W/E 12th May 2020

So time is moving on and it seems I’m no closer to getting an Atlas road ready. Kind of depressing but just have to keep pressing on I guess…

I’d hoped to have the cam-chains on Atlas #1 and #3 engines hooked up but failed. Atlas #1 with the worn cam journals went back well enough but the inlet cam on Atlas #3 refuses to spin freely. A major frustration considering it was okay when it came apart. The cams spins until the torque increases and then it locks.

I wondered if I’d mixed up the cam-blocks but these are numbered 1 – 6 and everything checked out.

I’m waiting for some shim to arrive to see if spacing the cam blocks helps any. It’s getting desperate…

Some ‘stuff’ has arrived through the week to get things done. First off was the engine shim washer. This measured at 0.9mm but I couldn’t find that thickness. I settled for a Form B washer that should’ve been 1.25mm thick but the correct ID/OD. Well the thickness checked out but the washer has an OD of 20mm (1mm down). I’ve ground the washer down but it annoys me that you can go to all the hassle and you still get sent the wrong size – sure it will work but I didn’t plan on having to make do and mend – there’s enough of that going on.

I was pleased however at the arrival of the copper washers to go under the M6 allen bolts – spot on and when eventually an engine is built it shouldn’t end up littered with seized bolts! On this topic I returned to the cam cover of Atlas #2 and using heat/quench and some citric acid managed to shift one of the four remaining bolts. However one of the bolt heads is now starting to round off the hex. Atlas #2 needs serious surgery once it’s apart so think this motor can go on the shelf for now…

Before

Looking for an ‘easy win’ I headed over to Atlas #3 to tidy up the wiring with my new butane soldering iron and assorted crimps. Thing was the soldering iron didn’t come cheap and wasn’t really needed other than to tin the ends of wire and one join. The wires going in to the Sasche black box were a mess of twists/tape with multiple joins and an oversize main power input.

After

It’s a good investment in whenever the bike runs again. I’ve lost count of the number of times the main power wire, being too big, had come out of the unit leading to a ‘tank off’ roadside repair.

Enthused by the wiring success I set to dismantling the seized swinging arm. Eventually I had to take the shock off and then treated the seized bolt with firstly citric acid solution and followed it up with a conventional penetrating oil. At the time I finished it hadn’t moved so next up will be an allen head socket to see if I can get it to start turning.

End of another long week

So another week gone by and still no Atlas. As I said at the start depressing but only way is forward. You get times like this when you push but can’t seem to make progress. Difficult times…

Nick