Author Topic: The Resurrection of Moby Brick  (Read 23318 times)

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #25 on: January 08, 2018, 11:38:41 PM »
Yeah, Rob, I usually do a copy of the text before I pull the trigger, but this time it slipped my mind.  `
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #26 on: January 12, 2018, 12:59:52 AM »
Forks and speedo installed along with the new voltage regulator.  Waiting on some stainless fasteners before I go any further on the bike itself.

Amusing myself this evening by doing a little cleanup and paintwork on miscellaneous parts for the seat and the bar end weights.  I just managed to get a set of bar end weights that turned out to be a Throttlemeister cruise control. :2thumbup:

I wanted to clean up the discoloration on the header pipes.  They were pretty bad with lots of dark brown spots and a deep yellow/light brown color to the stainless. 

Looking on the interweb there were lots of references to metal polishes and lots of hard rubbing.  Not exactly what I wanted to hear.  I took the exhaust down to the laundry where I do my cleaning and saw the bottle of Naval Jelly that I use to clean the rust off of parts.  Thought I'd give it a try.

Brushed some on one of the pipes and left it for about a half hour.  When I came back I decided to wet sand with some 2500 wet or dry.  Wow, a couple minutes and the nasty brown stain was gone.  Did it on the pipes right up to the head and the results were very nice, especially considering it didn't require any really hard scrubbing.  In the photos, I left one of the pipes uncleaned to show what they looked like before.
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #27 on: January 14, 2018, 11:39:40 AM »
Yesterday the UPS guy left a large box in the snow in front of the garage.  It was the "new" exhaust to replace the one that got a little "tweaked" in the moto-altercation.
Spent a bit of time this morning shining it up a bit.  Doesn't look too bad.  When the garage gets a bit warmer, it will go on, along with the rear mudguard and rear shock which are also ready to go. 
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #28 on: January 14, 2018, 01:19:12 PM »
That $30 chunk of rubber that keeps the stands from rattling against the muffler had one of the tits that are used to attach it broken off.  No way I'm buying a new one.

Clamped the rubber bit in the vise and drilled a 1/8" hole for a M4 flat head screw.  with a bit of vaseline on the screw I pushed it through and used a M4 nut to hold the rubber in place.  By cranking down on the nut I was able to suck the head of the screw into the rubber so it won't contact the stand.  The rubber is more secure now than before.
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline blackie1

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  • christchurch nz
Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #29 on: January 15, 2018, 03:46:06 AM »
good job. nice and neat.

as an aside I just ran a quick depravity logarithm over your last post.


tits, clamped, rubber, drilled, hole, vaseline, nut, screw, cranking, head

congratulations Gryph it says you are 95% Australian.
  • christchurch, new zealand , where else would u want to live, really
  • 1991 K75RT naked 67,000kms

Offline Martin

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #30 on: January 15, 2018, 02:59:52 PM »
G'day  mate if you want me to source any Vegemite or Tim Tam's give me a Cooee.
See Ya's later.
  • North Lakes Queensland Australia
  • 1992 K75s Hybrid, Lefaux, Vespa V twin.

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #31 on: January 15, 2018, 03:23:10 PM »
Having had the pleasure of knowing a few Ozzies over the years, I'm honored, but must draw the line at the Vegemite, at least for the time being.  I also know for a fact that my ability to metabolize alcohol is somewhat lacking.  I stand in awe of the ability of southern hemispherians to consume adult beverages.
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline Laitch

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #32 on: January 15, 2018, 05:11:19 PM »
as an aside I just ran a quick depravity logarithm over your last post.

tits, clamped, rubber, drilled, hole, vaseline, nut, screw, cranking, head

congratulations Gryph it says you are 95% Australian.

. . . I'm honored . . .
I just processed this through a Kiwi interpretation app, Gryph. It indicates that you're being insulted. :giggles
  • Along the Ridley in Vermont.
  • 1995 K75 89,000 miles
I wept because I had no radials until I met a man who had no splines.
https://tinyurl.com/RillRider

Offline Martin

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #33 on: January 15, 2018, 05:58:55 PM »
Strewth Laitch get fair dinkum. Gryph if you don't down a tinnie or two of the amber fluid you'll end up as dry as a dead dingoes donger.
See yuz ooroo.
  • North Lakes Queensland Australia
  • 1992 K75s Hybrid, Lefaux, Vespa V twin.

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #34 on: January 15, 2018, 09:17:21 PM »
With the garage at a balmy 25F I decided to spend some more quality time with the Moby Brick. 

New YSS shock installed with new stainless hardware.  Rear mudguard and luggage racks installed.  And the exhaust system.  I hope I never need to do that again.  Lining up all those cylinder head studs while getting the rest of the attachment points aligned was not a fun job. 

Replaced the side stand safety switch that had broken wires and put a new bushing in the side stand pivot.  Works nicer with less play, looking forward to seeing how far the bike leans on it.

It's time to celebrate closing in on the end of the mechanical work with a couple carbonated malt beverages.
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline Martin

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #35 on: January 15, 2018, 10:30:49 PM »
Gryph you need to slow down otherwise you'll have nothing to do for the rest of winter. :nono And I do hate Vegemite, it looks like axle grease and the grease probably tastes better. Don't tell any other Ozinians otherwise they might throw me out.
Regards Martin.
  • North Lakes Queensland Australia
  • 1992 K75s Hybrid, Lefaux, Vespa V twin.

Offline Filmcamera

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #36 on: January 15, 2018, 10:33:24 PM »
Martin maybe you should try the real thing - good old Marmite from Blighty. I love the stuff, after 20 years in Costa Rica that and HP sauce are pretty much the only ex-pat things I still cling to!
  • San Jose, Costa Rica
  • 1991 K100RS 16v ABS1, 2018 Triumph Street Triple RS 765
Poserbricker

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #37 on: January 15, 2018, 11:50:25 PM »
It seems the folks who sell Marmite are aware of how people feel about it...

I suppose it's an aquired taste thing, and you need to be exposed at a very tender age.

  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline Laitch

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #38 on: January 15, 2018, 11:59:09 PM »
I suppose it's an aquired taste thing, and you need to be exposed at a very tender age.
Like tempeh and Ovaltine.
  • Along the Ridley in Vermont.
  • 1995 K75 89,000 miles
I wept because I had no radials until I met a man who had no splines.
https://tinyurl.com/RillRider

Offline Martin

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #39 on: January 16, 2018, 12:57:45 AM »
Thanks I'll stick to two of OZ's best creations Tim Tams and Lamingtons, with the occasional Ozified éclair. :lets-eat: As stated you can stick your Vegemite Marmite and that other abhorrent creation Nutella. We Ozinians do tend to get carried away with the old Vegemite, they once had Vegemite flavoured ice-cream and while I was baching I came across Vegemite cheese and meat pies. :yow
Regards Martin.
  • North Lakes Queensland Australia
  • 1992 K75s Hybrid, Lefaux, Vespa V twin.

Offline rbm

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #40 on: January 16, 2018, 09:51:16 AM »
Nutella is great; not in the same class as Vegemite and Marmite.  Everyone has different tastes.  Do you do the Tim Tam Slam Martin??
  • Regards, Robert
Toronto, Ontario

1987 K75 - Build Blog @http://k75retro.blogspot.ca/

Offline Laitch

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #41 on: January 16, 2018, 10:11:07 AM »
Do you do the Tim Tam Slam Martin??
Have you ever been given the Tim Tam Finger, Robert. :giggles
  • Along the Ridley in Vermont.
  • 1995 K75 89,000 miles
I wept because I had no radials until I met a man who had no splines.
https://tinyurl.com/RillRider

Offline Martin

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #42 on: January 16, 2018, 02:27:25 PM »
Rob the answer is yes, but to go one better try Tim Tams dipped in port. A mate and I went on a two day 4WD camping trip, I brought along 3 packets of Tim Tams. The first day at morning smoko he pulls another 4 packets out of his bag. :clap:  :hehehe We did not get through them all. :dunno2:
Regards Martin.
  • North Lakes Queensland Australia
  • 1992 K75s Hybrid, Lefaux, Vespa V twin.

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #43 on: January 20, 2018, 10:07:30 AM »
I've had a couple productive days in the garage despite the frigid temperatures. 

Got the front wheel rebalanced and installed.  Got the "new" front fairing mount installed and found it was tweaked a tiny bit when I eyeballed it.  Did a little straightening on it but not sure if it's right yet.

Handlebars are mounted and the wiring has been connected and tested.  So far, everything works after making a few minor adjustments to things like the rear brake and "choke" switches and cleaning the turn signal cancel switch.  Only things left on the frame wiring are to connect the wire for the fan override and the oil level check light on the side of the oil pan.  The sub-freezing temperatures in the garage made handling the wiring harness and those big covers over the combination switch connectors a pain in the ass.  Had to do a lot of heating with a hair dryer on high to get everything stuffed into where it needs to be.  Sure was nice not to have the ABS wiring to contend with!

The front wheel was out of balance but adding a quarter oz. weight got it right.

Everything has been going well so far with the exception of the handlebars I got on eBay.  First off, they were not set up for heated grips.  I drilled them out and modified the ends to accept the heating elements, but there was some sort of obstruction that prevented feeding the wire on the throttle side.  After spending over four hours trying, I gave up and decided I didn't need heated grips on this bike that badly.

Then when I put them on the bike I discovered that they were not really K100RS bars as they were quite a bit wider than the correct bars.  They also have a slightly different bend that doesn't line up correctly with the dash pad.  Not a big deal I thought, I'll just shorten them, but the bend doesn't allow the perches to be slid down the bar all the way to the ends of the pad.  Looks like I will have to live with a 3/8" gap between the perches and the pad.  I have the left end done, will have to do the throttle end this weekend.

Next up is to put the tank on and see if I can start the engine.  I'll also have to tear down the Paralever to see what and why the drive shaft is rubbing the inside of the swingarm when the shock is at the full length of it's travel.  The forecast is for balmy 40F temperatures for the next 4-5 days.  I just hope it isn't too damp to cause a lot of condensation.  It sucks having to work when everything you touch is wet.

Not much left to do on the frame/engine if it starts up.  I should be done in the garage on this bike in about a week.  Then it will be finishing up the paint prep on the bodywork and waiting until spring to shoot the paint.  Then I can move on to the annual maintenance on Cheetos and Ilsa.  Cheetos also needs a little body work from when a driver knocked it over last October.  I will also be building a paint booth.
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"
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Offline Martin

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #44 on: January 20, 2018, 02:27:35 PM »
 :2thumbup:Looking good Gyph it looks like it is coming together really well with not too many headaches. Looking forward to seeing the end result.
Regards Martin.
  • North Lakes Queensland Australia
  • 1992 K75s Hybrid, Lefaux, Vespa V twin.

Offline Filmcamera

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #45 on: January 20, 2018, 04:45:06 PM »
Looking good! Keep the updates coming, you will have Moby back on the road in no time at this rate.  How on earth will you find the time to ride all your bikes!
  • San Jose, Costa Rica
  • 1991 K100RS 16v ABS1, 2018 Triumph Street Triple RS 765
Poserbricker

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #46 on: January 20, 2018, 06:27:44 PM »
Hit the first functional snag this afternoon when I attempted to start the engine.  I went to use the old tank, but found that the infamous four pin connector on the tank pigtail had been sheared off when the tank left the rest of the bike.  I found an old connector and wired it onto the old pigtail and installed the tank.

Tried to start, nothing...

Tested connector continuity, and it was good.  Tested fuel gauge and idiot light functions at the harness connector by jumping pins and got good functioning: idiot light when white wire is grounded, and full tank when yellow is grounded. 

When I try to test the sender I only get results when the green/white wire of the tank pigtail is connected to the brown of the harness connector.  I am suspecting that the tank pigtail's brown wire is broken because I see an open circuit between the brown wire and the tank which I think should be grounded or across the brown and the Green/white which I think should show something as the pump motor is across them.

Does anyone know where I can fing a schematic of the internal tank wiring?  None of the manuals I have show it, and searching so far has turned up nothing.  Otherwise, I will have to disassemble the tank and then put it back together just to run a quick engine test.  Would rather not if I can avoid it.
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline rbm

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #47 on: January 20, 2018, 07:41:50 PM »
Its hard to find a good schematic of the fuel sender but luckily the fuel sender is pretty straight forward.

- Brown is ground and is attached through the gas tight connector to the main plate
-  There is a solder lug on the main plate.  The negative lead from the fuel pump goes directly to the solder lug on the main plate.The wiper on the float arm is electrically grounded through the main plate through its pivot.
- White is connected between an etched copper pad on a PCB and a lug on the gas tight connector
- Yellow is connected between one side of the rheostat and a lug on the gas tight connector
- Green/White goes directly to the fuel pump positive lead through a lug on the gas tight connector



If you see open circuit between the brown and tank, the break is likely inside the gas tight connector.

Verification test: 

1. Use an alligator clip lead to extend the negative terminal of the pump to outside the tank to be safe against explosions. 

2. Test continuity between the extension lead and plate.  If you have continuity, the negative lead to the pump is intact.  If you have open circuit, likely the negative to the pump is broken off. 

3. Test continuity between the extension lead and Brown wire.  If you have continuity, the gas tight connector is intact.  If you have open circuit, likely the gas tight connector is toast.

  • Regards, Robert
Toronto, Ontario

1987 K75 - Build Blog @http://k75retro.blogspot.ca/

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #48 on: January 21, 2018, 09:48:35 AM »
Rob, thanks so much for the detailed description.

My troubleshooting yesterday led me to believe that the problem might be in the brown wire or it's connection in the tank.  What you have posted has confirmed this.  I was hoping I could get the engine running before I took the tank and sender apart so I wouldn't have to reassemble a tank I wasn't going to use.

I'm thinking now that I can make a temporary ground lead with a ring terminal and attach it to the ground on the fuel pump bringing it up through the filler for the test.

I haven't been able to flip the tank over to look at it, but is that fuel-tight pass-through repairable if indeed I need to replace the brown wire.

  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline rbm

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Re: The Resurrection of Moby Brick
« Reply #49 on: January 21, 2018, 01:36:57 PM »
No, the fuel tight passthrough connector is not repairable.

Try to save the sender if possible.  What you might try is to remove the sender from the tank and see if you can spot weld a small solder lug onto the bottom of the plate, without compromising the integrity of the plate (i.e. blow through the plate with the weld).  That would then be used as a ground connection point to connect up a new Brown wire.
  • Regards, Robert
Toronto, Ontario

1987 K75 - Build Blog @http://k75retro.blogspot.ca/

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