The only relaxing time I really have is working on motorcycle—even though its hard work. I was taking classes at Cedar Valley College to get my motorcycle repair technician certification, but for now that's on hold. First of all, I liked the classes, but the summer class I took kind of turned me off a little bit. I really wasn't getting the instruction I was expecting. I just felt like I was wasting money and I figured I might as well quit for now and focus on finishing the bike.
So, here's my progress thus far. I got the motorcycle running. I got the air cleaner installed and the intake boots replaced. since the rubber was all cracked and just a complete mess.
I got all the wiring put back together, which I'm going to have to redo, but I'll explain that in a little bit.
One of the challenges of getting it started was getting fuel into the carburetor, and for that I needed a new petcock, or fuel valve, for you dirty minded people (Mina). =)
After I got the bike running, I started taking it on test rides just up and down the street just to see if the motor was strong and the transmission was alright. I learned a few things that I had to do to the bike. One was to synch the carbs so that each cylinder is getting the same amount of air/fuel mixture. The other was that the clutch had to be fixed, it felt soft and it felt like it was dragging.
I apologize for not taking photos for the other steps but it got a bit dirty. I changed the oil and oil filter, finally. I also ordered new clutch springs and plates to replace the old ones. I hit a couple of snags with the gear shift lever by messing it up cuz I was impatient. I got it fixed though. I won't elaborate since it was a stupid mistake.
After replacing the clutch plate and springs, the bike felt it got new life. She was beginning to run strong. She wasn't dragging and the clutch felt nice.
I was so excited to get the bike rolling and I was only a few steps away from actually riding her. Also, I got the title and registration in my name, finally. Again, so excited....
But then one day after work, I came home and found my bike in a puddle of gasoline....
The tank, has leaked and the sealer didn't do the job it was supposed to. There were too many pin holes in the tank to patch up. My heart sank, and I didn't know what to do.
I shopped around for a new tank, there were none. Used tanks on eBay, those were unreliable since most of them were taken off old tanks, and I didn't want a repeat of my old problem. A custom tank, they want at least a grand for them on other websites. And I certainly didn't want to pay for another sealant to only have it not work.
Enter, Steve. You know.. the guy that helped me with my seat pan?
Well, Steve knows a lot about metal since he's been working on them for all most his life. I called him up and told him my dilemma and asked for his opinion. His solution, build a new tank. So I got my good friend Ray to take Steve's trailer and bring my bike down to his shop so he could take a look at it, and we got to working. Well... Steve got to working, and I started working on Saturdays.
Here's a few shots of the beginnings of the new tank that Steve sent me while I was at work...
And since Steve was building a new tank for me, it would only make sense to work on the tail section too. New tank, old tail section—that really doesn't make any sense.
I wanted to relocate the battery to the tail section so Steve and I worked out a plan and I hacked away at the frame. Taking out anything that we weren't going to use anymore.
Tabs for the old seat pan... gone.
Tabs for side covers... gone...
...and gone.
That brace behind there...
...gone, replaced and reshaped.
Plastic fender... yeah that had to go too...
Did I mention I got to do some welding?? Thanks Steve!! =)
Tail light, mounted.
This is what we worked on today. The housing for the battery in the tail section of the bike. I wanted it to make sense with the new tank, and I think we were pretty successful with it.
Here's how she looks now. The tank is all finished up. All she needs is some body work and a fresh coat of paint. Here's one from behind.
A side view, above, and a three quarter view, below.
Still got lots to do. The wiring has to be redone now. I have no other choice, and there's no turning back.
Check out Steve's website at http://lonestarwelding.com/Home_Page.php. If you live in Dallas, and you need some welding done, contact him. Or contact me and I can get you in touch with him. He's a magician. I swear.
Well, more to come. Until then.
GZ
