PROJECT STREET SLEEPER
The last few major components turned up, but due to possessing the attention span of a child who gets distracted by bright, flashing lights and shiny objects, my work in the shed is never quite as productive as it should be.
The last few ‘major’ components of the build finally turned up, the most important being the inboard disc brake unit. I’ve always been an advocate of ‘proper’ disc brakes with outboard discs and hydraulic Nissin-style callipers, the sort of thing which drops like an anchor and stops you dead. I guess this stems from my love for expansion chambers, big carbs, race-style tyres, uprated suspension and fast engines. In essence… street racers.
However, this is a different kettle of fish, and a full 180-degree turnaround for me. Instead of going all street racer, I’m going all street sleeper. So this is definitely the style of unit I want for this project, and I’m going to have to get to grips with it. These units are not renowned for being as good as ‘proper’ disc brakes. Some say a reverse pull cable and a good set of shoes is better. Others suggest they can be ok if fettled with and set up properly, and will do a half decent job of stopping you. I guess I’m about to find out either way. I’m not filled with confidence at this stage, but will strip it down, inspect, alter and convert any little bits which need attention, and test it out. Not forgetting, of course, that I’m hoping to fit a hidden hydraulic cylinder unit to go with this. But as mentioned in previous instalments, this will be a first for me, so I’ll take it as it comes.
The other item for my front end is the BGM slim-style dampers and bracket kit. I didn’t want to get into the whole ‘welding damper backers’ thing, and I’ve fitted the
BGM brackets to other scooters before, so I’ve gone with those. The slim-style dampers are a more basic version of BGM’s fully adjustable F16. These ones are not adjustable, but have a lovely mid-range road setting, so will be perfect. I know the shocks will stand out a bit, especially with the brackets, and won’t fully complement my street sleeper look, but I guess they will be one of very few clues as to what is under the panels. I also got an uprated BGM rim for the front, the rear uses the special Targa Rim to suit the wider engine, and I wanted something a bit more solid on the front than the rusty and warped 57-year-old one I had. The final item was the Continental K62 tyres. I know! I can’t believe it either. I love race-style tread patterns and soft rubber. I always have… but these are a must if I’m to try and stay true to the style of finish that I want. These tyres are a popular choice and it’s a classic-style tread pattern, certainly not as performance based as I’m used to, but then neither are inboard brakes and clubman exhausts. It’s all a compromise, of sorts, to build a complete package.
Before I get going with any of that though, my first task was to pull out all the old cables and loom, and get the new ones fed through. I made a start and got halfway through the job before I quickly became distracted. This is a common thread with my scooter projects. The thing which was playing on my mind were the two bolts which had sheared off in the horncast. They were niggling me. I hate jobs like that, faffing on trying to drill the buggers out, and then fit a time-sert, etc. It’s a right chore. If ever jobs like that came up in the garage, I’d just drop them off at the local machine shop and have the guy there sort them out. It saved me a headache and was always a better job than I could do. However! I had recently fallen foul to the old issue of making a ‘late-night online purchase whilst under the influence’. To be honest, I had no recollection of the purchase until the goods turned up in the post. It was a four-piece kit used to remove broken studs, screws and bolts. I then recalled the flashy little Facebook video which had caught my eye late at night, showing the simplicity with which broken bolts could be extracted. Clearly, Mr Guinness and I had decided this was a good idea, and I’d obviously clicked the ‘Buy it now’ button at some point… what a buffoon.
Realistically, the truth is I’m rubbish at drilling these things out and hate doing it at the best of times, so was a cheap Chinese kit going to make the job any easier? Well, I’m sure you’ve guessed the answer... no, it didn’t. This bolt was almost welded in, it was stuck fast, and I can assure you that nothing is getting it out in one piece. It will need to be drilled, and I should have just acknowledged that earlier. Instead I wasted half-an-hour of my life fiddling with files, drills and this little kit, but to no avail. To be fair, I actually think the kit would work on larger sized bolts, and ones where the bolt is snapped or the head rounded, but where the bolt isn’t practically welded in. I have to accept that I’m not the best man for this particular job, so it was a doubly bad combination. Lesson learned thoug. Stick to what you know, and send the rest to be sorted by the grown-ups.
Words & Photographs: Dan