I was feeling pretty good today, so I strolled out to the garage to see what I could do to the old Blue Bitch. The gal is a moody little wench...and she's refused my advances for some weeks now. I tried again today...with a sweeter tone and gentle touch. I was determined NOT to let the original carb throw me. It had worked SO good at first...then died suddenly! I fistfull of new parts didn't help. I walked away pissed off and went so far as to get another carb. Upon closer inspection (again!) I gathered that the new spring for the needle and seat was WAY stiffer than the old one was, so I swapped the old spring onto the new needle. I also noticed that the diaphram didn't make good contact with the needle...it was too far away! Crossing my fingers, I left out the gasket that goes between the diaphram and the housing...moving the diaphram closer to the needle...and hoping the thin diaphram would seal the cover to the carb body. After a few pulls and snorts of ether (for the BIKE!), she grumbled and bickered her way to a typically rude awakening. I had also chucked the old muffler in favor of a short straight pipe with a 90 degree dump. She's alot louder now! On the road, all felt good again...I wasn't gonna miss my chance...when she's in the mood, I hop on and RIDE her before she changes her finicky mind on me! The open pipe was hypnotically cool...producing a real "slap" when working her up the hills, and a burbling...sort of bubbling roll when winding back down to an idle. I like her new, deeper voice! Back home I saw that the throttle was binding slightly, and that the fdiaphram cover on the carb was leaking! Not a big leak...just sort of producing a little seepage at the bottom. Fuck it...I can live with that for now! No need to tear into it again...not just yet! I gassed up the car and bought some rare and groovy 110 film for Indy this Saturday and stopped by a Bud's house to make him a few of my trademark engine details for one of his model car projects. Back home, I wheeled the Bitch back out and shot her up with ether once more. She fired and thumped her way to a smooth, loping idle within a minute or so...twice in one day? She's spoiling me! Back on the road....around the 'hood we went, her pipe blatting against the backdrop of kids playing and lawns being mowed by quieter, more mundane single cylinder mills. People stopped to watch us go by...the curious little blue Schwinn with the fat white guy cruising by amidst a symphony of slapping exhaust, and the faint shrill whine of the clutch as I slowed for stop signs. The waves, smiles and thumbs-up greetings told me that others dug my gal, too! She's all right...when she isn't in one of her moods! I worked out the throttle issue this evening as well...but still no brakes...so a full throttle top-end charge will have to wait for a time when there's lots of open road to run her on! But she's no slouch...once she comes alive...she can take you for a ride! And I still got almost a year to tweak her and coax MORE out of her for the Mini-Bike Drag Challenge! (Might be sportin' a bigger motor by then...one never knows, do one?!? ) Now...to dig into the Hack Wagon project! Got some raw materials gathered up today...time to start making a few special little parts and pieces...low buck doesn't HAVE to mean boring and lackluster! Substitute a little creativity for cubic money, and you're stylin'! The Blue Bitch will continue to provide much-needed zen meditation when I just need to jump on her and go for a little ride. She'll get some more finishing touches and refinements as I go...but her main duty now will be to provide that special healing and sense of well-being that can only be obtained by firing up a motor you rebuilt yourself, and rolling along on rubber and steel that you've screwed together into something unique and cool...a small part of yourself that gives so much back as it eats up the miles! She's a real goer, all right...but she's also so much more! <img src=http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid72/p12bdb149c6f1b7673461d965376574b0/fb809a3c.jpg>
Glad to hear you got her runnin' Hack. I gotta admit, if I saw a guy that looked like YOU riding a thing that looked and sounded like THAT through my neighborhood, I'd stop and watch you go by! Might be snickering a little bit, but only to hide my jealousy...
Hack, Sounds like you are having more fun on that thing than the law allows. And from reading your posts about the buildup I can imagine you don't have the price of a dropped axle invested. A very good return on your money in my book. Frank
Fat Hack.... Congrats on gettin her running again. That pic of you looks really regal.... Like a knight poised next to his steed about to ride off into battle.... But alas my portly friend, you can be no match for my mini biking skills...... I have been in the lab creating a supersecret MONSTER.... He is not ready to be unveiled yet. Much work to be done. BUT, I will show you a pic of his little brother. "FANG"..... Muuhhwhaahahahahahahahhahaaaa...... Hamb MINI bike drags....sounds good.......CRUNCH....CRUNCH....CRUNCH.... Muhhwhaaaahhahahhahahahhhaaaaaaa........ PURE EVIL. JT. ARRRGHHH....trouble with the pic....THIS SHOULD FIX IT......
I've never had much to do with bikes, except for bicycles as a kid, but I've been slowly collecting parts...got a springer-front Firestone Cruiser bicycle from the 50's and I was gonna use the springer front on my mini-chopper effort. Last night I connected with a [gulp] 363 cc snowmobile engine. Has it's own clutch, a thumb throttle and 2 carbies. It's a 2 stroke with it's own oil injection.....puts out 36 HP. That oughta do it....heh heh.
RedMeat - love the look that you have going there. What's the wheel and tire combo you running and how did you fab those triple trees and fork set up?
talk, talk, blah blah, blah- all you pussies talkin about whose cock is bigger. bring yer sorry southern asses to the 2004 C.N.M.C.D.N.s and back that shit up. so far the only possible contender to defeat ME, the current and 6 time Canadian Champion, is Poncho, and he'll probably bail when he sees the titochromatic formula used to manufacture my piston return springs. Go back to hot rods you geeks, you ain't ready fer mini choppers
<font color="red">You gotta ask K-member about the forks build up . . they are his baby!......K-member is the PIMP DADDY on mini-bikes..........oh and BADPAT you give us some notice and we will bring up the bikes to smoke you ass!!!.......at the Mini-bike Nationals (held each spring at MMMMMMMMarshals house) we had mini-bikes riding wheelies for 150+ feet .....50 mph wild machines ........and next year we will have the 8hp chopper of Juniors creation.......so if ya want us to De-throne you give the Coffins Hot Rod Gang a jingle......</font> <font color="green">http://groups.msn.com/CoffinsHotRodGang/homepage </font> <font color="red"> R E D M E A T </font>
Damn it, Hack, you gotta quit posting this shit. Mini-bikes had never even crossed my mind until I started reading about yours, and now they are starting to sound pretty good. Just what I need, another hobby to suck up money that I don't have!! Good news is, I picked up some near-junk Model T roadster pieces...they are WAY shaggy, but might be salvagable. Give me somethin' to do instead of planning a mini-bike!
The Jalopy Journal
