Well, getting Traveller back on the road again after sitting for almost 4 years has been a winter long project for sure. I had to pull the carb stack out twice and changed every o-ring and float needle and new jets. Tried to clean the tank but with my equipment, it was a no go and I found a black tank (just the tin - no sending unit or petcock or lock or anything) on ebay that was WAY clean. I am going to send my red tank to another member for a project bike he is thinking about and he thinks he can get the tank up and running again. So, a bunch of parts arrived while I was in Africa and it was like Christmas again when I got home. I took off the Pingle fuel petcock and went back to an OEM. The Pingle was really hard to reach if you needed to go to reserve, so I opted to back to stock OEM for now.
Went to the local autozone and picked up some vacuum hose. I had fully desmogged, so I had to unplug a vacuum port (went off number 5) and installed the vacuum line there.
Got a new sending unit. Here is the new next to the old for comparison, so you can image what I have been cleaning out of Traveller. Also got a new o ring for the sending unit to tank connection.
This was the old sending unit AFTER trying to get it clean - it WAS far worse than this. You can imagine what the tank was like.
So I got those installed, vacuum line installed, new fuel lines to the carbs and everything back together.
Threw two gallons of fresh gas in the tank and first time, pop....purr..........she cranked.
Well, I could not wait any longer...with wire harnesses that I had put in still hanging down, I HAD TO SEE IF SHE WOULD STILL ROLL!!! So, rolled the Vstrom out and ran the air compressor off of her (since I had not wired in my accessory outlet on Traveller yet) and filled the tires......
And after all this time, I finally got back into her saddle....Yes, that is a HUGE smile inside that helmet.
And for the first time in 4 years, we got to get back into the wind again!!!!!!!! (Even if it was a few blocks) WHOOOOO-HOOOOOO!
I had been having an antennae bracket that Subman made me for years ago at the bottom of the licence frame, but I have never had an antenna on Traveller (the black bracket with the two holes).
So I got a variable depth bit...and opened the holes up since no antennae would fit in it (just a hair too small). (oh, also installed new turn signal lens covers and had to get new bolts and nuts to tighten the rear light assembly back in). Once I got the hole opened up, I mounted an antennae and ran it to behind the right side cover and plugged it in).
Rewired and changed out the driving lights up front under the fairing with some Walmart specials.
I had ordered a fused power distribution panel and relay so that I could put most of my stuff on power on only (only with the bike turned on).
So I made a wiring harness to run some sets up front for a lighter, GPS accessory outlet and a spare for now. (The driving lights were already "switched") I know, it looks bad here, but it cleaned up nice and everything fit inside the tool box under the seat for now......
I got the engine hanger covers (my old ones were really scratched up) from Matt (Truckracer) at Carolina Bike and Trike...also got the carburetor side covers. This is before.
This is after......really NICE SET!
I got the other side as well but you have to relocate the seat lock to the side and I fought with that for about 3 hours and said TO HECK WITH IT - I went back to the normal engine hanger cover for the time being - some scratches, but it polished up OK.
Anyway, got everything finished up and tidied up and it was time to take her for a ride.......wait, had to get the new registration and sticker on the plate and get her inspected. First a quick wash and wax....
I had peeled the dragons off the side covers - I thought I was going to paint the side covers a gloss black - but now, am not sure. Then it was off to get her inspected. The lady there was GREAT! She first says "Sorry, no motorcycles today" with a big grin and then says, "Ok put it in reverse so I can see the reverse lights." So, I do this Fred Flintstone thing and stomp my feet up and down...She laughed. They were surprised at over 101k when asked for the mileage. So, now she is legal. (At the inspection shop)
Now it was time to feel some wind. I took off Tuesday and ran over to Hard 6's in Lake Charles (90 miles of sweet wind over there).
When I got there, we had planned a sleep over, so we started with his bike....his has been sitting for 4 1/2 years as well. Ahhhhhh, pulling the carb package - know it well.
We got to catch up on old times (since we had not seen much of each other over the last few years due to life)......Then the next morning, when I awoke and got my coffee, he was well into his carbs again. We got Traveller jacked up........and I could tear into to getting the forks apart so I could change the seal that started leaking that started the time that Traveller was put under the cover to begin with.
Hard 6 is a master at taking apart and changing fork seals.
We got the forks back together and the front tire looked ok - no dry rot, so we hit the rear tire. I had been down to the wear bands, so we changed the rear tire (with another Battleaxe) and changed the brake pads on the rear - they were shot.
Got Traveller back together......
Then JP went back to work on the Hard 6. Until he could get his tank cleaned and coated, he took one off another one of his bikes after getting the carb package back in and everything back together.
Then with a flick of the switch...pop...purrrrrrrr...The Hard 6 was back and running.
I was going to spend the night that night as well....it was getting late, but after dinner, I called Bonnie and she was running a high fever with this cold/flu thing going around, so I rolled out around 9:00 and got a 90 mile Superslab run back home at 10:30 pm. Sure felt GREAT!!!!
So, Traveller is back together....She sure felt GREAT flexing her muscles again after all this time.....the wind sure felt SWEET to me after all this time as well.
Today, I put together a Po' Boy carb sync setup using two gauges from Harbor Freight, two needle valves and a 5 way valve setup for aquariums and 20' of vacuum hoses.
Well, that is the latest on Traveller - she LIVES! GOTF - Here I come...........
IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
