no idea wtf i'm thinking, but i knew i'd try one out sooner or later. apparently one vehicle to tinker with wasn't enough...
we'll see whether i'll be able to put up with it for a while or just get fed up and sell to get another sportbike. miss those too. lucky for me, depreciation on this one is nil, wheras the sports are losing close to $1k per year.
so, it's a '73... just like my car.... and just like me. i know, how gay!
the rest is pure mystery to me.
first: down is up, up is down. 4 gears. 1st up, the rest down. wait, it gets better. shifter on the right, rear brake on the left. clutch takes huge strength to use. yes, it leaks. a bit. yes, it sputters and pops, but it sounds glorious. think harley but more refined, therefore cooler.
the guy before me went hardcore on this one, so it has no blinkers, no horn, brake light only works w/ the rear brake (i FINALLY stopped UPshifting when i wanted to brake, even if just to light up the brake light). kickstart ONLY. good and bad. you get mad props from the electric-start-using-harley-pussies, and that's FUN!!!
carbs jetted rich so it fouls the plugs. if you don't know (i didn't) you'll be kicking like a mule for half hour w/ no results. weak battery will make you look like a fool for the same reason. when you take care of plugs and electricity (think british, think prince of darkness LUCAS himself) it fires on the first kick, almost shocking me w/ surprise. yes, it already has left me stranded, but so has my car.
knowing exactly, just the right way to start YOUR beast is half the fun. it'll either end up being good and reliable (eventually) like my car, or i'll ditch it after a season (or two).
i'm not discounting the peanut shell and some leather goggles just yet...
for scale:
