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Took out of the neighborhood today and drove it to downtown (8.4 miles round trip). Fist time Its been over 30 mph. Seemed to run o.k. although needs to have the carbs syncn'ed so it smooths out a bit. So here is the main problems I have found on the ride.

1. Tail light is not going on when front brake is engaged. (need to diagnose later today). And as posted before, back brake needs new pedal return spring (but the light does go on with the back brake).
2. Front brakes are at 65 to 80% effective. Don't know what to compare it to.
3. The most worrying part of the ride was when going over 40 I get a bit of a wobble from the front end. And the front shocks are sort of bobbing from time to time even when the road is pretty much smooth and am going at a constant speed. I had used 15 W for oil, maybe that is what the issue is there. Has anybody has any experience with that kind of symptom? Just scares me to try it on the high way at 70.

Sorry about the video quality. I will be making a mount for the camera before trying it again.

Today was a good day. Along with the successful ride this morning, I went for a quick one mile spin this evening. My neighbor brought over his brake bleed pump this afternoon and we pumped the front brakes a couple of times. So the front brakes felt real good this evening. I also opened her up a bit (but not too much) and she felt very strong. When I got back home I noted that all pipes were had equal temps. Only thing left to do is fix the back brake pedal spring and get the brake light to work when the front brake is engaged (checked continuity on the front pressure switch and it is good, so the problem is in the wiring). Also noticed that the tail light (night) is not working. Tomorrow I will be doing a highway trial run.

Joe

Went for my Highway trial run today. Put on a total of 55 miles. Pretty much my first true experience with this bike. So I have learned a few things today aside from the issues I already knew about. First, thing I learned is that I wish I had a fairing like the Shoei in my avatar. No fairing combined with not having a full face helmet is PITA. I suppose I didn't strap my helmet tight enough, but it kept lifting up and back at anything over 60 mph. At 70 mph, I had to tilt my head forward, but then, my granny eye glasses are useless with that angle. Made for a blurry ride. Last I rode 18 years ago and didn't need glasses. So that's a new factor with age. I purchased the open face helmet thinking I would enjoy the country scenery and fresh air. A fairing and full face are a definite must. All in all, the bike is road worthy but with some issues. The main one, is the front end. Need to find out what is causing the wobble. The good news is, it doesn't get any worse at highway speeds. Oh, did mention how I'm not too crazy about the Mac's? Too loud for my taste. Would like to get a nice Kerker with a nice quiet baffle, I think. Sorry for all the complaints. But nothing that money can't fix.

Congrats Joe! Glad to hear you are getting some seat time on that bad boy! Just in time for LBF..

Hey mate, I had a question about the wobble. When you got the rubber on your rims, did you get your wheel balanced? Or have you had the balance checked since you got your bike?

Good deal Joe. Glad to see you getting everyting squared away. Bike is looking great and totally worth the time you are putting into it. Sometimes I wish I had a kickstart like your 900.

Thank you Gents! Its been a long time coming. Forgot to mention I almost got run over at the gas station at the end of the ride. Stopped to call my wife, and as I was standing next to the bike. A girl in an old Camaro started backing up quickly from about 40 feet away. Had to yell "Woow!" to get her attention. Finally she stopped and apologized. Couldn't believe it. Wasn't mad just relived.

@Chaotic Reason, I did have it balanced when getting the new tires installed. But that's not to say it still couldn't be the problem cause it almost feels like that or bent rim. But I think its one of two things: the head steam is too loose (hopefully no problem with the bottom racer I had trouble installing) or/and the suspension I rebuilt is too stiff (I used 15W oil instead of 10W). Will check it out. But ridable and I can sort it out as I go along.

Glad to hear your doing shake down runs. Feels good don't it. If the stem is to loose I believe it would get worse at higher speeds. High speed wobbles will give you a 9.9 pucker factor. As was said earlier about front tire, if you look real close there should be a line of rubber on the tire just above where it meets the rim, sometimes the tire will seat incorrectly and that small line will let you know, it will go into the rim then come back out. If this is the case it WILL feel like a bent rim and usually has a slight bounce as you ride.

I went to pay my cable bill a few years ago and when I came out my bike was upside down. Old preacher man did not see it and wrecked it while parked. Insurance paid so it softened the blow.

Be safe and keep up the good work, it is all paying off

Check that tire bead carefully to ensure it is seated uniformly all the way around. I don't think the 15w fork oil is causing any wobble. Check steering stem bearings as described in manual - jack up front of bike to lift wheel off ground; then grasping forks near axle see if there is any forward/backward play in forks. There should be none, but forks should be able to swing lock-to-lock with only a gently nudge. Ed

I'm sorry if I missed it but have you trued the rims or gave the spokes a tap test to make sure they're tight ?

Clocked around a 145 miles today escorting Kawickrice on his journey to Macon, Ga for the relay hand off. It was great! Now here are the part that is not great. A few issues came up during the ride. First, I started noticing a tapping noise coming from the one of the valves. Maybe just needs the clearance checked and adjusted. Second, clutch started getting tough to pull out of first. Like it needs a lot of throttle to get it going. Seems to shudder if you don't have enough throttle. I think part of the problem may be a lose chain (on the shudder). Which brings the next issue that I have complained before. Wobble, especially at 80+. So here is the plan for the coming week.

1. Pinpoint where engine noise is coming from with my stethoscope. Order valve cover gasket no matter what.
2. First replace clutch cable (already have it) and try adjusting the clutch to see if pulling out of first can be smoothed out. Other gears are fine. If that doesn't work, inspect clutch and order new if required.
3. For the wobble. Order new chain, which may be causing some of the wobble (not sure that would be a factor). Re-tighten Head stem. Order new front and rear wheel bearings. After the ride with the engine off, I pushed the bike into the garage and heard the bearings squeal.

Here is couple of pictures of the bike with the new turn signals (thanks to Brian KZ1006) and new NOS fairing.

Sorry to hear that Joe, glad you made it home safe. Sometimes a clutch cable will act strange just before snapping, put your new on on to evaluate if it is indeed the clutch.

Were we doing 80 plus today?

The stethoscope will help pinpoint the engine noise to give you an idea of where the noise is coming from

Like was said earlier check the runout on your rims, they are spokes so it could need a little tweaking

That bearing squeal is not good news considering the miles you clocked today