Customizing: The Disease Creeps In...

Well, I've had my Royal Enfield for fifteen months now, and it's been stock for too long. I added a set of OEM accessory leather saddlebags, and they look nice and work fine, but that was for utility. It's time to start making it a little different. Gotta start somewhere.

I got my Royal Enfield Online Store e-flyer a coupla weeks back and they had an aftermarket Ace Air Canister* air filter that reached outta my monitor and grabbed me by the stackin' swivel. It came on the big brown truck yesterday.

*While I was gettin' that link I wrote a short review of the product. They 'accepted it for moderation'. We'll see if they print it. It was generally favorable.

Here's the stock setup:

Click photos to embiggen

It took about two minutes to peel the stock parts out, and then I discovered, cleverly hidden out of sight - oh, the horror! - the most terrifying oxymoronic two words in motorcycling to come so close together:



Note to Lucas: Put the lawyers back in the box. I kid...

It was a pretty straightforward swap, although I did have to re-engineer the new bottom bracket a little. The canister missed it by about half an inch. 'Re-engineer' is a pretty high-falutin' term for grabbing the little aluminum strap with a Crescent wrench and tweaking it sideways.

The whole job took about fifteen minutes if ya don't count throwing tennis balls for my pup. Hyar 'tis ready to rock 'n roll:



I plan to replace the mickey mouse-lookin' wingnut on the top with a nice chrome dome nut. Clear the decks, Mountain Hardware, here I come! I could probably get one on my next trip to the Buell dealer, but I'd rather pay one dollar than ten. Heh.

Its makers claim that the air filter will increase performance, but frankly I doubt it. It probably won't even increase intake noise, as underpumped as these stock engines are. I have a replacement for the next part in, the one between the air filter and the cylinder head, that may in fact hop it up a little. Then there's that muffler...an' that barely bumpy li'l camshaft...an' those clogged-up as-cast ports...an'... More on all that as it develops unless they find a cure.

The Ace Air Canister looks real good. I think bikes should have round lines instead of square ones just like women, and for me this product does that.

Update:

The new air filter actually does increase the performance a little. My seat-mounted jeans-encased dyno doesn't print readouts, and you wouldn't want one if it did, but I can feel better acceleration and the exhaust note is slightly crisper.

Self-touching will begin in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ...

I just got my weekly email from Ford Racing (still keep my finger on the pulse) and the photos of the 2010 Cobra Jet Mustang at the track are out. The engine makes me drool.

Click to increase displacement.

Looks like they had to lube the shock towers to slide that motor in there. Heh ... More at Ford Racing.

More on the new Cobra Jet here.

First kick? No, they all start on the last kick...

I got this post from this blog. This is probably some corollary to Murphy's Law:

Royal Enfield motorcycles delight in making you look like a fool in front of friends, loved ones, and, especially, attractive members of the opposite sex. How does an inanimate object know that, instead of merely trying to go someplace, you are trying to show off your ability to kick start a mighty beast into life?

I don't know. But my Royal Enfield Bullet knows. To foil me it has moved its own kill switch into the "off" position, and developed instantaneous fuel starvation or flooding.

The fortunate thing is that when the friend, loved one or attractive person gets bored and wanders off, the Royal Enfield will cheerfully return to full operational duty. It's not disloyal; it just wants to keep you humble.

All true.

The Storz Bros Trials Demo Team In Action

Yesterday me'n Mrs. G went up to Portola to visit with our friend Steve Storz and watch his sons demonstrate trials riding at the annual Portola Railroad Days shindig.

The 50-mile drive up there was pretty uneventful except for about one second of stark terror. A doe ran across the road in front of us. If she'da waited another quarter of a second, we'da had venison for lunch, car service. It was all over before my reaction time let me do more than lift my foot off the gas pedal. It was close enough that I looked for hoofprints on my pickup later. Whew!

We caught up with Steve and the boys at the local skate park (video with me 'n Steve discussing the day) near last year's venue in between shows. The demo area had been moved to a vacant lot right downtown so we moved our rig over there and watched the show and visited. "Downtown" is sort of a relative term. Portola ain't New York City. The main street is off the highway, so it wasn't much of a problem for them to close off the street for the Railroad Days event. If you were driving down Hwy 70 you'd have to get really creatively lost to find it!

Here's Eric Storz doing a show. You can see Mrs. G wearing a red T-shirt. I was wearing a Storz Performance T-shirt and had been seen canoodling with Steve, so for all intents and purposes, I was sort of a quasi-official member of the team. One of the Railroad Days staffers saw her standing where she was, sort of off limits to the general public (or the sane!), and asked me if she was with me. I said yes, and that she had been run over by motorcycles lotsa times (true) and not to worry. Heh.



Things don't always go as planned. In this one, Demo Team member Ian Delaney does something that probably wasn't in the script:



Of all the things motorcycle riders want to be famous for, that wasn't it, but folks all over the world will see that one! Heh.

He wasn't hurt, still being of the age where he's made out of rubber, and it probly worked out pretty good, all things considered. The Demo Team is sponsored by Ryan Young Products, which is the importer of the Shercos the Storz boys ride, and Ian rides a Montesa. I can see Ian's picture with his sled on top of him in the ad now - "Don't let this happen to you! Ride a Sherco!"

The show was very popular and the lads spent some time autographing posters for the spectators afterwards. We stuck around long enough to watch 'em load enough gear in Steve's F-150 to make a gypsy proud, and they lit for home and so did we.

There's some more videos of the Demo Team at my YouTube Channel. The Portola setup wasn't as video- or spectator-friendly as it could have been (Steve said that setting it up was like watching three women rearranging furniture), but nobody seemed to mind. Here's a much better video than mine that Steve took at a Demo show at Moto Expo in Del Mar last year:



Me'n Mrs. G had a great time. Steve's kids and their friend Ian are fine young men and solid trials competitors with great futures in the sport. We feel fortunate that they come this close to us once in a while so it's easy for us to go visit. The video camera is icing on the cake.

Oh, yeah, we stopped at Los Dos Hermanos on the way home for enchiladas rancheras and chicken fajitas. The perfect end to a perfect day.

230 mpg?

Real good, but who's gonna buy the fucking thing?

General Motors announced on Tuesday morning that its Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car had delivered a fuel-economy rating of 230 miles a gallon — which sounds outrageous. With that kind of gas mileage, you could practically drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on a single gallon of gas, or for around three bucks.

...

Of course the range on pure electric power is about 40 miles, and then the gas engine kicks in to keep the battery up. That's fine, it's still pretty economical and most people drive less than 50 miles in a day, so driving it should still be inexpensive.

I'd like to know who can afford to buy one with a price tag of $40K?

Ein Volks auto ist 'es nicht.

Honda, Toyota, Ford, and Chevy make hybrids (I'd stick to the Japanese brands if you're in the market) a lot cheaper which are also economical to buy, drive, and repair (something unknown about the Volt). The Chevy Volt is nothing more than a cachet vehicle; something with which the well-to-do can show off their 'greenness'. Hopefully, GM will use the technology to make small sedans in the $12 - $15K range that will be more accessible to the masses. Thing is, as GM has done for the last 30 years, it looks like they've already missed the boat:

...

Team Nissan is referring, of course, to the electric vehicle in the photograph above (and the video below). The LEAF, which will go into production next year – with a tentative release date of 2012 – is expected to be much cheaper than the Volt. How much cheaper? Nissan isn’t saying. Wired, for one, thinks the cute-as-a-button car could come in at $25,000 – some $15K cheaper than the Volt.

...

Toyota has had electric vehicles for the better part of the decade and Honda is also producing their own version. It's probably a safe bet the Japanese will do them better.

And if you do want to spend a lot for an electric, Herr Daimler has a car for you:

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Daimler plans to roll out a Mercedes-Benz model that runs on electricity in 2010, its chief executive said in a newspaper interview.

"We plan an electric Smart for 2010 and for the same year a Mercedes (electric) model as well," Dieter Zetsche told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in comments to be published in the Saturday edition.

Daimler currently has in London a fleet of 100 first-generation Smart cars that run on electricity.

...

I'm sorry to say, as reports have claimed, that if GM has staked its survival to the Volt, there won't be many sunny days ahead.

Cross-posted at the Brain.

Paging Mad Max....

Mad Max to the nearest white courtesy phone, your truck is here.







I wouldn't want to see this thing in MY rearview mirror!

Pics courtesy of English Russia, they have some very cool stuff there.

On the radio ...

My good buddy Indian sent me this. This guy built a radio controlled Ford 23T in 1/3 scale:



And because my mind works in strange ways, a little companion music:

Donna Summer - On The Radio

Old Guys Rule!

Very short video showing an old fart (same age as me) puttin' the stretch on the other riders big time.

These engines would probably seize just about instantly if ya fired 'em up below 9000'!

#12, Eddie Mulder on his 1969 Triumph Bonneville, following with a ten second gap #80, Keith Speir on his 1969 Triumph "Eddie Mulder Special" and two other riders (sorry - I didn't see who) closely packed, riding in the Vintage motorcycle division, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) 2009.

Thanks to Philol0gy. More PPIHC vids there.

From The Duh Files

Duh.

I woulda never guessed.

Latest Indian

Companies that make Indian motorcycles come and go. Go read about the latest iteration of this old brand, and watch a pretty good video.

The video is worth watching just to hear Susan Carpenter call herself "a little bit of a whore...". Heh.

Shorter: OK bike if you like that sort of thing. Too much money.

Be careful when you buy the boss a present

I won't vouch for the translation, but I thought this was funnier'n shit.



The Ewan and Charlie reference explained a little here and here.

Thanks to loveyourGS.

Stuff ...

Limey Steel ...

Yes, we have a customer with a '54 MG. Good God is it rough, and a royal pain in the ass to work on (think 65 years of rust), but cool to toodle around town in.





And one of my favorite rides, a late model Jaguar S-Type 'R'. Fast as hell and handles like a dream while you feel like you're sitting on a plush leather couch.

Yes, that says "supercharged"

By the way, the huge aluminum brake calipers are so light, they weigh less than the two brake pads inside 'em.

Got change for a Quattroporte ...


This is one beautiful piece of Guinea Iron (2007 Maserati Quattroporte) with a story behind it that has a moral.

Seems the customer bought this car a couple months ago off the Internet for a high-5-figure price tag, sight unseen (pics only). Imagine his surprise when, last week, the dashboard advises him of a transmission failure (Tiptronic) with only 15K on the clock. No problem, you say, take it to the dealer and heave 'em fix it under warranty. Well, seems Maserati and Ferrari are pretty particular about transferring warranties. They don't like people selling their late model cars as 'used cars'. Guess what? They informed him the warranty is void. Heh ... Now he gets to pay me to fix it. By the way, the dual disc clutch pack alone is $2500.

Moral: Never buy an exotic car (or hotrod) off the intarwebs unless you or someone you trust can physically go and see it and drive it.







Another story related to this car. The Ferrari/Maserati dealer we used to use for parts (Ferarri of Glen Cove) went out of business. So now, instead of driving a mile and a half, we have to go to Ferrari of Long Island which, fortunately, I pass on my way home.

So, the other day on the way home, I stop in to get all our account and resale paperwork set up with their parts department and pick up the parts I need for the Quattroporte. Now, I've never been in there but I've seen the building a million times so I pull in a space and head for the front door. As I'm walking up, I look through the glass and I see this huge marble atrium and the only thing in it is this huge marble desk with a hot woman sitting at it and a security guard standing next to her.

By the time I got the front door open, the security guard was on me. "What do you want?" He says. Mind you, I'm coming from work so I'm dirty, wearing a ball cap, uniform shirt - open with a dark blue 'wife beater' underneath - BDU pants, and combat boots.

I ignore him and walk up to the babe behind the desk. "I'm looking for the parts department," I tell her.

"Well, that wouldn't be in this building," she says, and I can see her turning up her nose at whatever it was I was spooged with last before I left the shop. "That's three buildings up the block. This is the showroom."

"Excuse me," I said, tipping my sweaty hat to her. "Thank you." I gave the guard an evil look before heading out, thinking if I went home, showered and got into one of my three-piece British suits and went back, she and the guard would have thrown their backs out trying to bend down to kiss my ass. Fuck 'em both; ain't buying no Ferrari.


The Prince of Darkness lives ...


So I get this 10 year old Jaguar in with a steady miss in #1, plus random misfires throughout. I ohm out the #1 coil and I find the resistance is a little high after determining I had a signal from the processor.



I check the computer and see the car has about 60K on the plugs, so I yank the coil to check their condition. I pull the coil out and what do I see? Jaguar ain't learned shit over the past 50 years.



After seeing that little sticker, I ordered 6 new coils. Heh ...

"Safety meeting" at Nunzio's?

Click to embiggen

Photo: LATimes

Splinter City

This is a Czech film of an American race in 1920. An amazing period piece. I sure wish they'd had sound back then!

You know how much a splinter hurts, right? Picture an assload of 'em!

Also note that the machines don't run rear fenders. Best to not slip off the seat or you're in for a polish job that will rock your world!

This will become clear toward the end of the film: 212=132. Holy shit.

Indian Board Track Racing at Daytona

Thanks to FloridaSportbikes.

For Our Pal Gordon

Actually, I'm impressed, they spelled it right.

H/T^ Failblog.

Speaking of aluminum ...

In comments on my last post, we discussed the amount of aluminum you find in today's cars. I had this big, fat, late model Chevy pickup (2500 series) in the shop today and what do I find on it? Aluminum brake rotors. Granted, they're aftermarket and this guy threw a buncha money in the trash buying 'em, but you see these a lot on hybrids and the micro-minis the car makers are pumping out these days to save weight and increase fuel mileage.





The reason I had this load in the shop today is for a vibration that came on at 40 mph and continued up to highway speed (kept up no matter how fast I got it on the highway). Now what possessed this guy to put these huge tires on it when it hardly sees any dirt is beyond me but the things have the most aggressive tread to still qualify as a street tire (noisy as a fuck). The whole wheel/tire assembly weighed about 60 lbs which is why I said he wasted the money on the drilled aluminum brake rotors.

The idea behind the aluminum is to reduce "unsprung weight". That's the weight of the parts of the vehicle not controlled by the suspension - "anything below the springs" in our parlance (wheels, tires, brakes, axles and differential housings sometimes, control arms sometimes). The idea is the less weight below the springs, the better handling the vehicle is and is less susceptible to "bump-steer" - the wheels reacting to bumps and divots in the road. It's why they put steering dampers on off-road vehicles - to absorb the shock to the steering gear and undesirable inputs coming back through the steering wheel. The weight savings over iron rotors compared to the aluminum ones is negated by the heavy wheels and tires.

The reason you see a lug nut with washers under it is because I was running the beast up in 4WD on the lift without the heavy ass wheels and tires on it (trying to rule them out as the cause of the vibration) and I had to keep the rotors from flopping around and destroying the pads, calipers, and mounts.

After running it up while having Nunzio watch the driveshafts and anything else that rotated while driving, we looked at the front axles (it's got an independent front end) and found the inboard constant velocity joint in the left front was binding. The hubs stay permanently locked (the shifting to 4WD is done through a solenoid on the New Process Gear transfer case) so you get it in 2WD as well. I slapped a new axle in it as soon as I could get one sent up and the vibration went away. Thankfully, I only had to take the wheels and tires off twice. I hate working on trucks.

Heeeeeere's Billy!

Fixer's bud talks bikes.

Thanks to plumtv.

"I have a rattle in my front end."

When a customer tells me that, I usually reply, "It's the marble rolling around in yer head."

Took me a while to find this one (Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 Pickup), but when I pulled the front differential cover, all this shit fell out along with the 90-weight:





Got a new (rebuilt) 3rd member coming from Jasper in a couple days.

Note: Click pics to embiggen. The darker metal pieces are parts of ring and pinion gears. Hardened steel as opposed to the cast iron aluminum (figured that out when I could actually see it) of the housing and bearing caps.

Update:

I got the diff out of the truck first thing this morning:



As you see, the right side bearing cap is gone (yes, I know it's on the left in the pic, but in the car it's on the passenger side; that's the right side no matter how you look at a car), only the bolts and bosses are left. That's what most of the shiny shit sitting on my bench was.



The ring gear (the darker shit in the pile on my bench) got the worst of it.





The new unit should've got there late this afternoon and I'll install it first thing tomorrow.

So what goes on ...

At the local Volvo dealership where the parts department manager brings his delivery vehicles to us to repair as opposed to having the mechanics at the dealership work on 'em?





I have yet to get a satisfactory answer to that, but their checks don't bounce so I could give a shit less.

Treasures ...

It's that time of year to get all the cars out of Winter storage for their owners. Nunz and I spent Thursday morning in the barn, putting batteries in, getting them started, and then servicing each one. Lotta fun driving the old iron.

One of the original Datsun Z cars:



Classic Benz's:



An old VW Thing. Nunzio and I want to paint it Wehrmacht gray and put a Maltese Cross on the doors. Heh ...



A mint '57 Tbird:



An old Rolls:



A mint '70s MB convertible:



And talk about mint. This '78 Beetle is perfect: