Boston.

The events in Boston have been absolutely horrific. And reading this CNN story makes me feel like I'm reading a plot to a movie like The Dark Knight, The Town, etc. It's terrifying that things like this have struck so close to home, and are real-life possibilities. However, that said, I'm proud to be an American. Events like these happen far too often in other areas of the world. The difference between those places and here, is that we're able to respond so swiftly and so heavily that it gives you a sense of pride in your country. Although it doesn't seem like it, the situation is under control. I'm proud to live in a nation where 300 million people would love to watch as these men burn, rather than a nation divided. I would still feel safe being a spectator at a marathon's finish line, so screw you Tsarnaev brothers, you failed.


Also, keep those in Texas in your prayers, it's been a tough, but strengthening week in America.

Carb Struggles.

Well, I tore down the carbs, fixed 'em up, put 'em back in... they don't work. Either I messed something up somewhere or the main jet I chose isn't the ideal size... have to wait till the end of the day to tinker with it again.

That said, I have to reiterate how awesome Ca-Cycleworks is. They throw in a sticker, pen, and a candy bar with every purchase, and their customer service is outstanding.

The carb situation got so tricky I even had to use the longer fingers of my buddy Joe to help with a stuck throttle cable issue.

So the situation is that my motivation for doing all this was a 'coughing' issue on the bike. It would sometimes cough in really low gears, especially when not warmed up completely. So, I tore them down to install a Dynojet kit along with the Factory Pro needles, since those are supposed to go bad after about 5,000 miles. So I installed everything, put it back together, and now the bike will barely start and as soon as I give it gas it dies. Turning out the idle mixture screws helps it start easier, but doesn't affect the dying when throttle applied problem.

My two theories are that either I didn't reassemble all the hoses and whatnot correctly, or the main jets I put on (175's) are far too large. Stay tuned.

Mind Party

This video simply makes me want to ride... and own a Triumph.

M900 Dynojet and Factory Pro Install

For these early, carbed versions of the Ducati Monsters, it is known that if you run an aftermarket exhaust and/or chop your airbox or convert to pod filters, you need to re-jet the carbs. Whoever added the Staintune cans and chopped the airbox on this one, didn't know that. So, I've set out to update the jets to a Dynojet Stage 2 kit, coupled with new needle jets from Factory Pro, purchased through Ca-Cycleworks. Shameless plug for Ca-Cycleworks here: they're really, really great. Here's a link to their site for everything Ducati: www.ca-cycleworks.com

Anywho, the idea of this install is to improve throttle response and performance across the whole rev range. On these Mikuni carbs it's known that the needle jets become "ova led" after about 5,000 miles so that's the reason for the Factory Pro kits. I will also be checking the float height, as it's also well known that the setting from the factory is skewed from what is recommended. 

Last night I just completed the "tear down" process, getting the carbs out of the frame. Tonight I'll be doing the install and will be sure to post some pictures.

Products:

http://www.dynojet.com/pdf/7209.pdf

http://ca-cycleworks.com/products/fuel-carbs/factory-pro-needle-jet

The Build

This is a short documentary built from a series of videos shot by 'Instrument.' The video is about three Portland-based custom bike builders telling their stories about how they came to be and what they think of their lives. It's really, really awesome.

The Build Film from Instrument on Vimeo.

Fott - Cafe Racer Video

Just found this on Vimeo. I think it's a pretty awesome video. If someone didn't know what "cafe racer" meant, I think you could just have them watch this video and they would get it.

Fott - Cafe racer and the city from Alexander Khudokon on Vimeo.

Swap Meet

I forgot to mention that my buddies Courland, Brent, and Scott accompanied me up to the Walneck's swap meet in Woodstock, IL last weekend. It was pretty awesome, although I couldn't find anything I could justify purchasing at that point in time. Here's a link to a list of future event dates:

http://www.walneckswap.com/custompage.asp?pg=events

Also, we stopped by the after party at Woodstock Harley Davidson for their Second Sundays motorcycle rally. It was a pretty cool event, and turns out they do it every month with a different theme. I'm looking forward to June when I can ride the Ducati up for European Motorcycles.

http://www.woodstock-triumph.com/default.asp?page=xcalendar&db=&cat=all&

First Weld!

I did my first ever weld that meant something! Big milestone for me....

Anyway, the Virago got the beginnings of its subframe welded together with the first of two plates that the seat pan will bolt to. They're not pretty but they are functional. The welds will be ground down and hidden anyway.

Sounds of Today

Today I'm listening to my inner robot. Dubstep it is today with the likes of Flux Pavilion, Nero, Skrillex, and so on. Work is requiring me to come up with some designs for vendor and guest invites for a large open house we're having. I know it seems counter-intuitive that I'm blogging while I'm busy at work, but I do a lot of waiting on other people. Anywho, dubstep seems to put me "in the zone" when working with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, etc. Enjoy!

<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:3f49pTG5rY9BBl5R1RbXu5" width="300" height="380" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe>

More Horsepower!

So I decided to add more horsepower to the Virago build, and I did so in about the easiest way possible. The first gen Viragos were made with two different models, the XV750 and the XV920. Just so happens they made it so that the two different engines can be directly swapped in and out, completely bolt-on. I found a great deal through a guy on www.viragotechforum.com pretty close to me. He had used one XV920 as a parts bike to build his other XV920 bobber project. The engine is all there in good running condition. So, on Saturday I dropped the old 750 motor out of the frame and bolted on the 920. It took quite a bit of convincing and a helping hand from my buddy Tom, but we got it to go! Really can't wait to hear this thing run now.