[vrprabhu]

Please also check the air filter, it's housing and connecting hoses.

I remember you had some issues with the charcoal canister and the routing of throttle cable - check whether these are snagged.

Also, by off chance, did the ECU get reset? Since the bike wasn't functioning normally earlier, are the settings skewed? Are there any relays used in the injection circuit?

[that_sedate_guy]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

Have you checked for vacuum leaks caused by split tubes or hoses, damaged seals, etc? The excess air allows idling speed to rise.

Originally Posted by SnS_12

Replace the intake manifold and see if it makes a difference as there could be an air leak because of a small cut/rupture which is making the fuel mixture lean and also maybe change the throttle cable as well.

With this kind of a rebuild you end up doing a lot more then you had planned for as you always end up seeking perfection

All the best!!!

Originally Posted by vrprabhu

Please also check the air filter, it's housing and connecting hoses.
Are there any relays used in the injection circuit?

I have a good update and thanks everyone for your insights. If there's one advantage to putting a question out here, it's that multiple thought perspectives will spring up with a massive learning opportunity. Apart from the regular leak possibilities, you guys have taught me a few other factors I never knew about!

Anyway, back to our scenario, I did some checks on the airbox, and after 3 hours of troubleshooting, got a hold of the culprit.

The injector o-ring was missing! I felt downright silly but in hindsight, there were only two possibilities for me to have an injector without an o-ring

1. I must have removed the old one because it had torn off or
2. The o-ring was never there to begin with

I had neither any photographic records of the o-ring being damaged because if there had been damage, I would definitely have captured it, nor was that particular sized o-ring anywhere to be found in the removed items bin. I'm still not blatantly going to say it couldn't have been me but long story short, I'm just happy it got found out.
Mr. P was mentally preparing himself to shell out Rs. 4k on a new throttle body when I rang him up and told him the issue was fixed for Rs. 10. We had a good laugh at ourselves for a while

More details about this and other updates coming up real soon. Stay tuned, friends, we're nearing the end!

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by that_sedate_guy

I have a good update...
...told him the issue was fixed for Rs. 10. We had a good laugh at ourselves for a while

More details about this and other updates coming up real soon. Stay tuned, friends, we're nearing the end!

You might have already checked this but I'll alert you anyway: the injector o-ring is exposed to fuel so it is not made of the conventional rubber that can withstand oil. This means that you might need to get the o-ring specified by Yamaha to ensure it doesn't disintegrate soon.

[that_sedate_guy]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

You might have already checked this but I'll alert you anyway: the injector o-ring is exposed to fuel so it is not made of the conventional rubber that can withstand oil. This means that you might need to get the o-ring specified by Yamaha to ensure it doesn't disintegrate soon.

I did check beforehand and Nitrile was specified as gasoline safe and that's what has been used for the replacement. Time will tell if something goes wrong but there's a high possibility this is the end of the idling issue, hands down.

[that_sedate_guy]

Part 8: Saigo no ashi (The last leg!)


We’re here. Oh yes, we’re here! It was time to put everything back together (hoping all the while that I wouldn’t end up with parts that should have been fitted somewhere). The bike was solid mechanically and the electricals and peripherals needed care next. Technically, the motorcycle was ready to be ridden but as things stood, it was neither legal, nor safe.



Here’s a list of the things to do that stared at my face.

Making it road legal:

1. Prep the headlights and assemble the head unit
2. Fix up the indicators
3. Repair and fit the horns

Improving the functionality

1. Radiator protection
2. Gear lever position adjustment

Fit & finish

1. Fairing assembly
2. Graphics

Starting with the headlights, the lenses had deep scratches which were past the point of being able to buff out. I tried sanding out some of it but it really wasn’t going in my favour so I simply decided to give it to a shop nearby. In hindsight, that was a perfectly thought-out waste of time. The guy took two full weeks only to return the lens simply buffed over the darned scratches.



This was exactly my reaction to it. Picture courtesy: The Mass Effect series.



Decided to do it the hard way. Sat down with a water spray and started all the way down from 220 grit. Progression was to 320, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000, 2500 and 3000 grits. The entire process of sanding alone took close to 8 days but I wasn’t taking any other routes. Here’s a glimpse of 320 grit sanding going on.



Finally, after the gruelling sanding process, this was the result, finished at 3000 grit. I could have gone higher, but to be very honest, I had it at that point and so had Mr.P. We decided to move ahead to buffing.

[Buffing]

I had an electric die grinding set with me so with the felt attachment fitted and the buffing compound ready, I sat down to work. Half an hour into the job and one of the lenses was complete. Boy was it a sight to behold.



With this new-found motivation, I started to buff out the other lens and halfway through, I remembered that buffing is just not that simple. What looked like a crystal clear lens from one angle, was still showing ugly lines from another viewing angle. This meant another whole hour of polishing the lenses until the shine was acceptable to my eyes.




With the headlamp lenses done, the major work was over and I started to make really good progress with the fairings.
On went the headlight assembly. Fitted up everything from the windshield to the number plate.




Before assembling the fairings on the sides, I remembered how badly the radiator had been previously damaged by flying stones and debris. I took a piece of perforated steel sheet and cut it to the exact size as the radiator. A coat of paint and the radiator guard was ready. Not too shabby, I must say!




I fixed the guard and the fairings and moved ahead to screwing everything tight.




With the guard in place, I quickly bolted up the fairings and started work on the vent fairings. This was easier said than done because of the two million screw points for the fairings.




I hooked up the indicators and switched on the system. Of course, nothing worked. Rewired the connectors and tried again, nope. I tried cleaning and rearranging the wires in the switch. Ended up having to re-solder everything and hook it up. While it did solve the problem of the indicators not working at all, it raised a new issue. The headlamps would switch to high beam when the indicators were switched on. I spent a good half hour scratching my head before troubleshooting it down to loose connections. After taping everything up securely, the lights were good to go.




With the rest of the fairings done uneventfully, I whipped up the stickers I had ordered and my goodness was I irritated beyond belief. The morons had folded the sticker pack during transit and half the decals were completely ruined. I had to make do with whatever was left and that wasn’t much.




I decided to call it a day and the next morning, I didn’t have work so decided to take the bike for a test. I didn’t wring it confidently because after all, it was a complex sports motorcycle assembled by a guy who convinced himself that he was an engineer.




I rode it for a good 40 kilometres. As the distance racked up, I eased into the bike and started getting comfortable. When I say comfortable, its just a normal riding posture as opposed to the nervous dog posture. I don’t lean in and carve corners like experienced riders do so I’m pretty sure I did not tap into the potential of the bike but it was better safe than sorry especially since the motorcycle was running for the first time in 8, yes 8 whole months after lying around in bits and pieces for most of that time.

Let’s just say that’s a very very happy boy inside that helmet.




The engine was smooth, the gearshifts were almost factory slick, the acceleration was back, the unnecessary noise, vibrations were all gone and with them went the rear brake.

Yep, the rear brake was hopeless and had to be replaced at the earliest. I did the entire test with just the front brake which by the way, was just about as snappy as corporate employees on a Monday. To get it to that state though was not easy. I had to wrestle with a lot of sponginess due to incorrect bleeding before long I got it right and working.

Back to the rear brake, pun unintended, Mr. P brought with him a new caliper set he had purchased from Chennai and we got to work immediately.

Out with the old




And in with the new




Filled up fluid in the reservoir and within two minutes, the system was bled to perfection. I tried closing the cap and it just wouldn’t seal up. I realised that the rubber seal had bulged out and there was no way to put it in place properly. I knew that the seal wasn’t available separately so I simply cut out the bellow portion of the seal, threw it away and used the flat top portion alone. Did a bunch of testing and the seal held up perfectly.




And with that, the bike was ready for a nice wash and clean. My bullet was also dirty so I treated both of them to a thorough wash.




It was finally time for Mr.P to take the bike back home. It was quite a strange feeling, honestly. The bike which came limping and crying out on the back of a flatbed auto, unable to start and run, now ready to traverse miles. Took a few pictures of the bike before fitting up the rear grab rails.




And with that, the bike fired up with one press of the button. No stuttering, no lethargy, just crisp liveliness. A flick of the throttle and the revs spoke up. Mr.P gingerly slotted the first gear and off charged the R15, onto its maiden voyage to Mr.P’s house at Krishnagiri after rising up from the ashes.

[Ciao]

Thanks everyone who thought this was even remotely interesting and chose to stick to the end and watch how everything turned out. The support and enthusiasm were at times the only things that made me want to keep doing it, especially when certain parts of the build annoyed the remaining hair out of my head. Thanks all, once again.

Signing off with a parting shot, one of my favourite angles to view the bike from.

[after]

You are a mechanical engineer's final form. It seems like you know everything; every component of a motorcycle, welding, machining, plumbing... Even electronics and painting somehow! Congratulations on completing the restoration, it was a roller-coaster ride from start to finish and extremely well-written.

I do hope you get to ride the motorcycle often, it belongs to you as much as it does to Mr. P with the amount of hardwork you've put into it

[Ravi Parwan]

Great restoration! kudos to you for trying to and managing to bring an abused bike back to life. I doubt I would have the perseverance to go for a 8 month long project....

BTW, did you apply any protective film on the headlights after buffing? IIRC, that is supposed to protect it from UV as well as fresh scratches.

[vrprabhu]

What a transformation err.. reformation or rebirth is more like it, I guess - reads like a story of a black duckling morphing into the white swan!! Kudos to your patience and dedication.... there's a perfectionist streak somewhere inside of you!

Hope that Mr. P takes good care of the bike.

[Indraneel Bhat]

One of the most inspiring threads on Team-BHP!!! Thank you sir!!!

[skb1811]

Excellent thread, and an even better quality, rebuilt to perfection R15.

[fast_elegance]

This was a quite a read. Thank you so much for sharing.

I had my RX135 restored sometime back though the engine was not opened up and I am now sitting here wondering if the mechanic took even 10% of the effort that you gave here with every single part that you disassembled, restored and reassembled them back to perfection.

[that_sedate_guy]

Originally Posted by after

It seems like you know everything; every component of a motorcycle, welding, machining, plumbing..., it was a roller-coaster ride from start to finish and extremely well-written.

I do hope you get to ride the motorcycle often, it belongs to you as much as it does to Mr. P with the amount of hardwork you've put into it

Thank you! I learned a lot of it from my father. He was an English professor but knew more about physics than the average Joe. Also, he always encouraged whenever I wanted to get any new tool or equipment. It was always about learning and knowing more.
I hope so too. For now the bike is resting at his house since he is in Chennai but we've made plans for rides in the coming days.

Originally Posted by Ravi Parwan

Great restoration! kudos to you for trying to and managing to bring an abused bike back to life. I doubt I would have the perseverance to go for a 8 month long project....

BTW, did you apply any protective film on the headlights after buffing? IIRC, that is supposed to protect it from UV as well as fresh scratches.

It was a mixed bag in terms of the emotions rewarded throughout but I spent time as and when I could. I did not sit at it all in one go because even though that would've shaved the time by half, it would have depleted me.
Also, I haven't installed any films. I can get him to install some later on when he gets the bike in his hands full time.

Originally Posted by vrprabhu

What a transformation err.. reformation or rebirth is more like it, I guess - reads like a story of a black duckling morphing into the white swan!! Kudos to your patience and dedication.... there's a perfectionist streak somewhere inside of you!

Hope that Mr. P takes good care of the bike.

Haha, I really appreciate it! Also, Mr. P is quite happy with the bike to such an extent that right now it's only being started, ridden around daily for a little bit by his brother, cleaned and stored until he gets his regular license. He has refused to ride it with his learner's because he wants it to be perfect. I'm sure the bike is in good hands indeed.

Originally Posted by Indraneel Bhat

One of the most inspiring threads on Team-BHP!!! Thank you sir!!!

Originally Posted by skb1811

Excellent thread, and an even better quality, rebuilt to perfection R15.

Thank you! At times I did doubt myself if the restoration would be proper, mechanically and cosmetically. However it turned out to be more of a case of "Be patient and trust the process"

Originally Posted by fast_elegance

This was a quite a read. Thank you so much for sharing.

I had my RX135 restored sometime back though the engine was not opened up and I am now sitting here wondering if the mechanic took even 10% of the effort that you gave here with every single part that you disassembled, restored and reassembled them back to perfection.

When it comes to old mechanical systems and cases like mine where the usage was too rough and led to premature part failure, we never know what might be wrong and where. Granted, I could have simply reduced that initial noise and harshness with a ridiculously viscous oil, slapped some fresh paint on it and called it a day. Would've been over in a week but the soul of motorcycling would've gotten lost due to all the underlying issues cropping up one after the other and sucking the joy out of the experience.
Hence it's always good to spend that tiny amount of extra time, traded off for hassle free journeys later. That thought process is what made me put in the hours. That, and hey come on, me loves machines😅