2015 Muskegon Motorcycle Club Spring Run, the experience..

[cowpuc]

Every year our local Club puts on what they call the "Spring Run". After sleeping thru the winter it felt GREAT, take that back, almost euphoric, to be out among my friends and with my passion in life - MOTORCYCLES - 1300 plus of them to be exact!! What a day!!

Tweeks, my neighbor Larry's brand new V-Rod, Larry and I RIPPED down to Mount Garfield (where the National Hill Climbs are held every other year) and gobbled up good times like kids in a candy store!!

I had sooooo much fun!! Wanna hear a short story - come on,, I promise I will keep it short!! Hadnt been at Garfield very long and noticed a guy kicking the daylights out of some poor old Shovelhead trying to get it to start.. Being nosey and,, feeling sorry for the Shovel I meanderd that direction.. The closer got I realized that it was actually my cousin who was the one doing the kicking.. He didnt noticed me as I stood back and let him tire himself out on the kicker on that gorgeous old icon.. Dave, my cousin, didnt own the bike, he was actually just trying to help the guy who did own it try to start the old girl.. After Dave's leg gave out, he shrugged his shoulders, made a comment about having got a few "pops" out of it, folded up the kicker and backed into me as he pulled away..

I tapped him on the shoulder, he looked - did a double take (took a sec for him to recognize me without me facial hair diquise) and shouted "CUZ - wassup"!! Dave had called me a couple years ago and gotten some advice on a 64 Sporty he couldnt get to run (couldnt start it) and I had help him figure out the technique.. Anyway, it appeared that he had forgotten some of the old Harley secrets I had shared with him cause he sure wasnt using them on the Shovel.. I leaned over and asked the guy if "he would mind".. The owner looked and me and said "mind what"? I should have said "mind if load that beat up old non running Shovelhead piece of junk (not that I feel that way - I LOVE OLD HARLEYS) and take it home with me" but I didnt, instead I said, mind if I kick it couple times just for kicks.. He said sure,, kick all you want - everyone else has..

All the gang watched as I rolled the kicker gently around like I was making a soul connection with the old scoot.. What those guys didnt know was that I was feeling crank, rod, piston, cam, pushrod, lifter and valve movement with my foot.. I rolled it thru it gorgeous ol sequence and memories of Olivia and many other old Harley's went pouring thru my soul.. Compression felt pretty good, I could hear air movement pulling thru the carb and could smell raw gas that had probably been rolling around in the carb throat from the hundreds of previous kicks. Folks stared at me as I slowly kicked at wide open throttle for several gentle kicks, looks of disbelief like "you idiot - that's a 74 inch motor - your gonna have to kick a WHOLE lot harder than that if you EVER expect a bike like this to start - you are also gonna have to turn the key back on".. After a couple minutes though, I reached up and turned the ignition on - I noticed the stares then change because no one had told me the ignition was off and that action seemed to draw attention..

I then rolled the kick starter down feeling for valve resistance and that real sweet spot that me and my 1978 Lowrider used to love so much.. I would message Hoglia (my lowriders name) gently in this same fashion years ago while all my Harley riding buddies were busy pushing their magic e-start buttons.. Hoglia had one but I LOVED kick starting her and she LOVED to have me gently kickstart her.. Matter of fact, our love affair with this got so good back than that, at times (I was a lot younger than) I actually started her with my hand - my buddies hated that!!

That sweet spot was a secret little area between the valves at top dead center just after the exhaust valve closes and the intake is getting ready to open.. I love finding it and feeling it.. Its like using a good set of Micrometers to seem to speak to ya as your machining a new a set of bushings - you know the type - the kind where the there bearing surface fits PERFECTLY all because of those Mics.. I tell many people this cause I am really not much of talker but I actually learned this secret from the Japenese. Years ago I played a LOT of off road bikes of all kinds, both 2 and four stroke. I had an old Yamaha (ironic - this site is kind of a Yamaha site and its owned by a Harley owner - weird eay) 500 single lunger that actually had a little window up on its cam housing. The window gave a view of the camshaft as it rotated and, if you watched real closely the Japs had made a small little white line on the cam that marked when the valves were in the position that I am talking about.. Funny thing about those old Yam's, you could by em really really cheap cause if ya didnt line that little white line up - they wouldnt start and, it seemed like a lot of people either realise this and HATED those hard started things OR, they didnt take the time to read their owners manual and didnt even know it was there.. On the other hand, I noticed that little window right away (I was a curious sucker - even as kid) and went to great lengths in figuring out what the heck that was all about - good fun..

That ol Harley at Garlfield and I had an thang going on.. That first exhaust valve seemed to not be real co-operative so I waved bye to it and felt for the next one.. Ahhhh, perfect,, I felt the cam roll gently against the intake valve and roll back just a little as the valve spring closed. People stared, tension grew.. I stood down on the kicker with my weight and got a delightful cleanout report from the exhaust.. I could hear chuckling from behind within the group that had formed.. I looked at the owner and my cousin and said,, she's gonna start.. Once again I found that no mans land, stood down on the kicker and she came to life like her and I had been lovers for years..

 

This is just the beginning of my Spring Run story but a very important part. While this short story happened exactly like I just wrote it, there is so much more to it. I have been very sic over the winter, my friend - Larry who rode to the Run with me plowed my drive way all winter for me because I was unable to move snow much. He happen to notice what was going with the Harley and, I looked up after it started and he (and my other friends) were all standing there at a distance watching it all take place and they all had a great big grin of amazing thankfulness on their faces - and those grins had more to do with the fact that their buddy (me) was back at it..

It was sooo good to be out living again..

Edited May 5, 2015 by cowpuc

[eagleeye]

I don't suppose he told you that he got it all primed up so you only had to give is a couple kicks to get it started, did he?

 

Good to be out for sure. good on ya

[cowpuc]

We stood around the yakked motorcycles. It doesnt take long for discussions to turn to wrench spinning in riding when with a group of fellow bike riders..

[cowpuc]

Than it happened. I have a nose for our beloved Ventures and usually, if there other Ventures in the area either my nose will twitch or Tweeks will give me a kick of some kind.. Thats what happened this time.. I had just walked over to get a sip out of ice tea cup on Tweeks bars when she nudged me to take a peek.. There were a LOT of older Wings, a couple older Voyagers, LOTS of Harleys, numbers of Vics and even a T-Rex but I knew Tweeks wasnt nudging me with her usual "my sisters here" nudge from any of those.. Than,, I saw I it too..

[Dale124]

Great story, puc. If I ever have a breakdown while riding, I sure hope you are nearby.

Dale.

[cowpuc]

Great story, puc. If I ever have a breakdown while riding, I sure hope you are nearby.

Dale.

 

Thanks Dale,, personally my friend - I hope you never breakdown!!