Drewcifer
1976 XS 360 Maniac
My bike Molly acted a little funny on a recent night ride. Loss of power, stalling, stumbling...etc.
Now my buddies have been gearing up for a LOOOOONNNNNGGGGG ride, a three gas-up ride at least! And they wanted, of course to have me go along.
But the night before I have this bad feeling in my gut about going. Molly is never twitchy, and the stalling and loss of left cylinder on hills, it just didn't sit right.
So I woke up early and tried to dial in the timing but I could not get it to stay firing on the left cylinder. It just wouldn't cooperate. It was gray crappy weather here in CALI, a bit of June gloom in July, and I decided I was staying home. Even though it was my full day off from work and I had agreed to go on this super trip. It was a good thing that I did!
A huge coffee and some tunes on the garage stereo and I finally took out my carbs. They've been fail proof until now but I knew I'd have to do it someday. What did I find?
HALF THE FREAKING FLOAT WAS BUSTED OFF RIGHT SIDE OF THE TANG! WTF?
I mean I felt something was off, but this? The cylinder was actually Hiccuping the carb back and forth! Now I could see why. I read an entire textbook from the 60s on welding so I knew I could weld the brass as long as it was clean and I used flux to clear the oxides off the surface... So after checking the float for leaks (it looks like a tiny brass military canteen...)
It took some positioning and patience, but as long as the flux was on there, it bonded flat and all the way across the suface area of the tang.
Got both floats level. Reinstalled.
Bike no start! WTF?
Captain Dumbass installs the needles in the diaphragms OVER the spring retainers instead of under them. They free float and the carbs fail. I realize this after youtubing a few vids and flip the needles to below the spring retaining disks.
The bike runs like a gem!
In the mean time I had my other hot red head come over to do my laundry. I said it!
Insert sexist joke here. I had her do laundry because she sucks at sandwiches. JK.
So learn from my mistakes boys, diagram your parts as you remove them, each and every time, read books on welding because you never know when some brazing will be called for, and always make your other redhead wear stilletos when she does your laundry.
Because that's how we roll.
Ride safe.
Drewcifer.
Now my buddies have been gearing up for a LOOOOONNNNNGGGGG ride, a three gas-up ride at least! And they wanted, of course to have me go along.
But the night before I have this bad feeling in my gut about going. Molly is never twitchy, and the stalling and loss of left cylinder on hills, it just didn't sit right.
So I woke up early and tried to dial in the timing but I could not get it to stay firing on the left cylinder. It just wouldn't cooperate. It was gray crappy weather here in CALI, a bit of June gloom in July, and I decided I was staying home. Even though it was my full day off from work and I had agreed to go on this super trip. It was a good thing that I did!
A huge coffee and some tunes on the garage stereo and I finally took out my carbs. They've been fail proof until now but I knew I'd have to do it someday. What did I find?
HALF THE FREAKING FLOAT WAS BUSTED OFF RIGHT SIDE OF THE TANG! WTF?
I mean I felt something was off, but this? The cylinder was actually Hiccuping the carb back and forth! Now I could see why. I read an entire textbook from the 60s on welding so I knew I could weld the brass as long as it was clean and I used flux to clear the oxides off the surface... So after checking the float for leaks (it looks like a tiny brass military canteen...)
It took some positioning and patience, but as long as the flux was on there, it bonded flat and all the way across the suface area of the tang.
Got both floats level. Reinstalled.
Bike no start! WTF?
Captain Dumbass installs the needles in the diaphragms OVER the spring retainers instead of under them. They free float and the carbs fail. I realize this after youtubing a few vids and flip the needles to below the spring retaining disks.
The bike runs like a gem!
In the mean time I had my other hot red head come over to do my laundry. I said it!
Insert sexist joke here. I had her do laundry because she sucks at sandwiches. JK.
So learn from my mistakes boys, diagram your parts as you remove them, each and every time, read books on welding because you never know when some brazing will be called for, and always make your other redhead wear stilletos when she does your laundry.
Because that's how we roll.
Ride safe.
Drewcifer.
