Prepping the Atomic Shovel for the Tennessee Run
Unbeknownst to me, the miles to and from PA wreaked havoc on the bike. I rode it a few times after I returned, and started seeing issues pop up. The forks were leaking oil again, the kicker gasket was leaking fluid, I already knew I needed to replace the tires, and I lost my headlight, and my turn signals were not working properly. Anytime I pressed either turn signal button, they’d all go on 4-way flash. Uh-oh.
All of these things had to be fixed before I left for Tennessee, and I had very little time of my own to take care of all of these problems. I knew I could fix the electrical, but the rest of it I’d need help with, so the bike went back out to Dan’s shop and up on the lift.
July 27, 2019:
I had a really productive couple days on the shovel. Found the culprit to my rear fender wiring problem. Where the harness went through the side of the fender, the tire rubbed right through the loom and insulation, right down to bare wire. Sumbitch. That ‘splains why my turn signals acted like 4-way flashers.
Soooo, I got all the wiring removed last night, and made some headway on beginning the rewire. Finished up today. It’s all wired and tested, waterproofed, signed, sealed, delivered.
This week, I’ll put the rear fender back on the bike, and make sure the harness is properly tucked close this time so the tire doesn’t shred it.
Dan will get new tires on the bike this week, and fix the forks. Then the only thing left will be the kicker cover gasket.
I knew that the rear fender had been wired incorrectly to begin with, and that I would have to address that eventually. I was hoping it would hold till winter, but since the harness itself was destroyed, I went ahead and just pulled the rear fender off and rewired it from scratch. I also took the time to swap incandescent bulbs in the rear turns for LED.
Once I rewired the rear fender correctly, it looked like this:
I ended up making a lot of my wiring connections inside the rear turn signal housings instead of up under the fender. This made for a neater end result, and kept the splices high and dry. Here’s the left signal housing in process:
The rear fender was my biggest project, but I had a pretty decent list of smaller items I needed to tackle as well.
July 31, 2019:
Funny how sometimes you plan to do one thing, but you end up doing a bunch of other things instead. I thought I was going to hang the rewired rear fender on the shovel last night, but events conspired against that happening. However, a lot of stuff got done anyway. Some I did, and some Dan orchestrated, or did. He got the fork leaks fixed – that was big. And the bike has new tires. No more stinko Shinkos!!!
I got the spotlight lenses secured so they won’t rotate in the housing. That drove me crazy. I have these really cool lens covers on them, and the whole thing would rotate as the bike shook, so they started out oriented the same way, and ended up all wonky. So I just dabbed some silicone on the edge and I’m hoping that will secure them from rotating. (Note: worked like a charm!)
I also got the headlight visor secured for the same reason. When I’d ride, it would vibrate off center and kind of looked like a ghetto-style ballcap. So again, a bit of silicone between the visor and the beauty ring, and hopefully that will keep it centered.
I also added some extra silicone to the rear fender cavity where the wiring lives. Apparently silicone is the new duct tape in my world.
I won’t be able to work on the bike again till next week, but then, I should be able to hang the fender and reattach the wiring harness. After that, all I have to do is put the luggage rack and bags back on.
Since I’m somewhat pressed for time, I’m going to have Dan and his guy do the kicker cover gasket, and replace an oil line that looks like it might let go. I wish I could at least help with those jobs, but my time is so limited, and it is more important to get these things done well before I leave for Nashville in September, than it is for me to have my hands in everything that gets done.
There were even a few more items we took care of while the bike was at Dan’s, including new brake lines.
August 6, 2019:
I should already be asleep – tomorrow is going to be another long day. But… The infamous Shovel Update returns! So. Dan and I got the rear fender mounted tonight, and I connected the harness to the rear block. Looks awesome! Everything works. No splices under the fender, and everything is water tight up undah theyah! WIN!
I also put a shorter bolt in the chain guard. The previous one actually punched a hole in my brand new saddlebag. Not a win. So I at least removed the clearance issue there. The hole in the saddlebag remains.
NOTE: I’d noticed when I pulled the saddlebags off that there was a hole pinched in the left bag. I looked, and sure enough there was a long, decorative acorn nut that I hadn’t noticed was a clearance issue, so it ripped right through my bag. The bags are from B&B Reproductions, and when I contacted them to see if they could repair the bag and what it would cost, he said just send the bag to him and he would repair it no charge. All I had to do what ship it both ways. Gotta love good customer relations.
Both tires are now on, kicker cover gasket is fixed, and the seals inside were completely wrong, so those are now correct. Scary oil line replaced.
Dan noticed my brake lines were getting rubbed through to the metal, so those will get replaced as well.
Next week the bike should be buttoned up and I can ride it again! I can’t wait. I freakin LOVE that bike. 💜💜💜
August 16, 2019:
So, apparently yesterday was “battle with inanimate objects” day. I went to pick up my shovel, which had been on a lift for 4-5 weeks. It started up fine and ran fine – I even asked Dan about the battery, and he said that by the time it runs a bit, it should fully charge. So he took it for a test run, adjusted the clutch, took it out again, and then handed it over to me.
I took off, stopped at a gas station and put a couple gallons in, since he said he’d had to put it on reserve when he was riding it, then headed home. About 5 miles from home, at a traffic light, the bike stalled and died. Wouldn’t start. Just dead. Awesome. So here I am at a traffic light with a semi right on my ass (he’d been following too close for miles already), and my bike won’t start. I tried a couple times, quick, then just rolled off to the side to let Mister Semi-in-a-Hurry pass me.
Tried a few more times, and it just got more sluggish. I have AAA, but with a bike, you’re always looking at about a 2-hour wait because they have to free up a flatbed, and make sure they have the wheel chock on board. Plus, I was on a main road, 55 mph, with not a lot of shoulder. The road was crested as well, and because my kickstand is so low, I couldn’t get it down without putting the bike too far off balance, and the last thing I needed to do was drop the damn bike on top of everything else. Did I mention this was awesome?
So I just started pushing the bike. There was a park entrance ahead that was flat, so I could get it to there, put the damn kickstand down, and figure out my next move. All I really wanted to do was get the thing home. Five more miles, and I was home free. But 5 miles with a bike that doesn’t start, is a VERY VERY LONG 5 miles…
While I was pushing the bike, this man stopped and offered to help, so he helped me push it to the park entrance, and I tried the ignition one more time, just for the hell of it. It STARTED. Thank you Jesus and all that’s holy. So I said, look, it’s running, I’m riding it home. He shook his head and insisted on following to make sure it didn’t stall or die again, which it didn’t, and I got it home. This afternoon, it’s going on the charger.
I do not want to deal with anything else mechanical today.
August 17, 2019:
Took the shovel out today to see if the battery situation was resolved. I believe it’s all good. Got back and gave it a good scrubbing.
There she sits, buddy just a gleamin’ in the sun…
August 20, 2019:
Shovel update: The Atomic Shovel is officially back on the road!! I charged the battery and did about 70 miles on it just to see how it held. Everything was just fine. So between Dan and me, we got all the things on my to-do list, to-done (LOL). Rear fender rewired, new seal on taillight lens, new LED rear turn signals, replaced small LEDs in the rear running lights, secured the spotlight lenses so they no longer rotate when the bike shakes like a wet dog, ditto on the headlight visor, fork seals replaced, odd crossover oil line (previous moron used windshield wiper/washer tubing) replaced, brake lines replaced, headlight bulb replaced, new tires, kicker cover gasket and seals replaced, coil cover screws replaced with hex bolts, taillight hermetically sealed from the elements.
And yes, even with all this, I have a winter list to tackle! However, I’m going to spend the next week and a half putting some miles on it, and then I’m riding it to Lebanon, TN (outside Nashvegas) for a vintage run. I can’t wait! There is nothing I love more than packing a bike up and heading out of town. I never really thought of this bike as a road tripper, but as much work as I’ve done to it, there’s no reason not to travel on it. I have to take surface roads, since this bike is happy right in the 50-55 mph groove, so it makes the trip longer, but a lot more scenic, and relaxing. On the Road King, I pound the highway miles out. On the Shovel, I cruise through small towns, see the country, enjoy the journey.
There is something about how crude and mechanical this bike is, that I love. I can’t explain it, but even though it can be stubborn and difficult, and riding it is a very physical experience, compared to a modern bike, I just love this bike.
August 22, 2019:
Shovel update: Yeah, still doing stuff. I realized yesterday that I’m going to be doing some night riding on my trip, which is great except the light in my speedo wasn’t working. So in true “me” fashion, I pulled the dash, and saw that the bulb had fallen out and was flopping around under the dash. It was a crappy light anyway, so I pulled the speedo, and fitted up some small LED bulbs in the spot where the “dim bulb” was supposed to go.
Originally I was going to ground the lights to the dash, but I didn’t have a large enough ring terminal, so I decided to ground it to the speedo case. Which was a great idea till it didn’t work because the speedo is rubber mounted. Oops!
So I had to find the right size ring terminal and redo it.
This afternoon I finished it up and now I have a working light in my speedo! Hooray!
Since I’m not sure exactly when, the horn has decided not to work. Not sure what’s up with that, but if I’m feeling cute, maybe I’ll chase it down later, idk.
August 28, 2019:
SO chuffed! Rode out to visit my shovelhead mentor, had a nice chat, and headed home about 9:15. It was dark, so I could see how well the Speedo lights worked – I haven’t seen them lit up in complete darkness since I installed them last week. I also got to see how far my new headlight bulb reaches on low and high beam.
Both were a win! The Speedo light is AWESOME!!! Far better than the original, and the way I put it together, the lights won’t be falling out of the Speedo and rattle around under the dash.
The headlight, even on low beam has good reach, both out front, and side to side. The high beam is even better. I don’t do much riding after dark because of the very active deer population here. Doe party time starts about dusk, so I’m usually home and parked by then. But I wanted to make sure the shovel had effective lighting on it for the times when I do ride after dark.
Nailed it. The Atomic Shovel rides at night.
Next stop: Tennessee!
The Atomic Shovel 