Blood, sweat, tears & beers . . .

At some point, I'm gonna copy this thread and make a little book of the build. The bike had mostly been built by the time I started this thread last April, but little did I know how much was yet to come! In my wildest dreams I didn't think it would become more difficult as time passed, but it did.

There are still a few little things to iron out, and who knows, there may still be some mechanical malfunctions lurking in the shadows . . . .

Yup, all that's left to do now is to RIDE!!

NO,NO,No more gremlins. "You gonna have nothing but fun from this day forward". It has been proclaimed! Steveski gotta work,pay for my S.S. checks

Ha! Gonna try n git fired soon.

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Probably get fired for using dumbphonr at work

Trying!

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Not in it, 50 miles east of it. Still too close!

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Nope. Long Island, the eastern half, is far better than NYC. Unfortunatley, it's a dead end. Ya gotta go thru the city to get off the island with the exception of an expensive ferry ride to conneticut and that state plain sucks. :cussing:

Good stuff Josh, take the beast out ... not just a little spin, put some miles on her and report back. This has been my favorite thread... think everybody has followed this...

Gonna be in the 50s today and rain this morning. Boys, it's got to be at least 60 and dry for me to ride. Screw that cold weather riding - I'll leave that to you youngsters! It's supposed to get up around 60 in a few days. BTW, went out and started it up yesterday - 2 kicks with the key on - so I'm fairly certain it's road ready engine wise.

But I found something that does need immediate attention. Some of you may remember when I stupidly drilled a 3/8" dia. hole in the frame for a bolt to hold my kickstand rubber bumper. I made the bumper out of a chunk of hard rubber from a wheel chock. That was over 2 years ago before I knew you could buy those things and just snap them on. Well, I never got it welded shut - I forgot about it. Just noticed it yesterday when I was inspecting things. Doh!
Even though there is a 3/8" bolt going thru the hole I don't feel safe with it like that. It's possible the frame could flex and start to crack there? Especially with a rigid frame.

With Murphy's Law in full effect...I'd at least weld a sleeve in it,if you're still going to use the bolt...fill it if you're not...

Okay . . . think I'll use the sleeve idea and use a 1/4" bolt inside it. Then I can reuse the bumper. The bumper was the first custom piece I made for the bike. I believe that's the last weak link on the frame. Man, I'm just so stoked the ol' thang starts up!

On the ShovelheadUSA forum I've been collecting data to learn how to adjust my pushrods (solid lifters). They say it would be a good idea to check them, especially since I retorqued the heads a little while ago.

I came home for lunch and saw my CV carb stuff in the mailbox. Wheeee Doggies! (Jed Clampett style). Spring, needle, jets & emulsion tube, drill bit, gasket, and repacking kit for the idle mix screw. The bike runs, yes, but I think it will run better with the upgrades, so . . . . I'm taking the carb off this afternoon and installing all the new stuff. Ken recommends using the #46 pilot and the #185 main jets. So I'll be going smaller with the pilot and larger with the main. Will post results this evening.

Here it is evening already. It took just an hour and a half to get the carb off, make the changes, and get it back on. Yikes! I had a lot of fun. The bike started right up, no problem. I put the EZ Just mixture screw back on. When I changed the mix screws, I noticed that the little rubber 0-ring was MIA. Funny how it disappeared. There's one in there now.

Tomorrow looks like it's gonna hit 60. I'm taking a ride, even with the frame like it is.

why not know?

OK, post report. By the way if O ring was there when you changed the screw, you sure it did not stick up in the tower, I have had that happen?

I looked with a magnifying glass - no o-ring. Those things have a way of disappearing right under your nose.

Too chilly and hit and miss rain. Today is gonna be nice, though. Riding the scoot to the school shop where I work and top off the tires and show the bike to the kids. They want to hear the pipes and watch the old man ride.