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Re: The Hunley

Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 12:00 pm
by pidjones
She lives!
(Ok, still many issues, but this is the FIRST time that I have ever heard her run!)
https://youtu.be/e0anfmZ95Vk

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 1:06 pm
by BikeMaine
Woohoo!!

That is always a reason to celebrate,.... excellent.

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 1:08 pm
by toolbox
Nice! That moment when it goes from corpse to zombie is one you never forget :).

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 1:19 pm
by BikeMaine
toolbox wrote:Nice! That moment when it goes from corpse to zombie is one you never forget :).
Hahaha, "corpse to zombie,". I like that.

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 9:33 pm
by pidjones
And, I was able to clean and rebuild the front master cylinder, mount it, fill and bleed (with the help of the daughter) the front brakes. Hope to be able to pick up the saddle tomorrow. Going to use fiberglass cloth and high temp copper RTV to gasket the mufflers to the headers.

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Mon May 21, 2018 11:37 pm
by aaronrecine
Congratulations on getting her started! Looks very pretty!

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Mon May 21, 2018 11:44 pm
by ericheath
Hard to say with YouTube sound but it sounded like three cylinders to me. It is purdy.

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Tue May 22, 2018 8:02 pm
by pidjones
I balanced the carbs this evening. Got them very close and it idles nice, revs nice. Right side is much louder then left, but it could be that I over-packed the baffle for the right side. Temps on all exhaust pipes go well over 200C (upper limit of my IR thermometer). Plan to ride her as soon as the upholsterer finishes the saddle.

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Thu May 31, 2018 6:36 pm
by pidjones
Got her out and did a quick ride up and down the road. Still way out of tune, doesn't like to be bogged (my other 'wings loved it) and the right front brake is dragging bad. Never got it past 2nd, but shifting was smooth that far. Brakes were very weak, but starting to bed in already. Worst was the front drag which even makes it hard to move around in the garage, so I'll pull that caliper tomorrow and see if I can free it up. I made sure the return hole was open when I rebuilt the master, and it is just that right caliper. I'm sure there is more carb balancing to do, but I was pretty pleased. It idles well, which is a nice thing.

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2018 10:00 pm
by pidjones
Painted shelter and side covers today (Duplicolor Dark Emerald Green Metallic). Side covers came out good, a little orange peal that I hope will sand out. Shelter covers developed bad boogers. Must have been a bit of enamel that I had sanded through the primer to. It will probably all have to come off and be redone. Might just rattle-can them with black lacquer for the summer. This may have been the last low humidity day until fall. Parts for upper brake line were shipped today. Not planning to ride it anymore until the front brakes work. So far a grand total of 2.5 miles!

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 5:48 pm
by pidjones
Really not happy with the shelter paint. The lower side covers should be OK once polished out, but the lacquer is too soft still for that. I just hung one side on to take a photo. The shelter covers on both sides have artifacts that I believe are from underlying enamel that was exposed by sanding through the primer (that somehow avoids messing up the enamel even though the primer is lacquer-based). Plans are presently to not sand all of the paint off, but rather scuff it and hit it with etching primer once it hardens, then color. I think I'll wait longer between color coats - maybe I rushed it this time. I'll let the color set, sand out the orange peal, then do the clear coat with greater time between coats on it, too. I love the color and it worked great on the fenders that were sanded-down chrome and steel. I'm sure it was the original Honda enamel that is fighting me. I had to sand off or completely cover with etching primer for the lower sides.

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2018 6:59 pm
by pidjones
This afternoon I finished bleeding the front brakes (necessary after replacing the upper front brake line). I installed a new boot on the right front caliper piston. The I pulled the speedometer and opened it so that I could lubricate the pointer shaft with some very thin silicone oil, thinning and flushing the thickened stuff that was in it. Then re-sealed and installed the speedometer. I think it is safe to start taking longer rides on it, if the weather will cooperate!

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2018 7:04 pm
by pidjones
Pretty hot out today. I did get out and mount the Hunley onto the trailer I built for her out of Harbor Freight frame and loading ramps. Rode it right up. The trailer has fold-down side boards because I've seen way too many YouTube videos of guys dumping their bikes loading or unloading them. Still not happy with the strapping down plan I had. The ratchet straps I bought at Harbor Freight are crap - jambing every time. The high-strength cam buckle straps slip at every opportunity. I'm going to Tractor Supply for some SmartStraps. These seem like the best I've ever used.

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 10:09 pm
by pidjones
Put about 40 miles on her today before it got too hot and the thunderstorms rolled in. Rode over Norris Dam and back. She ran fine. Still need front brake improvement, and tires! Still, she feels very confident in turns. Need to find out how to adjust the damping of these Progressive rear shocks. Riding almost like a hard tail. I back off the spring load, but I don't think it will soften the ride any. I might just be spoiled by the GL1800 (which is much heavier) ride.

Re: The Hunley

Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2018 12:35 am
by FrontRunner
Loving that color !!!!!!!! Looks great.