Collecting Parts

Once again, the project has come to a crawl. Not that it's not going to get done, it's just stalled for the time being. Over the Summer, I got wrapped up in Summer classes, which really consumed my time. Now I've got this Fall semester keeping me busy. This change of career stuff isn't all that easy!
I did, however, get a chance to acquire a bunch of cool parts! I had a friend work on my triple-crown and fill in the holes and give it a sweet paint job to give it that classic race look, since I'm going to go with clip-ons. I also put in some fairly big orders to finish up restoring the carburetors- now I just need to get the proper size main and pilot jets. I bought some new intake joints and a crossover pipe, while a very nice friend donated a brand new Y-boot and Uni-Filter setup. I also bought all brand new control cables- most of them are still available through Yamaha, so don't waste your money on Ebay, buying those aftermarket replacements. Also, I found a front master cylinder in really usable shape, so I'm in the middle of tearing it down to marry the parts with my original cylinder.
One of my favorite gets for the season was a brand new (still in the box) Hella halogen headlight and bulb that I found on Ebay. It was a total score- I bought it for less than $30!
Also I started working on refinishing the Daytona head. I tracked down some phosphoric acid from my local Home Depot and gave it a nice overnight soaking. Then I began the wet sanding portion, but decided that I need more grit. Then things got busy.

Impulsive

Okay. I was cruising Craigslist on Thursday and found someone posting a 2001 SV naked for $1500! complete with a complete 1997 GSX-R front end! The catch was that the spark plug pulled right out of the rear head, threads and all. Heck, I can change a head on that bike and the part would only cost me $50 on Fleabay! The bike also came with a Corbin seat (plus the OEM seat), a Vapor Trail Tech gauge, Givi windscreen, Throttlemeister cruise control bar-ends, frame sliders, rear spools, a brand new Dunlop Sportmax rear tire and Delkevic shorty exhaust, to name a few things.

After emailing the seller, he got back to me late that night. I plugged him for pictures and an honest evaluation of the bike and he was happy to oblige. The seller had dropped the bike off at a local shop to have a heli-coil job done to the cylinder, just to get it operational again. But if the work was done, the price would go up. I told him that I would prefer to get the bike in its current state and I would do the work myself. He agreed to call the shop and halt the work, so that I could see the bike. We exchanged cell phone numbers and we were all set up for the next day.

Friday morning came and there were decisions to be made. The bike was a good 55 miles away. Should I just go out on expedition first to do a viewing? If I liked it, I would have to make a second trip with a rented trailer, since I don’t own a pickup truck (or know anyone else who owns one). Or do I just presume that I’ll like the bike and head out with a trailer, so I don’t have to waste time and gas going out twice? I made a hasty decision believing that this was a deal too good to pass up! I could probably pick the bike apart, selling off the pieces, and still make more money that I spent. I quickly went to the U-Haul website and made reservations for a trailer at my nearby location. But I still didn’t have a ball for my trailer hitch! and I needed to find tie-down straps! And I had to drop my wife off at the Hertz rental, since some a-hole just took her car out of commission the day before! The time was 10:00am and I had to meet the seller by noon. STRESS!!

I skipped the shower and my second cup of coffee (against my better judgment), threw some sloppy clothes on, grabbed my stuff, grabbed my wife and out the door we went. I dropped my wife off first, then I headed to Walmart for a ball and a wrench (since I forgot the wrench). U-Haul was actually quite stellar and had me set up in no time. A little gas and I hit the road!

I was only fifteen minutes late! The seller, Brett, was very cool. He rolled the bike out of the shop and gave me the low down. On top of all the stuff I mentioned above, the bike just got a new 525 chain, clutch cable and battery. Everything went smooth. I agreed to buy it, so he helped me to strap that puppy in and we ran off to the bank. Afterward, he took a short drive to his place, where he had the title. (I’m pretty sure that he was keeping the title and bike separate, just in case I tried to jack him, just like I didn’t show up with cash in hand, in case he pulled a piece on me.) We filled out the paperwork and it was a done deal!

I rushed home, since i had to have the trailer back to U-Haul by 4p, or they were going to charge me an extra $150 for being late. But first, I need FOOD! It was 2:30 and all I’ve had so far was one cup of coffee and three toasted baguette slices with peanut butter on them! A quick Taco Bell fly-by did the trick. I got home to discover that my straps didn’t do a very good job of keeping the bike upright. Maybe it was the speed bumps…who knows? Lifting 375 lbs. off its side with Taco Bell in my stomach was NO EASY feat, but I got it done. The late charge was huge motivator! I managed to scratch the trailer floor and break off the shifter pedal, but no biggie- I’ll have an extra, as soon as my Woodcraft setup arrives.

So that was my Friday! I made a rash decision and ran with it! With a little stress, I managed to get out to Lodi to grab that bike, and I got the trailer back in time! I’m still checking the bike over, figuring out which parts I’m going to pick off of the bike and how I’m going to assemble a desirable working SV650. I’ve got all Winter to deal with it.

Parking Accessories

The $12 Solution

I (finally) decided that it might be a good idea to get some simple devices to remind me that I put a disc lock on my bike, when I park, for the seldom occasions that I do use the lock. I found an orange curly lanyard for about $5 and a "Remove Before Flight" keychain streamer for $2.50 on Fleabay. After shipping, the total cost was still under $12. Not a bad deal, considering what it cost me, after I dropped the bike. Ouch!

New Rear Sets are a Comin'!

Well, it serves me right. Last weekend, I rode LB to Alameda to meet up with my physics class on campus. Being that it's actually Oakland, I thought it might be prudent to lock up the bike with the disc lock. Even though I do have an alarm on the bike, it would really suck if she got stolen. I almost never use that thing, so after class, I got my stuff on, started up the bike and drove her right into the pavement. Luckily, the damage was pretty minimal. The right mirror got a new scratch on it, my fancy HVMP bar end got a new scuff. But worst of all, my brake pedal got smashed in about an inch.

After shopping online for a new brake pedal, I discovered that they are fricking expensive! A new OEM lever will cost about $85, even going through Oneida or Babbitts. And I couldn't even find an aftermarket one. After much deliberation, I decided to bite the bullet and buy those Woodcraft rear sets that I've been eying for the past five years. I had considered some other brands, but for the price, the Woodcrafts can't be beat. Plus the product support is excellent, both trackside and through customer service.

There's a local guy who posts his wares on Craigslist, selling rearsets, basically Sato knockoffs, and he does have some rave reviews on BARF, AND his prices are very good (1/3 cheaper than the Woodcrafts), but in the end, I realized that by going with him, that would've been a hasty decision made strictly on dollars. I've been checking out the Woodcraft rear sets for years and I know they're a solid product. I've got some BRG Racing rear set plates that I can sell to help buffer the cost of the new hardware, so that should help out a bit.

I purchased the brake light accessory as well. Since my bike is a daily rider, I do want the rear brake light to be functional. I will fabricate a return spring mechanism, since they don't come with one, and I'm not in the mood to spend another $16 on their spring.

With any luck, the gear should arrive by tomorrow and I'll be testing out over the Labor Day weekend! Maybe I'll see you out there! Ride safely!