atomic_fungus (atomic_fungus) wrote,
atomic_fungus
atomic_fungus

#2780: I was OUT RIDING MY MOTORCYCLE!!!!

So after I did the grocery shopping, I went out to the usual driveway/garage to work on the usual motorcycle. I pulled the carb off again and disassembled it again and this time I actually removed the pilot air orofice and cleaned it.

Said orofice is what supplies fuel to the engine when the throttle is closed, and it was blocked with crud, exactly as I expected it to be considering I HADN'T CLEANED IT!

This is a hole so small that the only way I have to clean it is to get a twist-tie, strip the plastic off, and use that wire to clean out the orofice. Nothing else will fit.

Reassembled it, turned on the gas, stuck in the key, switched it on, kicked it over...and it idled like it just left the factory.

*sigh*

Phoned up Sailor V to give him the hour's warning he'd asked for last night; in fact I was sure I was giving him at least an hour and a half, and it turned out to be two.

First I had to pull the rear wheel again and patch the inner tube again. Once it was holding air, I got onto my motorcycle and I rode it around the block, down to the end of Douglas Lane, and back to the bunker.

I realized that I didn't have the air cleaner installed, so I had to stop and do that, and about 40,000 other small tasks. In any case, I got the carrier plugged in to the Jeep's receiver, got the bike loaded onto the carrier and strapped down, and then finally hied myself out to Casa Sailor V.

Bike wouldn't start.

...

Pulled the carb cover off, thinking perhaps the swatch of filter paper was too restrictive on the bike's intake, but that wasn't the problem. I still don't know what it was; I push-started it and put the carb cover back on, and it was fine after that. WTF.

Anyway, so I took a couple of spins around his neighborhood (farm fields) and we tried to get his quad running, but not even starting fluid was enough to get it running for more than a couple of seconds at a time. WTF.

I pulled the carb off and inspected it; it's clean. So I'm going to have to go back over there and see what I can do about that, dodging mosquitos all the way. *sigh*

Tomorrow promises to be more of the same: making the annual pilgrimage, buying a battery for Sailor V's quad, and then going back to his place to try to make sense of his damn ATV.

The Suzuki ran pretty well. It's bogging a bit at the low end, but not that badly, and I think the overall performance is acceptable. I can try tuning it a bit if I have any time to over the next several days, but I'm not terribly optimistic that I will.

The only problem I have with the carrier from Harbor Freight is how it wobbles around. They provide a couple plates and a bolt to act as a clamp, but the thing still moves. Also, the clamp for the front tire is for the birds and I'm thinking of just removing it entirely; maybe bolt a front wheel chock in its place and to hell with their "load this side only" bullshit.

It sure was satisfying to ride the Suzuki after the past couple of weeks, let me tell you.
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