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.