Lost But Not Forgotten

In an effort to more effectively reach our target market we have moved shop to our new mid Florida location.  We have been doing extensive research in the cafe racer market and have concluded that the interest in cafe racers is expanding exponentially. Our sales at these events have kept us busy.  Look for a weekly post of recent events, news and projects beginning June 4.  We anxiously await your comments and photos of your projects which we hope you will share with our readers.

You can view and purchase our parts online by visiting our website at www.caferacerkits.com

RE: Losing a quart of oil every 100 to 200 miles

First and foremost as suggested would be a compression test.  This would give you some idea of which cylinder may be suspect. A more decisive test would be what is known as a leak down test. Although this is a simple task that can be performed by a novice, extreme caution should be used.  Using your compression tester hose insert it into the suspect cylinder spark plug hole.  Place the motorcycle on its center stand if it has one. If not, employ the help of a friend.  Remove the timing cover located on the engine case and find the marker for top dead center.  If #3 cylinder is suspect turn the engine over by placing it in 2nd gear.  With the bike on its center stand either turn the back wheel manually in the forward direction until the piston in the #3 cylinder reaches top dead center on its compression stroke or if you do not have a center stand or means of lifting the bike, roll the bike on its wheels until the #3 piston is almost to top dead center.  You will know if the #3 piston is on its compression stroke as compressed air will expel from your compression tester hose. At this point, gently turn the rear wheel very slowly until the exact point of top dead center is reached.  At this point have your helper apply plenty of pressure to the rear brake in order to keep the rear wheel from turning.  At this time couple your air supply, maximum of 120 psi, to the compression tester hose.  Slowly open the air valve, applying air pressure in the cylinder.  If all goes well and you can maintain top dead center it will become apparent whether your problem is in the valve train system, (ie: valve guides, worn valve stems or perhaps a valve guide seal has either come off the valve guide or in a lot of cases have developed cracks in the seal).  Or if the problem is with the piston rings it could be due to excessive wear, cracked or broken rings beyond tolerance end gap and in some cases piston ring slap.  The latter being the clearance between the ring and piston groove. Compressed air leaking out of the crank case vent would suggest that the problem is the piston and ring combination.  Compressed air leaking back into the valve train galley of course would  suggest the problem lies in the valve train system.   Compressed air leaking into the intake track and into the carburetor, I would direct my attention to either bent or burned or improperly adjusted valves.  Compressed air leaking into the exhaust track and exhaust pipe would give a strong indication of improperly adjusted valve clearance, bent valve or burned valve. All of these conditions can be aggravated by long term storage.  Long term storage can cause buildup of rust in the cylinders which leads to broken rings and excessive wear on the pistons.  Also rust on the valve stems can cause the problem with the valve train.  Please remember to remove the ground cable from your battery before starting any test.

Re:'82 KZ1000 fuel pouring out of the air filter

Problem #1-First and foremost the carb float may be moving freely but the needle that the float is attached to sometimes can get debris between the needle and the seat, thus not shutting off the flow of fuel.  Most carb floats have a mechanical connection.  This would be a small wire clip that is clipped onto the top of the needle and the ends of the clip surround the lever on the float.  This clip mechanically  pulls the needle off the seat when the float bowl drops down.  Occasionally, these clips have been misplaced or not properly installed.  This can sometimes be the problem.  In your application the needle and seat are replaceable.  If your carbs still have rubber tipped needles you may consider the all brass needle and seat.  Theses are less sensitive to the new fuel additives. At no time should there be fuel running out of the air filter.  This an indication that your carb float bowl overflow tubes are clogged.  These must be clear and have proper length hose attached to where they allow the fuel if any to drain below any hot surfaces on the motorcyle; ie: mufflers, tailpipe, etc.  As far as fuel flowing from the carb vents while sitting on its side stand at idle, this could be due to excessive angle of heel.  You may have to adjust your kick stand to stand the bike more upright.  Personally, I would change out all of the needles and seats in all four carbs as per the manufacturer's settings.

"Just how far will your cafe racer travel on 50 feet of gasoline?"

This was the question asked of me by a Miami Beach police officer back in the day.  We didn't call it back in the day back then, we called it living in the fast lane. But even in the fast lane there are pitfalls...one of which is running out of gas on Collins Avenue at 2 am.  My 1959 Triumph cafe racer unfortunately didn't have room for a spare gas can or a siphon hose.  The second question I was asked by the officer was "Young fella, where are you going with that garden hose?"   As I explained to the officer, that is my motorcycle on the side of the road and I was out of gasoline and that the hose that I was dragging was borrowed from a condominium and was in fact full of gasoline.  The officer then asked where was my gas can.  I then explained how a wrecked Camaro had donated just enough gasoline to fill said hose.  At this point he followed me back to the bike and trying desperately to keep a straight face as I began to put the gas from the hose to tank.   By the time all was said and done neither of us could hold back the laughter any more.  You would be amazed, as we were, how much gas a 50' garden hose will hold.  If you would like to know exactly how far a '59 Bonneville will go on a hose full of gas please continue to visit, leave your comments, ask questions or tell us your own stories about your cafe racer.