Awakening Rip Van Sabre - Continuing to put miles on him
Awakening Rip Van Sabre - Continuing to put miles on him
October 29, 1997
Took the day off and rode the v65 to the lake cabin, where
the project bike has been languishing for a couple of weeks.
Since garage space at my house is kind of scarce, I'm keeping
one bike at the lake cabin, and every couple of weeks I'll ride
down and swap. This was the first 'down and back swap' ride.
Two observations:
1) The project bike had been down there for 3 1/2 weeks (should
have swapped bikes on the way home from FitE) . I didn't
notice any leakage under it when I pulled it out of the garage,
but an hour after I got home I noticed a few spots on the
garage floor - looks like gasoline :(
2) Riding the bikes 'back to back' is an interesting sensation,
will require a little orientation each time I change bikes. And
the ~BIG~ difference I notice(besides power) is how much better
I like my v65's hondaline fairing/Rifle windshield than the
v45's vetter fairing.
As I said, I noticed gasoline on the floor of the garage a couple
of hours after arriving home. I wiped it up, and checked back the
next morning - no additional gas had leaked. Now, where is it coming
from? Well, I checked the float bowls by opening the drains. The
rightmost bowl had NO gasoline. Since the gas appeared to be dripping
from the right side of the bike, I hope that means I've located the source
of the gas. I imagine the gasket has given it up. Since (according to the
FAQ) the gasket is only available as part of a carb rebuild kit, I guess
I will order 1 or 2 kits and replace it. While I have the bike
apart, I will also see about the temperature sensor - the dash temp indicator
'comes and goes'(I first noticed it on the SMOT ride). The fanstat is ok
because the fan comes on if I'm in stop and go traffic, so this is an
annoyance, not a ride stopper.
I also need to look at the fuel valve/tank connection and make sure
there's no leakage there, either.
I've been really happy with this project, and have already started looking
for the next project bike. I'd love to find a v45 Magna or another Sabre
if it had the Hondaline fairing. Previous page
