glad you're ok!
glad you're ok!
A year without a post! Nothing has really changed with this bike. Still riding periodically and enjoying it. Still burns and leaks oil and smoke-bombs every intersection. Still could use a carb adjustment. Still handles like an old sketchy 70's motorcycle. I think I'll buy new tires this year, maybe even try un-spray-painting everything.
With the Fiat Spider still in the shop, I am semi-daily driving the bike, which is forcing me to fix little things. Like the brake master cylinder. I replaced the broken original one with a reproduction from Amazon. The brake light switch broke pretty quickly, but the pedal switch still worked so I kept riding. Then the piston seal started leaking brake fluid onto the tire. That's what you get from Amazon - crappy knockoffs with no quality control. I only went this route in the first place because I was still running the club/drag handlebars, so this cooler Kawasaki-style MC wouldn't fit. Since I swapped up to the CB400F handlebars, which have a slight rise, I can now fit this high-quality MC from 4into1 that I should have bought in the first place.
I need to figure out a different brake hose, one with an angled fitting, so I can route it behind the headlight instead from under the handlebars. But this works very well for now.
How angled does it need to be? You can probably just bend it for up to 15-20 degrees. But I'd also guess a hydraulic shop has basically every angle possible and could whip you up a hose in no time.
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
I considered that, but didn't want to accidentally ruin the hose and not be able to drive. I would like to replace the whole hose anyway. It's pretty old.
Bike looks great! Read through the whole thread and glad you persisted through the ignition turmoil.
That brake hose over the handlebar isn't trapping air at all? A local hydraulic hose shop could make that hose with the correct bend pretty quickly I imagine?
In reply to iansane :
I can't tell if there's any trapped air compared to the old setup. Replacing the hose altogether is still on the long list of things this bike needs. I think it's original.
I haven't ridden in almost 2 months unfortunately. When I moved into this new place, I put the bike in first before all my other projects, so it's kinda trapped until I clear up my mess...
Bummer! Much longer and you'll need to tear those carbs apart again!
Stampie said:...remember what I told you about other drivers.
You informed him that they are psychotic piles of BMW, right?
In reply to GasTungstenArc :
I already knew that for years as a road cyclist! The same idiot-predicting skills I have been developing for years on a bicycle carried over perfectly to motorcycle riding. It's like being able to see into the future only 5 seconds at a time. Of course that guy was going to enter the lane without checking, of course they made that left in front of me, etc. etc.
Wow, another year of no updates. In fact I barely ride anymore, mostly due to my commute being so long and full of traffic now (50+ minutes, stop-n-go interstate traffic, HOT Atlanta weather). Or maybe my ND Miata is helping fill this void. I am wondering if I don't actually like riding motorcycles, or if I'm just not crazy about riding THIS motorcycle everywhere. I'm thinking about upgrading to something more modern and comfortable on the freeway that isn't such a sketchy beater. But at least I still get compliments whenever I ride it around town.
Newer bikes are a pretty impressive leap from that era- you might want to check out a demo day or something if you're on the fence.
Echoing the comment above about more modern motorbikes. I did the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride last Sunday NPD your bike would have been a great fit. That said I saw a few guys struggling with their vintage bikes regardless of country of origin. My rapidly aging '07 Ducati GT1000 has the right look, started and ran flawlessly all day,and was comfortable at 90+ mph on my ride downtown. Just an argument for a newer bike for longer rides.
You'll need to log in to post.
