Black Betty

[CaminoRacer]

Was it also a diesel? Need battery for spark....

[MX793]

Was it also a diesel? Need battery for spark....

Tell that to every pushmower or kickstart-only dirtbike.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Tell that to every pushmower or kickstart-only dirtbike.

I told my pushmower, but it just sat there and looked at me like I was the idiot in the room.

[CaminoRacer]

In a rare penny-pinching moment I attempted to just refill the battery cells with distilled water. I think I overfilled one and can't really tell where the others are at. Whatever, that's stupid and this is 2017. Lithium battery it is.

[CaminoRacer]

In a rare penny-pinching moment I attempted to just refill the battery cells with distilled water. I think I overfilled one and can't really tell where the others are at. Whatever, that's stupid and this is 2017. Lithium battery it is.

Spent too much on the El Camino today and it's 55F and I want to ride, so I went to PetSmart and got a syringe and got the water level corrected. Should do for a while. $5 instead of $140.

edit: just kidding it's dead. Drops to 8v when it's hooked up to the bike. Barely got 3 seconds of cranking out of it and doesn't even seem to have enough juice to provide spark for a kickstart.

[Cookie Monster]

Lithium battery mang.

Is so light.

[CaminoRacer]

Happy?

[Cookie Monster]

Yeeeee


You going to do the swingarm mount?

[CaminoRacer]

Not right now. I'm not ready to commit to the open triangle, which involves re-wiring and cutting tabs/mounts off permanently. I'll just stick it in the stock location for now and leave the side covers on.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Yeeeee


You going to do the swingarm mount?

For the battery?

[SVT_Power]

For the battery?

Kalifornia logik

[Cookie Monster]

For the battery?

Kalifornia logik

You guise could use some help reading, huh?

I could do Lithium and move it to the swing arm. Then I'd be one step closer to dat clean triangle.

[Eye of the Tiger]

What is happen?

[CaminoRacer]

With this tiny thing, it might  be easier to build a box to have it sit sideways under the seat. Said box could also store paperwork and an extra fuse.

That's a ways off, however. Need to get started on the brake swap next.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Inverted forks + brakes?

[CaminoRacer]

Stock forks + CBR1100RR rotor, Kawasaki 2 piston caliper

[CaminoRacer]

DCC has a mild set of Clubman bars that I may order. It'll bring the bar lower, but not as low as most Clubmans which emulate clip-ons. This seems like the best option because I won't have to change the headlight brackets or worry about rearsets.

http://www.dimecitycycles.com/7-8-inch-gloss-black-cafe-clubman-handlebars.html

I'll also get some mini gauges.

[CaminoRacer]

BTW here's the battery in the old box. Took a few layers of foam to get a tight fit. Can turn it upside like a DQ Blizzard and it won't budge. I was worried because the terminals are level with the strap that ties the box down to the frame, but it's a rubber strap and I also have a rubber boot over the positive terminal. Hopefully should be fine.

[CaminoRacer]

Insurance renewal was emailed to me today. It dropped a whole $1.50/month!

When you only pay pennies a month it can't be discounted very much.

[CaminoRacer]

New wheel bearings came a few days earlier than expected. I should have all the parts needed to swap my brakes now. I'm feeling too lazy to do it today, though. Was planning on next weekend since the bearings said they'd be here Monday. Probably gonna stick to that. Should be a fairly simple swap. Take the wheel off, change bearings, swap rotors, install bracket + caliper, and then swap the SS brake lines on. I got a speed bleeder to hopefully make the final step quick & easy.

[CaminoRacer]

Step 1: Drill rotor bolt holes out to 8mm.

[CaminoRacer]

Step 2: wheel bearings

Step 3: test fit everything

I took off the fender while I was at it. I think it looks better? I was going to buy a rusty one off eBay and chop it, paint it black. But maybe I'll just go without one and get a fork brace?

[FoMoJo]

I took off the fender while I was at it. I think it looks better? I was going to buy a rusty one off eBay and chop it, paint it black. But maybe I'll just go without one and get a fork brace?

Isn't that going to throw a lot of road slop up on you?

[giant_mtb]

Yeah, I wouldn't run fender-less just for cleanliness' sake.  That junk builds up quick and sticks really well, especially on hot areas like heads.

Does look cool, though.

[CaminoRacer]

I never ride in the rain

[BimmerM3]

I never ride in the rain

Roads have more stuff on them than water.

[SVT_Power]

I never ride in the rain

Sporty is that you?

[CaminoRacer]

The original plan was (is) to chop the fender. Like this:



But wouldn't that basically allow just as much dirt to be slung up into the headers/engine?

[CaminoRacer]

Brakes are done! Got the new SS lines on, flushed and bled the system, and it works like a charm. The master cylinder is on the small side, needs a longer level pull to get full power. Might change that eventually, but it's not a big deal.

[CaminoRacer]

Also, hooray for speed bleeders. The fluid was hella dark and nasty so I flushed it all out while I bled it. Took maybe 5 minutes max and all I had to do was stand next to the bike squeezing the brake lever. Need to order some speed bleeders for my car.