Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Odo-Day!

Happy Odo-Day to the KLR!

The lil' guy turned 17K on the way to work this morning. I can still remember when we rolled off the lot with less than 10 miles on the odometer. We've gone a long way in the past four years...

17K miles, I guess I should replace the stock doohickey and check the valves. --That is a good Odo-Day gift, right?

Come to think of it, I should replace the wheel bearings, rebuild the forks (with progressive springs), and get a new rear shock. Maybe that is what it gets when it turns 20K.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Pelican demo

Wilder, here is how you can open the Pelican case without stuff falling out. You can see the two straps on the inside, and a plastic hook that connects them in the middle.

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Monday, December 6, 2010

Waiting at the door.

I spent the morning rescheduling jury duty and the rest of a long day at work.

Today was a good day. The package arrived.

I found the refinished cylinder block, new pistons, rings, pins and clips waiting for me on the doorstep when I got home.

The parts look great. A few more pieces of the puzzle are here. I can't wait to start putting the beast back together. I have to get the quote on the valve work and get that started. I know it will take the shop some time to get to the job once I approve a quote and tell them to start the project.

There is still a lot of clean up to do on the engine before I can start bolting parts back together. Like the squirrels, I am hoping to start tightening nuts in January. (I guess squirrels don't really tighten nuts, they just eat them.)

I need to start diving into the rest of the bike. I haven't done much with the rolling frame yet. I know I need a few major parts like the stock oil tank, left side cover, front fender and stays, tachometer, cables, seat, electronic ignition, and a new wiring harness to start the list.

It would be nice to come home every day and find a box of parts waiting for me.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Moto Show

Purchased a Moto Show ticket today.

Block Head and the Piston Rings

I ordered a cylinder block, pistons, rings, pins and clips Monday.

I had been waiting on a quote from a local machine shop to repair a small ding in the old cylinder block. The cost to repair a nick at the top of one of the cylinder sleeves, hone both holes, resurface the top of the block, purchase new pistons, rings, pins and clips was +/- $5 the cost of the pistons/rings/pins/clips and refinished block on eBay.

The new pistons are the same brand (Emgo) that the local shop was sourcing for me. The pistons are 0.040 over.

-As Dietrich says, "There is no replacement for displacement!"

I'm looking forward to the arrival of the new parts. I can try to sell the old cylinder block, or bring it to the office and use it as a pencil holder.

The transmission camplate arrived a couple weeks ago. The transmission is ready to go back in. It seems to shift through the gears with ease. I'm hoping that it still does once i get it back into the engine! The cylinder and pistons should arrive Monday. I'm still having the local shop seat the valves. I'm hoping I will be able to pick the head up by the end of the month.

Next parts to order is a stock oil tank and left side cover. I can sell the aluminum Webco oil tank on CraigsList to ease the blow to the pocket book. Returning this thing to (mostly) stock will be worth it in the end. -at least that is what I keep telling myself.

It is starting to come together, but the list of parts still needed seems to grow every time I look at it.