TOPPO GEORGE'S MACHINE TECH
Originally Published in Cutting Tool Engineering Magazine, December 2022.
Using the latest technology to make old motorcycles look better than when they were new
TOPPO GEORGE'S MACHINE TECH is regarded as a "last resort for repairing old Harley-Davidsons" by people in the same business and fans. They have a variety of machine tools that general motorcycle maintenance shops do not have, doing everything in-house from disassembly to inspection, machining, assembly and adjustment.
Started a business specializing in remanufacturing Harley's internal combustion engines
The company's predecessor was TOPPO GEORGE'S MOTOR CYCLES, which was founded in 2007 by Mr. Shizuka, President, after training at Harley shops in Kyoto and Tokyo, he said, "I want to live doing what I like." They specialize in the maintenance, sales, and customization of Harley- Davidson. The refurbished vehicles they handle are old vehicles mostly from the 1930s to the 1990s.
"Our specialty is regenerating the internal combustion engine. Using cutting-edge technology, we can polish old cars to a level better than when they first came out," said Mr. Shizuka, President. "We had tools, a hydraulic press machine, a TIG welding machine, an old general-purpose lathe, a drilling machine, etc. Still, I felt the limitations on analog operation in accuracy and time as most of the regeneration of old internal combustion engines requires index machining."
Therefore, President Shizuka looked for a machine tool that performs the entire process on-machine, from the current measurement of the workpiece to the inspection after machining.
"We were convinced that not only would production lead time be shortened, but accuracy would also be improved." In this way, they decided to introduce VARIAXIS j-500/5X in April 2021. The deciding factor was that the entire process could be done in one chucking, and that it could be linked with the NC gage.
0.0008 mm (0.00003 inch) bore tolerance realized by NC gage
The machine comes in handy for various machining, such as jig boring for the crankcase, plane cutting for the lifter block, line boring for the camshaft bearing bushing, and oil pump surface cutting. "We use it not only for parts machining, but also for manufacturing jigs for our own machines that are not available from manufacturers," said President Shizuka.
"The most important thing is that we can avoid theprecision misalignment that occurred with the conventional method, in which machines were changed according to the process and set up one by one." President Shizuka evaluates the advantages of introducing this machine.
"The feature of being able to incorporate NC gage on the machine was a particularly significant point of selection that other company’s products did not have. We always believed that measurement was the key to machining."
President Shizuka praises the high accuracy achieved by the NC gage linkage: "We were able to achieve a bore tolerance of 0.0008 mm (0.00003 inch) after boring, which was barely 5 microns (0.005 mm/0.0002 inch) before, even with best efforts."
Compared to a general-purpose machine, the required time has been reduced to about one-third.
"Estimated from the time reduction effect, the cost can be reduced to about one-third," he said, looking satisfied with the results after the introduction.
Expanding business towards Harley fans around the world
"Actually, there are quite a few dealer shops that cannot repair old vehicles like the ones we handle. It seems that the number of shops that can repair them is decreasing because the veteran mechanics who know the vehicles of the time have already retired.That is the reasoncustomers rely on us."
President Shizuka sees the position and significance of the company in that way.Reflecting on this situation, the storefront is lined with old cars waiting for repair, and parts for repair requests are delivered day after day from tradesmen all over the country.
"The engine's durability is outstanding, assembled with each part machined precisely and accurately line machined. It is transformed into a great engine with increased power." Delivery time for parts gathered from all over the country is about one month.
The VARIAXIS j-500/5X contributed to shortening the period. "I want to be able to respond to orders from overseas in the future." President Shizuka's dream seems to be expanding.
