Back Into Project Vixen

Yes, there is some shame in admitting a project like this stalled. I admit it. Project Vixen stalled. As with many human enterprises, she took a back seat to other priorities. With the recent purchase of my Sportster, the need for faster, more powerful two wheeled transportation was severely minimized.

The stall was exasperated by my ex-wife's stuff being moved into my work area. The cause was noble; She wants to sort through her stuff, separating those items she is moving to her place, and those that she is selling. Unfortunately her temperament towards such things is rather lax. Needless to say, her things are still in my work area.

On the plus side, one needs little room to work on a motorcycle engine. Saturday I moved the bags of parts and bolts and plastic pieces to a new location.

This is a nice protected area under a roof overhang. Very little rain gets into this area, and after covering the whole thing under a tarp, it should be fairly secure from the elements.

Now for the engine.

While moving it out of the backyard shed, I am greeted with the jingle jangle of loose parts in the garbage bag used to wrap the engine. Without looking at the repair manual it was fairly easy to determine they were part of the transmission shifter linkage.

Then, my mechanical nemesis and I meet for the final time. A head bolt that laughed at previous attempts to jar it loose, lodged with the remnants of a broken bolt extractor, was soon to yield.

Earlier that day, for some inexplicable reason I purchased a file set. After a few failed attempts, it occurred to me that I should try to file off the remaining rough part, leaving approximately 1/3 of the bolt head.

Then, using a hammer and punch, strike the bolt head to give it a counterclockwise rotational force. After a few strikes... Success! It rotated! A few more pings and the bolt was rotating with no more pressure than that supplied by the tips of my fingers!

The bolt head claimed four drill bits, several grinding wheels and even a diamond Dremel grinder. It was time to go.

Now, with all head bolts out, the next little roadblock presented itself. The front piston seems to be somewhat... stuck in the cylinder. It will move in and out of the cylinder by an inch or so, but that is it.

Next up - More engine disassembly.

Weekend Update.

This weekend was quite productive.

1. Detached the right side of the frame from the main portion of the frame.
2. Removed the engine from the frame. (All by myself, might I add.)
3. After drilling out a badly stuck head bolt on the front cylinder, was able to remove the head cover and rocker arm assembly.
4. Cleaned more of the swing arm.
5. Cleaned many frame bolts and miscellaneous pieces.

And, here is the bad news... Previously I had thought, and was indeed hoping that the only major problem I would have with the engine would be a stuck valve or two. Unfortunately it seems as if there is rust in the front cylinder.

According to the manual, the only way to get into the cylinder is to remove front and back cylinders and heads at the same time! Given a few coolant hoses and head bolts strategically placed between the cylinders, there is no way, without a cutting torch or sledge hammer to effectively inspect the cylinders.

Soooo...... This week the heads and cylinders come off... all at the same time. Pictures soon.

What to do with Vixen???

This has been going through my mind. Last year I did a Coast to Coast (well, almost) ride on my little Honda Rebel for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. This year there is another ride in my future. Three weeks, like last year's ride will likely not be available from work, so it will need to be a two week jaunt.

If Vixen isn't ready, I will likely take the Rebel down to Austin, over to Louisiana and then back.

But, if Vixen IS ready, I think a 50CC ride would be appropriate. What is a 50CC you may ask? It is an evil little ride across the country, literally coast to coast. That's not the hard part.

The hard part is the fact that it must be done in 50 hours. The Rebel likely can't do it. Vixen? You bet! We shall see. Right now she is little more than a skeleton of an engine and a bare frame.

She looks so... naked.

Main Drive Splines - Officially Shot

Yup. The main drive's rear wheel driven spline is shot. Here is a pic of the horror.

You can see here that most of the driven spline teeth are completely gone.

That is just part of the horror. According to what I have read, the driver spline is harder and should not wear as much. Well, the picture below does confirm that it does not wear as much. Unfortunately, because the wear pattern is uneven, acquiring a new driven spline would merely cause the driver to cause uneven wear on the driven. Not my idea of a good restoration.

See the uneven wear pattern on the driver spline teeth?

These parts are available on BikeBandit.com and some other parts distributors. Total cost for the pair is nearly $350 USD. Used will work as long as the wear is minimal. A few people have contacted me with suitable replacements so the bike is at least ride-able. We shall see...

Two Breaks, Coming Up

The good kind of breaks!

A few days ago I find in my e-mail in-box a note from a VX800 rider who has several parts I need, just cluttering his garage. And to add, he will be in Vegas soon!

Then, after work I rode over to one of the last independent motorcycle dealerships in Las Vegas - Nevada Suzuki. Within five minutes he was recounting the time he collected VX800s and had more that a dozen in the 90's. Then there was the time Suzuki shipped several from Europe to the states and rewarded many of their top European dealerships with a tour of the US on the VXs.

But here is the good part... He still has one in his storage unit. It may not be pristine and likely has a few engine issues after being stored for a decade, but it is a definite candidate as a donor bike!

Not holding my breath, but fingers are crossed!

Setbacks - Maybe not such a good deal...

After discussing my problem on the VX800 list it was determined that the final drive spline set and the 'U-Joint' would need to be replaced. Yes, the parts are available but these three things ring up to nearly $425.

She still needs a complete front end, exhaust, carbs, tires and a host of other things. This will require some thought. Even if the engine is easily repairable, the cost may be in the area of $1500. I can buy a used, operational VX800 for that price.

Time to sleep on it...

Worn Part aqnd a Conundrum

Here is what I wrote about yesterday. The rear drive, near the where the wheel is mounted, looks to be ground pretty badly.
And here is my conundrum for the day. The bottom plate is the starter cover. I would like to get the starter out of there to test and lighten the weight of the engine. If I am going to lift that big boy out myself or with minimal help, it had better be as light as I can make it.
Here, you see a bolt coming up from the starter cover. It cannot be removed because it abuts the coolant pipe attachment. Why not remove the coolant pipe attachment? If you look to the right of the bolt circled in red, there is a bolt that holds the attachment onto the cylinder. It cannot be removed without removing the starter cover!

The only solution that comes to mind here is to remove the other two attachment bolts, loosen the third (the one shown) and rotate it enough on the third so that the cover bolt will come out. Then I can get the cover off and then completely remove the third bolt.

But another little problem. That little bolt on the pipe attachment is exceedingly tight. Neither socket nor closed end wrench will fit. An open end wrench would not hold and wore two edges off the bolt.

I am certainly not done with this one yet...