Title Update!

Well with all the options I have come up with to title the bike the most legal one is to go with International Title Service. I send them a power of attorney and a notarized bill of sale, selling them the motorcycle and they go to a state like Maine where they don't title vehicles older than 15 years. And they get a registration, license plates and a letter of title. The letter of title basically explains the states policy of not titling vehs over 15 yrs old and that the registration is proof of ownership. Then they sell it back to me and I go to the DMV with my registration and letter of title and trade them in for a Florida title.
Their end of the deal costs $175 and take a few weeks. Then I just have the regular Florida registration expenses I would have anyway. The only draw back is my bike will be titled as a 1994 but the engine is, so it correct anyway.

Bikers Creed

Amen, if only I could write like this.

Here a dirty bastard there a dirty bastard eveywhere a dirty bastard!

As many of you know I am in the process of trying to get a title for the bike. Well, it's going about as well as I had imagined it would. The biggest snag, and by that I mean the insurmountable obstacle, is the great state of Florida wants the 17 digit vin number of the frame my engine came from. I do not have that. Those of you that remember the story of my engine will recall that the seller said he took the engine out of his bike to put in a 110 in. stroker. Well after enough messages to let the guy know I wasn't going away he called me back with a new story. The new story is he bought the engine a front end and some sheet metal 4 years ago for his own project and when it came time to register his project SURPRISE!!!!! They wanted the 17 digit vin off the frame too. The message he left contained this little jewel "sounds like you are in the same boat I was, that's why I sold it." dirty dirty bastard. I will put the whole message he left on my machine as soon as I figure out how.

Success!

Yeah! Just got back from the first completely successful shake down ride! Everything worked, nothing didn’t . Marie and I putted all around Largo sticking mostly to the back neighborhoods. We did venture out onto Indian Rocks and West Bay a few times to work up a little speed. Yeah!

Rectum? Damn near killed him!

Well the bike shop called today. I won't mention the name of the shop all you that are close to the project already know it anyway. Any way, they called today and my bike is "done". By done I mean in the last 20 days they managed to put in a new battery, turned down my transmission sprocket to straighten my chain(someone remind me to have my laser, you know that unbend able beam of light, straightened) put on a new chain, fixed a couple wiring "issues" and spent a couple hours trying to fix the carb but they couldn't figure it out and put on a used one. However, on the test ride my shift lever fell off, don't ask me how. The cover holding the rear brake lever on fell off, once again don't ask me. And my rear brake doesn't work any longer it developed a spontaneous leak. Must have been a hell of a test ride!
All this joy for a grand total of $983. Let this be a lesson to all you out there. They don't call them stealerships for nothing!!!! Anyone here that echo? Its my rectum.

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?

No ride in today!

Well I won’t be riding the scooter into work today. After finally figuring out the brake problem, yes is was a p.i.c.n.i.c. problem, I was out test driving it and broke the chain when second dropped in out of nowhere.

A very nasty sound and the master link unfortunately had to pay with his life. I will get a spare tomorrow and aim for another day. I still don’t trust the battery to reliably start the bike either so I am a little hesitant anyway.

They say it isn’t  a Harley until you have pushed it a mile. Well I got my mile in today and that’s enough of that. Note to self get AAA membership!

Update to this post. I couldn’t let it sit there without a chain so I fixed the chain rode to the gas station and filled it up starting it was no problem so if I can decide which route is least likely to get me pulled over maybe I will ride in!

Punch List

Well for a first time bike build my punch list is pretty short. First of all and most antagonizing is the front brake. I can’t get this one to bleed either so it’s one of 2 things; 1 I am a retard, completely possible and a lot more likely than 2 I have gotten 2 bad master cylinders in a row. That a million to one shot.

The second is the short in the electrics after a days absence it has returned at first no low beam then no headlight at all and the control box shows a tail light overload.

Third I need to stand off the oil bag a little the top clamp is banging the frame and leaking oil.

Fourth a battery that can start the bike on its own reliably, after my first earlier ride and just now after sitting for a couple hours it started the bike on its own; but just now after my longer ride I shut it down and tried to restart it right away  and it wouldn’t  turn over just click away.

But other than that no tires rubbing fenders or chains rubbing tires. Everything I left with came back with me, even the hat that I had to go back for that blew off in a high speed run from 3rd gear to 5th. I got to say she runs like a raped ape. And if I didn’t have a inspection to go through I would hard wire the head light to the auxiliary post on the key switch in hi beam and cut the rest out of the wiring harness all together and solve that problem.

Houston WE HAVE LIFTOFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After fixing rear caliper binding clutch would not engage. Took clutch apart re-installed  clutch fired her up under her own battery power( I guess it just needed to be cussed at) and took off around the block.

Not to self while in a haze of rigid chopper induced euphoria do not forget that rapidly approaching stop sign should remind you that you haven’t bled your front brake and that sprotor  set up is notoriously weak on stopping power in back and you are a 300lb lard ass doing 50 in 3rd gear. Thank God there were no cars as I did not reach anything remotely resembling a stop as I shot through the intersection. I did however get down to about 35 but I need new shoes and my feet  hurt:)

Can’t talk now gotta go try that again!

The morning update…

The rear wheel has been re installed for about the 6 time and it hasn’t moved 20 yards yet. However, the wheel is on and spaced correctly the rotor is free turning through the caliper.The battery that had been charging all night is now back in the bike. But I am flight engineerless but I do have his ok to keep trying to get it running so I guess I should just quit putting off the inevitable and go start her up and see if I can’t catch a gear or 2. Ok then where did I set those balls again?

She ran but she didn’t move

When everyone got here yesterday at 13:00, when it just couldn’t be any hotter, the flight engineer and myself went to roll her out to the end of the drive way and……She wouldn’t roll?

Everything seemed fine last night after I put the chain on but it was almost 1am and I was a little delirious. And on thinking back I didn’t try to roll it because I had been rolling it around all day sitting in the seat going “weeeeeeee” so I knew it rolled.

The problem discovered later that day was when I put the rear wheel back on, after wiring it, I put the spacers on in the wrong order so the caliper was binding up the rear wheel so it wouldn’t turn.

But back to the good stuff. In great need of salvaging some of the last 2 looooonnnngggg days of filling in all the little problems I just disconnected the chain  popped the caliper loose with a screw driver and rolled her out to fire her up and ……nothing. Just a bunch of clicking. The battery did try but just didn’t have the sack  to turn the engine over. So ended up jump starting it off the car. She fired right up but had to be on the choke for about 15 minutes before she warmed up enough to idle on her own. I also had to adjust the mixture of the carb due to the extremely free flowing exhaust.

So after the warm up time and the adjustment time and after cracking the throttle a bit more than necessary I found out my room mates car alarm works; so I cleaned up called it a successful day. I just need to figure out how to get a bigger battery into a smaller hole.