rework

Sometimes the things that aren't broken are the ones that need fixed the most. Couldn't stand the huge & ugly stock clamp, so I shaved up the lever & fabbed a new weld on mount. I'll get better pics after I test it out & get it completely finished.

GS550 in Oroville, Ca.

Yuba River Ride

I went exploring yesterday & this ride was a blast! Thought I'd go for an hour or so & ended up closer to three. Being that I rarely made it to third gear, I only burned about a half tank of gas too! I've already got plans in mind for an over-nighter or two next year. I also had a nice little talk with the local law enforcement on my way home about my motorcycle & it's lack of mirrors & signals. Oops.

The one that got away...

This bike showed up on another blog & I had to steal the pic. This is my "one that got away". About 10 years ago, I had the opportunity to buy this killer little Indian Scout (yes, this very bike) but at the time the price seamed too steep. So I let it go & I've regretted it ever since. Good to see it's still in the SF bay area though.

Good Times...

The Throwbacks Season Closer was a great time. Even though I was only able to make it to a couple of them this year, Flashback Fridays have become one of my favorite events. The vibe here is totally friendly & just like they state in their flyers, no attitudes. That combined with a super diverse crowd of some incredible bikes really makes for a great time. To top it all off there was even a live rockabilly band. Now how can you beat all that?

-----Last chance!-----

Z's...

Finnish welding.

Then give 'em the minus touch with a little satan black.

Mounted.

Now just need to figure out how to extend my clutch cable without spending sixty bucks. Stay tooned.

TIMBUCTOO....

I've passed by this monument every day for over a year now, so a couple of days ago I decided to stop & see what the hell it was. Glad I did. Cool stuff.

z-bars

A little early morning fab before work.

'51 Studebaker

An older gent pulled up in this bad mo-chine at the job site this morning to take a walk with his wife. '51 Studi, complete with big block Ford & bulldog security. Righteous.

Heroes

Waylon & Buddy. Stolen from the face book.

Fish Hauler

When I showed up to do some work for the Feather River Hatchery yesterday morning, I was surprised when I saw this sitting in their garage. They say it stays in storage most of the time. Apparently this truck was actually used to haul fish way back when. Very cool.

Yuba River

Took a quick detour on my way home from work today. Yuba River at Highway 20. Hope I'm able to keep the ride pics coming. This bike is running pretty great but I did loose the shift lever this morning about half way to work. Rode the rest of the way in 4th gear then found the lever later today. Good & bad fortune; I swear this bike is cursed.

Local event!

For more info: THROWBACKS MC

On the road again...

A little late night gasket scraping & early morning wrenching & this bike is back on the road. My friend Jared joined me for a quick shake-down run early this morning & it was smooooth sailin'! Unfortunately, I had to grab a back-up battery because it seems I cooked the other on our last ride. Other than that though, the Swamp Donkey is running (& charging) better than ever! I've even got the carb closer to being dialed in. One more jet size up & I think she'll be good. Hopefully the next pics will be from the road.

SWAMP DONKEY LIVES

Stay tooned for pictures. It's either not possible to post them here from my phone or I'm just too old to figure out how.

Dig it.

Stole this from the face book.

Marysville

a little progress

Pulled the clutch hub/ rotor last night found exactly the scenario I've been reading about. Magnets had let loose & destroyed the stator in the process. You can see the shield over the magnets of the new rotor, hopefully eliminating this problem for ever. There is a big difference in the strength of the magnets however. The magnets on the new rotor are much weaker than the ones on the old factory part. Hopefully that won't be a problem.

Here's where it got interesting. The piece pictured in the center rotates independently in the clutch hub, but when I installed it in the new hub I couldn't get it to set in far enough & it also would not rotate at all. So I pulled it back apart & upon further inspection I found that the c-clips are totally different & that the ears on the new one were causing the whole problem. A quick swap & I was back in business. A quick fix, but How has this been over looked; & worse, what if I hadn't caught it???