The Moriarty MKII, a new project bike for a friend

Okay, so firstly, let's tackle that top engine mount:

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As you can see it's rather simple, just extend the top two bolt holes on both sides of these mounting brackets (easier said than done... it took me a good half an hour or more messing about with a shit drill...

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Next, the manifold, carb and airbox (note the annoying pikey trying to show me how to fasten a bolt :rolleyes1:) This was a serious chore because A) the airbox is for a smaller carb (it takes some serious manhandling to get the two to mate) B) Since you have to manhandle the carb into the airbox off of the bike (impossible when it's attached).. that means you have to put both carb and box in at the same time.. and the only way to do this is take off the rear wheel... anyway it's also really close to the frame so there are all sorts of contortions you have to do to get that damn carb to fit right (and never mind attaching the throttle cable... that's a bloody mission too)....

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Okay.. carb finally on and airbox in place, time for the new wiring harness! I plugged in the coil and a few other bits and bobs, but I'll do the wiring tomorrow properly... I got my new rear wheel rim, whacked off the tyre and put it on the new rim (I'll paint the rim properly tomorrow too)... at least the rear wheel is true now and doesn't wobble :P

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Threaded all the wiring through to the correct place... then it was time to pack up, have to go to work in Bao'an this evening...

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I also put on the kickstarter, put the tank and covers back on... and well I'm leaving it at the shop till tomorrow... let's see how many scratches and pikey prints it can pick up in one day :)

Tomorrow it will run!

- SerpentZA (youtube.com/serpentza)

"pikey prints"

LOL

Please sir what is the correct torque setting for the engine mounts? "tighten the shit out of them son" lol

Bloody pikeys scratched my new front forks last night!!! Pikey prints all over the place!!! .... :gun_bandana:

Well I was going to respray the forks anyway.... and I guess I can redo the tank and side panels too :rolleyes1: (I actually did want to add some custom design... but wait for that :) )

Okay so as promised... it ran today!!! And it's a fantastic ride!!

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First the wiring... this was a bloody pain in the arse! None of the switches or the instrument cluster were compatible with the new standard GN125 wiring harness... that meant a lot of messing around, splicing, cutting, crimping etc etc... However the main wiring harness was un-modified! Only the connectors from the switches, headlight, etc etc were changed....

End result = Working lights, indicators, indicator indicator (that thing that flashes when your indicator is on), high beams indicator, gear position indicator (0,1,2,3,4,5), the hooter (horn) and of course the charging circuit through the regulator, the diode, the backlight for the speedo the coil and finally the CDI... what a piece of shit.... why is it that they always send me a CDI with these engines that doesn't work? I'm not a moron when it comes to electrics... but I've never been able to get one of their CDIs to work.... so I just bought a new pikey CDI and it worked 100% (CDI stands for Capacitor Discharge Ignition boys and girls) And does that bugger discharge... I was holding the exposed end of the coil wire (the part that usually goes to the spark plug) when a pikey decided to "check what that button on the handlebars does" ... bloody hell does that shock hit you!

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Next was the exhaust pipe... My nice black powder coated exhaust came pre-scratched from the factory! (how nice)... I'm going to be doing a lot of touch-up on this bike when it's done.... installed the exhaust... but forgot the copper gasket... why? Because I was suffering from the effects of dehydration, or perhaps because I was just being stupid... either way... wrestled the exhaust off and re-installed it correctly...

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Don't forget to install one of these puppies!

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Next up, new gear lever and new foot pegs all round (rider and passenger)...

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Time for an oil change before I take it for a test run... This is the best stuff they have at the shop.. 40RMB.. so it must be good (most of the pikey stuff it 15~25)....

She fired up easy and ran solidly as I've come to expect from these engines!

- Continued shortly

Once I was happy that all the brakes and suspension were all properly in place, I took it for a spin down the road to ensure it was safe... and it was awesome, I dislike choppers personally, but this sort of chopper stance that you take riding this thing is really comfortable and confidence inspiring... the brakes all worked beautifully, the handling was nimble and it had loads of torque (it vibrates a bit though... but I'm sure once there's a seat and I'm not sitting directly on the frame that this will get better)! Gear changes are smooth and solid too :clap:

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No, that's not me! That's my friend "Big Pete" I enlisted his help to ride the bike back to my place whilst I drove my car (also he's an electrical engineer so it was nice to have him help out with the wiring, two hands made light work in this situation)..

But the main advantage is that we can get scale on the bike now.. I always wanted to see what a well fed foreigner on this bike would look like, since I'd want to be happy that this bike was large enough for the general foreigner population.

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There's no seat, but you can see that the bike is substantial enough that he doesn't look like a blimp on stilts (I have a friend that when he rides his CG125... he really does look like a blimp on stilts...)

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Pete had no issues riding the bike back to my place, it was solid, torquey and the suspension was great according to him.

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Okay... now I'm just waiting for the seat, then I can do the rear end of the bike (lights etc), I'll probably do touch-ups etc this weekend and have it 100% complete next week!

More updates as they happen!

- SerpentZA (youtube.com/serpentza)

Okay.. today she comes together!

The seat arrived last night... 500RMB later... but it's worth it (I'll eventually find a way to make these cheaper... but the seat really makes the bike).

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It's not a simple bolt on procedure... this is what the bike looks like if you just plonk the seat on top, anyway let's get to work!

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Let's cut down that pesky frame, cut it directly in line with the rear indicator bolt holes (it works out well as you'll see later).

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I bought a new GN125 rear mud guard... this ghastly chrome monster... it actually serves an important purpose, it holds that plastic inner mud guard in place (there are plastic clips that latch onto the chrome monstrosity), and it also provides a little structural integrity too.

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See how stupid this mud guard makes the bike look? ... This mudguard however is going to serve another purpose altogether! It's going to be the mount point for my rear light/license plate holder!

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Some happy grinding later and as you can see we have a crude looking setup (Don't worry, I cleaned it up and painted it black later, I just needed to work out the dimensions more or less before whipping it off the bike to drill the mounting holes in it for the rear light cluster).

Next... it all comes together!

- continued shortly

Once I was happy that all the holes were properly drilled etc, I next had to drill two custom holes in the cross member of the frame for the two studs on the new custom seat (that's how it attaches)... and then it was time to do the wiring (don't judge me.. this was just to get it running, I'll do the wiring up properly once everything's working)....

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Connected up the two rear bullet indicators and the rear light, all tested and working (took some messing around since the light worked in a different way to the harness)..

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Success, all lights working!

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And that ladies and gentlemen is what I am talking about! It's looking great in my opinion! (the rear end anyway)

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I took it for a 10km test ride with the wife on the back, and it was comfortable carrying two people (she is skinny though, so if your wife/gf is of the large variety, you may want to ask her to take the bus)...

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I'm not happy with the front end, that chrome headlight looks crap and the silver forks need to be seen to... next I make the front look as good as the back!!! Stay tuned!

- SerpentZA (youtube.com/serpentza)

I really hoped to get more done today, but I had a subscriber over for a beer and I helped him fix up a bike he'll be taking on a trip, I did manage to get a few things done however:

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First off I whipped off the front wheel, masked off the forks and painted them matt black (I'll be finding a place to help me do professional painting later, this is just a mockup).

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Next I did the headlight which required me completely stripping it off the bike and of course messing around with all the wiring again :P

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I'm starting to really like the front end of the bike now!

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Before and after, what a huge difference a little paint makes!

Next I'm going to see if it's at all possible to attach some sort of mud guards without ruining the look of the bike!

Stay tuned!

- SerpentZA (youtube.com/serpentza)

Okay, got some morning pics of the bike so we can get a proper look! As it stands I'm very happy with the outcome! Other than mud guards (which I'm trying to sort out so they don't spoil the look), she's perfect! And she rides fantastic too!

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Any suggestions on changes?

Great job mate! Best looking "taxi bike" I've seen by far! Looking forward to seeing your solution to the tricky mudguard problem.

Will you also offer a touring version/kit with rack for panniers etc?

Praise first: I LOVE IT. I am seriously jealous about your manual skills and mechanical expertise. Chapeau!

Now the criticism (hope constructive): I don't like the exhaust. It reminds me exactly of the taxi bikes, and you want to avoid that. The best, in my taste, would be something that runs parallel to the back part of the seat, this way you would have harmonic lines. However you have never posted a pic taken from the right side of the bike no angles, so it's hard to judge.

Again, WELL DONE and keep up the good work!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by futianshenzhen

Great job mate! Best looking "taxi bike" I've seen by far! Looking forward to seeing your solution to the tricky mudguard problem.

Will you also offer a touring version/kit with rack for panniers etc?

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Thanks! and yes mate, as soon as I find a set of paniers that suit the bike, I'll build them into a "travel addon kit" :)

First priority is sorting the mud guards and then the exhaust!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vale46

Praise first: I LOVE IT. I am seriously jealous about your manual skills and mechanical expertise. Chapeau!

Now the criticism (hope constructive): I don't like the exhaust. It reminds me exactly of the taxi bikes, and you want to avoid that. The best, in my taste, would be something that runs parallel to the back part of the seat, this way you would have harmonic lines. However you have never posted a pic taken from the right side of the bike no angles, so it's hard to judge.

Again, WELL DONE and keep up the good work!!!

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I can't agree with you more! I'm really having trouble finding a better exhaust! It seems that I have a choice between either the stock megaphone jobbie, the one I have now or a stupid slip-on crayon exhaust... I'm going to have to find an engineering shop where I can fabricate something unless I stumble across something better on taobao... Thank you for the support! :) I'm only getting started!

How about something like this?
Place the exhaust like in a dirt bike
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Oops.. I think I was looking the wrong place ;-D :eekers:

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Just under the seat

And perhaps this for a mud guard
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Great project

Cutting that old mudguard and using it as a hanger for the light was genius. Great stuff! :thumbsup:

Just when you thought I'd disappeared!

I got hit by a savage bout of the Flu... it knocked me for a 6 and I've been out all week!

Anyway I did manage to still get a little work on the bike done (oh and also build two more bikes in one day... but that's another story).

I've managed to sort out the front mud guard!

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I ground up the original mud guard, much shorter at the front (I eyeballed it so it wasn't perfect but pretty spot on).

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Cut it in line with the mounting bracket... and it looks sweet (Notice my other project in the background)...

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Let me know what you blokes think!

I think it looks spiffing. Clean lines, well finished, has a great 'farting around town' look to it. The vestigial front fender probably won't do much in the rain but sure it looks good and i couldn't make a better one.

The bike looks great.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by felix

I think it looks spiffing. Clean lines, well finished, has a great 'farting around town' look to it. The vestigial front fender probably won't do much in the rain but sure it looks good and i couldn't make a better one.

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Thanks mate, I rode the bike up to Huizhou (100kms one way) and got stuck behind one of those damn cleaning water spraying trucks for about 3kms... I got mud all over the bike and me... so I decided it needed to be fixed!

With this little guard mud still gets on the bike but misses your boat race (face)... so I'm happy with it, it's muuuuuch better now :)

- SerpentZA

Excellent, then i will shut my goat race.

That mud guard is just what I hoped for. Great
Now you just need one of those Gatling Gun Exhausts.

Okay, so it's D-day... the Moriarty is to be ridden tomorrow morning (4:30am) to Zhuhai and to be delivered to its new owner!


I had some last minute work to do on it this morning before work.


First, I had to spray the heat shield on that awful exhaust (don't worry I've sourced new ones and I'll send him an upgrade in the future), also the rear wheel needed proper spraying and I needed to fit the new o-ring chain...

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Those left over beer bottles from Sunday's house party sure came in handy holding down the newspaper :)

I'll be sure to post pictures of the ride (it's quite a long way to Zhuhai) and the handover when it happens tomorrow morning!

In the mean-time here's a sneak peek of the other two Moriarties I've been working on!

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Stay tuned for more Moriarty build updates (I'm getting a 300cc motor for the next one!!).

- SerpentZA (www.youtube.com/serpentza)

Okay... so the day before there was an annoying buzzing sound coming from the bike, couldn't pinpoint it but it was very noticable and very annoying, seemed to be coming from up front near the gauges but for the life of me I couldn't pinpoint it, I went over all the nuts and bolts, made sure everything was tightened up and in place... just couldn't find it... Turned out it was the bloody petrol cap, the little keyhole lid was loose and vibrating... what a stupid little thing.... Anyway, 4:30 am and I was off to Zhuhai

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Here's a picture of the bike on the Humen ferry (only 8rmb to cross).... But let me tell you something about the trip... the roads between me (Shenzhen) and Zhuhai are probably some of the worst most crap, disgusting bloody roads in China! G107 anyone? Basically on the Shenzhen side of the Estuary it's all non stop industrial blight, disgusting broken up roads crammed full of trucks, dust, construction and filth... in fact there may actually be no single tree the whole way...

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The sun was rising.. I'd boarded the ferry at around 6:20AM

The other side of the Estuary is slightly better, but still crappy, factories spewing smog and uncountable trucks all trying to run you off the road.... the roads are less under construction and more forgiving, but let's face it... this trip is basically 138kms of absolute crap... it was a good test of the bike! :thumbsup:

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The journey took me around 3hrs and 20mins including the ferry ride and a massive 7am truck traffic jam that stretched for about 20kms....

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I arrived around 8am in Zhuhai, had a little breakfast and gave the bike a once over... 442kms on the new engine (it's still a baby), basically run in now, had a nice new oil change the night before...

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I managed to avoid any big puddles on the way so she was still pretty clean... what do you think about my matt black side panels? That was a night before addition... sanding, primer and a proper paint :)

Next.. I hand it over

Right, so I'd arrived, had my breakfast and then headed over to wait for my mate Pete to come home from his morning gig...

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She's a pretty little bike... I really enjoyed the way she handled and the sheer amount of grunt that little Shineray engine gives out (especially since it's such a small cut down simple and light frame).

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Pete, on the bike that was built for him!

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He took it for a spin, he's a normal sized foreigner, same height as myself, bike fit him perfectly and he commented on how much more comfortable the riding position was compared to the Churchill :)

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Watch out for the puddle there mate if you value your shirt!

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At the end of the day, a happy customer, I'll still be giving him a wider rear tyre in the future, a rear mud guard (still working on finding the right solution) and of course I'll be replacing the petrol tank with a properly painted and branded one as soon as I've got that all sorted.

So there we have it, the Moriarty MKII made, delivered and a complete success!

Keep your eye out for the MKIII

- SerpentZA (youtube.com/serpentza)