Coil Bracket

The old one broke...

so I made a new one. Lost a little bit of riding time on Sunday but saved a little coin by using some scrap on the work bench. All in a day's work.

Tour-Pak

OK so not really but still a little extra space for stuff I don't want to have to dig out of the pack strapped to the sissy bar. Up front gets the tool roll, hunting knife and a few incidentals like sun screen, Advil, etc. The fuel sling gets the fuel bottle (duh). The Saddlebag gets a one piece rain suit, waterproof gloves and goggles. If will be interesting to actually pull off in the rain instead of just riding through it...brave new world!

Paint

After dis-assembly, the first step was a good bath. See that giant hole in the rear fender? That is the stock location of the ECM. More on that later. After the bath I gave each piece a good sanding to promote adhesion. Then I took my rattle cans and started spraying. 

I always go a little overboard with coats. I put a lot on this time too. Chalkboard paint is excellent stuff and results in a very durable exterior. I've put it on the last two bikes I repainted. 

 

Notice anything missing...the rear fender maybe? More on that later too...

I know you can't tell from this flawless execution but I have no stencil experience. Used flat white, it was still wet in this photo. I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

After

Simple cosmetic changes, small on their own but together they make a pretty big difference. In the next few weeks I'll detail what all was done, from the easy to the fairly complex. I've gotta say, I am pretty stoked on the end result.

Saturday continued...

So Brandon is back in town and came to claim one of his trio of bikes from the garage. He isn't wasting any time getting back on the road and the CB he is taking needed a little carb work. It was leaking before he left and stopping that was the goal. It didn't quite happen before leaving here but before the end of the night, it was drip free.

Nick and Nick discussing something Shovel related.

The CB also got a new battery, some electrical work, a new clutch lever and clean gas. My Sportster got a new rear tire but as all four of us had a hand (or foot) on the tire at some point, there are no pictures. All in all is was a good, full day in the garage and Brandon's bike left under its own power before sundown. Safe travels, little CB. Hope you enjoyed your stay. 

Drunken Monkeys vs. Sprocket

     Saturday was a blast. There were three bikes getting attention, numerous beers being drank, slawburgers being consumed and enough wise-assery to go around. It started at eight am with a drum, sprocket and an obscenely large c-clamp. When a punch fails, bust out the drill and when setting rivets, start with the hammer first.

Pretty sure the new sprocket was overdue.

Tools of the trade and the finished product. More to come...

The Right Tools

It's pretty amazing, the things you can do with them. Clutch hub needed a little persuasion but came off in the end.

Got further and further down and finally to the mainshaft nut...and could twist it left and right with my fingers.
I'm not an expert but I know that's not right.

Another useful tool. Duo Seal Super Nut is on...and the saga continues.

Tank Art

While Nick's bike was here, I decided his plain old green tank needed a little love. 

We brainstormed for a bit before laying out the panels and then started trying to get all the bases covered. Here, you can see at the top we have the line squiggles and scales. 

Front left we did some freak, or as Nick likes to call them, polka dots. 

Added a desert landscape...

and a space scene.

For flair, we threw a little lettering on the top as well. 

Last but not least, we threw one of our new stickers on there so Nick can keep track of his progress. 

I'm not sure he was as excited about the art as I was. He said something about painting over it but I know he must be joking. 

If he did that, he would totally ruin his chances of selling it online 40 years from now for hundreds and hundreds of dollars...

Distraction

This is what has been keeping me from working on the Shovel. It's a wallet...

Results from Saturday

Spent some time on a few little things on the Shovel Saturday. All of it was simple but the little things add up.
At some point I'll have to move the tail light wiring so it isn't just snaking down the sissy bar and up the frame but again, small job. The thing I really need more of is time. Too bad they don't sell that in the parts houses...

I'm supposed to be getting my hands on a shop manual this week which should help with some of the bigger things. In any case, I'm getting closer and closer to where I want it to be. I've been looking at doing a couple things that are outside my ability and skill set but if you never move out of your comfort zone, you'll never learn anything.

Hopefully I'll have a good chunk of time to get the final loose ends tied off later this month. Unfortunately, everything comes with a price. If I were smarter, I'd use the good weather Saturdays to ride and the ugly ones to get work done. Having a family doesn't help either...trying to do everything you want can be a pain but the payoffs are well worth it.

Details

 New seat bracket...

also heard engraved parts were in right now so here we are.

Sorting Out the Rear Axle

So you know how an axle should slide in and out with relative ease? Well...the rear axle on the Shovel didn't and it was time to figure out why. Got everything loose and hammered that SOB for almost half an hour to get it out. Took the wheel apart and it turns out the outer spacers and both sides had some burrs that needed to be smoothed out. As a result, the axle had some rough spots too. The bearings are in decent shape so they stayed as is.

The sprocket is is rough cosmetic shape thanks to throwing a chain but the transmission leak keeps oil slung all over it so I'm not too worried about rust. 

Nick was on hand to give me an extra set of knuckles to hit with the hammer and to help dwindle the Jack Daniels supply. He also ripped off my tater tot casserole recipe and threw it up all over Instagram via his old lady...but I digress.

You can check out his take on this mania here. 

Starting Sequence

Made this video to try out some video editing software. 

Yes, I am kicking the Shovel in pajama pants and house shoes with my kids talking in the background. 

Sorry if this offends your masculine sensibilities...

Making a point(s)...cover

Spent some time in the garage with the angle grinder and bench grinder. More to come...

5 Step Program

 1. Buy motocross helmet on clearance online for $27.00.

 2. Apply masking tape...badly in this case. More on that later...

 3. Sand with whatever sandpaper you have on hand.

 4. Apply chalkboard paint.

5. Remove masking tape, apply touch-up paint, apply Fifty's Haze helmet sticker. Take bad photo. 

Cooking

     My buddy Chris over at Iron Vaquero sent me an e-mail last week asking about camp cooking-methods, equipment, menu, etc. I am by no means an expert, in fact a few of his recent trips and his camp cooking photos put my usual routines to shame. If you haven't checked out his blog, you should. He is always riding and documents everything with words and photos. Do yourself a favor and click here.
      I tried to answer him the best I could and I've copied the text of that response onto this post. Since weather is about perfect for camping and riding, it's time to get it together. If you haven't thought about your gear lately, no time like the present.
   
      I don’t know if you could call what I do on the road cooking...I’ve seen your recent blog posts and you  put what I do to shame. Gear wise, I carry a Brunton Raptor stove. It is one of the ultra-light folding stoves you can get at places like Dick’s and Academy. I got it on clearance at the latter for $20 years ago. I am pretty sure it isn’t made any more but there are still a couple places you can get it online anywhere for $40-$60. It is a killer little stove I just think they couldn’t compete with companies like JetBoil and MSR even though I have found the stove to be an excellent buy at a fraction of the cost of the other’s products. Everything on this stove is built in, including the ignition, and it fits easily in the palm of my hand.

 (that is a bag from a Crown Royal Mini, not a full size bottle, didn’t want you thinking it was HUGE.)

     My mess kit is the pretty standard pot and lid folding job you can get from any store with outdoor supplies for around $15-$20. These usually come with more than I take. I usually just take the pot and lid and the small plastic cup inside just in case a traveling companion has something good to share. On overnight trips I’ll travel without the mess kit to save space and just cook the can right on the stove. This works but if you aren’t careful and patient you’ll get burnt food on the bottom and ice cold food on the top. I keep the cup and some Wonder Wash inside the kit. Wonder Wash Soap is great, cleans ANYTHING and is all natural and biodegradable so you don’t have to worry about letting it seep into the ground. I have kept a LightMyFire spork in the kit traditionally but despite being made of very hard plastic I have broken several. My brother in law gave me a Hobo Knife set on a road trip a couple years back and I like it better than the sporks. You can get these from anywhere from $10 all the way up to $100 for a really nice one (my cheap-o set works just fine). I also carry a P-51 can opener in my wallet. 

     My food choices are very simple. In the morning I eat a granola bar, usually a Cliff or Cliff Mojo bar. These are denser and more filling that a lot of the options out there though I’ll occasionally get a Builder or other brand protein bar if I know I’ll really be pushing myself. I use Starbucks Via for coffee. It dissolves equally well in hot or cold water (for those mornings you just don’t feel like restarting the fire or messing with the stove). Since I am not real picky about my morning coffee, this works really well for me: you just dump the envelope in the water, give it a shake or stir and you are on your way to caffeinating. There are several flavors available and a box will usually cover me for a couple cups/bottles every morning for the whole trip. 

      Lunch is normally on the road. The only rule I have here is I refuse to eat anything I could eat at home. I try to get a taste of the local offerings by asking a gas station attendant or another customer. You find the best places to eat this way. The only exception to this is if I run into issues and I need to save time or funds and I’ll hit a dollar menu at a fast food place. This is a last resort.

      At night, I normally stick to canned soups and chili with crackers or bread. This is because they are self contained, easy to cook and don’t have spoiling considerations. I will also “dress up” a soup or chili with jerky and cheese sticks if I come across them at the last stop of the day. I occasionally carry small, individually wrapped summer sausages for something different. I have also done the whole ramen and dehydrated veggies in a ziplock bag deal. You just boil water, pour it in the bag, zip it closed and in a few minutes you have dinner. That works good and if you do a little homework and plan ahead you really can have something different every night. I also carry a variety of small candies for my sweet-tooth and Slim Jim’s for snacks during the day.

      On a long trip I carry a few days worth of food at a time and restock as needed. I can always find a good grocery in a small town along the way and worst case scenario, most convenience stores will have at least a couple options. One thing I always make sure to have is a can of Beanie Weenies. There will always be a night where I just don’t feel like cooking and unlike most chili and soup, Beanie Weenies aren’t terrible cold.