Music | Spinning by Zero 7
I smell like gasoline, my hands and pants have grease stains on them. I'm cold, my nose is dripping... At about 3 this afternoon, I started my bike that I haven't ridden since the end of October. I've been having issues with it to the point where I lacked confidence in riding anywhere.
Via a Vintage Japanese Motorcycling forum I subscribe to, I found a mechanic who lives not too far away, but far enough where I wasn't sure I'd make it. I made some back up plans of borrowing a truck and some ramps, in the event I had to ditch the bike. Every stop sign, every red light was cause for tension, because I thought if I had to stop, the bike would die and I wouldn't be able to get it going. I timed my red lights as best I could, within the variance that other traffic would allow. What would otherwise be a 15 minute ride turned into 25 minutes of tension. But, I made it...
Jeff, the mechanic opened the garage door to a beautiful 81 CB1100F. He turned it into a drag bike that ran in the mid 10's. Those of you that don't know, that is really fast! He had a few other customer bikes in the shop and he spoke with a swagger of one who knows vehicles. I was quickly put at ease. I wasn't sure if I was going to leave the bike, try getting at the meat of the problem right then and there, or what. I wasn't in any rush, but it in the back of my mind, I was hoping that my issues could be resolved.
We rolled the bike up on a lift, pulled the tank and looked around. I had suspected both coil and carburation problems. As we looked it over, I got more education about my bike than all the time I have owned it. Sometime wishes do come true. Jeff noticed one of the ignition wires was not where it was supposed to be. I thought, I must have accidently just pulled it out when I pulled off the tank. Jeff put it back in, started the bike and it sang. Both embarrassed and relieved, I couldn't believe what the issue was all these months. The wire worked its way loose way back in October.
We did some other minor adjustments and the bike just purred. I got a few more tips about upkeep and also riding. I don't often hot rod when I ride, but Jeff said I needed to. On occasion, ride the hell out of it. Blow the carbon out and let the engine breath. It didn't take long for me to follow that advice. I'm sure I pissed off a few people on the way home.
So I need to clean myself up, wipe the dribble off my nose. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice. What do you think I'm gonna do???
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