The Smashster is Back!!

A couple of years ago, when I was regularly riding this bike, my back was killing me! So I made a lifestyle change and decided to try a different riding position- I bought a Harley 883. It was somewhat of an impulse buy. When I bought it, I wasn't really expecting to just stop riding the SV, but that's exactly what happened. I needed more room in our small garage, so I tucked Smash away on the side of the house and covered him up. It just so happened that I had just filled up the gas tank with a fresh tank- I didn't even give it much thought....until it was time to start him up again, this past September, one year later...

The only reason I had to start up the SV was so that I could move it 5 miles down the street to my new house. The bike took a very long time to start, as expected. I actually started the starting process a few days before I needed to move the bike, because I knew it was going to be a bitch. Well, the bike eventually started, but it ran like shit. I was able to limp down the road on one cylinder firing. It got the job done, but it was a little frightening.

Now another 6 months have passed. It was time to get the bike ready for a possible sale. Shit! That means I had to address that bad running motor situation. I figured it was just a fouled plug, so I purchased a couple of new plugs on eBay. When they arrived, I put them in. The bike ran a bit better, but was still stumbling a bit on idle. The bike still seemed to be missing on one cylinder until I put some gas into it, then it ran better in the upper revs. I was thinking that it was just stale gas. After consulting the web, I decided to try switching out the pilot jets- perhaps all that sitting around clogged one of the jets.

I ran down to my local Suzuki dealership and picked up a couple of new 17.5 pilot jets for only about $5 a piece! I could have sworn they cost twice that much- maybe they went down in price over the years?

The job didn't take long, but working on that part of the bike seemed so unfamiliar! I can remember a time, when I was trying out different main jets, when I had to pull those carbs out routinely! I was so good and practiced, I could have the fairings off, the tank propped up and the carbs on my work bench inside of 20 minutes! This time, I had to actually check on the web to remind me of what to do next!

The swap of the jets went without incident. And indeed, the rear pilot jet was stuffed with crap and was 100% clogged shut! I reinstalled the carbs and stitched the bike back together. I started the bike and it roared like a lion, just the way it should!

I took Smash out for a test ride and the bike was STRONG. It idled smoothly and reliably. I've fallen in love with that bike all over again! Now that the registration is all paid up again and there's insurance on it, I'm actually considering keeping it for a little bit longer. We'll see what the wife has to say about that...