DKW Panel Beating 2013

The DKW

Oh dear!!

They put the warning "do not drive or operate heavy machinery" on drugs for a reason. For a couple of weeks in August was laid low with a dose of the flu. In fact, this winter the flu has taken me down three times. On one of my days, wallowing around in man-flu misery, I had to move the DKW out of the driveway and, in my stupor backed straight into the fence. Great!!! Actually I said something quite else. So, the baby had to go for some medical attention.

I took the car to Karson at K-Paz Spray Painting, who did a great job repairing the damage. The panel looks fantastic and he was able to match the paint perfectly.

While the car was in the shop I asked Karson to look at the front wing. When I bought the car there were two small bubbles in the paintwork, both about the size of a ten cent piece. The front bubble cracked open shortly after the car arrived allowing moisture to get in, causing the bubbles to run. By this time the two bubbles had become one long cracked bubble, almost a foot long. The panel was removed, stripped back and repainted. Fortunately there wasn't really any rust under the bubble.

The bubble as it originally was. It got much worse!

And is now gone!

I am very happy to recommend his work. He can be contacted here - https://www.facebook.com/pages/K-Paz-Automotive-Spraypainting/128098420553883?fref=ts

Three on the road

Happy days! I have now have three of my four bikes on the road. In April I took the Ariel over the pits, but as I reported back then it didn't go well. The first thing I did after that debacle was to order a Pazon ignition system from New Zealand (link http://www.pazon.com/) and some replacement pistons and rings. When we got into the engine however, the current pistons, rings and barrels, proved to be in great condition so we didn't replace them. The Pazon system immediately improved performance and made for reliable starting.

I decided that I would go with a concessional license and booked an inspection through the Vintage Motorcycle Club. It was a bit of a nerve wracking exercise because it was quite a ride out to the club in Forrestfield and I'd had almost no practice riding her on the road. I took it really slow, which certainly p*ssed off some drivers. My greatest concern was braking. The front brake is almost useless, barely able to slow the bike, but when used in combination with the footbrake it works okay. But only just okay.

The engine ran well but the gear change was sloppy, crunching in first and second, but third and fourth felt soft and it was often hard to tell which gear I was in. It will take a bit of practice to get the changes right. That all said, the Leader is a smooth ride. Its low centre of gravity makes it feel very stable on the road. It also corners well, although I didn't take any at speed.
The inspection was relatively quick and painless. I was a little more confident on the ride home and pushed her up to 50 miles per hour. Pleasingly she didn't lose speed running up the hill near my house, unlike the Troll and Vespa, which always struggle. Now I'm just waiting on the registration process. I'm crossing my fingers there aren't any more 'bureaucratic' challenges!

Update - 3 August 2010. My paperwork from the Department if Infrastructure and Transport stating, as we already knew, that there is no record of the Ariel being imported since the introduction of import restrictions in 1989. So, here we go. Let's hope this is the last hurdle.

The Troll

And the Troll is now back after six months off the road. The last time I'd ridden the Troll was before New Years Day, when she broke down. Because the kick starter had jammed and would not budge I suspected the piston had seized. Fortunately that proved not to be the case. Both the clutch arm and kick starter had come out of alignment and it only took a bit of pushing and pulling to set them right. A few fixing bolts and washers should keep them together. The leaking petrol tap was replaced, the carburetter cleaned and the old IWL air filter was disconnected and replaced by a new modern one (below). The transformation in performance has been incredible. She fires up on the first or second kick every time now. Amazing!

And finally.. FINALLY.. I was able to secure an IWL badge for the headstock. It's a trivial thing really and a bit battered up, but it these things are very hard to find. So now she is complete.

So it looks like I'm going to have lots of riding choices this summer to do things like this..

And this...

Ariel - Not quite close enough

Today was a day of great expectations. The Ariel was finally ready so I took a day off work and popped around to the Vespa Shop to pick her up. She looked great with the new whitewall tyres and the side panels and fender repainted. She started up easily and ran smoothly.

I was very nervous riding her. Firstly, as the polarity of the Leader's electrics is reversed from almost every other bike, the standard 6 volt flasher unit I'd bought wouldn't work so we removed the indicators at the last minute. I'll try and find a replacement and install them later. When you suddenly find yourself riding without indicators you realise how 'out there' you are on the road. I also struggled with the right hand gear change and almost constantly knocked myself out of gear every time I tried to brake. I felt very unsafe.

That said, the bike is surprising pleasant to ride. Despite her weighty appearance she is light and sprightly and can manouver tightly. I can fully understand why the Leader was voted Best New Motorcycle in 1959. All of the contemporary reviews I've read have expressed surprise and delight at her handling. I'm just going to have to acclimatize to the controls and that'll come with time.

So once again I queued at the inspection centre. There was a lot of interest in the bike - almost everyone came over for look and chat. Several old guys recognised her and we all had a long conversation about Ariel Square Fours. Then the inspection got underway and I had to remove the side panels, which was time consuming but not a difficult. The bike had been sitting almost an hour when we tested the electrics and there was immediately a problem. The headlight, so bright earlier in the morning, faded out. I suggested we run her and get the charge back up, but she just wouldn't start. It was the Troll fiasco all over again! After two hours exhausting myself trying to get her started I called Ivo and he and Roberto drove around to the centre (I did get her running eventually and rode her around the yard for half an hour to warm up, but she died again as soon as I stopped). We fiddled around with it for another half an hour but the spark was gone. We thought it was a problem with a coil as one cylinder would spark but not the other, so then it was back to the shop. As soon as a new battery went in the Ariel jumped back to life so I rode it back to the inspection centre. Things then got very frustrating.

I'd bought the bike from a dealer, who picked it up from a deceased estate, where it had been sitting for decades in a shed. It had not been licensed since the 1970's. But we were now told that unless there is record in the national database, they could not register the bike. The national database goes back to... ugh, 1990 something. Unless of course I could get the original registration. But, even if I could get the original registration it still wouldn't be in the database so... we went around a merry circle. I even got Barry from the Vintage Motorcycle Swapshop on the phone who offered to do a stat dec on the circumstances of where he got the bike, but that was 'unacceptable.' It was extemely frustrating. This all just bureaucracy. There will be a way around this. Hell, basket cases and barn finds are restored and put back on the road all the time!

Finally, at 4pm, after another hours wait, during which time the inspectors had decided they wouldn't test ride the bike after all, but neglected to tell me, I left. I'd spent the whole day at the licensing centre - not the best day I've had.

On the ride home things didn't get better. I took the backstreets as I didn't want to ride in peak hour traffic but as I reached the main roads near my house the engine started backfiring and smoking like a steam train. Damn it - more problems - serious problems. I managed to nurse it home but I think it's time for new rings and probably electronic ignition too. Maybe that will solve the electrical problems once and for all.

In the meantime I have more investigation to do to overcome the registration 'challenge.' It makes me wonder what will happen to all the old bikes that get sold on ebay without papers - there are lots! How are their new owners going to go when the front up for inspection?

Okay, so she's not quite running but boy she is a handsome bike.

News from the stable

I was a little concerned when I got back from my Europe trip that the Troll would still be off the road. Much to my relief that wasn't the case. Somehow or other the cylinder had worked itself loose and the engine had lost compression. Never having seen anything like this before Ivo and Roberto were stumped as to the cause. I suspect it might just have been a symptom of many years neglect, overheating and a bit of vibration.

My first ride in four or five months was a bit stressful. The engine was running dreadfully and a howling wind made her very difficult to control. Shelly, who was following me home in the car, commented that I was wobbling all over the road. It wasn't a good start.

The next weekend I took her out for another run after cleaning the tank and adding fresh fuel. Thankfully this time she ran really well and I had a very pleasant ride. I've taken her out several times since and have been generally pleased with the performance. As I've said before, the Troll is a beautiful scooter to ride. It may not look pretty but its layout is 'just right' - the handlebars are perfectly position so you don't have to bend or stretch, the seat is perfectly comfortable, even over long distances, and the foot gears can be switched up and down with the minimum of effort. It's an excellent touring scooter. That said however there are still some problems to resolve. The battery went flat while we were away but although Roberto recharged it it has gone flat again so it isn't charging. Lack of consistent charge makes the engine stall at idle. The horn has also failed and needs to be replaced (if it isn't one thing, it's another!).

The Ariel

A couple of days before I left the Ariel Leader arrived in Perth. My brother was kind enough to pick it up and store it for me. It's still at his place and I need to arrange for it to be shipped over. In the meantime all the of the missing / replacement parts have come in so I'm all ready to go. I am quite excited about getting the bike running, registered and on the road. I don't intend a full restoration. The paintwork, especially the red sections, have many original flourishes that would be lost if it was stripped back, so I want to keep its original patina, polished up and preserved. It will also keep the cost down which will be important!

Troll - On the road at last

After a little bit of tuning and the replacement of the temporary mirror the Troll sailed through the vehicle inspection. I'd taken the day off work and Ivo and Roberto bought the Troll around to my house - great service! I rode the bike to the licensing centre and after the usual long wait I finally registered the Troll in my name and was handed the license plates. I then took the Beast for a cruise around the neighbourhood to get a feel for her.

Firstly I'll repeat my earlier observation - she's very hard to start. This is certainly a frustration. The Troll is just so big and heavy that it is difficult to hold her steady (and leaning away from you) while reaching over to hold down the throttle AND putting sufficient grunt into the kick. As if the exhaustion of repeatedly trying to kickstart it wasn't enough, I almost dropped the bike several times into the bargin. That said, once the engine was warmed up, it started first time each time. Update 2019 - re-reading this now I know that the starting issues were all related to the choke set up on the Troll. Unless the choke is set correctly it still can be slow to get started.

Once running however, the Troll handles quite well. It is a BIG scooter and you can feel it. The seating position is very comfortable. The steering feels very direct and because you are sitting up and well forward it does feel that bike is pivoting around you and makes for a surprisingly tight turning circle, given the size of the bike.

I found the 'heel and toe' gear changing very smooth, once I'd got the hang of it. It helps to wear appropriate shoes - my fashionable work shoes with their long toe really didn't foot that particular bill. I haven't really had to use the brakes in anger but I suspect the old drum brakes might be a weak point, but this is what you get with a forty year old scooter.

Although 149cc's is not a particularly big engine (hell, the VBB has a 150cc!) it feels like it has power. On a flat straight run it reached 70km per hour without any difficulty. The only thing stopping me pushing it further (apart from the traffic) was vibration in the front wheel. Surprisingly the Troll does get buffeted about by the wind. James in the UK also observed this. It seems strange that such a big and heavy scooter can be affected by wind, but I guess those big flat barn door sides do act a bit like sails.

I've only ridden the Troll for about an hour and she performed very well. I am looking forward to 'debuting' her on this Sunday's scooter run from Fremantle to Bibra Lake. It's not a big trip but it's being filmed for an "On Two Wheels" scooter special so that should be fun.

The Troll and Vespa side by side. The Troll is almost half a metre longer and has substantially more 'body'

Troll - Done! But not dusted

It's been a tense week. While the generator arrived in record time the brake cable is still nowhere to be seen. Given that the cable was apparently the only thing standing between the Troll and the road I was understandably anxious. But late this afternoon Ivo called to say the Troll was pretty much finished and did I want to come over and have a look. The answer was an emphatic yes!

In the end Ivo and Roberto managed to reuse the old brake cable. It'll do for now but I'll replace it with the new one as soon as it arrives. There had been a few other problems. The clutch cable seized up when they took it on a test ride around the carpark, the neutral gear light has stopped working and the horn is broken. The clutch is working now but I might need to replace the old cable with a new one later. The important thing is that the Troll is now running and, with the exception of the horn problem, is now ready for the licensing centre. If all goes well, I should pick up the bike tomorrow afternoon and get it inspected early Friday morning. Woo who!

As you can see, the Troll looks magnificent. The 12 volt electrics are fantastic - the headlight and indicators are very strong and the engine fires up on about the second or third kick each time. I must admit the engine does sound very 'tinny' so I'm not expecting power and speed - but of course, that's not the appeal of odd scoots!

I must compliment Ivo and Roberto for their excellent efforts on the Troll. I originally engaged them to assist with a list of ten mechanical and electrical problems, but soon enough they ended up a full blown restoration on their hands. They did encounter more problems that expected (of course!) but managed to overcome them and the end result is magnificent. Also thanks must go to Dirk and Bert at Powerdynamo for their exceptional service and interest. And also thanks to everyone who wrote to me with suggestions, tips and encouragement. Thanks! Here is a link to their website: http://www.vespashop.net.au/

So, Friday (touch wood) The Beast will be on the road. I'll post a video of the Troll in motion and then finish up with a handling report.

And then it's back to the Heinkel.

Latest News
Today the Troll was finished. I picked it up and took it for the short ride from The Vespa Shop to the Vehicle Inspection Centre. It was only a short trip - possibly less than one kilometre but across a major road that was jam packed with heavy (truck) traffic. I must admit the Troll wasn't a smooth ride. Firstly, I had trouble getting it started. While it turned over for Ivo and Roberto third kick every time it resolutely refused to start for me. Personally I think the kick start it poorly positioned, requiring you to stand very close the machine to get enough grunt behind it, at the same time as reaching across what is a very large bike makes you very unsteady. I almost dropped the bike a number of times. I also found the brake and clutch cables extremely tight, but they are symptoms of our recent mechanical challenges.

So, somehow I managed to ride the Troll safely through the traffic to the Licensing Centre. There I was immediately confronted with blank stares - "What the hell is that?" After a bit of banter explaining the origin of the Troll we started the inspection. Now the Troll decided not to start. How embarrassing! The inspector didn't bother hanging around. "Yeah, you'll need it to be able to run before we can inspect it." And then he walked off to complete his paperwork. Another inspector came over for a look. I asked him if could hold the bike steady and then she fired straight up, but it was too late. I hopped back on rode back to the shop. Somewhere along the journey the glass in the rear vision mirror (a cheap piece of Viet cr*p we were using as a temporary mirror) shattered. Ivo and Roberto are going to replace it with the proper mirror (now fixed) and adjust the idle to prevent it stalling. Roberto is going to try again tomorrow morning. I expect it'll pass this time.

The Troll awaits inspection

Troll update

I popped in to see Ivo and Roberto this morning to drop of some more parts and see how things were going. Good as it turned out. The Troll's panels were all back and painted and the chassis was set up on a stand in the middle of their garage. They had threaded all the cables and wiring. Tomorrow the engine would go in and hopefully - all things being equal - it would be finished by the end of the week.

They showed a few of the things they had been working on. They had had to reuse some of the old cables as the new ones did not fit - specifically the clutch bowden and the tacho cable. Also, when they got down to it and began cleaning up many of the old parts, they turned out to be in excellent condition and reuseable - even the rubber! That's German excellence for you.

I snapped a couple of quick pics on my phone. They don't quite do justice to the colour, which is alot more lively in real life. Ivo also has taken photos throughout the process and I'll publish them once the job is done. Not long now until the Beast is on the road!

The fruits of summer

It's been ages since I've published anything on this blog. Partly it's because I've been busy but also because I start writing something, then things change and I go back and start re-editing. This time however I'm just going to publish and correct the out of date stuff with another post. Here goes:

The Troll

After sourcing most of the parts I needed I set about trying to carry out some of the repairs myself. As I reported last time, this had somewhat mixed results. At the end of the day I couldn't complete the rewiring, fix the accelerator or remove the rear brake cable (which had rusted right into the brake housing. Ivo and Roberto from the Vespa Shop had agreed to look the Troll over for me and assist so I ended up dropping it off to them. After they'd had an opportunity to give it the once over we caught up to discuss the next steps. I'd originally intended to just undertake the basic repairs on the Troll, to get it roadworthy but not restore it. After a lengthy discussion though we agreed that it will pretty much be a basic restoration, including a complete repaint. I'm quite excited. One of the things that prompted me to do this now was finding this German website detailing the restoration of a Troll and Berlin. I'm expecting my Troll to look just like this: http://emw340-2.com/

I've also been in contact with a guy - James - in the UK who is repairing a Troll. His site is:

http://www.trollscoot.co.uk/

Due to the Christmas and New Year breaks, when many businesses shut down for weeks, the Troll probably won't be ready before March 2009. I can hardly wait.

The Heinkel

The Heinkel is now resident in my new shed. I really didn't have room to store any of my scooters. The Vespa was always parked on the veranda at the front of the house - not an entirely secure location while the Heinkel and Troll were both wrapped up under tarps on my back porch, much to the delight of my wife. So, in the interests of domestic harmony it was essential that they be found an appropriate home. We had a small 2.5 by 2.5 metre shed in the corner of the garden. That had to go. As did a rather scrappy small tree. We now have a 4.3 metre long shed that can happily accommodate all three scooters and my kayak. Hurrah! That all said, unfortunately, I just haven't had the time yet to do anything with the Heinkel, but I am planning on starting work on it shortly.

The Vespa

I hadn't ridden the Vespa much in the past couple of months, but after getting back from Melbourne in mid November I've taken it on a run every weekend. I took it into Fremantle a couple of Sundays ago and she rode like a dream. It felt great to finally get to use the scooter as I intended. Unfortunately, not having used it much over the preceding months I'd neglected to check exactly how much petrol was in the tank. I mean, hey, it's not like I'd used it much so it's gotta be pretty full, doesn't it? Funnily enough I was almost home when this thought crossed my mind and I thought perhaps I should take this opportunity to swing by the nearest petrol station. And with that thought the engine suddenly went "pop!" and I was dead in the water. Oops! I was only about a kilometre from home so it wasn't a biggie. Just a little embarrassing.

More embarrassing however was that I had to push the Vespa past a group of young ladies who were sitting on their front lawn, overlooking the river, and having a few drinks. They'd waved when I drove past them on my way to Freo so I felt a little humiliated now having to walk the bike past them. Sure enough they laughed and called out but were surprisingly sympathetic. "Looks like you could use a drink!", one of them called, and indeed I could. And I did. I ended up joining their little soiree for a few bottles of champagne so it didn't end too badly after all! But I now know exactly how far I can drive on one tank of petrol.

Long time coming...

It's been several months now since I've updated the blog. This is partly an indication of the progress to date and partly because I've just been busy. So a quick summary is in order.

During June and July I received a steady flow of the parts I had ordered. There were some errors however. I was shipped a cigar form Berlin exhaust instead of the Troll exhaust I'd ordered. I had to do alot of searching to find a Troll exhaust, but found one here: http://www.oldtimer-auspuffanlagen.de/ They were very prompt with the purchase and delivery.

I am still struggling to find brake shoes for the Troll. Many vendors seem to offer them but are unresponsive to my enquiries. I have found this the greatest difficulty ordering from German vendors. Although many do reply to my queries in English, they never seem to follow up on the enquiry. I have an order outstanding with http://www.dietel-fahrzeugteile.de/ for brake shoes, a new carburetor and petrol tap but haven't responded to my queries yet.

My ambition to take care of the rewiring myself didn't really come to fruition. The wiring set certainly appeared to contain everything required to completely rewire the Troll. The problem however was that the wires are not labeled and the schematic is very theoretical, like a subway map. Without electrical experience it simply proved too complicated for me. As one of my motorcycle owning friends commented, "why would you do it yourself when any little mistake will completely stuff it up." So I decided to enlist professional help. That proved easier said than done. I tried several motorcycle electricians but no one was interested.

Then my Vespa broke down. Again.

I'd mentioned earlier that the Vespa's wiring had failed after its last service. Sam the mechanic wasn't really interested in rewiring the electrics so I started work on it myself. All was going well for a while. I was able to trace the fault to a single wire in the headstock and then the engine failed. In desperation I tried to find a new mechanic and came across Ivo from The Vespa Shop. Initially the main attraction of the The Vespa Shop was that it was relatively close to my house. Ivo was very helpful and even arranged to pick up the Vespa from my house. One day later the bike was fixed and I could pick it up. Ivo and Roberto run a small operation and don't really advertise, but I highly recommend their work (phone -08-93315501, email - vespashop@hotmail.com).

After picking up the Vespa, I had some discussions with Ivo and he agreed to assist with the Troll. This was good news to me. He'll be picking it up (along with all the spares) sometime in October when he'd back from Italy.

More Heinkels
I haven't really done much with the Heinkel but now that I can see the end of the Troll project, I've got to restart work on the Heinkel. I'll need to audit all the parts I have to determine what I need to buy / replace.

I just happened to be looking on ebay the other day and Klaus Wolfe was selling another Heinkel Tourist. This time an 103A2 from 1961. It was in a very similar condition to mine. Ironically, the price paid after eight bids was A$670 - exactly the same price I paid after two bids. Here is a photo.

Unfortunately the buyers ID is private so I can't contact them. I'd like to follow the progress of their project too.
Speaking of rare and unusual scooters on the market, Joe D'Ercole of Scootersales in Queensland is selling a number of very interesting scooters, including:
1956 Triumph Tessy
1959 Velocette Viceroy
1956 Maico Maicoletta
1958 NZeta (Cezeta built under license in NZ)
1959 Manurhin Hobby (French built DKW)
1953 NSU Prima (German built Lambretta)
1958 Puch Stier
1956 Triumph Tigress
1959 Terrot
1961 Cezeta
Most are running but some are restoration jobs. I must admit I saw the 61 Cezeta advertised on Ebay a year or so back but it failed to meet reserve. I had even sent a query after the auction but never heard back.