I frankly just got a little burned-out on documenting all the things I do as I do them but, yes, I’m still playing with this bike in between all the other stuff I’m doing. To summarize: I got it running enough to commute to work on it, and realized that it was a much suckier bike than I remember it being as a 17-year-old new rider in 1980.
The stock electrics are really lousy. The turn signals barely lit up in bright sunlight, and the headlight made riding after dark downright scary. Sooo, I got a 12 volt regulator/rectifier, a 12 volt battery, and replaced all the lights with LEDs, including the headlight. That necessitated a new 7″ headlight bucket, which I sourced from a Ural.
I have changed so many electrical components that I also went ahead and drew up an accurate wiring diagram for my bike as it sits:
Carb & Tank Issues
I was continuing to have fueling issues, so I replaced the carb. The new carb won’t work with the stock air cleaner boot, so I pulled the whole airbox/battery/tool box assembly. Since I have to build a new battery box, I decided to upgrade the battery to a bigger Motobatt AGM.
Also, when I went to install the new tank, I realized that:
- The outlet spigot points directly at the points cover on the cylinder head, with no clearance for a petcock.
- It requires the stock seat to be relocated rearward about 2 inches.
I’m currently working to resolve those two issues.
