my Scooters and the Options they afford me..

[Tugaloo]

My Panhead (1948 to 1965) had 6" risers and a drag style handle bars. Very comfortable and steering was very quick.

[Armyjimbo]

Ahh the days before bar risers and custom cables. I can take this with me IN my transport , to get to the fun!

[Tugaloo]

Looks like fun!

.Basically and depending on manufacturer, I wear a 34" or 36" inseam in jeans and the same in shirt sleeves. I used to race Moto-X, Hare Scrambles and enjoyed riding in forests; however, I was limited to 400cc and up. Too durn tall to stand on the foot pegs.

[Armyjimbo]

This little gem, brings some small scale fun out to play. Street legal and decent preformance !

[Armyjimbo]

Arrg, Im dealing with that now. The in tank fuel feed hose broke on me, so now I have more room than a new car but less room than is required. So the seat need to be removed, steering rack loosened, oil and coolant tanks pulled out of the way. The worst part is that when it was last worked on somebody replaced metric fasteners with SAE, metric metric standard metric standard. AAAAHHHHHH!! well I'm off to the big city on Wed, so I'll see if they have the correct parts to do this.

[Tugaloo]

I also miss the old easy to work on cars or trucks.

Anyone can get into a late models programming; however it's not a cheap date.

From vehicle diagnostics, data logging, scanning, and calibration, we cover all the bases with our flagship MPVI3 device and VCM software suite — the only tuning and diagnostics solutions you'll ever need for your OBDII equipped import and domestic vehicles. Built for tuning professionals and enthusiasts of any caliber.

https://www.hptuners.com

The inexpensive ones have a lot of things they can't do. The least expensive way is find an old dealership scan tool. At the local dealership, their master tech's scan tool is old and stills works on today's vehicles.

My 2010 Sierra was bitten by a mouse who chewed the cable from #5 cylinder. A scan tool pointed it out as no signal from #5 fuel injector. I removed the thermoplastic cover and followed the wires until I found the bare ones. The fix was $85 with no labor costs and dealership cost.


As you enjoy my silly little tidbits I find; here's one

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/01/the-real-january-6.php

It's informative about what they don't want us to know.. As we know, that is a given..
When you kick the link; first you'll see a screen roughly stating checking if the site connection is secure. There is no danger from it.

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/cop-city-atlanta-protest-chaos

The rioters shot a cop and and were shot as a result. Does that mean they can shoot you, but you dare not shoot them?

[orangetom1999]

Agree here Tugaloo....

Today's vehicles are too complex and they are 12 pounds stuffed into an 8 pound bag. I'm not a fan.

I have in my garage my Dad's olde 1967 Chevy Biscayne...250 CID six cylinder..three on the tree... which I overhauled some years back. When you open the hood....you can still see the ground underneath the engine. You do not do that in todays cars...even in small engine cars..too much wiring and plumbing...


Also todays cars....too much frustrating computer controls for me. Todays cara electrically do not follow the KISS principle...Keep It Simple Stupid. It can get frustrating.

One of these days i am going to have to open a book on vehicle computer controls and how they work.



Orangetom
Not an Ishmaelite.

[Tugaloo]

OT,
I can remember my father emptying the gas filter on the firewall because it had water in it. Back then, water in gas was a common thing.

We have a Colorado ZR2, an Equinox, a motorcycle and the street car.
Today's vehicles are too complex and they are 12 pounds stuffed into an 8 pound bag. I'm not a fan.

As I've had too many problems with offshore knockoffs, I prefer buying American auto parts. Don't me wrong, all manufacturers have components made off shore. However, they enforce quality controls while the knockoffs don't at the same level.

I enjoy getting my hands dirty. Plus, how many times have you vented about I can't work on the $## thing?? IMO, there are too many book smart people today.

My father was not a mechanical type. I learned everything myself because I wanted to race cars. LOL

My favorite uncle was career AF and crewed on puff the magic dragon. He flew out of Udon, Thailand.

[orangetom1999]

LOL lol lol Tugaloo.....exactly correct...

OT,
Well, the morale of the story is you learned how and you also learned how much less it cost to DIY instead of paying someone else to do it all.

I'm thinking that our parents must have come out of the same stable of experiences.


As long as I am able ...I too do not like to pay someone else to do what I can do myself.....and will often put it off for awhile rather than pay someone...as was the case of recently changing out my power steering pump in my truck. I put it of for close to two years rather than pay someone else. But...i am glad to get her back on the road.

Good thing I have scooters and another car.

I too will take my disassembled motor parts to a local machine shop to have them machined true before re assembly. That kind of machining I cannot do and will gladly pay someone to do it for me.

I have the stones to do engine cylinders as well as brake cylinders but engine cylinders...I will pay to have them done...along with the cranks et al. Those shops will gladly sell you the new bearings and rings...et al...and I prefer it that way.

I don't really do increased racing power on my cars and trucks but just need them to work for me when needed....nonetheless..it saves me a lot of monies over the long run..as I already have an engine hoist and also an engine stand.

I am ever grateful to my Dad for teaching me....these skills....and they have paid off or me.....though in my younger years I had no clue and just wanted to play with the younger kids. I had no clue back in those days ...how it would pay dividends for me.

My Dad was one of those Air Force Non Coms who made the transition from piston engines for aircraft to jet engines and had worked on those 3,000 Horsepower radial engines on those early K'C 97 propellor tankers. Those planes needed every bit of horsepower to get off the ground so heavily ladened with jet fuel. My Dad knew his way around piston engines.
I am ever grateful to him for teaching me what he did....may he and Mom rest in Peace.


Orangetom
Not an Ishmaelite

[Tugaloo]

OT,
Well, the morale of the story is you learned how and you also learned how much less it cost to DIY instead of paying someone else to do it all. As an example, I can't bore an engine; so I pay to have it bored. The cost of having it bored is relatively inexpensive than to pay to have is disassembled and reassembled. Gunk cleaner and a late night visit to a car wash does wonders.. LOL

The way I learned to buy or borrow the necessary tools to do my own work was with a 58 Harley that needed some serious engine work. As I lacked the reamers and Kwik Way seat cutters, I paid to have the "best" local shop do the work. After I fired it up, it went less than 100 yards and only one cylinder was running. I took it apart and a valve was frozen open. It may have been the best shop, but for water-cooled engines.
As I was working a lot of OT, I could afford to buy the reamers and seat cutters. Luckily, the other 3 guides and valves didn't seize, I reamed them and I only had to buy one valve and guide.
Some things are easy if you've seen them done. To set the correct clearance on a generator, a sheet of the correct thickness paper is wrapped around the armature to setup the clearance between it and the field coils. To remove the brush's carbon from the commutator's grooves grind all the teeth off a hacksaw blade except one and clean the grooves one by one.

[orangetom1999]

By Tugaloo....

Engines "talk" and it is up to us to learn to listen. Some can be real sneaky tricky sons of a gun. I've learned it was because I paying close enough attention. It's a weakness we all share.

Indeed they do. Years ago ..I rebuilt the head on an olde 6 cylinder 250 Chevy engine. She started smoking quickly when i put it back on.

Learned then....you need to rebuild the whole things....the pistons could not handle the tighter compression with so many miles on them and not being rebuilt.
]
Lessons learned.

I finally rebuilt the lower end as well and all was well.

Orangetom
Not an Ishmaelite.

[Tugaloo]

Carburetors shouldn't scare anyone unless they can't keep their fingers off. Once I had a customer who kept messing with his Linkert. Finally, I showed him how to adjust it. My partner said hey that cost us $25 every season. I answered he'll be back. When the weather changed and he was back.

The blue smoke can be as simple as a ceramic ball hone and rings or worst case a bore with new pistons and rings. OTOH, it could be valves requiring a head rebuild. It depends on if the engine smokes on acceleration or deacceleration.

Engines "talk" and it is up to us to learn to listen. Some can be real sneaky tricky sons of a gun. I've learned it was because I paying close enough attention. It's a weakness we all share.

[Armyjimbo]

Carbs don't scare me, releasing the magic blue smoke does. Mainly because part xxxx is toast.

[Tugaloo]

I've done things because at the time, they were fun and I learned something.. Senseless, but enjoyable.
Two areas where most people need someone else was electrical due to lack of attention to the schematic and/or wire colors and carburetors because they adjust the "screws."

[Armyjimbo]

That I've considered, l did it to my old stingray bike my dad dit the fork extension and welding! We went to the dump steel pile and got a extra set of forks to cut and weld. We brought the shop truck with the gas axe, my dad was a legend! Showed me all the good stuff to know. Bush fix mechainicing, distill alcohol, hunt fish shoot, etc etc.

The Engwe does have a steel frame, l think/know l could manage the stretch job BUT for what real gain? I bought it for the weekend get away/ Vancouver/states /bop about, so l can just have aux transport. So it's not my prime/back up mover. I have a fleet of 2 wheel motorized putt putts!