Reading Assignment for next class:
Chapters 2, 3 of Crawford
In precept:
Review of last week’s lab:
Transmission and clutch group took apart the transmission and read the manuals. Today we should take apart the clutch fully.
Frames, forks, and wheels took apart the wheels, starting with the drum brakes, then hammering out the bearings. One bearing had a left hand thread. They then took off one of the tires. Today the second tire will be removed.
Bottom end was waiting for the disassembly of the transmission. Meanwhile they catalogued parts. Today they should pull out the crankshaft and flywheel assembly.
Electrical read manuals, checked the stator resistance, which for one winding was 4.3 Ohms. Today they should examine the stator winding.
Top end disassembled most of the top end, including the rockers. The valve springs were problematic, so they should be removed today.
The quartermaster hopefully caught all of the pieces, and looked at some special tools made for specific purposes in taking the motorcycle apart.
Book Discussion (Pirsig)
Chapter 5:
Chain lubrication: each link has a pivot, and roller chains have internal rollers in addition. All of this needs to be well oiled because a dry chain will generate heat by friction, expanding and perhaps coming off of the sprockets.
Do we focus on meaning or on being, on form or on function?
The collar clamp should have an inside diameter smaller than the outside of the handlebars so it can grip tightly, but John’s did not. A shim inserted inside effectively decreases the clamp diameter. Aluminum is effective because it is soft and malleable, and it quickly forms a protective oxide layer that prevents corrosion. In a shop, we could file the ends of the clamp for a better fix.
Chris has stomach pains that are symptomatic of mental illness, but for some reason the narrator cannot bring himself to see a doctor about his son.
Chapter 6:
If one subdivides a whole into individual parts, one will not be able to understand the whole.
Classic vs. Romantic worldview: do we see the underlying forms or the immediate appearance?
Pirsig splits up the motorcycle extensively. We already knew what most elements were, but some were unfamiliar.
Connecting rod: connects the piston head to the crankshaft.
Flywheel: keeps smooth rotation and stores the rotational energy of the engine. This is important especially since the engine is only one cylinder, so that the flywheel can drive the compression stroke.
Gas filter: keeps stray particles out of the fuel system.
Air cleaner: keeps dust or other airborne particles out of the carburetor.
Carburetor: atomizes the fuel so that the fuel-air mixture burns quickly and completely. It contains the throttle.
Alternator: Rotor and stator assembly generates AC current, which then goes through a rectifier, which converts the AC current to more useful DC current.
Cam chain: We do not have this on our bike, but it connects the cam to the engine.
Distributor: opens points at the right point in the engine cycle. Can be manually adjusted by turning the housing.
Lubrication system check valves: a ball bearing on a spring that enforces one-way flow of oil through the system.
Clutch: engages or disconnects power to the transmission from the crankshaft.
Chapter 7:
Mark Twain: Do we lose beauty when we gain understanding.
Perhaps we will talk a bit more about this chapter next time.
In Lab Today
Frames, forks, and wheels took apart the front shocks. To remove the collar holding the assembly together, we put the whole thing in the chuck of a lathe and used a spanner to turn the collar. We also cut off the second tire, and worked on replacing missing spokes.
A lot of people cleaned all sorts of parts. Perhaps not glamorous, but very necessary. The clutch plates were said by John to be “the cleanest ever.”
The transmission and clutch team removed the flywheel assembly, after a lot of work on a stubborn bolt.
There was a screen missing from the lubrication system in the sump; this could have caused problems with foreign objects clogging the lubrication system, which would then, as Pirsig describes, lead to a seize-up.
F. P. B