I miss my baby!

I am heading up to the shop tomorrow to take a look at the progress of the work on the scooter. I miss not having it around. After 13 months in the living room and then a few weeks in the garage I am having a hard time adjusting to it not being around! I am so used to spending almost every spare minute tinkering on it, I find myself wandering around the house looking for something to do:)

No Mas! No Mas!

I finally have thrown in the towel. After another wasted five days and a new problem everyday. From a carb that leaks fuel out the overflow when parked at night magically quits some time in the garage to a start button that only works on odd days of the month. To turn signals that become marker lights as you ride.
So I have swallowed my pride and it's sitting at Manor Cycles as we speak getting a old school rewire and possibly a new carb. After 13 long months I just want to ride!

Debugging and more debugging

I am actually off the next 5 days, time to knock out some serious bugs in the machine. The headlight will be rewired, I have a new spring seat I am going to try and install but if I don't like it a new seat will be made. Also hopefully the carb rebuild kit will arrive and I can do that as well. I also need to break down and get a more powerful battery so I can start this thing up right.
Also I have some new front turn signals en route to be sure I pass the inspection and on payday I will order up the speedo which will be the last thing I need, besides the cash, to go ahead and get my inspection done.
So maybe the first week of September I will get the inspection done and can finally get out and ride; unless some new problems develop.

And the winner is…

After giving in and pulling the carb off and apart the winner is a badly worn and cracked accelerator diaphragm. This is the cause of both the fuel leak and the stalling out while on the throttle. I would twist the throtttle but the diaphragm wouldn’t lift so the arm to the high speed jet wouldn’t activate. Also the split allowed fuel to where it shouldn’t causing the leak. A $15 rebuild kit and an hour or so should solve the stalling problems!

Sorry the pics are blurry but the split is obvious and in the other pic it should be solid black rubber no light shinning through and its 80 percent exposed.

Off again!

WooHoo! Off again tomorrow! Time for another shake down run. I have to admit to being a little scared. Everytime I shake it down more stuff falls out of the tree. I haven't seen the headlight in the last 3 ride but the short indicator on the wiring harness is no longer lit. So I guess that solves that problem, time to run a new set of wires to the headlight and my own hi low switch.
However, the last 2 ride have left me stuck a couple blocks from the house. It starts to sputter and then stalls like it is out of gas but its not. Either the plugs are fouling out which is a possibility from all the wd-40 I sprayed into the cylinders while the engine sat or I may have a carb problem. Last week I had gas dripping from the bottom of the carb so I thought the float had sunk and gas was continually flowing into the bowl. But, that would not cause is to act like it is out of gas that would cause it to flood and when it stalls I am hard on the throttle so to much gas couldnt be it. So maybe I have it backward and my float is stuck up and isnt letting in enough fuel. Or there could be problem in my fuel line.
I noticed when I ran the fuel line the inlet on the carb faced up at the 2 o'clock position. So I ran the fuel line down from the tank then up ovet the carb mount then down to the fuel inlet so that could be it too. I am hoping for the easiest most obvious problem of fouled plugs. I need to get this reliable so I can get to the inspection and get my tag.
But anyway I am off tomorrow so......



"We don't do fear. Over the last 105 years in the saddle, we've seen wars, conflicts, depression, recession, resistance and revolutions. We've watched a thousand hand-wringing pundits disappear in our rear-view mirror. But every time, this country has come out stronger than before. Because chrome and asphalt put distance between you and whatever the world can throw at you. Freedom and wind outlast hard times. And the rumble of an engine drowns out all the spin on the evening news. If 105 years have proved one thing, it's that fear sucks and it doesn't last long. So screw it, let's ride."

And I know its just an ad campaign but Harley sure knows how to hit the demographic. I read this and I want to run outside jump on the scoot and take off at 100mph with my hair on fire. I'm weak, so sue me.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Go away rain daddy wants to ride!

Half day off tomorrow!

Only 2 hours of overtime tonight and 4 tomorrow heck that's almost a day off!


The more I think about it the next one will definitely be a bobber w/a 2 under springer and some nice apes!

Loserville

Color me there next 12. On the upside I think I found the new direction this will be taking, or maybe a new one. But more on that later.

Directions

Now that the bike is all but done. There is not going to be much to blog about. All I really have to do is get the inspection done, pay my taxes and have a semi professional photo shoot done. It’s the one guilty pleasure I promised myself. One photograph good enough to enlarge to poster size So I can roll it up and put it in the closet for the grandchildren to find one day. Me and a girley in a bikini with a bike I built myself for myself. Other than that a trip to Sturgis is about all that’s left on my things to do before leaving list.

I got to admit to being a pretty lucky guy. At forty I have done almost everything I have ever wanted. Or maybe somewhere I just lowered my expectations. Either way no point in bitchin’ no one is going to listen and even fewer will care.

The direction of the blog is a bit of a conundrum. Until my 4 year exit plan comes to fruition there aren’t  going to be a lot of adventures to have and blog about. I refuse to taint this sacred spot where I bear my soul to the emptiness with the troubles of my retarded job. What I do have is a lot of experiences some funny some not that would be interesting to share. So maybe I will scatter some of those in here from time to time and who knows maybe there will be a new build if I can work it into my exit plan.

I just rather enjoy this and don’t want it to end.I Know in reality how few people actually read this but it really does make me feel better when I am stressed and happier when I am happy. So for me it’s a win win situation.

Friday

I have been holding onto this picture since the very beginning of this build. Probably since before the first part was ordered. And I feel it today more than I have in a long time. Once again I was reminded of how few friends I really have.

I have no one that watches my back and I have no one that warns me when trouble is coming. I miss my real friends Jim, Pit Bull, Alvin, Dennis… where ever you guys ride now in your hearts know I miss you and I didn’t appreciate nearly as much as I should have.  For all my old friends…here’s to having your knees in the breeze!

 

I remember and smile at the all out blood baths for the big salad bowl. The Little Feat Playing while the chicken cooks. Pulling the 6 staples out of my back to get my vest off. The .22 round in the calf (still real sorry bout that:). The sparks as they flew in the darkness from the dragging extended pipes on the FLH. The danforth plum moonshine in Martinsville. “ Watch out” you said “ that will turn up the gravity on ya.” The foggy 130mph hammered out of reality on Jim Beam run back into Daytona from Crazy Daves. The six hour run from St Pete to Key West. Can’t be done? My ass we did it! Where did you all go so fast? Where has the wind taken you? And most importantly why did you leave me here?