Rainy days and busybody neighbors

Lately it's been raining here like it was Seattle. Now I'm all for rain, since we were getting dangerously close to drought conditions, but now it's beginning to seem like building an ark might be a good idea. But that's ok, since we're still not at 100% capacity in terms of reservoirs and snow pack, but we've gotta be getting close and I'm starting to get really tired of having to ride around in it. For those of you who don't know, my scooters have been my exclusive mode of transportation for the last 2 1/2 years, since the differential gave out on my last car. So, to say the least, riding in the rain has been a pain. I'm ok with the conditions myself, but the mindless lemming cagers on the road scare the crap out of me, and I'm getting tired of struggling to get the banana suit on and off every time I need to go out. Thankfully though, it looks like today will be the last day that we're going to get rain, at least for the next week or so. Phew!

Ironically, I'm getting very close to having my truck running again - just in time for the end of the rainy season. This is a 1981 VW Rabbit Pickup, into which I'm installing a TDI (turbo diesel injection) engine from a 1996 VW Passat. This is my dream truck, small but capable of hauling scooters, and most importantly very fuel efficient and capable of running on biodiesel with only minor modifications. That was the idea I had when I first started searching for one in 2004 and when I ultimately bought this truck on New Year's Eve at the end of that year. This truck is in fantastic shape for it's age, with no corrosion other than the most minor surface rust here and there, none of it structural at all. It was (technically) a two-owner truck before I bought it, having been owned by an old painter in the east bay for most of its life. It needed a new motor when I found it, and the guy I bought it from, who was a diesel mechanic agreed to install a turbo diesel for me, which he pulled from a 1983 Jetta in a junkyard. It needed some minor work here and there, but I was happy as a pig in mud after I took possession of it, still with the original blue and yellow license plates.





However, the head gasket blew out less than two months later, since which time my scooter hauler has sat inanimate. Not only did the head gasket blow, but it did so while I was doing 70 in the left lane of 280 in downtown San Jose, in the evening rush hour, in the rain, in the dark. By the time I got across the four lanes of traffic to the next off ramp, all of the coolant had boiled off and the aluminum cylinder heat melted at the top of two of the cylinders. It came to a stop just short of the peak of the Vine St. offramp, waiting for a tow truck to pick me up - thankfully nobody hit me while I was stuck there! I tried to find a new cylinder head for the engine, but the only one I could find was a rebuilt one from the VW dealer, which cost $1500! For that money, I figured I would be better off getting a whole new engine. After doing some research, I decided on a TDI motor, more specifically the 1Z version, which has a very efficient computer-controlled injection system, but without an immobilizer ignition lock which would be difficult to install. After some searching, I found one in great shape, with a custom-built intercooler, for $2250, which I bought. However, I soon realized that the four-speed transmission in my truck was geared completely wrong for the motor, and I ended up picking up a 5-speed transmission from a 96 Passat with custom mounting brackets to mount it in a VW Pickup like mine, for $600. I eventually got a flywheel, clutch and pressure plate and bolted the two together. Later, I pulled the old engine and transmission out of the truck, and after getting the right motor mounts, I installed the new engine and transmission in the truck. Slowly the truck was getting closer to being done.

However, as things happen, I found it difficult to devote time to working on the truck, being preoccupied with scooter repairs and the last Cannonball Run. Which brings me to my busybody neighbor. Just after the new year this year, the police got a call from someone who complained about at least a half dozen vehicles on my street, which they suspected did not run, including my truck and my roommate's car. I woke up to a bright orange sticker on the driver's window of my truck, which was a big surprise to me, since it's been parked in our driveway. However, apparently there is a law in my town, which prohibits non-operational vehicles from being stored within *sight* of the street. This was news to me, especially since I had lived here for well over 2 1/2 years at the time and no one had said peep about it. What's worse is that this puts me at risk of a $500 fine, having the truck towed, including fees for that plus impound, which would likely total more than $1000! I called the officer who left the note and discussed the situation, and she was willing to give me time to get it running. So, it was crunch time for me to make some serious progress on it.

I quickly got to work installing the parts I had and ordering the parts I found I needed, but this has been difficult with all the rainy weather we've been having. So far I have installed the intake and exhaust manifolds, new fuel lines and fuel filter, the axles, the alternator, parts of the intake system, and connected all the wiring from inside the truck to the new fuse box that came with the engine. However, this past weekend my busybody neighbor called the police yet again. Come on man, give me a break! I'm doing my best and all this rain is not making it any easier. Thankfully, I'm almost ready to have it towed to the shop to have the last couple of things done that I'm not able to do myself, including the exhaust system and cooling system. After doing some more work on it this week, hopefully I should be able to do that next week. Thus is the long, sad, sordid tale of my poor little scooter hauler truck... wish me luck!

Winter projects

Brrrr! It's been chilly, even here in the Golden State, but thankfully I have warm gear to keep me from turning into a popsicle. The GTS doesn't seem to mind too much though and is still purring right along. However, the time has come to finally get my P back on the road. It's been laid up in the garage for well over a year now, which has been far too long. As much as I love riding my GTS, I really miss riding the P. Besides, I have too many 3.50x10 tires sitting in my garage that are wasting away, waiting patiently to be put on rims and get chewed up carving the twisties in the hills! :D



The exchange rate with the Euro finally took a significant drop earlier this month, so I placed an order with SIP in Germany for some much needed parts. Although I missed the low of $1.25 because of credit card issues (somebody tried to put through some fraudulent charges on my card and my bank shut it off), I was able to put through an order at $1.27 to the Euro, which came to just over $500 total. That includes a banded Cosa clutch, a new PX fuel tank, a new Fournales front shock (since I scavenged the old one for my GTS), and a few other smaller bits I'm sure I'll need. It should be arriving soon, I can't wait! More to come...

Last of the evil Cannonball voodoo purged... I hope!

I'm nearly two weeks late in posting this, but I finally figured out why my GTS wouldn't idle properly. It turned out that a crack had developed in the rubber boot on the intake manifold, which was letting more air in past the throttle body. When the lambda sensor saw the mixture getting too lean, it compensated by enriching the flow through the fuel injector, which lowered the RPM's and sucked less air in through the crack, causing the lambda sensor to lean out the flow through fuel injector and raise the RPM's again. This condition caused the motor to continually surge up and down in RPM's when idling. I discovered the crack when I was poking around at the motor and I noticed what sounded like an air leak - a small, pulsating, high-pitched swooshing sound. When I lifted up the throttle body a little, it sealed the crack which stopped the noise and immediately the bike started running fine. This was a relief, because I was worried that I'd need to spend an inordinate amount of time replacing sensors, wires, and various doohickeys, in order to track down the source of the trouble.

Thankfully, Rolf had a good intake manifold on his spare GTS engine, so I rode down there and we swapped it out. After it was all bolted back together, it ran like a charm again, nice and smooth - woohoo! It's been getting me around reliably since then, including a jaunt up to SF last weekend. The Heidenau tires have been quite comfortable in the rain so far, although I've noticed that the disc brakes don't grab as well at first in the wet. After a half a second or so though, once the water is pushed aside, they work just fine, so it hasn't enough to make me wary. I've simply been adjusting my riding to match the conditions, so that I have some extra room and time to slow or stop, as one should in inclement weather anyway.

So, that's one thing I'm thankful for - the fact that my GTS is now back in good running shape once again and the evil voodoo it managed to pick up during the Cannonball has now been (hopefully) banished once and for all. I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving... ride safe!

A very sad note

It's with a very heavy heart that I post about a tragic loss this past weekend. A local scooterist and good friend of mine, Dirk Sundman, passed away early Sunday afternoon after crashing his Vespa on Highway 9, just south of Skyline Boulevard. Apparently he lost control after taking a turn a little too wide and slipping on wet leaves. I previously posted this on ModernVespa.com, but I want post it here as well, as a personal remembrance.

I am personally deeply saddened about Dirkie's passing. I've only known him the last 3 years or so, but he was such a great guy with such a positive, humorous outlook, who always made my day a little bit better whenever I saw him. Even in the face of the health problems he had within the last year, he always remained upbeat and kept looking at the bright side. I always enjoyed the opportunity to put my feeble knowledge of Dutch to use when I talked with him. The last time I saw him, less than two weeks ago, he was telling me about the massive Vespa dealership he went to visit on his recent trip to Holland, who jokingly offered him a deal on the 6 brand new Vespa GTS 300's they had in stock, so he could bring them back with him to the US.

I remember when I first met Dirk, he told me stories about the tours he went on in Europe back in the day, which made me wish that I could have been there too. He was a very experienced rider who knew and respected the limits that came with age, but he still loved to ride all the same. I rode with him a number of times, on the VCLG monthly rides and some of the local rallies. I was always impressed when he'd make the trip over the hill from Santa Cruz to San Jose just to see us, it was a pleasant surprise and a real treat to see him show up. The last time I saw him was Tuesday a week ago, when he came up to hang out with our crew at Trials Pub in San Jose. I just wish that didn't have to be the last time I'd ever see him.

This really, really sucks... it hits very close to home to lose Dirk. He will be fondly remembered by all of the bay area scooter community who knew him and he will be very, very deeply missed. My heart goes out to everyone who knew him. Many thanks to James and Dave of the Vampires MC for doing everything they could to try to save him, their heroic efforts are greatly appreciated. Rust in vrede, Dirkie mijn vriend... ik wens je un heel goede reis naar de andere kant!

Two weeks later...

It's been two weeks since I've been able to ride my GTS. The Bajaj has been chugging along admirably and reliably, getting me wherever I need to go, in spite of burning more oil than it ought to. It needed a workout, so it's a good thing. Anyway, it turns out that the "missing" exhaust stud on my GTS was actually broken off inside the cylinder head, which is much harder to repair. It involves an unbelievable amount of work, just to swap out a $0.50 part - draining the coolant and motor oil, removing the motor from the bike, disconnecting the timing chain, removing the camshaft, removing the cylinder head, very carefully machining out the hardened steel stud without damaging the aluminum cylinder head, then finally installing the new stud. You could think of the machining part like a high stakes game of "Operation". Some people I know have swapped out an entire motor, rather than go through all that.

So, I've been without my GTS for the last two weeks, while I've been figuring out what to do. After talking it over with Rolf, he agreed to do the job for me, as long as I paid him for his time, of course. I got a brand new stud and head gasket Vespa and dropped my bike off at his place last week. He got it all apart by Friday and with the help of our friend and master machinist Gary, the old stud was successfully milled out and a the new one was installed over the weekend. Rolf got everything back together yesterday and tonight I'll finally be able to get to ride my GTS again! Hopefully he was also able to sort out the wonkiness in the rear shocks too, which was causing it to handle oddly... I'll have to ask him about it tonight when I pick it up. In any event, I can't wait to have it back... hopefully these will be the last repairs it will need for a good long time!

If it ain't one thing, it's another...

Well, the GTS is down again for another week. When I checked out the exhaust leak, I discovered that one of the exhaust studs had completely fallen out of the cylinder head! Of course, this stud is not just a run of the mill part either, it's a 7mm stud that apparently no one carries, besides Vespa. Luckily Vespa does have them in stock, so hopefully it should be here this week. However, it still remains to be seen whether the threads are still ok inside the head, or if they're stripped. If they are damaged or stripped, my best bet will probably be to epoxy the stud in there with some JB Weld, although I'm concerned that the heat might be too much for it to hold in the long run, since it's about 1/4 inch away from the exhaust port. Failing that, I'll need to either install an insert, if I can even find a 7mm one, or tap it out and install a larger stud. Hopefully it won't come to that, but we'll see. Wish me luck!

Running again!

I totally forgot to post that I got my GTS back on the road Monday night! I installed the new variator, belt and the freshly cleaned clutch, leaving out two weights from the variator, for better gearing in the hills with the oversize rear tire. I have to say that it does rev a lot higher with fewer weights, reminiscent of the Polini, and it's a little slow when first taking off. However, acceleration is quite good when I punch it, and I'm sure that the extra torque will be very useful on the trip over to Santa Cruz.

I also got a new set of Heidenau tires at Moto Amore, a K66 130/70-12 in the front and a K58 140/70-12 in the rear. They're still breaking in, but I really like the K66 on the front, it's much quieter than the K58 was, and it seems to grab fairly well. The K58 on the rear does seem to handle differently, it feels a little less sticky, but that may be due to the fact that it's not completely broken in yet. I'll give it some time and see how it goes.

One thing I noticed tonight is that it sounds like there's a small exhaust leak. John mentioned that one of the exhaust manifold nuts was loose. I'll check it to see if maybe it came loose again. Stupid scooters... it's always something! ;)