busters day of hogs, hot rods, hog roasts and someting for the bitch...

hog lemmings

lemming directorate...

no sonny, you're too young...

 delightful nostalgia...

 not nos, methanol...

'no you can't have a go' its a dragster...

at 8500 revs pull the knob on the left for second gear

right for third... 

 too much is never enough...

'honestly lads est. 290mph' - john, ray and rob, 

 rays wife 'Di' with Wayne

 V8 mentalist headquarters

Too much is never enough

 'fucking fix man'

she don't care...

well well well...

 When my bike doesn't start, not just when she's been sitting a few days, usually after a few miles, I mis-kick her and she'll puke oil from the breather like the 'exon valdez' and usually when people are watching - they like to see me work up a sweat.

There's no check valve on the return side so the oil backs up into the crankcase, kicking does not spin the motor enough and therefore the pump, to push past the oil cooler too it seems

so I took it off.

 Went to Newlands Corner and stopped for a cuppa, and a patch club dude came over and told me he thought the bitch was cool...

Another cool bike there... and the bitch started first kick in front of an audience, and of course no pukeing...

A Top Paradise Tip... lock your keys to your bike, so they don't drop on the motorway...

She started cold 4th kick with a new routine.

I noticed that when she is hard to start, 3 prime kicks WOT and then ign. on with throttle cracked usually do it.

So tried that with a couple of pumps of throttle first.

and Voila.

tech tips in paradise

Exhaust Leak?

Evo gasket part # 65324-83 - cut in half

tip from Hawg ryder @shovelhead.us

 and slip over your original gasket

there will be a gap but it seals

- but not for me, not quite, and I tried it without the gasket

I also tried some special 'racing' exhaust gasket sealant, 

but that didnt work for me, it seemed to melt when hot

but I did try this 'high temp' oven sealant, Otto Seal S17

leave for 24hrs to cure

It worked for me.

My rear exhaust port has always been a problem since the rebuild

The port had been welded and the new style James gasket would not fit. So a fair bit of relieving had to be done with a very small file.

Coupled with an an exhaust flange that was not quite square to the head meant the gasket didn't seal on the opposite side to the mounting stud.

Another stupid Harley design, although I fitted studs on the rebuild, god help you if using a bolt which strips the threads in the head. Ask me how I know...

the bitch in print...

...well one pic in an article in American Vee magazine

Vee must be widening its scope in search of a wider audience, 

it normally is full of reviews of the latest factory offerings

but last month featured shovelheads - gasp!

pic courtesy of wade@sickboyz

summer time rats...

Ray took Fred on his trike,
I took the bitch, Christine
and Jim took his back up wagon.

Thanks and respect to the Rats 

super E tuning in paradise

air bleed

Does your bike hesitate at constant throttle 2500-3000rpm (about quarter throttle)

Replace the air bleed jet with .060 size

I did and what a transformation.

Bob Maltz @ XXX Carburetors

gave me this advice when I asked for info on his booster kit.

I mentioned the problems I was having with my Super E and he has taken the time to give so much invaluable advice and information.

Want to tune your Carb?

check out Bob Maltz

and then the throttle locked open...

went out to test the new plugs

set the carb yesterday and ran really well, 

so I thought I'd try with the NGK Iridium plugs.

So we are in the third lane of the M25 doing 70 ish and the throttle locked open...

Funny, my right hand still looked for the kill button, that used to be there before chopperdom.

 Eventually the revs eased a bit, I turned off the ignition, switching lanes and pulling over on the hard shoulder. And what a miserable place that is.

Phew. what caused that? and...

Fuck the keys are missing.

Walk back up the hard shoulder and there they are... 

in the second lane, but not for long - a car spins them into the third lane, then shortly another, boinggg into the outside lane and then another bounces them onto the concrete central barrier.

Just no fucking luck.

So what to do, ring my mate Pete, get him to pick up my spare key and ask him to find me on the 25.

Or... hotwire the ignition.

So, hands shaking while these fucking monsters roar by I wire it up under the seat, wondering whether she'll rev through the roof if she starts.

And then how do I stop her...

Throttle seems to be free and she fires right up no revving.

I thought if there's a problem I'll just pull up the choke lever...

We dawdled home till I found some confidence and tried koshing the throttle. Seems OK.

Pull up outside the house and pull on the choke (enrichment lever).

Fucking great idea - she hesitates and then revs up!

this can't be right, she dies every time when cold if you do that. 

Try it again, revs go up.

Fuck it, pull the plug caps and she dies.

And I still don't know what caused it all...

ooops... my wife thought I'd got her birthday present a week early...

tool bag for the bitch

from colne creek

what a difference a couple of weeks make

 TWENTY NINE GOLD MEDALS 

  SEVENTEEN SILVER MEDALS 

   NINETEEN BRONZE MEDALS 

a dunsfold tale...

a camera would have been useful on this jaunt

Pete came over on his shovel and waited while I tried yet another start technique.

Ten kicks later we are off to Dunsfold following Pete who knew of a nice pub in the village.

M25 junction 10 and I stall the bike, four lanes of traffic, she won't start, my back goes into spasm from an earlier muscle strain and I manage to push her to the road side. A guy pulls in with his car to give me some protection (thanks mate) and I find a bit of pavement on the roundabout. My back calms down and so does Christine and she finally starts.

We catch up with Pete who is waiting on the A3 slip-road ahead. Good to get on some of the back roads of Surrey, it really is beautiful out here. Whoops, all of a sudden this corner is getting fucking sharp, overshoot, we're in the middle of the road, heading toward a car, the rear wheel locks, she slides, its left foot down time and I do have time to think 'YOU STUPID FUCK - IS THIS IT?'

then she flips upright and we miss the car and are round the corner...

Calm down and look at the speedo later on, need some gas, no gas stations out here, then we enter Bramley village, there she blows. No time to tell Pete, pull in and get cash too (amazing), then she won't start, she always starts hot!

 Fuck try the 3 WOT prime, 1 Cracked Open On technique and were off.

No sign of Pete, we stop, no phone signal, Pete calls, guess, yes he's waiting yet again ahead at a turning.

The Sun at Dunsfold is situated on the green alongside a cricket pitch. We sit on a bench outside with our backs to the pub in the shade. Savouring the moment with cold draught ginger beer. 

The peace is disturbed as we watch a spanking new black Ferrari cruise slowly by.

I jokingly said to Pete 'bet he's got lost looking for Dunsfold Aerodrome (where they film Top Gear).

Next thing we know he's back and pulls up next to us, the window rolls down and

'Can you tell me where Dunsfold Aerodrome is?'

HAHAHAHAHAHAH

did we laugh.

Its time to go, think, well she's been sat a while, but hot, I'll give her one squirt.

She fires up first kick...

and the stockers are off...

n

hang on West, it ain't got no 'leccy' start...

 

so kick the fucker Al...

kick it like you mean it...

nice one...

hasta la vista dude...

haha, 
good to meet up with West and Alex again

got the sticker...

but the bitch misbehaved at the hayride 

so she didn't get to park up at the pavilion and strut her stuff

on the monday she would not start at all - just one cough

plugs are dry, off with the carb, clean - nothing

top headlight not working till I jiggle the wires to it

(its a different circuit anyway)

so replace plugs - nothing

 then hotwire - nothing.

Today check the pushrods - they are spot on.

I push her outside, forget to put on the choke, 

one kick and she fires up.