redhandmoto

Tor-A new one in my ass, is what: the CT70 clone has bit me once more. Or rather, I bit myself with it. Again.

Yep, vibration found more connectors than my PDI ever thought about. Went to go down to the corner grocery this afternoon. Pulled the tarp off, turned on the gas, got it chuffing and Ooops! The rear brakes are locked. Again.

Well, Fawkety-fawk McFawkerson! Another 85 degree afternoon busting knuckles outside.

Well, let's see - Ok, a nut has vanished from the end of the gizmatchie that keeps the brake hub in proper alignment and all that. Take it all apart on the right hand side and move to the left. And there see..the lower left hand shock bolt and washer have taken a hike, too.

Well, Salaaam-a-bitch!

Ok. Let's get Zen about it. Didn't think people were serious when they said China-bikes were put together hand-tight, did you? Overlooked a few things, eh?

Well, I had to go to the hardware anyhow since I'm out of blue loctite, and the hardware has the one metric nut I need, but not the other, so I go to the Big Four dealer parts desk and get to rummage through the 'unorganized' nut-and-bolt box checking for thread pitches and what-have-you, and the man comes out of the back with a big old acorn nut that's a exact match. Halleluyah!

Back on the patio, sweating like a donut in a baggie, get everything sorted and put back together, and get ready to roll, but no...the clutch cable is grossly, impossibly out of adjustment. The gears don't want to gear, hardly. Again. We've done this before...

Tool bag open again, back off the locking nut, crank, crank, etc., etc., etc., finally, all is well. Off we buzz, copious sweat drying off the face and torso from the freshening road breeze. Shifting smoothly! Braking decisively! Running like a top, running like a deer, running like a turpentined cat! For three blocks.

Then I ran out of gas. For the fourth time. In six weeks. Because when the level drops below 1/4" inch, the pull of gravity is insufficient to move it down the fuel line, and what did that guy say about fitting a little vauum pump?

Well, Faw.... Etc.

Nice Lady walks out to the end of her drive with a jerrycan: "You picked a good spot to run out in." Bless her heart; gases me up, and we're on the road again.

Note that every single mechanical adventure -and there have been many - has been caused by the casual PDI I gave it outta the crate. My fault; I did it; failed to check every last bolt, nut, screw, wire, etc.

The saving grace is that I did buy the thing as a 'learning' (to wrench) bike. In that sense, I'm getting my money's worth, in the knee-bone-connected-to-the-thigh-bone way. Grow daily more confident and familiar with the simple what's and where's and why's: just wish I didn't feel like I had to carry a full metric socket set and open-ends with me everywhere...even with it, I still fear nuts and cables and wheels may fly off at any moment...

So. How much of a problem is it to retro-fit some kind of gas gauge/sensor to the tank? Else, I'm own just strap a clear tank to the handle bars with zip ties and watch it like a hawk.

Or something.