Now you see it..........

[rich]

And now you don't! My hybrid has been tucked up on SORN for 2 years now and I decided it deserves a strip down and freshen up, maybe a few subtle changes too. Not so easy with no garage so Tony @ Gibson's kindly let me strip it in his workshop and the plan is to take 'lumps' of it home to work on and bolt it back together once it's all done. Anyway, here's a few before and after pics, about 3 hrs from start to finish including chat, fag and food breaks

[barbarossa]

When I examine the close-up shot of your engine, I see that the oil pump drive is blanked-off with an aluminium plate.
Is this because you run on premix ?
If so, where did you get the plate, what mix do you use ( ie., 33-1, 40-1 or what ? ) and have you changed the main jet ?
I ask these questions because I have posted a couple of times about premix v. oil-injection and there is a definite split in opinion amongst the people who have replied to these posts.

[twostroker]

mate why has such a gorgous bike been stripped and put into boxes? perhaps im missing something?

[rich]

Barbarossa - yes the bike does run on premix. I made the blanking plate myself from a piece of ali plate. You can use an oil pump gasket as a template. I run at 40:1 using fully synthetic oil. I didn't bother jetting up, these bikes run on the rich side already.

Twostroker, thanks for the kind words. The bike has been off the road for a couple of years, some of that time was spent in quite a damp garage so even though it looks mint in the pic, it is a bit grubby close up and a lot of the polishing needs redoing and rusty fasteners need replacing with stainless and bits need painting. I'm going to get the frame redone as well. Also, I built the bike about 15 years ago (before Ebay and forums really took off) and there are some things I would like to do differently that I didn't know about at the time. Don't worry though, the overall look isn't going to change much as I love it the way it is. Even though it is far from standard, I always wanted to keep it looking like an LC (no USD forks, banana arms and digi dashes for me I'm afraid!) and I think you can go too far sometimes.

[Wez350]

Dec 3, 2011 18:54:54 GMT 1 rich said:

I always wanted to keep it looking like an LC (no USD forks, banana arms and digi dashes for me I'm afraid!) and I think you can go too far sometimes.

So the standard wheels are going back in then ;D ;D Jokeing aside going to look the nut's what ever you do to it

[foxyjohn]

Proper old skool Rich BMF comes to mind

[rich]

Dec 3, 2011 19:40:10 GMT 1 foxyjohn said:

Proper old skool Rich BMF comes to mind

Cheers matey, sadly those days seem to be long gone

[Norbo]

It looked like a nice bike and will be again no doubt . with a polish up and tutch up .

[higgsy]

Always really liked that bike Rich, even better in the flesh. It's the old skool look that does it for me, if I built a road one it would be very similar, don't change it too much buddy, it's stoating as it is :-)


NK racing do a very natty oil blanking plate for not much money if you can't be bothered to make your own, I run 30-1 on the race LC

[Norbo]

I agree and dont get them carbon covers scratched will you .

[barbarossa]

Rich / Higgsy --

Thanks for the feedback on premix.
Bit of a hobby-horse with me I'm afraid.
Had problems with oil-pumps in the past, even when unmolested and factory set.
Interesting you haven't jetted up - can't say as I've ever talked to anyone who hasn't gone up at least one size.
Here's another query - these bikes were built in the 80s when 4-Star leaded fuel was the norm.
Do you reckon modern unleaded contributes to seizures ?
Have you tried running Super Unleaded ?

[higgsy]

I only ever run super unleaded m8, so I can't comment really, I think th eold leaded fuel with far less ethanol content was far kinder to engines and burned cleaner, but I think the two stroke oils we use now are superior, who had ever heard of fully synthetic in the 80's!

I think Rich's 40-1 is a little shy for me, I like as much oil in there as the engine will burn, ran my old RD400 on 25-1 on comp 2 premix, came apart looking pretty wear free after 10,000 miles

[bare]

I've discovered that the current Gasoline with it's "up to 10% ethanol" is wreaking havoc on the elder Son's several Shindaiwa lawn care 2 strokes. Yes.. I'm the press ganged 'mechanic' on those. Fortunately Chevron's 94 Octane is guaranteed to contain Zero ethanol 'over here'.
So that's what I use exclusively.. for the last 6 years.. and the 'boy' is now running his wee 2 strokes on. His premix is now at 30:1 as opposed to the suggested 50:1.
And My 350 has and will continue to use 24:1 until that proves to foul plugs.. which it has not yet done.. ever :-)