winter jealousy - performance questions

[tab1324]

For all you guys that live in a warm climate - I envy you... I've been missing riding the bike and it's only been a month. Now we have a little snow and highs in the low 30s...

After I put new tires on the bike I only rode for a couple hundred miles. It seemed that I had lost power with the new tires... I know, that doesn't make any sense.... Maybe the brakes are dragging. It seems when I push it around the garage I can hear the brakes a little but there doesn't seem to be much resistance. Could this be my loss of power? It's a good winter project I guess - rebuilding the rear caliper and master cylinder - about the only thing I haven't rebuilt short of the engine.

How do I know when I need valve shims? Is this something that could cause a lack of performance? Next season, I want to get the thing in tip-top shape... I didn't even synch carbs this year after rebuilding them but it ran pretty good. I'm thinking I might go to pod filters next year too.

I want to polish up the aluminum case covers over the winter too. What's the best way to do this? I figure taking each one off and going over it real well with a die grinder. I've got some road-rash on the left cover that I want to fix up - should I just polish this or is it easy to fill in with alumaloy or something else?

It's been a while talking about the bike - so many questions. I'm jealous of those of you who are still riding!

Have fun!

Tom B.

[nashville_bill]

Tennessee isn't exactly a warm climate this time of year, but it will get into the middle fiftys today and it will be sunny and I will be riding.

I don't think your brakes could be causing your lack of power if you can push it around your garage without feeling resistance. All disk brakes have a little drag.

You find out if you need valve shims by measuring the gap between the camshaft lobes and the shims while the engine is cold. Getting your enging cold shouldn't be a problem for you, Ha Ha.

The aluminum covers on you engine can be polished in many ways. You can get the groves out of them by using wet-or-dry sand paper and then polishing with a buffing wheel and rouge. You can find great info and products at: www.caswellplating.com

Good luck

[prometheus578]

Youngest son dropped one of my bikes in the driveway after I told him not to sit on it. Gouged up an aluminum cover pretty deeply. (I had just polished them the month before) If the damage is deep and not just scratches, take a real fine metal file and work over the cover till the gouges are gone. Then go over the area with 400 then 600 grit metal sandpaper. Then the #0000 steel wool, then the steel wool with Mothers Aluminum Polish, then just polish in your favorite manner. Was back to normal in about an hour.