FV "Big" Engine Kablamo Teardown

Roughly a year ago, the "big" engine I had built for the FV went kablamo. I think I over-revved it on a downshift into Turn 14, as I heard a slightly off pitch sound. Then across the finish line it went kablamo in a big way. I found a hole in the block, a loose piece of piston ring, and some chunks of random aluminum.

In anticipation of taking my 1200 motor up to Oregon for Mr. A to rebuild (it isn't broken, just needs a freshening) I needed to grab the flywheel and clutch assembly off the kablamo engine. So I set about getting the car into position for working on:


After an hour or so of work, I had this:


Hello hole, how you doin?


Rockin' the headband and dirt knees:


Cylinder #3. That is what remains of a piston, piston ring, and connecting rod:


Buckets of bits, and a handful of rod, complete with piston pin still attached. I'm thinking the piston took a beating:


The other side of the engine, cylinders 1 and 2. Lots of debris in the cylinder/combustion chamber. Looks like some carnage from cylinder #3 got pulled through into the intake path:


I'll probably split the case apart tomorrow, to see how much carnage the crank and cam suffered.

C'

Bridgestone BS-7/D Engine "Unfrozen"

After removing the piston last night, I had decided to soak the crankcase on the Bridgestone with a mix of ATF and Acetone. This seems to be an internet phenomenon when it comes to a cheap and extremely effective penetrating fluid. As it happens, the Bridgestone BS-7 engine lent itself to this treatment because the center portion of the case that the crank rides in seems to be completely sealed. There is even a tiny little drain plug bolt under the engine that drains just this chamber.

So I filled up this area with the ATF/Acetone mix and let it sit for about an hour. I intended to soak it overnight, but after an hour I went out just to see how much I could rotate the crank. Before the treatment, I got about 5-degrees of rotation by turning the cooling fan back and forth by hand. After an hour, I was able to get another degree or two each time I went back and forth. After a minutes I got about 45-degrees of rotation.

So I let it soak a bit longer, then was able to turn it over a full 360. I drained the old fluid, added fresh fluid, and rotate the crank over several times. After a couple minutes, it turns freely with a single finger's worth of "force" on the fan assembly. I snapped a few pictures.

Central galley where the crank rides:


Circumference of crank is very clean, with no signs of corrosion. The needle bearings on the big end were even shiny:


A bit more progress each day.

C'

Bridgestone BS-7/D Engine "Unfreezing"

The engine on the BS-7 was a bit stuck, so I had been soaking the upper end in penetrating fluid for a couple weeks. Thanks to a little mount I built, I was able to have the engine sitting "piston up" on my work bench. And luckily, the piston was high enough in the cylinder that the intake/exhaust ports were covered up, so the penetrating fluid was able to do its job.

I was able to move the cylinder a little bit by hand, but I needed a little bit of persuasion from a simple puller tool. Thanks to the longish cylinder studs, I was able to pull up on the barrel using a gear puller. I was very careful not to pull up on a cooling fin, and instead used the beefier intake and exhaust port castings:



Success! Don't be fooled by the color of rust, the cylinder is surprisingly free from corrosion and scratches. I think it will hone quite nicely. Also, the piston is very clean too. The piston pin clips are a bit corroded, so I'm soaking them in fluid too. I'm thinking a set of clips from a Honda 50 engine will work as a replacement:


The engine isn't entirely "unstuck" yet though. The connecting rod only moves a little bit with light pressure, so I'm assuming the bottom end has some corrosion issues too. Which is somewhat surprising, as the oil I drained out of it looked perfectly clean. It looks like this engine will require some internal work to bring back to life.

C'

More Bridgestone Teardown

I managed to get the Bridgestone BS-7D stripped down to its chassis tonight. This took quite a bit longer than I thought it would. I have to give it to Bridgestone, they managed to use three times as many fasteners and brackets and other misc. shit to hold this bike together, than any comparable Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, or Hodaka of the same vintage.

But now I can get to work cleaning. Which is my least favorite part of the project. So much so, I might invest in a little ultrasonic cleaner to get all the fiddly small parts cleaned up.

BS-7D mounted on my new rolling work bench:

Stuck piston, soaking in some penetrating fluid:

Underside of cylinder head. Yep, it's small:

C'

Chico Home Brew Club Competition Judging Day

Susan and I worked the annual home brew club judging day, as stewards. Which meant we made sure the judging table we were assigned to had their proper score sheets, a beer to judge, water, and french bread. Luckily, we also got to sample all of the brews being judged at our table. Double lucky, Susan and I had tables next to each other, so we got to sample each other's tables too!

After the judging, we got a nice catered lunch from Sierra Nevada, and a tour of the facility. Our tour included grabbing as many hops as we could cram in a 1 gallon ziploc, and a few samples off the fermenters. Overall, we had a blast!

Results won't be announced until this weekend. Random photos below.

Our little prep table, with score sheets and the next beer to be judged:

The Big Room at SN, packed full of brews, judges, and other workers like us:

This was my table. Doug (my neighbor) and Dawn (owner of the home brew shop) were very studious, keeping to themselves then comparing scores afterward. That's when I got to sample. Susan's judges were a bit conversational, and offered her booze earlier:

Susan was a lucky girl, as her table was judging Scottish Ales, Strong Ales, Irish Red, Sours, and Ciders. I was stuck with Blondes, Cream Ales, american Wheats, and Ordinary/Best Bitters. The last couple bitters were very good:

Why hello sample cups:

Free lunch consisted of chicken, salad, rice, and of course Sierra Nevada opened up the taps. I enjoyed my first Summerfest of the year:

During our tour, we were each handed a 1-gallon sized ziploc bag. And set free in the Sierra Nevada hop room! I grabbed a bag packed full of Magnum and a bag of Cascade, both varieties I use frequently:

A happy man:

The main fermenters are suspended from the upper floor, so the bottom floor is very open:

During our tour, we got a chance to sneak a peak into a new room for trying out "smaller" batches. Our tour guy opened up a tap on a fermenter of Kolsch, which was nicely chilled:

Overall, we had a great time. We both agreed that being stewards was a great job that suited our ability to keep track of things.

I entered three beers btw, an American Pale Ale, American Amber, and an American Stout over Cedar (wood-aged category.) Usually they post the results online, but have decided to wait to announce the winners at this Saturday's awards party.

C'

Buffalo Bill's Brewery Alimony Ale IPA

12oz.

6.8% abv

I liked this quite a bit. Which is why I managed to down the entire bottle during dinner. However, it really isn't an IPA. It is all malt, from aroma to flavor to a smooth finish almost totally lacking in bitterness. Very good, but not really an IPA.

C'

Bridgestone BS-7 Disassembly

I started the process of breaking down the BS-7 tonight. Maybe I was just having a rough night, but it sure seems like this little monster is way more complicated than my other bikes of this same vintage. At minimum, there is roughly twice the amount of wiring since this bike came stock with turn signals front and rear, and an electric starter. Which I didn't realize until I finally understood what the service manual was referring to as the "cell dynamo."

It also has this jewel mounted to the frame. Seems to be a combo voltage regulator, fuse box, and cell dynamo relay:

I managed to get all of the wiring disconnected, labelled, and removed. As well as the seat, tank, bars and control cables:

C'

Bridgestone BS-7/D Has Come Home

The little Bridgestone BS-7/D came home yesterday. It has been sitting at work for a few years, pateintly waiting it turn. This will be a nice "simple" restoration. No mods, no building it into a cafe racer. Random photos below, with a few captions on the detail shots:









"Passenger" side front fork housing has been crumpled. This could be a bit of a job to straighten out:


Love the brake and turn light combo housing:


More detail on the smooshed fork housing:


This confirms it is a BS-7/D. "D" standing for Deluxe model:


Every other bike I have just has a harness that connects to itself. This little bike uses a small distribution panel:


Love the fact the terminals are coded:


Tiny little carb:


This motor uses a small fan attached to the end of the crank to cool the cylinder and head:


Intake screen for fan mounted on driver side cover:


Clock shows just over 4,000 miles:


Most bright work is very nice:



This is going to be a nice slow project over the spring and summer.

C'

Victory Hop Wallop Ale

22oz.

8.5% abv

A brewery I hadn't heard of before, Victory Brewing, with a nice hoppy ale. I really enjoyed this. Great balance of upfront hop aroma, malt flavor, bitterness, and alcohol warmth. When cold, hop aroma and flavor were a bit more noticeable. As it warmed, the body got very smooth, with an almost honey feel to it. As it warmed further, bitterness got stronger, but not overwhelming.

A nice surprise!

Spark Plugs

I had my local NAPA order me in some spark plugs for various motorcycles. The little Honda 50s use the C7HSA while the Bridgestone and Yamaha use the B7HS and B8HS.

The little Yamaha is actually rocking a B9HS, which is a colder plug guys use for all out racing the little YSR50 bikes. I've never noticed any issues with the colder plug, but figured I might as well replace it with the proper heat range plug, since I'm typically just putting around town.

C'

Hometown Boy

What happens when the hometown boy becomes the MVP of the Superbowl? He takes out a full page ad in the local newspaper thanking his family, friends, and fellow Chicoians.

Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-down Ale

12oz.

9.87% abv

72.41 ibu

Susan surprised me with a fresh selection of commercially available brews to sample. So of course I cracked one open with dinner.

Aroma has a lot of citrus notes, with a good balance of malt. Flavor is very interesting, with a nice crisp bitterness up front that remains throughout. It isn't overly bitter, but it does have a nice crispness to it. Lots of very smooth maltyness and warm alcohol flavors stick with you. The alcohol notes were much stronger early on, but after it warmed, it really mellowed out. Color is a deep amber, and mouthfeel is thick but clean.

Overall, a really nice beer. Full flavored, lots of punch, bot very well balanced.

C'

More New Kicks

Check is in the mail Craigs. Thanks a ton.

I needed new running shoes. Craigs hooked me up with some fresh New Balances.

Oh Hi There!

They see me rollin'

Home Brew: Cascadian Dark Ale

Today is sample day, and this time it is a Cascadian Dark Ale I bottled two weeks ago. This was a wild shot in the dark at making a dark roasty pale ale, and it came out pretty good. Great balance of malts and hops, with a bit of chocolate on the back end.



Recipe Characteristics
Recipe Gravity 1.060 OG
Estimated FG 1.015 FG
Recipe Bitterness 68 IBU
Alcohol by Volume 5.8%
Recipe Color 31° SRM
Alcohol by Weight 4.5%

Ingredients
1.90 lb Alexander's LME - Pale Extract
0.50 lb Brown Sugar, Light Sugar Other
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (US) Grain Mashed
0.20 lb Molasses Sugar Other
1.00 lb Two-row (US) Grain Mashed

1.00 oz Centennial Whole 35 minutes
0.75 oz Cascade Whole 15 minutes
0.50 oz Yakima Golding Whole 10 minutes

4.00 unit Generic ingredient Other 4 teaspoons of cocoa powder
1.00 unit Irish Moss Fining 1/2 tsp
0.50 unit Safale S-05 Dry Ale Yeast American: Temperature Range: 59°-75° F 11.5 GRAMS

C'

Home Brew: Blonde Ale

I sampled my first bottle of Blonde Ale, after two-weeks in the bottle. It is quite nice. I used some Yakima Golding hops in the aroma stage, giving it a nice citrus quality. It is very clean and crisp, with nice carbonation.



Recipe Characteristics
Recipe Gravity 1.059 OG
Estimated FG 1.015 FG
Recipe Bitterness 24 IBU
Alcohol by Volume 5.7%
Recipe Color 7° SRM
Alcohol by Weight 4.5%

Ingredients
2.20 lb Alexander's LME - Pale Extract Extract
0.50 lb Crystal 20L Grain Mashed
0.75 lb MrB. Booster Sugar Other
0.50 lb Two-row (US) Grain Mashed

0.75 oz Cascade Whole 10 minutes
0.50 oz Centennial Whole 20 minutes
0.50 oz Yakima Golding Whole 5 minutes

1.00 unit Irish Moss Fining 1/2 tsp
0.50 unit Safale S-05 Dry Ale Yeast American: Temperature Range: 59°-75° F 11.5 GRAMS

C'

Trials day: Trophies 0, Crashes 5

What's that old saying? A bad day racing is better than a good day at work. In my case, it was a bad day of trialing. Well, sorta. The day itself was beautiful. 65 degrees, sunny, light breeze, and a fantastic facility just west of Orland called Rocky Ridge.

I had decided to jump up into the #3 line today, after riding the easier #4 line at my first two events. For the most part, I made the right decision. I actually rode quite well on the technical stuff, manging to bound over boulders, wheelie over stumps, and keep my balance on tight turns. But what killed me was the hilly terrain.

At the PITS facility I've ridden on, most of the sections are more rocky, without much elevation change. Out at Rocky Ridge the terrain isn't as rocky, so many of the sections are built on top of little knolls, or in a gully, or up a hill side. So in many ways, the #3 lane was pretty easy, as the obstacles weren't as bad. But I couldn't get my fat ass up several of the short but steep hills. Apparently 4.5hp is a limitation. Who knew?

I found this out after having to bail on a steep hill on the second section. Followed by a steep hill on the third section. Oh yeah, and the fifth and sixth sections too. I would get through the first 80% of the section, mastering the boulders and trees, only to find myself powering up a smooth, clean hill screaming my little 4.5hp monster away. I would almost get to the top and just flat out run out of steam. Which meant both feet down, which means a "5" score, which is essentially a dnf.

I took five spills, three rather epic ones. Part of my problem was the fact I knew I had to keep the throttle pinned up the hills, so if I got offline at all, look out. I got loose on a section while powering up a hill, got turned a little, and just flat out took a screamer off a #1 line boulder resulting in me and the bike tumbling down a hillside. I also managed to loose steam up a hill, get crossed up trying to save it, and somehow did a wrestling federation style move off the top ropes straight into a creek.

I got through two full loops, but just didn't have the gumption to finish my third loop. I was the only one in my class, so I decided to dnf so the club didn't have to give me a sympathy trophy.

In between the spills and chills, I did manage to have fun. Section 7 and 8 were a blast. Both quite hilly, but with the pull of the moon's gravity, I could just crest the top of the hill at about 0.0001mph with the front tire off the ground, get the bike turned, and then finish the stage. I rode the technical stuff very well, and the changes to the bike (suspension stuff) worked great.

Luckily the rest of the events I'll be going to this year are at the PITS facility, so hopefully I won't have to worry about these damn hills! Or I'll try to find a Trail 90 or Trail 110 engine to put in the bike. Or both.

Oh, and I forgot one very interesting part of the day! Rattlesnakes. I saw two of them. Little guys, trying to warm themselves on the rocks. Luckily by the time the bikes got going, most crawled down into their holes.

C'

Trials Practice

Tomorrow is my first Trials event of the year, and today they had the event site open for practice. it also gave me a chance to walk a few of the sections, and see if I'm up to the task of trying the #3 line this time (as opposed to the #4 line I ran at my first two events.) I'm going to give it a try, and see if I can hack the harder line.

This site is on public property, and is beautiful. Nice sloping hillside to the west of Black Butte Lake, which is west of Orland. Great views overlooking the entire valley. But...there are some hills I'll need to climb in order to get to a few of the sections, and I can tell already my 4.5hp 50cc beast won't have much reserve power should I lose momentum.

Many of the sections are up in the hills to the left of the photo:

C'

Yes, I'm Alive

I've been laying low since last weekend with a case of the sniffles, so no blogging from me. But I figured I would dazzle my fans with a sneak peak into my casual after hours lounge wear:

On an unrelated note, the little Honda Trials bike is loaded in the truck and ready for action. This weekend is the trials event west of Orland, which is the closest location my club runs at. They are having free practice today, so I might try to sneak off this afternoon for a bit of puddle jumping.

C'