[heloego]

   Good morning, and welcome to New Mexico. 
   I had so much fun playing with my bud's 2008 Bullet AVL I decided I needed one, too, so I started using Craig's list to catch one.
   In anticipation of eventually finding one I couldn't bring myself to buy a trailer (too expensive, too bulky, no place to put it), so I hopped on to e-bay to check out what might be workable with a 2 inch/5cm receiver hitch. There are plenty out there, but the one that really caught my eye allows me to roll the front wheel right on to it, strap it in, strap the bars to my step bumper, crank it up off the ground, and hit the road!


   Here's the link for anyone interested in getting one:

   http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle-Receiver-Hitch-Hauler-Trailer-Tow-Dolly-/181794386835?hash=item2a53ca3393:g:7mQAAOSwnDxUc5Vh&vxp=mtr

   Even better (for me  ) a couple days later I found a 2006 Electra AVL w/5454 miles only 80 miles away on CL!
   Contacted the owner, checked it out and brought it home yesterday!
   

   After sitting for almost a year, and the owner not very knowledgeable, there's plenty of project here, but I'm looking forward to getting this one squared away and road ready. Geez, have I made a list! 
   
   BTW, the Dolly worked great! 80+ miles and no problems at all! 
   I

[DanB]

A silver AVL!  Nice and welcome to the club 

[heloego]

   Gonna be a LOT of work to do on this, but when I looked at it I nit-picked the hell out of it (fork seals, head gasket, lost locks key, de-comp frozen, Skidmasters barely serviceable, lights not working in speedo, needs new ignition switch, replace all control cables, carb-to-head adapter, new steering, side covers, and tool box locks, New ignition switch, shocks, chain, front and rear sprockets, brake pads/shoes, and some paint. ) so I did get him to come down from his original price. A lot! This guy knows NOTHING about proper maintenance of a bike. I feel sad for his KLR. 
   It does kick over very nicely and other than the air leaks in the carb-to-intake adapter causing weak response at lower RPM no odd sounds from the engine before, during, or after a ride. I bore scoped the cylinder. Valves, cylinder head, and chamber looked good. Further inspection warranted once I get the head off. Possible I may need to re-thread or add a helicoil to the spark plug hole, but no problem.
   Preliminary inspection once I got it home covers just under 2 pages of items needing fixing or replacement, but I did get it as another project, so I'll just be pessimistic and expect to be sinking more $$$ than originally planning.
   Wife's good with it, though, so....
   
   

[heloego]

Ok, so....
   It's pretty well torn apart, and a LOT of cleaning needed to be done. I kept expecting mice. 
   Going back together with all the electrical before I tackle the jug and decomp, but I can't find a part # for the black rubber retainers for the TCI unit and the Flasher. Best I get in the Bullet/Electra parts manual is both TCI/retainer and Flasher/retainers as complete assemblies.
Anyone know a source for these rubber retainers, or do I need to buy a new TCI and Flasher units?

[Ice]

  Have you thought about machining the head for an Iron barrel de comp ?

 The rubber retainers just have to be a generic off the shelf sourced part. They do that a lot. Look at your handlebar switch gear then look at a mid to late 90's Suzuki Bandit to see what I mean,
 Can you post pics so maybe we can Identify what else they were used on ?

 

[heloego]

   Definitely did think about having the head machined for the decomp, but have decided to remain as original as possible and only have cosmetic upgrades (paint, trafficators, headlight, tires, maybe seat(s) ). If the current decomp cam is stuffed I may get the machining done anyway and go for the IB style.

   As for the rubber retainers, no pics. They were so rotted and ripped I tossed them as soon as I saw them and they've been in the city dump for weeks now. Since the manuals don't adequately describe them I simply refer to them as "rubber retainers", and Googling/E-Bay searches have been fruitless so far. I'll get a pic of my cobbled-together fix to maybe give a better idea.

   Everything is on hold for the time due to I'm the only A&P covering our three bases until the end of the month. Every time the cell rings I cringe. 

[heloego]

   Couple of things, as I'm fast approaching a tear-down of the AVL...

   I'm unable to find in the Electra AVL parts manual the PN (or drawing) of the Shift Change Shaft seal. I've looked through the Gear Box and Chain Cover sections. I'd have thought it would be in the Outer Chain Case Cover section, but it's not listed. Looks like a double-lip seal, but I can't read the markings and I'll need to change it due to seepage since I'll have the cover off to inspect the chain and tensioner.
   Anyone know the PN or perhaps an equivalent? Maybe I can pick up one or two locally for spares.

   Since I'll also be pulling the jug to replace the head, barrel, rocker cover seals, piston rings, etc., the gudgeon pin circlip will most likely get replaced, too.
   Our host list some after-market replacements PN Z91401, but they are listed as fitting only the IB 500.
   Any suggestions for proper or equivalent replacement(s)?

[Ice]

 H.E. my note book says use Pn# 550102. You might call CMW and talk to Tim to see if that is correct.

[heloego]

Gracias por nombre, amigo, and yessir talked to Tim yesterday afternoon.
He says they've got 'em, so I added to an order 2ea so I have a spare. 
And too cool  the neighbor across the street is gonna weld the broken tank lug back onto the tank!
Here's the pics so far of the progress:

http://s147.photobucket.com/user/Heloego24/library/Bikes/Electra%20AVL?sort=3&page=1

Still a LOT to do...

[heloego]

   My neighbor who just completed a restoration of a 50's Jeep FC-170 was kind enough to weld the broken tank lug.
   Meanwhile I continue to paint paint paint, inspect, sand sand sand, inspect, paint paint paint, inspect, sand, then paint again  . Suffice it to say I'm actually getting better at painting. Runs are minimal by now. Rattle cans bring their own problems. Had a black one's stem explode on me. That was another fine mess I'd gotten myself into. 

   The tank, which will be divested of ALL interior rust, then sealed with RedKote:

   http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r290/Heloego24/Bikes/Electra%20AVL/Tank%20Repaired.jpg

   Some of the blacked out parts clear coated and drying:

   http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r290/Heloego24/Bikes/Electra%20AVL/Parts%20Black.jpg

   Still more stuff to paint  but the casquette, air box and battery covers, gaiter upper retainers and inter-retainer plate, and mud guards will be either a hammered silver or hammered light blue. I just picked up a can of the light blue so I can paint one silver/one blue then post a pic of them side by side.
   When I do, I'd be interested in comments as to who likes what, though the final decision will be mine. 

[heloego]

OK.
   Hammered Silver or Hammered Metallic Light Blue? Opinions, please?

   I'm having a hard time deciding, after all. The Hammered Silver displays a better hammered effect, but jeez I do like the light blue...
   

[heloego]

   No response yet, and dammit I can't make up my mind.  LOL.

[heloego]

   Parts on order already. 
   Still plenty of stuff on the way, but meanwhile using the "hurry up and wait" time to get some painting done.
   Edit: Crap! Humidity spiked enough last night due to finally getting some rain to force a hold on any painting today. Guess I'll use the free time to find more paint. 

[mattsz]

Ok - since you asked and my opinion is worthless... I like the blue better.  Not sure I like the idea of the hammered look so much - but the pics don't really show it, so I can't say one way or t'other.  I could be convinced... 

[heloego]

   Great minds really do think alike. 
   Just for sort of a reference (and my neighbor agrees), the "Hammered" effect seems to really be nothing more than an enhanced "orange peel" effect. I'm using Rustoleum in rattle cans, so it's been a good learning experience getting good even coats. They add something to the mix to give it a "hammered metal" look, but the effect is small enough it's hard to see without getting up good and close.
   I'm seriously leaning toward the Slate Blue Metallic (Rustoleum calls it "Light Blue"), too, since the hammered effect may IMHO not really enhance the looks that much. Still mulling that one over.
   Anyone wanting to get a better idea (since my close-up pics never turn out good enough to post) of the effect can go to any Walmart (in the U.S.) or hardware store that sells Rustoleum paints to get a look at the paint can caps. The caps really do give a good representation of the finished product.