One month from today Chix on 66 meets at the Harley-Davidson Museum before we embark from Milwaukee to Chicago to begin our epic ride on 66.
Hoping I get this bike together in time for more than 10 shakedown miles! I spent quite some time on the phone/zoom with Athena Ransom ‘s hubs reviewing, inspecting and discussing where I am with the bike. He taught me a nifty cool way to check my pushrods, so that was fun. And I have the world’s lightest tool to add to my kit! Ha!
I have a few little wiring things to clean up, and a few other punch list items. Next time we chat, I will get the carb finished – he wants me to use an S&S rebuild kit instead of the one I used. Valid. The o-rings in the one I have are a different compound, which means they are going to behave differently. And I didn’t like the needle. So I get to do the carb again! Yay. Although it wasn’t near as bad to do as I thought. (Thank you Kiersten Miller!) Of course the proof only comes when I fire the bike.
Meanwhile the tanks are drying. I pulled the tape on them today. Gonna try the Jason Sims oven cure tomorrow.
Very hopeful that I get this bike back together this week. (This statement became a theme, and grew less hopeful every day I couldn’t fire the bike…)
A few days later:
Buttoned up some punch list items on the Atomic Shovel this afternoon… rerouted the ground wire for the VOES on my ignition, replaced a wire on my dash that looked a little grouchy, moved a wire that (not sure why) was routed to the ignition key switch rather than the breaker beneath the dash, buttoned up my pushrods, and replaced my speedo. I’m still going to have to notch my dash to accommodate the trip odometer stem on the new speedo because of course it is a different style than my old one, and I still won’t be able to get the dash on and off without doing something there. But that’s ok. Easy fix with a zip wheel.
Waiting on stuffs and things to do the bigger fixes, but closing in. Fingers crossed I can fire the bike this weekend and take it for a test ride.
The following day:
Atomic Shovel update: Another productive day cleaning up issues on the bike. Athena Ransom ‘s husband has been directing me on tons of little fixes. When I initially rewired this bike I had zero experience wiring except for house wiring, and the direction (as it were) that I received was less than stellar. So looking back at this job, it looks like a shitshow. But it was the best I could do then. I’ve learned a lot since, and this winter I want to clean this up and make it nice and tidy.
Anyway, today I dug through the wiring in the nacelle and found a ring terminal that lost its plastic insulation. I don’t even use those now.
I also found a loose terminal. After a little panic moment, I ended up tightening it up, and I think it will hold until I do the rewire over the winter.
Don – my coach – noticed a wire on the key switch that didn’t belong, so I traced that little guy and found it spliced to my neutral light on its way to the front block. NOT my work. Did I mention some misdirection on the initial rewire?! So I cut the splice, directed the neutral light wire to the correct breaker under the dash, and did the same with the other wire since it was feeding power to my turn signals.
I also sliced my dash so I can slip it over the odometer stem. That is a temporary fix. I will figure something else out later, but right now I need to be able to get the dash reinstalled when I’m ready.
Removed the carb bowl again so I can rebuild it with S&S parts instead – that’s tomorrow’s job.
Gapped a bunch of plugs and labeled the boxes so I know which ones are gapped and to what gap.
Checked all my spokes – all good there. No surprises.
Tried again to hang the tanks. OMG these tanks. I finally got them both on, but they pinch the throttle cables so bad, I have no snap back at all. So those cables will end up being rerouted most likely. The throttle itself was loose on the bar, so I tightened it and then I had a hitch on the handlebar too. Adding that to the list of shit to sort out.
Up side, the tanks look to fit nicely, and take the same shims as the old tanks, so once I get the cables out of the way, those should go on just fine.
And the day after that:
Atomic Shovel update: more progress today – most in the forward direction… I learned some little tidbits about assembling the Super E from “coach Don.”
1. It’s pretty easy (but a bit messy) to test the accelerator pump once the bowl is assembled. And my little way of assembling the pump kept me from pinching the diaphragm. Yay me!
2. The float is way less rocket science than I ever thought.
3. When I replaced the bowl gasket, he had me put it on the bowl instead of the way I did it before because it has to slip thru that one little brass piece on the bowl, and you kinda have to press and push to get the gasket over that and laying flat.
But it was cool because I knew all the parts and what they were called and where they went because KA Miller walked me through it once already.
After reinstalling the bowl, we started looking at my throttle cables. I never liked the way they were routed, and Don certainly didn’t, particularly because they are interfering with proper installation of the right tank.
They come from the right, cross through the handlebar cover, then turn back and come through the frame from the left, crossing back to the right and down to the carb. The fact that the cables cross through the frame is what is creating interference with the right tank. How the old tank was on and wasn’t pinching the cables – I have no idea.
So after some back and forth, it seems the best move is to replace these long-ass cables with a shorter set, and route them properly. Further, when I was inspecting the cables for wear, one had a good sized slice in the sheathing, so that made the answer pretty clear.
Tomorrow I will mess with the existing cables and figure out the best length and path for them, then get them on order.
Meanwhile, we can check and inspect the rear wheel, rotor and chain.
So I’m bummed that my first test ride keeps getting pushed closer and closer to the end of the month, but it just makes sense to straighten out as much of this little bullshit as possible before I’m on the road. And here I thought this bike was ready. Ha. Yeah…. no.
And finally….
Atomic Shovel update: A short one tonight… I messed around with the throttle cables this morning and found a way to route the cables I have, even though they are stupid long. I basically mimicked the clutch cable routing, and that seemed to work. I was able to lay the tank right up with no resistance at all. Win.
Just need to lube the cables, double check everything, and adjust them. Right now my throttle isn’t snapping back like it should, so the job isn’t done yet, but I’m close.
In other news, I finally got time today to get my trailer prepped for bike hauling. Yes… I finally gave in. Got a little trailer that holds 2 bikes. My friend Curtis Berghorn stopped by during the week to lay out the best locations of the wheel chocks and d-rings. Everything was marked – all I had to do was pick up some extra hardware and find the time to get everything installed. Today was the day. All it needs is the license plate now.
The Atomic Shovel 