8 Ball In The Wind

Thursday, December 29, 2011

A Dollar Waiting On A Dime

I put the stud in the hole with Permatex Bearing Mount...but after a full day, I can still wobble the stud.  So, I am going to have to have the hole drilled out and tapped for an insert.  The problem is, the insert wont be here until next week.  I could go and pick it up...but that would cost $30 in gas...to pick up a $4 part.  I cant afford that right now.  So I am just going to wait.  Once I have the insert, a friend with a drill press is going to help drilling and threading the hole for the insert.  then it will be just bolting everything back together.  So the whole bike, is waiting on a $4 insert, so I can button it all back together again....

Oh well, wont be long now.

Catch ya on the road sometime...

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Tear Down

Started the tear down yesterday, and within a couple hours had everything ready and pulled the tranny.  Quite a lot of fucking hassle just to work on one stud hole, but it is out.
Now, I am waiting for the Bearing Mount from Permatex to cure.  Hopefully it will keep the tranny from leaking out of the mounting stud hole.

If this doesnt keep it from leaking, I can only figure putting in a Heli-Coil.  Because I simply cannot afford anything else at the moment.  

Wish me luck.

Catch ya on the road sometime...

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Gypsy In The House


I brought the bike into the front room yesterday so I can work on it in a warm room, and not out in the cold of my partially enclosed carport.  It does bug me a bit, that in order to hopefully repair the threads in one of the bottom tranny mounting stud holes, I have to remove the seat, the exhaust, battery, oil tank, outer primary cover, clutch and compensating sprocket, primary chain, starter, stator, inner primary, and the shocks.  What a pain in the ass to repair the threads in one hole.  What worries me is that it turns out I cant repair the threads...if thats the case, I am hoping to just put in a Heli-Coil, and call it good.  I dont have the cash to have an insert machined and put in place, and certainly cant afford another tranny case.
Also, over the next two weeks I have to get ready for my hearing in Superior Court, about whether I was entitled to unemployment or not until last summer.
Busy couple weeks ahead.  Oh well, thats life.

Catch ya on the road sometime....

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

WARNING "Vista Antivirus 2012" is a fucking killer computer bug!! WATCH OUT!!!

OK, here's the shit!!  This virus, worm, trojan, whatever the fuck you want to call it, just wiped out my good pc, with all my picks and good shit on it.  I was surfing one of my usual sites scoping out the bikes, and all of a sudden, Windows Security pops up saying that Vista Antivirus 2012 reports it isnt turned on.   That almost slipped passed me, before I realized that isnt the antivirus software I have.  I really quicked checked the programs on the pc to make sure.  Just like I thought, no such software on the machine!!  So I go to restore to an earlier restore point, and it pops up with a warning from this antivirus profile it isnt allowing me to do this because that part of the system has been corrupted.  Everything I tried to destroy or isolate this program it popped up wiht the same window.  Each time asking if I wanted to perform a scan to remove the spyware/malware/whateverware infecting my computer.  I downloaded as many of my pics as I could onto a flash stick, and two discs before shutting down the computer. 

I am now rnning a 10+ yr old pc using XP, because the other just went TU.  I wanted to check what was on the flashstick, that it was in good shape, and this old hting doesnt recognize the flash stick, so I'll have to try something else.  One of the discks seemed to copy (the one with plans for choper frames and such) but the other was "corrupted and unreadable" by this old dog of a computer.  I am hoping I was able to save some of it.  but I have a feeling everything else on that other PC is worthless now.

Any-fucking-way, this Vista Antivirus 2012 gave no warning of its existence until it popped up, and within a very few minutes my computer wasnt even able to download pics onto a disc.  After that, it wouldnt even reboot.  So watch out!!  This thing is a killer!!!

Catch ya on the road sometime.....

Sunday, December 18, 2011

A Custom Built Turbo Norton

OK, about 9 days ago I posted an article out of an old parts catalog about the Indian Chief with a Vincent motor...a cool article, and i have since found a couple pics of the original bike, and some replicas.  But when I posted that article, I was planning on posting another about what was on the other side of that catalog page...Originally out of the June 1983 issue of CYCLE CANADA was a one page article about a bike that started out as a Norton Atlas, but after its owners were finished with it, it was a turbo charged 850, that looked like a Commando.  I spaced on posting it until now...Sorry about the delay, but it has been a bit hectic around here lately.  I hope you enjoy reading it.  Easpecially about it having 12:1 compression pistons, and is KICK ONLY.

Catch ya on the road sometime...

Merry Christmas

This itme of year gets kind of hectic for everyone I am sure.  I know it does here.  I plan on rearranging some things in the front room of the house, and then pushing the bike around the block and up into the house.  That way I can have a warm dry place to do the work I have been putting off because of the cold temps out in the carport.

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and lets hope 2012 will be a better year thna 2011 has been.

Catch ya on the road sometime...

Friday, December 9, 2011

An Indian Vincent Chief?

I was digging through some old boxes of shit the other day, and I came across a page out of an old catalogue from a parts supplier from back in the late 80s.  It tells the story of how Indian tried to come up with a Harley beating new version of the Chief in the late 40s.  But instead of following through with this new idea, they just increased the displacement of their already obsolete flathead engine from 74 to 80 cubes.  I am posting a scan of the article below, read it, and think about what the future for both Indian, and Vincent might have been had they gone into production wiht this bike.


Catch ya on the road sometime...

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

It's Fucking Cold!!




My "Garage"

Its been colder than a witches tit the past few days.  Hell, in a lot of parts of town the frost doesnt even melt, just gets thicker each night.  So going out to what I refer to as a "garage" has been mad e in short trips.  You see, my 'garage" is an old carport attached to a small shed, with a tarp hanging down on one side, a lattice running the entire 20 feet of the otherwall, and a 1/2 wall made of plywood on the end.  The other end, towards the alley, is the only solid wall in the place, and it is only two swinging doors made of plywood.  The cold wind blows through, and the concrete slab feel just fucking arctic!!  Needless to say, I have been trying to get shit done on the bike, but only in 15-20 minute stretches.  Then I come back in to warm my digits back up so I can feel them.  So things are going slow...but I have an idea.

I am seriously considering clearing everything in my way, out of the front room in the house and laying down a tarp and sheet of plywood.  Then running the bike in through the front door and working on it in the house.  If I dont start getting anywhere outside, I will.  Already missed a couple good rides this month, and dont feel like missing anymore. 

So if I suddenly post pics from inside the front room of the bike, you'll know what happeed.

Catch ya on the road sometime...