Working on an engine is delicate work. You have to carefully follow the instructions or things can go straight to hell from there. Naturally, I failed to read the instructions properly when it came to removing the caps covering the valves. Apparently there is a certain order to do this and I did pretty much the opposite. It worked anyways. Fortsätt läsa Digging into the engine
månadsarkiv: december 2014
Work in progress
After a lazy Christmas I finally went down to the garage to do a little work on the bike. Most of the work was unfortunately spent on trying to fix two flat tires on a baby stroller, but I got down to business and at least removed the ignition cover and the valve cover. And this is where everything starts to become complicated… Fortsätt läsa Work in progress
Highsider headlight
Being impatient, I immediately went out to get my headlight, a Highsider British Style 7 inch matte black from Bikermart. I was not disappointed. With the bike being in pieces, I haven’t seen it on nor do I have had the time to test the function but it sure looks good. Unlike the previous headlight I used, a China version for half the price and specified for half the wattage, I know this will be a great improved. Fortsätt läsa Highsider headlight
Let there be light
Say what?! A notice from the Postal Service? It’s not even Christmas yet and I got a present? Oh, wait a minute. This must be… can it really… YES, it is my new headlight that I, MYSELF, ordered as one of the countless gifts I felt that I deserved after a more or less rough year. And just in time for the holidays too, things are really going my way now! Fortsätt läsa Let there be light
Off my bucket list
Yesterday I accomplished, with a bit of help from a friend, one of the things that have been on my bucket list forever: disassembling a bike into its core parts. Yup, I am finally done with it and everything is in pieces. A frame there, a swingarm there, a bracket to the rear brake caliper on a shelf and so on. And man, do I feel proud of myself. Of course I realize that taking it apart is way easier than putting it back together, but it has always been a dream of mine to be able to say that I took a bike apart and then rebuilt it.
Framework
A couple of more hours in the garage. I got some really nice bar mounts I bought on eBay and they turned out to be perfect for mounting my Acewell speedometer. I also managed to remove the wire harness from the frame, the tail section and some other junk. It’s more or less naked from now on, and I am pushing my imagination to the limit in coming up with a new, cool but functional tail section without having to cut it. Swedish regulations are pretty harsh on those matters… Fortsätt läsa Framework
Ah, the pressure
Dismantling the Beast continues. I’ve never seen her in this state before. It’s like finding the remains of an old, fast dinosaur. Just clean picked bones remain. Maybe a little bit more at the moment but not much. Yesterday I drained and removed the cooling system according to the old principle “half in the jug, half on the floor”. Fortsätt läsa Ah, the pressure
Paint it black
Okay, I might not be the most original builder-wannabe out there. But hey, black is always a good choice. And now I am totally into the idea of powder coating the frame and swingarm satin black. Not flat, not glossy but just a tad of light reflecting off the frame. Add a polished engine to that, maybe a polished exhaust system, a few engine covers painted in copper, a round matte black headlight and I’ll think you’ll have a pretty sleek bike. Fortsätt läsa Paint it black
Dismantling love
It’s been pretty quiet in here the last few days. The reason for this is simple and joyful: I’ve been busy dismantling my baby, my Beast, my CBR600 F2. I’ve never been this deep into the hardware of a bike before. It feels a bit like Star Trek, you know, “To boldly go where no man’s gone before”. Most of all I want to get the engine out for inspection and leave the frame for sandblasting and powder coating. While I’m at it, I might as well clean, inspect and lubricate everything else. Fortsätt läsa Dismantling love
The value of interest
E
veryone knows it: passion makes up for a lot of things. “I’d rather hire someone with a genuine passion than skills because I can teach him (or her) the latter while the former has to come from within.” It’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs to reason this way when hiring. And it is absolutely true. Fortsätt läsa The value of interest