The Scarlet Headers Tech Night II - Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow

As we sat down for our second tech night, you could look around at an amazing group of women and see the common denominator you always see at Scarlet Headers gatherings: smiles on smiles. Women brought together by gasoline culture and a love of two wheels…and wine. There was also wine. Our second night was geared toward learning how to buy a project bike, or any bike for that matter.  Although we had already picked up the 1973 “Scarlet Red” Honda CL350, the idea behind #TSHProjectBike is to learn about the project bike process from beginning, middle, back to the drawing board if need be, and to the end.

Winging It, How to Buy a Project Bike

Once you’ve decided that you want to take on the project of working on a vintage bike, some people have specific makes and models in mind.  Some people, like Justin, one of our fearless, or perhaps acting fearless, teachers is winging it. As he says, “sometimes when the right project bike opportunity comes along, you will be winging it as well.”   

Whether you find an ad on craigslist or a connection through a mutual friend, questions to the owner are not the most important. People can fib (or straight out lie for a sale) or maybe they don’t even know the answer. Your initial inspection of the bike will provide most, if not all, the answers you need to make your decision to pull the trigger or keep looking. So where do you start? How will you diagnose catastrophic failures vs. minor routine repairs or needed adjustments? Well you need to make sure to bring your handy dandy tool kit!

What’s in TSH Tool Kit?
Basics – Sockets, ratchet + extensions, combo wrench, spanner (British ), Allen wrench, bit driver, mirror, extendable flashlight, safety wire, adjustable wrench, vice grips, box cuter, tire pressure gauge, voltmeter, and zip ties are some of the things you will find in our basic tool kit.  PLAN TO GET DIRTY! Bring your gloves!  Hope that you find the “one” – Bring Tie Downs!  If you are looking for a specific bike, pull the shop manual, do some research, and know what you’ll need and what to look for. Harley takes a standard wrench, while a vintage Brit may need whitworth spanners.
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A compression tester is very important to bring along as well – if you aren’t buying project bikes regularly, it may be best to borrow one, or bring along your best GIRLfriend who has one!

Let’s Get Down to Brass Tacks

When you start to diagnose problems, or parts that need to be replaced on your potential project bike, start with the “big things” and going from there is the best method. Look for catastrophic failures such as:

1. If the pistons are “locked up” and the motor is seized it may need a top end or bottom end rebuild.  If you establish the bike has a seized motor think about the price of the bike. If it’s low in price and this is the style or model you are looking for those issues may not be a show stopper – and you can try to negotiate the price. It could be nothing more serious than corrosion from sitting too long; it could be so bad it requires a completely new motor. Beauty of a bike, but seized up? Think long and hard before you move forward with it.
2. If the bike has a kicker, give it a slow kick. It should turn the motor smoothly and you should feel compression build in the engine.
3. If it doesn’t create pressure, check the compression: make sure the bike is set to “off," remove the spark plugs, screw in and snug the tester and kick hard three or four times. If the bike is electric start, turn it over several times. On a multi-cylinder bike, you should see similar readings across the board.  If one is significantly lower than the others, this can indicate anything from bad rings or valve seats to a blown head gasket.
4. If compression looks good, turn the bike’s ignition on. Check that the headlight comes on and is bright, turn your fuel on try to get the bike running.  If the bike has been sitting for a long period of time, you may have a dead battery on your hands, as well as clogged up carburetors. 
5. Another possibility is bad gas; bad gas smells similar to wood varnish. If bad gas goes through the fuel system the motor will turn over, but not fire. It takes about a year for gas to go really bad – this may be a good time to inquire to the owner how long it has been since it started – but who knows, they might say anything misleading for the sale. 

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If you manage to get the bike started, check around the top and bottom of the cylinder for any significant leaking. If you’re looking at a vintage motorcycle, some level of seepage from old gaskets is to be expected. A steady stream of leaking oil is another matter, and could indicate warped heads.  So far, if the bike runs, nothing is leaking too badly, and the price makes sense, finish up the deal and load the bike up. Don’t forget to get your signed Bill of Sale, Title, and remove the previous owner’s license plate.

“Will that catch on fire?” –“All the scenes in movies are lies!”

We absolutely suggest bringing a veteran or “trusted” advisor when buying your first project bike, it’s all about inspection and skilled inspection and diagnostics takes time and practice. DO NOT IGNORE NOISES YOU HEAR NO MATTER HOW EXCITED YOU ARE. 

​Deduction and diagnostics paired with basic knowledge of how engines work, knowing what to look for, and experience will make your project buying experience much more successful. While we may have been joking during Bike Night II, The Magic School Bus television show has a great video of “How Engines Work”.  There are 4 strokes of an engine: Suck, Squeeze!, Bang, and Blow.  It’s important to understand the physics and mechanics, as well as badass when you are a fierce chick who knows what she is doing. 

Tips and Tricks

Trials and tribulations are the best way to learn, but it’s also great to keep in mind some tips and tricks. This way you can avoid overlooking a mechanical problem on your project bike.

• Although this is usually a DUH moment for anyone who rides, make sure the petcock/petrol tap is in the on position
• If the bike “almost started”, it “probably will start”
• If you can bump start or roll start the bike - most likely it’s something to do with the battery
  • “That’s why you always see dudes in leather pushing other dudes, and it all goes downhill from there.”
• There is usually only one spark plug per cylinder – you can tell A LOT about a bike by the spark plug – the color of the spark plug can tell you immense amounts of information about run-ability of the bike – How do you know where the spark plug is?  Do your research! Shop manuals can typically be downloaded in PDF from the World Wide Web. 
• If the spark plug is black – the bike is running rich (more fuel than air) vs. a lean running bike (lower than ideal fuel for air intake). This plug will look white and possibly flakey.
• The spark plug should be the color of chocolate milk and be relatively dry
• Compression test each cylinder – Optimum is 120-140 PSI (pounds per square inch), but check your bike manual to be sure 

#TSHProjectBike

After Bike Night II the Scarlet Headers diagnosed the project bike’s expensive fixes – the good sign is that our bike still runs, and it’s broken, giving us something to fix! The CL350’s right cylinder is running at 100 PSI, and the left side is at 85 PSI. This could be a symptom of bad rings, out of adjustment valves, or a bad head gasket. The fork seals will need to be replaced, as well as new rear suspension. We will need to replace the swing arm bearings, and have some electrical gremlins to tackle. All in all, we have a lot to work with, and a lot to learn! This winter season is going to be an epic adventure where we dive into the ins and outs of project bikes, beginning with this old Honda. 

Continue to follow our progress on Instagram #TSHProjectBike
 
By Anna Hebert