GME Frame Maintance

[Cjanick]

Can any one tell me what I should do to get a GME/Machine Shop softtail ready for the road. I am NOT interested in making it rigid. I know the short falls of this design however this chopper is a real 70's surviver and I plan on taking her to shows and do minimal riding. So what should I grease? Inspect? Replace? I have heard that this design handled better than the Amen Savior. Is this correct? Are there parts available anywhere? Thanks in advance for your guys help!

[Tattooo]

Other than change the oil once a year and keep fresh gas in it..... I don't see any need to grease, inspect or replace anything since you said your not going to ride it much... I don't understand the question... I doubt if their are any parts available for a 70s rare frame...

[TriNortchopz]

The GME plunger was similar to the Santee and Jammer, with the axle on a plate mounted behind the sprung shaft; see example here from BCS: http://www.britcycle.com/Products/544/544_5522_Kit.htm

Pull it apart, check shafts for straightness and measure for wear (build up or replace as required), replace the bushings. You can also check the springs for tension, so they are all the same. Does it have grease nipples? Ride the hell out of it - to and from any shows!

[Tattooo]

Ride the hell out of it - to and from any shows!

I agree but I bet he won't.........

[Cjanick]

Thanks. It's a cool bike I actually found the original builder from 1974. His name is John Airhart from Tarus Cycle, he is 83 and still working. He actually just rebuilt the Weber carb and restored the tank for me. I have a lot of bikes to ride as everyday bikes. But this one is a time machine and needs to be restored right. And I want it to be seen at car and bike shows. Just wanted to know if the rear soft tail set up should be greased or anything. It is exactly like the picture you sent

[Tattooo]

Thanks. It's a cool bike I actually found the original builder from 1974. His name is John Airhart from Tarus Cycle, he is 83 and still working. He actually just rebuilt the Weber carb and restored the tank for me. I have a lot of bikes to ride as everyday bikes. But this one is a time machine and needs to be restored right. And I want it to be seen at car and bike shows. Just wanted to know if the rear soft tail set up should be greased or anything. It is exactly like the picture you sent

Why not ask the guy that built it?? He is bound to know way more....

[Cjanick]

I have been talking to him. Don't want to get in his face to much. He is doing mostly pre 1950 British bikes right now. This is a 74 sportster he did 43 years ago. I'm sure you guys would know more about GME/ Machine Shop frames than him. It seems a lot of people know about Amen Savior but not GME. Just looking for any info on the company, history, pros cons. Do you have one?

[TriNortchopz]

Photos, we need pictures. Are you able to post any here, or a link to where we can see exactly what you have? Disassemble it so you can understand what you have (share photos...) and what it needs to 'restore it'. Did the builder confirm it is made by GME Co.?

Here a ChopCult thread from 2012 with a picture of the GME frame ad: http://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19721

[Cjanick]

6 hi

[Cjanick]

Koo

[Cjanick]

[Cjanick]

So the old picture of the bike is from 1974. The picture of it without tank is from this summer in my driveway and then the picture of the tank and carb is from 2 weeks ago when I got tank and carb back from rebuild

[Tattooo]

Do you have one?

No sir I don't have one.. I remember them from back in the 70s. I never liked them even back then... Nice looking bike though... Glad your bringing it back to life... Do you have any pics of what it looked like when you bought it??

[farmall]

Cool time machine. Most HD Softail owners don't know where the name came from.

Chain wax is nice for any sliding surfaces and acts as a corrosion barrier if you want to lube the moving parts.

[Dougtheinternetannoyance123]

Same type of maintenance you would do on the original design which came on early Nortons and BSA (Indians too???).
Most People today call them "Plunger" frames but back when they came out were called "Spring frames" until they came out with swing arms and shocks.

As the name implys,, its a plunger shaft located in bronze or Brass bushings typically and suspended top & bottom with springs. Being as there is no shock absorber its (Bouncy bouncy) going to pogo. I have had a few chopper frames with these aftermarket setups and never liked them, I do have several stock British bikes with the same design, and I live with them, but they are stock and original so it is what it is, but I prefer a rigid over any plunger.

GME, AEE, Jammer, AMEN and others were all just enterprising guys who made cool stuff back in the day, some of it good, some garbage. I think its cool you are preserving a time piece bike, and as long as you understand what it is and is not, it should be loads of fun to take to events and turn heads. Make up some crazy story that Jerry Garcia and Hunter S. Thompson came to you in a dream & spoke to you about spiritual enlightenment thru hydrocarbon consumption and choppers.

According to Irish Rich: GME was General Motorcycle Engineering aka The Machine Shop, in N. Hollywood CA. It was Gene Shaffer, Don Tomasko, and Don Orr.
Long gone out of business since the middle '70's.
Don was in partners with Neil McNeil, then he sold his share out and went in on The Machine Shop. He left there, and started Triton Engineering, and had Billy Westbrook custom painting bikes there when he was THIRTEEN YEARS OLD! That is, until Triton burnt down.
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This is as close as you are likely to get for a workshop manual, (BSA)

(FILE TOO LARGE< Go to this service sheet).

sectionA_BSAservicesheetno213.pdf pdf 49 KB A,B,M plungers Spring Frame on A, B, and M group models

At this website. See: http://bsa.viz.nz/service-sheets/
This is a guy I know in New Zealand and one of the BSA gurus from another list.