Pics at last!

[Hal]

[Old Fogey]

Finally got all the wiring done. Switched on and everything seemed to work fine (to my surprise!), but although the battery had been on the charger and was showing full, in just the short time the electric pump took to fill the carbs, it dropped to a level that would not turn the starter.
Time to hunt for a new battery. Not to surprised that it failed. It was the one that came on the hike when I got it, so at least four years old and probably a LOT more than that.
I talked with Cyborg and decided that the AGM type was the one to go for.

Whoooooeeeeeee! Them's pricy over here! Anywhere up to £180 / $280.

Much hunting later, I find a what I think is one at the right price, phone them to find it's a lead/acid normal one. The salesman guides me to the right one, but it's a good chunk dearer. I ummm and aahh about it, it's near shutting time and their delivery courier has just arrived to pick up the day's sales............
I get it for the same price as the other one and they throw in overnight delivery! .

So yesterday it gets fitted, pump fills carbs in no time flat and she tries to start first press of the button.
But only on two pots!
I pull the other two plugs to test for spark.

HOLY MACKEREL !! Sparks like a pair of 45amp arc welders! You simply would not believe the difference between what I have now and the stock 'candles'.

Now, I really was NOT going to tell you guys this, but some of the fellas at the 'meet and greet' know and I'd sooner embarrass myself than have them do it for me.

I was not at all sure which coil was connected to which Dyna module, and anyway in the event that they were the wrong way round you cannot get to the coil terminals without removing them. Great piece of design!
But the HT leads are easy enough to swop round, so I swapped them and she ran... in the other two pots!
I jumped into the house and checked the manual again to make sure I had them right. Still no joy. Phone Doug.
He tells me something completely different; check another manual. Sure enough, the Honda manual bears out what he is saying. Go down and put leads as per. Instant start!

The Clymer Book Of Lies is now F.I.B. (filed in bucket!)

Although she is now starting instantly and idling reasonably, the carbs are hanging when the throttle is blipped and anything above idle is rough. So they are off and getting cleaned (again) as we speak.

[robin1731]

Yeah John, there were a few of us right next to Doug while he was talking to you on the phone. I'm sure someone would have said something.

I did hear Doug he wouldn't say a word. But he didn't have to worry with that many ears around.

Glad you got it going. At least it's closer now.

[polkadot]

OK, whats the most obvious reason for the brake light to be on? The brake lever was depressed.

Getting warmer!

Hey, wait a minute! How is my answer not correct? Even Alex Trabek would give me credit for that one. Tough judge! Glad the bike is running.

[Old Fogey]

OK, whats the most obvious reason for the brake light to be on? The brake lever was depressed.

Getting warmer!

Hey, wait a minute! How is my answer not correct? Even Alex Trabek would give me credit for that one. Tough judge! Glad the bike is running.

Ok, ok, you were right!..............................almost

Oh yeah: another thing (is there no end to this ridiculousness?) was that because it was running rough I put the timing light on to it; you know, the one that was telling me I had an ignition fault. A few sporadic flashes then it quit altogether!
Ah well; maybe I had a problem or maybe I didn't ( I did have the one where it would NOT run with the ballast resister in place) but at least now I have an REAL ignition system, along with scorch marks on my bank card!

[Old Fogey]

The power of Ultrasonics!

I stripped the carbs right down, since at the last time they were done I didn't have the ultrasonic tank.
Now, I really believed them to be as clean as possible at that last build, and they have only done about 15 miles on the road plus all the faffing about whilst trying to find the misfire. They still looked perfectly clean but check this out!
The tank and water were totally clean before I started. Amazing.

DSCN0267 (Small).JPG

[polkadot]

Works for French Fries Too?

[robin1731]

The power of Ultrasonics!

I stripped the carbs right down, since at the last time they were done I didn't have the ultrasonic tank.
Now, I really believed them to be as clean as possible at that last build, and they have only done about 15 miles on the road plus all the faffing about whilst trying to find the misfire. They still looked perfectly clean but check this out!
The tank and water were totally clean before I started. Amazing.

It is pretty amazing isn't it? What did you use in the cleaner. Plain water or did you mix it with anything? I use a mix of simple green and distilled water in mine. And yeah, it get ugly pretty quick.

[robin1731]

Works for French Fries Too?

Well, they work great for cleaning jewelry. That's what they use at the store's. Glasses too. But I don't think french fries would cook very well. They don't get that hot.

[Old Fogey]

It is pretty amazing isn't it? What did you use in the cleaner. Plain water or did you mix it with anything? I use a mix of simple green and distilled water in mine. And yeah, it get ugly pretty quick.

I use a dedicated carb cleaner made for ultrasonics. Not cheap @ £25 / $40 for 5 ltrs but does a fantastic job. Used at anything between 20:1 and 10:1 ratio depending on how dirty the parts are.

Not fried, but well cooked @ 80C. The heat makes all the difference.

[robin1731]

I use a dedicated carb cleaner made for ultrasonics. Not cheap @ £25 / $40 for 5 ltrs but does a fantastic job. Used at anything between 20:1 and 10:1 ratio depending on how dirty the parts are.

I've thought about trying that. I have had very good luck with the simple green/distilled water mix though. A lot cheaper too.

And yes, the heat does make a difference.

[Old Fogey]

Got the carbs rebuilt and the throttle cables nicely oiled, but before fitting them I thought to do a compression check.
Remember this engine has only run for few minutes after doing the coils, having not even been turned over for 10 months.

Stone cold engine: #1 170, #2 150, #3 175, #4 155. Don't seem too bad!

[Oldewing]

Box her up and ship the both of you over for a long ride

[Old Fogey]

Box her up and ship the both of you over for a long ride

That's what I plan to do Greg, but still investigating the shipping possibilities. It's VERY expensive for a return shipping and my nearest port to ship from is about 180 miles away.
Of course, the best option would be one way, for both bike and me! But that is looking very unlikely to do for me , legally at least.
You know, I find the fact that a country, that was in reality started by the English and then further populated by other immigrants, finds it so difficult to find room for one guy and a bike. I mean, I know I need to loose weight but really, I don't take up THAT much space!
I was amazed, travelling around over there, by the miles and miles and miles of emptiness (well, not emptiness as such; there were forests and stuff, not just a big blank sort of greyness!). We stood up on the top of the Smokeys and all you could see was endless acres of virgin forest.
We always get the impression, because of your immigration policy, that you guys are all standing on one another's shoulders due to over population!

[MSGT-R]

There's lots of room for one more guy and a bike!
Hey, we'll trade them. Can you guys take a Mexican? We'll give you one of ours from California (we have more than enough).