fuck

the only thing i hate more than carbuerators is hydraulics. so naturally i'm rebuilding the front forks. the snap rings did exactly what you would expect them to do. they snapped because the dust boots did little to stop moisture from rusting them solid. fork oil has a very distinctive smell. i've spent the last 2 days having to say "don't worry, nothing is burning"


FML

At least i didn't break my neck

took it for a drive today, cooling system all hooked up and leak free, fuel system all hooked up and leak free. front brake needs bled and a front brake switch, rear one works fine. I started it up let it warm up and figured what the hell, so i kicked it into first and started a little cruise. it was alot of fun. it was hella fast, louder than i expected but alot more comfortable than i thought it would be. I'll have to change the bars for something with a more comfortable position, I was a little extended and was a little awkard, but it runs! now i just gotta finish some of the little safety items, insure it and license both the bike and myself. I have attached a full array of pictures to demonstrate the crazy shit that i have done to make this project work for a grand total of $372.00 not including the $400 I spent for the bike

Well theirs your problem(s)

if you are reading this and just want a quick update. bike runs at the right idle now.
to see what it took read on.
got my new air/fuel jets today. installed them. still idled high. already tried pulling off the throttle cables. still idled high. pulled the carbs off and found that one side, was in fact, jammed open slightly. adjusted correctly, still idled high. found the idle adjustment screw jammed in the wrong spot. fixed that. put it all back together and started it. idled at 800, small bump, got to 1100 and stayed there. victory is mine

Waiting for UPS sucks a fat one!

i'm on hold until the parts i ordered from the dealer show up. I fixed my seat in the few spots it was splitting (special water proof black tape from work and good ol' fashion duct tape). Started fuckin' with my throttle cables cuz I'm sure they were jamming and sticking the throttle. cable is broken at the mount, cable still in tact but the sheathing around it is peeled off so it hangs up. about 6 wraps with electrical tape still not keeping it in place. without the air/fuel screws the bike runs so rich it won't start unless i induce a vacuum leak so large it goes real lean. looking at a bike in the garage that i can't do anything with is so boring. not even worth taking a picture of

Macguyver FTW

last night my fuel petcock broke in my hand while the tank was full of gas. was able to collect almost all the fuel in the can it came out of. took it to work today and with a combination of some fuel hose and some clamps, its fixed. instead of a nut holding the petcock on its a 1/2" fuel hose and then out to the fuel filter and into the motor. passed all leak tests so far and when i get a battery installed I should be in business

Startin' a club... you in?

Yesterday I took stock of how much I have spent on this project. less than a grand INCLUDING the inital bike purchase. to a cheap ass like me thats pretty fuckin' sweet. some of the people i know with bikes have spent more in gas than what i have spent on the whole bike. case in point. a co worker of mine just opened a bar they are calling "RUB" which stands for Rich Urban Bikers. this is almost a paradox in my eyes. When i think of "bikers" i think of Brando in "The Wild One" or Fonda and Hopper in "Easy Rider" not these yuppie motherfuckers that spend 30k on a bike, 2k on riding gear etc. so my club is P.U.B. Poor Urban Bikers. I don't even care if I'm a club of one. I'm an anarchist. I don't need followers. New clubs first motto "no chrome, no cash, no class"
So yeah THIS just happened.

Damnit

After some dicking around I realized that if I wanted to start the bike I would have to put fuel in the tank. I got a 2 gallon can full of gas. poured it in... and watched it pout out the bottom. started to leak on the garage floor. tried to tighten it and it started leaking worse. pushed the bike into the driveway and tried to tighten it again. the fuckin' fuel petcock snapped right in my hand, so i went from a leak to a pour. bobby grabbed the fuel can and stuck it underneath the flow to catch it (why waste 6 bucks) after that little disaster I rigged up an iv to see if after my carb rebuild i can even get the bike to start. took a 1 liter pop bottle cut the bottom off, punched a hole in the cap and shoved the fuel hose in. poured about 3 cups into my makeshift iv and try to start the bike. now, turns out the battery is dead... again. i have to charge this battery what seems like weekly and it only last for a few cranks. since i was out in the sun i could get a good look at the battery. the date code punched on the top tells me it was manufactured over 2 years ago, i only bought it 7 months ago. this battery has been shit this whole time and i have been chasing fucked up starters and faulty wiring that is not. gotta verify tomorrow with better equipment but god damnit today was frustrating!