Happiness, the fairy tale.

The new bike is taking shape. Today we finished the tail and put it on.  It is welded in place. Next we mounted the rear tire and the front so we could get a look at it from the design aspect. By doing this we realized that the front end has to be raked for it to look good. When we return from Spain we'll have to get the fender, seats, tank and other parts but the biggest hurdle is over. I will also have to work on the engine. The one we have is old, from 1980 and we have no idea if it will run. It should, those engines are very sturdy. Other than some rust from being left outside for so many years it should crank up fine, once I put new oil and filter on it and replace a few parts, This bike is going to be amazing!

Well, Bo is no longer with us. It was sold to a friend of jochi. We are moving on to the next build. We started out with a similar bike to Bo, only a newer frame. This one is a 1982 frame and we are going a little deeper into the customization. This is what it looked like before we started. Took out the forks, wiring and rear tire and chopped it down and got this: Here the back of the frame has been removed and the frame is ready for the extension and hard tailing that will be done. I have started a course on Motorcycle repair. It is rewarding to build or modify something. When you are finish you look at it and say: "I made that" The next step is to put manufacture and install the new hard tail. We bought pipe from a supplier and I started to work with it. This is the new tail taking shape. This project will have to be interrupted for a couple of weeks. We are traveling to Spain next week to accompany my wife on a missi...

So after riding for a few weeks and having the carbs tuned on Esmeralda (my Virago) Joseito bought forward controls for Bo and we installed them. I tried them out and realized it makes for a much more comfortable ride. This is the brake on the right side of the bike. It extends the control to a more relaxed, front position that allows your leg to be straight forward. This is the other side, the shifter. I liked the feel and look of it, but could not afford to purchase the linkage. I decided that I could make it myself and had all the parts I needed in the shop. I only had to purchase a couple of couplings and a threaded rod and, voila! I used the foot pegs we removed from Joseito's bike and created the rest. The shifter is a piece of tubing with a carriage bolt through it and wrapped in leather, it looks as if it was manufactured that way. I am quite happy with the results. I rode it for a while and it feels great. You can beat a little ingenuity ...

After much work and some minor setbacks she is finally ready. She still sputters a bit but I was able to take my first ride after over twenty years. This is a Yamaha Virago XV920MK or a Midnight Virago as it was named. She is from 1983 and rides fast and comfortably. It was a great ride, even though it was a short one, maybe 30 minutes. The wind rushing through, the roar of the engine between your legs and the knowledge that you are in control make for a pretty exhilarating experience. The next step now is to get used to riding with another rider. I always rode by myself, except the few times I paced Rudy with his moped, so riding with someone else will take some getting used to. Have to work on communication and signals and a few other things, but we have a few weeks before our planned trip cross country. That is going to be phenomenal. I am planning on taking the laptop and updating the blog every time we stop at a coffee place or a Mcdonalds with wifi. My Achilles hee...

The weather is finally good enough to ride, so my son has been riding for a couple of days now. In the meantime, I bought a 1983 Yamaha 920 Midnight Virago. This one is different than the one I owned all those years ago, but it is nice. It is black with gold trim. She runs, but needs a little TLC. I have to save up the money to get the title, tag and insurance, so for now she sits in the storage. I work on it when I have time and prepare for the upcoming ride. She is a comfortable bike and surprisingly loud for a stock exhaust. She does have the typical Virago problem, every time you hit the starter button it sounds like it is falling apart. I have seen where they have an after market repair kit for it but it sells for around $300.00 so she will have to make do for the time been. We will not tear down and rebuild this one as we did with "Beau" (Joseito's bike) but it will require some touch ups. I am exited to get on the road with her.

We went down to the RMV or We'll Tax You For Life Central, as it is known in Massachusetts, and got the tag for the bike. He put it on and took her out for a spin. We went to pick up Loli at work, he on the bike and me on the car behind, but she would not answer the phone so we had to go home and park it as it was getting dark. The learning permit he got does not allow for night driving. It was very satisfying to see him riding on the bike we had work on so hard and being able to see the looks that people on the streets would give him. A guy stopped on the sidewalk to turn and follow the motorcycle as it sped down the street. Four young girls, 8 to 10 year old, stopped playing on the sidewalk to run after it for a block. It brought back so many memories of my first bike. I can't wait to get my Virago on the road. We have a little more work to do on it, but she sure is a looker!

There is nothing as satisfying as creating, fixing or working on something with your own hands. When my son bought his motorcycle I was a bit apprehensive about all the work required. I must say, though, that now when I look at it I feel a sense of pride at the amount of work and sweat we put into it. It is a 31 year old bike so there are going to be problems along the way. We had to remove the carburetors twice already. We have adjusted them several times and now we need to change the spark plugs, once again. A couple of days ago, the weather improved and he started her to take her out for a spin and the rear wheel locked up. When we were working on it we cleaned the wheel well and inspected the shoes. I knew they would need replacing but for the moment just put them back until the bike was ready to ride. When the wheel locked we had to remove it. The pads on the brake shoes had come off completely and so they had jammed together against the metal. We replaced the shoes on the...