|
CHAPTER TWO - 11
|
 |
After
rebuilding the final drive, which is a task in itself, I managed
to get it all in place very well. I have noticed though that the
rubber coupling block or ‘doughnut’ was very close to the
battery plate, within 3mm of it. I thought this strange but will
leave it until everything else is in place. |
I think the worst
thing about replacing any parts with new ones is the thick brown Russian
gunk that is plastered all over them and then covered with the brown
greased paper. It takes ages to get it off with loads of petrol, those
degreasing agents don’t seem to touch it very well. But underneath it
all there is the usual gleaming Russian chrome, speckled with rust
patches. Your next step is to get it all chromed before you can use it.
Ah well – one day?
|
Now comes the
time when the rear shock absorbers can be fitted. This being
quite an easy task doesn’t take very long, except that I noticed
two large chrome washers sitting in the box with the shocks. I
just couldn’t figure out where they came from, it’s like
anything you take apart and try to put back together, there is
always something over. After several careful looks at the parts
manual I suddenly realised where they came from, they sit under
the bottom cowling on top of the adjuster. I now have to take
apart the shock absorbers again and fit the washers. This I
didn’t need, so off they came and I took them apart.
Again I used
my makeshift spring compressor, but this time I strengthened the
wood so it wouldn’t break. One good thing about this is that you
learn from your mistakes, and this time it all went together in
no time.
|
 |
Shocks sorted, now
came the front forks. I had been dreading these from the beginning
because when I got all the bits back I looked into the box with all the
parts in it and thought “I’ve forgotten how it goes back together” HELP!
I didn’t have a problem with the general assembly, but forgot how the
oil seals fitted in the section that screws on the bottom part of the
fork. I sat there and looked at it, walked away, came back and looked at
it again, then thought I know, look at the parts catalogue that will
tell me – wrong, that was more confusing than ever.
|
 |
Time to
swallow pride and phone someone, Chris Smith was the first to
come to mind. I think it took Chris 15 minutes to try and talk
me through it, we had a slight communications problem where he
couldn’t describe it properly and I was being a pillock who
couldn’t understand what he was trying to describe. In the end
we got there and I managed to get the forks together. |
It
will be interesting to see if the things will hold oil now. I don’t put
oil in the Dnepr outfit’s forks because as soon as I put oil in, it
leaks out again. The bolt seats at the bottom of each fork have been
badly damaged sometime in its life and not matter what I try and do the
oil always leaks out. Again I asked a ‘professional’ person for advice
on it, and came up with a very simple idea. Don’t put oil in it, then it
can’t leak out. Seems a bit daft, but I must say it hasn’t made a huge
difference in handling or braking. |
 |
