the Fifty quid bike

[WD Forte]

the fifty quid bike

Looking out for a cheap 125 to get one of my lads personal transport we
saw a 2009 Kymco Pulsar 125 in the local paper and we went to see it
( I'm the one does all the bloody work so I get a say)

Anyway I'm told it 'needs a cam chain '
so when i turn up I see someone's had bits off the engine and its all in a bag
The bike has 15000 kilometers on the clock (9300 miles) and apart from a sorry looking engine, appears in fairly good nick.
Its been of the road since suddenly breaking down in 2013

Assuming its dropped a valve and the engine may be FUBAR I ask how much?
"Fifty quid?"
Fair enough, the lad has that and I'm wondering what other lumps I could shoehorn
in ( CG125?) so its cough up the dosh, do the paper work then in the van and off home with it.
Here it is on arrival, plastic and other parts in a big bag
https://oi60.tinypic.com/2gtyjap.jpg
After a cuppa I drop the engine, whip the head off and initially can't see any damage
What went wrong I wonder?
It was only after a clean up and taking it indoors under a better light we saw
the valves were bent.
Ahh! #1

https://i59.tinypic.com/wwg9av.jpg

Luckily the valves seem to have taken the brunt of the impact
and its hard to see the corresponding marks on the piston so I'm beginning to think its saveable.

https://i61.tinypic.com/2vttu9j.jpg

As the cam chain hadn't snapped I assume it must have slipped but
Why? How?
Its hardly done any mileage even for a cheap 125

As I played with tensioner I could see it went out and in OK but wondered how it locked, so
checking the fiche
saw there was 6x6mm screw belonged with it that presumeably acted as a locking screw after the chain was tensioned.

Rummaging the bag of bits we found a 6x6mm flat head screw that didnt seem to belong anywhere else and tried that.
The screw fitted but I found it didnt actually lock the tensioner !
Ahh ! #2

https://i61.tinypic.com/2l8w5t5.jpg

I found by experiment that if not locked, the tensioner will retract if repeatedly tapped 'on the head'
in a way to simulate the pulsing effect of a cam chain
and that an 8x6mm screw or longer is needed to lock the tensioner in place, a 6mm won't/can't do it.

Not knowing the bikes history or what it was originally fitted with, my best guess is
the tensioner worked itself loose due to a missing or ill fitting locking screw.
I sorted this and repeatedly checked I could trust it before final assembly

Internally its all in good nick which supports the low mileage on the clocks

https://i57.tinypic.com/2s8l1qq.jpg

Apart from the head gasket we made the other gaskets ourself.

https://i62.tinypic.com/4vs1vr.jpg

After new valves chain, guides etc and general clean up, the engines back and running like a good un ! Whoo hoo!

I did make two silly mistakes but soon rectified them.
1 dislodged the selector forks and forgot to check function on assembly.
No big deal, whip cover off and reset
2 forgot tighten the rotor before starting which wiped against the source coil windings
Bollocks !!!!! Dumb mistake that one
Ho Hum shit happens so I rewound the source coils.

Still work to do but everything electrical works, even the fuel gauge.
Todo
check the rear end and chain sprockets buy battery and rear tyre /tube

https://i59.tinypic.com/2ikyg8.jpg
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bikers smell of wee

[Matt B]

Excellent. Can't go wrong buying something for that money
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[Carvel]

I like the pink stickers on the tank best.
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2002 Aprilia RSV1000R, Cbr600Fs, Mk1 B12, Vfr400 NC30...

Matt B: I can deal with crushed nuts to beat Ollie.

[Pigeon]

£50. Result!

What did you make the gaskets from? Kelloggs or gasket paper or?

How do you cut the circles, push a pencil or similar through? I tried making a gasket when 16 and just kept ripping it.

[Moo.]

[WD Forte]

I bought a couple of rolls of gasket paper ages ago
I cut it into pages big enough for the biggest gaskets I'd use then
store under a box to flatten it.
(Its a PITA for big gaskets straight off the roll)
I usually start with holes and dowels and use the tapered blade
screwdrivers you see in the pic above jammed down the holes to hold it in place.
Once its locked by this method, I use a scalpel with an up/down motion to 'saw' around the profiles.
If you try and pull a blade along with downward pressure like you would normally do with say a stanley knife,
it can easily buckle and tear the paper.

I didn't do them all by hand
I have small cnc engraver/mill I use for PCBs
and it was easy to create the toolpaths and cut symetrical ones
asymetric/irregular one would take more prep just for one gasket, so it was less hassle and quicker to do them by hand
You can see where I cut a bit too deep when making a CX clutch cover gasket previously
https://oi62.tinypic.com/1zlzk1w.jpg
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bikers smell of wee

[WD Forte]

Fitted new rear tyre and battery plus
a wee bit more fiddling and just got back from MOT
Pass no advisories.
Starts easy no smoke, knocks or rattles, everything works as it should.
The only thing I have to do is adjust the choke linkage on the carb as its been bent and needs some adjustment

https://i58.tinypic.com/1zg8e0.jpg
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bikers smell of wee

[Nexus Icon]

Nice.
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Greetings from Shitsville!

[Mark65]

Well Done
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07 Yamaha YBR125, 07 Honda CG125 , 15 CBR300R (Chocolate Crank, Deaded), 16 CB500FA, 19 Honda Forza 300, 70 Suzuki SV650

[pepperami]

Impressed
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!