Well, the years have ticked by and the grandson for whom I was building the SL70 has just turned 7!!!!
He's learnt to ride a bike (a plywood balance bike with 6" OD wheels I built for him) at the same time as learning to walk.
He went to pedal power at 2 and a 1985 'Famosa' electric MX bike at 3.
His dad restored a PW50 for him for his 4th birthday and he took to it like a duck to water!
Anyway, he's obviously outgrown the PeeWee and is itching to get on the Honda - and learn to use a clutch and gears.
So catching up in the past few months working with him and his little 5 year old brother (who wants the PW50 to himself now - just as confident and competent on it as the older one was), we embarked on building the bike.
We dissassembled the entire engine and cleaned and checked everything. It was in reasonably good wear state, just filthy.
A few TIG welding repairs for cracked bits around the chain compartment, new chains, cam sprocket train, new bearings and seals, a gently hone and new rings, new drive sprockets and a few bits and pieces that were missing.
I then had the engine cases and head parts 'vapor' or 'hydro' blasted. Just to clarify, this was a wet glass-bead blasting process which cleans the parts with serious water pressure and a slurry of glassbeads which peen the surface, rather than abrading. It gives a surface as good as new or better.
The cases repaired, fettled and thoroughly cleaned by me, and after hydro blasting:
We reassembled the engine and installed it again last week. Still the electrics to go, so no 'run report' yet.
I polished all the shiney aluminium bits, had all the nuts and bolts replated and a few deteriorated chrome things rechromed.
It took several years to find suitable tyres, though I still haven't found a trials tyre (like the original) for the rear (14x2.75), so we will make do with a not too aggressive MX tyre I found in England. The front tyre came from Germany....
A few years ago I also managed to find new rims and spokes in Singapore, and a new kickstart spindle in New Zealand.
Remaining work is finishing the tank, guards, side covers and healight shell and paint them, all the electrics, finishing the recovering of the seat and making a muffler suitable. The one I got a few years ago was a write-off: all attempts to repair it failed, just too far gone.
I picked up a 'megaphone' one that will adapt quite well and will look the part. One day I'll save up enough to buy an original or a replica....
Completion report and ride reports to come
Here is the tank I got and cleaned up:
The frame stand I made and repaired frame:
This is the present state of affairs, guards, sidecovers and tank mounted temporarily to confirm fit, threads and so on:
Until soon.
Joe
