Things

Lots of work done on the Riverside this summer. The engine has been fully finished with the rebuild. New spokes, rims, front and rear sprockets, speedometer, cables, rebuilt wiring harness and everything powder coated. All the bigger and green parts I had coated locally and the smaller black parts I did myself in my smaller powder oven. I also built a larger and more solid oven once all the small parts were coated. The main reason being the seat pan wouldn't fit in the smaller oven I had previously built.

I have a bunch of engine emblem replacement decals if anyone is interested!
They're vinyl stickers similar to the original aluminum riveted on plate. Benelli later did stick on engine deals on the later engines so I don't feel too upset not having an emblem plate.

I also made a few extra exhaust gaskets out of copper sheet if anyone needs one!

The wheels I could find any info on so I'll share what I found;

Rims - Front and rear- 18" x 1.60", 36 hole
Front spokes- 160mm x 3mm, (18 inner and 18 outer)
Rear spokes- 168mm x 3mm, (18 inner and 18 outer)
Front tire- 18" x 2.75"
Rear tire- 18" x 3.00"

A few months back my mom text me a photo of a bike that was for sale at a flea market in Packwood Washington, just a little ways away from where she lives in Yakima. She wanted to know if I was interested. I told her to scoop it up for me and she did! Is a 1959 (according to seller) Yamaguchi SPB scrambler 50cc. Very little info on the bike or the Yamaguchi itself. Here's an article from what I've found online-

"Yamaguchi motorcycles of Japan, 1955 - 1963, Yamaguchi began a trading partnership with Pabatco (Pacific Basin Trading Company), an Oregon based fertilizer and produce distributor around 1961. Pabatco set up over 400 dealerships for the motorcycles and traded produce for them to get around currency exchange restrictions that were in place at the time. By 1963 they had a thriving business and had imported over 5000 motorcycles. In April of 1963 Yamaguchi stopped production and closed shop. Pabatco made an offer to Hodaka, who had been making the engines for Yamaguchi. Pabatco would design and market the bike and Hodaka would manufacture and assemble them."

I took a trip back to Yakima to visit family and brought the Yamaguchi back with me. I'll be adding info on it when I start that project.

 Front sprocket machined down for new teeth

 Puch 415 sprocket machined out to fit original sprocket  

 The two halves welded together

 Engine decal

 Making new wiring harness with fresh wire

New harness!

 Lovely powder coated hub I did in my little oven

 Parts powder coated locally 

 NOS speedometer

 Coming together

 Another

 More progress

 Mock up of seat and exhaust

 Little details

 New project! Yamaguchi SPB Scrambler 50cc

Yamaguchi VIN. 😒

 Exhaust bracket welded up! just needs high temp powder done. ~22" tuned length if I remember correctly. Should preform all around with the Treats Gigantor chamber

 New oven built from a filing cabinet and two 115v toaster ovens since I don't have a 220v outlet in my apartment garage

 Front of the oven

Current progress as of now

More Stuff

Made some new allen head screws to replace the broken flat head screw for the kickstart plate inside the case. Had to turn them in the drill press and use a dremel cut of wheel to shape the heads smaller. Also had to open up and tap the holes in the case to beef up a little from m5 to m6. The kick start plate is hardened steel, so the holes had to be opened slightly with a tungsten cutting bit and countersunk with a tapered grinding stone. Total pain in the ass, considering I could have just kept it the way it was. Ehh, oh well, should be stronger now then it was stock. Did some other odd jobs with the motor like going through the stator with fresh wires, new condenser and a set of new points I ordered from Italy on eBay. I believe the part number is  "CT 0132407" in case the link doesn't work. (Dansi Points Link)

The exhaust port was cleaned up with a gentle dremel grinding stone and then with sandpaper. If you use a knitting needle (like I did) or any other slender rigid piece of tube and cut two slits up it vertically on both sides, it can be wrapped with a strip of sand paper and be chucked in a drillpress or hand drill. Only takes a minute to make the tool, and makes smoothing intake and exhaust ports pretty dang easy. Could be used on the inside of the intake itself, or anything really that could use a smoothin'.

Also made all new case and cover alignment dowels out of some 7/16" aluminum tubing I picked up from Ace hardware. It was a hair over 11mm, so I cut sections and and chucked them in the drillpress and used sandpaper to turn them down, using calipers along the way. They all turned out nicely.

Although I'm only focusing on the engine at this point, the inside of the tank could use a good bit of love. I used Evaporust I picked up at the auto parts store for $30 a gallon. The tank soaked for hours on each end. It cleaned the rust really well, but didn't do so hot with the goo and varnish that I'm assuming was adhered to relatively clean metal. The rest of the varnish and goo on top of the rust was removed when the rust underneath was washed away.
If cleaning a nasty tank like I had, I'd suggest filling the tank with wood screws or the old nuts and bolts that you've been hoarding in a coffee can, filling the tank halfway with vinagar and shaking the shit out of it for a bit to realllly beak up the chunks of varnish, rust, goo and other big stuff that's in there. Then soaking in white vinager for a week or going the evaporust route to remove the remaining rust back to a clean metal surface. But after all that I'd really suggest lining the tank. I used Red Kote that I bought online for around $25 a quart. It's enough to do a good sized tank about 3 times. From what I've gathered, Red Kote is MEK based, so it can be safely thinned out with MEK from any paint or hardware store.

The little badge emblem on the ignition side of the motor was scarred up and I'd like to replace it but haven't been able to find one. However, I took a photo of it from above and recreated it on my computer. It's not an exact replica of the original image but its pretty damn close. I made the image into stickers and plan on just sticking it onto a round plate cut from thin acrylic sheet and using small screws to attach.  It'll look nice and close to original too.

A NOS 60mm standard piston, set of rings and wristpin came in the mail too. The rings were gapped perfectly in the bore out of the box, the piston feel through nice and smooth with a slow fall with the cylinder face down on glass, but the wristpin was crazy tight. According to Graham Bell, the wristpin should almost be able to fall through the piston under it's own weight. If the wristpin is tight or pressed in, it could take the piston out of round when the piston is heated and expanded when running. This will cause uneven wear of both the piston and cylinder wall. To fix this, I used a socket (3/8 to 1/4 adapter) that was a verrrry close fit to the wristpin holes in the piston. Then I chucked it up in the drillpress and used a drop of lapping compound around the socket. After that I simply held the piston in my hand and worked the socked in and out, cleaning the lapping compound out of the piston with a shop towel periodically and checking the wristpins fit. Now with a gently push it slides through very smoothly. Without a drillpress I'd probably be lost.

Also the exhaust header will be used when everything is going back together, but I don't plan on using the stock muffler. I'll probably use a clamp on chamber. So as for cleaning the carbon and shit out out of the header, I heated it red hot with an oxy acetylene torch, and let it air cool. Propane or mapp gas will work just as well but will take a bit longer. After that I welded a small wire brush to a strand of cable and fished it through a few times with a wad of steel wool and brake cleaner. Pressure washed it out, although it probably wasn't necessary and sandblasted it inside and out.

Before cleaning tank

After Evaporust

After first coat of Red Kote

DIY alignment dowl

Inside of cleaned exhaust header

Before smoothing exhaust port

After smoothing exhaust port

Clutch discs and bell bead blasted to remove discoloration and rust

Fitting piston for wristpin

Dented and not flat ignition cover plate

Ignition cover not flat either!

Ignition cover was milled flat and the ignition cover plate was lapped flat with glass and sandpaper 

Ignition cover plate emblem all beat up

Remade emblem (Feel free to use!)

It's Snowing

I've had a garage of my own for a few months now, it's incredibly nice. The downside is that it's winter, and North Dakota winter is really cold. I have the Sabre bottom end all together with the exception of a few little odds and ends.

Since the motor and indoor stuff is mostly done on the Sabre, I pulled the motor off the Wards Riverside 175. It's not getting anything special, just a rebuild with new bearings, gaskets and seals. also every part of the engine will be cleaned really thoroughly. I've been getting pretty into trying different medias in my bast cabinet too, and this motor has sort of been my test subject. I have access to beads/crushed glass in the shop where I work, and have glass bead in my cabinet at home. The thing with glass bead media is that it has to be shot using low pressure peened off at a 45 degree angle, otherwise it shatters the beads making it just crushed glass. So the staining and nasty gunk that soaking in degreaser didn't remove the high pressure crushed glass/bead does and the glass bead at low pressure in my cabinet leaves the surface silky smooth and semi polished. However, its incredibly time consuming. The center halves took about two hours of basting with glass bead to get them smoothed.
The cylinder was blasted, primed and painted with VHT high heat gloss black. Also cut all new little round gaskets for the carb along with replacing the weird stock steel wool looking airfilter element with some red uni foam. Also cut a new center case gasket too. The porting isn't too special and there looks to be a lot of room for improvement in the future. The was a flat head screw in the cases that had lost it's head that was free floating around. The leftover stud was fairly simple to remove with the dremel and a left handed drill bit.
Some photos.

Painted cylinder

Broken screw in engine cases

New filter in the carb

Before and after glass bead

Little mockup of things

New Stuff.

Not a lot has happened since I last posted here. The Sabre engine has a new bearing in the big end, and the two intake plate halves have been welded on. Still need to cut the intake path, but I'll get to it later. The crank needs trued up, and then the Sabre will just need bearings, seals and put back together.

Currently stripping down the Hodaka frame to bare metal to prime and repaint since the paint is bad and there are rust areas all over it. The tank has been bondo'd up, reshaped and painted. The seat has been painted and I made a vinyl cover that gets Velcro'd to the inside of the pan. The forks have been rebuilt, and the upper parts with the fork ears have been banged out straight, bondo'd up and repainted. Still need rings for the top end before the engine is complete but who knows when I'll find those.

Went to Washington very recently because my mom got remarried. During my few days there I drove out in the country to where I had seen a motorcycle a few years back when I was there. Ended up knocking the the guys door and telling him I was interested in what he had by the fence on the edge of his property. It was a Wards Riverside 175 with a Benelli engine that he told me had been in a barn for 15 years, and 5 years outside in the spot that it was. I asked if he'd part with it and he told me yes, so I ended up buying the bike. Took it to my Dads garage, got the forks off and crammed it in the back seat of my Ford Focus with help from my homie Chris. Once I get the Sabre and Hodaka done I'll jump in on doing an actual restoration on the 175. It's all there except for the back cap of the muffler, kickstart lever and red paint that the sun faded off.