1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (1000 miles and more)

Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

Axelcrypt, please be patient, rain and my job get in the way of my fun.

My bike is up for Bike of the Month and please vote if you enjoyed this l-o-n-g build thread. I still cannot believe this is really my bike and it still feels like a dream we all share; finding a rare bike in a barn, restoring it and riding the hell out of it. My bike is fast, smooth, handles well and sounds simply amazing. Here are few before and after images:
















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Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

Hey Swan it's Zeke. I am one of the nominations for bike of the month. I was wondering what kind of clip on handle bars you have? It was really cool how you got your engine unseized. My dad and I tried a lot of the techniques you used to unseize your engine. My dad found the burning technique,but our piston were set at the top so we couldn't set them on fire. If we did we could do what tWistedwheelz said. Get a lounge chair a few juice boxes and have a gear head campfire. Oh! We're the cb200 in the nominations. Wish you luck. - Zeke
 
Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

Simply beautiful. What a transformation.
 
Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

This is something to be proud of. Beautiful build, great attention to detail. Awesome job.
 
Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

Thanks again everyone, she is running well. Duke at the Bike Shed did a nice article my bike and a shout out to DTT. Thank you!
http://thebikeshed.cc/2013/06/18/jon-swans-bsa/
 
Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

Swan,
Zeke and I got to see a 62 Gold Star today at Baxters in Marne Iowa...your Goldie is still more beautiful.
 

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Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

Thanks TS and Zeke, there are many, many cool bikes include Vincents in Baxter's back room.



 
Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

swan said:
Thanks TS and Zeke, there are many, many cool bikes include Vincents in Baxter's back room.



Click to expand...
Swan do you want to se a video of Zeke in Baxters? It is hilarious!
 
Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

I am not a bike show kind of guy, but I went to my first one in June because it was literally out my front door. Winona's city wide celebration called Steamboat Days includes an all day car and bike show with 100's of vehicles all along the downtown streets. I entered my BSA Gold Star in the show, sat around all day drinking beer, talking with friends, meeting new people and talking old bikes. Yesterday, out of the blue, I received a call from a well known Brit Bike enthusiast in town saying he had a trophy for me at his shop. I thought, hmm do I need a Triumph Trophy project, but it turns out it is a show trophy because my bike won best motorcycle in the show. I was very surprised!
 
Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

... and this surprises you how?
Congrats on the trophy! You might want show up at more shows, sure to have a nice collection in no time. ;)
 
Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

swan said:
I am not a bike show kind of guy, but I went to my first one in June because it was literally out my front door. Winona's city wide celebration called Steamboat Days includes an all day car and bike show with 100's of vehicles all along the downtown streets. I entered my BSA Gold Star in the show, sat around all day drinking beer, talking with friends, meeting new people and talking old bikes. Yesterday, out of the blue, I received a call from a well known Brit Bike enthusiast in town saying he had a trophy for me at his shop. I thought, hmm do I need a Triumph Trophy project, but it turns out it is a show trophy because my bike won best motorcycle in the show. I was very surprised!
Click to expand...
LOL! We sent your link to the Vintage Bike Magazine!
 
Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

swan said:
I was very surprised!
Click to expand...

Doesn't surprise me at all fella ;-)

Superb work, and thoroughly deserved. Won't be the last either I should think.

ian
 
Re: 1962 BSA DBD34 Gold Star restoration (SHE'S ALIVE!!!!.)

Thanks all.

After an extremely busy period of work and now with my girlfriend out of town for two weeks, I have finally reached 1000 miles on the Goldie. I completed all the the factory maintenance (changed engine, gearbox, primary oils, air pressure, spokes, re-torqued all bolts, etc) and cleaned her up well.


Recently, my battery was starting to run flat and I observed the ammeter in the negative even while the bike was running (see above), so I charged the battery over night, load tested it and it passed. The dynamo (generator) was tested on the running bike as per BSA service sheets and Lucas instructions and it too passed. I started to test the regulator as per service sheet and it failed on the A wire (brown/white) running from the regulator the ammeter. There was a poor connection in the female end of the brown/white wire leading to the ammeter in the quick detach connection so I cut the wire, drilled out the old solder and re-soldered it. It now has continuity, allowing the regulator and battery to function as they should. Tested the charging system again and it is working beautifully. I did however discover my Lucas 312 style bulb is 12 volt instead of 6 volt and may explain why my head light is so dim (my mistake). New 6 volt bulbs on order today. I may or may not go to 12 volt system in the future, but I will ponder that this winter.

There is still a nagging oil leak from either the back of the primary or gearbox I am trying to resolve along with weeping petcocks. (insert British bike joke here) New seals on order too.

So with 1000 break in miles completed, I went out last night and did a beautiful 100 mile ride along the Mississippi River up the Wisconsin side through the bluffs and back down the Minnesota side on the highway. Speeds were, ahem..., 65 mph and/or above... for long periods of time. She ran great at higher speeds and rpms. The sound echoing of the trees and bluffs at speed is magical. The bike is now broken in and look forward to full use of the throttle and many, many more miles to be ridden.
 
Thanks El Sammo!

1500 miles... She is running strong and I am riding at much higher speeds. I broke a clutch cable at dusk the other night, so I jumped on my friend Andrew's 77 CB750 to buzz back to the shop and make a quick repair. Note to self; order cable making supplies from Flanders.com and start making my own cables. I also broke a connection to the taillight so the running light was not working, but it was easy to find the fault and a quick fix. These things are going to happen and they do not bother me because I built and know the bike so well, little problems are easy to diagnose and repair. All part of the charm of a vintage British bike.

My new 6 volt headlight bulb works soooo much better than a dim 12 volt bulb on my 6 volt system! I see no need to change over to 12 volt system and and have been doing a lot more night riding now that I can actually see ahead of me in the dark.

The weather is beautiful but the days are getting shorter so I am riding as much as I can before the snow falls and I hope you all are too.
 
Did you get a 6v Halogen?
I know they were available at one time, I used them in my CD175 in the early 70's ;D
 
Regular 6 volt lamp. I was running a 12 volt lamp in a 6 volt system and it was very, very dim. Now I can actually see and drive at night.
 
swan said:
Regular 6 volt lamp. I was running a 12 volt lamp in a 6 volt system and it was very, very dim. Now I can actually see and drive at night.
Click to expand...

I've been half lit myself on more than one occasion
 
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