The money pit gapeth....

Went to check on the NS500 today....

And all is well with the Jolly Moto pipes - they now have a lovely deep
chrome on them (but you can still see the weld lines for each of the 20-odd
segments that the pipes have..) and the rebuilt crank and stuff is all
fitted nicely[1].

Except for the pistons.

After the engine was all put together, the nice chaps at the shop turned the
engine over very slowly just to run one last cheack. And it locked up.

On taking it all apart it was found that the pistons supplied are about 3mm
too long in the skirt. TS's advice on being phoned was, apparently, along
the lines of "I tend to just hack that bit off"... Hmmmmm.. On an NS with a
near race-tune 500 conversion I think we'll send them off for some careful
machining instead.

So I'm now waiting for the pistons to come back so I can get the bike
re-asssembled and get it run in in time for the BOSM..... Bugger. I know
it's still 4 weeks away, but I'm back in France over Easter and I'm only
free to pick the bike up on 4 days between now and BOSM.

But it *will* be there.

Of course the biggest worry for me is indicated in the subject line - they
can't even tell me how much it has cost so far in labour and chroming and
all the bits that they needed as extras because I specified that the motor
needs to be as close to new as possible.... Just that it's still "under
£2000"...

And the German bloke with the 'plans' for installing an NC3-/35rear end
*still* hasn't sent them..

Dave

[1] As is the specially made Ohlins shock complete with 10mm extra ride
height[2]
[2] Although I do need to go on a beer-free diet for a few weeks as it's
spring rate set for a 75-85kg rider and I'm in the high 80s at the moment...

 

WavyDavy wrote:

FFS. Ask any two-stroke racer. Use a hacksaw and cut enough off
so the skirt just covers the port at TDC, then chamfer the edge.

 

Well that was the advice from TS... But I'd rather not be worrying about
that too much and just do it properly. After all I want the engine to last
up to2000 miles, nit just one or two short races....

Dave

 

That makes you third in line after Muck and, I think, Whinging Courier...
If it's still running by then....

Unless, of course, you are volunteering to do the tedious running in bit
before the BOSM....

Dave

 

Feck...

Careful machining sounds like the order of the day.. Hacking lumps out
and getting things unbalanced sounds like the fast track to an early
demise for the engine.

=:-O... must be a good engine then.

 

<fx: Waves>

 

WavyDavy says...

Sure, what's the programme for running in? Keep it below 15000 rpm
for the first 5000 miles?

 

Tell you what... If it ever lasts 5000 miles, I'll let you see if you can
get it to rev to 15000. In fact, if it lasts to 4000 miles without a
rebuild I'll let you do it. And pay for the track time.

Dave

 

Hmmmmm.. "Early demise"... I *did* mention that the life expectancy of
pistons/rings and other bits is around 3000 miles didn't I? That is with
careful running in etc...

Not necessarily, but hopefully (the cost doesn't include any of the 500cc
parts...). Tot up labour charges for stripping whole bike including taking
engine out, stripping to component parts and rebuilding completely, plus
one-off chroming of 3 exhausts and one-off machining of pistons and it's
silly money straight away......

I know I could have more performance for less money, but I just want a nice,
sorted, silly tuned NS....

Dave

 

WavyDavy says...

Excellent.

Anyone got access to a rolling road?

 

Well, I was thinking more along the lines of internal engine bits
becoming external engine bits a little quicker. heh.. 3000 miles, sounds
like if they opened the ports out any more, the pistons would try to
exit via your nicely chromed spannies.

It always helps to do things properly though...

You'll have something really nice there, and something you can have fun
with... all be it for a short time, until a rebuild.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Andy Bonwick

"Hilfe! Hilfe! Hier! In der Hecke. Ich werde schlecht verletzt!"

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
ZZR1100, Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"

 

He's e-mailed today, apologising for the delay and will, I hope, be sending
them this weekend by e-mail....