there is obviously some decent mark ups. $100.00 on a selection of small bolts, nothing major.

I tried to fit the pro taper bars but due to the frame being a couple of inches longer and also the change in the carby position, the throttle cable is too short. I'll add that to the list or possibly even use the red baron bars I have if I cant be bothered waiting for a new cable to arrive.

Anyhow. I will put up a few more pics tomorrow and hopefully we will be a little bit closer to riding the new improved Chang.

logic

 

[Hillz]

people like you inspire greatness, greatness i say!!!

 

[logicquests]

Thank you hillz.

I must say at this point I needed encouragement.

It is starting to drag on and as said in a previous post I dont do so well with long term projects.

Chang will be great and we will ride again.

It is close and almost at the business end of the deal.

I would really like to have her completed for the weekend if possible as I would like to christen her and iron out any kinks.

Might be time to steal MF's new OKO when he isnt looking. Good reason to catch up with him for a ride on Saturday.

The only thing still standing in the way is the chain and the kill switch. I can use the Red Baron bars at the moment until I sort the longer throttle cable.

I just want to ride her. I am desperate to ride the new small and sleek Chang Mai. I like them like that.

logic

 

[sam93]

going good mate
If your interested lemme know the length throttle cable you need, and ill see if i have one in the right size. I have a few laying around in the shed, also got a push button killswitch (the better china type)

Cheers,
Sambo...

 

[logicquests]

Well.

Here we go again.

I couldnt wait so I bought another throttle cable that was a bit longer. It appears to have less free cable than the other one though so that will not do. It is about 15 mm shorter than the other cable and I dont see how the throttle will not stay open if i use this cable.

I have pulled quite a bit of the bike apart again today as it is easier to get to the wiring with everything off the bike. I am not sure how fussy I will get with the wiring but there seems to be a ridiculous amount of length that I just dont need. I may start trimming some of the lengths down to make things a little bit tidier.

I bought another chain roller with the correct size bearings today. Unfortunately, the bit the chain roller slides on to is not a uniform size the whole way down the shaft. Of course it isn't, why would I have expected any different. I am holding of on the grinder at the moment as I am frustrated and dont want to do anything too rash.

I stripped one of the threads in the handle bar risers this morning but I got out the tap and dye set and fixed that in about 5 minutes.

I have figured out which wires are for the kill switch and will be wiring that up shortly.

After this thread is finished I am going to go back over it and write another thread titled " what not to do when building a bike". I will probably do a better job on that thread as I will have lots of experience regarding what not to do when building a bike.

It is getting there but it is also starting to annoy me.

I tried to get a shorter hydraulic hose for the rear brakes today but of course there are a million different sized banjo's( little bit that screws into the brake set up, not the country mans answer to a Les Paul). Some have 12mm at one end and 8 mm at the other, some have 10mm and 10 mm others have 14 mm and 12 mm. There are numerous combinations and in my innocence I just assumed they would be fairly standard. Just because I think it, doesnt mean it is so. I am finding it hard to get used to that idea.

Building a bike will teach you many things. Patience, planning, how to deal with disappointment and most of all that you should always learn from your mistakes.

No pics yet as it has been dismantled again and is looking like crap.

logic

 

[Carlts]

Yeah mate, I've well and truly learnt that building takes time, money and endless patience.

My "1 month, sub 1500" project turned into "6 months, 2400" lol

But once your done it is truly satisfying, there is a solution for everything mate, you'll get there.

Good luck,
Carlton

 

[logicquests]

Thanks Carlts. I know you have done the hard yards mate and appreciate your knowledge.

As promised, I am going to throw up a few pics to keep things semi interesting.

New front sprocket fitted( yes, I am still to clean and the rust will disappear as soon as it comes into contact with oil)

New pro taper bars.

Where the carby is now sitting. This took some work to get it there. The wires hanging down are the wires needed for my kill switch.

I covered all of the exposed wiring with red insulation tape to try to hide it against the frame.

New chain guard. Ebay special, fits perfectly. Not sure what size screw to use to secure it. I was actually thinking of riveting it in.

New gear lever. nothing flash but I thought the black looked better. You can also see the other foot pegs in this pic.

Replacement pegs and peg support taken from another engine.

New grip. Only on one side so far as I couldnt remove the other side. I did try another 1/4 turn throttle I bought from the classifieds section but it was pretty bloody awful and seemed to jam about half way round not allowing the spring to re-set the throttle. Not a good idea to keep that one on there.

I hope this makes it all a little more interesting. Once again the pics were taken with my phone so please excuse the quality, it just easier to upload to photo bucket directly from my phone.

logic

 

[Carlts]

Good as mate, a countersunk 6mm bolt should do the chain guard, Ill take mine off tommorrow and measure cuz im feeling a bit lazy atm

Good job with the Pro Tapers aswell!! they are always a well worth it upgrade that you wont regret.

Will be nice to see it finished soon mate,

Carlton

 

[logicquests]

In case anyone is interested......

Hillz told me to adapt the cable to my needs. That sounded like a great idea and was easier said than done.

After stuffing around with the internal metal wrap I was able to lengthen the free cable in the throttle cable to what I think may do the job. I have probably cut off too much but as said previously, I like estimation.

I am going to drop in to DHZ in the morning to pick up a kill switch. I also need some fuel line so if they have this I will get some as well. If not, I believe Clark Rubber sell fuel grade line at reasonable prices.

I am going to forget about the back brake for now so I can at least take the new and improved Chang for a quick ride. It is well overdue.

I will get some more photos up of the finished product tomorrow.

Here's to hoping the wheels dont fall off.

logic

 

[logicquests]

O.K.

Well Chang Mai rides again

The little temptress almost got the better of me a few times and just when I thought I had her all figured out she would throw something into the mix and catch me off guard.

I bought my kill switch from DHZ this morning along with a LARGE selection of spacers ( 2 of every size they had) as I couldn't be bothered cutting up anymore pipe. The soul was willing but the flesh was week.

I still need to complete the wiring as far as tidying it up but it is all wired correctly.

In my previous post I mentioned the throttle cable I bought was too long. I took hillz advice and removed some of the external cable surrounds to increase the length of the internal cable. Unfortunately I didnt remove enough and when it came to the big start up time I realised I had stuffed this up. I ended up toying with it for a while and decided to remove more of the cable and also put a 1/4 turn throttle on there as it had more options for cable length or lack thereof. In the end I got it just right and felt rather happy with my progress.

The chain was slightly annoying. Being the impatient type of person I am I couldnt wait for a chain breaker to arrive from China so I sought the services of my trusty grinder. I was very impressed with my results after the initial failures I experienced. I tried to find hard pieces of metal which were both long enough and also thin enough to push that little pin out. Nails ended up being the best option but I destroyed many of them before I decided I should maybe grind off the tip and try again. This worked a treat except for the fact I took off one link too many and the chain wouldnt fit on the bike

This annoyed me just a little bit and I said a few things that young children, men of the cloth and grandmothers should never hear. I have since apologised to my cat as she was the only one at home.

I thought about the whole extra link thing for a while and decided I would try to buy some chain links from a motorcycle shop to get me back on track. How was I supposed to know all 428 pitch chains wouldn't share the same links? Seems logical to me.

Anyhow. I bought one of every 428 chain link they had and returned home to do some more grinding and create a link between the 2 links. I now have chain breaking down to a fine art and I will measure more carefully in the future.

I had a little ride on Chang and she felt just about right. She was a great height and well balanced. I am very happy with the results and cant wait to give her a good thrashing. She deserves it.

The front number plate or whatever it is called isnt on there yet but it didnt seem very important in the big scheme of things. I will throw it on tomorrow and also tidy up the wiring.

A couple of pics.

Chang as she looks now.( The stand will be removed tomorrow as well)

A different view.

Another view

I will put up some better pics tomorrow of the finished result with the front plate etc on and the wiring tidied up.

logic

 

[logicquests]

One other thing before you all start yelling at me.

The throttle cable is VERY long. This will also be remedied but in the meantime can be cable tied to keep it out of the way.

logic

 

[westy465]

THAT THROTTLE CABLE IS VERY LONG YELLING YELLING YELLING. love your perseverance man. I probably would have taken the grinder to the backbone of the frame. you going to get a frint number place or run it Larry Linkogle stylez?

 

[logicquests]

Front plate is there. I just havent stuck it on yet. Will be on there tomorrow though.

I did think about it a few times.

logic

 

[logicquests]

She still looks as nice today as she did yesterday.

I am going to throw up the before and after shots for a quick comparison.

Before

After.

As you can see, she is very different now.

There are a few people I need to thank for providing cheap/free parts: MF, rach88, BD and Rhysie.

There are also a few people I need to thank for regular advice throughout the build: MF, sean and hillz.

All of the people above contributed a great deal in allowing Chang to take on a new life. All of your help has been very much appreciated. Reps to you all.

logic

 

[TomaszBurcon]

looks great logic are you going to stay with that seat ???

 

[logicquests]

Not sure about the seat.

It was just what I had here and I couldnt be bothered getting another one.

I might start looking for one.

logic

 

[Minibiker05]

a flat griper seat would look good mate congrats with all your hard work/grinding lol looks heaps better now

 

[bulldog93]

That looks ****ing sick Logic. Well done mate. I'm jealous. . You did an awesome job.

 

[logicquests]

Thanks BD.

Many old parts from you are on there.

I will take another pic in the morning as I put on some more stickers, the front plate and finished the wiring today.

Looks even better now.

logic