Not for me, but you have to work with the machinist. Unless you have a boring bar setup of your own. Then you can do what you are comfortable with. Perhaps you could write to either Paul or Bruce and ask if they have a piston in stock that they could mic for you, so you have a feel for whether you c...

As long as you are making a seat from scratch, why not extend the front of the seat to overlap the tank a bit in a tapered apron. That might make them blend together.

That's a close call. Assuming the skirt is now 51.04mm, that is right at about 0.040" over. That doesn't leave any wiggle room, and it might depend on the actual dimension of the piston chosen, since they rarely run true. A machinist generally bores a cylinder to match a given piston for that r...

I don't think it caused brain damage, but have you looked at your eyebrows lately? MEK is a potent solvent. It has its uses, and is found in various things if you look at the labels. I try to use the least potent solvent for a given job, but short of stripping paint, MEK is about as potent as the co...

Over the years I have learned to accept a degree of mushiness in Hodaka brakes. Aside from the cables, which are a big part of the feel, the original linings were not outstanding, and the arch of the brake shoe never really matched the drum. They are narrow, small diameter, and less than modern. If ...

It does.

Far as I know, other solvents will work on wet Yamabond also. Lacquer thinner (which has acetone in it, as well as toluene, xylene, MEK, and a couple other similar ingredient so) will work, as would any of the ingredients listed in the thinner if you have those around. MEK is especially handy at rem...

Vic, The crank case wall and the crank weights are in very close proximity when together. It is common for any excess sealant to press out into this area just as it does toward the outside. I would hesitate to skimp on sealant in this area due to the high pressure and heat. Instead, use sparingly bu...

As long as you are mounting an after market silencer, I would eliminate the inner pipe entirely. If there is not enough pipe stub to mount the silencer without the inner pipe in place, I would instead add a short stinger to the pipe on which to mount your silencer. This is assuming you have access t...

I can't find Kroil here. Usually use blaster, but with no more than usual, somewhat limited results. It works, but it isn't magic. I have never tried the acetone mix. I assume just looking at the blend that the acetone is there as a carrier for the ATF, and doesn't actually provide lubricant between...

Dale, I wasn't trying to debunk anyone's claims regarding properties. Just trying to apply what science background I have. Marketing being what it is, a phrase like "magnetic properties" could just be shorthand for something most people would not grasp right away. All matter exhibits magne...

Probably means first remove shaft, then replace seal. Something like that.

I found this in an antique motorcycle forum: "Machinist's Workshop magazine recently published some information on various penetrating oils that I found very interesting. Some of you might appreciate this. The magazine reports they tested penetrates for break out torque on rusted nuts. They are...

Isn't that the additive that is still found in Diesel engine lubricating oil?

taber hodaka wrote:The slickest thing about slick 50 was the feller that sold it to me.

Roger that.

Or was it thirteen??? Have him post the dyno sheet and list the mods. Might as well find out.

I remember when STP came out. Mario Andretti commercials every hour. Makes your engine last forever, more power, etc. now, it is still out there but you never hear about it. I used it for a while and didn't find it helped much. I do use Lucas HD Oil Stabilizer in my Kaiser, especially in the transfe...

I agree that keeping a battery tended helps it last. However, tiny motorcycle batteries such as the 6V in the Hodaka or the 12V in my Yamaha are very low amperage batteries and can easily be overcharged. Keep close watch for the first couple days. If the battery stays warm to the touch or drops liqu...

Synthetic oil is simply made from a different base material than dino oil. It has different heat and cold characteristics. All synthetics have additives because the base material alone is not sufficient, but the same is true of petroleum oils. As for causing leaks, I seriously doubt this. Not that s...

DGardner wrote:This is the pipe that TTR is making for my wombat. Hope to have it on the dyno in two or three weeks.

So how did the pipe turn out? Dyno results yet?

If it's just the main bearing, you could be back in business with a little clean up and maybe a new ring.

A ball bearing is hardened to a standard that you really can't duplicate at home, so even if the receiver were "hardened" by heat or whatever, I don't think it would approach the hardness of a high carbon heat treated ball bearing. Correct, you should not run two metal of the same hardness...

Since the crank bearing is bad, (and do you mean the crankshaft main bearings left and/or right, or the lower rod bearing?), it will need overhaul anyway. Once the cases are split, use new bearings and seals in all positions. You can sand the cylinder in order to get a truer reading on skirt clearan...

Key off, test various points in the harness after the key for voltage. Or, insert a positive off switch in the battery lead between battery and ignition key, similar to a master switch often sold for use with old cars that sit a lot. Or, put it on a maintainer when parked.

The dimpling is a form of work hardening, similar to shot peening. Case hardening is not a surface application. It tempers the metal but not all the way through. I was just thinking that since the receiver work hardens anyway, why not start with a hardened ball.