saddlebum

And this is why I said slowwwly apply air. .....Oh and I guess won't hurt to keep your finger out of the way ..... cause it will hurt if you don't.

Sure sounds like a great day. Real sorry I had to miss it. Though I gotta say I see no mention of dirt roads. Every time I am fool enough to follow you on a ride you have me eating sand and gravel.

Hey Brad I am not sure if trial members have access to member profiles.

I apply the brake fluid to the outside of the pistons after cleaning as best I can and before pushing them back in to give the pistons some lubrication so they slide in easier (only use brake fluid other lubricants can swell the rubbers). This is only if I do not intend on rebuilding the caliper and intend only on pushing the pistons back in and reinstalling calipers as they are. Applying air to the brake bleed valve is only if you want to pop the pistons right out, and replace the seals after cleaning pistons and bores. in which case at this point you would have removed the calipers completely from the bike and now have them on the work bench. generally I keep the bleed valve closed and apply the air to were the brake line was attached. place a thin piece of wood were the disc pads sit or set in an old disc pad than slowly apply air until the pistons pop out. A rag covering the caliper and air line during this process helps avoid getting brake fluid in your eyes.

I use a socket and wide punch or two sockets one socket that catches the yoke but the cup can fall into the other slightly smaller than the cup and just drive the smaller socket with a hammer, which drives the opposite cup down and into the larger socket on the otheR side of the yoke. Other times I straddle the open jaws of a vice or two blocks of wood on the floor and drive the joint out that way.

I usually use a c-clamp or channel lock pliers using mild force, after first cleaning and coating with brake fluid. If they are difficult to compress than they may need to be popped out cleaned and new seals put in. keep in mind the excessive effort it takes to squeeze the pistons back in is also additional effort required to apply the brakes. As well they may not fully retract when the brakes are released causing brake drag. When rebuilding the calipers they do not recommend splitting the calipers in two. I generally do anyway though it is not necessary and the proper size and thickness o-rings that go between the halves may be hard to find.

I have always used Bel-Ray fork oil

I agree with Spencer. However if it does end up needing a starter do yourself a favour and try to acquire a 4 brush starter. It is like day and night specially when trying to crank over a hot engine.

Another of the old guard stepping away. Another one to be missed. when you next chat with the old Pucster make sure to let him know saddlebum thinks about him. I am surprised Dingy sold tweety though they seemed inseparable. He did have another project bike conversion on the go though. I wonder if he completed it.

You can also jump from the battery right to the post on the starter. let the bike get well up to temp and repeat the test with the bike hot. if it cranks over healthy like both hot and cold, the starter is likely Ok. If not than you just narrowed it down to the starter. Sometimes a bad starter is fine when cold but binds up and draws a lot of currant when hot. Keep in mind a starter can fail due to worn out or seized bearings as well as electrical issues.

Jim is correct about the master fuse it is a replaceable blade type fuse held by a screw on each end and often that same plastic case will have a couple of spare blades stored in it. I went a step further and replace it with a 40 amp MAXI FUSE https://www.littelfuse.com/products/fuses/automotive-aftermarket-products/blade-fuses/maxi/max40.aspx

It is and very interesting video. This follow up video was sort of interesting as well specially when he talks and explains the theory behind Harley's well known vibration. least ways I thought it was a bit of an eye opener.

Would have to see a flow diagram but I am thinking what may occur, is the Anti-dive would block fluid flow and so when the fork attempts to compress there would be increased pressure on the fluid in the forks causing it to be forced against the seal. If the Anti-dive is faulty and creating more fluid flow blockage or back pressure than the design intent, I am thinking the seal may leak. This could be compounded by A softer inferior after market seal which may even be more unable to with stand this added pressure. However I am just making a somewhat educated guess here and could be way out in left field but I once hit a pothole hard enough to pop the top seal on one of my forks.

Here are three suggestions you can try: see if you can find something that will fit in the hole that can act as a guide bushing like maybe an uninsulated drilled out butt connector you can also try starting with a drill bit that fits perfectly in the hole and drill the screw just enough to form a dimple then go to a smaller bit the dimple should get you started on center Try starting with a really small bit wrap tape around it preferably aluminum tape until it just fits the hole leave enough of the bit exposed to drill a starting hole in the screw then remove the tape and drill a bit deeper then drill to the size needed for the torx bit THE TORX BIT YOU USE SHOULD IDEALLY BE HALF THE DIAMETER OF THE SCREW -

Well now you got two seals so just double them up..........That's gotta work..........Rght

Still grounded.

My dog hears me coming and barks to let the wife know who hits the door opener button. No wiring to update, no remote to hide or get stolen. Just got to remember to keep mouth shut if she doesn't hit the button on time

Torx bits make great screw extractors. drill a hole smaller than the torx bit diameter. drill a second shallow counter bore hole the same size as the torx bit (this serves as a guide to center the bit when you tapit into the smaller hole). Grind the end of the bit flat to replace the rounded end with sharp corners this allows the bit to cut matching grooves as you tap the bit into the screw. I came up with this trick 40 years ago when I got stuck needing a screw extractor and have not owned a screw extractor since.

Vinegar and water can be very acidic as well and may be very aggressive on aluminum. At the shop where I work we use cascade dish washer soap to clean cooling systems most of the time. @Patch mentioned using a dishwasher cleaner that he states is effective as well. If you do use one of the strong off the shelf cleaner/de-scaler go with the two part system were part two is a neutralizer. I did see this one by Prestone sold by Canadian tire which sounds safe and effective. https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/prestone-radiator-flush-plus-cleaner-650-ml-0380811p.0380811.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwos-HBhB3EiwAe4xM94zwKzYnk1bceYVikCfbhjzQwn3_ZoymqJc98DPhjzhSeoeKb7pX7xoCsLIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#store=122

usually I use a brass fitting. just turned it down to the OD i wanted pressed in a re-drilled hole in the lever then drill out the fitting to fit the pin. A piece of 1/8 brass pipe works well. the tricky part is re-drillling the handle since you want to maintain the same hole center. This best done in the drill press center the handle on a drill the size of the pivot and set the handle so the un-worn part of the hole sits properly against the drill then clamp it down. then replace the drill with a slightly larger drill and keep increasing the drill size until the hole is again round. then make you bushing out of a piece of brass so that it has to be forced into the hole the drill to fit the pin

two most common spots are the two covers on that side front one is the stater cover the rear one is the middle gear cover. the gaskets are very narrow on those. Also check the bottom bolt on the rear middle gear cover it should have a copper washer under the head or oil will leak from there. Another thing to check is the clutch slave seal were it mounts to the engine. it is behind the the second gear cover over hang between the stater cover and the middle gear cover. If none of these appear to be leaking than you need to look higher up.

If you can blow into the spark plug holes while holding the vacuum hose to the top of that cylinders carb. if you fortunate enough you might even be able to clamp the hose depending on size of hose to were the air box was clamped. shop vacs are great for this because you can get very size hose adapters or get the rubber pipe adapters from the plumbing section in any hardware store.

Ouch I hope you did not turn the engine over yet. @YoungWaynetake a vacuum cleaner or better a shop vac to it before you remove the housing or disturb anything else. Then carefully remove the housing as suggested and wash well. if you have a small enough nozzle try to suck what you can from the carbs. Another thing you can do, is remove the plugs, then slowly rotate the engine by hand. If you look up valve set in the manual it will show you how to rotate by hand. Rotate until you have a cylinder on its intake stroke (intake valve should be open ) then with the carb in wide open throttle position, blast compressed air into the spark plug hole you should feel air coming up through its connected carb. The idea here is to blast out as much dirt as possible back up and out through the carb. Repeat for each cylinder. Then after doing this rotate until the exhaust is open and blast air through it again (you should feel air coming out the exhaust). The idea here is to blast out as much grit as possible. What you do not want is grit residing in the cylinders and causing undo wear on the the cylinder and pistons. Although if you already attempted tarting it or doing a compression test this may be of small use by now but still cannot hurt. . Personally I am surprised someone would store a bike with no filter or at least some form of cover over the carbs.

The instructions I received with my windshield with regards to rain-x from the manufacture was Not to use the new formula. But that it was Ok to use either the original formula or the formula designed specifically for plastic windshields.

Also check the pivot pin and hole for the lever. They wear and get sloppy and as a result it affects the switch operation. I drilled and sleeved them then re-drilled and emery clothed the sleeve until I got a perfect fit.