January 15, 201313 yr I'm sure I'll be asking a few Q's as I try to get this bike sorted. 1st...The top, rear airbox mount is buggered. i suppose there was a threaded brass fitting in there. Is there a common fix for this? I mean...aside from the giant freakin' zip tie the previous owner had around the whole box that squished the sealing strip and let dirt into the airbox...duh. Also..does this bike have a rim strip that I'm not familiar with (I don't get around much). It's out of the bike (tube installed) and has a built-in valve. I'm used to the separate valve. This arrangement looks less prone to leak. I hear a slight clunk when disengaging the clutch when the engine is off. Should I be worried? Also...I've been away for awhile. Any new advances in repairing cracked plastics in my absence?
January 15, 201313 yr Another fixer-upper there Charlie? 1- No chance of a fix if you do not have the brass piece that I know of! 2- Yes, they make rim strips with built in valves now, which is nice, but you still gotts get them to seat properly! 3- Not if it works! 4- Yes, throw them away! You will look better!
January 15, 201313 yr Charlie depending upon the cost of a new (or used) airbox i would consider repairing the airbox. Albeit i have access to a lathe, i would turn up a new insert that fits into the hole from the inside. This part would take 1/2 an hour to make (1 hour max) and a flange on the back would stop the insert from being able to be pulled through. On the other hand if you dont know anyone with the skills / tools then a replacement airbox is the best route. Dom
January 15, 201313 yr I had a similar airbox issues on my old Montesa and repaired it b y using a flanged M10 nut inserted from the bottom and held in place with industrial PL glue. I had to enlarge the old hole a little so the nut would push in from underneath up to the flange but not too much, it needs to be a compression-type insert so it is tight in the hole and then secured with the glue to stop it turning when the bolt is inserted. Definitely try the repair before buying new.
January 15, 201313 yr Author Thanks, fellas. The airbox is about $100, so I'm looking for a fix. It's a blind hole (there's a double wall, presumably to keep dirt out of the airbox), so anything that goes in can come out the same way. I'll figure something out.. Yeah, Cope....another fixer-upper. They're the ones I can afford! Here's the biggest mystery on this one... Why has one of the handlebar pinch bolts been replaced? Did the old one vibrate out? Imagine how bad your maintenance would have to be for that to happen. Almost every fastener on this bike was loose. I could SEE some of the bolt heads not making contact.
January 15, 201313 yr Thanks, fellas. The airbox is about $100, so I'm looking for a fix. It's a blind hole (there's a double wall, presumably to keep dirt out of the airbox), so anything that goes in can come out the same way. I'll figure something out.. Yeah, Cope....another fixer-upper. They're the ones I can afford! Here's the biggest mystery on this one... Why has one of the handlebar pinch bolts been replaced? Did the old one vibrate out? Imagine how bad your maintenance would have to be for that to happen. Almost every fastener on this bike was loose. I could SEE some of the bolt heads not making contact. Ever noticed that the nuts and bolts that arn`t slack, are so tight you can`t shift the bu**ers without a nose bleed.
January 15, 201313 yr Ever noticed that the nuts and bolts that arn`t slack, are so tight you can`t shift the bu**ers without a nose bleed. On every Sherco that I've owned I decided to remove the cap-head bolts and put copaslip or loctite on the threads accordingly since Pepe or Gaston hardly bothered at the factory. Charlie; the bolt that was replaced was probably the aftermarket replacement for the driest one to leave the assembly line that week...which some time later, the new owner went to adjust his handle bar setting and voila...tres fukt as the French say.
January 16, 201313 yr Author Ever noticed that the nuts and bolts that arn`t slack, are so tight you can`t shift the bu**ers without a nose bleed. Yup...tried to sort out the controls and, because of the handlebar bend, I wanted to slack the banjo bolts and change the angle of the lines...no way. I was afraid to break something, but I hate to have something on a bike that I'm afraid to take apart! But tere's so many places on these bikes where steel threads into aluminum...gotta have something on those threads.
January 16, 201313 yr On average they are inexpensive to fix up. My motto is there is nothing $500 won't fix!
January 16, 201313 yr ..............But tere's so many places on these bikes where steel threads into aluminum...gotta have something on those threads. Watch out for aftermarket stainless steel bolts aswell, it's galling You've just re-kindled a thought from a previous Copemech post about torque values. They need to be reduced by 10% or so when you assemble them lubed (loctite or copaslip), did Sherco state the bolt torque values dry or lubed and if lubed, why do the bike fasteners come bonio dry from the factory?
January 16, 201313 yr My latest acquisition had slack cylinder head bolts, oh, and a missing stud, and no gear box oil. Other than that it was fine.
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