OK, a couple details:
My local Airhead guy got a battery in for me. He called it "maintenance free," so I didn't expect it to be an AGM unit. I was a little worried when it appeared a bit narrower and taller than the old "wet" battery, but those were more features than they were problems. Dealt with taller this way:
And narrower meant this is possible:
Indeed, I shit you not--the battery can be removed out the top! No more disassembling the whole intake tract.
Other pluses are semi captive nuts so only one wrench is needed to make connections at the terminals, and that can be done with a nutdriver from above.
I'd made some choke pulls out of bicycle spokes, but I really wanted them to be joined with hot molten metal. I took a welding class this past semester, and the instructor had some design advice and some silver braze. The new ones are on the right, an old one on the left:
Some clean-up of the flux was necessary, so a couple thwacks mit the hammer, some ScotchBrite, and some time on the buffer got me to here:
Putting the SS crimp in line with the pull also solved another potential problem of the item vibrating in the hole. Pleased to see that it fit right in:
I polished the other petcock body this morning, installed both in the tank, rehosed it, and was rewarded with this (click for video, and turn the sound UP!):
I think things are going to run like so--finish the remaining details next weekend, and I should have mufflers the weekend after. Looking forward to some moto mobility!
plate!
