I've seen a lot of really nice Bike of The Month winners, and it's an honor to be in their company. Thanks to everyone who helped make that happen.
I've hesitated to come here with a problem, because I have this thing about wanting to figure everything out for myself. All that has brought me so far is a lingering problem with no solution in sight. This is the second electrical problem, and I'm happy to say the first one was solved by my friend Mike. But first, here's a sample of Mike's talent for finding solid, proven methods for handling wiring woes:
Pure genius, no? Anyway, back to the story. I would charge my Shorai battery up to about 13.5 volts, start the engine, and see the voltage go down to about 12.5. I found continuity between the white and green field coil wires and ground, but when I removed the field coil from the alternator cover, there was no continuity between the wires and the coil body. Screwed it back into the cover, and there was continuity again. Out again, and no continuity. Mike screwed in one of the screws that held it into the cover, and there was continuity between the screw and the coil body. Backed it out, and no continuity. I pulled out my parts manual and saw that the three screws are supposed to be 20mm long. I had replaced the stock screws with stainless flathead socket screws, and the store only had 30 mm screws. I poked a little rod into the hole, saw that there was room for 30mm, and thought, OK, I don't have to cut the screw down. Turns out the screw was long enough to make contact with the core of the coil, resulting in continuity and preventing charging. So that's over. Now the bike charges, but there is another problem that still remains. Since the battery ran down several times, I keep the charger handy. The bike can sit with a fully charged battery for a couple of days, but it can also suddenly drop to about 6.5 volts, and nothing will work. Since it's intermittent, I have no idea when - or where - to start looking. When the charge is full, I have working headlight, instrument lights, tail light, brake light, and horns, so there's no obvious culprit. I had taken off the fairing and front sprocket cover to access the alternator, and when I was done I went out for a short early-evening ride yesterday. Stayed around the neighborhood, so I was within pushing distance of home if things went bad.
Big fun. And big noise! But when I pushed it out to the street this evening for another ride, nothing worked, and the meter said 6.7 volts. But being a hard-headed (foolish?) person, I'm determined to ride to The Rock Store tomorrow morning, and then on up to Neptune's Net for lunch. It's been so long, and all I can think about lately is riding the thing! I'll be riding with my friend Will, so at least I'll have company if I wind up waiting for Hagerty Insurance to send out a roll-away truck.
So. I showed the bike at The Quail a few weeks ago, and here's a picture from shortly after the gates opened.
It was a great day, and there were tons of beautiful bikes. The judges came by in their blue blazers and straw hats, and they asked questions and had lots of nice things to say. They loved the tail light, and one of them said it was the nicest tail light he had ever seen on a CR seat. But then he asked me why the bike wasn't in Cafe Racer class. I said that when I filled out the forms to enter the bike, there was a list of classes that included Cafe Racer, Competition Street, and Custom. Not being a show person, I had no idea which class was appropriate for the bike, so I checked the box that said The Quail organizers could put it where it belonged. Well, they put it in Japanese 1937-1979, and when I arrived they gave me a little plaque to put on the lawn in front of the bike. That was the end of that. The bike that won in Japanese class was a totally restored gold '72 CB750 with NOS painted parts.
The bike that won the Cafe Racer class was a 1961 BAS Gold Star.
They were the right bikes to win in those classes. And Terry, I agree with you about bikes being meant to be ridden. Otherwise, they're just statues.
OK, now I'm off to a night of tossing and turning in anticipation of riding the bike. And hopefully not breaking down. It still only has 5.6 miles on it!
