In my last blog, two weeks ago, I was trying to get back into running, and struggling with the Harley. Things went very pear shaped after that. The running triggered the covids again. I spent a week wasted with weakness and lost all my mojo. I’ve had enough. I’ve stopped running for the time being. I’m going to try again in another week, then every month, until I can do it without triggering more weakness. I forced myself to keep training for 18 months last time, being fall-down weak after loads of runs, but I just can’t face it this time.
Losing my mojo also affected my willingness to get into the shed and crack on with the Harley. I couldn’t face that either. I built it up into an insurmountable problem in my mind. I was so sick of it I was considering taking it into a garage to have them finish it off. Then, being me, I started obsessing over a new bike instead. I’d been looking for a while, just window shopping to kill time. It grew into a all consuming fixation. As it is want to do. I wanted a Triumph. I was torn between a classic Bonneville, a modern Street Triple or possibly the really expensive Street Twin. I had 3 sites open on searches on my ‘phone. I thought I’d struck gold when someone advertised a 1967 Triumph Bonneville for £1,000! Supposed to be his dead dad’s. I was having a terrible night’s sleep so saw it at 03.00hrs. I rang him at 03.15 and was first to reply. I thought I had it.
Autotrader sent me an email later that morning saying they’d removed the advert as a suspected scam. The seller didn’t get back to me. I couldn’t resist it, it was too beautiful and too much of a bargain, but when it fell through I felt oddly relieved. My VFR has been running perfectly since I rebuilt the starter clutch, and I have my project Harley on the go. I truly don’t need another bike.
I’ve closed the open searches off my ‘phone and let go of the obsession. It was so all consuming that although I want to post a picture of the Bonnie to pretty up an otherwise dull blog post, I am actually a bit scared in case it sets me off again.
Yesterday I forced myself into the shed. I still have the last two problems with the Harley; it won’t go into gear from neutral and won’t run without choke. I dropped the oil, took off the clutch cable, foot peg, gear lever, engine casing, primary cover and clutch. Yet again. I stripped the clutch while I had it off and refitted the new clutch spring plate. I looked in the manual to make sure I was fitting something the right way around and noticed something I’d missed before. The detent plate only fits one way on the 5 pins for the gears, but the pawl (arm that engages with the gear pins) needs to be set exactly. I couldn’t really understand what the manual was going on about but I did the best I could. I reassembled it all and now it goes into gears, but I can’t find neutral with the engine running. That was a huge step forward. I thrashed Youtube last night and found an absolutely perfect video. It shows you all the bits, explains what they do, and shows how to set them. It’s pure gold. I noticed while I was at it that my detent plate is wobbly. The clip that holds it on is fairly knackered. You can’t buy them from Harley dealers any more. There are none in the UK. I bought a pack of circlips to use, but luckily read something saying that the original clip is convex, so not only does it fit the shaft, it applies pressure to the detent plate. So the circlips won’t do. The cheapest thing I could find was an aftermarket clip. Obviously I had to buy a pack of 10. From the States. So a $2 part became $30, but when it arrives I can spend a few hours, strip the engine again, follow that brilliant video’s instructions, fit the new detent plate clip, then rebuild it, then that job should be done and dusted.
Then it’s just the ‘only runs on choke’. One final job then I can ride my Harley! At the moment it feels like it will never happen. And I’m not looking forward to it. I’m hoping when I get it on the road I will rekindle the dream. Right now it just feels like the impossible problem that I have to keep working on. But I was really excited when I got it to go into gear and realised I was on the right track, and last night when I saw that video and understood what I had to do to finish the gear set up I was buzzing!
Get it on the road, get some miles on it. Hopefully I’ll be all excited again then.
Later,
Buck.
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