Pontiacs and Sheep

Tami and I have 5 kids. My friends Ryan and Beth also have 5 kids. Believe me they keep us busy.Then they become teenagers and the work doubles. We are alway taking them somewhere or fixing something for them. Yesterday we took on another job, we swapped the engine in their daughters Grand Am.  We left the shop at 11 PM after starting at 8 AM mission accomplished.
This all began about 5 months ago, when someone drove the car about 15 miles with no water in the engine.( A teenager from Ryan and Beths herd). How this happened was not explained to me. The first time I heard about was when Ryan said he needed me, my truck and a tow strap to meet me at the Hagerstown exit of I-70.

After some throwing of tools and ranting (Ryan) and wondering if the engine we picked up at the local junk yard would actually run (Me), it does.  I now know why I don't work on cars for a living. They are nearly impossible to work on. This said, this is the type of thing you do for friends and family.

I left for Washington DC this morning after about 5 hours of sleep, I thought I was tired until  I called Ryan to see if he was going to the shop. He said probably later, he needed to take a shower and get some rest, he hadn't been to bed yet. He had been in the barn all night with some of their sheep that were having trouble giving birth.

Now that is a full day....

The Endless Winter

A couple of weeks ago, I thought winter was almost over. I was wrong. Then this weekend it began to warm up. I went to the shop early Sunday morning to try to get something done on a Cafe Racer project. I was inside for a few hours and then went outside and couldn't believe it was 70 degrees, although very windy. I had heard a few motorcycles outside, but had no idea it was 70 outside.
I did get quite a bit done, and I need to set some time aside and finish this project. Last year I built the blue Honda 750 cafe racer in less than 5 weeks, but I was able to work on it nearly every day and all through the weekends.
Another sign that summer is coming is a few guys I know got their dirt bikes out and went riding yesterday. Lee stopped by the shop and said he is just about done going through his Honda CRF450 and reminded me to get some new riding boots and a few other things I have been threatening to buy.
Then this morning there was more talk of riding yesterday.

Yep its official. Winter is over. Time to ride.

Sorry for the lack of posts

The past couple of weeks have been very busy. The warehouse was a bigger task than I originally thought. I did get nearly everything moved and gone through. The future showroom area has been cleared and a plan is in the works. I spent Friday evening, part of Saturday and Sunday helping Tami at her store.
I did get some parts ordered and some stuff off to powdercoating.

Working on Motorcycles

Last week was a productive week, unfortunately not working on motorcycles. I plan to spend most of this upcoming week working on motorcycles. I will take a couple of frames and a few parts to the powdercoater and I think I have found some of the important parts I was missing for the Montesa 63M. I will know by Tuesday.

Gaskets for the Suzuki S32-2 have been ordered and the tank sides will be sent to be rechromed.. Spring is just around the corner and I plan to be ready to ride my newest Cafe Racer.

I'm kinda tired I think I'll go home now...Forrest Gump

I was extremely busy this week, I had 4 projects to complete and didn't have much time to post or take photos of stuff. I was able to finish 3 of the 4 by Friday afternoon and hope to finish the other one tomorrow.
The bike projects I usually write about are my personal projects, but unfortunately I have to do other things too.
I plan to re- arrange  the shop next week to make room for a future showroom and to make more efficient work areas.

Dealer Expo 2011 and Autolite Xtreme Sport Iridium plugs.

Friday was the opening day for the Indianapolis Motorcycle Dealer Expo, and we decided to make a trip to Indy.

We spent about 4 hours checking out all of the supplier displays.We picked up some good info on some parts and accessories. I found a good solution to custom braided stainless steel brake lines at the Goodridge booth.

The guys at the Autolite booth gave me some Autolite Xtreme Sport Iridium plugs, which I quickly installed into the current Cafe Racer build. The Autolites are great plugs and are my spark plug of choice, which makes them being free that much better.





Autolite Xtreme Sport Iridium, it just sounds fast!!!!



XS400 by Mark "CheasyRider" Cash

Mark has wanted to do this project for a while and was determined to finish it by Feb 28 when his son Tyler comes home for a visit,before deploying to parts unknown. Well he did it !!!!
He started a few weeks ago in his barn, but it was just too cold, so he brought it over to my shop. He had a pretty good idea of what he wanted and after scrounging parts in his barn and discarded stuff at my shop, this is what he came up with.
He is thinking about selling this one. I am betting it joins his growing collection.

Nearing completion

Final photos before completion. The next time I post this build it should be complete with seat cowl, paint and upholstery.

Plans for the next Cafe Racer

I am getting close to finishing the current cafe racer. I need a few days and a few parts and this one should be ready for the road.
I have been thinking about the design for the next one, so I started a tank and rounded up some parts at the shop. I will make this one a single seater and try some new stuff. Tami has voted for yellow, but I have something else in mind.

Cigar Sitar

Noah finished his cigar box guitar and it sounds like a sitar, so he named it "Cigar Sitar".

Photo pending Tami finding the cord to my camera that she borrowed today even though she has my other camera and cannot find Matts camera cord that is exactly like mine..

I think I will keep my camera under lock and key in the future,or at least the cord.

Since she thought I was going to post this she looked a little more and found my cord.

So here is the photo, check out the bolt at the top of the neck. He used a bolt and nails to keep the strings in place.
Noah said he is going to replace it with wood tomorrow. But I think it might change the sound also.

Clean, Organize Repeat

I spent quite a bit of time today, cleaning and organizing my garage. The point of the cleaning was to park my Excursion, my all time favorite vehicle, inside before the next big storm. After Noah and I swept it out and cleaned ice from the sidewalk connecting the house to the garage, I pulled it inside, only to remember it doesn't fit in the area I had prepared.
Then Noah reminded me, I always parked in the side bay, not the front bays. Well there is tomorrow.

Mid Life Crisis? No. Just an RM250

A few months ago, I had a minor crash on my RM250, after I laid on the ground for awhile, Tami asked me if I was ok. I said " I'm not sure." Well I was, but it hurt. I sat down for awhile,and was unusually quiet. Then told her I should probably sell the 250.
The next day she asked me if I was having a mid life crisis. When I got to the shop, I was telling Ryan about it. His reply was that I wasn't having a mid life crisis, I missed my opportunity about 5 or 6 years ago, because there was no way I was going to live twice my current age.
I guess that's what friends are for.

Snow Day, Motorcycle, and a Custom Cigar Box Guitar by Noah

No school again, so Noah spent the day at the shop. He helped round up parts and helped with just about everything. Then we got to a project he needed to do. He built a music instrument  for music class and it didn't work to suit him. He decided to build a cigar box guitar and should be finished tomorrow.
He will let me post some photos when he gets it done.

More engine assembly

I need to finish a few things and do a final polish of the aluminum and the engine will be ready to set into theframe. I sent some more parts to be powder coated the other day. When I get those back I will bolt them on after the engine is set.. I hope to have this project wrapped up soon, so that I can get back to the Montesa 63M and help Noah work on his Suzuki S32.
The winter storm is still here, but I am looking forward to having a great spring and summer...

Winter Weather Advisory

Big winter ice and snow storm in Indiana today. The kids had the day off from school, but I made it to the shop, to work on the cafe racer engine.


This is the same spot I photographed the blue cafe racer. I will be glad to see spring!!!!!

  These Honda CB750s never cease to amaze me. This engine has about 12,000 miles on it and as far as I can tell hasn't ran in at least 10 to 15 years, but it looks like new inside,with no signs of wear. After the head was cleaned, inspected, new valve seals, and reassembled we did a vacuum check and the reading was as usual 100%.
I painted the cylinders and head and snapped a photo. I should be able to reassemble the engine tomorrow.

It's hard to tell in this photo, but the cylinder and head are the same color as the frame.