It runs!

i pulled the plugs and they looked damaged from hitting the piston or something so i drilled out washers to fit them and tada a few milimeters made all the difference.

She runs like a champ. I took her around the block once or twice and all the gears work. The transmission is stiff which is normal by all accounts ive heard on this bike. On my second victory lap the old back tire's tube gave out and i had to push my new ride home though. It's only normal that my triumph is tinged with a little embarrassment, that's the way this whole restoration has gone.

New tubes are gonna be the last thing i get and then i suppose ill try to unload it on some vintage bike aficionado.

Boiled the carb in vinegar and water and it's spotless. I've figured out the problem and it's the damn toys r us power wheels battery. It probably thinks its grilling some poor 3 year old when I'm drawing that much current and it just cuts off. Once it's replaced It'll run.

I'll get to that after my road trip though. Anybody reading this can follow my exploits at my twitter account and I might update this blog once or twice too.

got it to run but it bogs down after a few seconds. It doesn't look like its the valve clearances and the ignition is timed correctly. I might have to boil the carb or something like that.

stay tuned i suppose

I have keys! Thanks to Todero's lock shop on 16th and federal! The locksmith there really has a passion for his work and as soon as he saw the antique I was holding he got excited about making a key for it. He only charged me 20 bucks and finished the job in a day. If you ever need anyone to do this kind of work on an obscure old lock this shop is the place to go.



The ignition works! After spinning the starter with the spark plugs out I saw nice big fat blue sparks. So already 2 of the major elements of combustion are in place: Spark and compression. The next step will be adding oil to the crankcase, putting some gas in the tank and trying to fire it up. I've cleaned the carb thoroughly and the float valve should work. I don't want any nasty gas spills and that stuff is so expensive these days that every drop is worth it's weigh in gold.

Wish me luck