1986 Aspencade Resurrection

[3KidsinAustin]

Never thought I'd be so happy about something as simple as a clutch. Once I got the sparky-sparky parts working again (crossing the eyes, sticking out the tongue, etc), I set it into fourth gear and wired the clutch lever closed. Fired it up and after about 10 seconds of idle, hit the rear brake. Wheel stopped and the engine died, so I restarted and gave it some throttle and then pressed on the brake pedal. This time, when I released the pedal the wheel did not start turning. Talk about mana from Heavan! Turned everything off and walked inside. I'll clean up the mess tomorrow and button everything back up, maybe even give it a test drive. For now, I'm going to cool off and think about a tall high ball.

Fred - I understand your concerns. When I built the platform for over my QuickJacks, I mounted a front wheel chock that keeps it in place. For a belts-and-suspenders approach, I also tied it down. You can't see it in the picture, but supporting the rear end is one of those low profile scissor lifts (~$60 on Amazon and worth EVERY penny). If I tried really hard, I could probably lower my shoulder into it and eventually push it over, but it would take a lot of effort. If you're doing much work on a bike, a platform like this is pretty handy.

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[Fred Camper]

I like it. I typically hang mine from an I-beam in the garage. If we decide to convert the garage to a first floor owner suite then plans will have to change. But big win on that clutch. Glad it was not overly stubborn.

[3KidsinAustin]

Big progress with the bike today. Everything up and running with the carbs sync'd. Didn't get it out for a test drive because the PO-made elbow to the coolant overflow reservoir cracked under the strain and was leaking coolant. I stuffed the hose straight into the reservoir for the testing purposes, but didn't want to ride with it like that. Sitting after dinner tonight, I came up with the great idea of designing and 3D printing the elbow I needed. (Even though I built the printer with my daughter and we've been using it for some fun projects, it still is not a tool that jumps right to the front of the mind).

Here is the finished part, turned out as good as I'd hoped. After a test fit, I had to slice about 13mm off one of the legs so it would sit closer to the top of the tank. Other than that, fit is good. I have only been printing in ABS so it should not have any negative reactions to the coolant or temperature. The pink has been our go-to color for wife and daughter things and gives the bike that extra "sparkle!"

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[CYBORG]

sweet!

[Fred Camper]

Nice solution, time to ride.

[3KidsinAustin]

Inaugural test ride was conducted this afternoon. Seemed really pokey through most of the ride, then I realized I had been riding around with the choke on. No speedo reading at the dash, which explains the low odometer reading. Shifting good and the lights work, so need to handle a couple of leaks and then hopefully button everything up.

Pink elbow performed flawlessly. Rode around with the tank cover off so I could inspect for any leaks, small fires, etc. So far, so good.

[3KidsinAustin]

Asked my neighbor/friend to swing over yesterday afternoon and help with removing a stuck screw out of the MC brake cover on the 84 Interstate. Even with JIS screwdrivers, this one stayed put until the threads stripped. I drilled off the head and removed the cover, and was lucky enough to have a thread or two that would catch a #8 nut. Tony filled it with a weld bead and the screw backed right out. I've heard of this trick for years and have watched it on YT, but never had first had experience. We followed up the five minutes of work with a couple hours of driveway drinking, so a good tradeoff. Always tell myself I need to learn how to weld! (Note the dried up brake fluid - the 84 is getting all new hoses and rebuild kits for everything)

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Today, I dug into why I wasn't getting any reading on the speedometer. Sounds like this is a common enough occurrence, but a NOS replacement on eBay is around $450. Yikes! Fortunately, someone did a great writeup on the common repair for this sensor using a special hall effect sensor. https://goldwingdocs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28993 for more information. Very handy!

I removed the sensor and dug out the potting material to get a better look at it. Need to source a couple of the sensors to solder in, will be putting an order in tomorrow or Monday, depending on how the breeze blows.

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[Fred Camper]

Good idea to repair and not replace. The master looks very dry.

[3KidsinAustin]

Good idea to repair and not replace. The master looks very dry.

The 84 has sat since 1997. I bought it from the original owner, so everything is still OEM on the bike, except for his crazy stator work around (installed an extra car battery in the saddle bag).