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Hey Tom,
I'm glad you posted your observations. Particularly the brakes. I had my
4ls eldo brake done some time back through Harper's. It is much better
now
as before it would lock the wheel at any speed above 40 mph! Very high
pucker factor when the brakes aren't right.
The lead shot in the bars is of great interest to me. Mine don't shake
much
but after a while it gets bothersome. I'd be interested in the what 'n'
how
on that. If it was in a previous post I can probably find it.
Thanks,
Hunter
At 05:02 PM 7/29/2001 +0000, you wrote:
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Trips to Ontario and SE Ohio have now accumulated about 2400 miles on
Cedar. Here are some thoughts on things that have gone right and things
that have gone wrong in the week and a half since I got her back on the
road.
Good Moves:
1) Vintage Brake and their reline of the front shoes with Ferodo 2520V
and the rear, T-3 "bacon strip" brakes, with VB3000. The fronts are very
linear and responsive requiring a minimum of hand power to get them to
work. I would rate their performance as being VERY close to that of disc
brakes. Had occasion to really use them 3 times on route 26 to avoid a
calf, a fawn, and a front end loader. The rear brake is also very linear
since the friction material was intentionally laid back from the front
of the shoes. Incredibly, I have a fully usable rear brake with no
tendency to cam in and lock up. Money well spent.
2) The Excel anodized rims. Easy to clean up and look great.
3) The Moto Guzzi Classics solo saddle (in conjunction with a pair of
Cannondale bicycle shorts). I rode from 9AM Friday until 1AM Saturday,
with occasional rest stops, and could have gone another hour or two
without screaming for mercy. There are times when I wish that the foam
was a bit more dense, but overall I'm satisfied with the performance of
the seat.
4) The Grote "farm tractor" driving lights. Cheap, and they make for a
much improved "see and be seen" factor.
5) Whitewall tires. They are real eye catchers and always seem to bring
about the "how old is that bike?" question from onlookers. The Dunlop
K-177's are mucho sticky, not that I or the bike have the wherewithal to
break them loose. "Super Chicken" here. Hey, I read Aesop enough to know
that slow and steady always wins the race. See Bad Moves #4.
6) Filling the handlebars with lead shot. No tingling hands, usable
mirrors.
7) Viton fuel petcock gaskets. Seem to be working great, so far.
8) Windshield. Makes the bike susceptible to some buffeting from 18
wheelers, but sure saved me and the fuel tank from the golf-ball-sized
stone thrown by a gravel truck over on the 402. As it was, without the
windshield both the tank and the family jewels would probably have not
fared too well. I just wish that Cheeshead had them in Lexan instead of
just plain acrylic.
Bad Moves:
1) Putting a Dyna ignition module on the bike. I hid the thing up under
the tank, mounted to the top tube. Bad move. It works fine, until I stop
and take a rest. The rising heat from the engine renders the unit
inoperative. Think I'll stick with just the points and carry a spare set
of contacts and a condenser.
2) The original style rear brake light switch failed within 3 days of
launch. This wouldn't have been so bad, but it failed with an internal
short to ground. Lord knows how much of Ontario I covered sans brake
lights.
3) Routing the harness for the rear fender through the hole at the front
of the fender. It left just enough of a "gooseneck" in the wiring for
the admittedly oversized 120/90-18 rear tire to rub right through part
of the harness. Solution, route the harness under the front of the
fender and add cable clamps at the front two toolbox mounting bolts.
4) The Dunlop K-177 front, when used on the rear, shows significant wear
after only 2400 miles. I may be able to run it for 6000 miles, but I'll
be surprised if it goes any beyond that. Can't we lobby one of the tire
maunfacturers to come up with a long-wearing rear wide whitewall in a
4.00x18?
5) Buna fuel petcock gaskets. Hey it worked great for the gas cap! The
softness of the material allows the fuel tap rotors to tear off bits and
pieces, clogging the fuel lines. Not a good feeling when doing 70MPH on
the freeway and the bike starts to stall, even with both taps open.
Tom
'70 (July '69) Ambassador
99.8% Complete, 10% Left To Go
'82 V50-III
Shelby Township, Michigan
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