Got an exceptionally nice "stolen day" today and since the wifey was out with the baby and the dog visiting her parents didn`t bat an eyelid figuring out should I go for a wee spin after work...



















Had a blast and learned a lot about the bike and it`s caracteristics. Gotta take it back to the garage tomorrow *sniff*, got the first of many, many packages today holding some blue braided wire "sock", also got the announcement SMS that my gauge came but when I went to the mail to get it the whole cage was missing so basically no one knows exactly where my gauge is right now, this is EXACTLY the reason I`ve been trying to order everything in advance...

 

Not much of an update but gotta brag a bit...

Another package came flying in today, this time from Racebikebits UK holding a set of blue silicone Samco race coolant hoses.



This set is for an `04->, but since they don`t make a set for mine and basically the only difference is the thermostat bypass which takes about 5mins to cut and mod into the lower hose it won`t matter. One of the engine hoses didn`t come with the set -quite naturally being a crankcase breather and therefore not including into the coolant hoses, and has to be fabricated from separate bends I already ordered from Sweden.

Another thing that got me frowning with the bike was when I drained the "coolant"...



WHAT is that SLIMY SMELLY SLUDGE creeping out of the radiator!? Don`t seem like no water wetter or engine ice to me... Some genius` added straight water in there causing all the metal bits to rot, probably gotta open the water pump case just for inspection... The previous owner of this thing should be neutered or otherwise put under some kind of government act to never have children or if the damage is already done, keep them at least 50ft from the garage! I dread to dig deeper into the bike thinking about what other horrors I encounter before the project is starting to show any signs of hope...

Funny that the hose set came already because it was ORDERED after the muffler was reported SENT, I kinda thought I`d already got that, although these came via airmail and the can is coming as freight...

Still no sign of the Koso gauge...

 

That is some nastiness, for sure! Is there any sign of cross-contamination with the engine oil?

Oh, and, them hoses sure do look purrty!!

 

Well, I didn`t check but now that you mentioned I didn`t see any oily bits floating around, gotta go sniff and take a closer look of the outcome tomorrow to see if there is any. Really hoping not, this project is gonna cost me dearly even without opening the engine... I`m trying hard to keep the level of my workmanship high enough to be some day (possibly next summer) able to put the bike on a show. Thinking about Helsinki MP fair `14... well, one can always hope...

Still baffles and amuses me that it actually is cheaper to order motorbike bits from all over the world, am currently waiting for shipments from USA, UK, china and Sweden, and pay for the shipments and customs for bits outside the EU, than to go march to the local store to get bad service and the exact same parts... Sorry, but I`m voting with my wallet...

 

Another box from the mail, this one I was kind of weary about, being sent from Hong Kong...



New bar end mirrors! The first thing that caught my eye was the oddly professional packaging...



...and what got me really astounded is the overall quality of the whole mirrors! The pivot ***** are really tight and accurate, the craftsmanship is very good, they weigh more than I expected and even came with the bar end bits that to my understanding were not supposed to include in the package. Best twenty bucks I`ve spent in a while, those things would have easily cost 100e in a moto store here, the only downside is they`re not E-approved which basically makes them illegal here, but I`ve never heard of anyone getting a ticket for that, or even get checked for it... Kinda the same story with LED tail- or turning lights, no one cares as long as you have em...

Some news of the gauge too, the mail has lost the package! I`ve been on the phone half of the day because of it, and basically the only thing I can do is ask the shop to send me new one, and get them to make an official investigation request of the original packet. Not holding my breath with that... As said, this is the reason I`m early with the orders...

 

I'm anxious to see those mirrors mounted, as I can't envision how it looks... get to it!!

Dude, that sucks! I hope you don't get screwed on this deal!

 

Ur gonna have to wait for that as well as I cause the end bits has m6 threads and my current bars has m8 so I`d have to fashion some kind of a mock-up assembly. Might in the weekend as I`m also curious to see if they fit at all. I would have wanted either CRG Arrows or Driven D-axis`s, but they both cost around 100+ A PIECE! so these`ll have to do, I spent two nights on ebay trying to find ones I liked and those were the best hands down.

 

You could just use HeliCoil inserts.

 

...or electric tape spun around the smaller end pieces I`m currently having to make the fit tight enough I`m not planning to ride with them, just throw them on to see what they look like... The bars are getting swapped as soon as the Woodcraft set arrives from uusaa.

 

Man this bike is gonna look purdy! I was tossing the idea of a set of samco hoses but the set for my bike is over USD$300.