I've been creative between bouts of boredom, much to Mrs. C's chagrin. :hehe:

Spent money on new fuel line, clamps, and fuel filter.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psd76365cc.jpg

Also, found out that the speedo has been fairly generous. +5mph generous. Odd, because the odo seems to be spot on.:wtf: Anyway, when I actually cared how far and fast I was pedaling my any of my bicycles, I had most fitted with a handle bar mount for a Garmin eTrex. So, the Garmin got dusted off and put back in service on the CX.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps5c8f9fd5.jpg
You can probably guess the purpose of the watch.;)

I was at an MC swap meet today and searched high and low for some CX parts. All I found after two hours of wandering around were a pair of side covers. So, I bought 'em.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psb8c8f056.jpg

It's a good thing I limited the amount of cash I brought along and drove the Jeep instead of the pickup. Way too many affordable projects.

:tup:

Please tell us where you found those cool hose clamps for the fuel line.

I'm guessing that you use the watch as a compass, by pointing the hour hand at the sun. You then bisect the angle of the hour hand and the 12:00 position, and the resulting line is north / south.

Did I over-think that? Perhaps you were just using it to tell time.

Over thunk it by a mile.:lol: Digital watch, too. No hands. I wear the same watch and it is a PITA to pull up my sleeve while riding to see if I've been out playing longer than Mrs. C allows.

Found the clamps on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/15pc-Assortmen...gy_auto_text_z

Nice clean filter installation. Sometimes it's hard to get all the right hose lengths and angles without kinking.

:lmao:

:clap:

I finally got out after two weeks because of the crappy weather. It wasn't a grand start, I'll tell ya. Backed the bike out of the garage, opened the petcock, and gas started leaking on the driveway. At first, I thought the petcock was bad, but I sussed it out to be a combination of the new 1/4" fuel line, the new clamps, and 6mm barbs on both the petcock and the left carb. The clamps can't get the hose tight enough on the 6mm barbs. 1/4"=6.35mm. Time for different clamps. I have some nice ones here at the shop.

Thank you very kindly for sharing that info. I was about to order the clamps you have, but I'll hold off until you find the solution. Please show us the clamps you have at the shop.

Too bad about the leakage. That was a sano installation.

The 6mm barbs are the culprit. I tried to 'reform' one of the clamps and changed my drip to a gush, >:so that was not the answer. I ended up with 'run of the mill' screw clamps on the 6mm barbs.

And, the nice, fancy euro screw clamps from the shop.............gone.:ohno: I guess it makes more sense to buy four 'run of the mill' screw clamps for a buck than to buy one fancy clamp for a Euro. Still......:cry:

At least you can get gear clamps in stainless, to keep rust away.

There is that.

Finally filled up today. 148 miles/2.8 gals=52.85mpg. Better than expected, what with crappy weather, stop and go road construction, and the occasional "Let's see how fast in 2nd."

Almost 70 and nearing the red line with a fresh tank of gas and 88F temp.:) And the rear tire chirped going into 3rd.

You had a high temperature of 88F today? :hmm:

Odd, ain't it. A more normal 68F today, with an unrelenting downpour this morning and clear skies after lunch.

Good for you. :tup: We won't see high temperatures in the 80s until June, at the earliest. ;)

We've been there on and off, even the low 90's the past few weeks.

With that said its maybe 60 out there now and blowing like a sum beech.

It was a beaut today, too bad I didn't have time to ride.

After the beating I took yesterday, along with the 40 miles each way at speeds around 65, I broke down and bought a windshield today.

http://www.slipstreamer.com/motorcyc...-the-original/

The big juicy bug that splattered smack in the middle of my face shield might have had a bit to do with the decision.;)

Here it is.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pse059316a.jpg
Kind of a pain to install. It didn't help that the lower rods were way too short and had the wrong angle for the Maggot. At least I had some 3/8 AL round stock in my stash.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psf3d4b876.jpg

What I learned. Loctite 242 on all threaded fittings. Assemble with real tools, not the Ikea brand allan wrenches that come with it. Don't trust the thumb screws, use set screws.

How it rides. Less wind noise, more engine noise. Sure felt the heat at the stop lights. Bugs on the windshield, not on the face. 70mph is a heck of a lot more comfortable.

Good engineering and a very clean installation. You will definitely notice an increase in engine noise. I think that is for two reasons. One, there is less wind noise to mask it. The other is I think the windshield reflects some engine noise straight back. We are your plugs, and I think you will enjoy a much much better ride. Have you noticed any effect on handling at higher speeds?

That's a nice, clean installation. :tup:

Thanks, Spud.

Doc-I did a 100 miles yesterday and found myself creeping past 70 several times when I normally don't go over 60, so I guess I have to say it improved the high speed handling. Ear plugs are on the list. They are required for work and I have several.

BTW, I'm guessing there was a windshield on this bike in the past. It loosened up a bit on the ride to my MIL place(see earlier comment on loctite and real tools)and pushed against the trip odometer reset knob, cracking the dash panel in the exact spot I repaired two years ago. I think it also explains the missing paint along the top edge of the mini-fairing. If need be, I'll notch the windshield for a better fit on the fairing.

The Shoei SB2 hard bags and big no name trunk I picked up in Maine are finished.

Before
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps6ac5038d.jpg

After
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pse56eed99.jpg

Finished in Black Metal Flake. The chrome on the crashbars was pretty pretty crummy after electrolysis cleaning, so they were finished in Black Hammer Tone.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psf70fbaba.jpg

I've decided not to use the trunk(after all that work:doh:). I think it has been customized probably one time too many and I'm not thrilled with the integrity. Or lack thereof. I don't think I would be able to open the bags with it mounted.

Anyway, just the hardbags and my original trunk. The bags are on the bike now but need to be tweaked before I'm happy with the position.

BTW, I junked the ebay HK LEDs I bought when I first got the bike up and running and went back to incandescent bulbs for a few months. I decided to try again and I went with *Superbright LEDS ($$$) for the turn signals. What a difference. :tup: Brighter than the bulbs. I also went their brake light flasher.:tup::tup::tup: When the brakes are applied, the lights flash three times quickly, three times slowly, then steady on. I'm thinking of adding a red LED light strip to the trunk and running it through the flasher too.


*http://www.superbrightleds.com/



:hi:

Nicely done! I hope you can turn that trunk into cash.

Good idea on the brake flasher. What was the cost?

SuperBrightLEDs has great products, and excellent customer service. :)

I'll see if my brother might want it for his big ATV. As for the brake light flasher, peanuts.
http://www.superbrightleds.com/morei...odule/195/845/

Peanuts is right! I might have to try one.

I think I got them hung right. The frames seem pretty stable. They are actually straighter than shown in the second pic.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps1e0c81eb.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pse1157049.jpg

Long ride planned for Sunday in Wisconsin as a shakedown for a camping trip coming up the end of next month. We'll see how it goes.

They look good. I think the exoskeleton-style of bag frame is the best; the bags have a higher chance at survival if the bike is dropped.

They do that quite well.:ohno:

On the bright side, you have empirical proof that the bags are quite durable.

Trying out a video with the new Fuji.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/21499296@N08/14770512943/

That is so cool! I just showed my daughter, and told her that her future bike will be so equipped.

To bad your license plate says CY, instead of CX. :D

Yeah, I missed it by 4000. Somewhere in Illinois, someone has an MC plate that says CX 1979. One of my pals has a Buell Blast with a CX tag.

Well, I sold the original FBG47 CDI last week to a CX owner in Texas. The guy in Texas contacted Aki, the builder of the FBG47, about getting one. Aki is up to his neck with a project at work and won't have time to make another until January. Sooooo, Aki got hold of me and asked if I'd be willing to sell the Texan the original unit. If I did, I could keep the RootBeer version and pocket the cash. I can't find a fault with the RootBeer version, so I agreed.

Anyway, I hooked the original unit back up to the Maggot today, just to make sure it still worked and to write up some installation instructions. It is still perfect. As I finished up putting the RootBeer unit back in, I glanced over at the right side shock and saw this.:wtf:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pse61492f7.jpg
They didn't look like that on Thursday. I ordered a new pair of Progressive shocks Friday night because the originals have been bottoming out, even on their stiffest setting. I think the only thing keeping the shocks on is the seat pan. Guess I got really lucky because I was running up to 85mph Friday morning. :doh:

I'm glad you discovered the bad shocks before they failed. :tup:

Wow!

Good news that you have new progressive shocks en route.

It was new shock day today.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps39fd8e82.jpg

Kind of a PITA job as I had to yank the mufflers to remove the lower fasteners and I don't have a small enough spring compressor for MC shocks. I found that two ratcheting tie down straps worked great. 90 minutes for the first shock, 15 for the second. I didn't know how bad it rode until I got the new shocks on.

Today was also 'Pile The Miles On The Jeep Day'.:hehe: I went to a Japanese Motorcycle Barn Sale in Indiana early in the morning. The seller claimed 40,000 parts, new and used. I think he forgot a zero. Frankly, I was overwhelmed by what was there. Dumpster diving skills were required. It was probably a good idea that I went with limited funds and without the pickup.
Within five minutes of arriving, I scored a replacement fuel tank for the Maggot for $75. Here it is, all washed up, sitting on a stool, waiting to be installed.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps8c26c1d4.jpg

Not a bad day.

Does your original tank have a flip top? If so, I might be interested in it for a café project.

Yes, it does. Similar to the flip top on the one in the picture. It's a BIG tank, 4.9 Gal.
What the original tank needs is a proper resealing. The PO did a lousy job and the sealer is an inch thick in places. I was considering stripping and resealing with some POR-15 over the winter, but shoot me a PM.