Een doorgerotte achterbrug | |
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The monday after selling the "Blue Angel" it was time to take on the
long overdue project 'polaris fairing' again. I had been looking around
for a stud M10 with a wire of 1,25, and that is not a normal stud, and
they don't come at normal prices. For a piece at one meter length they ask
without hesitation between 77 and 120 euro's. That is crazy, way to much,
there must be another solution. Is there one?
The site at C.M.S. shows that for a GL500 Honda
used studs M10X1.25x100, bud sadly they changed that to M10x1.25x80. Not
long enough. After a lot of searching I find studs M10x1.25x90. Now
the engine is kept in place with two studs M10x1.25x75, so with the 90mm
studs I can work something out. These things are rather expensive, is
there not another solution?
I decide to ride to Barnevled, Suzuki-motor specialist "de Valkenier". Not
the right brand, but who knows what he has....
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The "Red Rascal" brings me, across the A30 to Barneveld. At the exit
I turn right, for the last kilometres. A large truck passes me, and in
it's wake I made a very strange wobble. Later, down the road, again.
What is is, something wromg? But where? I decide to take look, later on.
At "De Valkenier" I find two bolds M10x1.25x100, for just 3 euro's With a few rings and nuts I must be able to fixe the Polaris supports at the right angle, so the handlebar will not collide with the fairing. Before I get onto the CX I check the rear. I don't feel any side-movement on the wheel, and I sids firmly in the rearfork. To be extra sure I check the rear bridge with a key. No, solid iron here, and here, and....not. Without any effort at all I push trough the iron at crossbar. Not good, not good at all!! | |
 ... through the iron ... |
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First I get to get home, but with a rear end that is at least in a
questionable stae I don't want to take the higway. I drove the CX over
small roads to Ede, I the mean time searching for strange movement at
the backwheel.
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At home first I placed a message on the messageboard of the
Dutch Honda CX-500 club,
with the question: "Is this very bad, or is it repairrable?"
As so often on the CX-site, the first answers came quick. The general opnion was that, if that hole is all, it cab be fixed, But, so they say, most of the time the realy bad spot is on the other side. And the left side, is in most cases much worse that the right side. A rear bridge is important for the safety, and therefore I decide to take a closer look at it. The CX is placed inside the shed, on the mainstand. With the help of some pieces of wood I place the rear a bit higher, to be able to remove the rear wheel. Silencers of, back axel out, and that looks very disturbing, when flakes of rust come with it. I remove the cardanhouse, and the shockabsorbers are loosened. After removing the right shockabsorber it is time to remove the bridge itself. carefully I unwind the left tap, but the bridge remains where it is. | |
 ... swingarm ... |
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Whit some encourigdment from a large screwdriver the singarm drops finally
for the right-side bearing. The only thing I have to do now is remove the
brake-arm stopper. But it's very rusted, and it need the better part of
half an our, and lots of WD40 to take it apart. When I put it all together
again, I will need some new parts, I guess. But let's see what the
swingarm looks like.
It looks sad, that swingarm from the "Rascal". Also the left side looks bad, I can easely push through what's left of the metal. In the past, when I was checking for bad spot on the swingarm, I must have missed the weak spots, and just probed the places that were more 'healty'. There is a large hole on the left side, and bihind that another one, through the support tube. This is not repeareble. | |
 ... sad sight ... |
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That same monday evening, just before the end of the weekly chat, Terry
de B. comes into the chatroom. Does he have an other swingarm for me?
He has, and he will ship it to me, as soon as possible.
Those CX-ers, somtimes it lookes as they are competing to help eachother...... | |
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