what did you wrench on today??

[Buffalo Bill]

inside view, Lexan 2.5mm.
i0jPKK4.jpg

[Grimly]

I thought the fairing on the XJ900F was a bit skimpy, and while it took the worst of the blast away from me, it didn't seem to do all that much when I was tooling around the backroads.
Then one day, I had the opportunity to give it some beans for a longer while. Those Yammy engineers knew what they were doing. Above 95mph, the fairing had an extended effect and I was sitting comfortably in a still air pocket, undisturbed by the noise and fury around me.
Dropping below 90mph was a bit unrewarding, but it was that that made me look more closely at adding a higher screen and some extra side protection for the winter, as 90+mph isn't very practical around here most of the time.

[Buffalo Bill]

Previous Owner mysteries.
First exam of a formerly owned rack of BST36 carbs. Sold as from a 91 GSXR-1100.
Outside they look good, complete, inside oh no…

All screws were very hard to break loose. Used a driver tip in a socket wrench. Had to cut slots in some.
Silicone used on float bowl gasket.
Float bowls arranged wrong, with all drain screws facing inward.
Shim washers on main needles. (mid-range rich)
130 main jets. (top end very rich) OEM mains are 122.5.
All carbs need disassembly, scrubbing and a dip.
Full rebuild kit needed, All Balls looks like the best.

oD2XMww.jpg

[Nessism]

Indirectly bike related...got me a new lathe. It's a made in Taiwan unit, which generally speaking is a step above the "china" units.
I'm using 4 "leveling casters", so the machine can be moved as needed, yet anchored, along with 4 more heavy duty mounting points. Can't wait to get this thing up and running...

20221220_162814[1] by nessism, on Flickr

[storm 64]

It looks great Ed! I'm envious.
I was just saying on another forum how much I miss Manual machining.

When the "kid" took over the company, he got rid of all our manual lathes. Thinking the CNC machine is the way of the future. The dumb azz doesn't even have a clue to the value of a manual lathe or a nice Bridgeport mill... Oh well, as long as they keep giving me paychecks...

[Vmass]

Indirectly bike related...got me a new lathe. It's a made in Taiwan unit, which generally speaking is a step above the "china" units.
I'm using 4 "leveling casters", so the machine can be moved as needed, yet anchored, along with 4 more heavy duty mounting points. Can't wait to get this thing up and running...

Couple of examples of what you will create with this?

[Nessism]

Couple of examples of what you will create with this?

I make lots of fuel tees and transfer tubes for carbs. I also made some VM choke spools.

P1030580 by nessism, on Flickr

[Suzukian]

That's a nice looking Lathe. Taiwanese Lathes are way better than Chinese or Indian ones. You'll be even able to do more with this. Very clean. Nice!! Congrats!

[Burque73]

Didn't do much to the bikes this week other than swap the battery tender from the FJR over to the GS.

I did take advantage of time away from work though, finally making this bed slide. No more climbing in and out of the truck for bigger things. Sure miss working out of a van but the transmission crapped out and this truck kinda fell into my lap.








20230102_133251 by burque_73, on Flickr

I was going to use casters but found these little ball bearing rollers at Harbor Freight for $2ea. Supposedly they're rated to handle 100lbs each. Used 20 on the bottom and ten up above.

I built the side boxes a while back and they have worked out great. Maybe tomorrow I'll build some smaller compartments for tools and supplies.



20230102_171442 by burque_73, on Flickr

[Buffalo Bill]

Don't open the back doors with the truck on a slope. You'll have all your tools on the street!

[Burque73]

Thanks for the tip, Bill. Today I secured it in the bed and added a couple of barrel bolts to avoid such a misshap. Also got started on organizing the side box. (Added photos to previous post.)

PS, nice work on that belly pan.

[dorkburger]

Roger, if I recall you had an Econoline van...
On the last two I had, the transmissions died with spectacular noise at around 100k miles. Thankfully they were company vans, not mine. I just moved into my second Transit 250. The first one did 145k with only regular maintenance needed.

[Joe Garfield]

I put a new shock on my Street Triple and it was completely transformative. There's really nothing like having a properly fitting suspension - it makes the bike so much more fun, comfortable, and safe.

My last 2 bikes had custom suspension so I knew this bike could be so much better (the rear shock was really soft. On this bike I got lucky: there were 2 models of Daytona offered that year, the expensive one having an Ohlins shock that sells for a lot of $$$, and the cheaper one having a 'Triumph' (KYB?) shock, but still fully adjustable with high and low speed damping, plus a stiffer spring than the Street Triple. Most people don't realize that so it sells for cheap on eBay. I basically got a $1000 shock upgrade for $80. Now the bike feels rock solid and I ride it with much more confidence.

After recently doing the valve shimming, throttle body balancing, and timing adjustment, this bike is incredibly smooth with an addictive sound, and fun to ride.

[Burque73]

Roger, if I recall you had an Econoline van...
On the last two I had, the transmissions died with spectacular noise at around 100k miles. Thankfully they were company vans, not mine. I just moved into my second Transit 250. The first one did 145k with only regular maintenance needed.

Man, you have a good memory.
That E250 treaded me well while I had it. Unfortunately sold it and bought an F350 puckup. Big mistake! That truck, even after suspension upgrades, would rattle your teeth loose. Sold the F350 and bought a very used Ram B3500 van and that's what left me stranded. Back to a Ford truck.... for now at least.

On another note, I received my Shinko tourmasters for the GS. Soon, when the sun is warm enough to soften the rubber a bit, and I have time, I'll get them mounted. Looking forward to riding more this spring.

[Redman]

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Looking forward to riding more this spring.

Good to hear !
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