'76 CP1000 Copper Wing

[Bug]

After getting the headlight on, I started wondering why I always had to put it back on the charger after running it for a bit. At first I blamed the teeny-tiny cheap battery the po had put on. It was 6Ah and would only turn the bike over for 12-15 seconds. I hooked up my multimeter and the readings were all over the place. It seems I was getting interference from the ignition coils, more on that later. When I could get a steady reading, I was getting all sorts of voltages from 112 to 8. I found the melted yellow wire connector and cut it out. I traced the wires and found the stator was shorting to ground. After checking out the options, I decided to go with an alternator instead of pulling the engine.

While I was waiting on the 93mm alternator from ebay to ship, I decided to replace the coils because the old ones were old and electrically noisy. Trying to be cheap, I found a 4 cylinder coil pack that functioned similarly to the dual coil stock setup. Unfortunately, I focused on How they worked, and not the numbers... I plugged in the pack without considering the resistance. These had less than 1 ohm and after running the bike for about 30 seconds, the electronic ignition fried...

So $300 later, I had a new set of dyna coils, wires, and pickups on the way. I mounted them sideways with the leads pointing to the middle. I used a piece of all thread and a stack of washers and nuts thru the top and bottom of the coils and hung them thru an existing hole in the framwork. Seemed a little too easy on that...

Dyna coil mounted

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

Sorry for the crummy pic...

I didn't want my alternator hanging out above the heads so I stuck it in here:

Alternator Conversion 2

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

I cut up the stock airbox and used the pieces to mount a K&N ring filter directly on top of the plenum. I had some scrapped pieces of 3/8" aluminum plate that I used to make a mount for it. That was a fair bit of work with only a sawzall, drill, and files... I had to replace that little pulley with a 4.5" one to spin it fast enough at idle. I have around 13V at idle and 14.6V at a couple hundred rpm above that.

Another view of the little guy:

Alternator Conversion 1

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

And yet another:

Alternator Conversion 3

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

I got a couple of the highest CFM computer fans I could find and mounted them on the radiator. These little guys move around 200 CFM each and have a relatively high pressure.

Alternator Conversion 4

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

Just enough room for the 1.5" thick, 140mm fans after adding the alternator belt:

Close fit!

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

They're not quite enough when idling in traffic, but they help.
After all this fun, I figured I'd just re-wire the whole bike. Using some pieces from the original harness, and some new, I simplified and reduced most of the wiring.

Then my fuel pump started leaking gas out the little weep hole... so in went another cheap ebay find. $14 for a 3-6psi fuel pump wasn't too bad. I didn't have the tool kit or kick starter bar in here so I stuck the pump there:

Fuel Pump

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

Oh, and I replaced the timing belt tensioner bearings while I had that all apart.

 

[slabghost]

canuckxxxx » Sun May 31, 2015 9:10 am[/url]":3us0a3nh]
Did someone say "single carb" and "copper" in the same breath? Would a manifold for an 1100 fit on a 1000?

finished manifold 3

• canuckxxxx
• Dec 17, 2014

Yes indeed it'll fit!

 

[Bug]

Somewwhere in that mess, i had jacked up the front end and while it was free, I found out the steering head bearings were crap. So I replaced them and threw on a set of drag bars.

Time for more copper!
I broke out some more fun creativity with the next bit of copper.
I got a pair of brake/tail lights from the local motorcycle expo and started work on a frame for them and the licence plate.

Tail lights and licence plate frame

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

I'll save you the gorey details of feeding those wires down the curvy 3/8" tubing...

I used copper pipe straps and copper blind rivets to mount the plate:

Copper Rivets

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

I curved the 3/8" tubing so that once it goes thru the fender, it curves up and follows the fender so I don't hit the tire.

Licence plate frame on bike

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

And now for some artsy bits...
I didn't know the oldwings came with a soda can holder... just remove the gas gauge!

Copper Paint!

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

 

[slabghost]

This is a first! A steempunk wing! Around here I'd be afraid to park it. Folks stripping houses for the copper.

 

[Bug]

New Gauges

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

The side panels didn't come out quite the way I wanted them, so I'm going to re-paint them. When they're done, the riveted straps will go all the way down them too.

And here's where she sits today!

Front Right

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

Rear Right

• Bug
• May 31, 2015

This is a first! A steempunk wing! Around here I'd be afraid to park it. Folks stripping houses for the copper.

Ya, I'm kinda nervous myself when I ride it to work...

 

[Bug]

So That's 7 months worth of tinkering and budgeting. New work will be slow as I'm getting used to monthly paychecks (after a year and a half of being paid weekly), but here's where i'm at:

For fun, I want to put copper pipes off of the exhaust. 2" pipe ought to slide right onto the seals on the headers. I would need to figure some sort of muffling on it, but I want it to look more like plumbing than a muffler.

And here's where my carb issues are. The bike was running pretty good until I used the reserve line while cruising down the freeway. It seems there was even more rust in there and it made it thru the fuel filter and into the carbs. At least that's what I think made the difference... The next day I rode it and it acted really weird when I opened the throttle. Kinda sputtering or hesitating as it tried to spin faster. I was able to get it up to speed by keeping the throttle low and it ran fine as long as I didn't really open it up.
I pulled the carbs and did a quick cleaning with the air compressor. I got a bunch of rust out and replaced the fuel filter again. Re-installed and sync'd them. The whole time I was trying to sync them, cylinder 4 kept backfiring. It was kinda interesting to see a little jet of flame run down the aquarium tubing...
I took it for a quick ride and it seemed to run great, but idle rough and backfire every 1-3 seconds at idle. I pulled the carbs off once again and paid a little more attention to cleaning them. I used carb cleaner this time and scrubbed them pretty well. I re-assembled them and still have the backfire. The next logical thing to me would be to do a complete and proper cleaning, replacing seals and gaskets per Randakk's kit. But if i'm going to spend that kind of money, I'd rather give the single carb a try. I can re-build a single carb faster than four and I wouldn't have to worry about sync'ing it.
and as an added bonus, I could use copper tubing to match the theme.

 

[slabghost]

If you do go single carb the Solex one barrel seems easiest to set up to run well. You probably need to get the fuel tank out and cleaned. Rust will foul any carbs used. Running ATF in the fuel helps keep everything clean and working right.

 

[Bug]

What's the "Recommended Dose" and is there a certain type of ATF I should run? I'm definitly willing to give it a try.

 

[slabghost]

4-6 ounces to a full tank. Any brand ATF for any car. I've been using Peak brand because it's the least expensive in this area. I generally do not run below a half tank so just a one or two second splash at fill up works for me. If you get a little blue smoke don't freak just skip adding at next fill and use a little less thereafter.

 

[ianstaley]

Spider man....

It is different, I will give you that, whether I like it or not is irrelevant. I must admit you have thought out side the box on this one. At the end of the day that's what customizing is all about. :music: :clapping:

To be very honest I didn't get past the first page, and needed to edit this, glad I did, yes it is a nice looking Cafe racer. Yeah I do like it.. :salute:

 

[ekvh]

Alternator tucked in there nicely. Good pics and ideas. Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[ianstaley]

Yes that alternator is a great idea, I have always thought that the Wing is just about in balance regarding extra wattage used against what is delivered. Getting a bigger battery isn't really an option, I haven't seen or found one anyway in my time searching. I want a good anti theft device on mine when it is done, and the battery is too small to support that I think. Ah well keep on searching and going to check out that Alternator. How big is it AMP wise ? 60, 90, 100 Amps?

 

[Bug]

Thank you!

It's only a 60 amp. I got it from this seller:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-CHEVY-MINI- ... ef&vxp=mtr
I can't really recommend them though, this one was a second bad one they sent me. It took a month to get a the replacement, and I had to troubleshoot the replacement. They say 100% tested, but they must test at the component level. As I worked thru it, each component tested good but when assembled, one screw would short the positive rail to ground. That was a bugger to find!

It seems to work pretty well, with a 4.5" driving pulley, and a 3" pulley on it. At 1000 engine rpm idle, it has around 13 volts, bump the throttle and I get a solid and stable 14.6 volts.

 

[Bug]

I should add that I had to kick the radiator out about 3/4" to get that clearance with the belt/fans.

Hey, Canuckxxxx, were you suggesting that you might be willing to part with that beauty?

 

[canuckxxxx]

Bug, I posted the picture of my copper manifold to show you what could be done for a single carb manifold. I'm sure you have the skills to build your own. If I can help you with more details and pictures I would be glad to...just PM me.

Although this manifold is not on my GW now I still have some ideas in the back of my mind for it so I will keep it.

Thanks for your interest
Brian

 

[Bug]

Darn

When I first decided to go copper, the down tubes and exhaust were prime targets, but I still hadn't figured out how I would attach them to the heads. Your method works quite nicely, I might have to try something similar. Payday is Friday, we'll have to see what I can find in the scrap yard.

Thanks for sharing your ideas here, this site is wonderful for all the help offered!

 

[canuckxxxx]

If you have a drill press and some hole saws those brass doughnuts are very easy to make. And the machinist who cut the o-ring grooves in them only charged me $20.

The copper end cap plenum I made is OK but it is unproven that the solder joints will no fail in the long run. They are just butt joints and may eventually crack due to vibration and tresses due to heating/cooling.

I encourage you to build your own using 1" copper tubing, long radius elbows, and the type IV VW plenum. 1" copper couplings should be the ideal size for inside the plenum spigots. Connect the runners to the plenum with fuel hose, rather than a hard connection.

Good luck
Brian

 

[Bug]

Wahoo payday!

We got new helmets for myself and Mrs. Bug:

New helmets!

• Bug
• Jun 6, 2015

and a $42 trip to the scrap yard yielded this haul:

Pretty copper and a sheet of brass

• Bug
• Jun 6, 2015

That's a 1' x 2' piece of brass sheet with the plastic protection still on,
a piece of 4" piping with a cap for the plenum,
various piecesof 1" pipe with 90* elbows,
a roughly 5' piece of 1" pipe,

.025" copper plate

• Bug
• Jun 6, 2015

and the best piece, a 4" x ~16" piece of 1/4" copper plate with holes that fit the pipes!

I have plenty of the 3/8" aluminum plate scrap left after making the alternator mods, and I'll be using it to make something like Canukxxxx's to mount the manifold to the head.

 

[canuckxxxx]

Wow, you made quite a score there. :shock: That 1/4" copper plate with holes already for the 1" pipe is ideal. Also, a 4" end cap might be better than a 2", like I used, because it will give more plenum volume. :yes:

And you have lots more room for making holes for the runners. You should be able to point the runners at the plenum and run them straight in, with no 45 elbows.

How thick is the brass plate you bought? Needs to be fairly thick because that is the flange surface that the carb or 2 to 1 adapter bolted to. With that big a plenum I would not use the adapter but mount the carb directly on top of the plenum. Maybe you will have enough of the copper plate to make the plenum top/flange.

Are you going to use a Weber 2 barrel or a Solex? Almost need to get the carb in order to make the top of the plenum.

BTW, Dan might want you to start a new thread in the single carb section for this part. :whip:

Good luck
Brian

 

[Bug]

Oh, the brass is just a sheet like a door kick plate. I was going to use it to cover my battery. The original cover is missing a tab and the spring on the pin so it falls off.

I plan to use the copper plate for the flanges and depending on how much is left and where the holes line up, I'll use what's left to cap the 4" pipe and mount the carb. The pipe goes all the way to the bottom of the cap so I'll have double wall thickness to solder in the runners.

I still need to get a carb. I like the idea of the 2 bbl for a more precise fuel delivery across the range, I think.

I'll start a new thread for detailed work on the carb/manifold but I'd like to do a quick summary here like I have for the rest of my build.