Losing Parts

Yesterday I noticed that the MG was missing part of the running board trim.  This is going to be a nightmare to replace.

I began by checking with the MG Magic website and I found a replacement set there that doesn't even look like mine and that costs almost $100.  After the hubcap debacle (see here, here, here, and here) the wise decision is not to even consider MG Magic unless they have absolutely, exactly, the same thing one is looking for.

I checked with the guys on the MG TDr forum and they came up with some good suggestions, auto part stores, boat stores, the internet, but nothing that has panned out.  The local NAPA, as expected, was no help at all and Pep Boys was even worse.  I did find something similar on the internet and ordered 10 feet of it as a possible back up.  At a little under $10 with shipping I couldn't see how it could go wrong even if it doesn't fit at all.

My next plan is to keep an eye out for boat stores and see if maybe that pans out.  I believe there are a couple of boat places on 30 out towards Lancaster County and I will stop there next time I head out that way.

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Post Kickstand Switch Removal Shakedown

At the Gun Club

On Thursday evening, after work, the Bullet got a shakedown tour to check out the differences on the pre and post removal of the kickstand switch.

I left the house shortly before 19:00 with 3876.3 miles on the odo.  There was no concrete flight plan on file, just probably a run out Goshen/Strasburg to open the throttle a little.  Soon after crossing 252 on Goshen the plan changed slightly.  The new plan was for a run to Garrett Mill out to 352 and that out to the gun club since it being Thursday night and the league starting time having been changed to 18:00 some of my friends might still be there.  This new plan provided a little comic relief, as I approached the red barn on Garrett Mill a white goose came running at me trying to scare me off its property.  I was able to avoid it without any problems but I almost fell of the bike laughing.

I made good time out on the run and was out at the club by 19:30.  However, by this time everything was shut down tight and everyone had gone home.  So I just turned around and headed back home on the same route I had taken on the way in.  Once I turned back onto Goshen from Garrett Mill I revised the plan again to take Sugartown out to the Paoli Pike and then follow that loop of Darby/Devon/Sugartown and the other Waterloo to the Easttown Library.  This was a good change because there is that bit of road on Sugartown between Goshen and Providence where the straightaway is good to really open the throttle.

I stopped at the Easttown Library for a bit and then headed home from there via Church.  I was back home at 20:31 with 3926.6 miles on the odo for 50.3 miles on this run.

The Bullet appears to be running much more smoothly since the removal of the kickstand switch.  There are not as many backfires and sputterings as I had noticed since the installation of the Power Commander.  There were no disengages or power loses and overall the riding experience appeared much smoother.  My theory is that the increased thump and vibration from the new silencer caused the switch to disconnect, however slightly, several times during the ride.  Most times these momentary disconnects just caused sputtering and backfires but sometimes they were big enough to cause a complete stoppage.  On the straightaway run on Sugartown the Bullet was able to take full throttle and reach and maintain 75 mph without out any problems.  Maybe the disconnect issues are finally resolved.

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Polyphemus

On departure 3676.5

On Thursday evening I headed out for a ride on Bishop Hollow Rd.  My intention was to head out on Bishop Hollow to 352, make the left there and go the my gun club to check and see if the pistol league had started already.  Then the plan was to come back on 352 to Bishop Hollow again and take that back home.

But plans are just that.  As I headed out on Bishop Hollow I remarked to myself how much improvement had been done on the roads since our last trip there.  A lot of the preliminary work had been completed and big portions of the road had been completely resurfaced.  However, soon after passing Chapel Hill Rd, the road was mostly in a state of preparation with no repairs completed.  Large portions of the road had been torn up leaving large rectangular open pits with at least a four inch drop from the primary road surface.  I hit the first one pretty fast, to the point that I worried I might blow a tire.  From there I slowed down to me the transitions in and out of the pits but by pit number five or six the rattling must have been too much for the Bullet.

After negotiating the jump out of that pit, somewhere past Featherling Lane but not quite to Steeplechase, the headlight jump out of the bucket.  Luckily the wires held and the headlight remained attached to the bike and light but dangling like a large cyclopean eye from its optic nerve stalk.

Polyphemus after meeting Odysseus

I pulled over on the side of the road and assessed the situation to see what could be done.  Nothing had fallen out and been lost although one of the clips holding in main bulb was lose in the housing.  I reattached that and determined that it was all a matter of resitting the bulb and tightening the top screw on the light housing.  Since I was here, however, I took advantage to make a mod that I've been wanting to do for quite a time: the removal of the jumper cable disabling the light on/off switch.

The jumper cable is the short group of wires between the two read connectors on the lower starboard side of the headlight nacelle.

Here's the jumper cable after I pulled it away from the nacelle.  From here it's just a matter of disconnecting the two white couplers from each other, removing the cable and connecting the red couplers together.

Red couplers with the jumper removed before being attached to each other.

Jumper cable

All back together with the top screw nice and tight now.

Once this simple operation was done I was out on the road but by this time I did not want to continue on down Ridley Creek Rd because I could see several more pits from my vantage point.  So I just turned around just past Steeplechase and headed back on Ridley Creek/Bishop Hollow.  The return lanes had all been fixed to this point so there were no hazards to negotiate on the way back.

At Providence I took a left and headed towards the Pike.  I crossed the Pike with the intention on staying on Providence to its end at Sugartown.  At the intersection with Goshen I saw a dark blue Maserati making a left in front of me onto Goshen.  This was not the same Maserati we saw on Sunday afternoon on Goshen because although they both appeared to be the same model this one was a much darker blue than the one on Sunday.

I continued on to Sugartown took the left there and another left at Goshen for the trip back home.  Despite the hassle with the headlight and the fact that I cut the ride short after that it was a good ride with not too much traffic and with good roads in the portions that have been repaired.  I will wait at least a week before I venture out on Bishop Hollow again.

On the way out the odo had 3676.5 miles and on return 3698.2 miles for about 22 miles on this run.

The exotic tally stands at 15 Ferraris, 13 Teslas, 11 Maseratis, 4 Bentleys, 3 Cobras, 2 McLarens,  2 Austin-Healeys, 2 Lambos, 2 Unknowns,1 Rolls Royce, and 1 DeLorean.

3698.2 on return

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Parking Brake Issues

Random shot of Montse on Coldstream Rd earlier on Sunday

Early Sunday evening we went out for another spin on the MG to capitalize on the great weather.  We headed out Bishop Hollow Road to Chapel Hill Rd and took that for a spin through that neighborhood and back to Ridley Creek Rd on Feathering Ln.

Once on Ridley Creek we continued all the way out to Rose Tree Rd where we made a left.  The Chrysler is gone from the corner, good thing I got the shot of it when I did.

We followed Rose Tree out to 352.  The hills on Rose Tree were a little strenuous on the MG.  She had to struggle to get up but she handled the twists like a champ.  We stayed on 352 out to 926 where we made the right turn.  At the West Chester Pike we took a right instead of cutting across to Garret Mill because we wanted to go to the Acme on the Pike and 252.

We stopped at the Acme and I set the emergency brake.  When we came out, the brake would not disengage.  I fiddled with it and eventually it let loose but not all the way.  I drove the car the short distance home but I wasn't happy about it.  Once in the garage, I started to look in the manuals to see what I need to do and decided to wait for the morning.  The brake was still engaged, if not all the way, and the brakes were so hot they were smoking.  

On Monday morning the brakes had disengaged for themselves.  I am not going to fool around with them, I just won't set the parking brake again.  When I bring the car in for inspection in September I will have Harold take a look at them and figure out the fix.

Part of the road in Bishop Hollow has been fixed and they were getting ready to continue the work.  The sections that were fixed were in really good condition.  When the road gets completely done it will be a great ride.

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The Culprit

New Bosch voltage regulator

It turns out that something happened to the voltage regulator.  I have been running with the lights on as a safety measure and either that caused the regulator to go feet up or it was on its last legs and the constant strain finally killed it.

At any rate, Harold replaced it and the fuse strip because the heat was causing it to begin to melt.  The second fuse hadn't burned out completely but the heat was getting to it.  The repairs came to $127 and change and the car was ready to be picked up on Friday afternoon at about 14:30.  We had an early day, it was Commencement, and we were done by 14:00 so I headed out to Gene's to pick it up after I got home.  I left the truck at Gene's and took the car out to get a hair cut and for a short drive.  Everything is working great except that the horn has gone out now.  I'm not taking it back for that.  I will leave it as is and when I get the inspection done in September I'll have Harold fix it.

Harold said I should get LED lights which will draw less power and put less strain on the wiring.  I'm looking into it but change will be expensive.  I think I'm going to got with first replacing the sealed beams with Hella H4 Type headlights and then see if I can find LED bulbs to plug in later.  This may not work because of space restrictions in the light bucket but I won't know until I try.  I will, however, stop running the headlights at all times, just when I need them.

New voltage regulator

New voltage regulator

  

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Carlisle... Not!

Got all packed and rolled down the road to our meeting point with Royal and Billnparts (two guys from the MGTDr forum that were also headed to Carlisle) in Denver, PA, at the Turkey Hill just off the Penna Turnpike, Exit 286.  We got there in just over an hour, at 11:00. with no problems or issues.  Pulled in the lot, talked to the guys for a couple of minutes, and then got ready to roll out.

That's when things started going down the Turkey Hill path.  The MG would not turn over.  There was some juice because the gauges would move but no cranking or anything.  So the guys proposed to give us a push, get to Carlisle, and there see if the pool of VW guys at the show could figure it out.  That sounded that a good plan to me.

They gave us the push, the MG kicked over, and we rolled of the lot to the Turnpike.  We got as far as just the other side of the toll both when the MG died on the roll.  I pulled over to the side of the road as I watch those guides sail on to the west.  Billnparts called in a few minutes and offered to turn around to come help me but that would have been a 44 mile trip all told and I did not see the sense in that.  I told him that they should go on and I would follow if I could.

Called AAA.  They put me in contact with the Turnpike Patrol which turned up in less than five minutes to guard my six and told me the tow would be there in 15 to 20 minutes.  I fooled around with what I could, mainly the fuses, and found the second from the left fuse had burned.  This is the same fuse I had problems with before.  I replaced that but that fuse but that did not do any good so it was just time to wait for the tow.

The tow got there and the driver could do no more than I did so I asked him to tow it back to Gene's.  I talked to Harold and he said he would look at it.  That's were it is now.  Harold said he had to track the problem down and he hopes to have it ready for tomorrow.

Carlisle is off the plate this year.  I will try again next year but I may tow the MG instead of trying to drive.  It's a big disappointment, I really enjoyed meeting those guys in person and was looking forward to meeting the others that would be there but there's nothing to be done.  At least the ride out Denver was nice and enjoyable.

Such is life.

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May the Fourth Be with You - Battle of Puebla

Llama Farm

Other than the commute to work I didn't ride on May the Fourth because I am in the mist of grading exams and there was just no time.  However on the way to work, after crossing 30 on Spring Mill Rd, I saw an orange convertible Ghia waiting for the light.  I had to record that for the tally.

On the Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla I did make a little time in the afternoon for a quick loop.  My original flight plan was just to ride out to the end of Strasburg and turn around but after crossing 252 I fell in behind two Pennsylvanians that wanted to crawl on their way home.  I flowed with it until Providence but at that decision point they continued on Goshen so I took the ride on Providence for the free road.  I followed that to Warren and made the right.  I've never gone on Warren in this direction and although it makes no sense the hills are a better ride this way.  At Davis I made the right and followed the road to Grubbs Mill Rd.  Again, going in the opposite direction here made for a better ride.  There was a left twist somewhere with a drive way shooting out from it and for a second I wasn't sure which one was the road so I had to do some quick adjustment there but it was fine.

When I got to Llama Farm the pack was in the front pasture.  I have never seen them this close to the road so I had to pull over and take some pictures.  There was one little black cria running around like the devil was behind her and I tried to get some shots but with low light and movement they all came out blurry.

From there I headed back up Goshen to Sugartown and took the Paoli Pike, Devon Rd, Darby Rd, Sugartown, Church loop back home.

Two issues: on the run up Goshen to Sugartown the bike cut out on acceleration in fifth.  I'm getting used to this quirk so I just heeled the kick stand the light came back on the bike fired right back up.  All of that in motion without pulling over.  I felt a great sense of accomplishment at that but I am going to have that switch disconnected at the 3K check at Kiss Honda.  The other issue happened when pulling out of Llama farm.  I tried to kick start the beast but the kick start lever acted as if it was completely disconnected.  This happened once before at work.  I will need to put that on the list to check.

The classic car tally is now three Nash Metropolitans, three 1950s Jag, one MGA, one Hot Rod, one 1950s Chrysler, one 1950's Plymouth, one Karmann Ghia, and one Ford Model A.

Little blurry black cria

More llamas

On departure 3253.9 at 18:35

On return 3278.9 at 19:15

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Short Ride

3171.1 at 18:55

Beyond commuting, this week I haven't ridden the Bullet much.  I did take it on Wednesday at lunch to my appointment with the dentist in Newtown Square and then to pick up my new glasses at the shopping center on 30 accross from the Radnor Hotel.  On my way to pick up the glasses from the dentist's on 352 as I accelerated to make the light at Goshen the Bullet cut out on me.  I pulled to the side, kicked the kick stand with my heel, and it fired up again.  When I make my appointment with Kiss Honda in a couple of weeks for the 3,000 mile check I will ask them to disconnect that stupid switch.  I don't want to say the words, much less write them down, so the gods will see and hear but I can't risk that switch cutting out on me when I might need it.  Lived with it long enough, don't want to tempt the Fates anymore.  Maybe this is way I haven't ridden much.

On Thursday night, I took a short run up Goshen.  At first I intended to go all the way out to where Strasburg runs into the West Chester Pike but I left the house a little late, 18:55, and I only took my sunglasses with me.  That was a tactical mistake, although sunset would not have been until after 20:00, Goshen/Strasburg is pretty wooded in a lot of places and the sun was down below the tree line pretty quickly.  I got as far as Christine Lane and used that as a turn around.

It was a nice ride and I wish I had not run out without my regular glasses.  I would have probably made it all the way to the Pike and back home before true sunset and darkness but risking running blind is not an option.

On the way out the odo read 3171.1 and on return  .  A short ride but enjoyable nonetheless.

3189.6 at 19:28

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GE 4415A Amber Fog Light

GE 4415A

Saturday we were in DC most of the day but we got back early enough that I had enough time to fool around with the car.

The fog light on the MG has been out since shortly after I got it and I've been meaning to replace it.  My idea was to climb under the car and take it off because you can't just undo the screw holding the rim of the light together because the badge bar and apron are on the way.  I didn't jack the car up, just got under it, unfastened the bolt holding the light, and then removed the rim.  The light is held in place by three spring clips, one of which managed to sail off into the unknown not to be found again until the following day.  But I can't complain, I found the dammed thing.

I took the bulb to my local Pep Boys but I did not expect that they would have it in stock.  I was not disappointed.  They did search the net and found the bulb I needed listed in several places.  I could have done that myself but I appreciate the extra effort.

I found the bulb at Replacement Light Bulbs for $8.49 plus shipping.  It's not a GE but a Wagner but I don't really care so long as it works.  I ordered right away and got confirmation today that it would be here in 3 to 5 days.  Just in time for the weekend.

My plan was not to separate the fog light frame from the car but, as things would have it, re-assembling the whole contraption proved harder than I imagined.  So I cut the wire and took the fixture off.  I didn't see the point of reassembling until I had the new light so all the parts are sitting now in a bag on top of my workbench.  We'll see what the weekend brings.

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MG Replacement Hubcaps - Part I

This week I got the replacement hubcaps I ordered from MG Magic to replace the originals because of the one I lost.  They are ABS so I wasn't too thrilled with them but I could not find original replacement made of metal.  I ordered the hubcaps and the spacers I needed to mount them.  I got two sets of spacers just in case one got lost.

They went on easily enough, as could be expected, and they didn't look too bad despite not being metal.

The issue with the hubcaps arose yesterday when my wife and I took and afternoon ride on the MG.  Despite the fact that the hubcaps mounted on solidly enough, they made a dreadful racket going down the road.  The things are constructed in two pieces that are attached to each other via a rivet and, it seems, that the pressure from the center hub of the VW wheel causes the two sections to separate and rattle against each other when moving.  We had to cut our ride short and come home because I was afraid the things were going to come apart on the road.

I am pretty sure I'm not keeping these things but I need a replacement.  Not knowing what to do, I posted on the MG TD replica forum asking for help.  Some of the guys answered up right away with some pretty good solutions involving getting regular smooth VW hubcaps and attaching an MG emblem (part number 200-277) from Moss Motors to the middle.  I actually really liked this solution and I might do that in the future but I got an even better answer from one of the guys.  It seems that he has a car just like mine and when he bought it, last October, it had the same kind of hubcaps that I have.  He made a set with the MG emblem and he offered to sell me his original set of 5 for $100.  I sent him the money today and I hope to have the new (to me) hubcaps soon.  I definitely post some pics when I get them.

ABS Hubcap

Spacer

Spacer on rear wheel.  Only need to mount spacers on the rear.

On the car.

On the car.

VW hubcaps with MG emblems from Moss Motors

  

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False Neutrals Friday

Okehocking Preserve

Friday afternoon I took a ride out towards 926 to enjoy the clear day and the cool weather.  I also wanted to get some photos because the leaves are starting to turn.  I ran the loop out Goshen to Garrett Mill Road and stopped at Garrett Mill Park, across from the Okehocking Preserve to get some shots.  On the way up Goshen, I had an incident when the Bullet went into a false neutral on acceleration from fourth to fifth.  I tried to kick back down and it just get going back into false neutrals all the way down.  I pulled over to the side, kicked it down into first and then proceeded without trouble.

On the way out 926, I was decelerating from fourth to third coming to the to stop light at Shiloh Rd when the same thing happened again.  Not having a shoulder to pull into on 926, I coasted right on Shiloh to find a spot to get in gear again.  Once stopped, I was able to get into first and proceed on.  The flight plan did not include this turn, I had hoped to got to 202 and turn around at the shopping center there, so I had to improvise, adapt, and overcome.  

I followed Shiloh  to the T at Little Shiloh, then to Westtown Rd for a right and back to 926 for a left and the return loop.  

Despite the false neutral issues, it was a really good ride with no other issues and excellent weather and temps.   Not sure why the false neutral happened, all I can do is watch and see if it happens again.  If it does, I will have to have it checked and repair if needed.

At the beginning of the ride, the odo read 2303.6 miles and by the end it was at 2333.1 miles.

See my other Bullet pictures in my Flickr page Motorcycles album.

Okehocking Preserve

Okehocking Preserve

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It Did It Again

On the way

 Well, this morning the Bullet started, sputtered, and died.  Several tries later, all that happened was that the ignition would try to spark but there was no engine catch.  Tomorrow the tow truck is supposed to come to take it back to Kiss Honda.  Maybe they can figure out what's wrong.

At Kiss Honda

Addendum (24 June 2014): Tuesday morning, Bill from Peg's Towing showed up as scheduled and picked up the bike.  We made it Pottstown without any problems.  After I dropped off the Bullet, I watched as the service technician got on it and it turned over right away without any issues.  Of course it would!  They'll be keeping it to see if they can figure out what the problem is.

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First Casualty of the Thump

Missing rear shroud round head bolt

I noticed yesterday that the rear round head bolt holding the muffler shroud had fallen out with the shake of the Bullet.  Figured that it was around a 6mm bolt, I tried removing one of the others to checked the length but at the time they were both still firmly attached so I judged from the cavity that it would not be very long.

Today, on my diagnostic trips around the neighborhood, I took a jaunt to the True Value Hardware Store in the shopping center on the West Chester Pike and 252 to get some bolts.  The shortest I was able to find was a 6mm x 12.  I settled for that and brought it back home.  Once home, I was able to remove the side bolt and it turns out that it's probably a 6mm x 6.  I put the original bolt in the rear hole of the shroud, where I have lost the original, and the replacement 6mm x 12 in the side hole.  That fits much better there, I could probably get away with a 6mm x 10 in that spot but in the rear spot it really stuck up.  I used blue Loctite on both bolts.  When I next go to big box hardware store, I will look for a 6x6 or a 6x10 to replace the 6x12 I have now.  I will also have to keep an eye on it just in case.

Original front shroud round head bolt

Replaced rear bolt with original side bolt

Hardware store 6mm x 12 temporary on the side bolt  hole

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DK Diner in West Chester

At the DK Diner

This morning my wife and I headed out on the Bullet for a late breakfast at the DK Diner in West Chester.  I had a little trouble getting the bike started because it seemed to be struggling to catch.  Once the throttle was engaged and the engine started to rev things seemed to settle down.

 We took our usual route up Goshen/Strasburg to the West Chester Pike and into West Chester.  The ride up Goshen/Strasburg was perfect, the llamas were out in the pasture and I thought for a second to pull over and get some pictures but I saw a pelotón of bicyclists assembling off Goshen under a tent and I did not want to get caught up in their madness.  The Parcae smiled on us and we hit every stop and light without opposition and were able to reach the Pike from 252 without putting our feet down once.

Charlene at the DK Diner

The DK Diner is on Gay Street before getting to downtown to it was an easy off right into the parking lot for a prime parking spot.  After breakfast we headed up Gay into downtown West Chester and then turned around on New Street to take Market Street out of town.  We took the Paoli Pike to the Chester County Book and Music Company and hung around there for a little while.  When we returned to the Bullet there was a gentleman in his pickup truck waiting to talk to us about the Bullet.  He was a flat track racer and had Triumphs and BSAs when he was still riding.  He had been born in West Chester and had grown up in the area but had eventually moved to San Francisco a lived there most of his adult life only returning to West Chester after retirement.  Besides motorcycles we talked about things California and because I grew up in Southern California (Anaheim, to be precise) we ended up talking about In-N-Out Burger.  You can't talk about California without talking about In-N-Out.  It was great to meet him and to talk about motorcycles and burgers, it really is hard to go out on a Bullet and not meet someone.

Enjoying breakfast

Enjoying breakfast

We headed back up the Pike towards West Chester to turn around towards West Chester Pike.  I didn't want to stay on the Paoli Pike because my rides on that road have not been enjoyable and I did not want my wife to have an unenjoyable ride.

From the West Chester Pike we got back on Strasburg and followed that down all the way to 252.  The light caught us there and when it turned back to green the Bullet gasped and died on the spot.  I tried to restart it and despite the engine priming and the electrical giving it the best it had it refused to ignite.  After the next light cycle, I trundled it off the thoroughfare and began again.  After several unsuccessful tries we both decided to trundle it across 252 to the parking lot of the Newtown Square Presbyterian Church.  This, of course, had to happen just as people were arriving for services and filling the parking lot.  We found a spot in the far end of the lot and I began trying to restart the Bullet again.  I tried with the kick start but despite several tries nothing improved.  Eventually, I could feel the engine trying to start at the bottom of the kick so I switched to the electronic ignition and it finally caught.  We went straight home from there and after dropping my wife off I did several starts and stops, a couple of loops around the neighborhood, and even as far as the hardware store on West Chester Pike and 252 without any other problems.  I have no idea what the issue could have been.  I will keep using the bike with the intention on taking it in to have it checked by next Saturday regardless of a repeat of the episode.

At the end of the day, the odo clocked 822.7 miles.

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Mystery Solved

This morning there was a message from the towing service (Flatt's Roadside Assistance, if that's not an unfortunate name for a roadside assistance service I don't know what is) that they would be here by 10:05 to pick up the Bullet.  That was an hour after I requested but a little flexibility goes a long way.  Having been left on the side of the road by AAA once for over three hours, I called the number they left in the message by 10:20.  The voice mailbox for that number had to been set up and Flatt's wasn't answering.  Not wanting a recurrence of my AAA experience I immediately called Progressive to figure out the deal.  They were able to raise Flatt's who said they could not be here for another two hours.  Accident this morning, blah, blah, blah, excuses.   I asked Progressive to get another service and by 11:00 I got a call from them saying that Infiniti of West Chester was on its way and that they would be here in 60 minutes.  This would put them at about the same time frame that Flatt's would have been but after my bad experience I feel better with someone who says 60 minutes rather than two hours.

In the meantime, I continued fooling around with the bike to see if I could get it to run.  At one point I noticed the amp meter light flicker and that gave me a little hope.  Right after I hung up with Progressive at 11:00 I gave the Bullet on more try.  This time, magically, the light came on and the bike kicked over.  Mirabile visu!  Not wishing to risk anything, I ran upstairs, put on my riding gear, and asked my wife to cancel the tow.

Despite a forecast of heavy rain the sky was clear and blue so I headed down the road with high hopes of getting to Pottstown dry.  I took Church to Waterloo and headed to 252 to cut across Valley Forge National Park to link up with 23 to Pottstown.  When I left the house I had 539 miles on the odo.  I knew that it would be a tight squeeze to get to Kiss Honda before I ran out of gas.  I figured a little over twenty miles to get there and I had calculated that the odo would read 561 when I ran into the reserves.  I didn't want to stop at the Liberty station on 30 and Waterloo for fear of not being able to start the bike again.

When I got to Phoenixville, I decided to stop at the Citgo on 23 and White Horse because I was afraid that I wouldn't make it to High Street and if I had then how would I get back, the nearest gas station I knew at the time was just out of town.  I realize now that there is a gas station about a block away from Kiss Honda on High Street.  I pulled into the Citgo with 549.3 miles on the odo.  The tank took 2.772 gallons to fill up so I was running fairly close.  The average mileage the Bullet is running now is 67 miles per gallon.

I got to Kiss Honda a little after noon and the service technician was outside waiting for me.  We talked about the problem the Bullet had and he asked me if the kickstand was down.  I realized then that when my grandson was crawling over the bike he must have pushed on the kickstand enough to engage the safety but to make it appear as if it was still up.  I figured that as I messed with the bike this morning I must have re-seated the kickstand and that is what caused the miraculous recovery.

I also asked Randy Kiss to install a maintenance free battery to replace the one that came with the Bullet.  I don't like having to mess with wet cells and Randy sold me a battery for $85.95 which is quite a bit cheaper than I have seen on line or from nfieldgear.  He also threw in and installed a set of battery tender leads so I don't have to unhook the battery again and I can keep it hooked up to the tender when not in use.

They did the work in less than an hour an a half and I was on the road again by a little after 14:00 (that's 2:00 pm. to you civilian types).    The trip back was the outbound route in reverse, didn't have to go down 29 to 30 since the work on 23 appears to be over.  All the way from Pottstown to the outskirts of Phoenixville the Devil was beating his wife.*  He wasn't beating her hard but hard enough to be worrisome.  The sky was heavy and dark behind me and clear and blue in front so I hoped to be running away from the rain.  The beatings stopped in Phoenixville and it was clear sailing until I got to Devon.  As I crossed 30, I figured I would take Sugartown and stop by my wife's work to let her know I was back since she doesn't answer her cell at work.  No sooner had I made that decision that the Devil heard me and began to beat his wife again.  I passed on Sugartown to head home but by the time I got to Church the beatings had stopped again so I headed up Church to my wife's work in Eastown.  I got there and started back home.  No beatings but the sky kept getting darker.  As I pulled into the garage the heavens opened up and it came down in buckets.  The mileage on the odo read 595.5 when I stopped.  All's well that ends well.

*"The Devil is beating his wife" is a southernism for a sunshower, a meteorological phenomenon that occurs when rain falls while the sun is shinning.

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Dead in the Water

So I got home from work and started getting the Bullet ready to take to Kiss Honda in the morning.  You might remember from last Sunday's (08 June) post that last week I thought the battery had drained from my grandson leaving the kill switch open so I had the battery recharging on the bench since then.  I hooked up the battery, not an easy feat until you figure out that if you hold the nut in place with a screwdriver while rotating the screw it will eventually fall in place by itself, and got ready to crank it over.  The headlights came on, the neutral light came on, but the amp meter light did not and there was no whirling noise like there usually is.  I tried kick-starting, something I've never been successful at, but I got nothing.  No surprise there.  Well, I'm dead in the water.

Luckily, I have roadside assistance through Progressive Insurance.  So I called and set up an appointment to come have the bike picked up tomorrow morning to deliver to Kiss Honda.  I will bet that it's nothing major, but if you read this tonight (12 June 2014) and have an idea of how I might get this thing rolling again, I would appreciate a note in the comments.  I would like to be able to get there under my own power.

Thanks in advance!

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