Tools, workbenches, and parts


Blog BOM Custom Design
Garage OSARM Repair Smörg

Sportster small parts bins

1000 little parts in 5 or 6 bin boxes.
I had five bin boxes full of smaller Sportster stuff. This included fasteners, as well as all those shims, spacers and thrust washers needed to set up a transmission.

I put these plastic bin boxes into a tub for the move from California to Florida. Now I can keep the bins out on the shelf again, which opened up the tub to store axles and frame parts.

Here is what you might store for your Iron Sportster in little bin boxes.
 Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-01
The tub had five plastic containers. The round one is all copper washers, while the other 4 have everything from tune-up stuff to transmission shims. You can see I just tossed a bunch of head bolts and motor mount bolts into the tub as the movers came.
Bottom of first column move down to the left
Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-02
The small round container is full of copper washers. I just love copper washers. I guess its because they can seal oil drains and the such and you don't have glom silicone all over things. I had a small batch, but Roger Shaw gave me this container before he moved to Los Banos and passed away. Roger was my Jerk Brother. Every time we hit the streets something bad happened, including jail, personal liability, or property damage. RIP brother.
Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-03
This clear bin with "Texaco" on the cover is a lot of fasteners, and you can make out some kickstarter shaft bushings.I opened all four bins with a mixture of different stuff and tried to get a sensible organization.
move up a little to the right move down to the left
Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-04

Here is the fastener bin after I got done with it. The top row is primary cover screws, all 1/4-20. I put them in approximate order. The short ones on the left are for the tin primary, than the countersunk one used on early models, than the Phillips-head ones for the 1970s, and then the cap- or Allen-head ones for the 1980s bikes. I prefer the Phillips heads. I have never once in my life pulled out the right size Allen wrench, but I get that #2 Phillips-head screwdriver right every time. You also don't strip out the threads with a screwdriver. The second row starts with countersunk screws for air filters, than two bins of fender bolts I use so that the 16-inch tire on my 1977 Sporty does not scrape the bolt heads. Finally a bin with some steering head ball bearings, and some 12-point screws like used on my Thunderheads. In the bottom row left is a bin full of bungee-nuts for those fender bolts, then the long bin with some sprocket cover countersunk bolts, some oddball stuff, and the pins you use to hold the oil screen in a pre-1977 gearcase. The far right bin at bottom has a bunch of wing-nuts and various studs and odd-ball screws. I don't know what most of them are for, but if I toss any of these away I will need them within the week.
move up a little to the right move down to the left
Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-06

Here is a bin I made for when I rebuild a Sportster transmission. It also has cam shims on the top right, and everything from aluminum gas tank mount spacers to handlebar cable pins. The bottom row is the essential tranny setup. It starts with the bend-tab washer for the trap door spring plunger, then one for the kickstarter shaft, then the clutch nut, then the tranny sprocket nut, then the thrust washers for the mainshaft and finally the space for first gear, with the counter shaft spaced for first gear right above it. On the second row, forth from left, you can see the shims you can use to move the whole shift mechanism to the right in order to set up the tranny if the 0.020 over and under shifter forks alone can get the gear spacing dialed in. Like the first bin, lots of stuff here I am not sure what it is for, but if I toss it, I know I will need it right away.

move up a little to the right move down to the left
Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-07

I didn't have to do much to this bin. I see I tossed in a brake rod pivot pin on the third row down, second from left. I put that cable routing clip that was in the baggie above in the top row third from left, to keep company with the bend tabs they used on the oil lines.

Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-05

There was a baggie like this in the tub, everything from cable routing clip to a head bolt to those sprocket cover bolts I tossed into the bin I just mentioned above. Everything in this bag found a better home with more friends. sdfsdfs		 border bar
move up a little to the right move down to the left
Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-08
This is the biggest mess. Those countersunk screws in the second row went to the clear bin, and the brass footpegs that were on my 1980 show bike went into the footpeg tub.
Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-09
I put the electrical stuff in the top left bin. Then a bunch of Heim joints I bought after the one broke on my 1983 XR-1000 and almost killed me. The bolt for the torque rod backed out the rear caliper while I drove it over rt 17 for an interview with Zero Motorcycles. With the torque rod broken, the whole caliper swung around and jammed into the rear shock. The guy I interviewed with helped me unstick the caliper and cable-tie it up. Sometimes I think I should have taken that job, but then I might not have ended up here in Florida at Tranquility Base. 		border bar
move up a little to the right move down to the left
Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-10

The final bin is for ignition and tune-up stuff. It is more handy to have it here than in that big-ol' ignition tub I just created.

Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-11

Not a lot to do here, I tossed in a couple backing plate standoffs. I do note that those 1974-77 front caliper anti-rattle springs I talked about are in this bin just to the right of the Custom Chrome bag of rotor screws. Beats me why I tossed them here.
border bar
move up a little to the right move down to the left
Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-13

Here are the parts bins on the shelf all organized and proud. You can see I already have some additions that I set in front of them. I do the same with the tubs, just set stuff on top to put inside the next time I drag the tub out.

Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-14

The headbolts and motor mount bolts went into three baggies. I am not sure what tub they belong in, but I will figure that out later.
move up a little to the right move down to the left
Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-12

I made a baggie for the brass footpegs and hardware Kenny Puccio used on my 1980 show bike. this goes in the footpeg tub.

Sportster_garage_small-parts-bins-15
There were a lot of fasteners that are not special enough to be in a bin. Now that I look at this picture, I do see a 1/4-20 cap head chrome bolt that should be with the primary screws, I will fish that one out, but this bag will just be the start of my bolt box here in Florida. Now the empty tub I can toss in some axle, frame, and swingarm parts. I will write that up next, until then, at least I have some idea of what all these bins contain.
move up a little to the right This is the end.


This post is in these categories:







Categories


 border bar
Bottom of first column This is the end.