Great job! Now, how does she ride?? Hope you're "seaworthy" soon, it's cold enough at night here in Cali! Brrr...
How's that for a 'self aquired' B/Day present?? Great job!! Hope Spirit is ready for the road real soon.... Happy Trails!
Thanks everyone!! Afterward I took the rear wheel off, and Steve put another tire on it. He had a Shinko 705 that he only had a couple of thousand miles on. The Heidenau unfortunately did not last as long as I had hoped. It was a great tire though! I still had a couple of new brake pads that Jim had given me in Idaho, and decided to put them on seeing as one of the pads fell off as we took the caliper of the disc. Good thing I decided to, because I was on bare metal on the other pad!!! Steve also put the chain back on for me. I was glad, believe it or not, I was physically and emotionally drained from working on Spirit these last few days. I just didn't have any oomph any more Today I just have to tension the chain, align the rear wheel, put the seat and other small things back on , and take her for a test ride into town. Steve and his family are at the Liberty fair today, so let's see if I can manage not to get lost again. Thanks for sharing my life!
Just took her for a test ride! She ran great, almost effortless and quieter. The only thing that is different now is that she seems to vibrate a bit more. Iknow for sure that I did the balancer chain correct and the balancers. They have little dots that you line up, so you can't go wrong there. Maybe it's because she wasn't all loaded down, and because the engine now runs so much smoother. son't know, we'll see soon enough. So far I am really happy with the way she rides now.
One of the cooler feelings in the world when you push that button for the first time and she starts after open heart surgery. And the engine will smooth out a bit after it runs for a little while.
Don't forget to do an oil change real soon! (before 500 miles, twice within 500 won't hurt) Breaking in a 'new' motor will create some metal shavings, it's normal but...you need to get those out ASAP.
Very impressive work, complete tear-down and successful rebuild of motor while on the road. That would have stopped many people, but not NomadGal.
Happy Birthday (a little late) Congratulations on a job well done with that engine. Respect On with the ride.
Wow! Maybe I'll be able to take a few deep breaths now that you've tested it out. This has been a real traumatic thing to deal with, watching and reading as the motor began to be reassembled. Good thing it wasn't me who was doing the work, that's all I can say! You're really awesome, I hope that you know that! Good luck with your next plans and please keep riding and writing about all of it. It's such an adventure, me from my trusty recliner! Thanks so much for taking me along. Gary "Oldone" Grampas Lake Superior Ride Grampas National Monument Ride