Category Archives: passions

inspiration

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“Inspiration” definition includes breathing, creativity, illumination.

I went for a ride yesterday. Clouds spotted the sky, but it was not overcast and the temperatures weren’t above 100F. It was lovely. When I woke up at 06:40 I had little feeling except an awareness that I wanted to be out of my house and on my bike. I put on my leathers and locked the door at 07:10. I knew I needed to eat, but the impulse over-rode my hunger. By 07:15 I was on the highway.

There are days when riding is not for pleasure or for practice, but sheer necessity. Only other motorcyclists understand how helpful being on the bike can be.

I rode north for an hour and a half up curvy mountainy roads. It was beautiful. My head cleared somewhat, but the low rumbling note of the exhaust pipe was conferring no answers.

Inspiration is that unique feeling of a lock and key fitting together, and click… something opens and you draw what feels like the first real breath you have felt in years.

I want to breathe again.

…

Aug 26 – seat mounts

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I picked up some hollow round bar stock in order to make the seat mount supports.

My friend Vince, who owns and operates CTD Fabrication in Tempe (shameless plug), helped me out today with my welding needs.

I did the drilling – yes, the holes are crooked.

Vince welded nuts into my hollow round bar stock and I ran longish bolts through the seat, mounts and metal plate.
The bolts are held on by nuts under the metal plate.

My seat is mountable and now I get to paint!
Yay!

Guess what I’m doing Saturday?

Aug 18

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Today was a garage day full of swearing and pain and some success.

Started the morning by taking apart my top tripple in my hoopty set up.
Would have been easier if the vice was attached to anything.

Then I pulled the swingarm to check the bushings.
Stock ones are plastic, so people usually replace them with either steel or bronze.
Mine still has the plastic bushings.

Of course I got a little over-excited about taking something apart (yay disassembly or destruction!), and I forgot to check the swingarm play before I took it off. Der.

So, guess I’ll put it back on (hell, it’s only three nuts) and check. Then I’ll take it back off and paint it.

Now this is a naked bike:

I wanted to take the wheels in to get sand blasted, but first I had to get the rotor and sprocket off the rear wheel and the tires off. I needed leverage cuz the damn thing kept rolling around! So, I set it on a box and wedged it between the wall and some shelving.

There are little tabs that hold the nuts in place. Since I have no chisel… I had to make do.

Each time I hit the screwdriver, I thought, “please don’t shatter the handle!” It worked great! I got the rotor off with only a little swearing.

The sprocket proved to be a little more stubborn. I got the nuts off with only minor injury to my pinky finger from it crashing into the sprocket after a particularly stubborn nut decided to loosen abruptly. I probably should put some ice on it. It’s still kinda swollen.

It took me a while, a lot of sweat and swearing, but I got the nuts off. (that just does not sound right)

However, there is a pesky and rather large circlip holding the damn thing on. I also have no circlip pliers and my round-about efforts were in vain.

Luckily, the fine folks at Apache Motorcycle Scottsdale (7340 East McDowell Road) got the circlip and sprocket off for me when they took my tires off.

Once that was completed, I dropped them off at the Arizona Powdercoaters to get sandblasted. Whoohoo!

It would cost $45 per wheel to get powdercoated, so I’m just gonna paint em with the hardcore PJ-1. (and do touch-ups when necessary. heh)

Onward and forward.