I don't even know what a DVM is.
Sat & looked at the bike for a while this afternoon. I've got quite a long To Do list now, which will involve a bit of fabrication & at least one more trip in a van with the bike to someone who can do a spot of welding for me.
So, starting at the front:
Buy & fit a green LED in place of the blue one in the speedo.
Have a look at the speedo drive -I've fitted a 90 degree drive unit intended for a car to the end of the original Yam' drive unit & I've got a feeling the plastic "cable" that fits into the original one isn't long enough to properly connect, or, being plastic, will wear very quickly. So the speedo might not work, or not for long anyway. So might need modifying with a section of old metal speedo cable.
Modify & fit the new aluminium bodied indicators I've bought. I'll drill the backs of the front ones & glue in amber lenses from a pair of Halfords dashboard warning lights as a tell-tale so I can see they're working.
Maybe change the fuel taps, as the righthand one doesn't fully close, (can't find them on Ebay now). I'd like to fit something with a Reserve position cos I know I'll forget & run the tank dry.
Pull the clutch apart & go through it all again. Everything's new, but the lever's far too stiff & the plates don't appear to be separating enough to disengage the drive. I've bought another set of springs cos they were cheap, just in case the ones fitted are super duper heavy duty ones, but it might be down to changing the lever for more leverage or something. Has to be fixed or I won't be riding anywhere.
Sort out the charging system. I've got a new set of alternator brushes on their way from the States. That might be all it is, but if not I'll buy another alternator or rectifier if I have to -again, it's going nowhere if that ain't fixed.
Buy a couple of lengths of perforated stainless tube, (if anyone sells such a thing), half the diameter of the pipes, & some big washers & make up full length baffles for the exhausts, to be wrapped in silencer wadding. I don't want to strangle the engine, but it definitely needs to be quieter for regular riding. If I start with baffles the whole length of the pipes, I can gradually shorten them till I'm happy with it.
Chase the engineer who's drilling & pinning the modified spare kickstart lever so I can get it welded up. Once fitted, it may need a flat face filed on it to clear the footpeg mounts as the current one fits close enough to have scuffed the powder coat.
Buy a modern blade type fuse box to replace the glass fuse one that's fitted & mount it to the underside of the top panel of the electrics box, under the seat. That panel's held by 3 dzus fasteners so it can be removed without tools, but the seat mounts need modifying slightly so it can be easily removed to get to the panel. If the wires to the fusebox are extended by a few inches, the panel can be taken off & flipped over to give easy access to the fuses. I'll probably fit a multi pin connector block to the fusebox too.
Cut away the lovingly made cross shaft arrangement for the rear brake, fabricated by my brother Steve, & replace it with an aftermarket Harley style master cylinder, which will fit directly behind the brake pedal with a short rod connected to a drop arm by a clevis. It'll require making new mounts & welding them to the frame. Much simpler & will have an integral reservoir, meaning I can remove the reservoir & pipework currently taking up space in the electrics box. Also means I can do away with the pedal return spring bracket under the frame, which is currently the lowest point & turns running the bike up a ramp into a van a 2 man job as it bottoms out & the bike has to be lifted part of the way. Remake the rear brake hose.
Cut the front face off the battery box & make up a new one that's removable -the idiot that designed the bike built it so that the battery can't be removed without taking the entire box out first, which has to come out from underneath the frame, involving jacking the bike up 6".
Modify the rear brake anchor arm. In it's current design the caliper could theoretically flip past the centre point under heavy braking & move around the disc. Making & welding on a new mount with a 2 bolt fixing would cure it.
Replace the rear indicators with aluminium ones. That'll require making & welding mounting tabs on the mudguard bracket to lift them clear of the exhaust. Then I'll need to find somewhere suitable to fit a reflector. I've got a pair of the current circular red glass ones, so could maybe weld a washer to either side of the mudguard mount for them to bolt through.
Nearly all the new parts will be powder-coated black & various sections of the frame will need rubbing down & spraying black.
So lots to do over the next few months, while also working on my truck.
