I (Graham) cleaned the internal surfaces of the engine and its oilways using compressed air. I also checked to see if there is anything we need to get hold of before putting the crankcases back together. To be on the safe side I have suggested that we purchase a gearbox mainshaft oil seal and a clutch pushrod oil seal. This is because both these seal are secured when the crankcases are tightened up. Whilst they can be forced in without splitting the cases, there is a good chance they will rip. A new clutch pushrod is also needed as the seal has worn a groove in it. Next on the agenda...Once we have the oil seals – begin re-building the engine.

No progress this week. It is hoped that the European parts supplier come up trumps with the correct piston for it. Once we have the correct piston I will send off to get the reed valve petal re-manufactured.

The bike’s owner bought in brand new throttle and clutch cables for the bike. Phil the mechanic set about installing them both. Next on the agenda will be things such as.. Replacing the choke cable and the bodged choke lever. Replacing the rear wheel bearings. Changing the front fork seals Changing the steering head bearings.

As well as a number of new hand tools and consumable items, a new air compressor arrived at the workshop. It immediately proved its worth by allowing me to blow clean the components of the XS500 engine. Of course in time it will have many other uses and will prove invaluable. Once again a huge thank you to John for going out to purchase the pies for lunch!!

Its owner set off with a rag tag crew of volunteers to go and collect the remaining parts and bring them to the workshop. When they arrived they consisted of the engine and frame still assembled in one piece but minus the wheels and suspension which were already in the workshop. The bike had clearly stood idle for some time and been exposed to the best the Welsh weather could throw at it. Work began to start disassembling it.

Steve and Chairman Phil re-fitted the engine back into the frame, I then assisted by setting up the contact points using nothing more complex than a spanner (to turn the crank), a screw driver to loosen the contact point screws and a piece of glossy paper to slip between the points to tell when they are beginning to open. This is not very scientific and will only give an approximation of the point at which they open. As we don’t yet have a timing buzzer or multimeter, it’s the best we’ve got and the timing should be good enough to get the engine running. Once running a strobe light could be useful to help with final adjustments. In days of old a cigarette paper was the tool of choice if you didn’t have something posher! However you need to be careful that the surface of the points are free from pits. In other words a build up of metal transferred from one contact to the other by the arcing of the electrical current. Pitting will make it impossible to set the correct gap and of course w...

 The top end of the engine awaits disassembly and inspection but this was deferred to avoid having too many engines in pieces at one time. However Mark set about logging all the components that will be sent for blasting/powder coating etc.

No progress today – Piston kits are proving difficult to track down.

No progress this week except that we have found that we don’t need a key to get the seat open. A screwdriver in the lock seems to do the trick nicely. After lots of umming and arghing we have decided to go ahead and purchase a 38.4 millimetre piston kit from the continent to start the process of getting the engine back together. We have also found a company that can re-manufacture the damaged reed valve. The missing ignition shouldn’t present too much of a problem.

 Today we had a shuffle around to change the layout of the floor space we occupy. The net effect being that the benches and tool boxes nearest the side entrance/kitchen of the hall have been moved and our filing cabinets shuffled around to make space for other users of the hall. Lastly, a huge thank you to John who went out in the rain to purchase pies for us for lunch. He recommended the Cheese and Potato pie and I can confirm it was delicious.

Today master club mechanic Mr Phil Howells extracted the remains of the broken bolt from the engine’s left inlet. He used used an extractor and the hole I had so centrally drilled down the remains of the bolt. Whilst on a roll and in extracting mood Phil set about drilling out and extracting a front mudguard bolt that had also broken off flush. The two Phils then set about stripping the front forks down. Now this bike like many Japanese bikes has a cap fitted above the fork spring that is secured in with a plain wire circlip, fitted into a groove inside the top of the fork stanchion. In order to remove the circlip with the aid of a small screwdriver or two, the cap has to be pushed down against the force of the spring. Here’s a little tip from one who knows. The fork stanchion needs to be securely held. The easiest way to do this is to leave it secured in the top yoke. If it is out of the bike, place it in the well padded jaws of a vice. It is a job that can be done single handed press...

 Today Jack, Mark and John removed the remainder of the ancillary parts from the original frame ready to add them to the new frame. Whilst the back brake shoes are in a reasonable condition, the spindle that twists to open them was not. Firstly it had corroded into the brake plate. Secondly some clever soul had modified it by drilling between the spindle and the brake arm to accommodate a nail! This is a good old fashion bodge for those occasions when the splines on the spindle or the arm are so worn, that there is a danger of the arm spinning on the spindle when you stamp on the brake in anger. The arm, spindle and the O-ring (Designed to keep water out from around the spindle) all need to be replaced. After much debate – shall we, shan’t we, shall we, shan’t we , we have ended up with a ‘Shall’ we as far as having the new frame and the wheels powder coated. This meant that things like the swing arm bushes and wheel bearings had to be removed. One of the circlips securing one of t...