Out of the rut planning

7 things I want to accomplish in the next week-
-Go speak with insurance company, take the next step in getting a "bond" for this bike
-Clean gas tank
-properly install coil
-test spark plugs
-order oil filter
-check fork oil levels/ fork seals
-Drain and replace oil (if oil filter comes)

4 people I would like to talk to/ things I need to get

-insurance salesman (for bond)
- My father (for coil information)
- Jimmy Everts (advice on how to clean gas tank)
- Foam air filter (ordered, not in yet)
- Oil filter

3 things I should talk with my mentor about

-Should I apply for financing assistance?
- Does Mr. Tompson know any local resources related to my project?
- What should I do over break, I'm going to Utah, I won't have internet or the bike, should I just work on my narrative?

7 things I want to further research

- How to synchronize the carburetors
- Is there any good liquid additives I can add to combat the rust in the gas tank?
- Good websites for parts for this model bike
- How do I replace the fork seals (if need be)
- How do I adjust the valves?
-  If I take off the head, is it necessary to replace the head gasket?
- How do you take off the final drive belt?
- How do drum brakes work?

Jumpin through legal hoops

I knew from the start that obtaining the title for this bike would be a very long, tedious task. I recently began this process by bringing the only evidence of a title I have to the DMV, the super old licence plate. When I explained my problem to the clerk, her instant reaction was "oh jeez". I knew what I was in for, I was at the disposal of the DMV. The kind woman understood my situation, the bike was mine through a series of  "under the table" transactions, and unfortunately I didn't have the documentation to prove it was mine. She gave me a sheet of paper telling me what to do, the first step was to contact an insurance company for a "bond". What this bond does, is ensure that if the original owner hunts me down, and says I stole this bike, the insurance company will pay him the value of the bike instead of me. My next step would be to talk with my father and ask if I can use his insurance company because rates on a vehicle, especially a motorcycle for an 18 year old boy are outrageous.

The Tear down

today I broke down the bike to a certain extent. I removed the gas tank, side covers, and seat. This exposed the battery (which needed a charge), and the airbox. I removed the left coil (the dysfunctional one), and took it to my friend who has a voltmeter. A voltmeter detects how much voltage is being produced from the coil, the results answered my question. Not nearly enough voltage was being produced to ignite the spark plug, so I set out for a new coil.







This is the final drive belt that I was worried about. These belts are rare and expensive, I was relieved to see that there were no weather cracks and the belt still looked strong.




















I finally remembered to take a photo of my work space, It's a little tight, but cozy and cleaner than the rest of the garage.

4th mentor meeting 3/11/13

I felt guilty walking into see my mentor this time. I felt like I did not do enough to progress my project in the time that we have not seen each other. All I've done was some simple diagnostic tests with the bike. I explained that the left cylinder is not igniting, (could be the coil), the fuel talk is disgusting because there has been stagnant gas trapped in there for years, the carburetor may need cleaning, and the cylinders need to be timed correctly.
From here, Mr. Tompson and I discussed my next steps, I needed to...

• Check belts for corrosion (order new one if needed)
• Find ignition coil (the one I've had for a while and don't know if it will work on this bike)
• Clean fuel tank with BB's and anti corrosive spray
• print service manual
• look for  a foam air filter

Got the Service manual

After some online research and some sweet talking the librarians, I've obtained the 312 page service manual for the 1981 KZ305 CSR. It's been printed (yes, all 312 pages) in the Ithaca high school library. I spend most of my day reading varies sections that are relevant to my problems, specifically the coil inspection, and engine point timing. A few of my other teachers were a bit agitated that I spend their class period reading about some old motorcycle that has nothing to do with Economics or AP environmental science, but that's just something that comes with being a wise student, right?

3rd mentor meeting, 3/4/13

So, once again I completely forgot to blog about my past 2 mentor meetings. The Sunday before my meeting  with Mr. Tompson on 3/4/13, I spend a good deal of time in my garage thinking about how realistic my goals were. I concluded that due to a lack of parts and knowledge (service manual) restoring the 1976 Can-Am 250 was unrealistic. The following day I explained my reasons for wanting to shift projects to Mr. Tompson. I wanted to simply change bikes to a more common motorcycle that I already own, Mr. Tompson agreed that is a more realistic goal and we set out on a new list of chores. Sense I want to register this bike and have it street legal, we thought it would be smart make a trip to the DMV my priority. When at the DMV, I believe there is a "lost registration" form I can pick up and fill out for this bike, just to get the legal process underway. At this meeting we discussed the specs of the NEW bike, and I was happy to learn how knowledgeable Mr. Tompson was about this model. As it turns out he had a very similar bike only it was an inline 4 cylinder. We decided I needed more photos of the bike, and to narrow down what needs to be done so my week was spend diagnosing the bike.

Found an online service manual!

So I recharged the battery that I bought over the summer, and received the same results. Only 1 spark plug would ignite, I believe this is a problem with the ignition coil, what the coil does is convert the low voltage from the battery to a more powerful voltage which is needed to ignite the fuel mixture within the cylinder.I faintly remember my father telling me that he has a coil that would fit this model bike, although he is out of down and I am unable to find it myself. Knowing that I am not able to solve the coil issue myself, I moved on. After searching online for a while, I found an online service manual for this model bike. Although this manual is free to read online, if I wanted to download the PDF for printing it would cost 5 dollars.A Hard copy of a service manual is vital for engine work because no one wants to get their computer all greasy when they are reading. I plan on purchasing the manual and printing it in the school library (all 300 pages) if the librarian permits. When I was thumbing through the free online manual, I stumbled across the engine timing section. I learned that the timing must be re-adjusted whenever a ignition problem has affected 1 cylinder and not the other, (ex. the coil preventing one cylinder and not the other). I began by removing the contact breaker cover, and the  alternator cover. This revealed the points, and crankshaft. I used a 14mm open end wrench to turn the crankshaft manually which caused the points to rotate and demonstrated how ignition timing worked. I did not proceed because I did not have a hard copy of the manual, and there was no sense in timing an engine that did not have a functional coil. My next step is to get the replacement coil from my father, install it, and then attempt to time the ignition.

The Barn Build

Last Monday we watched a video from a former WISE student. This was a project within a project, It was a documentary (first project) about a kid building a timber frame barn (the second project). This video gave me an inside look at a WISE project and what it means to be a WISE student. The amount of freedom demonstrated in this video was inspiring. The student building the barn used many resources including his own capital, strangers, and family ties. I still wonder if this project requires this much time, money and resources or if this kid was an overachiever. Should our lives revolve around our WISE project as this kids did? My goals are not nearly as ambitious as this kids, although I do plan on accomplishing a lot. My main goal is to have a completely running 1981 CSR 305. Also, this bike is unregistered so I will need to jump through legal hoops to get the bike on the road. After watching this film, my goals seem obsolete and small. Compared to building a timber frame barn, getting a motorcycle running and street legal is simple.

Major project Revisions

Dear reader

So after speaking with my father and realistically reading over my project proposal, I've realized restoring this bike is simply out of my reach. Not because I'm not capable, but because parts for this bike are very rare and expensive. I've also recently acknowledged my fathers interest in the project. He was hesitant at first to permit me to do this project and I could tell that he wants to play a large role in the restoration of HIS Can-Am. I've decided to postpone this project until my father and I have both the time and resources to do this job correctly.

I still have interests in older motorcycles which leads me to my new WISE project. I also have a 1981 Kawasaki CSR 305, street motorcycle that has been stored in a barn for roughly 20 years and I would love to get this bike running, and legally on the road. I bought this bike from a friend over the summer for $200 and began trouble shooting immediately. Of the start, I bought a new battery to see what would happen if I tried to start it. Only one of the two spark plugs would ignite and the bike has been sitting since. I also remember other problems with the bike, there is no airbox/filter, dirty carbs, dirty gas tank (inside), the pistons need to be re-timed, and the drive belt may need to be replaced. I look forward to working on this bike because it seems simpler, and I'm not putting my fathers vintage dirt bike in jeopardy , only my $200 investment.
I think the most time consuming part of this project will be getting the motorcycle street legal. There was no paperwork when I bought the bike, so I will need to start at the DMV and see what they tell me to do. I do indeed have the licence plate that was on the bike last time it was registered, this may help me in tracking down the registration.



Sorry the photo is poor quality, I'll post more when I get the chance!
Thanks for reading!

My classmates WISE projects

I spent some time today looking over a few of my classmates' blog. It's good to know that I'm not the only one that feels like they're in over their heads. There are some really ambitious projects out there! One friend of mine is making a baseball bat for his WISE project, he showed me a small "stepping stone" project that he recently made. It was a pen made out of wood, the machine he used to make it is the same machine he will be making the bat with. Another friend of mine is exploring molecular gastronomy in foods. Today she brought in a cheesecake that will blow your mind! It's neat to check in on my friends projects, I can't wait until Monday to see what they have to say!

Somewhere to work

After school today, I went to the garage and began reorganizing. I needed to move a number of other motorcycles to make room for this new project. I moved most of our bikes to the back room of the garage, and then cleaned off an old office desk. I located the Can-Am next to the desk and this is the little area I plan on working in. I told my father my plan so hopefully he won't mess with my stuff because my goal is to keep my area as organized as possible. I'll post photos this weekend!