tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77016409430273099592024-02-20T12:19:14.455-08:00Helloooooo Neumann..............Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.comBlogger1158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-38787995668771895532014-07-19T09:04:00.000-07:002014-07-19T09:04:23.772-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Things have been busy around here the last week or so. In anticipation of a tear down on my motorcycle that will include rebuilding the motor and blasting/painting the frame, hopefully updating the electrical system, and installing new exhaust, as well as some other things, I have been building a table/bench where I can work on it all. During the final steps of building said table/bench the other night, I heard a motorcycle coming up my street. I turned my head and saw this guy at the bottom of my driveway. This is Frank. Heather likes to joke that I met Frank online and that's pretty much true. I know him from a vintage Honda forum. Frank is a teacher that just retired this year and, to celebrate, he is riding around the US. We have a lot in common and I told him if he was near, to drop by. He did. He's been on the road for 5 days now and done 3300 miles which is silly. He will probably be on the road for another 4-5 weeks. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaRH2OIoiPfto0DHDkZ-RO2cAouqtY-Uu0u01LZOoa2xqnJjHLrwYPB-NCD4CfrwDL0r_1TGD4wVJwR3S3oi3ae5tLl4BTL20e5Zl94mpraMlrWaOPe4fuN7SwogBeBqSV_14FNw6BYe2/s1600/IMG_3538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaRH2OIoiPfto0DHDkZ-RO2cAouqtY-Uu0u01LZOoa2xqnJjHLrwYPB-NCD4CfrwDL0r_1TGD4wVJwR3S3oi3ae5tLl4BTL20e5Zl94mpraMlrWaOPe4fuN7SwogBeBqSV_14FNw6BYe2/s1600/IMG_3538.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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After Frank left, I was inspired to ride my bike. I've been having a ton of problems with it running extremely rich. I'm pretty sure it's because of the altitude/thin air up here. I'm forcing the stock amount of fuel into the motor but it's not able to get enough air and this throws off the ideal air/fuel ratio. This can be remedied by swapping out the main jets and playing around with the mixture screws on each carb. One test you can do is to remove the air filter which can be restrictive and see if it runs any better. So that's what I did. I rode for 50 miles and had all 4 cylinders working when I got back home so it was encouraging. When I pulled the plugs, they were still very black but they were not soaked with fuel so I think I'm on the right track. I have main jets of different sizes on the way and these will allow less fuel to enter each cylinder. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9IT1ZbK1IOFA5nT0oiTVgUUQVS-oOaOfjce8zCr8i8WxZOzBQ2U2BvGtwDr2uu6uJm4eqCsLLvShLvh8lhKLJb6CImpMromxRiIf3KPD_Ls9Zd-UOl5xgEBTFjnNCZEzMgpr5Vmw558m/s1600/IMG_3540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9IT1ZbK1IOFA5nT0oiTVgUUQVS-oOaOfjce8zCr8i8WxZOzBQ2U2BvGtwDr2uu6uJm4eqCsLLvShLvh8lhKLJb6CImpMromxRiIf3KPD_Ls9Zd-UOl5xgEBTFjnNCZEzMgpr5Vmw558m/s1600/IMG_3540.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here's a picture of the final table. I have been accused of building things in excess of what they need to be and this is definitely true in this case. I wanted this table to be able to hold the bike and me at the same time. So I spaced out the stud supports 9" all the way through. It is strong. I still need to build a cleat for the ramp so that there's no danger of it kicking out while rolling the bike up and having it drop which would be a real shame.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZOsW0wnTu8vtKf9R_iWPIp0SWro5orSv-2Pt57mRjJwM1DJF1elSZm-k3jmEaB2ZSJBZ_E-obefbUXi2mPpZ5VpTAB_CgtZaWDzb3BW469Us-tdQyrrn4fnI5V_BX63RIuGTxF9hNV5n/s1600/IMG_3539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZOsW0wnTu8vtKf9R_iWPIp0SWro5orSv-2Pt57mRjJwM1DJF1elSZm-k3jmEaB2ZSJBZ_E-obefbUXi2mPpZ5VpTAB_CgtZaWDzb3BW469Us-tdQyrrn4fnI5V_BX63RIuGTxF9hNV5n/s1600/IMG_3539.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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There's never a shortage of projects in this house. My Subaru is just shy of 290,000 miles now. I've talked about this car here before. It is amazing. It is not the most attractive car but damn if it isn't reliable. This motor now has about 100,000 on it and it was a Subaru of America crate motor. The trans, diffs, and many other things are ORIGINAL. I've wanted a new vehicle for a while now (particularly since I commute further each day) but I feel obligated to see this odometer hit 300,000. I could have gambled on the timing belt making it that far (it looks to be in great shape) but if it snapped, I would have nothing to trade in so the cost of a new belt kit was worth the peace of mind. The kit arrived yesterday and I wheeled the car into the garage last night to start in on it. I've never done a timing belt on a Subaru before but the 2.5 liter single overhead cam motor really isn't too terrible. The DOHC motor appears to be more involved. Here, the radiator was drained and pulled (I left both fans installed and just pulled it all as one piece), accessory belts have been removed (and look great so they will go back on), and timing belt covers are removed. So this is the area that I'll be focused on. I'm in no hurry to get this done but things were just moving right along last night. I removed that lower left idler pulley, then the one above it, and then the idler gear itself. At this point, the belt falls off. I set the crank and both cams to their appropriate timing marks and then removed the tensioner. While this far in, it would be foolish to not replace the water pump so that gets taken off. This is where things got interesting. I swapped the thermostat (usually you would be wise to install a new one but this t stat was installed not long ago and I felt comfortable reusing it). I put a little RTV on the new pump, put the gasket on and went to button it back up on the motor. It's held on by 6 bolts and one of them stripped out inside the block. I removed it and new that it was the threads inside the aluminum block that gave out. Sometimes you can use a slightly longer bolt and get into fresh threads past the stripped point. It worked but just wasn't enough and that stripped as well. At that point I called it a night because the hardware store wasn't open and I wanted to chew on things for a bit. So today I'll remove the pump, look at the bolt hole and determine if I want to drill/tap it to the next biggest size or simply use a helical kit to repair it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsXARQWC1Z2bNFtaO5dgtDtPi95k8L7WXgTMfgQ3uhw3yj8niVSIFYbDQrdckIzEjyVdbUZeMuY9yPCanZATpk8O0C9EDrjKTiaepzo6U3ahsLjQecefIXTTGfk8IQPv677AgK2QypSX4/s1600/IMG_3542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsXARQWC1Z2bNFtaO5dgtDtPi95k8L7WXgTMfgQ3uhw3yj8niVSIFYbDQrdckIzEjyVdbUZeMuY9yPCanZATpk8O0C9EDrjKTiaepzo6U3ahsLjQecefIXTTGfk8IQPv677AgK2QypSX4/s1600/IMG_3542.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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These are the bogeyed threads. I think thats about it. For now.<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-87137321498504546522014-07-05T22:56:00.000-07:002014-07-05T22:56:09.494-07:00Closer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This picture was, supposedly, taken somewhere in Santa Monica. Unfortunately, that is all I know about this bike. Well...that and I wanna be on it. I love it. Super tasteful and I've always used it as a reference while building mine. Some have said that they don't like my seat (just like this one) but...there are reasons why I keep it. One...so my great wife (who has been incredibly supportive and tolerant during this project as she always is) can sit back there and we can go grab coffee in town. Two, because I have a really simple way to carry camping gear in my head (just need to build it) and hope to be able to do a bit of touring on it next year after a few more issues are addressed. While I could design something that works with a solo seat, I just kinda dig it. </div>
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A while ago I did bob my rear fender but I do want to go more with it. My idea this winter will be to acquire another fender and actually section it and then re-weld it, patch up the holes left from the stock tail light, send it out for chroming and throw it on. I could have a fender custom made but, part of the reason for doing this build in the first place is because I wanted to do as much as I could with my own hands because while I could go get a loan and buy a new bike, it would not be as unique as I wanted it to be. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS7I09ki4akgZH3PyoZeKaYuH8zbqxCevbrarYGTKSyNcaOFFB46riajISB4uLDl7ETiEXhqCWzWTF1U7JXqBwqZAA6odRIM0O_IMWHvdRwBRr45O8_OmpWzmgiDq0kH58qzaVSHKg80v/s1600/8ff9dda446a2067cfaf0863a76f5f81b-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS7I09ki4akgZH3PyoZeKaYuH8zbqxCevbrarYGTKSyNcaOFFB46riajISB4uLDl7ETiEXhqCWzWTF1U7JXqBwqZAA6odRIM0O_IMWHvdRwBRr45O8_OmpWzmgiDq0kH58qzaVSHKg80v/s1600/8ff9dda446a2067cfaf0863a76f5f81b-1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think/hope that I am finally close enough to being able to ride this thing further than around the neighborhood and start to see if it's reliable or not. For months now, I've wrestled with issues with the motor just not running on all cylinders and it's been due to a variety of reasons. This piece showed up today. This is a solid state, modern ignition from Dyna that will replace the 40+ year old points/condensers. A lot of guys like the points system but it does require a lot of attention. You have to make sure that the gap is properly set in order for the ignition system to run properly. If this was a bike that I intended on flipping, I would have simply thrown new points in it but I think this is a bike that I will keep for some time and I wanted it to be as reliable as possible. This setup costed me $134 from Dynoman out of Texas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzX6NFYbKWHXu9dwyst39Q0XeE3L37noGX-YK525dzQn7W6JvIfqAYaVyWROir6v5MUZiFo0vmDMkYzxtCROCltzzNyC9oY-OmF-icXAV4ZSBbt2k_KdVH6SVbS7cIIWdAdmz8Wd4zOpzv/s1600/IMG_3475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzX6NFYbKWHXu9dwyst39Q0XeE3L37noGX-YK525dzQn7W6JvIfqAYaVyWROir6v5MUZiFo0vmDMkYzxtCROCltzzNyC9oY-OmF-icXAV4ZSBbt2k_KdVH6SVbS7cIIWdAdmz8Wd4zOpzv/s1600/IMG_3475.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here's the points plate. The points were in bad shape. They are supposed to have less than 1 ohm of resistance and mine were in the upper 30's so they just weren't able to deliver a hot enough spark to the plugs and this was causing a horribly rich condition. The install of the Dyna system isn't horrible but you do have to pay attention. The first step is to remove the points cover and rotate the motor so that cylinder 1 is at top dead center. If you look through the peep hole in between the points, you can see a T and a notch in the housing. To the right of this are the numbers 1-4. At this point, either 1 or 4 are at TDC. I removed the tappet covers for cylinder 1 and they were both tight so I actually had 4 at TDC. If you go 360 degrees around, you end up with 1 at TDC. At that point, the 10mm bolt in the middle is removed as well as the 22mm nut. Disconnect the wiring (a yellow and a blue) and loosen the three Phillips screws and the entire plate comes off. Underneath this is the spark advancer. You have to remove this and replace it with a piece from Dyna. It's important that this piece gets installed in the right orientation. I initially had it 180 degrees out and had to go back and fix it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcFvYGCHYoXA8A0aFoaD6QkoZxggfG-y752bboqwGVlnHwOMfq44CCixyjg5RGzSRNrF9E9gQmc5dHjIhVgQ5rOI2jeIFE6Wmia5_Cqk89tmQ9xtbVTgGsprD18XtbW61a2CARF5hXu50/s1600/IMG_3476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcFvYGCHYoXA8A0aFoaD6QkoZxggfG-y752bboqwGVlnHwOMfq44CCixyjg5RGzSRNrF9E9gQmc5dHjIhVgQ5rOI2jeIFE6Wmia5_Cqk89tmQ9xtbVTgGsprD18XtbW61a2CARF5hXu50/s1600/IMG_3476.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Throw the Dyna plate on, insert the 3 screws loosely, as well as the 22mm nut and the 10mm bolt. Now you have to set the timing. This was a little difficult but only because I was eager to fire up the motor and didn't read the directions as carefully as I needed to. I spent quite a bit of time cranking the motor over before I figured out where I screwed up and by then the cylinders were flooded. So I pulled all 4 plugs to let things air out, threw the battery on a charger, walked away, showered, and went with H to Colorado Springs to run errands, grab dinner and get 4 fresh plugs. When we got home, I threw the plugs in, double checked a few things, and she fired right up. I did advance and retard the timing slightly but ended up going right back to where I had it. I took a quick cruise around the block and the motor idles so much better than before. The spark that is being produced is very nice. I'll probably throw a timing light on tomorrow but I know it's damn close.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJC_82Do3aLyYNxFLuRmwoMmsCHkEDp-ZmXFXCz0fSye1_19yRrfH8BSo4NVSvq5FozQE4Hti4-bvdg5LsO9fH65cMzOE-luh7GPuXfWlogC7C_MRHTVFCOzmb7y_HB1IIiYUrDCPG4aNP/s1600/IMG_3480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJC_82Do3aLyYNxFLuRmwoMmsCHkEDp-ZmXFXCz0fSye1_19yRrfH8BSo4NVSvq5FozQE4Hti4-bvdg5LsO9fH65cMzOE-luh7GPuXfWlogC7C_MRHTVFCOzmb7y_HB1IIiYUrDCPG4aNP/s1600/IMG_3480.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I was pretty sure that the motor would fire up with fresh plugs but I was still a bit nervous. But not nervous enough for a tall beer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DGJdt0IGpSy3-gu669Bb1nATjT3KL7W2fDe_qFt8uQwsuyM7Pr6CN1eZdDPJCLTgI-gn66LXMTDvktrWW0gYksQeodf__u9-iO4zgVhr1EMccNjr6K4-mfi8FpiwbPrg0WdQYojg55aS/s1600/IMG_3481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DGJdt0IGpSy3-gu669Bb1nATjT3KL7W2fDe_qFt8uQwsuyM7Pr6CN1eZdDPJCLTgI-gn66LXMTDvktrWW0gYksQeodf__u9-iO4zgVhr1EMccNjr6K4-mfi8FpiwbPrg0WdQYojg55aS/s1600/IMG_3481.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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So on Monday I will get up bright and early, head to Colorado Springs DMV (there is one in particular that I have to go to in order to get my endorsement). Then I'll get the plates and insurance and I'll be able to ride. I'll have tires on the way soon so I won't go too far on the old tires. I may have to ride to Springs to my buddy's place so that I can borrow his vacuum gauges and sync the carbs. Pretty psyched.<br />
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-24437412278540418422014-06-30T21:22:00.000-07:002014-06-30T21:22:17.475-07:00Motorcycle for sale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yesterday marks the second time that I have come in from the garagenous zone with thoughts to sell the cafe racer project. At times, my dad was a tool thrower. I am not. I curse at times but I don't generally do that in the garage when things aren't going well. I just do it cuz it's funny. Yesterday even I was alarmed at what was coming out of my mouth while I paced around. Heather didn't say a word. I probably wasn't quite back from the beach yet to be dicking around with the bike but...I did. </div>
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I decided to order an electronic ignition for the motor and ditch the old style points/condensors. Before I order the kit I wanted to pull the carbs back off and take them apart again. When I rebuilt them I used aftermarket main jets and needles and this has bothered me ever since. I still had the stock brass so I wanted to swap them out. In a fit of sheer stupidity, I broke the part pictured below. As soon as I realized what I had done, the expletives flowed. I couldn't even believe what I had just done. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfSlwst0xG9Oq7K_5qJzMkxhtKIkm0cnBEX3v7j2EWKE6UM1SYfXZAZTzBLSE9-uHhQkTL_fzjNVhpzZlGtQ_owgWkPqLeL56xwts8YTLiK_wkcOC8x6Ihry2-Q34AKbiiFDiQNjTUzLm/s1600/IMG_3437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfSlwst0xG9Oq7K_5qJzMkxhtKIkm0cnBEX3v7j2EWKE6UM1SYfXZAZTzBLSE9-uHhQkTL_fzjNVhpzZlGtQ_owgWkPqLeL56xwts8YTLiK_wkcOC8x6Ihry2-Q34AKbiiFDiQNjTUzLm/s1600/IMG_3437.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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You are looking at a plate (called a stay plate) that all 4 carbs attach to. There are 4 pieces that attach to the rod that you see sticking through that cracked ear. It's job is to keep all 4 carbs working in sync with each other so that all 4 cylinders have the same air to fuel ratio. You can see the ear cracked all the way through and so did the bronze bushing inside. Done.<br />
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The rod gets inserted in the near side ear in this pic, goes through the piece by my thumb, then through the throttle return spring assembly (not pictured), through the other ear and, finally, through the piece by my finger. Additionally, there is a pin through the far side ear that keeps the rod from moving laterally.<br />
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Here you see the cracked ear and bushing, as well as the broken pin.<br />
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There's also two metal woodruff keys that help keep the rod in place.<br />
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This is what the stay plate looks like once all the carbs all pulled off it. So what started off as an easy job turned into an absolute nightmare. I wasn't sure how I was going to get out of this mess. This 45 year old part that can be a real bitch to locate and if you find one, the owner usually thinks it's made of gold. My first thought after consulting with a friend was to drill the pin out, make a new one, press the bushing out, make a new one, then TIG weld the ear up and use a lathe to make sure that the inside of the ear was 100% smooth. Press the new bushing in. Tap the hole for the pin and use a set screw. But this would take time and I wasn't sure it would even work. So I started looking for a replacement plate. No luck all day yesterday. This afternoon I was finally able to locate a guy that said he had one (although I have yet to see a picture of it). Luckily, he knew me and only wanted $50 for it which I was glad to pay as I've seen plates for the 750 sell for as much as $130. So it should be here by the end of the week. I'm still very nervous and will be until I pull it out of the box and make sure it's the right plate. Usually I don't make mistakes like this so buying this plate has been a real tough pill for me to swallow.<br />
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After I realized it was likely that I had found one (this guy actually rebuilds carbs for earlier motorcycles so I trust that he knows what he's got) I took a closer look at what I had. I drilled out a shield on the "pin". It ended up being a set screw after all. So now I may try to fix mine and sell the one that's on the way. We'll see.<br />
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The purpose for even opening up the carbs was to replace the stock brass before I installed the new, modern ignition. After that, I will bench sync the carbs again and then vacuum sync the carbs after I get them back on the bike (which should make a big difference). Finally, I'll install the ignition and see where we're at. I'm still having some issues with cylinders 1 and 4 which I believe is because of the bad points. Stay tuned.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-28192934178007069572014-06-30T14:02:00.000-07:002014-06-30T14:02:12.272-07:00R and R<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This year H and I decided to go back to the Cabo side of Mexico for our vacation. We stayed in a small town called San Jose del Cabo. We chose this town partly because it was supposed to be a very artistic community and partly because we would be able to walk into town easily from our hotel. There was supposed to be a marina several miles down the beach from us and we wanted to walk there to see about buying a surf rod for me because the surf fishing is amazing all along the beach. Well the marina ended up being a further walk than what we planned but we found a killer bar once we made it there and, wouldn't you know it, they had 2 for 1 beers? So...I got 2 and we sat in the shade for a while. The tackle shop was closed (it was Sunday) so we ended up walking and found an amazing foot path that had all kinds of wonderful art on display. Here were some of my favorites:</div>
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Most of the paintings and sculptures that we liked were all from the same lady. She was a British born Mexican and a lot of this work was from the earlier 1900's. It was super freaky. I dug this one just because there was part of a bicycle in it and also because the figures were gnarly looking. </div>
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This sculpture was cool and just reminded me of little Grim Reapers.<br />
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This one was crazy and there were so many little things to ponder and consider but, according to the artist, she never really intended for their to be much interpretation in her work. It's just what she had in her head.<br />
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The first thing I saw in this one was an "A" that looked a whole lot like an anarchy sign.<br />
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The town was very religious and this cross was probably 60-80 feet tall.<br />
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It got hot really fast and I think we walked for about 4 hours that day and were both wasted so we flagged down a cab and went back to the hotel. We were stunned to find out that there were no rafts at any of the pools. So...we walked back into town and went to the Mega (it's kind of like a Walmart) and found these kids rafts. They were perfect. We used the hell out of them all week and then found another American couple the day we left and passed them on.<br />
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On day 2 I came down with an intestinal infection. It's the first time I've had a bit of Montezuma's Revenge on any of our trips to Mexico so those are pretty good odds and it's part of the gamble you take when leaving the USA. I'll go back but it was NOT fun. I was up all night the first and second night sick and then we decided to go to the doctor the next day. We had to pay in cash but we're able to get some Cipro (which is the common drug administered for this issue). I felt better in 2 more days but still took it real easy in terms of what was going in. I ate a lot of bread and rice.<br />
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A few days before we were supposed to leave, we decided to head back into town to explore more. Although we had walked it one night, it was just so fuggin hot that we decided to take a cab. This is walking around the town square where there are a lot of art galleries. Nobody walks in the sun.<br />
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Here's another shot of town. It was a gorgeous little area with lot's of friendly people and I'd love to go back when it's cooler.<br />
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I think this was our last full night in Mexico and we were just hanging out.<br />
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I'm not afraid to drink some tequila. There was a server named Leonel that worked at one of the restaurants and he would always try to bring me tequila but...only the best tequila. The first time he brought me a shooter, he also brought this red shot which I had never seen before. I asked what it was and was told it was Sangrita. This is a liquid (not tomato juice surprisingly) but much of the juice is from Pico De Gallo. There is also some jalapeño in it and some other things. It originated in Guadalajara. It is supposed to cleanse the pallet. The shot of tequila is not supposed to be shot but sipped and you sip the Sangrita after each sip of tequila. It was delicious and I may try to make some.<br />
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We spent a lot of time looking for art because we wanted a small piece for the house. I also wanted a piece for my desk at work. We saw a lot of Day of the Dead art and I just love it. It is so hard to go into the shops and look around. You get hassled just walking past and it does become a bit of a pain in the ass. We finally found a really nice little shop and a woman was running it with her small boy. She was not pushy at all and wanted to educate us on all the pieces we showed interest in. So we bought several pieces from her. This was the first and I plan to put it on my desk at work.<br />
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This is a much larger Day of the Dead skull. All of this is hand painted and there are hummingbirds on the back. We got this because of the colors (orange and blue) and also because we get a lot of hummingbirds at our feeders on the deck and we liked that part.<br />
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Then I also found this little evil guy. His head swivels and I just love it. He will probably also go on my desk.<br />
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It's good to be back home though but this was an amazing trip. Heather and I are getting more accustomed to travel in foreign countries (mostly me) and we are beginning to take more chances. Many of our friends told us not to go into town but I felt very safe in doing so. We did not care for the resort nearly as much as the others that we have stayed in but that happens. </div>
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-60633440672900565072014-06-14T09:21:00.000-07:002014-06-14T09:21:07.666-07:00CB500<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few weeks ago I upgraded the ignition coils on the CB to Dyna ones. The stock ones were easily 40 years old and you can't replace the plug wires on them because it's all one piece. The wires were suspect so it had to be done. This install was super easy and made a big difference. However, since then, the bike has started to run poorly and seemed to be getting worse. #4 cylinder is usually dead entirely. So I started to look at the ignition system again. These are the factory points and condensers. Some guys really like these and others hate them. I really don't have an opinion yet. Issues with this setup is that they tend to need adjustment fairly routinely and can be unreliable, thus, stranding a person on the side of the road. </div>
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There's a lobe on that cam (big nut in the middle of the picture) and as the cam turns with the motor, that lobe hits the lever on the left point (half moon shaped critter) and opens it. As the lobe passes, the lever closes and produces a spark which then goes to the plugs at 1 and 4 and fires those cylinders. This process repeats on the other side and again and again. What I've noticed is that my 1 and 4 plugs are not sparking at all so at times I'm running on two cylinders. I reset the points the other night (and even set them on the low side of the range to improve spark) but they still wouldn't produce consistent spark. I cleaned them with 1500 grit paper and acetone. The resistance was about 25-30 ohms before cleaning them and about 1.5 afterwards so it helped. Now you're not supposed to clean these that aggressively or you can ruin them but I'm trying to determine if this is the issue. This helped a lot but spark was still spotty. Then what I noticed is that (with help) if I put my fingers on top of the points and gently push down as the motor turns, then I get spark (and good spark) at the plugs. So I'm pretty sure the points are fried. Possibly because of the hotter spark being produced by the Dyna coils. So now I need to decide if I'm going to try to track down genuine Honda ignition parts (rather hard to locate) or just bite the bullet and upgrade to modern electronic ignition (probably $100 more). I've been sleeping on it for a few days and will likely do so for several more days. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyvJ1noi9bDTKhGO3jn4kpBPpPTvrHBWJjpMr6arMhGuLqut7Wmh5TwF5FPgREK5zJSTX3pIDCXY1pfpfDSjtMJ4OymeS19f3RfB3zsZehoFdQzBG1znz6DsYmyp43bHPNbkcmm_3UIHR/s1600/IMG_3349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyvJ1noi9bDTKhGO3jn4kpBPpPTvrHBWJjpMr6arMhGuLqut7Wmh5TwF5FPgREK5zJSTX3pIDCXY1pfpfDSjtMJ4OymeS19f3RfB3zsZehoFdQzBG1znz6DsYmyp43bHPNbkcmm_3UIHR/s1600/IMG_3349.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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This issue has gotten really bad the last week and has resulted in zero riding of the bike. This is the right side exhaust. Cylinder 3 is on the bottom and 4 is on the top. 4 is the one that has not been firing at all. There is a small hole on the bottom of 4 (I'm sure designed to help with condensation in the pipes). That's not condensation there. That hot mess express is all fuel and oil that's mixed together and spewed out. It's nasty. It's funny when people ask me, "Are you getting fuel to the cylinder?" I say, "Yes. I'm getting fuel to #4, to my foot peg, to the muffler, and to the car behind me."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XB8ZvVwrtMGa-7-3GaxTKmWb7-SmLtkSs7AZPQoERHkXYJGPenU_PGbKYOxpzzQtK9hMqpczIDLBN_jr98BMDRPKpyZa_38BkTibiVCW6afr4x-o0kSDqmOtYcxu28cbOUHjI2MENPnH/s1600/IMG_3350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XB8ZvVwrtMGa-7-3GaxTKmWb7-SmLtkSs7AZPQoERHkXYJGPenU_PGbKYOxpzzQtK9hMqpczIDLBN_jr98BMDRPKpyZa_38BkTibiVCW6afr4x-o0kSDqmOtYcxu28cbOUHjI2MENPnH/s1600/IMG_3350.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Things are slowly coming together with this thing. I passed my motorcycle safety class last week and have a helmet ordered. Once I get this situation sorted, I'll get plates and start to ride it more regularly and work out the kinks a bit more. Then I'd like to do some longer rides to the river to fish and possibly camp. I do need to come up with a way to carry gear other than a gnarly looking milk crate. I think I came up with something the other night while scratching my head with the ignition problem. I need to get some steel, bend it up and weld it together. I drew up my idea and I think it's gonna be perfect. It's going to be super simple, minimal, and clean. Once the gear is installed, you won't even see the racks and they'll be easy to take on and off. Stay tuned.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-61094594731627699692014-06-06T21:57:00.000-07:002014-06-06T21:57:10.378-07:00Summer 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Summer is finally here. I cannot believe that I made it through this year. My new job almost killed me. I had shingles, an ulcer, and some disc issues in my neck that flared up again. But today was the first day of my vacation and I couldn't be any happier. I'm a tad bummed that cycling looks pretty much nonexistent for me now but I've got some other things that are stacking up on the bucket list now. Many of them still involve two wheels but they also require a motor in between now. </div>
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This is how this thing looked back in September. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZTGOSehIArrjFZXO8D7QC2-ifopJg6zq6PrIXizDJP7nyZDhj4eqIybXcyxdlkmucZG1PblBDIeK8bhZnpcMWZucPNe4tm1WxORa22ywBJcSAkmOrXktHk4FmORCUU1A9p-J-ZkrsJm4/s1600/IMG_2431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZTGOSehIArrjFZXO8D7QC2-ifopJg6zq6PrIXizDJP7nyZDhj4eqIybXcyxdlkmucZG1PblBDIeK8bhZnpcMWZucPNe4tm1WxORa22ywBJcSAkmOrXktHk4FmORCUU1A9p-J-ZkrsJm4/s1600/IMG_2431.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is how it looks now. I'm pretty happy but not nearly done yet. My plan for now is to ride it through the summer and get to know it more and continue to think about where I want it to go. Then...in the fall...I plan on stripping it down and doing a major rehab on it that will see a lot of changes including diving into the motor. Stay tuned.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpjfwkv8yfYdC_GpQ4Z9N41WMY2gmyZEKMYIm_PaAoiCUjZXTRcwym17ULSCIthe9ND4HtVmh0lzTDK5sYqpNMhn7hYxJBd1nGn8GzbyXDJncLTkK9ynLd2ZYnc9cljt45b5t-QNZAzx0/s1600/IMG_3321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpjfwkv8yfYdC_GpQ4Z9N41WMY2gmyZEKMYIm_PaAoiCUjZXTRcwym17ULSCIthe9ND4HtVmh0lzTDK5sYqpNMhn7hYxJBd1nGn8GzbyXDJncLTkK9ynLd2ZYnc9cljt45b5t-QNZAzx0/s1600/IMG_3321.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-43770937797750323882014-05-31T18:14:00.000-07:002014-05-31T18:14:47.243-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I haven't updated this thing in a long time. The school year is winding down to a close. I haven't worked on the motorcycle in a while. I've needed some parts and just been too darn tired to order them. I finally found a few minutes earlier in the week to get them ordered. I've been having a problem with cylinder #4 not working. I suspected it was because of the stock coils or wires. Well the 40 plus year old coils tested out ok but the wires were very suspect. Unfortunately, you cannot replace just the wires on this system. Well...you can but it would involve cutting into the coils and removing the wires and then reinserting new ones and figuring out how to seal them from the elements. Seemed like more of a pain than I was willing to do for a bike that I plan on keeping. So I ordered new Dyna coils, wires, and picked up fresh plugs. The stuff showed up on Friday. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLKX6Tq3zV7eOKrMBAirurbE9h-rvrH2ZM5cBMqUtcZvLJYx_SmxJwrwAHhJzMWQz2RD9h88cc5EMZqYQOwo7A9jrk0ahqp69RQwULd_s2rh0H1E_dWSRYmLvGaC_DQrYkJEdL01s3mdu/s1600/IMG_3335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLKX6Tq3zV7eOKrMBAirurbE9h-rvrH2ZM5cBMqUtcZvLJYx_SmxJwrwAHhJzMWQz2RD9h88cc5EMZqYQOwo7A9jrk0ahqp69RQwULd_s2rh0H1E_dWSRYmLvGaC_DQrYkJEdL01s3mdu/s1600/IMG_3335.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I started on the repair this morning. Here's one coil wired up and ready to go back on. The other one looked the same. Then I had to cut the plug wires and crimp on the new connectors and hook it all up. Right away the bike started significantly better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBemJtOn0FeODfFiqcHfBYlkXOHHcFZPn-OcXLPPICMB2mkOHTNli3r9Z8Vgibr2yVUYazp3Qq4HFWPnn6DOE8AjoE8m_fOibMKOz5w2spgP6IeKEBNC-9LvOlES5hkIzcTojlcLI8XpT/s1600/IMG_3336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBemJtOn0FeODfFiqcHfBYlkXOHHcFZPn-OcXLPPICMB2mkOHTNli3r9Z8Vgibr2yVUYazp3Qq4HFWPnn6DOE8AjoE8m_fOibMKOz5w2spgP6IeKEBNC-9LvOlES5hkIzcTojlcLI8XpT/s1600/IMG_3336.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I picked up a milk crate today from a friend of mine that didn't need it any longer. This is my idea of how I will carry my waders and boots while riding to the river this summer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NHVEFF5hq31G5fCyMdpzU8ky3zkSMX3I5wyISNL7O5g99HIWtoKmRPFOl91u5NvRp3RyC9M00qVL0uBMZxgghv7msBFExs1aANHcUofnkVmGMkAAa7TnpDb2CypXrgMQ75YFCG-NxDTq/s1600/IMG_3338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NHVEFF5hq31G5fCyMdpzU8ky3zkSMX3I5wyISNL7O5g99HIWtoKmRPFOl91u5NvRp3RyC9M00qVL0uBMZxgghv7msBFExs1aANHcUofnkVmGMkAAa7TnpDb2CypXrgMQ75YFCG-NxDTq/s1600/IMG_3338.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The mile crate will look a bit better once the paint dries. This is NOT something that will be on the bike unless I am going to the river.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpcshnaWNsV1WWeWUotLJjVE-ANdDnDYFl3uC-VhCNV5zjBox8E8paH8EOX9M0146Gm69ldYm8MYD-hJ_iPyI_pDV9NFnqm_ifFOqJRmbJPNLK_V5NpNt4Qkt-62FHr4NCoSL3gemk8k3/s1600/IMG_3341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpcshnaWNsV1WWeWUotLJjVE-ANdDnDYFl3uC-VhCNV5zjBox8E8paH8EOX9M0146Gm69ldYm8MYD-hJ_iPyI_pDV9NFnqm_ifFOqJRmbJPNLK_V5NpNt4Qkt-62FHr4NCoSL3gemk8k3/s1600/IMG_3341.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-56867055164891313912014-04-18T18:57:00.001-07:002014-04-18T18:57:59.611-07:00Motorcyle Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The tank for the Cafe Racer is done and it really came out looking sharp. I'm kicking around color ideas now and hope to have it painted in the next month or two but I need to wait for it go get warmer. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmMiaOIaibV9G1IHZhaYvvLZPkTlps6xEvce68RAwG9a2Tx7qhjknYwzDL3KU74uVsJJcAaNM9LIlPtSaC6xenqZl9TFKM3f6sIhkKj8lrLAiFz277Tglyyf1TgBosLm-uuynwXdvHDkq/s1600/IMG_0709.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmMiaOIaibV9G1IHZhaYvvLZPkTlps6xEvce68RAwG9a2Tx7qhjknYwzDL3KU74uVsJJcAaNM9LIlPtSaC6xenqZl9TFKM3f6sIhkKj8lrLAiFz277Tglyyf1TgBosLm-uuynwXdvHDkq/s1600/IMG_0709.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8N46FRFztzf4_QiYnbRmYo0Qei35vABMPqd_Cq4whNWdACbInd_1CeSIha3MKuGRmIAiEuC-dmU0f3KkNEMZIcYOiVHW-_thkrsX4l8JV6mTP-EQRZ3ZTDg220w16bkxZbzEk1d9TFzMa/s1600/IMG_0710.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8N46FRFztzf4_QiYnbRmYo0Qei35vABMPqd_Cq4whNWdACbInd_1CeSIha3MKuGRmIAiEuC-dmU0f3KkNEMZIcYOiVHW-_thkrsX4l8JV6mTP-EQRZ3ZTDg220w16bkxZbzEk1d9TFzMa/s1600/IMG_0710.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a friend's CB that I look to for inspiration sometimes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuq92pHHVtEEnGC-U2mrf1sJv44SELvuQWgYEw8XhJlrHwDm07lw8pQx0Y1q5DaGMbxNmFURcrAitWy9btJOfyHl3sgNjknRcLfoSl6JWcnSDGGRN7GoZjjCucKPPEsKTEtHOi-QBt-c2/s1600/securedownload_zpse4c23c21.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuq92pHHVtEEnGC-U2mrf1sJv44SELvuQWgYEw8XhJlrHwDm07lw8pQx0Y1q5DaGMbxNmFURcrAitWy9btJOfyHl3sgNjknRcLfoSl6JWcnSDGGRN7GoZjjCucKPPEsKTEtHOi-QBt-c2/s1600/securedownload_zpse4c23c21.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I go back and forth on my bike a lot. A week ago I did not like the direction it was going in at all and actually considered selling it. This week...I'm digging it again. I was never thrilled with how the front end looked (mostly the fender). I thought about bobbing it but I really wanted to keep it chrome and I wanted the rolled edges on both ends. When I bobbed the back fender I was able to retain that because I cut the end under the seat but that would have been much more difficult to pull off up front. I thought about doing a fiberglass fender but I kinda like the chrome. So my next step was to try to find a set of struts. This was not easy. I missed a few fenders on ebay but the other day I found just these struts and made the seller an offer that he accepted. They showed up today. I love how they transformed the front of the bike. Gonna look good with some new, modern tires.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7V6YbGFw7ZYiuhbN1riuCLtCVX4pCzh_3zmw4KY2lFPjHnBwYvgc1G0EkCiuqfU1msB4w1Xf4Y_rsibf0d7yaohxRtme0zpVAfJV67kc2Hko1KAFq00oHBzsFguw4LCmfon0LSQJhlNl/s1600/IMG_3250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7V6YbGFw7ZYiuhbN1riuCLtCVX4pCzh_3zmw4KY2lFPjHnBwYvgc1G0EkCiuqfU1msB4w1Xf4Y_rsibf0d7yaohxRtme0zpVAfJV67kc2Hko1KAFq00oHBzsFguw4LCmfon0LSQJhlNl/s1600/IMG_3250.jpg" height="210" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is one of the bikes that was on display at the Handmade Motorcycle Show last week in Austin. I love the modern front end, the black wheels, the 4-1 exhaust, and I love the shade of blue and the tank shape. I don't even mind the non-black frame color. I do not dig the rear suspension or the seat but it is interesting. Frackin' gorgeous bike. Hope one day mine will be as hot looking.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAomY8jkwJgRxFjmg5T9MyG0A_SDNbS6HULQuasrzrIDDtKYkqwz-9hltyLKecM3feC-HJoGJYDPX-Ly-W5KHLbFK4T8ajPA1vnWu2OUQiC1D08d4O1JPMrWaNurSlvxv44QLx9li4AZZC/s1600/IMG_9894_zps440ecaee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAomY8jkwJgRxFjmg5T9MyG0A_SDNbS6HULQuasrzrIDDtKYkqwz-9hltyLKecM3feC-HJoGJYDPX-Ly-W5KHLbFK4T8ajPA1vnWu2OUQiC1D08d4O1JPMrWaNurSlvxv44QLx9li4AZZC/s1600/IMG_9894_zps440ecaee.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-82497787945355245542014-03-25T21:05:00.001-07:002014-03-25T21:05:44.603-07:00Spring Break!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's finally here and boy did I need it. I stayed at my last teaching job too long and it damn near ruined my career. I think if I had fallen assbackwards into my current job after relocating to Colorado, things would be different. But, this year, I've battled more and more health issues that I'm sure are related to stress. I still fight my neck day in and day out. I had shingles and I'm still not in the clear on something else (which I go in for more testing at the end of April). I'd be lying if I said there weren't times where I considered quitting my current job. My principals know it. I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be here though. I know they want me back next year so we'll see how things go then. My self confidence seems to be growing more and more each day and I'm not sure what the hell else I'd do to pay for slightly less than 23% of the bills around this house and I have to keep Heather in the lifestyle that she has grown accustomed to living in since hooking up with me. Truth be told, I'm the lucky one in the relationship and I know it. </div>
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My eyesight is getting worse in my old age so on Monday, we had a date with the eye doctor. Heather bought me new glasses. </div>
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Today I went back out to the river. While driving out of town, I passed this bitchin' T-Bird. Sometimes I wish we could move to the beach and own an old convertible. It would be great to have a bunch of fly rods hanging out the back of it on the way to the water.<br />
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I fished for 6 hours today and was exhausted afterwards. This was during a lunch break. Once in a while I get email and texts on the water but never this time of year because they shut the towers down. So I was alarmed when my buddy Scott texted me today and I got it. I sent this to him to ask how work was going on his end but, in reality, I was the one who was working. I got owned today. Things just wouldn't go my way. I'm a bit of a snob. Generally, my policy is that I don't fish "fishy" water. I only cast to fish that I can see, that are big, and that are feeding. I tend to cover a lot of water. For some reason, every fish I spotted today was very big and they were that way because of where they were hidden. Super hard drifts that were deep with some crazy ass hydraulic thrown in for added challenge. I ended up hooking three of them and they all broke off. I worked one for an hour and made at least a dozen fly changes. I was worked over. And humbled. Today was the first time that a DOW official rode up to me on horseback to check my license. I half hoped I didn't have it on me and that he would take all my gear.<br />
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Not sure where I will go tomorrow. Stay tuned. </div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-83151067556951826942014-03-24T10:50:00.001-07:002014-03-24T10:50:24.328-07:00Mustache 2.0This morning I made an important life decision whilst shaving in the bathroom (sorry you ran out of hot water in the shower Heather but this was quite a debacle). I decided to leave a mustache to go with the always present, under the lip, triangle. I had been pondering this for about a week and pulled the trigger this morning. Now I know that some find the mustache to be silly. Even hipster doofus. Allow me to explain (not that I feel as if I have to justify what's on my upper lip to anyone).<br />
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About 2 weeks ago, I found myself in my classroom with a few of my students. Now...I really do enjoy working with all of them but I do have one in particular that simply fascinates me. I damn near spent 4 days straight with him at 6th grade camp this year (1:1 situation). For obvious reasons, I won't go into grave detail but I will say that this particular student has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. As such, things like social communication (joint attention, turn taking during conversation, and eye contact) are all things that we work on every day. I am constantly trying to stretch him and support the rest of his teachers in doing the same. He's come a looong way and in the last month, I've begun to see a change.<br />
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For some reason on this particular day (don't judge me) I decided it would be a good idea to draw a mustache on the inside of my finger with a Sharpie. Then I thought it would be a better idea to put said finger up to my lip and raise my eyebrows at this student. I was stunned when he laughed and maintained eye contact. Then he made farting noises with his mouth and we both laughed. The rest of that day as we would walk around the school, he would stop teachers that weren't even his (I'm sure he didn't know them) and tell me to show them my finger. He really wanted me to put it up to my lip but that's a lot to ask. I would do it and he would laugh and laugh. Later that day, I held my finger up to his nose and he looked in the mirror and thought it was a riot. He said he was growing to grown one. Then he wanted to walk around the school and find more people and show them. Each time, I would put my finger up to his lip and he would make a face and say, "Hmmmmmmmm." And then laugh uncontrollably. This went on for days. Then he started doing more things that amazed me. We sat in my office and he started playing peek a boo with me behind a backpack that was on a table. And he would laugh and laugh. There was more but I'm sure it's not as encouraging for you as it is for me so I won't bore you with the details.<br />
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His mother happened to be out of town but I talk frequently with her and was letting her know how I was corrupting her child. She returned home last weekend. This student checks in with me every morning because it's part of his routine. Months ago he would simply stand there and I would do all the talking. Now he enters the class, says good morning, greets other teachers and I try to have 3-4 verbal exchanges with him while maintaining eye contact. On Monday he enters my office (always with a stack of books/binders) and he's trying to hold them all in one hand which is not working out and I can see a yard sale in the future. With his other hand he is trying desperately to unzip his hoodie. He always wears this hoodie zipped up so I was curious as to what was going on. As he got closer I said, "Hey buddy...what's up? Are you hot and trying to get that thing off?" Then I grabbed his books because he didn't answer but he had this smirk on his face. He unzips his hoodie, pulls it open and reveals to me a t shirt that has a giant hand on it with the index finger extended. On the finger was a mustache. We laughed hard and he hugged me. I almost cried. His mom had gotten it for him after we spoke while she was out of town. This is huge for a student with this disability. Since then something has clicked. I have witnessed him be more social with others. It's amazing to see and even better to be a part of it.<br />
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So...I'm on Spring Break and won't see my little buddy until next week. So...I'm going to grow a mustache for him. If having hair on my upper lip will continue to make him stretch socially then hair on my upper lip I shall have. Oh don't worry...I'll be posting updates. I've had short lived mustaches before but they usually don't last long. If only I still had my van. That would really complete the look.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-46069038394519235372014-03-09T17:40:00.001-07:002014-03-09T17:40:34.753-07:00Cafe Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's been a bit since I've done anything with the cafe project but I got a little bit done recently. First off, I decided to pull the rotor, paint it and then get all kinds of OCD on the front wheel in terms of cleanliness. Rotor all taped up and ready for paint. </div>
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Wheel all cleaned up and polished. Rotor turned out great and looks fantastic.<br />
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About a week ago I got home from work and found a box on the front porch. I knew it was the tank. The body work on the tank proved to be a bit harder than I was capable of. I threw in the towel and walked away from it. One of the guys on an older CB forum that I belong to sent me a message and offered to help with the tank so I took him up on it and shipped it off to his shop in Virginia. He did an amazing job on the knee dents which is the area I was really having a hard time with.<br />
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I noticed a few areas where the filler that I had applied was cracking and became concerned. A few days later, I saw another area bubbling up and got really concerned. Then I got mad. This is the right side of the tank where I obviously did something wrong. At this pout, I was faced with either getting a new tank or going back down to bare metal and starting from square one. I spoke with my buddy in Virginia and he wanted me to ship it back to him. So...the tank left again yesterday. It's getting blasted back to bare metal and he will re-work it all. I'm super thankful that he's got some time on his hands and enjoys doing body work.<br />
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Today I had some time and got down in the garage for a while. I went OCD on the rear wheel but it's a bear to clean because the hub is so big and the spokes are so short. It's really hard to get in there unless you have tiny little hands which I do not. I ended up pulling the left side motor cover. It looks like hell and I've been trying to figure out what to do with it. So I started sanding the old clear coat off and working on the deep scratches. <br />
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I used 40, 60, 100, 220, 300, 400, and am now up to 500. Im not sure if I'm going to go brushed or mirror finish with a buffing wheel yet. Ultimately, I'd like the bike to have black hubs and rims and some black on the motor but I think I want some of the aluminum on the motor to be polished. So...I've still got a lot of work to do here. Taking XTR single speed cranks to mirror finish was a hell of a lot easier.<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-81586439677574180492014-02-21T16:26:00.001-08:002014-02-21T16:26:10.040-08:00Calf Eh. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been up to my ears in wiring the last few weeks. This connector consists of 6 wires and many of those go to the alternator so they're kind of important. Each wire was cut in half and secured with bubble gum and electrical tape that was losing it's grip. So I had just enough slack to cut it all out and soldered it up and put shrink tube on. Good as new. </div>
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While I was at it I removed the entire harness and went through it all. I found tons of really questionable connections. I soldered them all, installed heat shrink, and then checked each wire for continuity. All should be good in the wiring department. I also ran wires for the turn signals that I will order very soon here. I then wrapped the harness again in electrical tape and put it all back together. I then went to turn the key and got nothing. Nothing. So...unwrap all that tape and start looking for the issue. I finally found it in a bad switch for the ignition. Replaced that and all was good in the world again. Taped it all back up and....done. Oh the only issue at this point was that the led indicator in the tach that goes to oil pressure would not come on with the key. I verified that the led was good by sending 12 volts directly to it. Continuity of the wire was solid. Making a jumper wire and going from the sensor wire to the block made the led light up so I was pretty sure the sensor was bad. I even used a 6 amp charger connected to the sensor body and the top (with an inline resistor) and turned it on for less than a second. This was to try and fry the gunk inside the sensor in the hopes that it would shake it loose. No good. For a bit I was worried that the issue was the fact that the sensor is supposed to be lighting up an incandescent bulb instead of an led. I wired up a relay to see if this helped. Nope. I finally broke down and bought a new/used one on ebay for 9 bones and it showed up today. Used a little plumbers tape, installed the sensor, and the led now works with the key.<br />
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This is a picture from last weekend before I got the oil pressure led sorted. Now I can control no lights, parking lights only (if I choose to run that type of turn signal which I'm not planning on), head lights, low beam, hi beam, and horn. All I have left to do for this part of the project is install turn signals, and wire up the kill switch.<br />
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-85310550246656102042014-02-08T19:32:00.002-08:002014-02-08T19:32:53.689-08:00Back to the Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's been a while since I did anything to the cafe racer but when I got home from work on Friday, there was a box on the steps. I did a little bit of work on it Friday night but not much. Too tired. Most of the work happened today. Thing hardly looks like a motorcycle at all here. </div>
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One of the things I ordered was a set of gauges. For a while I looked into taking the stock gauges apart, rebuilding them, installing more modern faces, and upgrading to led lighting but that's a lot of work and the gauges would still be...huge. I went back and forth between these 2.5" units and some 1.9" ones. Chrome or black? I ended up going with the 2.5" model and, obviously...black.<br />
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A while ago I made a bracket to mount the ignition to. It worked with the larger gauges but with the smaller ones, it was too busy. So I made another one that is fairly well hidden. I wanted the ignition to look like it was floating. I also wanted the ignition to sit down lower and be a third sphere. It's easier to see the ignition now that the huge gauges aren't the focal point.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhXuo7DXL9SEJzIS1IZcYUZFyKDAGfCnDG2YysM5YJhmggGdGUaGsa7zD4S7BCbw59KopGsu6yOogpuFLMQLVyZKmLbX60ZGU1W7BtOM65k22Gprx0fQWYe5a5QZl0BI_4z-jUm-GuKAL/s1600/IMG_3082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhXuo7DXL9SEJzIS1IZcYUZFyKDAGfCnDG2YysM5YJhmggGdGUaGsa7zD4S7BCbw59KopGsu6yOogpuFLMQLVyZKmLbX60ZGU1W7BtOM65k22Gprx0fQWYe5a5QZl0BI_4z-jUm-GuKAL/s1600/IMG_3082.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Much better. I got everything mounted up and then wired the gauges. The tach is easy as it only has 2 wires for the backlighting. The speedo has the same and then a + and - for each of the four led lights (hi beam, turn signals, oil pressure, and neutral). Everything seemed fine here. I don't have turn signals yet so that wire gets capped off. Hi beam is connected but I'm still wrestling with some other wiring so I don't know for sure if that's done correctly. Oil and neutral should be wired correctly but I can't start the motor either and I don't know if that makes a difference (pretty sure on the CB's the idiot light only comes on in the event of low pressure as opposed to most cars that come on with the key).<br />
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Next up was wiring in this switch. The previous owner had this bike stripped pretty well. I need/want to have enough stuff on it to keep the police at bay. So I installed a horn, and then started installing this left side control. It has the ability to run turn signals, headlights (hi and low), horn, and kill switch. Initially I was going to drill the bars and run the harness through them to hide things but the harness is damn big and I didn't like the idea of having that big of a hole in the bar. Twice. I did have to shim the bar with some tape to make the switch tight but that was easy. <br />
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This...has not been easy. Or fun. In fact...it sucks. Remember...I'm dealing with a 550 frame. 500 motor. I think a 550 harness but Im not sure (I've found a few wires that are colored such that they don't show up on schematics at all). I also don't know if the previous owner wired things the right way to begin with. I'm close to having this done but...it's not done. I've got some calls into some friends in the CB community so hopefully I'll have this squared away in a jiffy here. Stay tuned.<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-48631775250739675272014-01-19T21:50:00.001-08:002014-01-19T21:50:27.274-08:00Birthday Cafe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So today I am 41. I don't feel 41 at all. In fact...I feel closer to 60. </div>
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Today was gorgeous up here and my big day had a lot going on. I'm pretty sure I have an ulcer right now so I'm laying off coffee (which is a real bitch) as well as beer (although I have had some beer today but...it's my birthday). I've also been taking Zantac for about a week now and feel much better. After some morning Chai, I went down to the garage. It's so great to work on the motorcycle with the doors open. Since I don't really have a ton to do right now, I decided to look at some of the wiring harness. I've been thinking about doing this for a while now but I've had bigger things to do. I'm glad I did it today. This was the first thing I found. </div>
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Then I found quite a few more questionable splices. I also found 2 wires that were just cut and left hanging.<br />
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I got this cleaned up, put back together and hooked up the battery tender. Heather and I took the pups for a walk and then went to watch the new Mark Wahlberg movie Lone Survivor. If you like military type movies, I highly recommend it. We had some BBQ for dinner and then came home to relax.<br />
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I've been thinking about making a workbench for the motorcycle project and I'll probably start on that tomorrow. It's a real pain to bend over and work on stuff for a few hours. Stay tuned. </div>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-62215603033338346112014-01-18T06:53:00.001-08:002014-01-18T06:53:29.959-08:00All the Latest Cafe News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There really has not been much going on with the cafe project here lately. I'll post what little news I have in order to keep some (Dan) folks happy nonetheless. It should not come as a surprise that I was not happy with how the body work on the tank turned out. Looking back...this was not a good first project for someone new to body work because of the convex and concave areas of the tank and the need for everything to match all the way around. People that saw it in person thought it looked great but being the perfectionist that I am I just couldn't stop finding imperfections that would only stand out more when painted. It was when I began talking about painting the knee dents in flat black that I knew I had to walk away from things for a while. I just think that (at times) flat black says, "I gave up." I have an active thread on the single overhead cam forum about this build and I told those guys that I was going to step back for a while. A few hours later I received a message from one of the guys that had been providing me with a ton of help/advice. Many of the guys that are into these older Hondas just really want to see them keep going and they are willing to offer way more help than members of any other forum that I have been a part of. I have received more advice and hard to find parts from these folks. All for free with the only requests being that I pay it forward and post pics of the project as it moves on. Anyways...this guy asks if he can do me a favor and take the tank back to bare metal, work the metal a bit more, TIG weld the holes again, remove the areas where the badges mounted and TIG those up, reapply filler, sand it all out, prime it and ship it back to me ready to paint. Again...for free and he was insulted when I offered to send him some money. So the tank is in Virginia right now (arrived yesterday) and he will have it for a bit. This guy has built some amazing cafes and other styles and he does really nice body work so I'm excited. </div>
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The next piece of the puzzle was to try and find a replacement side cover for the one that was cracked beyond repair. As I started looking more closely at these I realized that I had a 550 left side cover (the trashed one) and a 500 right side cover. I prefer the look of the 500 covers so I went on the prowl for one. I called in a ton of favors but was not able to find one as these are very rare to stumble upon and many are cracked and in need of repair. They do make aftermarket replacements but I thought it would be cool to have originals so I looked hard. I was finally able to find one in Alabama with no cracks. I bought it for $40. Both of my covers would now need sanding and prep and I would fill in the badge holes with body filler and get them ready for paint. Well I was excited when the new cover got here and went to put it on the bike. The damn thing cracked. The 40 year old plastic is simply too brittle so I'll fix the broken one and then sell them both off and buy newer replicas. </div>
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These gauges will be here soon and I think they will go nicely with the bikes thinner look now. Stock gauges are 4" and these replacements are 2.5". I did consider opening up the stockers, and replacing the green faces with something black, upgrading the horrible lighting to led, and rebuilding the internal gears but it's a lot of work and the inside looks like a watch. I wasn't sure if the size of them would still bother me after all that effort. It probably would. So I'll sell the stockers and almost pay for the new ones. The speedo has nice led's mounted in it for warning lights too so I won't have to mess with that. I will have to make a new mount for the ignition switch but that's fine as I'll also get rid of the start switch that I have there because I also have a left side control that will be going on so I can have a horn, start/kill switch, an option to run turn sigs (which I eventually will), as well as a hi/lo for the headlights. I'll probably also drill the handlebars out when installing this stuff and run all the wiring from the switch through the bars to make it look anal boy friendly. </div>
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This is the new tach. Not much to say about this but it'll be so much cleaner and minimal.<br />
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This is horrible picture of the tail light that will be here soon. It's small but, more importantly, it can pivot up and down. All the others I have looked at just mount on the fender but since I bobbed the fender a bit (and may go even shorter) I need it to adjust for the right angle. It's kind of bullet shaped. I really wanted to find a light off a 32 Ford but the style was just too different and more appropriate for a Bobber/Rat build.<br />
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I did get around to making a few adjustments to the plate mount. I bent it up a bit more because I kept looking at the lines of the back end and wondered if it would look better. I'll get a profile shot of the bike because it's easier that way. I also added this little 1" by 1" tab to the outside of it that sits up tight against the swing arm. Only one bolt holds this thing on and I didn't want the entire thing going into the spokes in the event that one bolt came loose. This tab will keep things safe if that happens. I also recently found out that my plate mount is illegal. The plate is not horizontally mounted, it's bent, and it's less than 12" off the ground. So that's 3 strikes. For a few seconds I did consider coming up with a way to mount it back on the fender but then...no. I'll leave it here. I see tons of Harleys with plates mounted this way. If I get pulled over I'll claim ignorance and deal with it then. This bracket is now ready for primer and paint.<br />
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That's about all that's going on right now. I did get my hands on a compression gauge and will be checking the numbers on the cylinders and that will give me an idea of what condition the top and bottom end are like and see if that needs any attention (hoping not). That's all. It's my birthday weekend and I'll be 41 but I feel like I'm trapped in the body of a 70 year old. Hanging out and keeping busy in the garage brings me happiness though so I'm sure I'll be down there for at least a while over the weekend. Thanks for checking in. Go do something fun outside or build something in the garage. </div>
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-14416326332088982942013-12-24T20:38:00.001-08:002013-12-24T20:38:38.769-08:00More Cafe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today I played around with the motorcycle a little bit. This was the clapped out seat cover that was on the bike. </div>
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Heather got a replacement for me from the UK. I've never done any sort of upholstering so I didn't know what I was getting into. It's not easy. But I'm happy with how it turned out. My new mirrors also showed up so I got those installed too.<br />
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Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-55874890570922506822013-12-24T20:27:00.002-08:002013-12-24T20:27:34.181-08:00Been a While<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As honored as I am to work at my new job, it is the busiest I have ever been as an educator. Because of this, it has been so long since I have fished. I didn't fish at all during the fall spawn. I went out once right before school started and got into it with a shitty guide. I went out with my friend Scott several months ago I think but I was so tired I don't even know that I casted at all. I know I wanted to nap. I'm just too damn busy to fish during the week and on the weekends, I'm just too tired. So now that I have a few weeks off, I decided to get out. Yesterday was a beautiful day but it was still a tad cold. I have lived here for 9 years now and I fished a section of the South Platte that I have never fished before. Right away I spotted some big fish. I worked some for about an hour and finally got a Rainbow that was pushing 20" hooked but it didn't last long. I blame it on rust. I started walking. I didn't cast at all for probably another hour and a half. I just walked. I finally ended up back where I started and went to work on another small group of fish. It wasn't long before I hooked this fish. This is one of the prettiest Rainbows I've caught in years. What a great day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnbYxAgdUyEq4S_eYVRaQUriMUjQtapPTs2RxyeaGl38GS1XSXXvc4I2bZlzEv29Z9JrMYeI0dH5ROFpbYXzloYzuge-nRArTkdUlhpRcHoBmC_lS48SXhjHQdCawND9WTyvU2V0fXOjP/s1600/IMG_2904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnbYxAgdUyEq4S_eYVRaQUriMUjQtapPTs2RxyeaGl38GS1XSXXvc4I2bZlzEv29Z9JrMYeI0dH5ROFpbYXzloYzuge-nRArTkdUlhpRcHoBmC_lS48SXhjHQdCawND9WTyvU2V0fXOjP/s320/IMG_2904.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-64803853921670326352013-12-22T08:12:00.000-08:002013-12-22T08:12:22.232-08:00I just realized...My longer commute each day has given me plenty of time to ponder life. One of the things that I have come to terms with is that…I am getting older. Next month I will be 41. Life is different these days. Don't get me wrong. This is not me whining and moaning about my poor life. Far from it. I am loving where I am in life right now. I work at an amazing school where I am pushed/challenged to better myself each day. I have a cool house that I should be able to build a bigger deck on to this spring (everybody wants a bigger deck). A wonderful wife. Two great dogs. And a bitchin motorcycle (this has been a killer experience because I have always wondered if I had the skills to do this kind of thing much like my father did but without all the cursing and wrench throwing). However, sometimes, I do look in the mirror in the morning and wonder, "Why is this area not as taught as it used to be? "What's up with all the gray in my beard? Why does my face look like an old catchers mitt? And why the fuck does this (any one of several muscles/joints) hurt so much this morning?" I guess it's all part of the process.<br />
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Last week I almost got into two wrecks on the highway and it was completely because of me. I turned on my blinker, looked, and went ahead and switched lanes only to hear horns. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw nothing but headlights flashing and middle fingers flying. What is one to do in this situation while traveling at 65ish mile per hour? I put up my hand to say sorry but then got the flailing arms from one driver. Accurate and truthful vehicle to vehicle communication is rarely possible in circumstances such as this. It wasn't long before the driver pulled along side of me. I mouthed, "Sorry." but he obviously interpreted it as something negative about his mother and ensued with his own barrage of insults and gestures. I tried to convey to him through a myriad of motions that I do not read leaps and what you are doing is not American Sign Language. This seemed to upset him further still. I pointed at the back of my neck and mouthed, "THIS AREA DOESN'T WORK LIKE IT USED TO! LIMITED RANGE OF MOTION!" Clearly, he received, "KISS MY ASS!" Then I thought, "Self…let's just motion for him to pull over so we can clear the air." Then I realized that this probably wasn't a good idea either. I finally just went on my way. Words like Shingles, rash, bad disc, big ass bunion, gray hair, and gas don't transfer well from car to car while on a major highway.<br />
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Not being able to cycle much really blows but I'm learning to cope with it. I do hate it a little when people on Facebook post pictures from their rides and have considered un-friending some folks but then that would leave me with like 3 people to stay in touch with. Yesterday I noticed that a friend posted some photos from when he rode Tour Divide. I would still love to do that ride but it's just not a possibility any longer. At least not on a bicycle. I'm hoping that I am able to ride the cafe racer without a lot of pain. If that's the case then maybe one day I can get a motorcycle that would be good for that type of ride. Now instead of a long bicycle ride, I think about whether or not I could do longer moto rides like up the Dalton Highway in Alaska all the way to the ocean? Or continue to utilize two wheels to see all the amazing stuff we have here in Colorado like alpine passes and old mining ruins? That's what I'm hoping.<br />
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In the end though, I wouldn't trade any of the things that I have if it meant that I could do one more big ride on a bicycle. A wise man I knew once said, "Everything happens for a reason." I never used to believe that much but as I get older I know that things in my life are precisely how they are supposed to be. Thanks for checking in. Happy Holidays to you all.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-61469512894838004702013-12-06T16:26:00.000-08:002013-12-06T16:26:14.382-08:00Snow Days in the Garage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have had snow days the last 2 days. They haven't really been for snow but for the really cold temps. This morning it was -18. Despite the fact that my Shingles are still kicking my ass, I decided to venture owt in the garage for a bit yesterday and a bit more today in between naps. I spent most of the time working on the tank. Yesterday I had sanded to 600 grit. This morning I put more filler on some spots that I just wasn't happy with and then started sanding over again from 120. I'm back up to 400 and, wouldn't you know it, I found some more spots that I'm not thrilled with. I'm done though. I gotta stop at some point. That point is now. This tank will never look custom because I'm not a professional. I am, however, very happy considering this is the first time I have ever done any body work. In hindsight, this was probably not the best thing to start trying body work on. The knee dents are really a critical piece of the bike and they just have to look the same. </div>
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The other job I started on today was the rear fender. The stock one was just too long and I didn't like the look. Don't even get me started on that gigantic tail light. I took the fender off and decided to chop off about 4" from it. Here it is after it was bobbed and I re-drilled the 2 mounting holes on the side. I still need to drill new mounting holes for it under the seat but I'm going to have to come up with some spacers to put between the fender and frame (about 1/2"). The first attempt didn't work out so I'll give it another go tomorrow. </div>
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Then I started playing with the license plate location. This is where I want to mount it. You can't tell from this picture but I've bent the plate to match the curve of the rear hub. I'll use aluminum to come up with a mount that gets the plate mounted in the spot I want and then take that bracket to work and fab up something out of steel. I plan on making a small hood at the top of the bracket where I'll mount an LED so it shines down on the plate to keep Johnny Law happy. I'll run the wire to the swing arm and then up into the electronics so it'll be hidden. A new seat cover is on the way from the UK as we speak.<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-84885530810344083662013-11-29T19:16:00.001-08:002013-11-29T19:16:23.127-08:00Black Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today was pretty warm up here and I know the cold is coming so, despite the fact that I still have Shingles, I've been busting ass on the cafe tank because soon...I won't be able to. This was after several hours of sanding. I was really discouraged when I started this morning but after this skim coat of filler set up and I got it sanded, I felt better about how things were "shaping up." </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYAiG5VS3k1OJz6hAtARfDnAKZA3ZdYzW2xq65Jk-mQveRNaDnYsUATJfLdthL8QjkNJ_546SDDETUjxHlyrqwTKCzkjJExZx4-Inp3cPysjicSS5B1isnnCvgY3_tc1d0IcBAj-nxDM8/s1600/IMG_2832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYAiG5VS3k1OJz6hAtARfDnAKZA3ZdYzW2xq65Jk-mQveRNaDnYsUATJfLdthL8QjkNJ_546SDDETUjxHlyrqwTKCzkjJExZx4-Inp3cPysjicSS5B1isnnCvgY3_tc1d0IcBAj-nxDM8/s320/IMG_2832.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I worked 6 hours today on this tank and now, I can barely move my left shoulder. Tomorrow I will work on the right side. It's an absolute bitch trying to eyeball both sides and get them even but I think I'm close.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganAueCi9WW3qmTW-xsWF3RCXKWb8cwyJYs4GeKgSspcWqkgETuTXHlLRC8RWEaO6UYxPwKsSHi2mgm-dz7OJ_mRr7FyeC4hDgq8enJgxxTvUvTy-fVxwfddPIlecrTUOwOGqET64DqxfA/s1600/IMG_2834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganAueCi9WW3qmTW-xsWF3RCXKWb8cwyJYs4GeKgSspcWqkgETuTXHlLRC8RWEaO6UYxPwKsSHi2mgm-dz7OJ_mRr7FyeC4hDgq8enJgxxTvUvTy-fVxwfddPIlecrTUOwOGqET64DqxfA/s320/IMG_2834.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The left side is the side that had the big dent in it. It's really about done. I found one little spot that I wasn't happy with (imagine that) and filled it in and will sand it out in the morning.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJm83-HS_ny3lyHLHyaQydy-z3BJyEeAMuziS61i-87P1v9GEXGef6OP1B3XgU9qEcRIe1HlMXMefez_CbaoqC9ZosWrmhrBLqV2lmx6ZmPtcHtPlh9FeFM6cgSVoMqUVaCBh2sK206m0I/s1600/IMG_2836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJm83-HS_ny3lyHLHyaQydy-z3BJyEeAMuziS61i-87P1v9GEXGef6OP1B3XgU9qEcRIe1HlMXMefez_CbaoqC9ZosWrmhrBLqV2lmx6ZmPtcHtPlh9FeFM6cgSVoMqUVaCBh2sK206m0I/s320/IMG_2836.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've been having a lot of fun working on this cafe project but...it's not the same as cycling was for me. My new job is stressful as can be but I'm still happy to be there. Every day. But I've realized that cycling was not only a passion for me but also an outlet. An outlet for stress. I loved training. I've done Insanity workouts since figuring out that cycling needs to look drastically different for me. I've done T-25. I'm thinking about trail running. They are not the same. I don't ever get jazzed to do those like I did for doing an interval session. I'm desperately trying to find a substitute but I have ridden bicycles for most of my life. Hard to find a substitute.<br />
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I ran across these pictures tonight. These are from my last big ride. Kokopellis Trail. The few hours before the sun went down that night were AMAZING.<br />
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This was a killer downhill on pavement before the long climb to Fisher Creek and the eventual drop to the highway and the pit shitter that I slept in while waiting for the rain to pass.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1PvtTldJzkDKtS4zbYNwMJV98Mil2n-lugv_IcqOHab1kGzBLd3QNRXK93mMNfAIzFEekzJRzcZgSNz11XRG0zM8z7NHtjHNkO0JmhaK9nTY0rlJb9wG5yKVVobxhEuQYvuZnpzP84x6/s1600/IMG_2723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1PvtTldJzkDKtS4zbYNwMJV98Mil2n-lugv_IcqOHab1kGzBLd3QNRXK93mMNfAIzFEekzJRzcZgSNz11XRG0zM8z7NHtjHNkO0JmhaK9nTY0rlJb9wG5yKVVobxhEuQYvuZnpzP84x6/s320/IMG_2723.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was sometime the next morning. My friend wanted to thumb a ride back to Moab for my car but it was too beautiful to not pedal the 20ish miles into town. I rode it and then drove back to get him because he was wrecked from yacking all night long after a superhero start. <br />
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I quit that ride and...now...I would give my cafe project to anyone for just one crack at it where I wouldn't have to worry about neck pain. Don't take the small things in life that you enjoy for granted. Go do what you enjoy and be thankful that you can.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-91484324719805885452013-11-28T15:39:00.000-08:002013-11-28T15:39:33.735-08:00Tanksgiving <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
See what I did there with the title?</div>
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I did a little bit of work on the tank today. The first thing I did was spray on some etching primer. I'm learning as I go here but one important lesson I learned was that, at this step, you don't wanna put a lot of primer on.</div>
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Reason being is because the next step is to start sanding. And sanding. Too much primer means the paper (even 150 grit) gets clogged up real quickly and you go through a ton of it. What's left are spots where the body filler becomes exposed. These are the high spots. The areas with the primer are the low spots.<br />
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Next I whipped up some more filler and applied a very thin skim coat. The purpose of this is to fill in the low spots. The idea here is that it's easier to mix up bondo and throw it on than it is to sand down the high spots. I also hammered down the highs just a bit. That's all I got done today. Tomorrow I will fire up the DA sander and knock down the high ridges and then start sanding by hand. There's a lot of work left to do with this tank.<br />
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-89810358154780087322013-11-27T20:24:00.000-08:002013-11-27T20:24:37.351-08:00Day Before Thanksgiving Stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well it's the day before Thanksgiving. I've had the entire week off and I've been trying to get as much work done on the tank for the cafe project as possible but I've been battling cold temperatures and illness. About 5 days ago, I got a rash on my back and then noticed that the left side of my neck, left shoulder, and left forearm felt weird. I couldn't really describe the feeling but finally settled on telling Heather that they felt tingly or almost like they were asleep (but not really). Finally, on Monday, I began experiencing an enormous amount of pain in those areas and decided I better call my doctor. He got me in later that day and, low and behold, I have Shingles. I don't know much about this illness but I do know that it's painful as shit. The rash feels like a burn and, at times, I experience absolutely stabbing pains that make me jump. The muscles in those areas are also pretty locked up. I've been told that this could last up to 4 weeks. Ahhhh....getting old. </div>
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Yesterday I kept taking the drugs my doctor prescribed and slept as much as possible. The flip side of that coin was that I didn't sleep at all last night due to the pain. Today it was supposed to be 45ish up here so I really wanted to get a bit of work done. I decided to move everything outside in the sun. It felt good to be out of the house. The first thing I decided to do was sand off all of the body filler that I had worked so hard to put on the top of the tank around the filler neck. I just wasn't feeling it. Then I kept working on the left side of the tank (the worst side). It's in pretty good shape now. Here you can see I have 2 big areas of concern still and hope to tackle them in the morning. I'm super pleased with how the knee dents are shaping up. They have been incredibly painstaking. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1irsAq2U67i_et199hEpxeUvkUaSiAtLcgus4RASZoy7y-kRZlAjPboZJnVxVSHJRr8JmSphAOUqbyrt2Lqq2i0TWvCNB9PJUJksSF3HJQr70KI5qw7muwZylm-Or0O3xphjovrOmTvCy/s1600/IMG_2815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1irsAq2U67i_et199hEpxeUvkUaSiAtLcgus4RASZoy7y-kRZlAjPboZJnVxVSHJRr8JmSphAOUqbyrt2Lqq2i0TWvCNB9PJUJksSF3HJQr70KI5qw7muwZylm-Or0O3xphjovrOmTvCy/s320/IMG_2815.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was also able to get the right side of the tank about done as well. Tomorrows plan is to address the issues on the left side of the tank, as well as the one dent at the tip of the seat (this dent has given me the most trouble for some reason), wipe everything down and then hit it with etching primer. This will really help make any issues apparent. I know there will be no shortage of spots that need to be addressed. The only issue I ran into today was that I dropped the bike while moving it around. I just didn't have the muscle strength to keep it from falling over. I cannot believe that the tank wasn't damaged at all. The only issue was that the right mirror broke. I just got those. But...I'd rather lose the mirror than have to repair the tank.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKk6flVKR-KDmO-z38bzjC9cHYeDj3rxGCkOcxpMKz0K9WhY4a0q-kliaQPKClFTS4mqwU4uzxEEQgCzokhuZCGlmclQrkZy9GQ-oX7qNMPxdfJ91iQLxcCV53hhbB7jmFEFXfczW3jie/s1600/IMG_2809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKk6flVKR-KDmO-z38bzjC9cHYeDj3rxGCkOcxpMKz0K9WhY4a0q-kliaQPKClFTS4mqwU4uzxEEQgCzokhuZCGlmclQrkZy9GQ-oX7qNMPxdfJ91iQLxcCV53hhbB7jmFEFXfczW3jie/s320/IMG_2809.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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That's about it. My kick ass wife and I will be hanging out with the pups tomorrow and taking it easy. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. Thanks for checking in.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-87327795247168362992013-11-26T09:34:00.003-08:002013-11-26T09:34:52.684-08:00Body Work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have always wanted to try body work and I thought this cafe project would be a good place to start. The tank was in pretty good shape overall although it did have 2 holes (but...I was responsible for them). I was able to MIG weld them up (which was interesting because you never know if you got all the gas/fumes out of the tank until you put a big spark near it). No issues though. I took a piece of solid pipe and ground it down to resemble a small ball peen hammer and made some bends in it and stuck it in the tank and hammered out the bigger dents. This was a process and took 2 people (one to hold the tank while I was beating on it). I thought it was pretty close and time to start in with the body filler. I bought a DA sander, some sand paper, and filler and...dove in. I actually started on some small dents first to get a feel for things before moving to bigger dents and more areas as I figured out how much time I had before the filler started setting up. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvEBTYkUgbREq_xdEkXGd9irTQHflzHh6jPx7E6qqZJC98Hv7c-Ki9aSs7UUk-05Hnl6lBjybtsg-jRz_LyzotbOwyvK32jUHODdLtyxEgrBehO-vOkZoY2t_wGW0sakqdYvdz1pu3Vt9/s1600/IMG_2793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvEBTYkUgbREq_xdEkXGd9irTQHflzHh6jPx7E6qqZJC98Hv7c-Ki9aSs7UUk-05Hnl6lBjybtsg-jRz_LyzotbOwyvK32jUHODdLtyxEgrBehO-vOkZoY2t_wGW0sakqdYvdz1pu3Vt9/s320/IMG_2793.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I started filling in the area around the filler neck but am still not sure I like it this way. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05kksdYfT7YTSGAAQ4-MXtTAnH3v-s8IkFR_4-f6y442NmXg99_fYDW3tscvws8uVIH-RZdYkgadK8tppiOBRotoD2iO1up6ThaBX3CMtVf2ID8JSnEhQkplCInS3Fp5_EDbdUzfhXeb9/s1600/IMG_2799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05kksdYfT7YTSGAAQ4-MXtTAnH3v-s8IkFR_4-f6y442NmXg99_fYDW3tscvws8uVIH-RZdYkgadK8tppiOBRotoD2iO1up6ThaBX3CMtVf2ID8JSnEhQkplCInS3Fp5_EDbdUzfhXeb9/s320/IMG_2799.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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This is pretty much done near the filler area. I still need to do a bit more work where the neck and tank actually join but...I may end up taking all of this back off.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HN30piuu2UuiKdTbQVFE-RA0tTVal9Mu_kFIMqVBAEC1xWHWkd23-nrq55HGtKyGsZdh8B2yjc9poa_2PyxUFczdTkfdtX5OoRFsNE0DICwa8AqxgnuHbf-Xrc0IvWe13SimK5O2OTMZ/s1600/IMG_2802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4HN30piuu2UuiKdTbQVFE-RA0tTVal9Mu_kFIMqVBAEC1xWHWkd23-nrq55HGtKyGsZdh8B2yjc9poa_2PyxUFczdTkfdtX5OoRFsNE0DICwa8AqxgnuHbf-Xrc0IvWe13SimK5O2OTMZ/s320/IMG_2802.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The left side of the tank was the worst side for sure. So I was kind of curios if I could get it to start taking the shape I was after before starting on the right side (which I know will be more cooperative). It will be easier to throw this tank away if I've only worked on one side.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSa-PBsm79EuiygQ3TlAp5DxpOJwYwk3NmSXwyZbAQmUNQ8siugklU8Vwts68mOUlpSfSEPrXuJaM4rhWKID74ZbPYSC3COg5QeSSk1aCpN2nnVmf0sA6zOzE6paeAPzUKiRiL36TzHmhP/s1600/IMG_2804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSa-PBsm79EuiygQ3TlAp5DxpOJwYwk3NmSXwyZbAQmUNQ8siugklU8Vwts68mOUlpSfSEPrXuJaM4rhWKID74ZbPYSC3COg5QeSSk1aCpN2nnVmf0sA6zOzE6paeAPzUKiRiL36TzHmhP/s320/IMG_2804.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I'm pretty amazed with how this looks. This was after an hour of shaping. The DA sander I have is a 5" one and it is extremely hard to get it in the knee dent and hit only areas that you want to target. I ended up doing a fair amount of hand sanding here. It's so hard to get a good picture of this process but the area at the front of this knee dent (where the stock tank badge used to mount) was the worst. I think it's gonna come out looking ok though. Sometimes the sun truly does shine on a dog's ass.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGZTdlHpzFTDHlUh9hfWMnOC6eVZ8CEKpWEzA8SdI-8Jt12AvMBCkrX8mklF7Vb9TFrKQvLprw3L5MhLUWGfcEhFMzSNu_uho7j71TsiZvMegahlLF8SGYtXFcM5FdWWYiFJ0TYR7H5-y/s1600/IMG_2808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGZTdlHpzFTDHlUh9hfWMnOC6eVZ8CEKpWEzA8SdI-8Jt12AvMBCkrX8mklF7Vb9TFrKQvLprw3L5MhLUWGfcEhFMzSNu_uho7j71TsiZvMegahlLF8SGYtXFcM5FdWWYiFJ0TYR7H5-y/s320/IMG_2808.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Body work is not easy. And it's super messy. I wish it was warm out so that I could do this out in the driveway. Right now I have things set up right at the garage door and I open the door when sanding to get as much dust out as possible. Even with good masks, this only helps a little. People that do this for a living as truly artists. More to come although, I am sick now but it will be hard for me to have a week off work and not be in the garage to continue on this.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-4185262403286938562013-11-26T09:13:00.001-08:002013-11-26T09:16:27.903-08:00Working on Mable<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Work continues on the cafe project. I continue to find surprises on this motorcycle. Like this one. At some point, someone thought it would be a good idea to clear coat the gas cap, the locking mechanism, the pins that keep it attached to the tank and the spring. It's the definition of lazy. It took a lot of time but I was able to get it all off and polished up. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobTyfKMGhHQ7m67kPAM8HYmi2G8KA14J7zAr8bcwybalSAEObatIlX7Kn2qAx9RlcsOQh66P116CmC_k2IU_mUTbP1t76cE6WeTUMUJQF8JbntpjhxMFX0yWoOqogvhYYNrc21tvp98kz/s1600/IMG_2754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobTyfKMGhHQ7m67kPAM8HYmi2G8KA14J7zAr8bcwybalSAEObatIlX7Kn2qAx9RlcsOQh66P116CmC_k2IU_mUTbP1t76cE6WeTUMUJQF8JbntpjhxMFX0yWoOqogvhYYNrc21tvp98kz/s320/IMG_2754.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Much better. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE0P7KvEx8Q1rJkf5gTLNOQHThFnl9M23UW_TAX90HI_YTRH2sn1O4PjqCFOb7MjZRrF1LjoaR3S_8fEn42Kzv2jHSQO9OwHP9mifgR-WIUBH1uh-C_65e-2J6hijQDTRFzwLNnj-UOvw/s1600/IMG_2755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE0P7KvEx8Q1rJkf5gTLNOQHThFnl9M23UW_TAX90HI_YTRH2sn1O4PjqCFOb7MjZRrF1LjoaR3S_8fEn42Kzv2jHSQO9OwHP9mifgR-WIUBH1uh-C_65e-2J6hijQDTRFzwLNnj-UOvw/s320/IMG_2755.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I keep coming back to this picture. You can see the ridge line around the filler neck here. This is only on the right side of the filler neck. I'm trying to decide what to do here. Do I use body filler to make it flush or do I let the line show and accent it a bit with some pin striping? Part of me really digs the rawness of the line.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-v95J2X1atevhEJjIf6P_5CSyjsoVKadt0WVliaXmk7QPSHM6swBBZsAzfcC8gKPsQaDMvHja-GkGthaO74mbkDKJF7GbsGl6a1Dj0AG7znr0yiAdvQ_lXVg4p9ir9ixhGsGgdC2OAW7/s1600/IMG_2769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-v95J2X1atevhEJjIf6P_5CSyjsoVKadt0WVliaXmk7QPSHM6swBBZsAzfcC8gKPsQaDMvHja-GkGthaO74mbkDKJF7GbsGl6a1Dj0AG7znr0yiAdvQ_lXVg4p9ir9ixhGsGgdC2OAW7/s320/IMG_2769.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also kept coming back to the ignition location. I hated how it was mounted on the handlebar clamp with the wires all visible. It just stuck out. So I kept looking at the front of the bike and finally decided that I would try to mount the ignition below the triple tree. After I removed a lot of stuff in that area, I was able to access the bottom of the triple tree, take some measurements, and make a cardboard template. Then I transferred the shape to some aluminum. Here is the final piece. Actually, this is the second one I made. Those that know me know how anal I can be. There was just one little issue with the first one that I didn't dig so I started over. This one is much better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUrBUa0Xm2c0KLM9cgMyuQb7-CZAWCH2Hl4GkZnQYeKvRcaYOfB0ejJKeFKLWnF5vndfwMJflnYKsI7MnftGOJ2qXukAkz0LWUlXICh9AgxfSLkGXCiD-dxGfk32KfvhL6IRBkVbGpVhG/s1600/IMG_2782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUrBUa0Xm2c0KLM9cgMyuQb7-CZAWCH2Hl4GkZnQYeKvRcaYOfB0ejJKeFKLWnF5vndfwMJflnYKsI7MnftGOJ2qXukAkz0LWUlXICh9AgxfSLkGXCiD-dxGfk32KfvhL6IRBkVbGpVhG/s320/IMG_2782.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is the bracket mounted, wires re-run and I used a new and smaller starter button. This will eventually get removed again after I get the bike back together and running so that I can add a blue LED and a red one (for brights...once I get a switch figured out, and the red LED will be for oil pressure).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrQAS5_pqqIHUKYymn-RLJO3eh63J7TJCLpG5mg1fX8U0CCHVKzUHCKDoamtK1wn4VYbkj9bZAhSCwqsTNqfLY7G3ojCKehMVtOEFlQHokhlkFSusg_q8n5qmC9sAcSBjRtMyaP88j7-f/s1600/IMG_2784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrQAS5_pqqIHUKYymn-RLJO3eh63J7TJCLpG5mg1fX8U0CCHVKzUHCKDoamtK1wn4VYbkj9bZAhSCwqsTNqfLY7G3ojCKehMVtOEFlQHokhlkFSusg_q8n5qmC9sAcSBjRtMyaP88j7-f/s320/IMG_2784.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701640943027309959.post-84232630183864176792013-11-14T19:13:00.002-08:002013-11-14T19:13:49.276-08:00Cafe Stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So I got quoted $150 for someone to weld up the tank and pull out a fairly large dent by the left side badge mount. I was going to pay to have it done just to be safe but then I kept thinking how I really wanted to do as much of this project on my own as possible. So...here's the left side. Holes are patched and there were no explosions. Sometimes the sun shines on a dog's ass. I hammered those 2 areas in just a touch to close the holes up a bit more and then MIG'd them up. Then I started looking at how I was going to pull the dent. Initially, I was going to weld on some studs and then use a slide hammer. I ended up taking a metal rod about 5/16" in diameter and grinding the tip round (like a small ball peen hammer) and then stuck it in through the filler neck and started slowly hammering the end of it and pushing the dent out. I did have to get creative and put some bends in it to deal with the tunnel. This took forever. There's still a few low spots but I think I'll be able to hide it with filler. </div>
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It is so hard to get a decent picture of the tank. I know it looks like shit but it really is better in person. I think. Maybe not. Heather's been impressed so that's gotta mean something. I'm pretty happy I think considering this is the first time I've ever really stretched metal other than running a car into something.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_EAc7gerPTXa_c0CfJ7t7PyRD-IOVZVoJ-fefxYyIXFFLUR0KS8tpvA7d7mrSZkmJ1sKhU5hkqc1s9S48XR9d-YE5mTLZD4QhiZuGkgunFvVYlLOHGY6ga8AE08-RanJubhYGHF5UAUx/s1600/IMG_2766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_EAc7gerPTXa_c0CfJ7t7PyRD-IOVZVoJ-fefxYyIXFFLUR0KS8tpvA7d7mrSZkmJ1sKhU5hkqc1s9S48XR9d-YE5mTLZD4QhiZuGkgunFvVYlLOHGY6ga8AE08-RanJubhYGHF5UAUx/s320/IMG_2766.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I ended up pushing the right side in about another 1/8". Things are pretty damn close right now considering all I've used are eye balls. I may try to make some kind of ghetto depth gauge out of cardboard this weekend and see if that shows any major issues. <br />
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I took this picture and posted it on an old CB forum where I have a build thread going. The little step down from the filler neck is only on the right side. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to deal with this area. Leave it as is or put filler around the area and make it like the left side? I'm hesitant because it looks like it's going to be tricky but I know it's gonna pale in comparison to the knee dents.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNI0B6DrUzdI_vJHY6dQ3Ia1NYyTdAcab8Oz6cdReJpU7f-CyQ-tA60mW7Zw72eozd9u-7N-Ux9e3BA-UD6uf0_VL3NGodpkw2Pwn5QBUrueeWu3zKDcnC4ppVGYHKJ1HKM2Gcrf_vtli/s1600/IMG_2769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNI0B6DrUzdI_vJHY6dQ3Ia1NYyTdAcab8Oz6cdReJpU7f-CyQ-tA60mW7Zw72eozd9u-7N-Ux9e3BA-UD6uf0_VL3NGodpkw2Pwn5QBUrueeWu3zKDcnC4ppVGYHKJ1HKM2Gcrf_vtli/s320/IMG_2769.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another shitty picture. Here they totally look uneven but it's not the case. I'm pretty obsessive. I'll probably clean the inside of the tank this weekend because it may be the last warm weekend before I need to unhook the hoses and prepare for winter. Stay tuned.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKrc3V8FloiOh81ObEiWDaWY15_wqRMgpK7COQ86DAvUGw1Lw1z5aP8TcDKYiDlAiNYbJ6Jvt5Ud7GzW4hkHnkm9lbeJWcdFrBApjVJsJa0EDu97StAftQfodoK_o1jRnN-5fuYyGUOke/s1600/IMG_2771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKrc3V8FloiOh81ObEiWDaWY15_wqRMgpK7COQ86DAvUGw1Lw1z5aP8TcDKYiDlAiNYbJ6Jvt5Ud7GzW4hkHnkm9lbeJWcdFrBApjVJsJa0EDu97StAftQfodoK_o1jRnN-5fuYyGUOke/s320/IMG_2771.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17393476734368139456noreply@blogger.com0