I thought it might be edifying to detail a quirk in the electrical system of the V-Strom which is annoying, in retrospect kinda stupid, but there.

The headlights are hardwired to be ON at all times.  Okay, this isn't inherently stupid; but it's the manner in which they are hardwired which gives pause.  Suzuki Motor Company, with its eye upon the super-low-entry-level price point they were meeting, did not install any relays in the headlight system.  (A relay is an electrically operated switch designed like a floodgate to open current through alternate (usually more direct) channels.  It receives an electrical signal to open or close.)

So lacking relays, the headlight system's power travels tortuously from the battery, ALL the way through the ignition switch, the hi/lo beam switch, and the starter switch before it even gets near the headlights.  Suzuki again, meeting the all important price point, installed very low gauge thin wiring which, as we all know, produces resistance which produces heat which melts stuff and wastes energy.  Melts stuff like switches and cable housings and creates all kinds of fun and joy within the electrical system.

Now, to the starter switch. Not only does the starter switch start the engine (which can also be bump started) but when "on" or "engaged" it shuts off the headlights! Suzuki decided that in the interest of providing as much oomph as possible to the starter motor for starting (and not wanting to buy and install a relay) the headlights would be shut off via the starter switch while the starter switch was depressed.

So, if the starter switch is defective or is destroyed, not only does the bike not start, but the headlights don't work either. This results, in short, in me riding a motorcycle around without a headlight and this is unsafe, for obvious reasons.

But not to despair.  An ingenious fellow in Japan invented a way around this obtuse electrical system.  His website is here, and although I have not yet installed the system I purchased from him, I did get prompt service, the product was carefully packaged, and appears to have been made from high quality components.  So I have no qualms in giving him a preliminary good thumbs up.

Essentially this system installs relays in the electrical system where Suzuki should have put them in the first place.  This has two benefits (1) the electrical power to the battery no longer has to explore the entire motorcycle before getting where it needs to go, thereby reducing strain and heat in the bike's electrical system and making it more reliable and (2) for the same reason, the headlights are brighter, contributing to safety.  It's a win-win mod.

So kudos to Jim for thinking up a great system, and I expect this fried starter switch to be the last electrical problem I will have in a long, long time.

Stickers!



When I pulled out the grinder this afternoon and started hacking at this bike, it was hard not to feel like I was destroying a perfectly good frame; but after steeling myself with a cigarette and a gulp of strong coffee, I plunged ahead, and the result was awesome!





This is not the finished product; I will be spending some quality time with a grinder and an assortment of hand files until it looks beautiful. I am very pleased with the welding though.



Real horizontal dropouts!



I removed the cable hanger from here...



...and put it here. There was no longer a need for a dérailleur cable on the downtube, but since I am keeping a rear brake on this rig and converting it to a linear-pull [V-brake] instead of cantilevers, I needed a cable-stop on the top tube. I thought it might be too delicate for my welding skills, but with a careful approach and a lot of luck, it is now securely attached.

It's official.  crashbox and I sat down and came up with a proper design for a sticker and ordered a run. 

I don't have the file on my computer but maybe crashbox can put it up.  He's the one who did the artwork and found the perfect texts, and I made layout suggestions.  It's pretty tight, 'f I may say so myself.

A little fuel tank lovin'.  Savogran(r) SuperStrip is pretty much the awesomest stuff since stomach acid.  I highly recommend it for thick clearcoats.  The action is dramatic. 

A clear, detailed paint-job writeup may be found at the GS Resources here.

And, I finally had that pesky countershaft bolt removed and got the engine out! Hallelujah!

Our cute little Bridgestone frame is almost free of all it's old paint now. Some sanding with 180 grit should take care of the last of the stubborn flakes. Then comes the real fun: trimming and grinding off some the old cable hangers and the rear dérailleur-hanger for a cleaner look and some small weight savings, and the real challenge---re-working the rear dropouts. In my enthusiasm I picked a frame with short and nearly vertical dropouts, which means that the slack in the chain cannot be taken up by sliding the wheel forward and back, which was my original intension. When this bike was still a geared rig, the chain was held taut by the dérailleur spring---but there is no longer any dérailleur. Surly and some other outfits make a tensioner that screws into the old dérailleur mount and pushes up on the chain from the bottom to tension it, but I think that looks tacky---besides, it's just more weight. So, I plan to legnthen the dropout slots very carefully, and perhaps weld in some tabs on the bottom to provide the needed axle motion. Ballsy you say? Of course! But it'll be BADASS.

Here is a mock-up of the bike...





The black marker a rough estimate of how much I need to grind out for proper rear wheel movement



And one more shot of those lovely levers...

This time I remembered to bring the camera.

Lots of dust, grime and carbon. Lots.

And blogger won't post another picture.  I do not know why.

Ok, so this isn't project-related, but bear with me for a moment.

So today is the First Anniversary of the momentous purchase of my first brand spanking new vehicle.  It was a 2007 Suzuki V-Strom 650.  A truly wonderful piece of ergonomic and mechanical engineering (notice here that I do not mention electrical) this motorcycle has, in the ensuing 12 months, been with me through wind and rain and sun and storm for 22,000 glorious miles.  It has bumped along horseback riding trails in Tehachapi, it has sat impatient and embarrassed in an Oklahoma State Trooper spotlight, it has fought bravely a Utah freeway scirocco.  It has traveled from California to Minnesota and back again.  A true champ in every sense of the word.

But today, on "our" first anniversary, I pulled up to a stopsign in the evening cool to notice that the area in front of the bike was strangely dark and empty.  It took me a little while to realize the headlights were out.  Now why.  Why, Suzuki?  Why on God's green earth must you blow a headlight switch on the day your warranty expires?  I thought we had such a good thing going here, 22,000 trouble free miles and now you do this to me.  You couldn't wait till some more respectable mileage like 35,000 or 45,000.....noooo, it's gotta be the day the warranty's out.  It's gotta be the weekend. It's gotta be the day when my next door neighbor is on vacation so I can't get her to give me a ride home from the mechanic.

Gosh thanks I love you too.

(curses)

(subsequently I learn from the VSRI website that the Strom electrical system is generally poorly designed and that the headlight system in particular is a nightmare of delicate switches, fuses, strange serial connections.  So it's a bomb waiting to blow anyways.  An headlight relay modification that should bypass all this crap is now on order from Japan)

More progress was made on the single-speed project last night after work; a set of lovely Deore cranks from ebay came in the morning mail, so I assembled them with some awesome Japanese MKS pedals (very light and strong), and an alloy 34 tooth chainring. Grabbed a good used seat off of an ancient Nashbar that had been in a dumpster (sorry Holly, it's not exciting---just black---but it's comfy!), and threw it on the stock seatpost, which was light and didn't cost anything, just like the seat and bar/stem combo. Used/free/junk/crap is the best!

Stupid CalCoast messed up my order! GRRRRRR!!!

They had a nut shipped in instead of stem seals and four of the valves had to be backordered.  So it's more waiting.  Rebuilding a motorcycle must be like being a soldier in war - most of the time is spent sitting around waiting for shit to happen.

And the VStrom has a leaking rear tire.

This is not my week.

Fortunately it will be over Saturday, and a fresh week will begin, in which the countershaft bolt will come off and the engine will be removed and the tank will be stripped and angels will come down from heaven, too, I suppose.  I don't know.  All I know is I have to get this project back on its feet.

Holly's new transportation has taken a few baby steps toward the moment when photos are taken as it glistens in its completeness in the SoCal sun, then packed away lovingly for its long trip to Ypsi and its eager new owner. The plan is to be finished in less than two weeks---

The wheelset is complete, along with a 16 tooth cog yielding a 2.1:1 ratio with the 34 tooth front sprocket, which I hope will be a good usable around-town gear for her. The handlebar/stem combo is looking nice with new Oury grips and a set of beautiful, delicate Cane Creek levers that have been modified to fit mountain bars.

Next up: finish stripping the frame, and find a seat.

They don't look like much at the moment, but these bits and pieces will soon be transformed into a decent-looking, lightweight, usable commuter. The frame (which is about to be stripped of it's beat-up paint in the picture) is a 1980s or early 90s Bridgestone; the hubs are Shimano STX-RC laced to a set of the better quality Araya rims; the stem, seatpost and bars came stock with the frame and have no name, but are light enough to be acceptable.

Grass Valley, Oregon: May 24th, Saturday afternoon.

Damn front sprocket bolt!

Six attempts 45 seconds long each, with an air wrench, only succeeded in denting the edges on the bolt. This thing is on ungodly tight, far beyond the prescribed 82 ft/lb. What to do, what to do...

(heat may destroy the chain)

(penetrating oil may destroy the chain)

(awkward leverage may destroy...)

Oh and I found that someone had installed aftermarket rearset pegs and rearset shift lever - they definitely weren't stock.

At the risk of deviating further from the original context of these pages than we originally intended, I am planning on posting a series of fragments documenting the build-up of a single-speed messenger bike for a dear friend. The justification for talking about a bicycle here instead of something containing the treacherous and beloved internal combustion engine, is that this particular pedaler will (hopefully) fall into the same category, have the same soul, as our old cars, hot rods and motorcycles: it will be defined by its imperfections and blemishes, the fact that more than half the parts on it are used, and most importantly, that it will be ridden to work, ridden to the bar---just generally used and loved.

Being revived like a pretty Frankenstein from the dusty remains of a 1980s mountain bike, the plan is for it to lose all its gears save one, receive a new paint job, and be outfitted with a full array of cool used and new parts.

My newly discovered brother-in-law is a part owner of City Bikes in Portland, Or., and while I was up there last week, we struck a deal on parts, and planned a secret after-hours meeting---a late night in the shop and most of a case of Session Lager mopped up by Ed, Donzilla and myself, left Ed with a set of beautiful vintage Paul hubs laced up to some very trick and expensive rims, and me with most of the pieces for Holly's new machine.

The best thing about putting this one together is that I am building it for someone else, to specs not my own. I hope it turns out as lovely as it is in my mind's eye.