Friday, September 26, 2008

One week, two days left

...and the tank is shot.

And I'm going to be out of town all weekend.

I finally gave up on the old tank after trying to patch it up for the ump-teenth time. It would be just my luck to get the bike running, ride it down to Pine Bluff, park it, then come back to a puddle of gas at it's feet.

So I need a new tank. And it hasn't been road-tested.

But I did get my title and my license plate, so it's road legal. It's just not ready to run yet.

So with one week to go, if I can obtain a new tank, get it to start consistently, run well on the street, and build enough confidence in it... OK, maybe I'm not going to make it.

However, the VFR is running 100%. I'm expecting to see people down there. And I expect to have a good time on the Run. So I'm going regardless.

And there's always next spring's Run.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Waiting game

A few new items since the last post.

Everything seems to be progressing, and as long as a few things get cleared up I should have it on the road in the next few weeks. This is indeed a good thing since the Fall Run is only 3 weeks and 6 days from now.

The primary issue is deep within the guts of the carburetors. There seems to be an obvious reason as to why the bike starts so hard (at the time I need to "prime the pump" by covering the air-intake completely, creating enough of a vacuum to pry the slides open and get gas from the main jets), and why it doesn't idle. As it turns out the pilot jets are supposed to actually have openings.

After much cleaning, I realized the jets were a lost cause. After obtaining some calipers, researching the different sizes/shapes/etc. I found what I needed. And luckily ebay provided me with a supplier. Now I'm just waiting for the UPS man.

The secondary issue is the fuel tank. It just won't stop springing pinhole leaks. As a quick fix, JB Weld was applied. And now half the tank looks like it's full of blisters due to the dabs of epoxy. But as of yesterday, it's at least stopped leaking.

Phase 2 of the bike will definitely require a new tank.

The third and hopefully last issue (and seemingly least difficult to overcome) is the license/title/registration process. Luckily I've got the clean title in my hand, in my brother's name, with his signature on it. I should be able to simply fill out the DMV form and mail it in. I'll be starting that process tonight.

So with any luck, these problems will be corrected and the bike will actually see the pavement of public roads. Ah, good times ahead...