My B50SS

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Mon Jan 06, 2014 10:32 am

After a lot of looking I finally bought a US import B50SS with lots of parts missing and a UK B25SS that was nearly complete. The object was to end up with a restored B50SS. When I've done that I'll decide what to do with the remaining parts.

First job was to get them stripped down. Easy Riser stand made this a lot better for the ageing back.

B25 frame had all 4 electrical box brackets broken. B50 frame had the side stand bracket and one seat bracket broken. New one welded on using the seat pan as a jig.

Seat pan was cracked and bent needing some repair and still needs more work.
But it's alot better than the B25 seatpan.

Damp English weather help in place by seat foam is obviously cruel to seat pans. I think this one is beyond repair.

Next job is side stand bracket

Ian Hingley · Post by **Ian Hingley** » Mon Jan 06, 2014 2:56 pm

BasilF wrote:Easy Riser stand made this a lot better for the ageing back.

Not sure if I've an aching, ageing back or an ageing, aching back, but it certainly 'ckin hurts!

Ian

Mark Cook · Post by **Mark Cook** » Mon Jan 06, 2014 3:37 pm

Just the place for a project like that, nice shed. Still better a neighbour control fence

Post by **minetymenace** » Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:35 pm

And a cage for prisoners!

Ian Hingley · Post by **Ian Hingley** » Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:42 pm

and rural Leicestershire sounds so quaint!

Ian

Northern_Nate · Post by **Northern_Nate** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:09 am

Very cool! Looking forward to seeing some more pictures.

I haven't even started my restoration work yet. Ordered some pieces, but winter is a bit too cold these days to spend time in the garage.

Happy New Year!

Nate

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Fri Jan 10, 2014 6:32 pm

Cut the bracket bracket off in line with the stops. Cut the welds on the doubler plate and chiseled it off. Took a template off the B25 frame and welded in new front plate.

Decided to make the bracket hole 3/8dia same as the bolt. Using the spacer removes too much metal from the (already too weak) bracket. Bent and welded on doubler.

Turned up a new spring anchor and welded it in.

Straightened the very bend side stand and fitted it all together. Seems to work fine. There is a small bulge in the side stand where I straightened it. I'll live with it.

While looking at the B50 engine I was wondering where the correct tappet cover had gone.

Then I spotted it. Wonder how many years it has been jammed in there. I got it out but the thread is a bit knackered.

Next job is to sort out the bent and cracked pillion footrest brackets.

beat · Post by **beat** » Fri Jan 10, 2014 8:05 pm

BasilF wrote: Wonder how many years it has been jammed in there.

typical

Post by **minetymenace** » Fri Jan 10, 2014 11:06 pm

Mr Cook makes those covers that don't fall off

midgie · Post by **midgie** » Fri Jan 10, 2014 11:38 pm

minetymenace wrote:
Mr Cook makes those covers that don't fall off

thats some 'claim' that they dont fall off. they will if not done up correct, with or without o rings.

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Sat Jan 25, 2014 7:39 pm

Pillion footrest brackets were knackered on both swinging arms. The early type is one 4mm plate and the later type is 2 x 2mm plates so not any stronger but less likely to pull a lump out of the swinging arm.

Managed to grind the old ones off and replaced with 2 x 3mm. They still don't look that strong.
Back in the 70s they only had to support the weight of a teenage girl. Now any pillion passengers are likely to be much heavier.

These are the new ones welded on. Right angle bent in a vice between two thick plates then tacked on and the flanges heat bent round the tube.

As a diversion I made a front chain guard using the drawings on this site.

Its only now looking at the picture that I see I forgot to round off the corners on the support bracket!

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:56 pm

Restarted my B50 after a long delay for another project.

Rebuilt front forks with new staunchions. Internals were mostly OK. Removed rib on the sliders and gave them a bit of a polish. No springs in at present dither about whether to put back origional springs or buy some variable rate ones.

Wheels were looking rather sad. Dismantled them. Took hubs and back plated for vapour blasting then rattle can sprayed them with etch primer, alluminium paint and clear coat.

Bought Valtrue stainless rim and spoke kits from Devon rim company.

Both laced OK and rear trued. Now waiting for some parts to come back from zinc plating so I can mount replace the front wheel bearings and true front wheel. Will mount wheel in inverted front forks and centre rim between sliders while truing.

beat · Post by **beat** » Tue Sep 18, 2018 9:39 pm

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Fri Sep 21, 2018 11:02 pm

Wanted a centre stand but couldn't get the exact aone so bought an OIF A65 one. Pivots fit fine but side lever stops the side stand working.

So cut it off and then removed the end bit.

Drilled a hole near the base and welded the end bit in.

Since the side stand moves out as it moved down, it just clears.

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Sat Sep 22, 2018 6:37 pm

Finally I found something that was cheaper than I expected.

This box of bits for zinc plating was £45. Now I can finish rebuilding the brakes.

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Fri Nov 23, 2018 7:04 pm

Got the black bits back from powder coating so was able to install the head and swinging arm bearings and make it start to look like a motorcycle again.
I8

Pleased that the centre stand height was about right as a previous poster had to add metal to the base of his OIF twin centrestand to make it work on a B50.

Next job is to paint the mudguards, site covers and 3 gallon tank.

lathejack · Post by **lathejack** » Fri Nov 23, 2018 9:52 pm

It's coming along great, the bare rolling chassis on those bikes looks so good it's a shame to have to cover them up with a fuel tank, seat and side panels.

I'm getting jealous now, others have finished fine restorations, or like yourself are making great progress with their projects while my B50 still sits on the bike lift untouched for many months since making a start two years ago.

koncretekid · Post by **koncretekid** » Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:29 pm

Is that work stand homemade? I (we) are always looking for a simple lightweight work stand we can take with us and yours looks like a good one. Is it lifted by a screw jack or some hidden hydraulic operation? (expanded the photo and now I can see the screw jack) I'd like to see photos from the other side.

And by the way, the bike looks great, down to the last detail.

lathejack wrote: ↑Fri Nov 23, 2018 9:52 pm
I'm getting jealous now, others have finished fine restorations, or like yourself are making great progress with their projects while my B50 still sits on the bike lift untouched for many months since making a start two years ago.

So what are you waiting for? Sometimes you just have to tell yourself "today I'm going to get something done on my project." I usually use a written day timer type calendar and make a list of what I want to do tomorrow. Sometimes that thought keeps getting put back on the list, but it gives me an incentive to get it done. This week I rebuilt the carbs on a H*nda CB350 cafe bike I'd built, put new coils on it (aftermarket - - didn't fit right - - what else is new?), after which it started and purred like a kitten, or actually quite a larger cat with its dual megaphones, besides digging up my septic tank which plugged up the day of our Thanksgiving Day dinner party, and rebuilding the air exchanger in my house. The joys of being retired.

Of course, I'd rather be working on a BSA!

Tom

Ian Hingley · Post by **Ian Hingley** » Fri Nov 23, 2018 11:45 pm

koncretekid wrote: ↑Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:29 pm Is that work stand homemade?

Hi Tom

Looks like an Eazy Rizer to me:

https://on-bike.com/product/motorbike-l ... ginal-red/

Got one myself and use it a lot. Saves both my old back and old knees and doesn't take up too much space in the garage.

Guess they have dealers your side of the pond.

Cheers

Ian

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:09 am

Yes its an Eazy Rizer made by On-Bike in Tamworth UK. It can be a bit fiddly to set up for your bike with multiple ways of supporting it depending on whether you want to take the wheels off or not. But it's great once set up and much smaller to store than a table lift.

koncretekid · Post by **koncretekid** » Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:34 pm

Looks like a handy lift, although their website does not show the extensions that lift by the wheels. Two of my bikes cannot be lifted under the frame due to fairing and under frame exhaust system. I haven't seen one here - - surprised the Chinese haven't made a knock-off version. I found a website that sells them here - - $650. Wheel mount accessory is another $100. We can buy the full platform lifts for around $300, so the Easy Rizer would be a higher priced option. Might have to make one - - another project!

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Sat Aug 17, 2019 6:34 pm

Next job is the red bits. Mudguards, tank, side covers. I have two front mudguards. One turned out to be for an A65 (19inch wheel) and was way too big and the mounting wires were too far apart. The other one was from a 1971 B25SS but the radius was slightly smaller than the 3.25x18 TT100 tire I've got fitted and was a rusty wreck. Have TT100 tires grown in the last 50 years? I guess it's inflation.
Couldn't find any NOS or patern front mudguards but I thought if I could find a suitable mudguard blank then I could probably make the supports.

Contacted Auto-cycle.co.uk to ask if they had any similar profiles and they said "REAR was our MC8 ( 6 X 2 1/4" ) , FRONT : MC2 (4 1/4 X 1 3/8" )", so I bought 2 fronts and some 6mm wire. It was a very fiddly job and I needed both mudguards but the end result doesn't look too bad. Gap to tyre is fairly consistent.

The wires were tig brazed onto the mudguards which was much easier and probably a bit less brittle than welding.

Did the main support first and trial fitted it as it is still possible to bend things before the short verticals are put on.

Rather longer than the standard mudguard but it should keep water off my legs. May still shorten the back a bit.

Ian Hingley · Post by **Ian Hingley** » Sun Aug 18, 2019 7:06 pm

Autocycle are/were definitely the bees knees for Brit mudguards. They bought the moulds, patterns,fittings, stock etc from the original main manufacturer when they went bust 40 or so years ago.

They're also pretty good for almost all other spares too.

Cheers

Ian

beat · Post by **beat** » Tue Aug 20, 2019 9:34 pm

seams to come nicely...

beat

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:11 am

After reading the thread about tanks cracking at the front and tie bars being fitted to the late production ones I decided to make a tie bar for my tank.
Bracket were hamered round a simple former.

And then welded onto the tank in a position that looks the same as the photos in the tie bar thread.

Tie bar then made and test fitted. Looks OK but must get some short bolts.

Finally I decided I'd better pressure test the tank. Surprise!!! there was a hairline crack at the front. With the smallest back cap on my tig torch I was just able to get in to weld it up. Welding on the tank was no problem as, after 30 years of storage there wasn't even a smell of petrol left.

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:13 am

P.S. Don't know why the photos are the wrong way up in the post but when you click on them, they are the right way up.

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Mon Oct 07, 2019 12:53 pm

Started spraying the red bits. Doing mudguards and side covers first and the tank when I've worked out how I should have done it. Paint was VERY expensive to buy but it looks like I've bought far too much. Candy red coats are primer, silver, translucent red, clear coat.

beat · Post by **beat** » Tue Oct 08, 2019 8:36 pm

BasilF wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2019 12:53 pm it looks like I've bought far too much.

beter too much than to less....

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:23 am

: Starting to look more colourful.

SteveS · Post by **SteveS** » Sat Oct 12, 2019 7:55 am

Looking good

Just a word of warning.......... my mate used an extended front mudguard very similar to what you have fabricated. He had all sorts of problems with vibration causing the stays to break plus a split in the mudguard. He ended up trimming it back very close to the standard length (at the rear) and solved the problem. Only downside for him was that he got more road spray over himself and the bike

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Sat Oct 12, 2019 9:11 am

If it breaks in spite of the extra stay then I'll make a short one.

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:12 pm

Started on the electrics. Chose to go with a modern regulator and Pazon electronic ignition. Couldn't fit the MC2 capacitor in the electrical box with those in place and the flasher unit is now stuck to the base of the electrical box.

However it all looks quite neat when the top is back on the box.

I bought main and headlamp looms. When they are all in place it looks quite daunting with wires from the electrical box, handlebar switches, headlamp and main looms all looking to join up on top of the electrical box.

They were all connected up without undiscovered mistakes and although they look a bit messy, they are all covered neatly by the tank. Only a few are left to do; Alternator and ignition from the motor, front brake switch and horn.

I tried to use the original parts were I could. The handle bar switches were fiddly but rebuildable, Ignition switch, headlamp bulb holder, headlamp switch and front brake switch were all rebuilt. The indicators and rear light were past help and the horn might have been salvageable but would need blasting and painting, new gaskets cutting and a long fiddle with the electrics so another £40 is on its way to the spares supplier for a new (replica) one.

Front brake switch was the easiest to fix and worked first time when tested. I'm planning to make a new front brake cable with the brake switch but without the two in-line grease points. Might reuse the nipples from the old cable as the brake end is an unusual size and the handlebar end is standard 3/8 dia but longer than the ones I could buy.

skippy · Post by **skippy** » Wed Oct 30, 2019 11:16 pm

I don't know if I would strap an electronic ignition module to a regulator heat sink.

Post by **minetymenace** » Thu Oct 31, 2019 8:50 am

Well spotted Skippy...

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Sun Nov 03, 2019 7:12 pm

Box revised so electronic ignition is on it's own heat sink.

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Sat Dec 21, 2019 11:30 pm

Engine ready to be installed in the frame. They haven't been together for almost 6 years.

However I noticed that when bolting the first crankcase half into the engine stand I had put the bolt in the wrong way and I couldn't get the engine out of the stand without cutting the bolt head off or dismantling the engine.

I chose the first option.
Next problem was that the B50 is a very tight fit in the frame and it took almost an hour of struggling before I could get the engine into the frame with the mounting holes aligned but I have to say it looked good when done.

beat · Post by **beat** » Sun Dec 22, 2019 9:14 pm

Steveskates · Post by **Steveskates** » Sun Feb 09, 2020 1:39 pm

Do you have a picture of the bike now? Tank on and all-

BasilF · Post by **BasilF** » Sun Feb 09, 2020 5:15 pm

Only this one. I'm on holiday till end Feb so not working on it at present. Still got exhaust and petrol pipes to go. Connected all oil pipes and filled frame and it dripped oil but I thinks that's just an oil pipe not pushed on to the fitting under the engine properly.
Good spark when I kick it over so I'm hopeful it will be started some time in March. Note no wooden block under side stand.

Post by **minetymenace** » Sun Feb 09, 2020 11:00 pm

BasilF wrote:Note no wooden block under side stand.

Ah, but its not running yet.............

Keep up the good work