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Leftcoastal
| | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2011 - 07:56 pm: | 
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Just got back from Newcomb's and got to meet with Greg and his friends Chuck and Sparky - You guys that were lusting for this bike had every right to do so!
I'm willing to bet it's the most pristine and close to perfect one on the planet!
Plus - it went to the right guy to become it's caretaker - Under Greg's wing this bike will only get better with age.
Not only that but he sprung for lunch - What's not to like, there?
(Thanks, dude!)
It was a great day for a ride - Penny and I don't get to ride as much as we used to and it was a real treat. She hasn't been out on the Road King much this year, so she took her time and did fine.
I would have slowed down more to wait for her to catch up, but the 70 FLH I was riding has drum brakes, so I couldn't.
Al |
1313
| | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2011 - 08:58 pm: |
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Can you confirm that the Dymo label on the master cylinder reservoir is not original (says: DOT 5 ONLY)?
Yes I can confirm that the label is not original. As Dave surmised, DOT 5 was pretty new at the time, so I'd follow his thought process.
I think there is a possibility that you don't have any nitrogen left. That is if my memory is correct and that little can has gas in it. Brankin do you remember?
This is something that I am not an expert on, but I think you are on the right track.
Man that bike is GORGEOUS!
1313 |
Charlies_s1
| | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2011 - 10:12 pm: |
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What a great day for a ride! Nice to meet Greg, Al and Penny, and was it Mark we had lunch with? And it was great to see Sparky again, But have you all ever seen so many Highway Patrol on the Crest before? Wow no room to have a little fun, Argh!!! Greg's bike is awesome and it was cool to see it in person, Really nice machine. And thanks for lunch Greg that was cool. It would be nice if the Buell guys in the area could put something together so we could all meet up there, I mean a bunch of us. Thanks again guys for a great day of stories and conversation, it was really fun, Chuck.
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Court
| | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2011 - 10:32 pm: |
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This is so cool.
The most amazing thing about these bikes are the people they bring together. For those of you who met Penny, you've met one of my favorite legends of Buell .... She's amazing and Al's no slouch ..... He just can't bake!
I can't wait to check this group out sometime.
Court
P .S. - I can confirm that both Dave and Brankin are true originals with extensive cosmetic mods.
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Charlies_s1
| | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2011 - 11:23 pm: |
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Well Court, Erik was kind enough to come see us last year. Even showed off his awesome guitar skills too. You all are so lucky to have homecoming out there, We just have small groups out here and no big event to attend. Why don't you guys have a road trip and come see us??? lol lol. |
Charlies_s1
| | Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2011 - 11:32 pm: |
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Oh one other thing I'd like to add, Darryl's (Sparky) 1996 S1 he rode up just turned over the 100,000 mile mark not long ago, How cool is that. SOUL owner of it. |
Greg_cifu
| | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2011 - 02:39 am: |
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Yup, good turnout for an awesome day on Angeles Crest.
I knew if I fed him, Al would say nice things.
It was my pleasure to buy lunch. You guys came from far enough away to see this bike and you endured the uniformed storm troopers on the south end of the road as well as LA traffic to join me.
Al also left out the care package of his RS1200 leftovers he brought me to keep this one going. That was a real surprise and much appreciated. Thank you again!
All this back slapping is boring some of you so...more pictures.
Chuck brought up his Molten Orange/Nuclear Blue S1 just to taunt me (my favorite color combo). That's Sparky's well traveled red S1 fourth in line. Sparky is trying to explain to Chuck exactly how the flux capacitor on his bike makes extra sparks at 88 MPH.
The ride from the Palmdale side of the mountain is arrow straight and terribly boring (at least that's what I told everybody).
The morning was drizzly and cold and you could barely see 50 feet down the road.
This is how I wasted the Westwind's 3,800th mile.
Somebody tell Erik that even though it was 20 years late, a guy took this picture one-handed with confidence, thanks to the genius of his chassis.
Give a chimp a camera, teach him how to hold out his arm and randomly press the shutter and eventually, you'll get a really cool picture.
OK, technical updates, since people have been nice enough to continue answering my questions:
I bumped the preload up some more and got things a bit better. It's got preload left and I could probably get it there. The outside of the adjuster had cosmoline contaminating it so I didn't want to force that up inside the adjuster.
I'm not at the limits of the damping adjusters but, near the tight side, it's behaving much better. One way or another, it'll get sorted out.
The fork was contributing to the chassis pitching. A couple of clicks on the rebound adjusters and things settled in nicely. The bike was really a great ride today.
It hit reserve at 115 miles which was a bit of a shock. No clue how big this tank is or isn't. That was in Big Pines. I took the chance and made it to Pearblossom. The light on the reserve switch wasn't working but, was lit by the time I got to the bottom of the mountain. Very cool.
She's got almost double my annual allowance of 180 miles so, it's time to wash her up, drain the fuel and park her until the next worthy outing.
(Message edited by greg_cifu on August 08, 2011) |
Sparky
| | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2011 - 04:48 am: |
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Thanks for the excellent inspiring pix, Greg, - the perfect cap to a great day of riding. And thanks again for the lunch. That was very generous of you.
I must say, it was a real delight to pull into Newcombs, seeking to find two gems of Buell history in the crowd and seeing your brilliant white Westwind and Chuck's glowing Molten Orange/ Nuclear Blue Lightning parked right up front. Nice!
A word about the oppressive Chippy presence on the Crest, one guy with a stock XB12R parked with us and said he got busted for having a blue windscreen, the stock blue DOT approved windscreen! Methinks he could fight it because, I believe, the regulation only outlaws aftermarket colored screens not stock DOT ones.
So, yeah, I think we ought to get the word out to plan another tuber gathering. Hint: SCAB is thinking about a Big Bear ride in Sept. Cool, eh? |
Davegess
| | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2011 - 10:10 am: |
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Great pix! Glad to hear you are getting the bike sorted. I don't know that you have to worry too much about forcing cosmoline into the adjuster; I think you are compressing a closed hydraulic cylinder.
And about Court's post extensive cosmetic mods.
I don't know about Brankin but I'm goin' for the whole Kim Kardasian butt augmentation thing and adding on stomach augmentation. I avoid the surgeon however, beer and bratwurst work for me.
(Message edited by davegess on August 08, 2011) |
Greg_cifu
| | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2011 - 11:50 am: |
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quote:I don't know that you have to worry too much about forcing cosmoline into the adjuster;
I should have been more clear: the outside barrel of the adjuster had cosmoline stalactites hanging off of it (thrown from the front sprocket) and I had nothing to clean it. Turning the adjuster any further would cram that tar-like stuff up inside the adjuster knob, probably gluing it in place. I didn't want to have to disassemble it later to clean out the muck.
I'm kinda' torn about sending this thread to the original owner. I don't want it to seem like gloating but, I wonder if he'd like to know how his bike has been received by everybody and the kind of home it went to. Hmmm. |
Charlies_s1
| | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2011 - 08:27 pm: |
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I think it would be kinda cool, He took very good care of it, and it just may tickle him to know it's still just as cool or more so than when he purchased it. |
Steeleagle
| | Posted on Monday, August 08, 2011 - 08:50 pm: |
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Greg;
Just catching up on my reading. VERY sweet looking RS. Makes mine look like...projects! BTW: I think I hate you!
Congrats on the new ride. Thanks for the pix. They'll provide a great quality standard to pursue! You've set the bar pretty high! |
Greg_cifu
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2011 - 01:41 am: |
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I didn't set any bar, so don't hate me. I just bought it, polished it, put some tires on it and started to restore/replace some messed up fasteners.
It's funny how the smallest things turn out to be the largest obstacles. I called the insurance company today, now that the title is transferred and I know that DMV didn't want to list the factory frame number on the title. They won't insure "Special Construction" and I need a different policy.
They transferred me to somebody else: $240/year, liability-only, $500K policy for 300-500 miles per year! WTH?!?
I tried to explain what it was. They understood but, without a normal-looking VIN, they couldn't help me. I'm going to call back tomorrow with the frame number and see if that makes their computer happy enough to issue a quote on my current policy.
So is this frame number going to look like a semi-normal 1991 Buell VIN to their computer?
1B9RS11G5M21070KIT |
Steeleagle
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2011 - 06:52 am: |
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Most VINs are 17 characters long. That could be what's messing with the computers. |
Davegess
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2011 - 10:35 am: |
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Try dropping the KIT off the end, see what happens. Try an independent agent who know about odd vehicles. I have one and have insured things as odd as a Citroen 2CV as a daily driver without a hitch. Had to send pictures and write a letter as well as give them some info on current values. |
Court
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2011 - 11:50 am: |
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That is not a VIN. It's whatever California calls the ID number. If necessary, I think I have copies of the letter about the "kit".
There are other folks in California with RS1200's, we should be able to get information. |
Davegess
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2011 - 12:30 pm: |
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The whole KIT story is a good one. I'll have to post it. I'll try and get a hold of the big fellow and see what he remembers. We were a bit "creative" in following the law but I think the statute of limitations has run out on this one. |
Greg_cifu
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2011 - 12:39 pm: |
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Actually, I've got this really good book on Buells. Maybe you guys have seen it: 25 years of Buell? 
It may have been awhile since you guys wrote it but, you included a pretty complete story along with a copy of the letter sent to potential California customers.
I figured a copy of that page might be all it takes to get my insurance company to take it. Heck, their website says they WILL insure Special Construction, Classic and Collector motorcycles. |
Davegess
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2011 - 02:42 pm: |
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Greg, you may have noticed, Court and I tend to repeat ourselves. We really only have 10 stories; they just change so much each time we repeat them that they seem like more. Have i told you the one about the time Court returned from a road trip and his desk had been removed? You would have thought he would have gotten the message but no he has to hang around for a couple more years |
Court
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2011 - 03:19 pm: |
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>>>Greg, you may have noticed, Court and I tend to repeat ourselves.
Remember the early days when we were simply redundant repeatedly over and over? |
Greg_cifu
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2011 - 11:52 pm: |
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Fixed. They took the frame number and realized that it was basically a production bike and they honored it as such. The only downside was they didn't find any OTHER Buells in their system from that year but, they took my word for it. |
Greg_cifu
| | Posted on Saturday, October 15, 2011 - 09:04 pm: |
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Ok guys, after fueling the Westwind for the Pro Italia show, I had to drain the tank today.
As noted before, the lining in the tank is flaking pretty badly but, the outside is still perfect. After pulling the tank off and removing the cap bung, I ended up with my hand inside the tank, taking the opportunity to scrape some debris loose. It didn't take much to remove a heaping salad bowl of flaked lining. After that, I tossed about a pound of deburring triangles in there with water and Dawn dishwashing soap. That removed even more.
I'd say that about 2/3rd of the coating is gone. What should I do about the rest? What remains seems pretty secure. Everything I've read says that MEK will destroy the polyester resin in the glass. There is a business I met at the show last weekend that relines fiberglass tanks with a nylon-like material. They said that it will encapsulate the remaining coating.
My fear is that if they're wrong, nothing will ever stick to that material again.
The question: does anybody have direct experience with either one of the new coatings in a fiberglass tank or with the newer plastic coating? I'm going to get one shot at doing this right and I can't afford it to be screwed up. I'm so worried about leaving the tank at a shop that I bought a 2x6 today to make wooden protectors for the side flanges on the tank (the front mounting hole looks way to easy to break).
(Message edited by Greg_Cifu on October 15, 2011) |
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