Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - October 2007 - (Page 52)

MONTHLY FEATURE STORIES BENCH RACING Thanks so much, Phil BENCH RACING #91 OCTOBER 2007 Fiberglass Follies Hey Mark, I hope your doing well. I have a 71 Norton Commando with fiberglass tank; it had a fuel leak when I got it about 8 yrs ago. I had it resealed at that time with Red kote tank liner, a Damon product. It was fine until last year, and now it has developed a leak again at the bottom right side at the seam. This tank has never been dropped or crashed that I know of, so question is. What do you think would be the best thing to use to strip the old sealer out without hurting the fiberglass and what would you reseal with. Know of any after market companies that make a tank for this bike, seen a lot of ads for used tanks but would end up with same issue. Thanks keep up the good work. Turtle I can’t think of anything that’d remove the sealer without removing the bottom of the tank as well, however someone that specializes in fiberglass perhaps a boat or Corvette shop might be able to put you onto to something. I’d contact Norvil Motorcycle Company (norvilmotorcycle.co.uk) the experts on all things Norton, and order up a new tank. In the long run I think it’ll be a cheaper and eas52 OCTOBER Presents Q By: Mark Zimmerman ier solution than trying to repair the one you’ve got. Bench Racing Q Rattle and Hum Hey Mark, My Kawasaki ZL 900 Eliminator makes a tapping sound when cold. I originally thought it was a valve sound. I checked the valve clearance, it was ok. The noise seems to be coming from the left side of the head. Which makes me suspect it is the cam chain. This bike has an automatic chain tensioner (I believe) the noise quickly disappears as soon as it warms up. The machine has 12000 miles on it. Do you know of any problems with the tensioner malfunctioning? Do you think this could be serious? I love this bike and keep it well maintained. Your opinion is greatly appreciated. I WALNECKS.COM Without hearing the noise it’s difficult to even make a guess. As a rule the chain tensioners are reliable but they do wear out, and they sometimes stick a little when cold. The cam chain guides and the cam chain can also wear a little and cause some noise. You may also be hearing a little piston slap, but that’s a long shot, since it goes away quickly I wouldn’t worry too much. However, you may want to have your local Kawasaki shop or specialist (seems like every town has at least one guy that’s just nuts for Z and KZ Kawasaki’s) take a listen. My apologies for being so vague but as I say it’s tough to diagnose something like this long distance. A Slip Sliding Into The Orthopedic Ward Mark, I own a 1974 XLCH iron head Sportster, which is a real bear to start. Recently it has developed the tendency to “slip” after about the 3rd kick on the kick-starter. Not only does this make the bike even harder to start than normal but has become painful as well. (When the kick-start slips, the inside of my knee slaps against the top of the shock absorber). I realize and accept the fact that old iron heads aren’t easy to start, but it seems that this slippage is progressively getting worse along with the large green-black bruise on the inside of my right Q A 2007 I WALNECK’S CLASSIC CYCLE TRADER® http://norvilmotorcycle.co.uk http://norvilmotorcycle.co.uk http://WALNECKS.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - October 2007

Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - October 2007 Contents American The Buzz DIY Alloys Repairs (or How to Melt Aluminum in Three Easy Steps) OHV 55' Harley-Davidson Sportster Tip of the Month Bench Racing Mid-Ohio/VMD Recap Calendar of Events Davenport Show Guide British 988 C.C. Vincent Rapide Biker of the Month Diary of a Streamliner BUB 2006 Meet European Sears SR250 Need for Speed Japanese Kawasaki Antique/Classic Motorcycle Club Competition Motorbikes & Scooters Quiz #3 - Winners Announced! How to Place a Work Ad How to Place a Photo Ad Area Code Directory How to Subscribe Let Us Help You with Your Event

Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - October 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.