Lessons in Restoration

During the course of this project, I definitely came to points in the build where I'd regretted a timing or decision from an earlier junction, or after making the same mistake for the fifth time, wished for a more efficient approach.  For example, I purchased several parts very early on which should have been no-brainers, but found out too late to return them that they would not work or were not right (fork springs and m/c rebuild kit for two).  All in all, however, the timing and cost were not too far off my estimates.  The effort required was maybe a little more than I'd hoped for.  But even after much detailed planning, nothing is ever exactly what you think it will be.

Your project may be more or less involved, or may require more sophisticated design and fabrication.  This 850T project called for significant disassembly and cleaning, polishing or de-rusting and painting of almost every component.  Minor brackets were fabricated and solutions required for a host of aesthetic and functional elements.  These are some thoughts I've had on the project as it unfolded, where I frequent uttered the words "next time", before I even knew what I was saying.  Then glanced around to check that my wife was not over-hearing me, as for this one there is no such thing as a next time.  I'm thinking there may be, however....!

So here is my list of lessons following this build.  Not necessarily in any order of importance:

• be able to summarize your project goal in one or two sentences (there are many decisions to make and this enables a more clear focus on the path forward)
• have a plan before you pull the trigger on parts, etc
• know exactly what you are looking for before buying the project base motorcycle (between barn-find, basket-case, survivor, or already partly/mostly restored); your time and effort and final cost will vary significantly.  it can be better to pay more up front for a better starting point
• do your research in advance; then do some more
• decide early on what direction you plan to take, between how stock, period, historical vs new, custom, unique, etc
• start with the most functional, well-sorted bike possible; if it is not functional and well-sorted, get it that way before tackling the major project elements (esp cosmetic such as blasting, painting, etc)
• ensure all engineering and fabrication are thought-out, executed, and working on the bike before final/complete disassembly for paint, etc
• new parts - check fit and function on the bike as early as possible after purchase/arrival (if it's wrong you can save time and money in getting it right or exchanging/returning it before 3-4 more months have passed)
• don't assume because a part is made for the bike it will fit or connect or work as expected; put it on and try it early on
•  expect the project to take 3 times as long as you first predict, and cost twice as much (in my case, paint alone was over half the entire project build cost, after purchase of the bike itself)
• use many bins and boxes, with good labels, for parts as they are removed; organization and ensuring parts don't get lost is key
• cluster similar components together
• use egg cartons or similar small compartment container to label and track nuts and bolts
• write down sizes, pitch and length of all bolts (sounds like over-kill, but many times when fitting a new bracket or tossing an old part, a new length bolt or washer or nylock will be needed and this makes it easier to obtain from your local hardware store quickly, with less guessing or trial-and-error)
• identify parts (esp many nuts and bolts) for de-rusting, de-greasing, cleaning, etc in batches when possible.  this is dirty work and requires chemicals to which you can minimize exposure if you tackle this job fewer times
• if you're already in there, go ahead and do it now (ie, replacing bearings, seals, o-rings, washers, filters, etc)
• avoid leaving 'easy' things to the end; they aren't always as easy as you expect them to be
• buy the right tool for the job and use it; even if one time, chances are that you will need it again
• wear proper eye and hand protection when doing any task that calls for it
• don't simply trust any 'expert', 'professional' or other tradesperson with your project outcome or expectations because they've done it before; when specialized work is required, micro-manage every aspect of it.  I had an issue (mostly minor, some not) with every single bit of outside work that I had done (except for paint).  
• there is a first time for every technical job or task; check the forums, YouTube, etc and try something yourself; trust your past, however, and don't bite off more than you can chew (or be prepared for the cost of replacement)
• have lots of shop towels and a well-stocked, well-organized tool cabinet; keep it that way by returning any tool as soon as you have used it
• spread a sheet of paper (such as the rolls painters use) on your work bench; it helps for dirty parts and to have a place to write down sizes and measurements as you go along.  periodically replace it with a new sheet to keep work area clean

Worst/Hardest things:

• degreasing is much harder than it first seems; it takes longer and more effort than you think
• derusting is actually much easier and quicker than you might expect; use the right products
• repeatedly getting hands full of grease and/or chemicals, requiring washing over and over
• going back to the same store for the third or fourth time in a week (or a day!) for something you forgot, or did not fit as you had expected
• putting your faith in a part or fitting and finding it does not work, so you have to go back to the drawing board (and/or you wasted time and money on a thing which you'll never get back)
• waiting
• waiting
• waiting
• spending stupid money on the one thing you can't do without

One final bit of advice - don't be too anxious to finish the project, or move on to the next step.  It can consume you and alienate those around you.  Have faith that it will eventually be complete, and resist the urge to rush the process.

Before and After

Now that the project has reached 'near final' status, its not too early for a before and after comparison.  A short test ride this week highlighted a few issues to chase down, however.  These include optimizing the shift linkages, sorting the rear brake, and working on the throttle response/fuel delivery.

right side, before

right side after

 

Final Checklist

These are the last items on my (hopefully!) last checklist before a first ride is possible.  Now that they're almost all checked off, I'll be riding the Moto Guzzi again soon!

Getting Closer !!

A test ride is just a few short steps away:

• When replacement pegs and linkages come in, fitment of fabricated shifter and brake required.....
• When clutch cable is cut down and a new end stop fabricated....
• When seat pan is cut and reshaped to allow for rear fender.....
• When carb float bowl o-rings come in......

In the meantime:

On Wheels Again

The project is finally back on its own two wheels again.  The engine stand is gone!

Shifter (&brake) Linkage

Since the start of this project, nothing has puzzled me more than how I was going to set up the brake and shift levers. 
I have spent hours in research and more hours in thought over the best method for achieving efficient shifts, drawing diagrams and mashing various possibilities together.  On a few forums there appeared to be little worry over the shifter side when replacing stock pegs with rearsets, but concern on how to set up the brake.  I felt the opposite problem, since the brake side has a spline shaft to which a shorter lever could be fit, or some other linkage arm attached.   There are no rearsets which accommodate the rear drum setup on the 850T; they all seem to pick up from later models (while almost identical have differences), leaving me with the task to engineer a linkage.  Part of the problem is in the frame plates designed to support both the brake rod as well as the shifter rod.  As I had to keep the brake rod (drum rear) I could not simply toss these frame plates, or come up with a way to also keep the shift rod (it is attached to the shift pedal).
I decided on the Tarozzi brand rearsets and picked up a set of pegs and shift levers from Fast From The Past (as shown below).  Jim substituted one linkage arm for the idea I had in mind.

Tarozzi brand rearsets and levers

For the shift side, I finally settled on running a spline shaft through the frame plate/bracket and connecting it to an arm to activate the transmission input shaft (but not without going back and forth dozens of times as to whether this was really the best path).  Part of my concern was in introducing any slop in the linkages, especially side to side or up/down movement when transferring a down foot movement into a forward linkage movement, then into a downward transmission shaft movement.  
First called for buying a drill large enough to accommodate the size of the spline shaft provided with the rearsets.  Unfortunately (which I still find hard to believe) 16mm is the smallest spline shaft size they make.  This meant finding a 5/8" drill bit to go through steel (grumble, grumble, $25 later - all in all I spent $100 more in tools and linkage parts in addition to the $300 original cost of the rearsets).

Taking the leap with any irreversible step is the hardest part; once started, you are committed and it gets easier to keep going.  I leveled and secured the plate for drilling the 16mm (5/8") hole.  It took a while but after roughly 30 min of drilling the hole was made.  I stopped just short of the end since I could see that the 16mm hole left very little steel remaining on either side of the cupped section (which was for the stock shifter rod).  I figured I was going to have cut off some of this cap anyway, to ensure the length of the spline shaft aligned with the transmission linkage.
So cap end cut off; and notice in the photo below the arm that had to be shortened as well (cut above where new hole marked with Sharpie).  Just a new hole still to drill in this to accept a linkage rod end.  And cutting of bushing for tight 16mm fit.

The final linkage set up (without rod ends yet) is below, along with an 'exploded' view.  I bought a bushing that I modified to fit snugly over the spline shaft, as well as butt against the bracket and the linkage arm to minimize sideways or up/down movement.  All fits very snug; as long as the leverage provided by the shortened arm is ok, will hopefully work great!  At this point, a few rod ends are on order to complete both brake and shift sides before they can be mounted on the bike, adjusted and tested.

Finishing Touches

Several additional tasks have been left to the end on this build.  These are somewhat routine restorative or rebuilding items which were earmarked originally for the earlier part of the project.  As they had not yet become rate-limiting, no urgency was yet allocated.

So the cleaned and drilled disc will now get new pads, and a clean, rebuild and paint of the Brembo caliper.  This was a fairly straightforward job; I like when I get to blow a piston out of its seat using compressed air.  I didn't get carried away, as I wanted to ensure both were moving and not seized before proceeding.  In the past I've shot a piston (slave cylinder) the length of the driveway and into the street....
The calipers were functional but dirty, and in need of paint.  Upon cleaning them up I briefly toyed with leaving them as is, but the dull black wasn't quite acceptable for this project build quality, so a coat of primer followed by two coats of semi-gloss black was the next step.  And after inspection and grease, new seals were installed, an o-ring and the calipers were re-assembled.  The pads and pins popped in easily; they are now ready for lines to be attached and bled with fresh brake fluid.
I hit a small snag with the brake master cylinder.  It seems that the old cast style 15mm m/c no longer has a rebuild kit.  The one I bought for a 15mm m/c at MG Cycle is for a different type.  I will have to simply put it back into service as is.  Despite a lot of cleaning and inspection, there appears to be no circlip holding the piston in and the kit pieces I bought do not match.

cleaned, with new seals

fresh paint; prior to pins and pads going in

The instruments (tachometer and speedometer) have required attention for a long time.  After service by a local San Diego business for a broken speed cup and a missing gear, the pointer needle was broken off.  This has sat as a repair item for me for about 5 months now.  A dab of superglue seems to hold the pointer quite well, but I also added a very thin strip of paper soaked in glue to the bottom of the pointer to help ensure it did not snap again.  Next up was trying to position and mount the pointer on the speedo face where I'd marked it previously; not so easy when the speed cup has to be moved independently before the pointer is affixed above the stop so that it is still within a few % of calibration.  I'm not so concerned about accuracy, but I would like it to at least start turning before actual speed gets too high...!
The other issue pending has been the bezels.  I'd purchased aftermarket bezels from Euortrash Jambalya; pathetic business.  The bezels advertised as chrome were not even close.  Then after spending an extra $10 each for chroming I find that they do not fit.  There is no way to fold the edges over the lip of the instruments, thus I had to go back to the old dented ones that came with the bike.  Worse, one was cut off by a previous owner rather than being pried off the lip.  Some strategic hammering with an old screwdriver and hammer knocked out most of the dents.  A little primer and semi-gloss paint has them looking acceptable again.  I will have to glue the one which was cut off, but the other can be re-positioned.  Before doing so I painted the pointers white again, and added a dab of red paint to the tip of each pointer.  They are looking pretty decent, actually.

Wheels; need tires

The wheels could have been tackled at any time, really.  Truth is, it entailed so much effort in cleaning and polishing that I really didn't want to tackle this job until I had to.   These two wheels took more than a day's work to complete.  But the project is now ready to roll on its own two wheels and get off the engine stand finally, so this has been left near to the end.

The left above (front) had seen a little effort prior to this photo, so it is not as 'before' looking as when I purchased the motorcycle.  The right (rear) has now been cleaned and degreased, followed by soda blasting of the hub to get rid of some of the more crusty residue.  Steel wool and paint thinner ate through my gloves three times, so I ended up soaking in chemicals most of the day.  Oh, and Aluminum dust too.  Cleaning was followed with both red and white polishing compounds on a cloth wheel, then metal polish (Blue Magic).  The polish looks decent from more than a few feet away, although it is not the finish I'd hoped for.  The surface oxidation is deeper in some places and the effort required to really smooth out the finish is more than I want to exert.  Also, the middle rim area where the spokes attach is brutally hard and time-consuming to get at effectively; this area really lets down the effort.  Oh well.  Time to get rubber on these things and get them mounted to the bike!  Restored and drilled front disc also mounted to front wheel, along with new wheel bearings.