Gas 3.712 gal E10/87 @ $3.169/gal. Sheetz. $11.76.
End @ 64,596 (66 miles)
Forgot to check the oil, but I did air up the tires to 36/40. Well, 36/38, because the pump’s battery died. I meant to go to 40 PSI on the rear. Added 2 oz of my fuel treatment blend to the fresh tank of gas when I got home. Put the standard plate on the bike. Looks cool and now I’m fully legal!
The forecast said the high at about 2 PM would be 50°. I guess it got there, but I rode from 1130 til 1345 with no sun, all in the 40s, but it felt coooooold. I’ve definitely been spoilt by heated grips and windshields!
I wore my green Indian-branded jacket with a fleece vest and thick flannel shirt underneath and my insulated Firstgear D3O gloves. My torso was fine, but at one point I had to stop and put on my glove liners. That helped a little with my freezing fingers, but my hands were still cold.
I decided against venturing across Henrico County or to King William to get non-ethanol gas. I’m not sure of the bike’s range and I was already over 100 miles on the first fill-up. I didn’t want to risk running dry, so I just got regular 87 octane at Sheetz. I rode aimlessly for about an hour, then headed across town to meet my wife and some friends for lunch. Brunch, actually, but at 1330. Had a great breakfast plate with eggs, potatoes, bacon and cheesy grits. It was fantastic.
The bike is running well, I’m pleased with that too. There are a few small things, though. The right side mirror worked itself loose again in the handlebar mount. I have to be careful how tight I get it unless I trim the grip material to make sure it doesn’t rub on the mirror stalk. I tightened it when I got home and it seems to be holding fine.
The idle wants to stay high—2,000 RPM or more—once the engine is fully warmed up. I can get it to drop back to normal (about 1,100 RPM) by letting out the clutch a little while I hold onto the front brake. The bike doesn’t move, but the idle drops. It’s probably not related to the choke , but I suppose that’s possible. There are other things it’s more likely to be; maybe one of the throttle cables has a kink, is worn, needs lubricated or is too short with the handlebars turned one way or the other. The carbs could need adjusted. It could be something to do with the ignition or timing, too.
(FOOTNOTE: What most riders refer to as “the choke” is actually a fuel enrichener. A choke restricts airflow, which alters the fuel-air ratio to favor the fuel at the expense of the air. What the Airhead has—and indeed, most motorcycles have—is a plunger or stopper or valve moved by a knob or lever. The plunger changes the air pressure inside the carburetor, which causes fuel to be sucked into the enrichening passage(s) in addition to where it normally goes. This similarly alters the fuel-air ratio in favor of the fuel, having the same effect as a choke, but it operates by adding fuel, not taking away air like a choke does.)
I had to make one stop quicker than I expected. The brakes work OK. Not great. Also not terrible. Just OK. I would have to say they functioned as I expected them to for 50-year-old technology. The front brake is still pulsating a bit on gradual stops. I’ve put a lot of money and effort into rehabbing the front brake, so I have to think it’s functioning as well as it can. The rear drum brake is a bit squishy/soft, it may need adjusted to tighten up its response.
I left off my vest for the ride home from the restaurant. That was a mistake, I should have kept it on! The sun finally came out, but the low angle didn’t do much for me.
I’m hoping to ride again tomorrow, maybe 60 or 80 miles, then fill up with E0 gas. Tuesday is supposed to be nice as well. Weatherbug says the highs this week will be 49 (tomorrow), 51 (Tuesday) and 58 on Wednesday! I better get out that day for sure; my wife’s foot surgery is on Thursday so it will be my last riding day for at least a few weeks, through February most likely. In the following week, we’re looking at highs in the low 60s.
I’m having second thoughts (again) about riding 1,500 miles each way to Austin for the Handbuilt show at the end of March. Not sure what I’m going to do about it—I’m going, that’s decided, but I might drive instead of ride.
I keep hitting that false neutral between third and fourth gears. I’m a little concerned about it, not knowing enough or having enough experience with Airheads to know if it’s a quirk or if it’s an indicator I’m looking at rebuilding the transmission.
(FOOTNOTE: TMDT: That Model Does That. It’s a favorite saying of George’s which I’ve adopted across a number of mediums, especially computers and guitars. It’s hard sometimes to convince somebody that something is operating properly despite an apparent glitch, but if the glitch isn’t truly affecting the thing’s operation in a negative way, it has to become something you accept as being how it is. The false neutral is indeed just a TMDT issue. Firmer shifting technique is the easiest way to deal with it. From what I understand, the problem can be mitigated with an expensive part installed during a full transmission rebuild.)
The Beeline Moto II is working well. I dig that thing! It only shows the speed limit when a route is active though, and it also shows my speed in relation to the speed limit with a clever red-and-white combination circle. The bike’s speedometer is accurate up to about … oh, who am I kidding? The speedo is accurate at 30 MPH and that’s about it. Below that, the needle bounces wildly and above that, it gets further and further off the faster I go. An indicated 40 MPH is really about 35, but an indicated 60 MPH is almost 50. No idea if a rebuild will improve this, but for now I’ll have to deal with it, as a rebuild would likely mean having it off the bike for weeks, if not months.
