I just had a recurrence of something weird I had experienced only briefly a few weeks ago. While riding along happily at about 50 mph the engine started to lope and lose power and then the motor quit. When I pulled over to investigate, the kickstart would kick through without any compression...then a bit...then little or none. Eventually I got it started and limped on home, taking it very easy.
My working hypothesis is that the decompression valve may be sticking or clogged with some carbon or something. Perhaps it is just overdue for some adjustment?
Once home, I spent a few minutes running the engine with a bit of throttle and engaging the decompression lever on and off, hoping to blow out its valve and seat a bit, and sure enough, there's good compression again when I try the kickstart. Does my hunch that it's the decompression assembly getting a little cloggy or perhaps loose on its valve seat sound likely? My bike does run a little rich, though not alarmingly so. But some carbon buildup cannot be ruled out.
I haven't yet pulled the decompression assembly for a looksee and cleaning, but as far as I can tell the tappet pushrods are adjusted tip-top, spinning but with no noticeable upward-downward play. If it were a burned or broken intake or exhaust valve, I doubt good compression would have returned, right?
Any advice or tales of similar experiences and their resolutions would be most welcome...
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Bilgey's Extra Crispy
I was hesitating to order a RE Fury top yoke (OK, triple tree upper) from an ebayer in the US because of the outrageous postage cost his listing was quoting to the UK. I got in touch with the guy who said the the shipper (I think it was the USPS) was quoting a range of prices, of which this was the upper one. I have ordered it anyway, and he has since managed to refund me $37, having found a cheaper if possibly slower option. Contact the seller and see if there's room for savings.
A.
From personal experience I can well understand a seller's point of view in choosing the most expensive (and quickest) international shipping option by default and just passing that along to the buyer, especially in these days of the Amazon Prime delivery guy leaping out of the shrubs with one's package just as soon as one hits that "Buy Now" button. Expectations are higher. Even years ago, before Amazon sold much more than books, I used to do a lot of eBay auctions. One Volkswagen Bug service manual I no longer needed was bid on by some idiot woman "Proto-Karen" in Australia who seemed genuinely dismayed that the surface rate (slow boat to Oz) she'd opted for didn't magically appear in Melbourne within the week, and wouldn't stop pestering me about it, like I was supposed to row faster or something. Of course, it did eventually get there, but the near daily naggings I endured in the meantime led me to do "US Only" auctions from then on. So hell yeah: If they really want that "Collectible John Cleese PEZ Dispenser" for five bucks, presume they want it there in Antarctica's McMurdoo Station or that hermitage in Nepal only accessible by yak, or wherever the hell they are by the end of the week, and just go ahead and ask that $72 for premium shipping. Or arrange some measured understanding and expectations. I totally get it. Otherwise just let it go to Cleveland.
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On the bright side of things, it's astonishing how quickly our Forum hosts Hitchcocks can move something door to door. I just got a replacement for one of those funky see-through tappet adjustment covers under warranty, and it took less than 3 days via DHL...almost alarmingly prompt, and with texted updates from the package at every step along the way ("It's 8:13 and I'm in a dark place with loud whirring. I think I might be on a plane"...."So it's about midnight now, and I smell pizza. So I'm probably in New York"..."9:18 on a beautiful morning on the New Jersey Turnpike, just passing the Vince Lombardi Service Area. I could really go for some fried clams."). It was almost more than I really wanted to know. I was beginning to grow somewhat envious of my world traveling tappet cover, you know? I mean, I could have gone for a fried clam roll too! But all parts envy aside, rest assured that if you order some gasket or whatever from those kids in Solihull, you won't be waiting around until the woodbine twineth for it to get there.