Vintage 1000 part 2 the mountain ride

[Rick Bennett]

I have 76 days before the next chapter of my Penton adventure. This ride leaves Chattanooga and heads into the mountains of North Carolina.
Time to take the bike apart and see how it did. I will post what I find.
There are a couple spot opened up for the ride if anyone wants to give it a go.

Rick

[Pat Oshaughnessy]

Rick I had the wet boot problem same as you last time I did a ride in the Rain. There must be a WATERPROOF boot thats not to stiff to feel the Sachs shift lever properly. Some of the members must know of this  problem & have the answer![]

[Rick Bennett]

I couldn't wait until the meeting next week to clean up the bike. I have a small list of repairs and refinements to make. Some are already done, like fixing my headlight. I will need it to ride to the POG meeting. Just exactly two months out now. I leave on my birthday, August 2nd.

Rick

[Rick Bennett]

Just two weeks out now. After returning from Mid Ohio and displaying my Six Days at the POG tent, it is time to get ready. I removed the motor and completely disassembled to check for wear. The piston, rings, and cylinder have worn so I now have .004 clearance and .012 ring gap. All the bearings are in great shape. The gears show almost no wear. The shifter key is worn some, but I am going to leave it, and take a spare with me. The clutch basket has grooves where the plates touch. I had filed these out the last time. Will do it again. I still need to measure the the plate thickness. I will replace the front sprocket and chain, sticking with 15/57 gearing. My pipe has several cracks needing welding. Ir was cracked before I left on the last trip. The motor could have been left alone. At least I washed out the case so it is clean.

Checking the Sachs and Penton, I don't find wear limits like in a Honda manual. What is everyone using for this? If I go by CR125 specs the piston clearance can go to .008 and ring gap to .020.

[3putt]

On Buehner Supply Page, Item 10, He has Technical Info, and it has some info I believe you are looking for. Piston clearance and ring gap tolerances.   Best Wishes,  Nelson McCullough

[Rick Bennett]

A new set of rings measures .008 gap.
The clutch plates did not wear at all.
This motor held up really well.

Rick

[Dale Fisher]

PISTON SPECIFICATIONS

When to Rebore a Cylinder
Maximum allowable piston to cylinder clearance
100cc - .005" + piston clearance
125cc - .0055" to .006"

Specifications for Ring End Gaps
        minimum - maximum
100cc - .004     -    .005   (.010)
125cc - .007     -    .008   (.015)

Clearance Specs for Boring Cylinders
        minimum - maximum
100cc - .0015" to .002"
125cc - .0025" to .003"   Wiseco "M" series pistons -  0.0019 (0.048mm)

Dale Fisher
Penton Owners Group - Memberships - POG Merchandise
Mudlark Registry
Facebook - Penton Owners Group - Administrator
Facebook - Cheney Racing Group - Administrator

[Rick Bennett]

Finished up reassembling the motor and installed it back into the frame. Doing these long rides is teaching me the weak and strong points of the mechanics. Parts that I thought would be a problem are not always the ones that wear first. The gears held up better than expected but the clutch basket is the major source of metal flakes in the oil. This part should have been made out of better steel. Something else to look for since I plan on more adventures riding this sportcycle. The top end wear was just about what I expected. I reused the piston and installed new rings.
While cleaning the Bing 27 mm carb I wrote down the jetting. 140 main, 45 pilot, .276 needle jet, no. 5 needle moved all the way up, mixture screw out 5/8 turn.
I reset the timing at 2.6 mm btdc as this worked well on the last trip. There was no evidence of damage to the piston or head using 93 octane auto fuel.
Since I have to remove the air box to get the pipe out of the frame, I washed it out with paint thinner. I installed bolts in all the holes and used plastic bags with rubber bands to seal the air boot opening. While sloshing the thinner around I found a flaw/leak needing repair. This is a good test for this part.
A new chain and front sprocket are the only other parts I replaced, other than the headlight bulb. I installed a ballast resistor from a 70s Dodge van in the bucket. The new headlight is a H4 version so carrying spares will be simpler.
I am going to leave the Rotopax one gallon tank at home. I plan on taking a smaller quart size msr bottle, trying to cut down weight. I will also cut down on clothes, food and spare parts. I have removed the gps mount. It was not needed. I will take the gps in my pack in case I need it. There will be no way to recharge its internal battery.
I bought a new pair of boots. I am done with GoreTex. Plain unisulated leather ones will dry faster. Gaiters will keep the water from running in the top.
The Barbour jacket worked well and will go again. I patched my rain pants and will take them.
Should be back riding in a couple days to check everything out.
I will make daily reports to Paul again and take lots of photos.
Next years 1000 rides are posted. Make plans to join me. You won't regret it.

Rick

[Pat Oshaughnessy]

Rick dont forget to put boot grease on the new boots! Use Huberds if you can find it. I hope your gaiters work better than mine did. Deep water crossing did mine in.[]

[Rick Bennett]

My Six Days is all back together and running just like it should. I am starting to pack up for the trip. I am heading out Friday morning for the 700 mile journey to Chattanooga. I will probably take three days like last time.

[Rick Bennett]

Campgrounds for this ride...
Tuesday night, Doll Mt. campground, Elijah, GA
Wednesday night, Standing Indian campground, Franklin, NC
Thursday night, Briar Bottom campground, Burnsville, NC
Friday night, Rattler Ford campground, Robbinsville, NC
Saturday night, back in Chattanooga, TN

[Rick Bennett]

Leaving in the morning. I will probably be out of touch until I get to Chattanooga.  Paul Danik is off on a camping trip so he will not be posting updates for me. If anyone wants to do it, call me and leave a number I can use. I never know when stops will occur. It takes two or three hours to burn through a tank of gas.  I could call or text then.

Rick

[Rick Bennett]

440 417 8094 cell
Rick
About to head out

[Rick Bennett]

Two things I will have for the rest of my life. One of John Penton's Six Days and a Barbour jacket. These sportcycles are amazing. I just finished yet another 700 mile ride to Chattanooga with no problems. Three flats on the chain adjusters each morning, lube and your good to go. You won't do that on a Honda Elsinore. Absolutely no sloshing in my boots this time. A rain cloud 50 miles north of Chattanooga was all I saw and I was able to outrun it. Being on my own this time was a bit tougher as my gps internal battery gave out this morning on the last leg. The charger I bought wouldn't work so I stopped at Wallymart and picked up a EverStart battery pack. This worked great to get some power back into the Garmin allowing me to find my way into the city. One day off tomorrow until the 7:00pm riders meeting. I plan on checking the bike over in the morning and retorque the head since the gasket was new. The ride through Tennessee today was really nice. Great scenery and good roads. I started on 20 and then 127 the rest of the way. There was a flea/antique market going on the whole way. Looked like fun but no way I could stop. Maybe leave earlier next year and check it out. I haven't had lunch yet so heading out for some dinner with Adam, Jamie, Randy and Linda.

Rick

[Rick Bennett]

Nap time...not much I can do to make my Six Days ready other than adding gas. The head was just a bit loose like I thought it would be. I straightened my bent center stand, checked the tranny oil and glued in my headlight bulb. The new H4 unit wasn't made for this headlight rim. I ditched a bunch of stuff out of my pack I won't be needing until the ride home. Washed a load of clothes to try and smell better. I will use the gps to get from the house to the meeting tonight and the start in the morning. I don't have a clue where to go in this city. Looking forward to the trail.

Rick