Métis 2 Bobber Build

[CAT3]

More garage progress made today on the "disabled carriage" !!
Primary drive & engine are now secured in place & after check the chain alignment one last time, the rear wheel is also tightened up & the locking clip fitted.

I had to take the exhaust off again, but that is now refitted for the last time. The rear cylinder exhaust will go on after the wiring is done, just to assist with access.

I also slaved the chain-guard on, I'll just need to remove the front mount, (Exi's most fav bracket in the world ! ) for that when I remove the oil tank for final cleaning & to fit the correct plugs & fittings.

The clutch friction plates are now just draining after being soaked in ATF for 5 minutes. BDL recommend leaving them to drain for 24 hours so that'll be one of tomorrow's jobs.

 

[CAT3]

Got the engine pulley, primary drive belt, clutch & starter motor fitted today.
First job was to get the clutch hub nut fitted & tightened up, which just involves locking the clutch up & the starter ring gear. The red plate locks the clutch & the smaller, silver round gadget above it locks the ring gear in position while the left-hand threaded nut is torqued up. Loctite is applied to the clutch splines & the nut threads !! It is a Harley after all !!

With that done I could fit the primary belt followed by the engine pulley & tighten that up while the locking tools are still in place. Again the nut & allen screws are loctited, plus I wire lock these items too, just in case !! The big nut on the pulley is a right-hand thread, just to confuse people

Once tightened the roll pins were driven into place,

and wire-locked.

Next job, assemble the clutch plates, fit the spring plate, locking ring & then tighten that lot up with just the ring gear lock in place now.

Next job was to assemble the starter pinion gear,

and bolt that in place. It's not the smallest motorcycle starter motor I ever seen either, looks more like a trunk part, or tractor !!

The cover that fits over this corner also supports the starter gear shaft.

The clutch cable was next to be adjusted & then finally the gear lever & covers were fitted. Next job is the oil tank I think.

 

[CAT3]

Finished all the wiring connections at the front of the bike & they are now all hidden from view inside the headlight shell, good job really because it looks a bit like a rat's nest !! Hopefully the under-seat area will look better & once the MoUnit is connected up I'll be able to fully test everything is working

 

[The skitz]

Finished all the wiring connections at the front of the bike & they are now all hidden from view inside the headlight shell, good job really because it looks a bit like a rat's nest !! Hopefully the under-seat area will look better & once the MoUnit is connected up I'll be able to fully test everything is working
View attachment 163505

Do a video if possible when she's up and running it looks fantastic

 

[Chizel - Founding Father]

Finished all the wiring connections at the front of the bike & they are now all hidden from view inside the headlight shell, good job really because it looks a bit like a rat's nest !! Hopefully the under-seat area will look better & once the MoUnit is connected up I'll be able to fully test everything is working
View attachment 163505

Why is the seat so high? Does it drop much when ya sit on it?
I gotta be honest and i may have said this before but this style of bike is far from my cuppa tea but you have done an amazing job . I dont like the style or colours but you should be proud as fuck with your efforts , i cant count how many projects ive seen people start and not finish.
Well done dude.
If nothing else it will certainly turn heads!

 

[Gimlet]

Finished all the wiring connections at the front of the bike & they are now all hidden from view inside the headlight shell, good job really because it looks a bit like a rat's nest !! Hopefully the under-seat area will look better & once the MoUnit is connected up I'll be able to fully test everything is working
View attachment 163505

Ace! Sound vid please Cat.

 

[Exige]

Why is the seat so high? Does it drop much when ya sit on it?

It’s not high, you’re tiny

Great job Cat, looking forward to it firing up in about 5 years

 

[CAT3]

Why is the seat so high? Does it drop much when ya sit on it?
I gotta be honest and i may have said this before but this style of bike is far from my cuppa tea but you have done an amazing job . I dont like the style or colours but you should be proud as fuck with your efforts , i cant count how many projects ive seen people start and not finish.
Well done dude.
If nothing else it will certainly turn heads!

I know exactly what you mean about the style, etc, it's one of those things that some will like, some won't, no offence taken !!

After the first bike, one of my priorities was to try & make this second one a bit more comfortable. Riding that bike has made me an expert in spotting potholes, even very small ones that wouldn't warrant a second glance normally & even manhole covers if they are not perfectly level with the road surface. Having said that this sort of style of bike is never, ever going to be "comfortable". It's built to look right, (in the builders eye at least !) & that means compromise !
I initially planned to mount a shock absorber on its side, below the seat, operated by linkages very similar to the rear suspension on the Vyrus motorcycles, (a great mate had one & I could replicate the parts to suit my planned idea). I spoke to Maxton & Richard was very helpful, but because any unit would need to have been custom made, Maxton didn't have any suitable unit that could have been adapted easily to fit in the space available & give the amount of travel needed. My mate got Maxton to build two units for him for his Vyrus & they had great difficulty getting a unit with enough travel to fit in the available space & work well). In the end I gave up with that idea & started looking at existing mountain bike suspension units as there is a wide range available in price/length/travel/style. For ease I figured two air suspension units that I could adjust the air pressure in would be the best/easiest/cheapest route to go down. To buy good quality units, bearing in mind I wanted two units, proved expensive & I wasn't prepared to pay upwards of £600 for two new shocks. So, I started looking on Ebay, the problem there was finding two units the same. Plenty of people upgrade their mountain bikes, but they are only swopping out one unit ! Always when you want something second hand you can never find it, then when you don't need it there's loads available !!
To cut a long story short I looked for two units the same model & length with around 50mm of travel. Like many things when you're looking for something in particular you can never find them & by now months had passed by. After looking for ages I managed to find these two units, which were a bit too long, but I figured they'd do as a starting point. Depending upon how they perform, once I get the bike on the road, I may well look for two shorter units, (which would be a straight swop, so easy) which I agree would look better, certainly when nobody is sat on the bike !!
The other thing I could/may do is to make a slightly different front seat mount, or modify the existing mount, which would drop the front of the seat height.
On the first bike the electronic control unit lives under the seat & I had to get a hump put in the underseat cover for clearance, which in turn meant the seat had to be lifted to stop it hitting that hump, (bear in mind I'm designing "on-the-hoof" too, which is obviously not as good as designing on CAD !). You design/make something, like it, make it, but then find out it fouls something else, or stops something else working or getting access to ............ compromise, compromise !
I've got the electronic unit on this bike, a Motogadget unit, in the battery box area so the underset cover on this bike is flat, which makes the area under the seat look much bigger than it does on the first bike.

I built the first bike & ran it on the road for a while unpainted & then when I was happy, stripped it down for painting/anodising/etc.
This time & in an effort to speed up the build progress I just went ahead I got the paintwork & anodising done so once it was all assembled & I was happy I just went ahead and& got the parts finished.
I also didn't want, couldn't be arsed, building the wiring loom, which needed to go through the frame, & then taking it all out to have the paintwork done.

In the end I gave up worrying, made the seat work as it stands now, but my intention is to go back over it once I have the bike on the road & any changes I make can be made without big structural work such as frame welding, etc, which would obviously have implications for the paint finish.
I think what will end up happening is this bike will be much the same as the first bike, hopefully slightly better in the comfort department, so I'll find some shorter units with a bit less travel, change or modify the front seat mount & make it look more aesthetically pleasing.

 

[Noobie]

I recall a style of bicycle called a softride which rather didn't catch on as it was designed for track cycling

Robot’s Useless Reviews – The Softride Beam

Someone once told me that when you focus on one aspect of a design, to the exclusion of all others, you end up with the engineering equivalent of a flaming turd. I'm paraphrasing there, but I think you get the point, despite the "technical jargon." T

cyclingindependent.com

Also, had you considered an air ride system for the seat?

TC Bros. Air Ride Solo Seat Kit

TC Bros. Air Ride Solo Seat Kit Forget foam and springs. One of the most compact and tunable systems to isolate the rider from road shocks, the pneumatic action of a TC Bros. Air Ride kit can't be beat for deluxe bump absorption. Nearly infinite adjustability Superior damping and isolation...

tcbros.com

 

[CAT3]

Robot’s Useless Reviews – The Softride Beam

Someone once told me that when you focus on one aspect of a design, to the exclusion of all others, you end up with the engineering equivalent of a flaming turd. I'm paraphrasing there, but I think you get the point, despite the "technical jargon." T

cyclingindependent.com

Also, had you considered an air ride system for the seat?

TC Bros. Air Ride Solo Seat Kit

TC Bros. Air Ride Solo Seat Kit Forget foam and springs. One of the most compact and tunable systems to isolate the rider from road shocks, the pneumatic action of a TC Bros. Air Ride kit can't be beat for deluxe bump absorption. Nearly infinite adjustability Superior damping and isolation...

tcbros.com

Yes, I've seen these air-ride things, but they looked too ugly for me & they would also restrict the planned access to the battery so I discounted them.

 

[Exige]

I know exactly what you mean about the style, etc, it's one of those things that some will like, some won't, no offence taken !!

To cut a long story short I looked for two units the same model & length with around 50mm of travel. Like many things when you're looking for something in particular you can never find them & by now months had passed by. After looking for ages I managed to find these two units, which were a bit too long, but I figured they'd do as a starting point. Depending upon how they perform, once I get the bike on the road, I may well look for two shorter units, (which would be a straight swop, so easy) which I agree would look better, certainly when nobody is sat on the bike !!
The other thing I could/may do is to make a slightly different front seat mount, or modify the existing mount, which would drop the front of the seat height.
On the first bike the electronic control unit lives under the seat & I had to get a hump put in the underseat cover for clearance, which in turn meant the seat had to be lifted to stop it hitting that hump, (bear in mind I'm designing "on-the-hoof" too, which is obviously not as good as designing on CAD !). You design/make something, like it, make it, but then find out it fouls something else, or stops something else working or getting access to ............ compromise, compromise !
I've got the electronic unit on this bike, a Motogadget unit, in the battery box area so the underset cover on this bike is flat, which makes the area under the seat look much bigger than it does on the first bike.

I built the first bike & ran it on the road for a while unpainted & then when I was happy, stripped it down for painting/anodising/etc.
This time & in an effort to speed up the build progress I just went ahead I got the paintwork & anodising done so once it was all assembled & I was happy I just went ahead and& got the parts finished.
I also didn't want, couldn't be arsed, building the wiring loom, which needed to go through the frame, & then taking it all out to have the paintwork done.

In the end I gave up worrying, made the seat work as it stands now, but my intention is to go back over it once I have the bike on the road & any changes I make can be made without big structural work such as frame welding, etc, which would obviously have implications for the paint finish.
I think what will end up happening is this bike will be much the same as the first bike, hopefully slightly better in the comfort department, so I'll find some shorter units with a bit less travel, change or modify the front seat mount & make it look more aesthetically pleasing.

To cut a long story longer you mean no wonder it’s taking you decades to build it

 

[CAT3]

To cut a long story longer you mean no wonder it’s taking you decades to build it

He says ..................... !!

 

[Exige]

He says ..................... !!

Yes, from my Ivory Tower (which I built in a few hours........... )

 

[Barry Hell]

Yes, from my Ivory Tower (which I built in a few hours........... )

Did the box say 12 - 15 years

 

[Exige]

Did the box say 12 - 15 years

No, not as long - it said 3- 6 years and I built it in a few hours

 

[Chizel - Founding Father]

No, not as long - it said 3- 6 years and I built it in a few hours

You truly are the trump of the north!
People are saying you are the bestest

 

[Gimlet]

You truly are the trump of the north!
People are saying you are the oldest/baldest/most tasselled/back-to-fronty motorbicylcist.

FIFY

 

[CAT3]

Got the wiring loom routed to the engine components today, starter-motor solenoid, neutral switch, oil pressure switch, regulator & magneto kill terminal. All in flexible conduit and/or shrink sleeve.

Oil pressure switch.

Magneto kill terminal.

All the necessary wires are now at the battery box awaiting connecting, that might be tomorrow's job. I could maybe finish that on Tuesday had I not have to go on a "speed awareness" course thanks to Nottinghamshire constabulary ! Funny isn't it their prosecution level has dropped, (they do not get any of that fine money), but their offers of speed awareness courses has risen dramatically, for which they receive 50% of the course fees !! Just sayin' ! 46mph in a 40 mph limit on a dual carriageway with road works that have been there for at least a year, (long enough to fit permanent average speed cameras) & I have NEVER yet seen anybody working, or even present, anywhere along the stretch of road concerned Cash generation ?!! you have to wonder !

 

[Barry Hell]

Got the wiring loom routed to the engine components today, starter-motor solenoid, neutral switch, oil pressure switch, regulator & magneto kill terminal. All in flexible conduit and/or shrink sleeve.
View attachment 163615

Oil pressure switch.
View attachment 163616

Magneto kill terminal.
View attachment 163617

All the necessary wires are now at the battery box awaiting connecting, that might be tomorrow's job. I could maybe finish that on Tuesday had I not have to go on a "speed awareness" course thanks to Nottinghamshire constabulary ! Funny isn't it their prosecution level has dropped, (they do not get any of that fine money), but their offers of speed awareness courses has risen dramatically, for which they receive 50% of the course fees !! Just sayin' ! 46mph in a 40 mph limit on a dual carriageway with road works that have been there for at least a year, (long enough to fit permanent average speed cameras) & I have NEVER yet seen anybody working, or even present, anywhere along the stretch of road concerned Cash generation ?!! you have to wonder !

View attachment 163618

So much for 10% plus 3 mph guidance

 

[CAT3]

Back on with the wiring today, I figured I'd just make all the final connections to the Motogadget unit without cutting any wires to length yet or finalising anything, just in case !
I did the same thing on the first bike, although I did use a different control unit on that bike & it seems no matter how careful you are you always manage to get something wrong !
So here's the rats nest prior to the first "switch-on" with the battery perched on the frame !

This relay will the the "kill" relay to short out the magneto, to stop the engine with the ignition key. Morris do supply a spring tab which can be connected to the electrical stud on the side of the magneto body & to stop the engine you just have to reach down to this tab & press it onto the body. I just prefer it to stop on the key.

And after the first "switch-on". The LED indicate which circuit is operating and/or which circuit is faulty. I'll have to read the instruction properly now so I know what I'm doing !!

Even all the idiot lights seem to work correctly for the indicators, high beam, neutral & low oil pressure.
The blue button below the speedo is the "menu" button to scroll through the various menus for trip, battery voltage & other functions such as water temperature, oil temperature, actual oil pressure & others that I am not using.

At the moment though the speedo is not working when I spin the rear wheel, (the pick-up is in the gearbox) & the kill relay is not operating so I'll have to go back now over my wiring to work out why.
I forgot to test the horn too so I need to check that when I reconnect the battery. Fingers crossed these should be simple fixes.

 

[CAT3]

A few hours later & at least some progress has been made !
The horn works fine & the speedo works now that I've connected the +12v lead from the gearbox sensor ! I'd missed it's red wire in the rat's nest of wires now under the seat ! The only problem now with the speedo is it needs calibrating & the menu options in the speedo are not the easiest to fathom to a ludite like me !!
It appears there are two different sizes of gear that Baker might have used so I've contacted them to ask if they can tell me which I have. The only other option is to remove the actual sensor from my gearbox & physically count the gear teeth while turning the rear wheel. On the face of it that should be easy enough to do, but access is somewhat restricted in that area ! Anyway, I'll wait & see if Baker reply to my request first before committing to remove the rear cylinder exhaust together with the speed sensor itself
Initially when I turned the rear wheel, slowly, the speedo was reading 60 odd mph so clearly it needs calibrating. The speedo has a menu where amongst the many things you can alter is the wheel circumference, (which I have done for a 160/70 17 tyre, 1981mm) & the number of pulses the speed sensor gives per revolution of the gear, (this can be 30 or 32 so I've set it at 32 for the time being). I also found the menu for changing it from displaying kms to mls & after a few attempts got that done at least !!

The ignition "kill" function wasn't working either, but that turned out to be a programming issue. Once I'd read the instructions properly I realised because my Motogadget is the "Blue" version, as in Bluetooth, it seems there are many functions you can change once you have connected your mobile phone to the unit itself !!
It appears now that I'll be able to stop the engine by turning the ignition OFF, as per usual practice. When the engine is running I will also be able to press the KILL button to stop the engine, again normal. However, when the ignition is turned OFF & you come back to the bike & turn the ignition ON it defaults to KILL the engine so although the starter motor still kicks in, the magneto is still shorted to earth, preventing the engine from starting. I'll just have to remember to operate the KILL button after every time I turn the ignition ON, (I can see me forgetting that at some point in the future !! ).

 

[CAT3]

Considering the size of the indicators, which are E marked, they are blindingly bright, the picture below doesn't really do them justice !!

The speedo also displays battery voltage, which might not be a bad thing as I'm using a lithium battery !

 

[Barry Hell]

Considering the size of the indicators, which are E marked, they are blindingly bright, the picture below doesn't really do them justice !!
View attachment 163733

View attachment 163732

The speedo also displays battery voltage, which might not be a bad thing as I'm using a lithium battery !

Lithium you say, if only we had an expert in the forum

 

[Exige]

Lithium you say, if only we had an expert in the forum