SOHC Project

Greetings from chopper land. I have an update on my last post. I found where my the electrical system was shorting out at. When I put the engine back in the stock bike about 6 weeks ago, I did not put the front drove sproket back on because I'm a lazy bastard. On the CB750 theres a nice fat bundle of wires that comes out of the gear shift cover, right by the front sproket. Well, without the sproket cover on, this allowed that bundle of wires to rub against the sproket and chain. I was fiddling around that area earlier in the week, and that nice bundle of wires was rubbed raw. One of the wires was about 90% worn through. This speaks to a much larger facet of my personality. Ok, I know this is getting deep, but its Friday at 4pm and I need to kill 30 minutes, so here it goes. I'm the type of person that has to see it, and understand it to believe it. Example, when was little I used to love to jump on the back of my dads van as he was pulling down the driveway. He'd tell me not to do it, but I'd run up behind the van after picking up the newpaper everyevening after school, and as he would pull down the driveway to our house (about 100ft or so) I'd run up to the van then jump on the latter that was on the back (you remember the 80's style vans with the latter on back). Anyway one day I ran and jumped on the back, lost my footing (probably cuz dad stomped the gas), got drug about 20 foot, then made a split second decision to let go cuz I didn't want my dad to know he was right, then as I let go I tumbled and rolled another 10 feet. Anyway, point being I have to internalize something before I will abide by it...and more so than others. This carried over into my young adulthood. I remember in the Army my drill seargent told us to pack gloves one morning when we had a road march. It seemed warm enough out and I didn't see the need for gloves. Well, after almost getting frostbite from cold hands and being miserable on a 3 hour march...I never forgot my gloves again. And now as a mechanic we see the same thing. I knew the front sproket cover need to be put back on, but I didn't see a good reason (other than it looks nice) for it to be on. Well, after being stranded 30 miles from home and having to call my wife to come pick me and the bike up...I'll never neglect to put a front sproket cover off again.

In other news, I got an email from cycle one yesterday, and my frame is on the way (see left). Only problem was it does not have the drop seat that I wanted. Rather than wait for them to fix it, I just told them to refund me the $50 I paid for it and get that puppy in the mail. Should be here in about a week.



Frame Specs: 6 up, 4 out, 40 degree rake

So I decide to go out for an excursion in the Louisiana back roads on Saturday. I'm cruise'n along and out of nowhere, Bam! She dies. No lights, no nothing. Within a minute or so, I think, this must be a fuse. Sure enought I remove the side cover and the main fuse is blown. So I replace it and she fires right up! So I'm think'n wow, that was easy. So off I go again and in about 100ft BOOM! Shes dead again. So I go through this another time or two and run out of fuses. So I call up the Wifey to come pick us up. So I spend Sunday troubleshooting this. The 78 CB750 3 fuses, the main fuse, and a headlight and taillight fuse. When removed the head and taillight fuse it seemed to run OK, at lease down the road and back (about a mile). At any rate I'm not sure what this tells me. Ususally when u blow a fuse that means you have a short somewhere. The only thing I could find was a frayed wire on the clutch sensor. So I cleaned that up, and it ran OK with all the fuses in. Monday I rode it for about 10 miles, 5 of it in the rain (that hasn't happened in a long time). So I'm hoping the clutch sensor was where the short was located. I guess the true test will be another 50+ mile trip to really get the motor up to operating temperature and see how the wiring performs.

Got an email from CycleOne last week, saying my frame should be ready this week, no word yet. Either way I'm hope it will be here next week, or the first of August.

Cheers!

Finished the paint on my stocker, and I'm very pleased. Looks so good I'm actually considering doing the chop myself..but we'll see. Here is before...

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/marklocklear/detail?.dir=42ee&.dnm=b878.jpg&.src=ph
and after...

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/marklocklear/detail?.dir=42ee&.dnm=7bf7.jpg&.src=ph

No word on my frame yet...

Finished the paint on my gas tank yesterday, heres a pic...

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/marklocklear/detail?.dir=42ee&.dnm=b839.jpg&.src=ph

Not bad for $40 worth of suppies...won't go into how much time it takes. Suffice it to say if you'r time is worth anything to you, just pay someone else to do it. At any rate I am pleased. I'll know out the side covers and rear faring now.

Still waiting on the frame, no word yet, but should be hearing something in the next couple weeks. In the mean time, I have a new head gasket and from break setup on the way.

What does it mean to be a biker? Does it mean anything at all? I have road some type of 2 or 3 wheeled motor vehicle since I was 12 or 13 years old. That doesn't define me, but I think it does say something about me. What does it mean to be a biker, and does it matter what you ride? Are there inherant differences in someone who rides a CBR and another who rides a Harley? Or is there some common bond between the two, that when stripped down to its bear essence the two can stand on some sort of common ground.

I think there is a natural evolution to motorcycling that everyone will evolve to if they ride long enough. The last evolution is that of the chopper, or the custom bike if you will. It is not bound by the constraints of stretch or rake, but only by the riders imagination. The desire to sit back meditate on what one wants in a motorcycle, and then build it for themselves. Not so much the physical act of building it, but the act of building what you want, what is asthetically pleasing to you and no one else.

I think I was searching all those years. Don't get me wrong...I've loved all the bikes I've rode. Nothing can beat the power of the CBR I rode for 3 years. Nothing coming off the line and pushing 135mph in a 1/4 mile. And I have great memories on my Harley. Honestly I think my honda chop will be the best of both worlds. The power and acceleration of a sport bike, and the stance and attitude of a cruiser.

At the heart of it I think I love these bikes (SOHC's), because they are what Harleys used to be. In the 60's & 70's Harleys were a novelty. Not a lot of people rode them, and there wasn't a dealership on every corner. When you wanted to work on it, you had to scrimp/scrap, beg-borrow and steal for parts. Thats how it is with these SOHC's. Now-a-days everybody has a harley. Their not the exception, they are the rule. If you need parts and you are lucky you'll find the parts at your Honda dealer, but more times than not it means wading through Ebay or contacting other folks who ride.