MKL's 1973 R75/5 LWB Toaster
A Work In Progress - The R75/5 is finally completely apart 8-10-03
8-8-03 - 8-10-03: Final Teardown:
Friday 8-8-03, I went home armed with suggestions on the right fork removal, and
sure enough, the pinch bolt wasn't tightened to spec. Once I got it snug, the
right fork retaining nut was easily removed, and the fork popped out - funny
how overlooking the obvious can drive you insane. The fork oil inside was even
worse than the sludge in the left fork - it must be several years old. The swingarm was next
- AMOL had advised me that a standard socket wouldn't fit in the swingarm's hole
for the 27mm nut, so I ground my socket wall down to 35mm total diameter on
Friday afternoon in preparation - thankfully, everything went smoothly as a
result. The driveshaft presented no problems other than a tight fit for my
Craftsman 10mm wrench. A few seconds on the grinder, and the wrench fit like a
charm. The centerstand and kickstand also came off easily, and at that point I
called it a night, left with only the trees and engine still mounted to the
naked frame. I took Saturday off from the project.
On Sunday, my friend (who owns the local Harley-Davidson repair shop) stopped by, and together we positioned the frame center on the lift, unbolted the motor, and wriggled it out of the frame as shown above. The trees came out easily also, at which point we discovered that the bearings are totally shot - there was virtually no lube in there at all, though the interior of the frame neck is still perfectly smooth. We were done in less than 10 minutes. It's amazing how simple this bike is, and how certain pieces are over-engineered to the hilt - and the motor, to me, is a sculpture! Look at the shape of that thing - sexy as hell! I can't wait to clean it...
What's Next? Right now, both forks are in process of being professionally rebuilt at AMOL. New Progressive springs will be utilized in place of the stockers (I read in the archives about their firmness, which I'm used to from the Sportster). I also took some spare time on Sunday to polish up a few items - check out the engine covers below:
The Engine Covers In Process
I found that the 30 years of accumulated dirt buildup on the engine was very thick in most spots, so I got to work with some good old fashioned elbow grease, some Scotchbrite, a few cleaners I had lying around, and for the really tough spots a Dremel tool and a wire wheel. I was careful not to get the parts to look *too* bright, and to only use methods which I could use on the rest of the block without having to go crazy with further disassembly. I'm sure at the end, with some patience and much more elbow grease, that the motor will look like new. I blasted the exhaust nuts and rear brake lever, and they look great now. When the assembled engine is fully cleaned, I will take the top end off for blasting as well so everything matches. In the process, I will have the top end checked for proper clearance and replace / repair anything that needs attention. The valve covers will be replaced outright with new ones, as these originals are scraped up.
At this point, with grad school about to start up again, the pace of the project will slow dramatically - my goal was to get it apart before school so I could get things rolling before then, and I'm right on track. Now, it's all about choosing a color scheme, deciding on components, farming things out, and waiting for all the completed parts and subassemblies to return, at which point the reassembly will begin taking shape...