what did you wrench on today??

[musicman]

Spent 2 days trying to get the HID headlight to work in with my vetter fairing. First hurdle was the housing/lens, the one I had, when you spun the ring down to tighten the headlight, it was still loose, spent forever messing with that. Then wired everything up, spliced the ballast into the stock wiring so I could mount it inside hidden away, and use the fairing harness wiring to get the juice to the lamp. Well, that was a bad idea, I wasn't paying attention to the fact that the fairing had a common ground, and the connection from the ballast to bulb needs to be an isolated circuit, which it wasn't, so I killed the ballast. Lucky me I had another, so made a separate ground wire, turn the lights on, and it won't keep the lamp on, now I'm ****ed. ,measure voltage at the two wire going into the ballast, 10.3v. Gah!!! I hate old crap! Had about 12.5v at the battery, and 11.75 at the connector going into the fairing. So something somewhere is corroded. Made a new ballast to bulb harness to eliminate the connector, now the thing works with the bike running, but shuts off intermittently. So I'm taking a break from this headache for a day or so. I'm just going to make a new harness for the fairing, even the pigtail from the stock headlight bucket to fairing, redoing it all. Just need a bunch of wire, and the connector from vetter's site too I guess.

 

[Loki]

Finally had time to do a plug chop at idle. 3 and 4 were a tad rich but good at 1/4, 1/2 and wot. Dialed in the pilot screws 1/8 each, good now.

Also worked 2 604 Challengers at work, future beer cans. Gawd I hate anything Bombardier, except their snowmobiles.

 

[Adrian2]

How? How? Seriously how?......

How? How? Seriously how?......

.....Can you leave a bike standing for a week (which was running fine) and then go back to start it and it`s spluttering and farting, wont rev tidy!!!!!! so this morning it was carbs off/ bowls off/ jets out and yes theres some crud in one of the pilot jets? (even tho theres a fuel filter) but all sorted now and back together and running sweet as, but also picked up a Piaggio Hexagon 180cc 2 stroke scooter for commuting to work (petrol in UK is ridiculous now) and what a revelation/blast, great fun and very comfortable, now for some food and a rest in front of the tv methinks.

 

[Guest]

Made a couple of short bungey straps to hold my panniers down but still make it easy to take them off quick at work:

Then more Cucciolo clean up, and rapidly approaching the point of nothing more to dismantle. I need to get the bearings off the crank though and that's going to be interesting... although I suspect not quite as interesting as trying to locate replacements

 

[wally]

Put the rear wheel back on, along with exhaust and tail grab. Took for a ride around the block and a retro effect photo for good measure:

Finishing up the tank emblems.

Next I have to sort out this oil leak from the cam tensioner:

Not sure how to fix this (any help would be great, please!)

Also, the electrical stuff is not looking good - not sure if it is the battery or something else, but will have to get that sorted as well.

Nearly there...

 

[Guest]

.....Can you leave a bike standing for a week (which was running fine) and then go back to start it and it`s spluttering and farting, wont rev tidy!!!!!! so this morning it was carbs off/ bowls off/ jets out and yes theres some crud in one of the pilot jets? ....

That should not happen in a week's time. Something upstream got crudded up, and you're finally seeing the effects, all at once.

 

[Guest]

Put the rear wheel back on, along with exhaust and tail grab. Took for a ride around the block and a retro effect photo for good measure:

Finishing up the tank emblems.

Next I have to sort out this oil leak from the cam tensioner:

Not sure how to fix this (any help would be great, please!)

Also, the electrical stuff is not looking good - not sure if it is the battery or something else, but will have to get that sorted as well.

Nearly there...

Lookin' good Wally!

BassCliff's site has a write up on sorting out your tensioner woes including Suzuki part numbers for the seals...

 

[Toasty]

Got my hagons in, new turn signals, petcocks (for the virago tank) and sonic springs.Unfortunately the springs are too wide and kinda short (15" vs 24.25"). I emailed them and hopefully I can get the gs back up soon.

 

[7981GS]

Aren't you supposed to make spacers with the supplied piece of pipe for each leg?
No instructions came in the box?
I know that I did on mine.

Eric

 

[Toasty]

The pvc was actually too wide too haha. The springs can be rotated down the tubes a few inches but they start binding. I can get smaller pvc and I'm sure they will make it right, I've heard great things about their customer service.

 

[7981GS]

Wrong springs and pipe eh?
Oh well, better to get the correct ones than try and MAKE them work.
Just sucks to have to wait on the other ones.

Eric

 

[Toasty]

I emailed Rich and asked if I could pay for 2 day shipping (the bike is in pieces waiting for the springs). I got an email back this morning saying they will send the new parts with 2 day shipping free of charge

 

[pmong]

First seat job.

First seat job.

Reshaped my seat! With lots of help from my son. Seem better, but only spending time on it will tell.

 

[Guest]

Got to do a mock up of the Cucciolo on the Malvern Star frame tonight:

I need to get this going

 

[ndaugbjerg]

Pete,
It's always easy to spot a Ducati.
Looks a bit like the 1200 Multistrada, don't you think!
Niels

 

[TheNose]

I like that, Pete!

 

[Guest]

Pete,
It's always easy to spot a Ducati.
Looks a bit like the 1200 Multistrada, don't you think!
Niels

Haha I was thinking more Supermono Niels

I like that, Pete!

Cheers mate, me too

 

[Guest]

Back into the Cucciolo clean up tonight, and I discovered the registration on it expired in November 1953... I'd never seen a registration label that old before!

 

[lurch12_2000]

What a moron....I was wondering why my rear end would now squat to one side when applying my rear brake. I had adjusted the chain, swapped out the rear shocks, and bled the rear caliper the other day. As I lay on the ground studying the GS750E rear end, it came to me. In my dyslexic moment, I noticed that I had set the spring preload to #2 on one side and #4 on the other side on the replacement shocks. It's funny when you double check those things and walk around the bike to the other side, your mind says they look the same. Anyway, that is my wrenching today....fixing my own stupidity!

 

[Guest]

What a moron....I was wondering why my rear end would now squat to one side when applying my rear brake. I had adjusted the chain, swapped out the rear shocks, and bled the rear caliper the other day. As I lay on the ground studying the GS750E rear end, it came to me. In my dyslexic moment, I noticed that I had set the spring preload to #2 on one side and #4 on the other side on the replacement shocks. It's funny when you double check those things and walk around the bike to the other side, your mind says they look the same. Anyway, that is my wrenching today....fixing my own stupidity!

You know when I pulled my 450 off the road back in 2002 and started dismantling it, I found my rear shocks were the same, one on softest and one on hardest... I'd been riding it like that since the day I bought it!