Just finished this thread over the past few days — incredible. Where has this been hiding? Subscribed. Exciting to see this is really just the beginning. The shop build-out and what’s ahead are seriously inspiring.
Cheers.
Jeff
WOW, thanks. All I can say is i'm glad you are enjoying it!
I'm just doing my best to fully live life and pass that passion along to my son so he can be successful no matter what direction he chooses. My dad was in and out of the hospital last week with pneumonia, and we all know the end is soon, just not when... it keeps making me think how short of time we have in the grand scheme of things and the importance of living life and taking time to enjoy with with the people that matter to you most.
In my dad's case, he had a very interesting career he couldn't talk about at all when we were kids. (Designed Nuclear Reactors for Navy Subs at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, then was head of Engineering at
Hanfords B-plant) and I've just learned about a lot of it the last few years, but when I visit we keep going back to all of the amazing trips we did as a family all over N.A. ... exploring every nook and cranny in the west. I know that experience is what allowed me to thrive shooting for Nat Geo and others. Same goes for mechanical things... sure I got a bit of a background form my Engineering degree, but most of what I have learned came from working with my Dad in his shop, all of the time I spent in various helicopter hangers learning from those techs, this forum.... and most of all the
10EE lathe rebuild I did... No other project has taught me more than that, and to be fully honest, I feel we would have better engineers if we taught it like that, give the kids a complicated project to tear down and rebuild....they will naturally start asking questions. In college I had one class taught by
Dr. Mike Seal on Power Mechanics.... it was simple we all got a 2-stroke motorcycle engine on the first day. Mid term as show it fully stripped down and final was making it run.... I did the entire course in under two weeks... no instructions, you just had to ask questions and learn along the way and learned more from that 2 week class then 7 years in college (granted I was iF'ing around and skiing all winter for work).
Mother F'r! I snapped one of my PBSwiss Torx sockets! These and especially there hex ones are bar none the best I have ever found.
They put SN's on everyone one of their tools. Apparently I picked this one up back in
16.06.2003. Had no idea I've had them that long... still remember the work trip in Switzerland when I brought them home. So thats almost 23 years of near daily use. Can't complain about that, except for the fact they no longer make the sockets, so no replacement either under lifetime warranty or not.... I have a set of Snapon that I can use to get me by, but their hex / torx sockets are soft as butter and garbage IMOP. I like the Nepros ones I have, but their faster fitment isn't as good as the PBSwiss was.... I ended up placing a NEPRO's order for a replacement and a few other items I've been wanting to pick up to get me by, but the search is now on for the best Torx / Hex sockets I can get.
Motor jobs are only picking up... it's surprising as I haven't done anything to advertise them, it's almost all prior customers on FB telling others to send their F'd up motors to me.... cant complain about that and I'll chock that up to a sign of doing good work. Doing Suspension work in such an active bike community when I also ride every day, really teaches the importance of always striving to do every job perfect, as you are going to run into your customers on the trail and you want them to be happy. I like to think of Bellingham as a very large small town.
The older Shimano motors use these connectors... funny as the older motors had better sealed bearings but ****** electronics, the newer motors have really good electronics and **** bearings. On almost every E-8000 I open up these connectors are cracked..due to either age or heat, or both, I finally think I figured out exactly what they are are so ordered a bunch along with the proper pin-out tools to test as replacements.
Which brings me to, I am looking for suggestions for a good PCB vice to hold the circuit boards for repair as well as hold these tinny (13mm across) connectors for de / re-pinning.
I ended up buying a dead EP-801 parts motor this week too... guy flooded it. It's interesting, as they improved the wire harness connector, but you have to take the case apart in the correct step now, to not damage the wires, but we should see less broken connectors now. All of the bearings are identically, except they use a way beefier driver side bearing (most common failure I've seen). PCB's are slightly different but not drastically so, its a layout closer to the older E-8000 but with better board connectors.. this I feel is a step backwards as far as repairability goes, but I can deal with it. They did add a few dust shields to the sealing scheme, but no significant change to the seals, so dealing with moisture is still the biggest issue with these motors. Was one small change to the reduction gear that kept stripping that will make repairs a bit easier tho. Otherwise its 90% the same as an EP8.
Got a killer ride in with the boys on some of the steeper terrain today before I grabbed the kid from school, but it was a bit too wet still. Front tire washed on a very steep chute section and I went down hard. Bruised the **** out of my shin.... hopefully that calms down by the weekend so I can get it back In a ski boot to take the kid skiing. Nothing a bunch of ice and Vitamin I wont fix.
They were cool. I told them it was because I was painting, but since the building is really complex and takes up most of a block they wanted to Do a walk around. Hour later I’m back at it. 
