Putting all the parts back together
What do you get when you take five motivated Grade 12 Technology students, Sungjin Lee, Alec Dawdy, Eric Pederson, Ben Dodd and Steffan Yantzi, and one vintage motorcycle in bad need of repair…? A vast array of disassembled parts!!
This semester, the Grade 12 Transportation Technology class took on the restoration project of a 1978 Yamaha XS650 vintage street bike.
Having sat outdoors for a few years, the bike was rusty and dusty, topped off by seized bolts, seized brakes and a seized engine. The list of repairs was long, but the “boyz” (as the like to be called) were up to the challenge!
Each student took on a different area of the project, including: engine removal dis-assembly and rebuilding (Eric and Steffan); repairs to corroded electrical components (Ben); complete rebuilding of the front suspension (Alec); sanding and repainting the frame (Sungin); rebuilding the twin carburetors (Ben); rebuilding old brake components (Sungjin); and all topped off by everyone contributing countless hours of chrome and aluminum polishing to make the bike look clean and pristine!
The project is currently in the re-assembly stage, and things are looking good to get it back together and running before the end of the semester. You can follow the progress on the project blog – rockwaywingnuts.ca.
And the answer, “boyz”, is NO, you may NOT test ride the bike around the track when we finish in January!
Don Dyck Steinmann, Technology Teacher
