Enfield Tracker: War Pig Rennaissance

[AgentX]

So...this is kind of embarrassingly crude...but it's what $60, your own chunk of 3/8" 6061 alloy, and about 8 hours in an African machine shop will get you. I'll spare you the details, although I did get a good shop of a couple of roosters strolling through while we worked. Turns out Joonyah is no longer the only cock in the machine shop...


Despite the ugly, when running the bike without the master cylinder hooked up, I've got no interference from any bolts rubbing under acceleration, deceleration, front braking, or turning, and it seems to stay solidly in place without bounce or slap or anything. So next weekend I'll try to get it to function as a brake. (I do have a high misalignment spacer for the front heim joint which is kind of bodged down there in the pic.)

Any advice on where I can relieve material from or speedhole that big honkin' bracket? Or just cut it along the obvious line where the plate is extraneous?

And if this thing is gonna kill me, please feel free to tell me so. Kind of a first here for me.

 

[datadavid]

A bit confused.. are you in india, africa or both?

 

[AgentX]

Was in India, spent a short time transiting the States (sorta...with some trips to Chad...), now in Mali for a few years.

 

[datadavid]

Cool, listen to some kora players for me, always wanted to go there.. you must be the only guy with an enfield in the whole country!

 

[AgentX]

Was at the Segou festival last week, actually.

Have you listened to Tinariwen? Northern Malian music, touareg stuff, but they use modern guitars. Very different than the west african-flavor kora music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFtmB2U3Clo&list=PLJ7QPuvv91Jsf2mEnwtCaVyxkuLMkRJF6


I'm definitely the only enfield in the country, but there are a smattering of old bikes around, some of which arrive via the Budapest-Bamako rally and get sold off. And there are stolen Euro sportbikes available in surprising numbers. They get bought by ego-driven local idiots and ridden until they crash or break, which is usually like a week. Foreigner I know just bought a nicely-running 2009 KTM 690SM for like $3k US dollars, though.

Just on Monday, some dude (two dudes, actually, in shorts and no helmets) on an busted-ass 80s era Kawi four decided to show me up in traffic. Was like, "More power to ya, dudes..."

 

[datadavid]

Yea i saw Tinariwen in my hometown years ago actually, really good stuff. Was wasted from some heavy partying the day before though so was kinda lulled to sleep by their soothing sound..

 

[Weldangrind]

So...this is kind of embarrassingly crude...but it's what $60, your own chunk of 3/8" 6061 alloy, and about 8 hours in an African machine shop will get you. I'll spare you the details, although I did get a good shop of a couple of roosters strolling through while we worked. Turns out Joonyah is no longer the only cock in the machine shop...


Despite the ugly, when running the bike without the master cylinder hooked up, I've got no interference from any bolts rubbing under acceleration, deceleration, front braking, or turning, and it seems to stay solidly in place without bounce or slap or anything. So next weekend I'll try to get it to function as a brake. (I do have a high misalignment spacer for the front heim joint which is kind of bodged down there in the pic.)

Any advice on where I can relieve material from or speedhole that big honkin' bracket? Or just cut it along the obvious line where the plate is extraneous?

And if this thing is gonna kill me, please feel free to tell me so. Kind of a first here for me.

It looks a bit vulnerable there, but it would probably be fine. It'll be a bugger to bleed, so you'll need to remove the caliper and place the bleeder at the top for that process.

 

[AgentX]

So. Much. Delay.

About to start on exhaust in a few minutes. Still waiting on a banjo fitting for brake line setup.

Drilled some holes in the fins to accommodate these exhaust mounting springs, though. They should help keep the interference-fit header in place.

And after a few hours of cobbling and cutting, I feel like I have put the "shade" in "shadetree." It is just tacked and needs brackets added, but it should route exhaust has successfully through the muffler when complete. I don't like the way it juts down so far, but that's what we've got.

Once back in the states, I will have an skilled exhaust guy do a new header in stainless with a nice Cone mega on it. Till then, when in Africa, do as the Africans do.

 

[High On Octane]

That looks descent. One thing you may want to try is where it goes under the foot peg and comes down kind of far, try to reroute that elbow so it "tucks in" closer to the engine at a slight angle. That should give you a bit more clearance if doable. That's how I ended up routing my custom exhaust, I ran the collector at an angle from the primaries to the foot peg, tucking it close to the motor, and then the Dunstall is mounted at an angle back out from the motor. It was the only way I could get the clearance I wanted, and I don't even notice that it's angled.

 

[irk miller]

Not too bad, dawg. I would've come more straight down from the exhaust port and and ran it straight along the frame/under the motor to where the elbow is under the rear set. Regardless, the bike has exhaust and it's time to ride.

 

[AgentX]

Not too bad, dawg. I would've come more straight down from the exhaust port and and ran it straight along the frame/under the motor to where the elbow is under the rear set. Regardless, the bike has exhaust and it's time to ride.

Reason for the swept back header is to shorten the overall length to match the engine design, which calls for a 33" length. It's about 35" now, and if I can straighten that little dip it should be near spot-on.

With the type of header you describe, the muffler position was prohibited by both the rearsets and the centerstand.

And I think I have a plan using some of the remaining bends to smooth things out. Just have to get the welder hooked up again. Maybe we'll be able to do it at work instead of my carport.

 

[AgentX]

Header still left unfinished...I hope next week.

Best news of a few hours work today is that my fork brace fits! Fast from the Past custom-assembled it from parts of other Tarozzi brace pieces, so it was a question if it'd fit. Now I need to rig up a fender.

Got a bent brake arm swapped out and the master cylinder mounted and bolts trimmed. Switched out some parts to get the linkage rods running straighter on both sides. Waiting on a banjo fitting to get the rear brake filled and bled.

Looks like I won't be using the tool boxes, since they interfere with keeping feet on the pegs in their new position.

Custom speedo cable arrived and fits. Made a new decompressor cable. Slow, slow progress.

 

[AgentX]

I am a complete fucking idiot for not spending money on a pre-made header from Hitchcock's in England.

Working across about two language barriers in a country where the most skilled welders work on the ground wearing sunglasses, while being a complete fucking amateur myself, may not have been the best-thought-out thing I have ever done. These guys make metal railings and window grills at best. I know I can't cast stones as I lack both the knowledge and tools to do the work...but that was an ordeal.

That header would have lacked tabs for the exhaust springs and needed an adapter for upsweep, but...not dealing with this would have been priceless.

The guys looked at me like I had a dick growing out of my forehead when I suggested doing the spring tabs a different way, so I rolled with it and let them do it their way...

It is ugly, about two inches longer than optimal for the engine, and not a perfect conduit for hot gas, but I just want to ride the damned thing.

Oh: bare mild steel pipe. Local options are standard non-hi-temp matte black paint. Yes, that's one option. I also have a roll of pipe wrap. What's the best option for finishing this off? Leaving it bare? It is super hot and dry except a two month very wet rainy season coming in a few months.

 

[canyoncarver]

Glad to see you another step closer to riding. Your bike has stories.

 

[Weldangrind]

To me, it looks like it will flow well. Perhaps you'll change the exhaust in the future, but this will do nicely for now.

Really, no high-temp paint to be found locally? How about enamel? At least that would have a chance to bake into the pipe. It'll take a few applications, but at it'll be somewhat coated. I shy away from wrap, because I live in a very humid environment, and I want to keep an eye on it. Perhaps it would be fine for you, give the dry climate.

Do you have a friend who could mail some high heat paint to you?

 

[AgentX]

To me, it looks like it will flow well. Perhaps you'll change the exhaust in the future, but this will do nicely for now.

Really, no high-temp paint to be found locally? How about enamel? At least that would have a chance to bake into the pipe. It'll take a few applications, but at it'll be somewhat coated. I shy away from wrap, because I live in a very humid environment, and I want to keep an eye on it. Perhaps it would be fine for you, give the dry climate.

Do you have a friend who could mail some high heat paint to you?

Nope, nope, and ORM-D; no can have shipped. One guy locally had some at one time, but he didn't have any more as of this weekend and doesn't know where to get more. There's pretty much "paint," and asking for anything more from anyone except the one mechanic who'd been in the US for a few years was fruitless. They just look at you like there's a dick growing out of your forehead, if you can even be understood.

The flow issues which I suspect are related to the welding and the alignment of the tubes; the cross-sections weren't perfect. But like I said, it'll do for now.

Had a little loss-of-compression scare today-when the carb was off, I bottomed the idle stop, and after remounting, the engine couldn't get enough air through the slide to even resist the compression stroke! It just kicked through, but there was a weird sucking sound at the intake that helped me figure out what was wrong. After that, I got the rear brake filled and bled, and it's looking like a sort-of-complete bike!

Worked out in the 110 degree heat despite a flu so bad I've lost my voice. Ugh. Can barely enjoy the progress...

 

[AgentX]

Apparently this is the only pic on my phone from the weekend...

And apparently my phone is also totally on the fritz. Meant to only share the pipe wrap.

Weld&grind, I know it will eventually rust away under there but this is kind of a stopgap for now. And if I keep it I will just have it blasted and ceramic'd.

 

[High On Octane]

I hope you have the flu and NOT Ebola.
Glad to see you making progress, even if slow. I can't remember, did you end up finding a tach set up that works?

 

[AgentX]

Apparently this is the only pic on my phone from the weekend...

And apparently my phone is also totally on the fritz. Meant to only share the pipe wrap.

Weld&grind, I know it will eventually rust away under there but this is kind of a stopgap for now. And if I keep it I will just have it blasted and ceramic'd.

We shall see, but I haven't eaten any zombie brain lately so I should be OK.

I ordered a Koso tach but there was a mail foul up and I just got it. Looks sweet. I need to get w their tech support now because they told me there is a way to rig it which doesn't need constant power to maintain the rev count setting. (Don't wanna drain my tiny antigravity battery if I leave it for a week!)

I hope you have the flu and NOT Ebola.
Glad to see you making progress, even if slow. I can't remember, did you end up finding a tach set up that works?

 

[High On Octane]

Should be able to just wire the constant + and switched + both to the switch and be ok.