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What's going on out at GrandPaul's Place?

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The mud puddle is almost dried up already.

I managed to un-plug the fuel tap on the tractor, bled the injectors, and it fired right up. Back in business.

Got a few minor chores done, fired up a couple of bikes for the first time in over a month; that NEEDED doing!

Had my back turned, and one of the &^%$# cows managed to stick it's head under the fence, trotted around the apron, POOPED in the back yard, then scooted under the fence (I only saw the last bit). So, scooped the poop.

Fun day...

(pix / video later)
 
grandpaul said:
The mud puddle is almost dried up already.

I managed to un-plug the fuel tap on the tractor, bled the injectors, and it fired right up. Back in business.

Got a few minor chores done, fired up a couple of bikes for the first time in over a month; that NEEDED doing!

Had my back turned, and one of the &^%$# cows managed to stick it's head under the fence, trotted around the apron, POOPED in the back yard, then scooted under the fence (I only saw the last bit). So, scooped the poop.

Fun day...

(pix / video later)
Click to expand...
visions of a cow sneaking around your back on its hind legs, pooping, :lol2:
 
Ok, some leisurely catching up to do since the party. More or less back to "normal" (whatever that is).

Brought home the 2000 Triumph Legend 900 triple and got in a couple of good rides already, taking advantage of the decent riding weather!

From oct 3rd-
Two different projects used up most of my day at the ranch, besides getting in 2 hours of tractor therapy scraping and leveling by the creek and along the east property line. First was pulling the gas tank, carbs & sparks plugs off the ZRX for a tune-up & oil change. Next came building & installing a gutter & downspout for 1/2 of the shed roof, down to a 55-gallon barrel. I need to buy 2 more pieces of gutter to finish the other half and install the 2nd barrel. That will bring the total collection capacity to 330 gallons (6 barrels total, 4 are already full). The main tank has about 450 gallons in it at the moment.

The traditional yanking of the ZRX carbs after it has sat a while, but more involved since it was past time to change the oil and swap the spark plugs. Extracting the carbs is a mother of a chore. I've done it at least a half-dozen times, and the rubber manifold boots have finally started cracking. New set ordered. Spark plug swap already complete.

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All jets cleaned. The float chambers were much cleaner than I expected, last time I cleaned them was five years ago! Ordered bowl o-rings and a few rubber plugs to replace some knackered ones...
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Gutter & downspout in place on the East 1/3 of the shed roof.
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Short about 24' of gutter to finish, so I capped it off for now.

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Barrel in place, ready for the next rain!
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(spoiler alert, it rained since, and the barrels are ALL full)
 
From Oct 7th
Got the last of the rain barrels installed (6 total now), but had to resort to chopping open a section of downspout to use as a gutter. Not worth it to spend money for the difference, plus nearly 100 mile round trip to fetch the materials.

Never mind the rough cut, I lopped off the entire top side. The right edge all popped off with the lap edge, so it's nice and clean.

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330 gallons capacity now, and they're all full to overflowing.

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Found another HUGE Black Widow and made her mate a widower. She's blacker than usual because I used a shot of black spray paint to slower her down till i could find something to squash her with.

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Set up the new WiFi hotspot and it works great all over inside and outside the building. (no photos)

Found the problem with a water leak in the camper, easy fix. It will get a complete PEX makeover.

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Minor update on the scruffy Norton, I swapped the wide 16" rear wheel for the spare original 19" that came with the bike.

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Of course, I should have expected the drive cush rubbers to be worn out, but this is pitiful...
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Oh, yes, the OTHER reason I never liked the wide rims - you have to pull off the entire rear hub to get the wheel out, simply removing the axle and popping it out at an angle won't work, the brake cush paddles catch the rim and won't let it out NO WAY, NO HOW...
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Anyway, real motorcycle work.

When I got the ZRX done (full maintenance), I'll post the story up...
 
Well, the ZRX is on the "back burner" since I have interested potential buyers lining up for the old Norton!

Yesterday began the "wake-up/make-run" phase. looks like the tank used to be red...

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Air filter element was a mess of dust and goo...

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Oil puddle at the bottom of the air filter element indicates the crankcase breather was dumping a significant amount of oil
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Fuel lines & screens look exceptionally clean
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Valve pockets are sooty, but better than I expected.
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Left side plug looks decent, guessing this plug read is based on good ol' gas from 20 years ago. There was not a lot of dust or dirt in the spark plug seat area
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Right side was running richer than the left, plug seat also relatively clean
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Carbs removed without having to resort to ball-end allen keys that I typically use (they're at the ranch, 32 miles away)
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The box of parts is filling up...
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I tried "hot wiring" the keyswitch to see if I could scare up a spark...
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Oopsie! Won't coax a spark from THAT capacitor!
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Carb slides looked pretty typical, significantly worn, but not horrible. That small crack doesn't affect operation, but I need to try to figure out what caused it. I have a better replacement slide in a drawer...
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My first very pleasant surprise - the oil looks great! ZERO particles of dirt or metal.
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One tiny metallic shaving on the drain plug. I don't think I'm going to pull the head, I'll have a look with my WiFi borescope and check things out that way.
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Off to the tire guys to swap out the tubes.
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Never a good sign...
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Dry as a bone, and the rubber hose is plugged. HOPEFULLY the master cylinder piston and the caliper pucks aren't stuck in their bores. Basic "make run" required parts ordered. End of a long Day 1.
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Went out to the ranch to scratch thru my bins & tubs, found most of what I was looking for.

Tried to "pop open" the spare Norton brake caliper and snapped one of the Norton multi-tool pins (thankfully they are replaceable). For now, I'll try using (2) 1/4" drill bits as a temp solution till some new pins arrive.

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That sucker is FROZEN! Hopefully the one on the bike will cooperate...

Transferred the water from ALL 6 barrels, and came up 100 gallons short. I didn't think the main tank was that low! (no photos)

Rode down to the pond on the tractor to make sure it gets regular use. It's a pond again, that's nice. I sure need to rent an excavator and dig it deeper, then line it. $$$

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Beautiful moonrise just as I was leaving. So peaceful...

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grandpaul said:
Here... How's this?
Click to expand...

That is very similar to what Stu rode when he ran SOS Cycle. He was the vintage Norton/BSA/Triumph guru here that just up and closed his shop and vanished.
Another shop said he had plenty of money and just decided to stop. His Norton looked every bit that bad, including vice grip shifter, despite having TONS of vintage parts in there. I asked him about that once, and he said "People get out of my way and leave me alone." LOL. Super nice guy.
 
LaserDave said:
That is very similar to what Stu rode when he ran SOS Cycle. He was the vintage Norton/BSA/Triumph guru here that just up and closed his shop and vanished.
Another shop said he had plenty of money and just decided to stop. His Norton looked every bit that bad, including vice grip shifter, despite having TONS of vintage parts in there. I asked him about that once, and he said "People get out of my way and leave me alone." LOL. Super nice guy.
Click to expand...
SOS Cycle, sounds familiar. I think I bought some parts from him (San Antonio)

Always wonder3ed where "British Magic" disappeared to?
 
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