A place where my comfort is preventing me from learning

This journal entry has thinking, and I've realized that the majority of this project is in the comfort zone and very few aspects of restoring this bike have made me uncomfortable. The only part that has pushed my comfort zone so far has been the multiple trips to the DMV (most of which have been a waste of time). It's not that I feel out of place or intimidated while in the DMV, It's the atmosphere that makes me feel uncomfortable  The attitudes are hostile and I feel like I'm constantly being glared at by the clerk, or some other suspicious looking fella who is struggling to fill out the Sudoku puzzles the DMV calls "standard forms". Regardless of how uncomfortable I am there, or how much I will learn by going, the DMV definitely pushes my comfort zone.

Oil Change/ Battery solution!

So I drained all of the old engine oil from the bike a few days ago. That night I realized that if I'm going to change the oil I better change the oil filter, so I indeed ordered another filter. The filter was only about $15.00 on ebay and it looks like its been lightly used or just sitting around someones garage for a while. The filter arrived yesterday and sometime this week I plan on installing it.


 this is a photo of the oil draining, notice the bright yellow color (this is abnormal)

The Battery!
Good news! My previous diagnosis of the battery was incorrect. I thought the $90.00 battery I bought in the summer was fried because I left it on the charger for too long, when instead the charger I was trying to use was broken. My neighbor has a small trickle battery charger that will slowly charge motorcycle batteries over the course of a night so the battery doesn't get fried by a high voltage normal charger. I plan on borrowing this charger sometime this week.

Expense list

	price ($)	source	Blog post date
Air Filter	20.64	JCWhiteny.com	4/10/13
Copper BB’s	Free	Dicks	4/10/13
Oil Filter	16.25	Ebay	-
Oil (10-40)	22.98	Advanced Auto parts	-
Fuel filter	2.99	Advanced auto parts	4/14/13
Car Wash	5.00	Knapp’s carwash	4/28/13
Coil	20.00	Pick-A-Part	3/17/13
owners manual	free	scribd.com	3/17/13
dry gas	5.09	Advanced Auto parts	4/10/13

The finishing touches on the gas tank

After I used the dry gas and other alcohol based solutions (CLR, The works), there were still calcium buildups and other skitah (as my dad calls it) stuck to the inside of the tank. After reading about other peoples similar problems on the internet, I decided to try using a power washer. Ours was still winterized so I threw the tank into my truck and set off toward the car wash, I came prepared with $5.00 in quarters. First I used a soap cycle and then high pressure water. I was amazed at how much solid waste came out of the hole at the bottom of the tank (I removed the valve so the debris could be removed). Five dollars later, I now have a clean gas tank.

Task force journal review

Ms. Maddren recently reviewed my wise journal and I am flattered for what she had to say. I was not surprised that she found the lists I am consistently making constructive. I feel they are a good way of staying organized and a and keep my goals in sight. Ms. Maddren advised me to journal more about research because it was not clear which information was prior knowledge and which I learned from my research. Overall I feel that Ms. Maddren's review of my journal was fair, all of her suggestions were very valid and her enthusiasm gave me a confidence boost!                            

Chemicals, copper BB's and time, will that work?

Now that I  have cleared the valve, and drained the gas, I can start attempting to remove the thick sludge and calcium build up that remains in the tank. I spend some time today researching different methods and I was shocked to find how many there are. I started today by dumping a bag of BB's in the tank, along with a half bottle of CLR and some dry gas, I shook the tank vigorously and left it sitting with the top on so the chemicals can soften the grime. Tomorrow I will shake more, and if it fails and there is still grime built up, I will powerwash the tank with hot water (I have a steam generator at my disposal).

Gas tank problem part 2

Unfortunately blogger was giving me a hard time when I tried to add more photos to my last post, So this is a continuation of the previous post.                      


                                         

When removing the valve, I realized
that there was a silicone gasket that I peeled off,
by accident. I went to advanced autoparts and bought
paper gasket material and cut it in this shape. It permits the
two fuel lines to poke through the gasket and go into the
tank. When the screws are tightened, the valve, is pressed
and sealed to the tank by the gasket.

I reassembled the valve and  removed the
fuel filter because they (both the reserve and
the main filter) because they were not
salvageable.









Here's the re assembled valve with the gasket!

The gas tank problem

So today I drained the gas tank, and began the cleaning process. The first step was to remove the tank from the frame, which was simple. Next I needed to drain the 18 year old gas that was trapped in there, I first tried opening the fuel valve over a bucket, but I quickly learned that the valve was clogged.

Below is a photo of the fuel valve once I removed it from the tank

This is the disassembled valve, I cleaned it with a brush
and carb and choke cleaner until all the grime was gone.

Past due journal... The first of the legal hoops

The Tuesday (3/26) before I went on school break, I decided to begin the long process of obtaining an insurance bond so I can legally register my bike. After speaking with my dad, I decided to go to Andrews agency in downtown Ithaca. This insurance company sell all types of insurance, the woman in the office were very kind but unfortunately not very helpful. After explaining my situation to a representative, the woman told asked for my phone number and said she needed to call the DMV and familiarize herself with the bonding process before she could help. She took my phone number and said she would call me later that day, which never happened. I went on break the following week and was unable to make any process, but this week I plan on trying my luck at the same office, and if I find no success then I'll try another agency.

Some new stuff

Over the break, I did some brainstorming on what I tools, or parts I needed to get to reach my goals, and this is what I came up with. The plastic bags contain copper BB's a friend gave me. I plan on using the the BB's and the heet dry gas (alcohol solution, water remover) to clean the gas tank. The copper BB's, when inserted into gas tank along with the dry gas, and normal gasoline should create enough physical disturbance to knock loose any grime or calcium deposits. The alcohol solution and gasoline will create a chemical reaction that hopefully will thoroughly clean the inside of the tank. The box on the top is a new air filter. I purchased this before I went on break and when I came back it had arrived. I haven't tried to install it yet, I'm really hoping there are no parts that I am missing. If so, I'm sure I can fabricate them myself.

Above are two pictures of the gas tank, the calcium deposits are very obvious.

Far behind on Journal entries!

Dear Reader,

I would like to formally apologize for my spotty project updates. This past week for spring break I've been in Utah on a ski trip. Unfortunately I did not have either the bike or the internet so there was not much room for progress. Fortunately I accomplished a lot before I left and still have not blogged about, so here is a list of some accomplishments that I have not blogged about YET.

-Purchased new air filter
-Spoke with Insurance Representative
- purchased BB's and dry gas to clean tank with
- Drained oil
- attempted to install coil