Today I had a fantastic day in the newly renovated (i.e. tidied up) Disaster Central Workshop! I did some work on both of my 650s and on my Honda ST1300.
Using the lovely and talented Lucille (red 1976 C model), I had a delightful iPad FaceTime session (audio & video) with a friend and fellow forum member. We covered the basics of multimeter use and then dived into how to make a MikesXS 1977 left side handlebar switch work with a 1976 wiring harness. The problem is that the '77 switch has provisions for a self-cancelling turn signal function but the '76 harness has none of the required sensors etc. etc. It takes a little detective work - but I think we're there. Interestingly, we found that his handlebars were not grounded - and THAT must be fixed before anything else is going to work properly - especially the horn and the starter.
After the call, I removed Lucille's fuel tank and tracked down (I think) the cause of the occasional ignition miss I've had a couple of times: it was a loose high tension lead securing nut on the RH coil (I think). I still plan to go full PAMCO, but the funding approval hasn't quite come through from the Senior Management Budget Committee just yet..
. Then I installed a cute little $4.30 (really!!) Chinoise combo digital volt meter and 2x USB charging module on the handlebar and wired it to the battery with a fuse. Finally, I began Lucille's beautification program by giving her exhaust stud nuts, as well as the bolts holding on her banged-up front fender & stays, a little shot of penetrating fluid. Tomorrow, I'll swap her sadly dented header pipes and the fender for the nice clean shiny parts I got from our own GeorgeOC. Thanks George - what a prince!
Then I sorted out the crankcase breather hoses which were too long and were kinked. After that, I cleaned up the wiring around the battery and popped it on the tender because I cannot ride until my seat comes back from Mike's Cycle Seats (no relation, I assure you) in London, ON - unless of course I go "
enduro" style as suggested by more than one of you delinquents out there in XS650.com-land....
After the header and fender swaps I am going to dive into the PMA install (I got those parts last summer).
On the '81
Special-to-Cafe bike, I removed the carbs. After much effort, I have still not gotten that puppy started and so I am going to methodically go through the bike and make sure that everything is ticky-boo before I expend more money and effort on it. I know that the starter hairpin needs to be fixed (got an NOS one a while back) because it's doing the ol' "
spoon down the garburator" impression when I hit the button and I will also go over the carbs and hopefully, that will do it.
On the ST, I began prepping for my first big trip of the season: a jaunt down to Peterborough and then northern New York, New Hampshire and perhaps further, with my riding buddies from eastern Ontario. The group is led by a friend named Walter who is one of those
incredibly well organized people (he is a retired banker) and so I call it Walter's Kawartha Riders MC after the large Kawartha lakes system around Peterborough. The group includes Walter, my cousin Grant who is a retired contractor, a retired plumber, retired cop and a couple of engineers including me. The pace is easy, the humour is great and each evening we have a "healing circle" which, needless to say, involves a cleansing beverage or several... I even bought Walter a set of highball glasses with "
WKRMC" engraved on them - and had the glasses sent unannounced to his home (he was surprised and got a huge kick out of that - ROTFLMAO).
Because four of the bikes are Harley's and two are Hondas, there are also the usual jokes about parts falling off and soy sauce as well.
Anyhow, a great day all around: I got a couple of useful tasks done, helped a friend and enjoyed some nice weather and listened to some rock & roll in the DCW.
Cheers,
Pete
