September Startup

I'll be adding some pictures shortly of some of the work that was performed over the summer break.  The rear seat loop had to be finished.  Mr. Sheppard tack-welded the old loop into place, to test the concept.  The bike was dropped off at Cycleboyz (check out the link to the right) for "proper" welding.  The frame needed to be sleeved, with a rosette weld and seam welds holding the loop on... and that was after custom-bending the 7/8" tubing to match the seat hump.  As usual, the workmanship was impeccable, and once again, Cycleboyz donated their time and material to the project.  An amazing group of people!!!

Speaking of donations, Mr. Sheppard got an email from Dime City Cycles.  A real groovy bunch of folks who have been building Cafe Racers for years, and have been featured on "Cafe Racer TV".  Jason Paul Michaels from Dime City has agreed to supply us with a stainless steel reverse megaphone muffler, and is throwing in some other stuff -- t-shirts, stickers, and a banner -- for the Kids Cafe Crew.  Awesome.  Check out Dime City Cycles at:  http://www.dimecitycycles.com/.  We'll add a permanent link to their page and online shop to the right.

Pictures to come shortly!

Summer Break

Due to the busy nature of June, we've decided to stop the work on the bike in order to allow students to focus on final assessments and projects.  For the summer, the Cafe bike will be heading back to Mr. Sheppard's garage for storage.  During the summer break, a bit of work will need to be performed... now that its running, the focus will be on finishing the safety requirements to allow it to be certified for the road, and some professional welding work is required for the rear frame loop.  For both, the bike will spend a short holiday at Cycleboyz in Brandon for the welding, and while there Mr. S will grab a copy of a MB road safety form.  Knowing what is expected ahead of time will prevent unforseen issues coming up when it is ready to go on the road.

Our timeline has changed, obviously.  For those that are following, it makes sense to take another school year to properly finish the bike and turn out the best project we can.  As such, the 2013-14 school year will be spent finishing up the cosmetic elements of the bike (which can be tremendously time consuming), having it ready to roll and raffle in the Spring of 2014.

Check back periodically over the summer, as when the specialized work is completed, updates will be posted.

See you all "full time" in the fall!

It's Alive!

Over the course of the last few weeks, it became apparent that less and less was standing in our way of getting the bike actually up and running.  This past Tuesday approached with only a wee bit wiring to finish, and some oil to be added to the engine.  A fuel and a spark and by all accounts, it should go...

Step one was finishing off the wiring.  With adding fuel to the mix, we didn't want any exposed wires causing a short or a spark.  Heat shrink connectors are a wonderful thing...

A final check of connectors, some fuel added to the tank (the kids did a great job rebuilding the petcocks as there were no leaks!).  And we gave it a few kicks, hoping for the best.  To our enjoyment (and with some surprise) the bike fired up.  However a noticeable leak presented itself behind the oil filter cover.  The bike was shut off and the issue addressed.  We fired up the camera for start #2, and trained it on the suspect cover to detect any leaks.  The (second) moment of truth...




It is alive!  Nice to know that at least it runs.  While there still is a weep, and a million things left to do before it can be raffled off, this is a huge step forward for us!

More Wiring

With the signals working, the next step was to try to clean up the wiring a bit more. 

With some fiddling with wires, we were able to produce a spark, so at least all of the ignition components are in working order.  Next we need to ensure the switches work as they should.

 The next step was fabricating a proper muffler mounting strap.  A fairly straightforward process, but it did require some accurate measuring and drilling to make sure the two mounting bolts lined up properly.

Next we began the process of fitting the front seat mounting studs.  Like the rear battery tray, we are going to weld in some shouldered m6 nuts into the frame rails, and then fix the front end of the seat in place.  The holes were drilled and the nuts put in place; Mr. S will come in on another day and do the welding.






Finishing the wiring will be the next step.  Tedious, and in fact Mr. Sheppard came in on his own a couple of evenings to work on things.  Really, at times a one-person job due to the cramped nature of the bike. 

Signals next

We snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.  After spending most of the session flicking the turn signal off and on, we came to the conclusion that the turn signal relay was not the right type for our application.  We got a "click" out of the relay, but no lights.  Not knowing a lot about relays, we guessed that there might be too much resistance in the relay unit, and decided to try something different. 

While Mr. Sheppard rooted around the boxes of spares for another relay, the tailight mounting bracket was modified to accept the turn signals.

With the signals then mounted in the bracket, and everything re-attached with the replacement relay (over 40 years old), we got ready to test again.  Note the size of the turn signals.  These are DOT approved.  Yes, very large, but we don't want any hassle when we go to get the bike saftied.  The new owner may swap them out for something smaller...
The student in the pic is grounding out the terminals on a bare part of the frame.

Left.... got it!

And the right one works as well!  Next up, ignition system.  We will search for that elusive spark, and then go about properly bundling and connecting the wires in the harness.

Slow and Steady Progress

The April 2 session saw some more tangible progress for the bike project.

A "new to us" (used) exhaust system was sourced which works better with our cafe rear sets.  It is a MAC 2-1 system.  We will need to fabricate a muffler mount, but everything appears to work as it should.

Next we went about tacking more of the custom wiring harness.

Using a heat gun to heat-shrink tubing once connections have been made.

Soldering connections.  Always nice to have a second pair of hands.  Watch out where the melted flux falls, as it can be corrosive on painted surfaces.

Fitting proper battery terminal connections, as well as prepping the connectors that fit into the fuse box.  Need to get everything water-tight!

Tail/running light.

Brake light.  Whoo hoo!

To date, we now have working headlight, tail light, brake light, instrument light, and horn.

Next step is the turn signals, and finally the stator/rotor/alternator/ ignition system.  Gotta get that spark!

Next cafe session is April 16.

A sign of life!

Well, sort of.  We had our first day of wiring work, and we met with some success.  Armed with our wiring diagram, we started the process.

What a tangled web we've weaved!  Starting from the handlebar switchgear, we moved our way to the rear of the bike, which housed the battery, fuse box, regulator/rectifier, and turn signal relay.

The other end...  The first item we got to work was the horn, once we figured the switch itself was grounded to the handlebars.  After turning on the main switch, we got the first "beeps".

Next we set about working on the headlights.  At first they didn't work, until Mr. S remembered that the fuse box only works when there are fuses to complete the circuit!  You can see the 10amp one in place to the left.

While it looks a complicated mess, we actually got the lights to work, both low beam and high beam!  However, they came on as soon as the main switch (the key) was turned on.  We don't want to drain the battery, so we need to figure out how to wire in the on/off switch on the RHS handlebar switch.  That will take some thinking.

This is how we left it.  Of course, when we do get everything working -- the brake light switch, the turn signals, the dash light, and a spark, we will use proper connectors, and clean the assembly up "proper".  Mr. S will need to visit NAPA or some similar store to get quality block connectors to go with the blade connectors we have already.  We want the assembly to look "factory" and also be reliable and watertight.
We will miss next week due to spring break, but will carry on in April.