Updates

There's been a lot going on, to say the least, Life wise, Work wise, Bike wise.  I've been anxious to keep updating this because of all the self doubt that I'm sure a lot of people experience. "Am I posting enough?" "Is this worth anyone's time?" "Who's even looking at this???" 

I have to stop myself and those thoughts. I constantly fall victim to Imposter Syndrome, at work and in public. Am I really worthwhile? Am I doing a good job? Yes to all of those questions and doubts. 

I had been working on the XL500s for the Vintage 1000 and I hit roadblocks. I couldn't figure out the fork seals to save my life, things wouldn't just go like everyone I saw on Youtube. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong.Turns out they'd been replaced before so nothing matched up to the service manual or what I was seeing out in the wild. I did figure it out and that was a monumental boost to my internal worth. 

 

I kept working and went through the electrical to make sure everything was working. This is where the service manual was tricky. They warn you that if you don't use the right multimeter, you will get the wrong readings. So I got the wrong readings on both XL500s when I checked continuity for the stator and relays. Turns out BOTH were not great! I only found out on the final miles of the second day when it turns out that my battery had drained enough to not even run my headlight. NEAT!

I managed to work through the rest of the bike and got everything back together and working. I came up with a luggage solution that was a godsend and a hindrance. It was pliable enough to bend back into shape, but not strong enough to keep it's shape and it eventually got bent out of whack with the mounting points to the rear luggage rack. 

I got the bike completely back together and took it on a short few miles for a test drive, but then drove to Utah with a somewhat untested machine. It never leaked a drop of oil, ran strong the whole way through, and only blew up because I second guessed my oil levels on the third day. 

The Vintage 1k was a learning experience and eye opening for me. It really showed me how far I'd come with the quality and effort I'd put into that bike, and reminded me to not forgo the basics. I cannot wait for the next one that will be in Colorado in August of 2024. 

Another off and on project was Amity's scooter, a 2006 Honda Metropolitan. We picked it up the summer we moved here, but I could not keep it running. After working on the carb and jetting to what I thought it needed to be, I could get it running, but it'd die and wouldn't start again. I eventually submitted to self doubt and put it up in defeat. I finally tackled it this spring and had an epiphany when I cleaned out the carb. Jets were blocked but I know I cleaned it out properly, so there had to be something coming in to the carb, i.e. check the tank. CHECK THE TANK! 

 

I cleaned out the tank and jesus was it cruddy. There was a good amount of junk from the footboard that had made its way into the bottom of the tank (where the fuel line runs from). After I cleaned it out it ran perfectly! Then we encountered the next problem.....

The positive terminal was broken, and complete separated on the wiring harness. You can't buy a replacement for that part because its constructed to house the fuses for the electrical system as well. I tried to solder it and failed miserably, so her scooter was inoperable again. I finally found a cost efficient option (ebay, always ebay) and have it back up and running. Another win and another bump in my self worth. 

I've had multiple successes on bikes over the last 6 months, and things have finally been clicking. I rejetted my CRF450 flawlessly and have been riding that around when I can, and it's been wonderful. I originally bought this bike for Endurocross racing, and after some dismal failures (not even finishing) I was in a low spot. The first race was in March and I drove my family 16 hours down to Texas so they could watch me fail. It did not feel great. I've skipped the next races and have just decided to work on my riding skills. I've made leaps for sure, and feel way more comfortable than I did in March. We've been riding around the state and enjoying every second of it. Everyone is getting in on the fun! Mom's getting her confidence on a bike so she can try to learn clutch on her XL100. Remy has been struggling on his XL500, but he's learning and riding better and better. 

I'm planning on a Dirt Bike Birthday Party this year, and we're going to take the RV back to Fruita and ride for the weekend of my bday. It should be a blast, and exactly what I wanted when we bought the RV in the first place. 

Today I fixed Lance's bike and that was the biggest accomplishment to date. I had screwed up with the battery (flipped terminals on a new battery purchased, despite matching the model #) and I was afraid I had ruined his bike. I let it sit after that because of fear and anxiety. I didn't want to screw up one of his favorite things. I started feeling guilt because it had been set to the side for so long and had cardboard just piling on it. I couldn't stand the shame so I took care of that today. I drained the tank and found the source of the whining. The builder of the bike had set up the electronics underneath the tank on the frame, and the starter relay was having connectivity issues to the board he had put in place. He had zip tied it to solve the problem (instead of fixing it the right way) so I fixed the wiring and secured the relay and it starts up first try now.

I took it out today for a little bit, and aside from the small fuel leak on the petcock, it's running perfect. All these things have built into the sum of who I am today, and it feels good. I take pride in those accomplishments and overcoming the hurdles, mentally, and with the projects, to get to this point today. 

I will keep striving for more and more success and relay more positives in the future. Thank you all!