Short Note on Organization

April/May 2016.
It's probably fairly easy to appreciate that disassembly is not all that difficult.  Whether days, weeks or months from disassembly, however, one would be challenged to figure out which bolt goes with which assembly and in what order without some organization and system.

For small to medium parts I added a shelf with labeled bins and boxes as above.  For small items including nuts and bolts I've often used a low-tech egg carton as below.  It helps both identify the origin of the part and can be used to recall the order of disassembly as well (work backwards through the numbers to reassemble).  This is best used as a relatively short term approach, however, since one small tip-over can obviously mess up the whole system!  I am also using ziplock bags marked with a Sharpie for other small to mid-sized parts.

In addition to parts organization, I use Excel spreadsheets to track and record necessary and pending jobs, categorized by location or function.  The spreadsheet(s) also allows me to keep track of costs and time spent as well as reference for part source, part number or other detail (see 'Parts and Ideas' post at right for detail on these).

Exhaust - Inspect & Polish

Early into the project the wheels and exhaust came off for some insights as to the pitting and/or corrosion present, and a sense of what effort would be required to clean and polish them up.
The exhaust appeared fairly bad, but also covered in a thick film of oil.  Using Marvel Mystery Oil as well as Blue Magic metal polish, they actually came out very well.  I also used the cola and aluminum foil method, which seemed to make a difference.

A couple of 'before' images above, including the original warning label, which I'd like to try to keep intact.  Partway through the polishing below:

A next-to final image of both exhaust sides when nearly finished; poor lighting here, but not a bad result.  The cross-over pipe will need some work, but is not as visible.  New exhaust clamps in chrome were purchased to finish off the assembly.  I also plan to fabricate new brackets to hang the pipes from the passenger peg bracket.

Side note, the exhaust headers were wrapped in pipe tape and safety wire; this allowed moisture to remain in contact with the pipes for extended periods, and when the wrapping was removed this proved to be the case.  Some polish will help quite a bit, but that will have to wait.  Worst case, I think that black paint on the headers will fit into the overall approach for the project.  I would rather keep them shiny, however.

Speedo and Tach

April, 2016.
Since the idea for this project is not a complete restoration, some patina is acceptable.  Case in point, the speedo and tach.  Both are cosmetically serviceable and look ok, each with a dial or 'face' that shows some fading but are clear and look appropriate.


Neither were working as purchased, however.  In the case of the tach it had not been connected to the cable and in the case of the speedo it was incorrectly connected to the tach, but further, the speed cup had become disconnected from the needle pin; plus a 'cog wheel' driving the odometer was missing.  A trip (well, actually 5 trips) to a local speedometer repair shop fixed most of it, although added some problems too, ending with a broken speedo pointer or needle which I now need to repair.



 Also evident in the photo below is an extra fingerprint between the 140 and 160, as well as a scratch below the 40 which were not there prior to disassembly.  Not my doing, but since tidied up.

 New bezels were required since the originals had been painted over and also dented as evidenced below.  The replacement bezels advertised as being 'chrome' did not arrive chromed, so that's another project. 

Reassembly of the speedo and tach still remain, as well as cleaning the 'idiot' lights and likely rechroming or replacing the light bezels.  I have purchased a dash decal to replace the cosmetically challenged stock one (below).  A later job will involve stripping and repainting of the 'dash'.

Chop Chop Chop

March, 2016; enough thinking and procrastinating, time to act.

So it has taken some time to work up the 'nerve' to chop the fenders, but this project really calls for this step to help keep a 'factory' cafe look, yet far enough from the 70's era.

Plan - using photoshop, I modified a photo of the bike by 'removing' pieces of the front and rear fenders to get an idea of how much to cut off.  I eventually determined that both required quite a bit, but wanted them not to actually look chopped.  I also determined that this would entail a visual estimate or 'eyeball', and that hopefully an inch one way or the other would not be a problem.  Fortunately I did not have to find out as the proportions I ended up with were perfect.

Template - for the rear, I felt that the shape of the stock fender was already a pleasing and proportional shape, if somewhat flat.  So for the rear, I simply traced the rear shape onto thin cardboard.  
For the front, the flat-ish shape was not going to look right with a shortened top and bottom.   I modeled the shape from the front fender of a '90's era Ducati.
I ended up cutting a full 6" off the rear.  From the front of the front fender a little over 1" came off at the tip, and a little more around the sides; 6" came off the bottom of the other side of the front fender.

Process - A few strips of blue painter's tape were placed on the fender.  The template was taped onto the fender and used to draw the curve of the new line.  Keeping a center line was the hardest part of this approach and with the templates used (that and actually making the first cut).  Application of the template onto the fender was done by eye.

Cut-off wheel from HF - this 4" cutoff wheel works great.  The pressure of the compressor needs to be kept up for best operation (+90psi).  Any less and the wheel will catch and stop too often. 

First cuts - the photo above shows a practice cut to get the feel for following a line and how much pressure/time was required to make a shallow cut and then cut all the way through.  Also tested was a curved line; several YouTube videos demonstrate straight cuts perpendicular to the desired line of cut, taking 4 times the effort and leaving a jagged edge.  Why?  I found quickly that enough pressure to make an initial groove even on a curve was enough to follow and eventually cut through.  After a few minutes of that, it's time to get real.
My recommendation would be to brace your hand against the fender firmly and approach each cut with intent; too little pressure allows the wheel to glance off the surface, risking errant cuts.  This was also why I left the fenders in place so they were already firmly attached to something and made firm accurate cuts easier.

After cuts - photos of the fender after cuts completed, but before smoothing and finishing of edges.  This was accomplished with abrasive pads on an angle grinder:

End result - I am extremely happy with the end results.  The shape of the rear matches the stock fender.  The new shape of the front works perfectly with a narrower front tire and the shorter length of the fender.  Neither has that 'chopped' look and should work well when painted.

Paint & Seat Considerations

Mar/April, 2016; while paint can be considered one of the later considerations, the identity of the finished motorcycle will in part be derived or certainly influenced heavy by first impressions, including the paint.   And other minor decisions are made more easily when made in context of the overall look (contrasting color(s), chrome or not, etc).  Thus it can be hard to move on with more near-term project elements without getting the paint finalized.  So it was that I decided on what I was looking for and what approach I was going to take.  Also, having decided that the fenders were getting paint rather than staying stock, this was one less thing I had to continue to think about.

Robert Prayther has done bike paint for me in the past, and so I turned to him again for this project.  My understated cafe approach called for a mid to darker base color, but with a few splashes of lighter color/flair.
I chose a metallic gray base color similar to the image below, with white stripes on both fenders and on the top of the tank.  The stripes will include one wider in the center with two narrow stripes on either side.

The tank had been hammered in with knee 'cutouts' from the PO.  While I love the look, the actual outcome was unfinished and dented looking.  Robert noted that the professional process would be to cut the cutouts (hence the name), shape on an English Wheel and weld back on the tank.  We are where we are, thus time to break out the bondo.

Unresolved question - what to do with the frame?  The rattle-can army green (while not a bad color) has to go.  But whether to powdercoat or rattle can it myself, yet to be decided...

The seat is another defining characteristic of the style for this project.  The seat pan on my bike was hammered from aluminum and had sagged into an unpleasing shape over time; although I didn't want to, I felt that I had to toss it and start from scratch.  The above is in the process of being fabricated with a few modifications including slightly steeper lift to the 'hump' and less pronounced backside.  As long as it drops close to the rear fender and keeps flat to the frame rails it should come out right.

Oil - let's check it out

Feb 2016; time to check the oil.
I have been very pleasantly surprised at the ease with which all bolts (so far) have come off this bike.  The 14 oil pan bolts were no exception.
For an early 'window' on the state of the engine I needed to simply change the oil and see what signs of wear it might expose.  The 850T in 73/74 had no (disposable) oil filter, and my late 74 build was an example of this type.  
The oil was dark but no particulates at all; nothing magnetic or otherwise.

                

I could not say when the oil had last been changed.  Since the seal stuck to pan it required lots of scraping with a razor blade clean.  Image on the right is part way through the process before the sealing edge was completely flat, smooth and clean.  New gasket and oil pan then bolted back on, including a new oil drain bolt and washer.
The next photo shows the underside of the sump looking up.

Some Next Steps

January, 2016; Into the start of a new year.
Once you know what you need to do, most things fall into place.  Some steps taken at the start of the project require follow up, plus many new steps must be initiated.  Planning and research is taking up most of my time at this stage.  Every new part needs research, resourcing and pricing, and every repair or restoration element needs assessment and some final decision.  In fact, I've come to realize that decisions can be more difficult than doing.
One particularly challenging aspect is what to do about the foot pegs and foot controls?  The stock foot peg brackets are long and heavy at roughly 2 lbs each.  The right peg mount is also bent and the right foot peg has been chopped off leaving a 12mm hole where the peg used to be.  The effort/cost to fix will be unrealistic and still not match the left; plus given the weight penalty and the 'knee under your armpits' sitting position, rearsets are in order.  But which ones?  Much research led to the Tarozzi model, however to fit a 1975 850T they require modification.  I lost track of the hours (15+) in trying to engineer fit of brake lever and shift lever both in my mind and on paper.

Rearsets_Plan

From the start, the brake side appeared easy, while any internet forum I searched seemed to suggest that the brake was very difficult to work/fabricate with rearsets.  What concerned me was the shifter side.  I finally determined that I was going to have to ignore the linkage concept and go through the triangular shaped bracket with a spine shaft connected to an actuator arm.  More on this when fabrication takes place later.
The above pdf shows the evolution of ideas on this topic.

Parts & ideas

Dec, 2015;
A plan was drawn up prior to the purchase of this project.  It was developed in Excel from a number of sources and thoughts, in an organized, logical approach.  Below is a pdf copy of an excerpt from the plan.

Project Plan

Prior to diving into the complete restoration, however, the project was divided into several steps to ensure the running bike had a shake down, and to assess what is serviceable and ensure all parts work together before disassembly, for greater confidence that when the bike is reassembled that it all works again.  If there is a problem troubleshooting should be easier knowing what worked prior to removal/cleaning/repair/replacement.

Link below lists a few of these preliminary actions.

'Runner'

Concept & Inspiration 2015

Check out the above menu bar 'Cafe Concept' for an overview of the concept and intent behind this project.

The plan lies somewhere between restoration, refurbishment, re-freshening, re-imagining and a 'factory' cafe.  A reliable driver with a clean, understated aesthetic.  The finished project will include some of the following elements to help drive decisions along the way:

• Painted fenders, esp front (and cut-down fenders)

• 'Racing' stripes (longitudinal)

• ‘hx classic’ color – not all black

• Cut gas tank (paint accent or not)

• Spoked wheels

• Seat hump, rear (otherwise ‘flat’)

• Spots of chrome

• Abbreviated (or none) signals

• Factory, yet evolved

In The Beginning_Nov 2015

Where to start?
What to buy?
How much to pay?
Local or ship?
Restore or cafe?
Worry about resale value?

Well to start with, this project did not start in Nov 2015.
The questions were endless as the original plan started to materialize around 2010.  Past motorcycles come and gone, as well as present bikes, all required routine attention and maintenance.  Well, not always routine, but working on bikes on and off for 30 years had provided a solid base and understanding for the fundamentals and more.  I wanted a project where the process was as much about the journey as the destination.  Although the destination had to connect with an iconic brand, solid lines, a plentiful aftermarket and interesting character.  Upon considering several brands I'd owned in the past, a friend Peter J suggested Moto Guzzi.  I'd never owned a Moto Guzzi and had always wanted to.  Mid 70's seemed about right and the 850T or T3 struck the right balance of simple to work on and great looking in stock form, yet good bones for a cafe base.
In the past I had rarely purchased new, and had always purchased very well sorted bikes which later often sold for what I'd paid or more.  It was time to try a real 'project'.  Pulling the trigger would take more than 5 years of searching and doubt.  Doubt at the 11th hour kept me from a first purchase attempt; would I really have the will to spend the time and money necessary, and stick with it to completion?
Routine searches of CycleTrader, Craigslist and Oodle revealed a small but steady stream of potential candidates.  A key issue was to ensure the bike was not too far gone nor too stock and/or restored.  Local was also better as visual inspection was preferred.  I kept lists of model years, locations, mileage and asking price; in excess of 67 bikes were identified during that time, including the odd Convert or V50 but mostly 850T or T3 models.  It was not clear whether prices were rising, but over time it became evident that the number of potential candidates was diminishing.  I've kept track of these stats for future reference, but in the end, no matter how good the project turns out, I know that I will have spent more money and (way) more time than the final bike will be worth.
As you can see in other posts, I eventually negotiated the purchase of a 1975 Moto Guzzi 850T which fell in the middle of the basket-case vs too pristine continuum.