Black Betty

[CaminoRacer]

Gotcha

[CaminoRacer]

BTW I gotta say hooray for kickstarter backups. I've had to kick start it twice this month because I didn't ride it much while messing with the seat and left the ignition on overnight once...

[giant_mtb]

BTW I gotta say hooray for kickstarter backups. I've had to kick start it twice this month because I didn't ride it much while messing with the seat and left the ignition on overnight once...

I wish I had a kickstart. 

[Cookie Monster]

You could always bump start it.

[CaminoRacer]

Soooo the bike died today as soon as I left the parking garage. I'm guessing it's a fuse or something - there's no power to the dash or headlights. No signs of tampering so it's probably just the old electrical components giving out. No biggie, just didn't have time to mess with it today.

But the good news is that I finally figured out how to get the steering lock to work!

[CaminoRacer]

Can't be a fuse. The bike had power an hour ago, so I started it up and tried to ride around the block but it died again. Thinking maybe the key switch is going bad?

[shp4man]

Do you have a voltmeter? Recharge the battery, put a voltmeter on it when it's running- if it's below 12.5 volts you have a stator issue or rectifier or wiring or better yet, get a service manual for it.

[CaminoRacer]

I think the battery has enough voltage. While it was off last night it was reading 15v (kinda too high... ) and it started up just fine this afternoon. So either the switch is bad, a wire is loose, or the main fuse is not connected well. Right?

[shp4man]

Some bikes won't run without a battery, so if the batt cables are bad or loose it could cause issues. I don't know if yours is like that. Start it and disconnect the batt...does it stay running?

[CaminoRacer]

It was the fuse. I'm assuming it was just old. New one didn't pop when I rode around the block.

[CaminoRacer]

My license plate broke off the other day. I didn't even think that was possible, figured thin metal like that would just bend.

[CaminoRacer]

Still need to call and get a new plate. Gonna get a bracket to mount it on the axle this time. Might as well get the one with a girl in the picture, right?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cafe-Racer-Custom-Vertical-Rolled-Black-License-Plate-Relocator-Bracket-/121558691110

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Thats how my plate is mounted.

[Cookie Monster]

Is that legal?

[CaminoRacer]

Is that legal?

AFAIK, yes. At least in Kentucky.

[SVT_Power]

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Motorcycle-Safety-Driveability-790/f/license-plate-placement-laws.htm

Depends on the state, but there's no info available for Kentucky. Might mean anything is fair game there 

[Cookie Monster]

Yeah I feel like CA that wouldn't fly.

Then again most things aren't legal in CA.

[SVT_Power]

Yeah I feel like CA that wouldn't fly.

Then again most things aren't legal in CA.

From my link:

CALIFORNIA- License plates shall at all times be securely fastened to the vehicle for which they are issued so as to prevent the plates from swinging, shall be mounted in a position so as to be clearly visible, and so that the characters are upright and display from left to right, and shall be maintained in a condition so as to be clearly legible. The rear license plate shall be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more than 60 inches from the ground, and the front license plate shall be mounted not more than 60 inches from the ground

[RomanChariot]

Non-standard license plate mounting is like burned out bulbs, an acceptable excuse for an officer to pull you over whenever he feels like it.

[CaminoRacer]

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Motorcycle-Safety-Driveability-790/f/license-plate-placement-laws.htm

Depends on the state, but there's no info available for Kentucky. Might mean anything is fair game there 

Similar to our gun laws. I remember when I bought my .308 in Utah and the guy said he'd have to follow both Utah and Kentucky gun laws. I told him there weren't any KY laws and he didn't believe me. The shock on his face when he looked it up was fantastic.

Non-standard license plate mounting is like burned out bulbs, an acceptable excuse for an officer to pull you over whenever he feels like it.

Especially since Utah wants it to be horizontal. But I'm not too worried - vertical plate is better than no plate.

[SVT_Power]

Similar to our gun laws. I remember when I bought my .308 in Utah and the guy said he'd have to follow both Utah and Kentucky gun laws. I told him there weren't any KY laws and he didn't believe me. The shock on his face when he looked it up was fantastic.

Especially since Utah wants it to be horizontal. But I'm not too worried - vertical plate is better than no plate.

A vertical plate is a good excuse for a cop to pull you over, having no plate is gonna get you pulled over 11/10 times

[CaminoRacer]

I haven't had a plate since a week and a half ago and no one has pulled me over or even looked at me funny.

I do have an excuse right now - one corner of the plate is still bolted on so I can just claim I didn't know it broke off and it must have happened that day. Unlikely to completely get me out of trouble, but better than nothing. I do have the registration and insurance so everything else is in line.

[SVT_Power]

I haven't had a plate since a week and a half ago and no one has pulled me over or even looked at me funny.

I do have an excuse right now - one corner of the plate is still bolted on so I can just claim I didn't know it broke off and it must have happened that day. Unlikely to completely get me out of trouble, but better than nothing. I do have the registration and insurance so everything else is in line.

You might still receive a ticket, but ensuring your registration/insurance is all good will probably make sure you don't just get your bike towed on the spot

[Speed_Racer]

I got pulled over (in UT) for a plate violation - it was too low in his opinion. I got a warning for it, but nothing else. I ended up moving it higher up since I like to avoid extra attention from the fuzz.

[CaminoRacer]

I was going to rejet the carbs again, since UT is ~4500 ft elevation compared to ~500 ft in Cincinnati. I ordered 4 main jets from Bike Bandit instead of jetsrus.com, which was a bad decision. I think they sent me jets for a VM11 carb, not VM22. Now I'm contemplating if I even want to rejet. The plugs are pretty black, but not fouled, and it doesn't bog under acceleration at all.

[CaminoRacer]

This thing is finally panning out as a pussy magnet. Took two different chicas for a ride this weekend. First was a gal I've been talking to for the past couple weeks. The second girl just walked up to me while I was letting the engine warm up and doing a quick clean up / detail job on it. We talked for a few min and then I finally asked if she wanted to go for a quick ride around the block. Her eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning and she hopped right on. One twist of the throttle from a stop sign and her panties flew right off.

Okay not really but I got her number and might call her later this week.

[shp4man]

Chicks dig bikes. 

[Cookie Monster]

I've gotten exactly 0 chicks on my bike.

Probably because I'm brown.

[CaminoRacer]

Forgot to mention that I also hit my new top speed on Sunday as well. Indicated 110 mph, so probably just over 100 actual. Didn't have a huge backpack on this time, so the aero was a lot better.

[CaminoRacer]

I need to do a valve check since I have no clue if it's ever been done. Looks like my options are buy a set of shims for $116 or tear it apart, measure what I need, and order only the shims I need. Then leave the bike unassembled in the parking garage for 3 days while I wait for them to come in the mail.

Plus I need a $20 shim removal tool.