Slash Two

[John Macdonald]

Figured we need a /2 thread

This bike was bought in 1968 by an old family friend of an old friend of mine.
My old friend rescued it from the forest about 30 years ago, and I've been trying to get it from him since then.

As rescued...

It's a 1968 R60/2

I was on the road with it twenty or so years ago when it was last ridden.
It lost it's spark at the destination of a big seasonal vintage bike ride.
I'd offered to buy it that day - and as usual my gracious offer was declined.
Understandable.

At that time my friend had just entered law school, life was getting really busy, and he was upshifting into a relationship that would start his new family.
Things haven't slowed down for him.

From time to time I've made gestures for the bike, but he wasn't giving up the footpegs.
A few months ago I'd pinged with my interest again, to a familiar response of non cooperation.

Then I got a call.
Come get it.

That's how I found it, where it had been resting all the while.

I arranged time for us to get together and catch up on things while loading the bike for a trip over the mountain.
Got it home for it's initial acclimation to the new climate.

High desert goodness.

Overall it's a marvelous survivor.
Pretty much everything is there and darn near ready to go.

Even the interior of the Sport tank is on pace for the next fifty years.

Fortunately the right-now marketplace is supporting these pre-70 bikes.
I was able to get a super nice Emerald Island coil to replace the original coil, and so far every small part I've needed to get has been a few clicks away from a shipping notification.
I was happy to see that even the Patented Rubber Saddle parts and assemblies were available. Slick!

The last hurdle that I've been managing is the magneto rotor, which had shed a great deal of it's magnetic charge.

After much fretting about and careful inspection and preparation I've had it through two heat cycles, but the spark is very thready at idle.

Timing, valve clearances, carburetor cleaning and setting, new coil, three different condensers, new plugs and caps and leads, harness inspection etc and the results since coil replacement have been the same.
It runs once again, but needs something more.
Magneto rotor was suspect, and when removed and bench tested it predictably failed.

The fellows at Barrington Motor Works notified me this morning that I should be seeing a solution on my doorstep by tomorrow night.

Oh happy day!

It's looking like I might be able to get out on a road test by the end of the weekend.

We shall see.

 

[skibum69]

Fun fun!

 

[philipbarrett]

Those bar-end turn signals are worth the price of admission on their own!

 

[FLY-DOG]

What a nice example you have, kudos to you for keeping the bike stock.

 

[John Macdonald]

As anticipated, the magneto landed here today before dark.

With everything back on the bike as it should be, I see spark so in the morning I'll roll it out to see how it starts and how it runs at low engine speed.

While I was out in town I picked up some leaded 110 octane VP Racing gasoline and blended it with some Shell 87 octane no-methanol unleaded.

That'll get me about 98 octane depending on the actual values of the two fuels I blended. I used to do the same with my 500 Pantah. Ran great and I never worried about carburetor or fuel tank guts.

I also got a spring and some fasteners for the Flanders side stand.

Bit by bit it's getting closer to a road test.

 

[John Macdonald]

Up with the dogs, then coffee and a bit of time in the workshop.

Sorted out something with the throttle and checked the settings on everything, then opened the shop for sunlight and fresh air.

Got another good heat cycle through the bike. Sounds good. Settled into a steady idle. I can feel good about this.

Timing and points and carb settings were all as-set from my static setup

I'll get a timing light on it later, will do air leak test on the intake tract then do the mixture and idle settings and full power cable settings for the carbs and throttle

It's a good start for my day, although I have much house/chore/etc work to do around here as well.

... but I'm encouraged and I'm pleased with the sound of the bike

 

[John Macdonald]

 

[philipbarrett]

Man, what a perfect way to spend a warm Saturday afternoon - I don't really miss home ownership but I sure miss my workshop, 60 paces from the back door!

 

[John Macdonald]

Man, what a perfect way to spend a warm Saturday afternoon - I don't really miss home ownership but I sure miss my workshop, 60 paces from the back door!

There's good stock for a decent weekend

I have a fairly good sized spread here, with ample land for my kids and our hobby ranching lifestyle.
One of our dairy goats gave birth to a good looking little doeling last night.

Things are looking good for this spring.

 

[philipbarrett]

Our set up was crazy, we restored a 100 year old home in a historic district close to downtown Dallas and grandfathered in was a full barn/workshop complete with 220 power & climate control!

 

[John Macdonald]

Our set up was crazy, we restored a 100 year old home in a historic district close to downtown Dallas and grandfathered in was a full barn/workshop complete with 220 power & climate control!

My place on the coast was of similar vintage, also with a big outbuilding that I used to house my machine shop

I'm enjoying life away from the city at this time in my life

 

[John Macdonald]

Very nice, John. How are the tires?

Good question - they're "as new" with little wear, but a good bit of age.

They'd been stored on the bike, aired, and out of the sunlight.

I don't know the date code - and I'll look at some time, but they're about 20 years old

The carcasses and tread look like new, and these tires are 'genuine Metzeler' not the made-in-wherever Metzelers we get nowadays.

I'll ride them out here in my farmland area on the hundred or so miles of not-public farm and mountain (mostly dirt, gravel, and road base) roads before I damn them to the tire recycling yard.

They'll do for now

 

[John Macdonald]

By the way, dig the 666th post there.
You're on to something!

 

[John Macdonald]

Test ride done

Three miles of dirt road
All good so far

I'll let it cool while I get back to being productive then check things over

Might get it out for a Sunday Morning Ride tomorrow

If we're fortunate, perhaps there'll be a view of the lake with the bike tomorrow

 

[John Macdonald]

The new critter with it's mom

 

[philipbarrett]

Test ride done

Three miles of dirt road
All good so far

I'll let it cool while I get back to being productive then check things over

Might get it out for a Sunday Morning Ride tomorrow

If we're fortunate, perhaps there'll be a view of the lake with the bike tomorrow

It looks great just the way it is, aside from maybe some cool period luggage, don't change a thing!

Incidentally, a /2 is what John & Sylvia Sutherland rode alongside Persig's Honda in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

As did Burt Shavitz, the founder of Bert's Bees, another incredibly interesting character, who use his as his only form of transportation;

 

[John Macdonald]

It looks great just the way it is, aside from maybe some cool period luggage, don't change a thing!

Incidentally, a /2 is what John & Sylvia Sutherland rode alongside Persig's Honda in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

As did Burt Shavitz, the founder of Bert's Bees, another incredibly interesting character, who use his as his only form of transportation

Thanks
Before this bike made it home, I'd snoozed on a set of vintage cases for it. My thoughts were that I needed to take one step at a time with this one.

Everything in it's time.

I read Pirsig's book when I was a school kid. Picked it up one afternoon and didn't put it down until I'd finished it that night.
Great story.

This bike's story has a very rich character of it's own. Some very cool history.
I feel fortunate to join for the ride.

 

[John Macdonald]

I had some time yesterday to get out for a blast through my valley.
It's a rural agricultural farmland out here, no public roadways for miles, mostly dirt and gravel, some graded road base - not an asphalt world out here at all.

There's a few miles of rolling and winding chip sealed surface along the edge of the foothills out to the two lane highway, I headed to that first to get a listen on the bike through the gears etc

From there it was up into the hills and along the edges of the valley for a "getting to know you" ride

Bike feels great, runs great.
Started on the first kick, no issues.
I got comfortable with the controls, made some adjustments, and enjoyed the perfect weather.

View of part of the valley from my hill

It's about nine miles to the peaks of the range seen across the valley, as the crow flies. The valley (and the range) extends much farther to the right and to the left of the pictures field of view.

There are many creeks and canyons through the mountain range and valley system. Some really cool Emigrant Trail history out here. There's been ranching and agriculture at least since the Victorian times.

I didn't get any photos from the ride, as I wanted to keep focus on the function of the bike.
After all, it was thirty-something miles of goodness.

I'm happy with what I have.

 

[John Macdonald]

Back out again this morning

Another look-over in the shop today, might spiff the carbs a little and might shift the exhaust around a bit

Stopped by the parts house in town looking for simichrome polish and a pressure gage for the tool kit
Failed on the polish, but at least got a gage to stow on the bike

All good

 

[John Macdonald]

While pleased with these results, I figured I'd button up some things that aren't exactly perfect.

The bike has been popping on deceleration and having snugged up the header flange ring nuts with little effect, I looked at the fit-up of the pipes to the crossover tube.

The nipples from the headers to the pipe have worn, and there were a couple of small holes worn through them in the exposed section between the header pipe and the crossover tube.

I cut the nipples square leaving the mitered and welded ends on the header pipes.

I made and fitted replacement nipples from 1-1/2" tubing. Had to cut out a section and weld a new seam to get the 36mm tube diameter that I needed.
Then I turned an end down to slip into the remaining bit of nipple on the header.

That allows a slip fit into the repair joint, and allows some material to bridge where the biggest hole was

That'll get cleaned up and welded with stainless wire.

The replacement nipple piece is slightly tapered for a good seal into the crossover tube

This saves me a few hundred bucks for the time being