| Author | Message | ||
     Ourdee |
You better. | ||
| 1313 |
Hey! I've sat in that chair a couple of times! | ||
| Ourdee |
I've slept in that chair a few times.... | ||
| Ourdee |
BBQ Potato snacks? | ||
| 86129squids |
Hey! Who's that homeless person you let in??!?!  Friggin fantastic workspace, Crusticle. Inspiring. My little shed needs updating... Jane needs longer legs. I'd love a good lift like that. It'll take a fair dinkum bit of work to put in the cartridge emulators, or $/time paid out. Jane is also Humpty Dumpty/Tupperware/an onion to peel. Pics as you progress there, my friend. I'm expecting also to re-connect with my old "boss" in Dublin, OH sometime soon. I was once a pretty good metric MC buyer-agent/scout. May once be again. Yay me! | ||
| Crusty |
Christmas In January I got my new (to me) lift yesterday. It’s a Harbor Freight lift with all its inadequacies and I love it! Yes; the front wheel vise sucks and is woefully inadequate and it’s not anything like a Handy lift, but it’s a lift and it works! I’m happier than a tornado in a trailer park! Yesterday, I felt like a kid on Christmas. The anticipation had me almost twitchy. I had to restrain myself from texting Matthew with numerous, “Where are you?” texts. Then, at about 9:45 he texted me with the message that ETA was at 13:30. All I had to do then was watch the clock and try to relax. Matthew arrived on schedule. We unloaded the lift and got it into the garage. Then, we went and got lunch. Matthew asked if he could impose on my hospitality and stay overnight and I was quick to say, “Yes; certainly!” He also had brought some additional gifts; a travel mug and some Benton’s Bacon and his last sticker of Glitch kicking the Reaper’s butt. That will go on the windshield once I get the Express back up and running. The travel mug is really neat; it has a design that I had sent out in a joke e-mail a few days ago. I’ll put a photo of it at the end of this Snippet. We went to Big Boy and had an early lunch. We were going to hit Velvet Smoke for dinner, so we ate light. After lunch, we came back to the house and moved the lift into the basement and brought the Express into the basement and put it on the lift. I’m going to rearrange the LED lights so that there’s more light on the bike. David had given me one of those screw in LED lights that puts out about a brazillion lumens for Christmas, and that helped enormously on one side. Once I move one of the 4 foot fixtures, I’ll have better lighting on the lift and the left side of whatever bike is on it. Anyhow; Matthew and I headed out to Velvet Smoke so that we would be there when they opened at 4:30. When we got there, there was a notice on the door that because the Bengals were in a Playoff Game, their hours were changed for the day to Noon to 4:00 PM. They were closed. So we came back to the house. We finally decided to hit an Outback Steak House. Matthew had Prime Rib and I tried their New! Meatloaf. We also got some Tater Tots that were the size of tennis balls with a dipping sauce. Everything was pretty good. Then we came back to the house and watched Stagecoach (the original 1939 movie) and The Outlaw Josie Wales. Matthew is another one of us weirdos who enjoys sleeping on a recliner, so both of my recliners got use for a change. I enjoy sleeping on a recliner enough that it’s hard for me to understand why most folks don’t. Anyway; Matthew left a little while ago. The temperature warmed up a little bit overnight to a balmy 26º F (-3º C) There’s snow showers in the forecast, but I looked at the weather radar and he’ll be well below the snow all the way back to Georgia. I really want to say Thank You!!! to Joe, Mike and Matthew. The gift of a lift is enormous and I very much appreciate it along with the logistics of getting it from Florida to Cheviot. Now; Here’s the bike on the raised lift :  And here’s the side that’s going to have light fixtures relocated :  And here’s the Travel Mug:  (Message edited by Crusty on January 23, 2022) | ||
| Buellish |
John,you will figure out that the lift and release levers are in the way.I remove mine and lay them beside the base of the lift,out of the way. | ||
| Ourdee |
You already know, safety pins are your friend. | ||
| Crusty |
Breakfast or Brunch? I have a bad habit. Actually, I have several; but I just want to talk about one at the moment. Sometimes, I like to have dinner items for breakfast. You see; it’s the beginning of the month. Not calendar wise, but money wise. My Social Security deposit comes in and I pay my bills and go grocery shopping. I tend to make a quantity of main dishes and freeze them. Most items are portioned to feed a family of four, so I make them and freeze individual portions. A pound of ground beef makes 4 quarter pound patties or 4 portions of seasoned meat for tacos. I buy Family Packs of pork chops and put each chop in a freezer bag. Then, there’s Beef Stew. I like to fill the crock pot with meat, potatoes, onions, carrots and magic dust and put it on low before I go to bed. When I wake up, I have a month’s worth of really tasty stew. Yesterday, I made spaghetti sauce with sausages. I had spaghetti for dinner and there are four portions of sauce and sausages in the freezer. Last night, around 10:00 PM, I started making pulled chicken in the crock pot. That makes 8 portions for pulled chicken sandwiches. Since I bought a Family Pack, it also leaves me with a lot of boneless, skinless chicken that I portion out and freeze for roasted or broiled chicken. I’ve also done several other items when the mood strikes. Bacon wrapped pork tenderloins are really good as is Italian sausage meat pressed into patties. Anyhow; to get back to the bad habit, I just had a pulled chicken sandwich for breakfast. After smelling it all night long, I was powerless to resist. And it tasted wonderful. Actually; I often have lunch or dinner items for breakfast. Or Brunch is more properly what it is. I usually eat two meals a day; Brunch and Dinner. The closest I come to having a Breakfast is when I’m on the road. I’ll stop at McDonald’s and get a Sausage McMuffin. And I have been known to get a Breakfast on occasion. The last time that I recall was in Blairsville, Georgia when a bunch of us went to the Hole In The Wall for that purpose. The closest I get at home is when I have a BLT; which is going to be pretty frequent for a while. I just got two pounds of Benton’s Bacon, and I also just bought a package of Wright’s bacon because it was on sale for $7.99. At $4.00 off, I figured it was too good a deal to pass up. A BLT works well as an anytime meal; Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner - it tastes great. I had a BLT made with Benton’s for dinner with seasoned, roasted potatoes Sunday night. (I had eaten the leftover spicy meatloaf from the Outback for brunch) Other Brunch items that aren’t “Normal” that I enjoy include Tina’s Red Hot Beef Burritos slathered with Newman’s Own Salsa or the time I made Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers and ate the whole lot (They were so good, I couldn’t stop). Cheeseburgers are another regular item. And Kayem Natural Casing Franks on Martin’s Potato Bread rolls are almost orgasmic with a cup of good coffee. And if there’s leftover pizza, it trumps everything else. Good Blueberry pancakes with real Maple Syrup and good country sausage patties are a treat, but that almost fits in the dinner category. And I used to love the London Broil and eggs at IHOP for dinner, before they discontinued it. Hmm; now that I think about it, I guess I just don’t care whether what I’m eating is considered a breakfast or dinner food. It all depends on what I’m in the mood for. On a day when the outside temperature is 4º F (-15.5 º C) things like this are good things to think about.} | ||
| 86129squids |
Very good post, Pizza Crust!! I've not yet had my first meal of the day... gonna do a smoked salmon scramble with some KerryGold cheese, probably some Dave's Killer bread and juice. We shop mainly at what's called United Grocery Outlet here, based out of Madisonville TN. For over 30-35ish years I've saved thousands of $ with them. Even got chummy with the butchers after explaining sous-vide, they dropped the price of T-bones for me that day from $8.99/lb to $6.99! Great folks working there to boot. Yeah... rode to work yesterday, it was pretty!! Riding home, it was dead-on 32 degrees when I walked in the door. Brr! C'mon Spring!!!    | ||
| Crusty |
7:00 AM and 2 Degrees 2 º F is -16.7º C. That’s freakin’ cold to be out on a motorcycle. However; I plan to take the Cussed’em to the supermarket in a couple of hours. There are things that I need to get like Milk and Bread!!! I actually do need 1/2 & 1/2 and burger rolls, but I also need to get several other items like cheese, ketchup, Chili Beans and such. I won’t be going any farther than is absolutely necessary, however. I was hoping to buy a sh*tbox car this year, but when the Express died, my financial efforts got redirected. Oh, well. I have my priorities and being without a bike to buy a flipping’ car is on the opposite side of the scale from having a bike without a car. 2º is quite a bit colder than the forecast was calling for. Then again; we got four times as much snow as the forecast predicted. I’m convinced that the weather people would have trouble accurately predicting a Sunrise. Yeah; I know. It’s not an exact science. I wish I could be as wrong as often and get paid as much as they do. In the jobs I’ve held, that usually means getting canned. A bit of excitement that I had this morning was an e-mail I got from a friend. He found an engine from a 2015 1200 for short money. It had me thinking, but once I got past the initial excitement, I realized that if I got it and put it in the Express, I’d always have the nagging fear that it was going to take a dump on me. I’ve had two bad cranks out of three engines in my rubbermounts; After I changed out the engine in the Roadster, I always had that lingering fear that the replacement engine was going to die and every time I heard an unusual sound, my ears would perk up. I never fully trusted that engine. I thought that the MoFoCo had addressed the problem and that bad cranks were a thing of the past, but then the engine in the Express died an early death. I think that the design of the Sportster engine is good, but in the quest to build a Sportster for a lower cost, the bean counters have found a cheaper and less reliable method of building crankshafts. With all the positive reviews of Dark Horse that I’ve read, along with the personal recommendation of a friend who had his crank done by them, I think I’ll once again have an engine that I can trust. Reliability is paramount. I’ve had two engines out of 3 die (I haven’t had the Cussed’em long enough to count). I want an engine that I can rely on to get me to the Arctic Ocean and beyond. So; I just checked the temp again. It’s risen all the way to 5º F (- 15º C). By the time I shovel out the driveway and sprinkle some ice melt on it, it might rise all the way to 10! | ||
| Two_seasons |
Secret to cold weather riding...eat a lot of protein/carbs before you head out. If ride is more than 50 miles, eat some more along the way! Steve VT  | ||
| Crusty |
It’s Affordable! I just got off the phone with Andrew at Darkhorse Crankworks and discussed the engine work needed to build an anvil of an engine. It’s going to take all my savings and I’ll have to do a little bit of financial juggling for the next couple of months, but I can do it! I told him how I ride and that I’m not looking for any extra performance, but I want super reliability and he said that that’s what I’d have. I’m going to bring him the entire bottom end. I won’t have to split the cases. They’ll do all the case bearings and build me a good crankshaft/rods assembly and I’m even going to go for a bronze oil pump gear upgrade. I’m happy! | ||
| 86129squids |
YAY! You're sounding like good ole' Greg now, with a well-built motor and the happiness this brings! Super kewl.  | ||
| Crusty |
Dream BIG This morning, I forwarded a drawing of a kid on a tricycle looking at a Harley through the window of a shop and the caption read, Dream BIG little one! Dreams do come true! That’s a true statement. Not always and not necessarily the way we expect, but if we set them as a goal, opportunities will present themselves to make that goal achievable. In 2014, I decided that I wanted to hit the road on a Sportster. There were many reasons why that wasn’t possible. I didn’t have a Sportster; I needed to sell my Norge; I didn’t have the gear to live on the road; I needed to find cheap storage for my belongings; AND I had to get my blood tested every couple of weeks. Bit by bit, things fell my way. I bought a thick sleeping pad from REI that was on sale. I found a little camping stove on Amazon that was smaller than a pack of cigarettes; a garage a couple of blocks from my apartment became available for short rent; The shop had a Roadster for sale and they were willing to cut a deal; A buyer for the Guzzi appeared and my health insurance provided me with a self tester for my blood. Six months after I first began to think about it, I was on my bike and “Going down that long lonesome highway”. Another Big Dream was to own another house. There were many reasons why it would not happen. I was now living on a fixed income and couldn’t afford a house. But I saw a small house in Cincinnati for sale for a very affordable price. I didn’t get that house, but it awakened a desire and I had significant help in the form of my brother. I would see houses online and David would check them out for me. He’s been living in this area since the early 80s, so he knew when a house that looked good on Realtor,com was in a good neighborhood and he would go look at the house to see if it was worth putting an offer on. Just when I had decided to stop looking, a small house came up and I put an offer on it and the offer was accepted. And now I’m living here in Cheviot. And now I’m heading towards another Big Dream. I want to see the Arctic Ocean from the seat of my motorcycle. It’s a dream I’ve had for many years, but bit by bit, things are falling into place. Soon, I’ll be taking the bottom end of the engine from the Gentleman’s Express to Dark Horse Crank Works. I will have a reliable Crankshaft that I won’t have to worry about. The Express itself is an integral part of the dream. It’s my idea of what a true Roadster should be. I hope to be on my way to Tuktoyaktuk next year. There are many things that need to happen, but if I just keep my focus on the goal, I think I can make the Dream come true. I’m hoping to eat a hamburger at the End of The Road Ltd or at Grandma’s Kitchen while looking at the Beaufort Sea in early Summer next year. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time and I have the feeling that it’s coming soon. 2023 will be the year that BIG Dream comes true. | ||
| Tootal |
How's that go? Inch by inch, anything's a cinch! | ||
| 86129squids |
Amen to that, brethren! M and I noticed that we're nearing the end of our last homemade jar of salsa... time to start planning a bigger and better garden this year. Also got to get busy reconditioning what was a nice 1992 Bayliner, with trailer, which I'll sell once the weather and the market warms up. And... hopefully I'll reconnect with my old boss/buddy with whom I used to work, as a purchasing agent (bird dog!) for metric motorcycles! And, I might even start working/volunteering at WDVX... been invited to by the station's founder! Funnin'! 2022 is shaping up to be a LOT better than the past two years. Let's all work to get there!  | ||
| Crusty |
Disassembly This is going to be a short Snippet. I was planning to write a lot more, but I’m getting visuals for a Migraine, so I’ll keep it brief. I have the engine in the Express taken down as much as possible so that it will be easier to remove from the frame. It took a few hours just doing the preliminaries; mostly disconnecting a whole lot of electrical connectors. Yesterday; I got serious and got things to the point where I can remove the engine. I didn’t take pictures as I proceeded, but I took a few this morning. Parts on the shelf  The engine with the top end removed. I used 1” pipe insulation to cover the rods  The left side  The right side  The top end sitting on the workbench that the Bench Builders built for me  After I had the cylinders and heads off, I used a siphon hose to get the oil out of the crankcase. When I drained the oil tank, very little oil came out of the drain hose. It had all back flowed into the engine. I started siphoning the oil out last night and here’s what I had this morning.  I’ll write more later. | ||
| Crusty |
Moderate Success Today has been a good day. David picked me up and we went over to the Home Tepot in Florence and I got a 3/4” rod to replace the 5/8” rod that I used to lift the engine out of the Express. The thinner rod worked OK; but I didn’t like the way it flexed, so I got a thicker rod. While we were out running around, we stopped at China Freight and I got a furniture dolly so that it’ll be easier to move the engine when we have to load it into the back of a car; hopefully, next week. There’s a Chinese Buffet over in Kentucky that David likes, so we went there for lunch. I haven’t had Chinese in a while, so I enjoyed it. While we were out running around, Cin City H-D called me and told me that the air cleaner screw that I ordered (and paid for) back in November was in, so we by and I picked it up. I think they have a high employee turn over there; I didn’t recognize anybody. At any rate, I was back home by around 2:00. I drilled the rod for a hitch pin clip and replaced the thinner rod. Then, I put the tub with the engine sitting on it on the dolly and moved it over by the door. I was feeling a bit restless so I decided it was a good time to change the rear tire. The wheel is off the bike and while there’s another 500 to 1,000 miles until the tread is down to the wear bars, it would be a lot easier and faster to change it now, so I did. I'll keep the old tire as an emergency spare. When I first got the lift set up, I thought I was going to have to move the NoMar. I was wrong. I’ve been able to work on the bike with the tire changer in place and today, I was able to change out the rear tire without trouble. A bit of good luck was that I didn’t have to balance the wheel. I had mounted the tire with the red dots in the same location as the dots on the old tire. When I put the wheel on the balancer, it was just fine. The wheel stayed at rest wherever I turned it. That hasn’t happened to me since the early 90s with my old FLHS. People like pictures of my progress, so I took a few. First; here a close up of the rods wrapped in pipe insulation to keep them from damaging anything or getting damaged  This is a shot of the engine in a tub on the dolly waiting to go into the back of RDs Jeep  Here's the almost naked frame  Here's the new Pirelli Scorpion mounted on the wheel  | ||
| Crusty |
Ride To Eat… Tomorrow’s weather is supposed to be really nice; 63º F (17º C) and sunny. I’ve been cooped up too long. I’m going to ride the Cussed’em to Rudy’s Smokehouse in Springfield for lunch. It’s about an hour and a half ride each way and I’ll have a late lunch or early dinner (depending on how you look at it). If the meal that combines breakfast and lunch is called brunch; then shouldn’t the meal that combines lunch and dinner be called linner? Or maybe lunner? Whatever it’s called, I plan to have a half rack of ribs and a side of BBQ beans. Maybe we should plan on having a Meet&Eat there, one of these days. if I like the ribs (and I probably will; I’ve eaten there in the past and liked the food), I’ll let everybody know. I’ll probably be there around 2:30 if anybody feels like joining me. | ||
| Crusty |
A President’s Day Ride On Sunday, the high Temp was close to 60º and I was hit by a strong desire to go somewhere on the bike. Actually, strong is misleading; overwhelming is much more accurate. The forecast for Monday was highs in the low to mid 60s and sunny, so I wrote a brief note and put it on both the XL Forum and Badweb inviting anyone to join me. So yesterday morning, I checked the tire pressures, went to the bank and got some cash and rode over to Sam’s club and filled the tank of the Cussed’em. I hit the road shortly after 1:00 PM as I had announced I’d be at Rudy’s Smoke House in Springfield at 2:30. I took the Interstates to Rudy’s. I tend to take the quickest way when going to allow for unexpected delays and I arrived about 10 minutes early. RD had called me earlier and told me he was going to be there. He was making it a shake down ride for his trailer setup and wanted to check out how it handled at speed. He’s going to be covering a lot of miles with that setup and he wanted to make sure it didn’t want to do anything bad. RD’s put a lot of effort into making that Himalayan his ideal ride and it shows. It looks really good in person; as though it was a factory setup. To get back to the food, I ordered a Half Rack of ribs with 2 sides of BBQ Baked Beans and a Pepsi, RD had a half rack with BBQ beans and cole slaw with coffee. The ribs would never win in a cook off. The meat falls right off the bone, but they have really good flavor. I liked them a lot. They had three different sauces; Sweet, Bourbon and Hot. My first bite was with no sauce and I liked how they tasted. Then I tried a bite with each of the sauces and decided that I liked the sweet most, though both of the others were quite tasty. The beans were good. Not great, but good. My favorite beans are from Velvet Smoke. Nobody else’s beans are better; not even Jim’s in Blairsville, Georgia. Jim’s however has the best ribs and I plan to be eating them in May. We sat, ate and talked for over an hour, then went our separate ways home. I took secondary roads back and had a very pleasant ride through farmland and a few towns. These are the roads that the Sportster loves. It handles the Interstates well enough, but the US Highways are where it shines. Once I got close to Cincinnati, I did get back on an Interstate; I-275 which loops around the city. I went back to Sam’s Club and filled the tank. I had gone 165 miles and it took 3.3 gallons of Premium. That translates to 50 MPG for the ride. Oh; the price per gallon went up 6 cents between 11:00 AM and 5:30 PM. Anyhow; I was home by 5:45 and I was both tired and happy. The Tramp in me was satisfied. Now; the weather is going to go back to crappy, but I don’t really mind. A good ride makes life look a whole lot sweeter. As usual, I forgot my camera, but RD took some photos and forwarded them to me. Damned if I can figure out how to put them in this Snippet, though. I should probably take a course on how to use my computer for Dummies. Oh; Rudy’s would be a really good location for a Meet&Eat. It’s easy enough to get to, it’s casual and the food is good. (Message edited by Crusty on February 22, 2022) | ||
| Ourdee |
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| Ebutch |
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| 86129squids |
 !! NOT  , looks  ! I bet you had plenty of cheep gas after all those beans...  | ||
| Crusty |
A Few Errands Yesterday was a busy day. It actually started on Thursday night. Trash collection was a day late because of Presidents Day, so I was gathering my trash around the house. I decided that I didn’t need to have two spare used front tires for the Express, so I was putting the Dunlop out in the trash. That led me to look at the front tire on the bike and also to look at the wheel vise on the lift. I don’t like the stock wheel vise that came with the lift. Mike had sent me a link to a place that had better wheel vises for a lot cheaper than any others I’d seen and I had bought one. I wasn’t about to try to mount the new vise with the express on the lift when it arrived, so I set it aside as a Future Project. Anyhow; after I put the trash out and got good and wet from the rain, I started looking at the pieces of the new vise, and started putting them together and taking a serious look at the bike and lift. The Express has been reduced to a frame and front end; so I put a few more blocks under the frame and relocated the tie down straps. Then I pulled the front wheel and changed the tire. For the second time, I didn’t have to change anything when I put it on the balancing stand. That’s a record. Both wheels needed no balancing. I guess that Pirelli puts the red dot at the same point on their tires, because I noted where it was and lined it up with the same spot on the rim. After that, I put the wheel back on the bike. But I kept looking at the vise. The bike was on blocks and tied down, so I figured, “Why not?” I removed the stock POS and started installing the new vise. I had to drill several new holes, which took a while and I also had to remove the front wheel again, but that only take a few minutes. I got the new vise on and I used Grade 8 bolts with Nylon insert lock nuts instead of the Chineseum butter grade bolts and nuts that came with the vise; then I reinstalled the front wheel and tightened the vise. By the time I was done, it was dinner time, so I fixed a nice Cheeseburger with some Knorr Teriyaki Rice and sat back to relax. Then I got a text from RD. He had his car back from the body shop. I replied for him to “Gimme a call!” and when he did, we firmed up our plans to get the bottom end to Dark Horse. He’s going to come down here on Sunday and we’ll load the bottom end into the back of the car. Then we’ll hit Velvet Smoke for an early dinner. After that, we’ll head up to his house in Indianapolis for the night and get on the road around 5:00 AM. That will put us in Newton, Wisconsin by noon. We’ll drop the engine off and check out the operation, then head back. So Today, I have a few errands to run. I have to hit the bank and get some cash and take care of a couple of other items. I need to pack a gym bag with a change of clothes and my travel kit. And I’ll call RD and find out what he wants for dinner tomorrow evening from Velvet Smoke so I can order it in advance. I’m excited. Wheel Vise left side:  Right Side:  | ||
| Crusty |
My Bottom End is at Dark Horse. I'm at RDs house for tonight. I'll be home tomorrow and I'll write about it once I get home. | ||
| Crusty |
Dark Horse Saturday, I went to the Credit Union and drew out some cash as a deposit for my bottom end work getting done at Dark Horse Crank Works. I talked to RD and we made plans for him to pick me and the engine up on Sunday afternoon. He arrived and we got the bottom end into the back of his jeep and strapped down without problems. I had called Velvet Smoke on Saturday and ordered two 1/2 rack dinners for pickup on Sunday, so we stopped and filled up with gas, then picked up the dinners and came back to my house and ate. Velvet Smoke does a damn’ good job with ribs, as well as burnt ends. After we ate, we set out for RDs house in Indianapolis. Tracy (RDs wife) was watching TV when we got there, so we watched a bit of the Book of Boba Fett, then got to bed fairly early as we were heading out for Wisconsin early. RD and I were on the road at 5:00 AM. Traffic wasn’t bad until we got close to Chicago. Then it became a series of close calls and general lunacy. I hate going through Chicago; even more than driving through New York City. We made it to Newton and Dark Horse right around 10:00 AM (Central). We met Andrew and the three of us unloaded the bottom end and brought it in. Andrew and I discussed the work to be done. It turns out that I should have brought the cylinders with the bottom end so they can mic the bores and get the right pistons. Andrew gave RD and I the nickel tour and I was very favorably impressed. Dark Horse is a lot bigger than I thought. It’s a good sized machine shop with several people who work there. I think there are about a dozen people both working on various crankshafts doing different operations. I especially enjoyed watching the CNC drilling flywheels. I was drooling over some crank assemblies that were utilizing Carillo Rods. I don’t need Carillo rods in my engine, but they sure are beautiful and if I had money to burn, I’d get them. After being there about an hour, RD and I set off for Belvidere, IL to his favorite Mexican restaurant anywhere. When we got there, it was closed; that was a major disappointment. We then went to an Italian place and they were closed as well. We hit two other places along the route home that looked promising, but one was out of business and the other closed at 2:00 PM and it was 4:30 when we got there. We gave up and just got a couple of sandwiches from Subway in Mahomet, IL. We went back to RDs house where we slept and RD drove me back to Cheviot this morning. In all, we drove something like 1040 miles (RD drove 1240 - an extra 100 miles to pick me up and 100 to get home after he dropped me off). Andrew said that it would take about 35 - 40 Business days to have my crank done. That translates to two months, so I’ll get the bottom end back sometime around the first of May. It’s going to take all my savings and I’ll also be running up my credit card balance a bit, but when it’s done, I’ll have an engine I can trust to get me to the Arctic Ocean and back and a whole lot farther, as well. I can live with that. Rib Dinners from Velvet Smoke  Coffee and cookies at RDs house  Dark Horse  Andrew and I and my bottom end on the cart  | ||
| Tootal |
Glad to hear you had a successful trip! Looking forward to the final product! | ||
| Crusty |
A Small Accomplishment This morning, I was looking at the cylinder heads for the Express. I’m going to replace the valve guide seals. I also want to clean them. There’s a temperature sensor in the rear head and I wanted to remove it . I went online to get the special socket that fits, but I couldn’t find one for sale anywhere. I did see a drawing of the socket, but that was it. So when I went out to run errands, I stopped at Auto Zone and bought a 1/2” deep socket. I also bought a bottle of Gumout for the Cussed’em. Every so often, I like to run a half bottle of Gumout in a tankful of gas. Speaking of gas, it was $4.09 for Regular and 4.69 for Premium. That’s a new high in the US that I’ve seen. I wonder how much higher it’s going to go? Anyway; when I got home, I got out my Dremel tool and began cutting. It took me pretty close to an hour, but I made the socket to remove the temp sensor and it works. I would have bought one and paid an exorbitant price, but I couldn’t find one to buy at any price. It was just a classic case of Necessity being the Mother of Invention. I feel pretty happy that I was able to do the job and I now have the special tool. I’ll need it when I put the sensor back in the head, but hopefully, I’ll never have to use it again. After tax, it cost me $7.54 and I used up 5 little cutting wheels for the Dremel. I’m sure an Official tool would set me back a large bundle more. I’m getting pretty pumped up. To quote Matthew P. in Iowa, “Quality is Priceless, not expensive”. The engine will have the best crankshaft available with H-beam (Carrillo) connecting rods. I’m using Cometic gaskets and seals. When it’s all done, it should run for many thousands of miles reliably. It will be the bike that the MoFoCo should have built. (Message edited by Crusty on March 07, 2022) | ||
| Crusty |
How Far? I got a response to my last Snippet from a friend who said, Any plans for polishing the exhaust ports. I tell myself if I ever take the heads off the exhaust ports will look like mirrors. I would also match up all of the edges to the intake manifold (exhaust?) to reduce turbulence. I did that to my race bikes and was amazed at the increase from that alone. That got me thinking. It shouldn’t hurt reliability if I sent the heads to Zack and let him work his magic. I also remember reading articles by Joe Minton where he stated that when he built high performance motors, they ran cooler than stock. The idea of better performance really does appeal. Then I started thinking about other aspects of building a performance engine. I remember riding Mike Bramonte’s built Evo when I had my FLHS. Mike’s bike pulled like a locomotive and made my dresser feel anemic in comparison. However; Mike’s bike had a 100 mile fuse. It blew up every hundred miles or so. My stock engine was a thousand times (literally) more reliable. Also, more horsepower is addictive. If I have the heads ported, I might as well get a hotter set of cams. I like a cammy engine. My Moto Guzzi Sport was a dog at low RPM, but once it hit 4,000, it came alive. My S3-T Buell was the same way. I liked the way they felt a lot. So maybe I should get a set of cams. And if I do get cams, then I will want to get a set of S&S lifters and adjustable pushrods… Then reality came cascading down on me. First, I’m spending my entire savings already as well as running up my card balance. I’d have trouble coming up with the money for just the pushrods, let alone the cams and lifters and while Zack would give me a deal on the price, I don’t have the money. I realize that getting the crank redone is a gateway drug. I’ve already succumbed to getting the better rods. Now is the time to walk away before I wind up with a motor that has a short fuse. The goal is improved reliability, not more power or different power characteristics. A cammy engine would be fun in a city bike, but I plan to ride to the Arctic Ocean. When I’m easing my way up the Dempster Highway, the extra torque at lower RPM will be welcome. I’m going to be riding long distances in sparsely populated areas. I really don’t want to have a breakdown. I’ll keep the engine close to stock for maximum reliability and lowest expense. Those S&S lifters are calling me, however. Maybe just one more little improvement… I wonder if there’s an Engine Builders Anonymous that has meetings near me? |
