Featured 1964 Tiger 90 Restoration

The cam shaft puller arrived and extracted the cam shaft pinions with ease. Such an expensive thing for a couple of minutes of action. It is so much easier to work on these bikes now than it was back in the late '70s early '80s. We used to trawl around London searching for parts. Kay's of Ealing, Slocombes of Neasden, Roebucks in Rayners Lane, Happy Hamrax in Ladbrook Grove. Nowadays you just search on line and it arrives in a day or two.

 

Thanks Joe

 

Odane, full of youthful confidence, took the rear mudguard and spent the day sanding rust and old paint off. He did get a lot off but it's clear that it will need grit blasting along with all the other tin ware. Powder coat would probably be a good idea too.

 

Spent some time today deciding what to do about the wiring. The original wiring loom is very scruffy with frayed wires and a mixture of original bullet connectors and chocky blocks. I've decided to completely rewire it and have ordered wire and bullet connectors etc. and designed a 3D printed cable tidy that will hold all the connectors and the flasher unit and the horn and a phone charging socket all inside the headlamp shell. It looks like it will all fit...

 

Today I removed the camshafts and loosened all the crankcase boots but could not budge the 'hidden' screws near the tappet blocks despite heating the area. I've ordered a 100mm 5/16 hex extension which I'll grind into a flat head screwdriver then hopefully they will loosen with the impact driver.

 

The camshafts are in perfect condition. No scores or even scratches anywhere and the bearings have no wear that I can detect. The gearbox main bearing feels a bit rough so I've ordered a new one and also the crankshaft ball bearing along with a load of other bits and pieces. The costs mount up!

 

Odane came round today and we lifted the motor out and he cleaned the frame while I cleaned smaller parts. Once he starts he keeps on going (and talking) and he did a good job getting all the filth off. One thing I'm not sure of is how the swinging arm is lubricated. I removed the end caps and pushed out the old sticky grease from the spindle but there are no grease nipples and it's not obvious how grease gets to the bearings from the centre of the spindle. There's no play so I'd rather not disturb it...

 

Damn your eyes Speedrattle. This project is going way too deep and now you've got me in even deeper.
I made up an aluminium drift and whacked the swinging arm spindle smartly with a hammer a couple of times. It moved a couple of mm but the drift got somewhat damaged. The spindle and bearings are not expensive so it's the right decision. Thanks Speedrattle...

 

Yes. That is the main job I have to do. I'm sure it will be as bad as Dom's on YouTube because my oil tank has thick sludge. I am planning on fitting a Morgo oil filter.
https://www.morgo.co.uk/product-category/morgo-oil-filter-kit/

 

Thanks for that, Speed. I've ordered this one.

 

I've decided to leave the swinging arm alone. I hit it really hard a few more times and it won't budge. I thought about buying or hiring a press but as there's no discernable play and there is lubricant in there I think it's best to leave it...

 

Agreed except I've been concerned about the contents of that sludge trap for decades and a filter eliminates all future anxiety.
I got this bike running back in 1998 after a long rest under a pile of junk in the garage. It smoked like a battleship so I had the guides and valves replaced and glaze busted the cylinders with a ball hone and fitted new rings. Got it all back together then looked in the oil tank... Thick sludge. Let's say a young family and a demanding job came above an old bike so I pretended I hadn't seen the sludge, filled up with oil and rode the scruffy thing around occasionally. Now that I have time on my hands I can enjoy the process and get it how I want it. It will still look like a 1960s Tiger 90 but will have some upgrades. 12 volt electrics, electronic ignition, improved carburation LED lighting, oil filter etc.
It's an all black bike. There's no 1964 gold or other colour under the black. The V5 says "Black" Presumably you could order all black as an option to the fashion colour of the year.