So John installed the baffles a couple of days ago, and I took it on a 180 mile ride today. I discovered that there is actually now more low and mid range grunt, but the bike lost some top end, even after drilling out the baffles a bit. From 3/4 throttle to full throttle, there's no difference. So I think we might need to try the next sized main jet (from a 150 to maybe a 160). I thought that maybe there was too much fuel, but the bike doesn't 'nose over' if I back off on the throttle, so we'll try a larger main jet and see. Fascinating that the addition of a restrictive baffle seems to 're-map' the power distribution -- I'd be interested to hear from those of you who know something about the concept of 'back pressure'.
Things are quieter, but not a whole lot quieter -- seems like the 'edge' has been taken off the roar, particularly in the overrun (which is a good thing!).
Only 860 miles left to go this year before the odometer hits 24,000 miles -- then it will be 20,000 miles I've put on the bike in just over 6 years!
Japan Meets Britain
Yeah, I think my 15 minutes were up a long time ago, so it was a bit of a surprise to see this.
Went for a short (130 miles) ride today - man the weather is perfect here in Maryland.....mid-70's, low humidity, no wind. If only all that traffic would go away! The odometer is currently at 23,388 miles -- I bought the bike 6 1/2 years ago, and it read 4,000 miles back then. I'm determined to hit 24,000 miles by the end of the year!
Brrr! It was 31 degrees today (-1C for my Canadian brethren), and quite likely the coldest weather in which I've ridden......hmm, but there was that snowstorm in Toronto back in '86......
 The bike is now in John the mechanic's capable hands, and the big project this winter is......the Bore-Tech 350 kit! They're going to do the bore/sleeve work, and John's going to button it all up. Plus, he's going to look at the transmission, as the moving kickstart in 2nd gear is rearing its head again. Does anyone know if the whole kickstart mechanism can be removed? Not sure if that's possible or not, but if it's the needle bearing/kicker shaft again, this will be the second time that we've replaced these.....just looking for some other solution besides replacing these parts again, and potentially having to do it again in another few years. Porting and polishing is potentially on the agenda, and we just need to find someone good with a flowbench. If anyone has any recommendations......? Final odometer reading for the year is 23,588 miles -- not quite the 24,000 I was hoping for, but we'll surely hit it soon!
Vince, I have to mention this because it's bugging me. I didn't know what it was at first but I've figured it out. I've noticed from all the posts that I see you pictured that you took the time to buy the vintage/British riding gear with the Doc's, Davida helmet (although not in that pic), Belstaff jacket, etc, etc. A good bit of effort and money I would imagine. However, something sticks out like a sore thumb....your modern glasses! You need to get a prescription filled for some aviators or blublockers :-)
And one of these for the winter: http://i6.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/c6/62/c11c_1_b.JPG
Yes, I know about the whole 'vintage eyewear' phenomenon. Every time I visit a place like Colonial Williamsburg, I always look at the 'historic interpreters' (they don't like being called 'reenactors'!), and I always look at two things - eyewear and footwear! As well, I was at one point a devotee of www.eyeglasseswarehouse.com - they have some serious vintage eyewear. I have a pair of eyeglasses from the mid-19th century, as well as a pair of shooting glasses from about the 1820's that I had done up in my prescription (they are very cool in that they have side lenses that fold out)....not particularly contemporary with the SuperHawk, but weird enough, nonetheless. I don't think I'll go that route, as my glasses are used for so many more things than bike riding, and the Swiss Flex frames I have are pretty versatile and indestructible (plus they fit behind goggles!). The sunglasses in the above photo are a pair of Pradas, and they're okay, but the case for them is huge! I suppose if I wanted to be completely 'period', then I should be wearing Ray-Bans, right?
And as far as that helmet link you included, I have only one word for that helmet -- ugh! Think I'll stick with my modern Arai, thanks! On a completely separate tack, I managed to find a local port'n'polish man with a flowbench, and he can do it up right for $200. Seems fair to me!
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