Basket Cases

[billy]

I always use a fine wet/dry paper with beer when rubbing back frames.

The beer keeps me interested.

Billy

[straightpipe]

Hi all, Too many beers and no self control . When the ad said "front forks in excellent condition" i couldn't control myself Too many parts missing to be economic , so may just be a parts bike . Cheers Ross

[Greg Harding]

Hi Everyone,

Billy, I hate rubbing back frames, it is a pet hate of mine and I am not much of a beer drinker, may have to try your advice when full of bad manners and Bourbon?

Ross, love the Green Japanese machine! Parts for the future or Fred would have all the missing bits.

Geoff, whereabouts exactly was your 240 frame cracked, because I will look at strengthening those stress points when I weld the cracks in mine?

IMGP7394.JPG (113.9 KiB) Viewed 5970 times

Mine is not too bad for it's age (remember it has been in storage for at least 20 years), the cradle has a few dints, so the tubes are light wall compared to Japanese twinshocks. They obviously loved gussets! You were right about the swingarm being twisted...

IMGP7403.JPG (181.32 KiB) Viewed 5970 times

IMGP7399.JPG (136.67 KiB) Viewed 5970 times

All those years in construction, you will understand the importance of reference points, here a famous ITALIAN one!

324f7ac5-fdfe-46c7-a293-e5eef1a6f288_650x366[1].jpg (31.21 KiB) Viewed 5969 times

[David Lahey]

So Greg are you saying that Fantics might have been made by the same people who built that famous tower?

[Geoff Lewis]

Hi Greg, I was told don't worry about the swingarm "They all do that!" I would repair the frame with some good quality long strand spaghetti as this is much stronger than original Fantic frame tube. Make sure it is 'AL Dente'.
Regards, Geoff.

[Greg Harding]

Hi Everyone,

David, it is a possibility, maybe descendants???

Geoff, Al Dente, you mean at the point were it will stick to a wall when thrown?

Here is another issue that will need to be fixed....

IMGP7408.JPG (150.68 KiB) Viewed 5929 times

[Greg Harding]

Hi Everyone,

Just sharing Donna's latest acquisition, an incomplete TLM 200! The plan is to make a bike out of the spare parts we have and offer it for sale.

IMGP7466.JPG (177.06 KiB) Viewed 5857 times

IMGP7467.JPG (178.95 KiB) Viewed 5857 times

Had some spare time last night and cleaned out carby and had a look through inlet and exhaust ports and all looks quite healthy, compression seems fine but I am not getting any spark. The coil is missing and 260 coil is different to the 220 one on the Totally Loved machine, so we will have to source another coil. Meanwhile I will try swapping parts in the hunt for spark as I am keen to hear it run.

Thankyou Robert Gough for bringing the TLM to the Jeff Gough Memorial Trial for us and thankyou SQTA for an awesome 2 day Trial! Something is evolving in your club because I can remember riding the communal Bultaco M49 at Toonambar Dam a couple of years ago and the second oldest bike was made in the mid nineties. An impressive Eight Twinshocks competing, 1 beautifull Honda RS250, 1 x humble TY 175, 2 x ITALJETS and 4 x BULTACOS !!!!!!!!!!

[Gary Mc]

Found this picture on the net, not really a basket case yet but I hear its a good way to see how reliable your Honda is.

[Greg Harding]

Hi Greg, I was told don't worry about the swingarm "They all do that!" I would repair the frame with some good quality long strand spaghetti as this is much stronger than original Fantic frame tube. Make sure it is 'AL Dente'.
Regards, Geoff.

Hi Everyone,

Geoff, now that I have straightened the swingarm and repaired (welded) headstem gussets (the ones that look like Lasagne sheets),

IMGP7510.JPG (148 KiB) Viewed 5713 times

I am not so sure that it is a Chrome Moly frame! Both gussets were cracked at the same place on each side which suggests they have been flexing in and out, so I have welded in a strip to make them work as a team leaving it open enough to paint inside. The swingarm was only strong to a point when removing the twist and yielded like mild steel with less flex than Chrome Moly and the rear mudguard hoop was lifted very easily back to straight.

Gary Mc, always sad to see someones bike like that, must be more to the story? It reminds me of when we built Donna's first bike, a TL125 made out of 3 bikes. The first one had wrong wheels, seat, tank, guards and forks, however the frame and motor were right and it ran OK. The second one had a lot of parts missing, but had a good tank and seat. The third one looked to have had the same treatment as the Reflex above, I was lucky enough to be at Steve O'Connors workshop when the owner received the quote to fix. The amusing part was the owner requested the kickstarter be fixed as it would not turn over! That was true as the motor was locked solid, full of water and been left for months. When it was clear that it was not an easy fix, the owner sold me the bike for $100.00. Obviously there was more to the story on that one as well, don't know how he missed the water weeds wrapped around the spokes and the dry mud settled on one side?

[Greg Harding]

I always use a fine wet/dry paper with beer when rubbing back frames.

The beer keeps me interested.

Billy

Hi Everyone,

Billy, I have taken your advise and I still hate rubbing back frames. It is Futile And Not Terribly Interesting Caressing, so it is paint stripper time!

IMGP7511.JPG (228.43 KiB) Viewed 5656 times

There was two different coats of Red and no primer, so probably a good thing I chose to take it back to bare metal. A mate will be bead blasting the frame and swingarm before I attempt to paint it. One thing I am noticing now that I have been so intimate with the naked frame is how much care, design and attention to detail was built in.

Can't wait to ride it and get back some fun time to offset the hours working on it. Have to admit there was a lull in proceedings because of a lack of motivation (all work and no play)! The solution to the problem was when we watched my copy of Motorcycle Magic! Just the thing I needed as all of the Italian bikes perform well along with a couple of Armstrongs and other European bikes.