Monday, December 30, 2013

Soggy Balls Ride...

Lonely...at Mike's shop

Went and found two reluctant participants...

Oiling nicely...

Made it to our destination...


More rain...

and more...

still more...

It was that time of the year again! Time for the Frosty Balls ride! 
Every December my buddy Mike Wells has a birthday ride from his bike shop up to the Wagon Wheel Tavern on the first Sunday after Christmas. If you look back at previous posts you will see pics from years past. At it's zenith (a few years back) there were 170 bikes that took the ride. Then, of course, there was the year of the snow when thirty hearty souls followed me and all crashed (except me). Then last year there was ice and snow and only eight of us made the trip. This year the weather was great on Saturday but Sunday was shaping up to be miserable...
I stopped by Mike's shop Saturday to get a new primary chain for the Knuckle (see previous post) and I confirmed the ride was on for Sunday...weather reports said rain all day for Sunday...I told Mike I'd be there. I was sick as a dog with the flu or cold or whatever since Christmas Day...but I was determined to make it.
I awoke Sunday morning to a steady cold rain...39 degrees and a steady downpour...perfect for "what ales yeah". The ride leaves Mike's shop at 1 PM with people gathering around noon... I fired up the White Knuckle, with it's new primary chain and oil adjustments, and headed for the shop. I arrived to find the street and lot empty and the door locked! I sat there for a minute in the pouring cold rain and then decided to head down the road to a friends house who said he was going...
When I pulled up to his house I could see him and another buddy peering out the window cursing me. Apparently they were just about to get into their nice dry pick up and head to the shop. They knew they would never hear the end of it if I rode and they pussed out...so they saddled up with there girlfriends and followed me over...still no one else there...a few minutes later Mike showed up and a couple other people in trucks...no other bikes...
We had a couple of beers and I said let's go...even Mike said he wasn't stupid enough to ride in this shit and opted for his truck...fuck it...the three of us made the soaking ride. We hung out in drenched clothes for several hours. It was a good time!
It was dark when I left but the rain had subsided. As I hauled ass home on a twisty country road in the dark I came around a turn and unexpectedly hit the deepest flooded road I ever went through. The water musta been two feet deep! It was literally rushing up into my face as I blasted through it! It was like getting tossed by an unexpected wave at the beach...salty and all!
Soaked again! Lucky I have the snorkel muffler on the Knuckle! I just kept going and made it home...dripping wet, freezing and sicker than ever...another one for the Idiocracy Files...

Oh... and we officially changed the name of the ride from "Frosty Balls" to "Soggy Balls" for this year!

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Red Death...


This is what we call the "Red Death" for your primary chain.
Not enough or no oil getting to the primary. Time to fix the problem and install a new chain...

I removed my primary oil adjustment screw...

It had 14 shims on it already!


After hitting the hole with a shot of brake cleaner, I blew air into it to ensure clear passage...I then checked the breather/oiler in the primary and the air was passing through...

I borrowed a jam nut from the much longer Panhead pump adjusting screw.This way I can eliminate the 14 shims and have better (easier) control over the adjustment.

New chain installed...
Foot Note: The inner primary was powder coated red at one time. 
I blasted it and painted it black but left the inside red, it has nothing to do with the "Red Death" story...

Now I need to adjust everything ...as usual...

Everything is crusty and salty due to riding in the multiple 
snow storms in the past couple weeks...

Running to check oiling...
Knowing that the passage to the primary was clear I now wanted to make sure the oil was getting into the adjustment hole area. I left the screw out and ran the bike to ensure oil came out of the adjusting screw hole...it did...


Oil "O" Plenty!
I replaced the screw with the jam nut and flat washer installed (washer against the pump body) and messed with the setting while the bike was running until I got oil to the chain...If it's too much I'll back off the jam nut and bring in the screw...or maybe the problem was a clog that I fixed with the brake cleaner and air and I can go back to just some shims, either way she's oiling now! 
Now I know there is a proper setting of how many drops per second at a certain RPM is proper oiling (someone told me once)...but fuck if I can remember...I'll stick with over oil and screw in as needed...

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Shit...

WTF is flying over my Buick???

Friday, December 27, 2013

Summer...

It was well above 90 degrees that day in July...

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Roller Mag Beanies...The perfect Christmas Gift...

Made good use of the three Roller Beanies that accompanied my issues of Roller...
My three boys got 'em for Christmas....


Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Monday, December 23, 2013

Time to Pay Back Peter...







Borrow from Peter to Pay Paul...Been using my UL like a "You Pull It" Junk Yard. I stole the chrome rear brake set up, the headlight bulb and the timer band off it over the past couple years for other bikes. Well, the time has come to pay it back. I re-installed the rear brake yesterday. Next the timer band and then go buy a new headlight bulb...hhhmmmmm...now what did I do with that rear chain?

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Lights Out...



Salty Dog...

Needs a rinse and a Headlight bulb...

Popped the headlight ring (door) off my original paint, never opened Cycle Ray headlight..

Ring (door)...

Now to take a look inside...

This is going to require some finesse...

Minty Fresh!

Carefully separating the lens from the reflector 
trying to keep the original rubber seal intact

Success!

Man, look at that sweet reflector! Ready for a new bulb...

Have a bunch of NOS bulbs I picked up decades ago...

And there you have it! Light me up....

I was heading out the other night in the black ice and frigid temps for a 10 mile trip for some Wings and Lagers...I got about 5 miles out on some twisty pitch black country roads, navigating the black ice and snow when "pop" my headlight bulb takes a shit....
Choice time...
1. Find a safe place to pull off and call someone to get me or
2. Continue the 5 miles to my destination with no lights and deal with it all later in the evening or
3. Spin around and do the five miles in the dark with no lights back to the garage, grab another mode of transportation and go from there...
Although choice 2. was tempting I opted for Choice number 3. Honestly, I didn't think of Choice 1. until today...
The headlight on the Knuckle was a mint Cycle Ray that I picked off a nice original untouched Harley Hummer I picked up a few years back. Both beams worked at the time so I bolted it up and went down the road. That was about a year and a half ago. One beam went "Bye, Bye" a while ago, leaving he remaining one to crap out at the perfect time...(this week).

Friday, December 20, 2013

Pan Project...



1961 FLH Motor

Popped it in a 1950 Frame with a 1947 Springer...

Helping out a friend on this one...