Another inexpensive tool worth every penny

I've removed the rear wheel and tire from most of my bikes at least once. For the shaft drive Kawasaki Concours, it's an easy if somewhat cumbersome process getting the wheel back in place and everything lined up.

For my Harley-Davidsons it's a completely different problem. I can imagine it's the same for chain drive bikes, but I haven't owned one in a long time. Getting the wheel into place and the axle through is fairly easy, as a rear wheel without a gear drive attached is much lighter. But then the fun starts, getting the proper chain or belt tension and the rear wheel and axle aligned so the bike tracks properly.

What a PITA! Being cheap, I originally didn't buy an alignment tool-how hard could this be? Really hard, so I broke down and bought a simple tool.

Best $16 I've spent on a bike ever! Get the tension you need, use the tool to mark the distance on that side of the bike (yes, Harley Sportsters but the belt on the "other side"!), go to the opposite side, slide axle into alignment, tighten everything, check again, torque everything and go for a "test ride"!

Full Disclosure, I am an Amazon Associate and will receive a small percentage of sales made through the link.

Sold the Honda CB750F Project Bike Parts

Three years ago I traded a 12-string guitar and a custom cigar box guitar I made to a friend for his project CB750 parts.  I was going to make a rigid bobber or streamlined, Exile Cycles style trike but life and other projects plus restarting my financial services business resulted in zero work on it.

Well, I decided since I wasn't going to be able to build a bike for at least another year, I should sell these parts and maybe later build a bike with other "donor-cycles".  Craigslist ad got  a few responses, and I sold the bike for what I was asking plus delivery money to someone fairly close by.

Hope he enjoys it and gets his CB750 back in the wind soon!

A Couple of Quick Updates

Working on the bikes, prepping the 1986 Connie for sale plus checking what might be my options with the 1974 Honda CB750.  Odds are I'm going to sell it too-while I'd love to build a bobber or trike with it, the time and funds to do that right aren't going to be available for atleast 6 months and maybe more like two years.

Riding the 1994 Connie prior to a massive service on it (all fluids, test mount bodywork and prep for paint) and the Harley, so I'm still in the wind.

Does the bike make the rider? Musings while riding

Like many motorcyclists, I've owned a number of bikes, and bikes from a variety of styles for road riding.  From the Honda XL250 Enduro I got most my first miles on, to probably 6 or 7 cruisers, one or two standards, a vintage sportbike (Ninja 900, aka "the Top Gun bike"), 2 Kawasaki Concours sport tourers, and among the cruisers a Harley Sportster and a Street Glide.

Currently I have a ride one of the Concours and the Street Glide.  Before that it was one of the Connies and a Sportster.  So I had a fairly big sport-tourer and a Harley as my bikes for most the past decade.

What I noticed, especially if riding them back-to-back, or the next day, is I actually rode differently depending on which bike I was on.  Not only did they handle differently (side note-the Sportster handled more like a sport-tourer than any other cruiser I've owned, and with good power-to-weight, it was one of the quicker bikes I've owned), I rode differently-often more aggressively on the Harleys.  More attitude, more "this is my lane/space".  That's not to say at times I have fully used the Connie's impressive roll-on speed, even as a 30 year old bike!  But there is just something about being on the Harleys, at least to me.

Do you find yourself riding differently on different bikes if you own more than one?  How about if you've switched styles?  I'd love to read your comments about this!

1400 miles to go

Just a quick post as I haven't updated this blog in a while.  I'm still riding the 1986 Connie and slowly getting the 94 back together.  The 86 now has 98,600+ miles on it and depending on work travel should roll over 100,000 miles in April.  Then it will be time for a tough decision as the registration is due that month.  It's not very expensive to renew, but I will be re-registering the 94 once it's back on the road too.  Insuring and registering two bikes (plus the project bike when it's done) gets expensive since I travel a lot and can only ride one anyway!

Upcoming posts

OK, not much to this post, just a preview of some topics I want to cover this week:

Concours C-10 Bodywork project update
Further restoration of the 1994 Concours including tank lock and leak repairs
Troubleshooting of the 1986 Concours electrical problem by the pros at Poway Motorcycle
Hopefully some riding!

So stay in tune if you are looking for Concours info as I'm probably not doing any work on the Honda chopper project until December.

Quick update related to yesterday's post and time to do some BikeBandit shopping

Yesterday I FINALLY got back in the wind and it had probably been over a month since I have ridden.  I sold my Sportster earlier this year, had the 1994 Connie apart for restoration, and then lost the headlight on the 86 Connie.  So I started troubleshooting the 86 but couldn't solve the problem quickly, as I detailed in earlier posts about electrical gremlins.  I was going to scavenge parts from the 94, but that didn't work either.  Short on time and traveling for work, I began using my truck.  One week turned into two, into more work travel and next thing I know I hadn't ridden in far too long.  Monday my truck decided to also not run right (it's old, carbs still aren't quite set-up right, blah blah blah) and I had to get something else on the road.

So I did, and riding yesterday was great!  Sure some of it was riding in evening rush hour traffic, but at least I was on a bike!  Being in California, I also could "filter" or lane-split/share, a huge benefit both time and sanity wise.  Having not ridden I am adding a few extra miles to rides even.

With all that said, I realized I haven't changed the oil in "Belle" the 94 since I bought her in February and have no idea how long the oil was in the bike before that.  I need a filter and some parts for the CB 750 project bike, so I'll be on BikeBandit later today getting some motorcycle maintenance supplies.  I'm looking to do a Concours oil change, re-assemble the Honda CB750 as a rolling chassis at a minimum.  Depending on time and having another strong back to help I may even re-install the engine.  But I also want to ride!

Keep it dirty side down-or if you run rat bikes or beater-style, dirty side up and down!

And so it begins-new to me CB750 project bike in the storage shed

A friend and his wife recently let me know he had a project bike for a chopper build.  Unfortunately he won't be riding anymore, as I met them after he was in a very bad motorcycle wreck.  He is being medically retired from the Marines and didn't want to move the bike back across the country and offered it to me.  Not wanting to take advantage of his misfortune, I offered to trade for it instead of just picking it up.  Saturday I took a Fender 12-string guitar and one of my custom cigar box guitars to their house and picked up the bike parts he had.  He threw in some Harley take-off parts, mainly some pipes and heat guards, but I left the quick release parts for Harleys as they could sell those quickly.

What he had was a torn down Honda CB750.  While many of the smaller parts were left at their long-term home by the military movers, the main parts are all there.  Tight 1976 single overhead cam engine, frame, front forks with wheel and tire, rear tire and sprocket and a few other pieces!  Since the rear swingarm and shock weren't included, the first order of business will be either replacing that or getting a weld on hardtail to make it a "roller".

So the bottom line is I own a cruiser again after a month or so of not having one but it's in parts in my storage shed.  The plan is to finish restoring the 1994 Connie while riding Miss Swail, my 1986 Connie while planning what the first version of the CB 750 will be and accumulating parts.  Next winter I'll assemble the chopper at least to a street legal and running bike, then sort out what to make it into.  Initially I'm planning on my standard black rattle can paint job, wrapped pipes and no frills.

I'm guessing it will cost me about another $1000 to get to that point, meaning I'll still be under $1500 since the 12-string was a Craigslist find and the cigar box guitar was probably only $50 in parts or less to make.

Let's get choppin'!