Flexo Big Bear Super Scrambler
- Thread starter Havasu Dave
- Start date
- Tags bear flexo scrambler super
You know you're dealing with a Master when you're talking to him on the phone and he spends all his time telling you how he don't know shit about shit, can't do nothing right, could do better, there's some REAL big dogs out there doing REALLY great work, why ain't I talking to them?? And then he turns out this Minibike As Modern Art project. WTF
ut: I'm already biased cos I like Dave and a Flexo Super Bear is one of my personal favorite frame styles. What I wasn't sure of was when he told me he was gonna paint the Briggs copper. Not black, not blue, not white, but copper? Trying to picture that beautiful Mopar blue and copper....well DUH! I'm an idiot! Looks freakin great! What do I know? Don't listen me, listen to Havasu Dave!:laugh::laugh:
Beautiful minibike. 'Over restored' as usual and made to look easy:thumbsup:
ut: I'm already biased cos I like Dave and a Flexo Super Bear is one of my personal favorite frame styles. What I wasn't sure of was when he told me he was gonna paint the Briggs copper. Not black, not blue, not white, but copper? Trying to picture that beautiful Mopar blue and copper....well DUH! I'm an idiot! Looks freakin great! What do I know? Don't listen me, listen to Havasu Dave!:laugh::laugh:Beautiful minibike. 'Over restored' as usual and made to look easy:thumbsup:
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Time to address "this," since Tippy's question above prompted a post-build ride. I didn't want to oil and fuel it, since I was going to pretend the now spare bedroom was my mini bike museum/man cave area- "she" not moving her arts and crafts in there as requested. :laugh: Cant help it, have to test ride them.
New gear ratio was perfect, ran down about two blocks in 1968 flashback bliss, then she died. It was one of those old Yamaha Enduro-fouled-plug-deaths; clutch engaged, motor dragging me to a stop. Pushed it back, mostly up hill with wife and neighbor's looking on.
The fit is so tight, you cant do much with a BS 5 flattie in a Flexo frame. Knowing I had a new solid state coil, I suspected spark, but it was there. Checked tank, and had failed tank sealer everywhere. It was a latex type, well known, of which I have had luck before.
Pulled tank and carb, crap everywhere. I used muratic acid bath first to loosen up sealer. Didn't touch it. Didn't touch the paint either. Then went to acetone- same thing. And I will point out here that acetone does not remove two part urethane paint. Reading the Caswell instructions, they recommend paint stripper on the failed sealant.
A cup of paint stripper and 200 tiny screws and it ate the failed sealant, as well as the brand-new paint job. Another acetone soak and the Caswells did it's magic. Note- Caswells acts, smells and looks exactly like the many two part epoxy coatings I've used. Since it was cold out, I thinned it with lacquer thinner, and it set up well. Tank is now primed again, carb dismantled and soaking in Berrymanns. New carb parts going in soon, and once the rain stops, a quick coat or acrylic with heavier curing dose, partial cure, then a couple coats of urethane clear. I'll test the engine in another frame before putting back in the Flexo.
Disheartening to be "done" then have to strip paint and repair, but the challenges (and lessons learned) is is what makes our hobby so rewarding.
New gear ratio was perfect, ran down about two blocks in 1968 flashback bliss, then she died. It was one of those old Yamaha Enduro-fouled-plug-deaths; clutch engaged, motor dragging me to a stop. Pushed it back, mostly up hill with wife and neighbor's looking on.
The fit is so tight, you cant do much with a BS 5 flattie in a Flexo frame. Knowing I had a new solid state coil, I suspected spark, but it was there. Checked tank, and had failed tank sealer everywhere. It was a latex type, well known, of which I have had luck before.
Pulled tank and carb, crap everywhere. I used muratic acid bath first to loosen up sealer. Didn't touch it. Didn't touch the paint either. Then went to acetone- same thing. And I will point out here that acetone does not remove two part urethane paint. Reading the Caswell instructions, they recommend paint stripper on the failed sealant.
A cup of paint stripper and 200 tiny screws and it ate the failed sealant, as well as the brand-new paint job. Another acetone soak and the Caswells did it's magic. Note- Caswells acts, smells and looks exactly like the many two part epoxy coatings I've used. Since it was cold out, I thinned it with lacquer thinner, and it set up well. Tank is now primed again, carb dismantled and soaking in Berrymanns. New carb parts going in soon, and once the rain stops, a quick coat or acrylic with heavier curing dose, partial cure, then a couple coats of urethane clear. I'll test the engine in another frame before putting back in the Flexo.
Disheartening to be "done" then have to strip paint and repair, but the challenges (and lessons learned) is is what makes our hobby so rewarding.
