Bright Lights

I'm trying really hard to keep the progress on this bike simple and straightforward with no detours for aesthetics. I want to have a good running and riding bike before I start messing with the look of it. It's not easy, and the other day I convinced myself that I should paint the back section of the frame.

Much of the reason for this was that I had been grinding on it and generally messing with it working of installing the tail lights. I have a hand full of these little LED 1157 bulbs they're super cheap and easy to find at any auto parts store. I've been trying to figure a way to plug them into the ends of the frame tubes ever since I came up with the idea for Sixtynine and I think I've solved it.

I bent up these little spring retainers from a coat hanger based on a drawing that I did referencing the frame tube and using the shock mount as a mounting point.

I took a rigid ruler and scraped it across the top of the two tubes to get a center line and then drilled a hole based on the drawing that I made.

Ran a cable braid inside the tubes.

and plugged them in. Right one's not quite sitting right but it seems to be working great. I think I'll still replace the spring bend that I made in the wire with an actual spring because it's too rigid. That might help it sit a little flatter.

BBQ

Had some friends over last Saturday to talk some shop and somehow we managed to a little work done.

Skyler adding a little Motul 20W50 sauce to his steak.

We managed to get the VFR started (on carb cleaner) I got it wired up last week, but we discovered that neither the neutral switch or the clutch safety switch were working. Had to jump the clutch switch.

Skylers 360, with all the times he's had this motor apart, he's become the 360 guru.

Clocks (Part 1)

The VFR750F is a touring bike and it's got the design to prove it. The dash is built like a brick. The RC30 on the other hand had a very different layout looking more like a cluster of individual gauges. Even though the dash had been removed from the bike when I bought it, after rummaging through some boxes in the garage the previous owner pulled it out and asked me if it was part of the bike. So I've got it, the casing was a little smashed up but the internals all seem to be intact. I have no idea how long the thing's been off so the 33k miles that it shows doesn't amount to much, but it will be nice to be able to keep track from here on out.

This is the beast...

...in exploded form

Is omittion of the truth really a lie?

Yes!

It's a little daunting at first glance, but each of these copper lines will just have to be replaced with a wire

I need to buy myself a new wiring harness to harvest the printed wires so that everything can match in the end.

I snipped the wires off and kept them in place so that I can trace colors later when I have to rebuild the thing.

This is what I'm going for

And this is where I'm at right now

The PCB for that stupid clock is ridiculously huge, I'd love to just leave it out, but I've ridden bikes without them, and they are super nice to have. It will stay... where exactly it will go I can't be sure yet.