UNSTUCK
But stuck more often.
Well, not just Dual Sport, but it's my first bike ever. 
So I picked it up for $1500. It's a 2003 drz400e. It was not running when I bought it, so I couldn't ride it or anything. Pretty much sight unseen. The PO wanted $2300 for it but because it didn't run and he didn't know why, I got it for that price.
So I took it home and found that the main fuse was blown, which I'm guessing the PO did while installing the BD streel legal kit, which looks brand new. Also I found that the kill switch for the BD kit is bad. It's stuck closed no matter if you push the botton or not. The ignition box wants an open signal to produce spark. I also found the coil and cap to read way high in resistance. So I replaced those two parts and unhooked the kill switch and gave it a tow to start it, as it didn't want to start by just hitting the go button. After about 15 feet of towing it fired up. It's been running great ever since.
Today I took it on two rides, because one just wasn't good enough. I am a beginner so it went pretty slow at first. Just the back roads around my neighborhood at 7am. I had all the roads to myself. I still can't get the smile off my face.
I just got back from my second ride up around Magna and the base of the mountain. Still mostly on back roads. I managed to find some dirt to play in for a minute in the field behind my neighborhood. I'm feeling more and more confident all the time. I've only hit about 3/4 throttle and can't belive the power it has. And just to think, there is even more! My confidence left me for a minute when I slid in the dirt turning around. I thought I was going down, but pulled out of it. I have to remind my self to stay humble and not get cocky.
There are still a few things that need addressing on the bike, but for now it seems to be good to go. I'll do several more trips around my house, then it's off to find some dirt roads to play on.
So if you're in the West Valley area and don't mind teaching me a few tricks, I'd love all the help I can get. I'll be signing up for a Ridercourse in the next week or so as an added help.
On a side note, here are some teaser shots of my current project. Quick story on it: Guy picked it up as payment from a divorse case he worked on. PO had it sitting for 6 years and now it's been sitting for 4 years with the new owner. I flat out love these cars! Normally my rule is it has to be 4x4 to get me to work on it, but I had to make an acception for this one.
I changed all the fluids, installed a new ign. switch, rebuilt the brakes system. Get this, who ever built this car reduced the 1/4in. brake port in the MC to 3/16in. by soldering the smaller line to the larger line! Why not just use a reducer fitting? Not only that, but it teed into the front sectin of the MC instead of going straight to the rear brakes. So all it did was overflow the front section. There was no brakes at all. I don't know how they ever drove it.
Anyways, it sits to low to the ground and had taken some hard hits. The oil pan leaks and there are some cracks forming in the frame that must be welded.
Other then that I got it running and took it out for a nice date with my wife (with the owners approval of course). My wife had to keep reminding me that I wasn't that good looking. Everyone was staring at the car, not me. Dang!
So I picked it up for $1500. It's a 2003 drz400e. It was not running when I bought it, so I couldn't ride it or anything. Pretty much sight unseen. The PO wanted $2300 for it but because it didn't run and he didn't know why, I got it for that price.
So I took it home and found that the main fuse was blown, which I'm guessing the PO did while installing the BD streel legal kit, which looks brand new. Also I found that the kill switch for the BD kit is bad. It's stuck closed no matter if you push the botton or not. The ignition box wants an open signal to produce spark. I also found the coil and cap to read way high in resistance. So I replaced those two parts and unhooked the kill switch and gave it a tow to start it, as it didn't want to start by just hitting the go button. After about 15 feet of towing it fired up. It's been running great ever since.
Today I took it on two rides, because one just wasn't good enough. I am a beginner so it went pretty slow at first. Just the back roads around my neighborhood at 7am. I had all the roads to myself. I still can't get the smile off my face.
I just got back from my second ride up around Magna and the base of the mountain. Still mostly on back roads. I managed to find some dirt to play in for a minute in the field behind my neighborhood. I'm feeling more and more confident all the time. I've only hit about 3/4 throttle and can't belive the power it has. And just to think, there is even more! My confidence left me for a minute when I slid in the dirt turning around. I thought I was going down, but pulled out of it. I have to remind my self to stay humble and not get cocky.
There are still a few things that need addressing on the bike, but for now it seems to be good to go. I'll do several more trips around my house, then it's off to find some dirt roads to play on.
So if you're in the West Valley area and don't mind teaching me a few tricks, I'd love all the help I can get. I'll be signing up for a Ridercourse in the next week or so as an added help.
On a side note, here are some teaser shots of my current project. Quick story on it: Guy picked it up as payment from a divorse case he worked on. PO had it sitting for 6 years and now it's been sitting for 4 years with the new owner. I flat out love these cars! Normally my rule is it has to be 4x4 to get me to work on it, but I had to make an acception for this one.
I changed all the fluids, installed a new ign. switch, rebuilt the brakes system. Get this, who ever built this car reduced the 1/4in. brake port in the MC to 3/16in. by soldering the smaller line to the larger line! Why not just use a reducer fitting? Not only that, but it teed into the front sectin of the MC instead of going straight to the rear brakes. So all it did was overflow the front section. There was no brakes at all. I don't know how they ever drove it.
Anyways, it sits to low to the ground and had taken some hard hits. The oil pan leaks and there are some cracks forming in the frame that must be welded.
Other then that I got it running and took it out for a nice date with my wife (with the owners approval of course). My wife had to keep reminding me that I wasn't that good looking. Everyone was staring at the car, not me. Dang!
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