Final Assembly

I have worked all winter with one goal in mind – to make the Gilmore Bike show on June 14. It has been difficult fitting the necessary time into a busy schedule as well as saving enough money to buy the remaining parts I need. Purchasing items for my 69 Interceptor & 64 Lightning Rocket, which are next on my restoration list, are part of the problem. A total lack of will power according to my wife and I agree.  The final assembly was completed after the wiring was finished. One problem set of parts was the herringbone oil hose which I had a hard time finding. Three different sizes were purchased from three different sources. Two of them were not exactly correct but will work alright. The original hoses were in pretty bad shape or I would have used them.

Overall things went about as expected. I had hunted down most of the parts I needed, such as; cables, a new exhaust pipe set, hardware, and I made spacers along with other missing bits. As usual things did not just go together exactly as planned. The clutch cable was too long by about 3/8 of an inch and the throttle cables were also a bit long. Spacers were made to take up the slack although I need to learn how to move cable ends for adjustment as this is a problem I have run into before.  

The rear brake return spring I received from a source on eBay turned out to be a kick start spring so the correct one was ordered. The bike did not have one when I tore it down as my original pictures revealed. The toggle pin for the brake rod was too short so I had to locate another. The foot peg rubbers were too long for folding pegs but I found the correct ones. The incorrect ones are a match for my Lightning Rocket and moved to its spares pile on the shelf.

The exhaust pipes looked good and fit close to the originals but mounting spacers had to be reduced, brackets re-bent, and the tie bar holes extended. The final fit looks good. 

I decided to build up fuel lines and purchased aluminum ferrules with a crimp tool. This system worked well and I am pleased with the final result. I also added a balance pipe between lines, although I didn't have much room. It all fit and will be a good feature to have, especially with such a small fuel tank.

After everything was assembled I cleaned off all of the finger prints, polished the aluminum, waxed painted parts and Armor All’d rubber & vinyl bits. Ready for the show. 

Electrical Pt II - Building the Harness

My training in electronics is limited to classes taken many years ago although I still know what the basic components do and how to construct a wiring diagram. I also have a friend at work who is a EE who gave me pointers on things I couldn't figure out. There are also many sources for diagrams on the internet which I drew on to figure out the details of my setup. Below is my diagram in its seventh or eighth revision. Disclaimer……this diagram has been connected and everything appears to work fine but the bike has not been run. USE at your own risk!!!!! A Follow up post will provide an overview of its function. 

Wires were all cut to length and taped into place to understand how pieces fit into the various sections of the harness. Once this was completed the harness sections were taped together for shrink wrapping. Bullets were soldered on and a final sheath, which replicates the stock BSA look, covered all exposed wiring. Large sections of the harness were made first with smaller sections fit after they were in place.

Fuse panel, Sparx unit and relays. 

A small Lithium Ion battery will also fit into the battery box.

The coil & horn assembly ready to mount. 

And mounted......

Wire tied and ready to go. 

After the lights, horn and ignition tested out alright everything was cleaned up and wire tied into place. The horn & kill switch relays fit under the seat and the fuse box, sparx unit and Lithium Ion battery, which I have yet to purchase, fit in the battery box. A toggle switch is fixed to the seat mount. When the switch goes on everything works. There is no shutoff for the lights only a dipper. Headlight and taillight are LED units used for brightness & low power draw. Although I have color coded the wiring with paint blotches I am planning to buy a small label maker to identify things better. The future owner will appreciate this attention to detail – if I can ever get myself to part with the bike…. 

Ever wonder what was in a Lucas brake light switch? 

I did't until mine wouldn't work. Now it does. 

Headlight mounted & wired with new LED's. 

Heavy plastic wrap to main harness is visible on the lower right. 

And the opposite end......next step final assembly.