The final pieces came together last night. Sub-frame and shocks. Greased swingarm bearings. Air cover. Greased brake pivot. Gas tank and petcocks. Fuel line. Mufflers.
I went to the gas station to get gas and fill the rear tire. Back to the house to tighten the clutch-arm adjustment bolt. Then I cruised through St. John's, over the bridge, and up Gearmantown into the West Hills.
It seems to run better, though that could just be a bias. Certainly the clutch is no longer slipping. Still to come: setting the points gap and balancing the carbs. Though, she seems to run smoothly enough. I worry there is carbon build-up, though. The almost-new spark plug was black when I last checked it. Running too richly?
I had to pull the swing-arm back off (but before I had bolted on the final drive) when I realized that I had not greased the clutch arm pivot points or thrust washers. This sort of thing happens a lot, greatly increasing the time I spend doing a "simple" job. I pulled and replaced the left air-cleaner cover no less than four times:
1. Forget air-cleaner cover retention strap
2. Air-cleaner cover retention strap was installed upside down
3. Forget air-filter element
4. Forget to run fuel cross-over line under the air-cleaner covers
When I finally rode her, crossing the St. John's bridge at night, light reflecting off the water, dark buildings in the distance, everywhere the warm summer night air, the frustrations melted away. And, in the curves of Skyline, the simple procedure of brake, lean, and accelerate through the turns ... this erased every other thought from my mind and it was just me and the bike.
