Crash Test Dummy

I took my crash bar off! The bike looks so much better without it. Now I just have to not lay the bike down. I didn't really want to anyway. 

Big girl ride

Today, I am going for a big girl ride! We are going to the bookstore and then for ice cream. Weee! That means we have to ride on REAL roads, IN TRAFFIC. Aaahhh! Look out!

The coolest

My hair now officially matches my bike. See for yourself. You didn't believe me, did you? Thought so.You should tell me I'm the coolest.

Damn.

Just found my key. It was wedged into the top of my pocket. Damn. Oh well. Isn't that how it always is? Then again, I needed spares, and they would have had to take out the ignition anyway to do that. Now I have three keys, which is good. But damn. 

Success!

Yay! New keys! Two of them. Tied a giant turquoise bow around my spare (yes, it matches the bike) so I won't lose it. I highly recommend Jones Locksmiths on Madison Ave. Hooray!

Bummed

As with everything else, I managed to lose my only key to the ignition of my bike. Sigh. If you know me, you definitely know that this is my MO. And I was so careful too. Jones Locksmiths are coming today at 3 to see what they can do. Sad Lina.

Juicy juice

I finally got the battery charger I bought to work. I tried to follow the directions and connect one end to the metal frame, but wa-wa, nothing. So I just went ahead and hooked up both ends of the battery, and voila, battery is now fully charged. Yay!

Pretty baby!

Blurry but tough

Juice

Over the weekend and late last week, both Ben and I had problems starting our bikes. We quickly figured out that both our bikes have somewhat of an issue charging their batteries, but that is probably from us just riding around town and never really getting the rpms high enough to charge the battery. With freshly charged batteries, both bikes fire right up with the buttons. I do have some "battle-bruises" from kick-starting my bike, but I think maybe that makes me a little cooler. I'll just own it.

Polluting

One more thing this morning (and yes, I will try to get some new pics posted over the weekend). My bike leaks a little gas on the left side. I can't remember exactly what Will said it was, but he said it's either a gasket (and I can point to where it is, but I can't remember what it's called, hehe) or the leak is from further up. I am not sure why he wouldn't have checked if it is indeed that gasket, doesn't seem like a huge job to me, but maybe this is something I am supposed to figure out myself. On another note, I also remember several people telling me that it seems this is a common issue on 1970s Hondas. I think maybe both Ben's and Jarrod's bikes do the same thing, and maybe I heard either Jason or Josh say something about that too. Then again, Jason doesn't have a 70s Honda, but I guess he could have been talking about Josh's bike, or just from experience. Or, then again, I could be crazy, which is always an option. So I think that might be the first thing I try to figure out myself. I'm gonna count that more as a "real" issue than replacing the battery, although I am still pretty proud of that. Next couple of major things I need fixed (probably sometime this summer still) include replacing both tires (they are between $60 and $70 a piece or so, plus the labor, so that will cost me somewhere around $200 or maybe more), and I also need new rear brakes. Will said my brake pads are at their limit, but I am still not sure if I have brake pads. Maybe you always do? I may just be crazy for thinking that there are no brake pads on these types of brakes. So there we go with the crazy again. Later taters.

Commuter

I totally rode my bike to work this morning. And, except that I was 15 minutes late because I had troubles starting it, things went smoothly. The roads are wet because of all the rain we have had, but we had no problems going in. I go pretty slowly though. Good thing there isn't much traffic at 7am in Muncie. I was a little unhappy about it not starting well though. Last night I had no problems because Will rode it over to my house from the shop, so it started right up with the button. This morning however, it almost turned over, but not quite, about 2 or 3 times, then nothing. So I tried to kick it (and of course ended up hurting myself over and over again), but I got it started after a few tries. In all honesty, I probably should have gotten up sooner and anticipated some of these issues, but I am pretty lazy so I walked out to the garage at about 10 till and tried to start it. It's weird to me that the bike eventually started, but then as soon as I throttled it, it died. I think I need to get better at adjusting the choke when it's cold. I remember that about my old bike. You just have to figure out how it wants to be started. We'll get there. Watch out for bikes!

Waking up the neighborhood

It's official. My neighbors hate me. Once I finally got Pete back last night, I rode him around for about 2 hours, up and down the streets of our neighborhood, back and forth, and around the block. So fun. We still obviously have to get used to one another, but we are working things out. Wish for good weather for us!

Goggles

I am considering these.

Jealous

For his birthday Ben got these super-awesome goggles from Mitchell and Jenny. I am super-jealous. I will probably get super-bugs in my eyes. Super.

Pete's return

Thursday both Pete and Hank will be ready to come home. I can't wait. Will have to practice some before we hit the road!

More Puch

Check out this link for more info on Puch Classic Motorcycles.

Corrected

As it turns out, Pete is not my first motorcycle. I have been referring to my 15th birthday present as a moped. But it was not. While I am unsure of the year (it seems it was probably a 1977), it was this righteously cool Puch Monza. I rode it to school for the better part of two years. Oh yeah.

Permitted

Totally got my learner's permit today! See you on the road - weeeee!

Commentatorship

You should definitely check out the comments on the older posts, especially "more sparks". If you know anything about bikes, have ideas, or just words of encouragement (or ridicule for that matter), please share! Later.

Title-riffic

After three trips to the License Branch, four phone calls to the local branch and the main branch in Indy, as well as two police officer affidavits, I finally got my title! What a tremendous relief to not have to deal with that any longer. This week, we are both taking the test for our permits, and Ben should get his helmet just in time for his birthday! The bikes are still at Taylor, but will hopefully be done at the end of the week. Turns out I need a new chain altogether, which is only going to run me about $80 luckily. Later!

Helmet

Oh and I got my helmet today! Woo-hoo! I still think it gives me mushroom head, but I guess that's the way it is. Oh well. I still think I'll look awesome!

Gone, baby gone

So they came and picked up our bikes this afternoon and we miss them already. But I am super-excited for Pete to be ready to hit the road! I feel like I should write a country song... "they came and took my baby away". Sigh. In about a week and a half we should be getting them back. Wee!

Pickup line

Taylor is coming to pick up our bikes Tuesday. Will is going to go through Pete thoroughly, checking the brakes and giving him an oil change and some other things. He is also replacing those cables and adjusting the throttle. Pete is going to be good as new when I get him back! They are picking up Hank to put on a new tire (the rear one, I think). Hank will also be good as new. That same day I should get my helmet so you know what that means! As soon as I get Pete back, I am taking him for a spin around the block. I am super-excited. I wonder how long it will take at Taylor? Probably not very long. Wee!

Another naming ceremony

Ben's bike was named Hank yesterday afternoon.

Baptism

So I have spent the last few days thinking of a good name for my new friend, the bike. You have to have a name. One came to me right when I saw the bike, but I wanted to really mull it over since these are important decisions. But I decided that usually the first thing that pops into your mind is what you should go with, and I settled on Pete. Pete the bike. I also thought of Turk, or Turkleton; a hybrid between one of my favorite TV shows (Christopher Turk on Scrubs) and its color (Turquoise). But I didn't feel like explaining myself all the time. So Pete it is! I am surrounded by one-syllable named boys in my life (Ben, Sam and now, Pete). Later taters!

His and hers

Look how cute, now we both have bikes. And they are both 1970's Honda CBs!!

Ben is happy

Ben finally got his bike! It was a really good deal, and the guy he bought it from brought a whole bunch of extra parts; a new front tire, new spark plugs, new fuel filter, and a spare front fender. The bike is wet in these pics, but check out the condition it is in, unreal!

Captions

I updated my photo album with captions and did some rearranging and deleting of duplicates. Check it out here.

Covered

Here's another minor thing. One cover is missing (the left). The guy who sold me the bike said he had it, but it fell off in his buddy's truck. He said he would send it to me, we'll see.

Slippery noodle

My dad told me I need to get some plastic or rubber covers for my footrests. Otherwise they will both be slippery and can do some crazy damage if you lay the bike down. I'm gonna try really hard not to do that (like really, really hard), but just in case, I may have to take care of those footrests.

Daily grind?

So here's another issue, the bigger stand on the bottom of the bike rubs on the chain. I am making a wild guess, but I think that when they replaced the back tire, the chain somehow came lose and there is too much slack. If you pull on the chain, there is a lot of extra chain. You can pull it out pretty far, which seems like a not so good thing to me.

They obviously also rode it around like that for a while, because there is a big groove in the stand. It's probably not a big deal, but it seems like something I should probably have the repair-man have a look at. I can't wait to get the bike back from Taylor! Woo-hoo! Here are a few pictures.

No more sparks

So I finally figuerd out the battery-fire issue. By backing up the cable a little bit it made it a lot better, but really the big issues was that when I put the seat down, it pushes the cable down and part of the metal touches the metal box that holds the battery. So it was a ground issue, just like my dad said. I am going to wrap that part of the cable in electrical tape to get it insulated better. Ta da! No more sparks on my bottom (that's where they would have gone).

Lots of pics

Here's a link to a slideshow of all the photos I have taken so far. No captions yet, but I'll try to get those on there soon.

Noggin wear

I did some math today and figured that my brain is worth about $81,000 after six years of college. That's a rough estimate, but probably pretty close. So I bought myself a helmet! I got one of those low-profile helmets that supposedly doesn't give you mushroom head, because a girl has to worry about these things! I was very close to getting the pink one (although Jenny wanted me to get the one with blue flames on it, very fast!), but I went with the matte black. Très chique. Stylishly, Lina.

New bike, again

Ben just bought his bike today! It's a 1974 Honda CB 550 - beautiful condition! Pictures to come soon. It's got great vintage orange paint with speckles!

Is it cheating?

OK, so I stopped by Taylor Sales this afternoon to just ask about the cost of having some work done to the bike. First of all, their motorcycle repair guy is super-nice. His name is Will. I told him about the bike and what I think needs to be done, and he gave me some ideas (although of course he needs to see the bike to know for sure). For about $150 I could get the cables replaced, get an oil change and have him go through all the major parts. They'll even come pick it up for dirt cheap. This also includes checking the brakes and some other essentials (stopping is essential apparently). This would probably mean $150 + about $50 for a helmet + $9 for the title + cost of permit and a few other odds and ends, maybe $250 would get me on the road. It is awfully tempting. And tonight we are going to look at a bike for Ben! Wee!

CB350 guide

So I just found this very cool CB 350 page. Judging from this, my bike is a CB 350 K2. Here are some nice pics of what my bike might have originally looked like, or at least similar bikes in really nice shape.

New bike friend!

So I found out that a friend of my husband's, Jose, apparently is a kick-ass bike mechanic! Wee! I love friends who can fix motorcycles. I saw him again today and he offered to come over and look at it. I am so lucky to be surrounded by people who not only know what they are doing, but who are totally willing to help. Here are a few examples: Jason, Jarrod, Jose (and their names all apparently start with a J!), oh, and I also found out that my Uncle Tom is a motorcycle aficionado! Fabulous. Of course there is also my dad who has spent a great deal of his life working on bikes and cars, and could probably fix anything. And then there's my ever-so-patient husband who puts up with all my shenanigans. So I guess this is my shout-out to all the awesome people who are helping me out. Thanks guys!

Air photos

This is what they look like right now.

Aerodynanamics

The next item on my list, beside from the cables, is to put the original air filters and covers back on. This I worry a little bit about, but since I wasn't scared about the battery (that part could have hurt), this should be fine, too. See? Aren't these covers much prettier? I'll upload a picture of what the other filters look like. I probably have to buy new actual filters for the inside though. They look like they are full of schmutz.

Introductions, with titles

So I have already learned a few lessons with this purchase, but it seems I lucked out. First of all, the guy I bought the bike from was very upfront about the fact that he did not have a title for the bike. He had owned it for years, traded it with some guy, and then gotten it back. He told me the whole story, which seemed like a good sign. Where I went wrong, was when I forgot to ask for a bill of sale. But thanks to the fact that I work in very close proximity to the Police Department, I have made some good friends with badges who walked me through what I needed to do (and shook me, too, for not getting a bill of sale, hehe). The Indiana BMV has changed their procedures when it comes to titles, and it is now much easier to get a replacement title. All you need is a Affidavit from a police officer (I got that), this includes a VIN check to make sure it's not stolen, which it wasn't (sigh of relief), and, yep, a bill of sale. Once you have those two pieces of documentation, you pay $9 at the license branch and they no longer send a notice to the last title holder. That could have been a mess. I contacted the seller, and he was more than happy to oblige. Nice guy, it turns out.

More sparks

Yay! So I loosened that thingy that sits around the screw and I have much less sparks. My friend Jason Short, who as far as I am concerned is the best motorcycle mechanic around (!!), told me "little bit of sparks" in a text-reply to my picture of the battery and a jolly "are there supposed to be sparks" text. So I started the bike back up and it ran for a solid 2 minutes before there were any sparks, and then there were only a few. So I'll call it a success, for now. Next, on to the idle problem! The first time I started it today, it idled around a clucking (cluck cluck like a really big chicken, the way I think it's supposed to sound) 1000 RPM. Then I barely touched the throttle and it shot up to 5000 RPM, and every time after that I started it, it went right up to 5000 RPM. So I'm thinking that cable replacement might come in handy soon. See ya.

Cables etcetera

What's wrong?

So far, here's what I have gathered needs to be taken care of before I can ride it. There is definitely an issue with the throttle. The cable looks old and crummy so maybe once I replace it, it'll get better. Now I just need to figure out how to replace it. As a matter of fact, almost all the cables look like they need replaced, so that will be next order of business. It is possible that I need to adjust the idle, but I have looked and looked, and I cannot for the life of me find the adjuster. I think I know what it's supposed to look like. I read somewhere online that sometimes you need to adjust the carbs for timing and that this can affect the idle. But for now, I'll assume it's the cable. Here are some pics, too. I was also told that I need to have the carbs cleaned. That sounds like a good idea. I am also very concerned about the horn not working. A girl has got to be able to make some noise. Later.

Sparks continued

Here's where I think I went wrong. See the screw on the left side there? I am pretty sure the little horseshoe-shaped red wire end shouldn't be as snuggly in there as it is. I think it's just barely supposed to touch. For some reason I remember this as being essential. So I am pretty sure that I have worked up the nerves to go out there and try again. I'll let you know how it goes.

And then there was fire

Yep. There was. One of those things that I know needed to be fixed was the battery. No big deal, I removed the old battery and took it to Battery Masters down the street and they checked it for me (for free mind you, and tried to charge it overnight, also for free). It wasn't working, so I bought a new one. My first investment in my bike since I bought it! Yay! $35 later, I went to put the new battery in place of the old one. Still, pretty simple stuff. I installed the new one, without complications. At first. At this point I am feeling really proud, yet recognizing that this might not even actually qualify as motorcycle repair. But I'm counting it. I push the button, and the engine turns over. Eureka! Houston we have contact. I am super-proud. Until suddenly, giant sparks start flying across the room. Now, I know a bit about physics and electrical current, at least enough to know to not touch metal that is shooting sparks. Simultaneously, the idle keeps getting higher and higher (my throttle sticks somehow, that's next order of business...), and I felt the panic building. Holy crap balls, how the hell do you turn something off that is sparking and all metal? Well, I braved it and turned it off (then on again and off again, a couple of more times for fun). I disconnected the battery, still shooting sparks about a foot across the room. Of course I took pictures, but without the sparks.

Pretty!

Getting acquainted

First order of business was of course some spring cleaning. I like to think of this venture as me saving this bike. So I gave it a nice once-over with some steel wool, a tooth brush and plenty of elbow grease. Good start, right? Well, there are lots of things that need to be taken care of before I can ride so now I just have to figure out what those things are. Which will lead me to my next post. First, some more pics.

The bike and I

So I bought a motorcycle. Most people who know me will probably say "what?!". Most people who really know me will say "OK, that fits". My dad's a gear-head, his brother was, and I bet my little brother thinks I am pretty cool right now. Yep, it fits. So here's the kicker, I bought a bike that needs work. It's beautiful; totally vintage, candy-green with white stripes, exactly what I wanted. But I know absolutely squat about motorcycles. Which is sort of funny. But I also get totally frantic when I don't know how something works, and then I figure it out. It's really quite simple. And bikes are easy, right? You're laughing aren't you. It's OK. This blog will be the testament to this journey, and we'll see if I can't get this puppy on the road before summer is over. Later.