Happy holidays....

Yes, I'm aboard a ship today, but the big boss gave us the day off, so I'm using some of the time to mess around with the web site. I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed to the site over the years, and to wish you all a very happy new year. Let's hope this economy gets back on its feet so we can enjoy our machinery in a more care-free environment. (At least gas is cheap... for now.)

For anyone who hasn't yet noticed, the web pages here have been receiving quite an overhaul. Once I addressed most (but not all) of the layout issues, I started going a bit crazy with the little graphics, trying to use Chinese whenever possible. (Take a look at the picture index page for some examples.) As always, your suggestions are not only welcome, but invited (as is anything else you'd like to send.) If it's in any way related to our beloved Chang Jiangs, I'll post it, you can count on it. And with that, I'll put out another request for pictures of your bikes, preferably with you on them. Winter is always a slow time for pictures, but with your help, we can keep this site interesting.

Have a good one.

December 15, 2008

Bright and early tomorrow morning, I'll be on my way back to work following a month at home. In years gone by, returning to work was a bit depressing since we usually had to leave our loved ones for ten weeks. In addition, we only earned half a day off for every day we worked. Nowadays, it's a one-for-one schedule, so returning to the ship isn't nearly as traumatic. Plus we only work five-week hitches, but we pull 35 consecutive 12-hour shifts. You do get used to it after a few years... in my case, 29.

Today, we have excellent communications available to us. Indeed, something as simple as Internet access has made a tremendous difference in the quality of life offshore. It provides the opportunity to keep in touch with people and, for some, to maintain web sites. Since this upcoming hitch involves demobilizing a vessel, I have a gut feeling it won't last a full five weeks. In fact, I can't imagine it taking more than ten days... but still too long to get me back home in time for Christmas. Oh well, that's life. Besides, I've forgotten how to conduct myself during the holiday season anyway, so I might as well be generating income instead.

Anyway, it's time to reflect on all the great CJ stuff that transpired during my vacation. Well, it's winter and I had the flu, so aside from one ride (with Tim Lagonegro) and sprucing up the web site, nothing happened. Normally, I would go through the bikes from stem to stern in preparation for spring, but I just never got motivated enough to do any of that. (Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?) I should be thinking about getting the bikes tweaked during my next break, especially if turns out to be longer than usual. Heck, one of the neatest things about winter is firing up the heaters and spending a day tinkering in the shop, all toasty warm when it's frigid outside. Yep, looks like it's time.

December 10, 2008

In a few days I'm going to Galveston to help decommission a ship that's going off charter. Once that's done, I'll be joining the Harrier, a ship that will be my workplace for the foreseeable future. She's contracted on some work in Asia which might mean a chance to visit China. Of course, for my business, the foreseeable doesn't look very bright with the economy as it is. (What good is cheap gas if you don't have any income?) Let's keep our fingers crossed.

December 3, 2008

Tim Lagonegro was here yesterday, and being the seasoned winter rider that he is, we hauled the bikes out and went riding. The roads weren't too bad, but the bikes still managed to get plenty dirty. I noticed that it's time to regunk the gasket between the generator and the engine casing on the tan bike since she's started to seep there again. This is something I do to both bikes at least once a year, but the seepage always returns. Not a big deal.

November 29, 2008

One useful aspect of winter is being able to utilize the time spent trapped indoors, uh, constructively, like redoing the substantial chunks of this web site that were made when I really didn't have a clue what I was doing (not to suggest that much has changed.) Indeed, if I could start all over from scratch, all the thumbnails would have been standard sizes and the page layouts would have been more consistent. Whenever I update a page that dates back to the early years, I go through the whole thing and correct all the stuff that was done wrong. At times like this, I don't exactly relish the fact that there's over 300 pages—most of which need some attention. But, being able to use terms like "early years" to describe CJU, well, I think that's pretty neat.

November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving... I suppose. One thing I'm not feeling very thankful for is some decent riding weather, not that it's been too cold or anything, but the Steuben County Highway Department has gone extra crazy spreading salt so far this year, and the roads are presently drenched in brine. The first dry-road day we have, I'm in the saddle, no matter how cold it is. (Well, let's say no colder than 25 degrees.)

A few seasons ago, the grey bike was exposed to a lot of salt, and what a mess I had to clean up come spring. Chinese metal succumbs to the effects of sodium chloride faster than anything I've seen, even the 1950s rust buckets I drive. All the nuts and bolts had to be replaced (with stainless) because they corroded so badly—in a single season of salt. Winter riding is fun for sure, but keep your Chang out of the salt.

October 20, 2008

I managed a couple hours on the grey bike before returning to work. (I'll be in Guyana until the end of November.) It was a gorgeous but very chilly day, so I got all bundled up and went for a pretty decent ride. Since rejetting the carbs, several hills that used to require downshifting can now be climbed in fourth. Indeed, it seems like the only thing holding that bike back is the gearing. She's a real blast to ride (in between breakdowns, anyway)—very snappy and with excellent handling. Plus, with Jimbo's M5 wheels, the brakes are considerably better than the tan bike's. She has become a bit of a rat while the other one tends to be kept looking nicer, but both bikes could use a good rinsing at the car wash right now. .

October 19, 2008

My wife is usually complaining about being cold. We never agree on thermostat settings or how hot it needs to be in the car. Sound familar? With the cold snap we've had this week, I was really surprised when she decided to go riding with me yesterday. It was in the low forties which, for her, is like being in the arctic. She piled on layers of clothing and grabbed a quilt which kept her toasty all day. We rode to Penn Yan where we attended a car show and did some other fall activities.

The cars on display were mostly buggered up in one way or another. There was only a handful of antique cars that hadn't been modified, and the Chevy below was one of them. (My all-time favorite year for Chevrolet is 1937. This one's a 1938.)

October 18, 2008

It seemed pretty warm before I took the grey bike out for a couple hours yesterday, but as I soon found out, it wasn't, or at least I wasn't dressed properly. Once the clouds moved in, it cooled right down and the wind chill started interfering with the enjoyment of the ride. I decided to call it a day and head for home... an hour's ride back. From now on, I'll be tossing extra duds in the sidecar before heading out. (BTW, the bike performed perfectly.)

October 17, 2008

You are very much aware of the tinkering our bikes demand. For those who lack the mechanical skills required to care for one, we always advise against buying a CJ. We've seen what happens when this advice is ignored. It's not pretty (unless you're in the market for a cheap bike.) Aptitude is like musical talent. You either have it or you don't. All the lessons in the world won't bring out a virtuoso pianist in someone like me. It just ain't there. Most of what I know about mechanics was learned the hard way, starting with my first car at the age of 15. Now, nearly 40 years and many, many vehicles later, I'm still learning. Oh yeah, there's plenty that I can't do, but I can keep my machinery in fairly decent running order, thanks in part to networks of people with similar interests. For example, CJE now has nearly 1100 members. How's that for an information resource? Pretty terrific, I'd say. If you're not in the group, you should sign up. It's free.

Anyway, below are my beloved jalopies. Would you believe that one Chang demands more attention than these four cars combined?.

Yesterday's tinkering on the grey bike paid off. I spent most of this afternoon riding and am really pleased with the way she now behaves. The cause of this most recent trouble was a bum coil cable. (You can kick a bike until heck freezes over, but if you forgot to connect the coil, you ain't gettin' very far. Duh.) Well anyway, once it was apparent she was going to run okay, I installed my "new" 110 jets. The result can be summed up in one word: YESSSSS.

October 15, 2008

Last night, after Mrs. Danno went to sleep, I snuck out to the shop to tinker on the grey bike. I ended up replacing the distributor along with a couple other items. I won't know if it made for any improvement until I take her for a ride, but since it's raining, I'll use this time to do some complaining instead...

...about parts. If you have a 6V machine, don't bother with Chinese condensers. Get a VW condenser from NAPA or Advance (or anywhere else that sells auto parts.) I had three new condensers from PRC that were bad, so I ended up using a VW unit.

6V distributor caps are not all the same, even though they have the same part number on them. I have several that wouldn't fit the distributor because the flange was too big. I made one work by sanding the flange until it fit.

6V rotors also vary slightly, and some aren't compatible with certain caps. Therefore, it's probably wise to use the cap and rotor that came with your new distributor instead of odds and ends you might have laying around. (But don't use the condenser.)

Given the environment in which CJ parts have been manufactured in recent years, it's not surprising that standardization has been compromised. You'll see this especially with brake and clutch cables. It's impressive how much they can vary, not only in length, but in quality too.

October 13, 2008

The tan bike carried my sorry butt all over Steuben County today. The foliage is at its peak right now, and there were only a few clouds in the sky. Autumn not only looks great, but it smells good too, especially when you ride by a house being heated with wood. That's music to my nose. Anyway, one thing that always catches my eye this time of year is the number of wooly bear caterpillars crossing the roads, some going left, some going right. Where the heck are they going? I try to make some effort to not squish them so they can reach their destination... wherever that may be. BTW, did you ever wonder what wooly bears become when they reach their adult stage? I didn't think so, but if you did, the answer is the Isabella tiger moth.

With the big stock market drop last week, I can't help but wonder if we'll see any effects rippling through our hobby. One of you has already told me that at the moment, free time is about the only thing you have. My employer's share price has fallen by 70%, and we've had six successive quarters of record earnings. How does that work, exactly? The head honcho has advised everyone to buckle in for a rough ride ahead. As long as I can still buy bike insurance and gasoline, there's no need to jump out any windows. I just hope the guys who depend on CJs to make a living get through this in one piece.

October 12, 2008

In a little while I'm heading out for a long ride on the tan bike. I started to do the cable jacket retermination thing I've been blathering on about, when low and behold, I realized I still have the old jacket. All I had to do was re-reterminate the core to the right length and viola, we're outta here.

October 11, 2008

Saturday morning... not even the crack of dawn yet, and I'm about to head for the airport. I just finished up a week of training and am really chompin' at the bit to do some riding when I get home. The weather forecast looks pretty good for a change, and the fall foliage is in its full glory. I also hope to have something for the Toolbox after I tackle the spark advance cable jacket reterminating project. Should be interesting...

Here's a little request. If you ever get parts from China and plan to toss the Chinese packing slips or the boxes they came in, how's about setting them aside for me instead? I'm crazy about stuff like that, and would welcome any opportunity to scan these items so I can post the images.

You may have noticed that things have been a little slow around here at CJU. Just consider it a signal to send pictures of your bikes.

October 7, 2008

Hello from Lafayette, Louisiana where I'm taking a refresher course in sea survival. We get to escape from an inverted helicopter mockup... under water. Thank goodness it's only once every three or four years. I'm not a kid anymore. But anyway...

...just before leaving home, I managed to find a little time to have a go at a broken spark advance cable, and I was successful (all things considered.) I reterminated the core of a spare throttle cable to use in its place, and by golly, it worked. The length is a bit funky so I plan to have a go at the jacket (and redo the core) when I get home... now that I have some clue about how to do it. FYI, the little stop at the end of the cable will slide off when gently heated with a propane torch. Once it's off, you need to clean up the opening of excess solder and for that, a circular jeweler's file is perfect. To install the stop, you tin the cable with solder, slide the stop over it and leave couple millimeters protuding out the end. Then you fray the exposed bit so it can grab a blob of solder and thus be prevented from being drawn through the stop. Heat it with the torch and it's a done deal, but don't overheat the cable. If you do, it'll break the very first time you stretch it. Oh, and for good measure, I also gave the stop a couple good pinches with a wire crimping tool. That baby isn't going anywhere.

As for the jacket, I used the stock throttle length which is slightly too long, so that's gonna be the next thing. I think a chopped and drilled 22 shell will provide a perfect end piece. (Ferrule? I dunno what you call 'em.) Plus, you also get the opportunity to make the cap longer which might be a good idea considering it's been reterminated. I'm just going to try doing mine with some Crazy Glue. This could be a good Toolbox item if it doesn't screw up too badly.

October 5, 2008

Know what sucks? Not having enough time to get things done. Today, the spark advance cable on my tan bike snapped off at the distributor. The advance mechanism returned to its seated position which resulted in a dramatic loss of power, and I mean dramatic. It was so bad that even on the level, I was lucky to squeeze 20 mph out of the poor thing. The quick roadside fix was to force the mechanism into a seviceable position by wedging it partially open with a pebble. Although the bike didn't run great, it did get me home. Of course, a spark advance cable was the one and only spare cable I didn't have (but I've got a lifetime supply of clutch cables. How often do THEY break?) Anyway, it looks like a throttle cable can be modified to do the job, and I was in the process of doing just that when real life obligations interrupted the whole thing. More obligations will prevent me from finishing the task until next Friday as I have to go to Louisiana for a few days. What's frustrating is not knowing if it's even going to work or not, but not to worry. I'll figure out a way to make it work.

October 1, 2008

It dried up for a couple hours yesterday so I hopped on the tan bike and rode it until the rain returned. It wasn't a really long ride, but it sure was nice. The bike is running better than ever, so good in fact that I can't believe it's one of mine. Now, if I can just keep it that way...

September 30, 2008

There was a hint of sunshine today, the first I've seen since returning home from Guyana. Unfortunately, it was too late to drag one of the bikes out for a spin, but you can bet your bottom dollar I've got one eye glued to the Weather Channel. Meanwhile, there's plenty to keep me busy around the house... like painting. I found some time to fiddle around with the tan bike since parts from Jimbo were on hand. The bike now runs like a sewing machine (although I was striving for a Rolex. Guess I'll just have to settle for a Singer instead.)

September 29, 2008

I've been home for four days, and it has rained on every single one of them. In fact, it's coming down in buckets right now, so I'll use the opportunity to do maintenance on the bikes. Yesterday I replaced 12 feet of brake line on a 1959 Edsel. That was fun, but a necessary evil of owning such stuff—exactly like a CJ. You must be able to wrench, that's for sure, otherwise you'll need some very serious financial resources to cover the cost of farming it out. Shops around here charge $75 per hour for labor these days, so you really do need to be a wrencher since CJs demand plenty of it.

If the sun ever reappears, I'll take some pictures of the excellent CJ stuff Jimbo sent. I think you'll be very impressed with one item in particular.

September 22, 2008

Hello from Guyana... but only for a few more days. With a month-long vacation from work about to begin, updates to CJU will be a lot more frequent than they have been. My wife tells me there's a couple packages of CJ goodies waiting, and that makes me all the more eager to get home.

Both bikes are past due for their annual safety inspections, so that'll be the top priority. There's also brake and transmission work to be done on a couple of the old cars—good rainy day stuff, and believe you me, we have plenty of those.

August 20, 2008

Hello from Trinidad. I flew down here yesterday with the intention of joining the ship early this morning, but thanks to some logisitical problems, we're forced to lounge around the Port of Spain Ambassador Hotel until tomorrow. That's handy since a bunch of stuff for the web site just arrived. I now have plenty of time to get it posted. Anyway, we'll be sailing straight to Georgetown, Guyana which will be a first for the entire crew. I'll bet there aren't any CJs there.

Meanwhile, the CJ project list for future breaks is already started. So far, it's only small maintenance type stuff although the grey bike really needs a bath. The rear tire is just about shot, but luckily I have one new Russian 4x19 left on the shelf. The rear tire only lasts about two seasons on that bike. It gets ridden a lot. Next winter I may swap back to the 4th gear upgrade too. With the bigger carburetor jets, the bike has enough power to make it practical.

August 18, 2008

Tomorrow I'm on my way to Guyana to spend a few weeks working offshore. Yippee. Yesterday and today were spent catching up on stuff, mostly mowing and cutting weeds. (Owning five plus acres has its drawbacks.) I also got caught up in automotive maintenance, namely, changing the gas tank in a 1959 Edsel. That's not normally a huge deal except I completely reconditioned the replacement tank inside and out (as well as the straps). The car now has what could pass for a brand new tank. Maybe the muffler shop can do the work they refused to do last week because of a gas leak.

The bikes are put away with full tanks, topped off batteries and topped off oil. There's still an outside chance of a ride before I leave, but it's not too likely given the amount of work I still need to do around here. We'll see.

August 11, 2008

The tan bike with the big handlebars is quite a bit different to ride than the grey bike which still has its original style bars. One thing I really like about those huge handlebars is the leverage you get when making low speed turns—that, and, of course, the way they look—very vintage.

The grey bike was the Chang of choice for yesterday's ride, mainly because it's already dirty and the forecast predicted rain (which didn't arrive until after I got home.) Once again, I have to mention how the 1.02mm jets have increased the power on that bike. You wouldn't believe it only has 22 horses. I'm thinking about swapping the 4th gear to get a little more top end since the bike suddenly has what seems like power to spare. Riding on the interstate doesn't seem so far fetched anymore.

Regarding the second set of gigantic handlebars I had lined up for the grey bike, this will need to wait until I can get my hands on a longer spark advance cable. The cable sets I received didn't include spark advance cables since they were obviously intended for 12V machines. As it happened, the cable on the grey bike was longer than the one of the tan bike so I swapped them, all the time holding my breath that it would be long enough for the huge handlbars. Luckily, it was. I still need to adjust the monster handlebars so the grips point slightly downward instead of being perfectly horizontal. I think that will make things more comfortable.

Speaking of grips, Tony Salvatore and Miin Leong both responded to my plea for some replacements. (Thanks.) Removing the old grip from the stock handlebars was impossible without wrecking it. It seemed as if it had been glued on. There was no way that baby was coming off. I had some spares in my parts room, but several years of sunlight through the windows pretty much wrecked them. They split as soon as I tried to use them. It confirms that rubber's worst enemy is UV. I should have known better.

August 9, 2008

Yesterday, I took a little break from the bikes in order to attend the annual Pageant of Steam in Canandaigua, NY. The event hosts hundreds of antique tractors, trucks, and all kinds of old machinery. They also have a gigantic flea market dedicated entirely to "guy stuff". It rained the whole day which meant that many of the vendors were closed, but it sure didn't keep the steam traction engines from putting on a show. I planned to travel there on a CJ, but due to the weather, I drove an Edsel instead.

Many, many thanks to Luke and Ava Lou at Beijing Sidecar Solution for the lightning fast delivery of special cables for my high handlebars. They arrived in three days. Tomorrow, the first set will be installed on the tan bike. I'm anticipating a little problem with the clutch cable on the grey bike as the clutch actuation lever is entirely different from the one on the tan bike, but I think something can be engineered. If not, it'll be a simple matter of getting a different lever from China. (Click here to read about variations in CJ clutch cables.) These particular handlebars remind me very much of those used on pre-war American bikes. They're BIG. They add to the bike's vintage appearance and they'll also allow for a more comfortable riding position.

My second wheel bearing failure occurred today during a two + hour ride on the tan bike. It was the front wheel and, fortunately, it didn't seize up like the sidecar wheel on the grey bike tried to do last year. The symptoms came on gradually. It seemed like the front brake was dragging, and there was a pronounced shimmy when the front brake was applied. The brake drum was quite warm where the axle pokes through, so it really didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what the problem was. I limped the bike home, let it cool down and then went to work on the front end. Luckily, I've got plenty of spare bearings, one benefit of having so many elliptical wheels laying around (as well as some wreckage from an accident I had a few years ago.) As far as spare wheel bearings go, I'm probably set for life. Anyway, one of the bearings was indeed in the process of seizing, and the other one didn't turn freely, so I chucked them both in the trash. Among my spares are the traditional, open type bearings that can be packed with grease, and the newer, European-made sealed bearings, the same type that failed (on both occasions.) In spite of that, I opted for sealed bearings again. I'll give them one last chance (since all I have left now are open bearings.) If this pair doesn't hold up, I'll retrofit both bikes with open bearings. There's a lot to be said about being able to keep bearings properly lubed, and with sealed bearings, I don't really understand how that's supposed to be done, but let's not common sense stand in the way of progress. (Why start now?)

August 3, 2008

The first test ride after changing the jets was made on the tan bike. It was apparent right away that the carbs needed to be adjusted, but I was enjoying the ride so much, I just kept going. Big mistake. As has happened to me so many times in the past, I got caught in a major, major downpour, and the once spotless bike looked like a mud bogger by the time I got home. And, as usual, the sun came out as soon as I got home. I spent quite a bit of time cleaning up the mess and this morning, I went to work with the carb adjustments. In the process, I discovered where oil was leaking on the tan bike. While adjusting the port side carb, I noticed oil bubbling from the screw that holds the valve adjustment cover. HA. So that's where it was coming from. And it was the same on the other side. So, once the carbs were done, I replaced and sealed the gaskets for the valve adjustment covers. I also used the opportunity to check the valves and am glad I did. The port intake valve had no gap to speak of. All the valves had been adjusted over the winter, so where the %#$@* did that gap go?

In a nutshell, both bikes got their carbs balanced, and I have to say, it's a great feeling when you perform such a task and your bike runs like a sewing machine. The weight of a foot on the kick starter is enough to fire either bike—not even a full kick. Now THAT is really sweet. Too bad it's raining today. I had hoped to take the little lady for a nice long ride. Maybe later.

Later, that same day...

The sun came out so we took a little ride to Howard. The improvement after rejetting (and rebalancing the carbs) is more than just noticeable, it's downright significant. I'm as pleased as I am impressed with the results. For $13 (per bike), larger jets were the best money spent so far.

August 2, 2008

Well, it looks like the high-handlebar project is a go again, thanks to Luke. He's sending me two sets of long cables, custom fitted for these particular handlebars. Needless to say, I'm pretty happy about that.

I fired up the tan bike today to see if there was any obvious difference with the 1.02mm jets. Well, with starting and idling, there isn't, but I haven't gone for a spin yet as I wasted much of the day waxing cars with my brand spanking new electric buffer—made in, where else? China. It worked a treat. So, as soon as I'm done here, it'll be time for a quick shower and then a shakedown run on at least one, but maybe both bikes.

August 1, 2008

Today is CJU's 8th anniversary. It began as a single page advertising a T-shirt, and now, it's a full blown web site with roughly 350 pages and 21,000 images. Without all you contributors and sponsors, it certainly wouldn't be so. Please allow me to once again extend my gratitude to everyone who has helped the site in one form or another. Maybe by the time the ten-year anniversary rolls around, there'll be enough people in our hobby to justify a big CJ rally somewhere. Wouldn't that be fun?

Anyway, the reason for blogging today is to say that I just finished rejetting both bikes. If I had known how fast and easy that job was, I would have done it much sooner. It takes about one minute per carb, and they stay right on the jugs. The only thing to remember is the new jets don't come with fiber washers. (I just reused the old ones.) We went from .89mm to 1.02mm jets. I haven't run either bike since changing the jets and I have my fingers crossed that there won't be any need for a bunch of adjustments, but I think we all know better.

July 28, 2008

It's been two weeks since the last blog entry. Time sure flies when you're having fun, or, in this case, building a wall from 280 flat stones that had to be hauled from the creek running behind our house... one at a time. Whoa. But that's done, and the rain has actually managed to subside for a few days as well. It's Chang time. I've had the bikes out perhaps half a dozen times in the last two weeks, and yesterday I took the little lady along for a couple hours on Mount Washington and around Keuka Lake. We saw dozens of Harley riders, all of whom heartily acknowledged the CJ. (Rice rocket riders, on the other hand, are usually oblivious.) Anyway, next on the agenda—CJ stuff, and plenty of it. I've got some projects going that'll get written up for the web site. I'll be finishing a new rear fender for the tan bike, prepping, painting and installing high handlebars on both bikes, and then installing 1.02mm carburetor jets, also on both bikes. It looks like an action packed summer is starting to shape up. In spite of that fact that both bikes are being tinkered on, I'll avoid doing anything that leaves both of them out of commission at the same time. Not having a serviceable bike this time of year is a sin, even if it's only for a day.

Regarding Chang Jiang 750-X, a parts vendor in Beijing who makes liberal use of text and images stolen from this site and several dealer's web sites, I see some similarities between these guys and Jay Wang in Toronto who ran CJ Legend. As you may recall, Wang collected money for bikes that were never delivered. You may also recall, Legend was one of two CJU sponsors who were terminated, long before those customers got ripped off. Sometimes you can just tell when something isn't on the up-and-up. If you ever visit a new vendor's web site and see loads of material that you've seen somewhere else, consider it a red flag. If ethics are lacking in the way they promote and advertise, you can be certain they'll also be lacking in other aspects of their business.

July 14, 2008

I couldn't resist buying a set of John Heim's leather saddle bags, and now a pair of black ones are heading our way. (They'll go on the tan bike.) John's inventory is getting low, so if you've been thinking about something like this, time is of the essence.

I'll be working on some CJ projects during my upcoming vacation from work, and (of course) riding—every single day that it's not pouring. So far this year, neither bike has been down for service. The only concern is trying to decide which one to ride.

I just got a rear fender from Freddie and some high handlebars from Luke, all of which will be prepped, painted and installed very soon. (My summertime sandblasting cabinet is the back end of a brown Edsel wagon out behind the shop.)

June 21, 2008

Greetings from Trinidad and Tobago, my home for the next month. If you're planning to paint over aluminum, chrome or similar surface, you'll want to use zinc chromate primer. This stuff etches the metal and provides the adhesion that you won't get with other primers. Needless to say, the surface needs a bit of prep beforehand. ZC is getting hard to find and some vendors tack on a hefty surcharge for shipping since it's considered to be a hazardous material. One place that still doesn't is SkyGeek.

June 9, 2008

If you enjoy exploring roads that are off the beaten track, you owe it to yourself to have a gazetteer. Mine has topographical maps that show everything from seasonal access roads to fire trails. It also shows abandoned railway lines, mills, homesteads, cemeteries, school houses and other things that many people find interesting. You can probably find one for your area on the Internet.

June 5, 2008

On Monday I'll be heading for Trinidad and don't expect to be home again until the middle of July, so I guess the clock is ticking. Bummer. Two sets of high handlebars from Luke arrived today, but there just won't be enough time to get them prepped and installed due to all the other stuff we've got going on around here. Not to worry, though, as it gives me a little project to look forward to when I get home. I plan to blast the chrome and then paint the handlebars black, just like they did in the old days. I'll need to get my hands on some zinc-chromate primer, essential for painting over chrome. Anyway, wait 'til you see these babies.

June 4, 2008

&%$# rain. I'm forced to get on with real life while it rains—taking care of the house, running errands, doing stuff with my wife, having people visit, that kind of thing. The forecast for the remainder of my vacation is pretty crappy, but the local weatherman isn't accurate beyond a day, so there's still hope of hitting the county roads while gas is still under $5.

I've never taken the time to figure it out so this is only guesswork, but I reckon a sidecar M1 gets around 50mpg. That's an educated guess, but I can ride all afternoon on $8 worth of fuel. Has anyone ever calculated mileage? Plus, a Chang is happy running on the cheap stuff, unlike some of the old cars we've got here. You can see where this is leading. This summer, when the price of fuel reaches its all-time high, riding a CJ will still be practical as well as all that other fun stuff. Even my wife's hybrid Honda doesn't do as well as a Chang, but obviously, there's a few trade-offs. Meanwhile, I wonder how easy it would be to get one of those CJ trikes with a cab. Wouldn't that be that ultimate winter ride?

June 2, 2008

Boy howdy, do I ever love my JCS M5 wheels. They're on the grey M1 now, and for the life of me, I don't know why I procrastinated on installing them for so long. (Probably the same reason I waited three years before doing the VW voltage regulators...) Yesterday, I rode all afternoon, what surely would have been a three spoker with the stock wheels. It was a nice change of pace to just park the bike when I got home instead of changing spokes. At my request, Jimbo had the wheels powder coated black, spokes and all, just like Indians and Harleys of yesteryear. To me, this is an excellent way to get a vintage look. What's more, these wheels are freakin' rugged. You'd have to run off a cliff to break spokes on an M5. Plus, the brake linings are 50% wider. More surface area means better braking, and that's exactly what I've got. These wheels are one of the very few CJ aftermarket items that I would recommend, especially to those who are tired of riding on egg-shaped rims.

May 31, 2008

The new generator was mounted on the grey bike this morning. Piece of cake. This time, instead of using cork gasket material, I used heavy, rubberized paper and gobs of high-temp sealer. I was out for a few hours today and she didn't leak a drop. (Plus the generator worked too, always a big plus in my book.)

But... I had two more busted spokes after today's ride, not necessarily a problem except the threads of my replacement spokes don't match up with the existing nipples, and two spokes twisted off. How's that for standardization of parts? It left me with no choice but to throw a little a hissy fit, pull off the wheel, dismount the tire and tube, and stick 'em on one of Jimbo's M5 wheels. No more broken spokes, at least on that wheel. The wider brake shoes required a little touching up on the bench grinder in order to get a perfect fit, but they went in just fine. Unfortunately, the rain came just as I was finishing up so I haven't ridden on the new wheel yet. But based on previous experience, I know it's going to be A-okay.

May 30, 2008

I haven't been doing as much bike stuff as I'd like since I've been sprucing up the body on one of our old cars, but that's finished, and since next week will be the last of my vacation, I intend to ride the heck out of my bikes (unless, of course, the weatherman has other plans.)

Yesterday, I rode the grey M1 to town to do some errands. I noticed she was running a bit irregularly. I also noticed a whole bunch of sparks arcing around the generator. Well, this is something I've seen before, and experience has shown it to be what happens when your brushes are gone. So I pulled off the generator and sure enough, nubs. No big deal, though, right? I've got brand new brushes that came straight from China. Unfortunately, they turned out to be completely different from what's on the generator. Ring a bell? It's not the first time I've had this experience with Chinese parts and I doubt it will be the last. Anyway, still no big deal since I've got a brand new generator as well. I'll just stick it on the bike, but first I need to buy some more gasket material and sealer. Actually, I needed a reason to pull the generator anyway since the oil was starting to leak around the seal again. Now I can kill two birds with one stone.

Here's a thing that might be of interest or possible use to somebody. Both generators are Guiyang MZF-12A 6.5V 10A, but the body of one is 145mm long while the other is 159mm. On my bikes, this doesn't matter due to the brackets I use, but on your bike, it could be an issue. Therefore, I recommend that if you ever need to order a generator, you might want to specify the body length, otherwise you might possibly end up with something you can't use.

May 29, 2008

I rode the tan bike down to Corning for a visit to the dentist yesterday. On the ride home I noticed that the insects hitting my face didn't hurt quite as much... thanks to novacaine.

May 27, 2008

We've been riding quite a bit these past few days, but yesterday we took the fancy red 1958 Edsel out for a drive instead. We watched the local Memorial Day parade which exemplifies small town America in a most perfect way. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

May 24, 2008

Friday was a beautiful day for a ride so I took the grey bike out for a few hours. After climbing our local Mt. Washington, I met up with a bumblebee who, after finding his way inside the collar of my jacket, decided he wanted out and let me know the best way he knew how. So I pulled over and did just that. Poor little guy.

After riding I stopped at Arby's and watched three people take cell phone pictures of the bike. That's a new record.

I just can't live without some of those high handlebars that Luke is using on his latest builds (see below) and have ordered a set for each bike. I'll blast them and paint them black.

May 23, 2008

Thursday was another crappy weather day so I used the time to stick a VW regulator on the tan M1. The results were exactly the same as the grey bike—brighter lights all the way around. You'd think it was a 12V.

May 22, 2008

While running errands on the grey M1 yesterday, I did what I always do when riding in traffic, and that's keep an eye on the reflection of my headlight in the vehicle in front of me. It's just another way to keep tabs on the electrical system, and yesterday it paid off. My headlamp was so dim you could hardly see it. Turns out, the bike was running on the battery which was almost dead by the time I got home. (It took 8 amps from the charger which is a pretty good indication of how weak it was.) So today, I finally did something I've been putting off for ages. I have two aftermarket 6V Volkswagen regulators that I bought at Advance Auto Parts about three years ago... and never got around to trying. As of today, the grey bike has one and holy cow, the lights are brighter than they've ever been since I owned the bike. We'll have to see how well it keeps the battery topped off, but I suspect it'll be A-okay. (Click here for some information on the new regulator.) I think it was only $12. By the way, the regulator that it replaced was a Chinese FT622-7V7A, the same as what's on the tan bike. Looks like that one will be getting changed on the next rainy day.

May 18, 2008

Yesterday's ride started out okay, but the skies opened up before I got very far. As has happened so many times before, I got waterlogged, and those big fat raindrops felt like rubber bullets. (Thank goodness I was wearing a leather jacket and gloves.) Back home I poured water out of my boots. Anyway, since I was riding on dirt roads, the once-grey M1 now looks like a mud bogger. I foresee a rinse job at the car wash whenever the rain stops. Meanwhile, I'm thinking about donning rain gear and going for another spin. The bike can't get any dirtier than it is now.

May 17, 2008

I've been home for over a week now, and every day it hasn't been raining (and provided I've done all my chores), I'm out riding. I alternate bikes and find that there are things I prefer about both bikes. They grey M1 is faster and more powerful (and louder) but the tan M1 handles better and is much easier on the butt. The grey bike eats spokes, and one way to judge how good a ride was is by how many spokes need to be replaced when I get home. (One spoke broke off in the nipple, so until the the next tire change, it will stay like that.) The bikes get progressively dirtier as the season wears on, but all the dust and grime just gives them more character. For too many years, I was always anal about keeping my machinery as spotless as possible, not appreciating how much time was being spent on tasks that had to be repeated continuously. Riding is far more enjoyable than detailing any day.

April 17, 2008

I've been asked why CJU doesn't acknowledge the existence of certain vendors or CJ750-related web sites. Okay then, here are the answers.

• When a web site pirates material from other sites (and not just this one), they go on the blacklist. The practice is tantamount to stealing and suggests a lack of ethics that probably carries over into other aspects of their business.

• A vendor with a reputation for lousy products, service or customer relations won't be recognized by CJU. If a particular dealer is the common denominator in piles of messages sent here by angry customers, they're not deemed an asset to the CJ community.

• I don't like people who promote themselves by slagging off their competition.

March 27, 2008

I had the grey M1 out for a few hours today, not perfect riding weather but good enough. The snowflakes were out, and so was I. The good news concerns the long-running battle I've been having with this bike's tendancy to meander. Over the winter I replaced the newish steering bearings with some Chinese tapered bearings that came from CJS by way of Miin Leong. I'm quite pleased to say that this cured the problem and the bike now rides like it's on rails. With the problem finally solved, I'm again able to ride it as a solo.

March 26, 2008

Finally, some decent riding weather. And not a moment too soon since I'm heading offshore on Monday for another five weeks of earning a living. The roads were dry today, the sun was out and the temperature was in the mid-forties—perfect. Both bikes needed a good shakedown after all the stuff I did to them over the winter, and both bikes ran like a dream. I was a liitle apprehensive about how the tan bike would behave with those fancy new carburetor spacers, but my apprehension was shortlived. The grey bike, with its new steering bearings, seems to handle better (although it's still kind of early to say for sure.) One thing I can say say for sure is this—these bikes are going to see some heavy use during my May-June break. I'll be riding the heck out of them every single day. I can hardly wait.

March 20, 2008

This winter refuses to end. Normally, the snow and the cold don't stop me from riding—but the road salt does. This year they seem to have used it in record amounts. The temperatures have been such that the roads are continuously soaked with brine, and that stuff is murder on a bike. Both M1s are tweaked and ready for action, but I've only managed one short spin on the tan bike so far this year. That's frustrating indeed, especially when I have to return to work offshore pretty soon. Blah.

On a happier note, my new car—a 1959 Edsel sedan—has given me much to do, and there's still plenty left.

The new distributor that went in the grey bike had a bum condensor. Luckily I saved the old 6V VW unit when I swapped out the distributor. A good meter makes troubleshooting problems like these a piece of cake, but you can't help but be a little irritated when brand new parts turn out to be crap.

March 7, 2008

I had a few small tasks I had hoped to perform on the tan bike today, but I soon discovered I was taking two steps back on a couple of them and gave up in exasperation. One was to better align the rear fender with the wheel as it's slightly canted to one side when viewed from behind. It's one of those little things that really bugs me. Well, I managed to get it aligned much better, but I also managed to chip a lot of the new paint in the process. Two steps back. Another thing I had intended to do was to spray the sidecar floor with rubberized undercoating so I could do away with the rubber mat. (The bare floor looks pretty bad. It definitely needs to be covered up with something.) Anyway, for reasons beyond my comprehension, masking tape wouldn't stick to the metal inside the bucket. I have three different brands of the stuff and none of them would adhere. Temperature? Humidity? Who knows...

Know what? I can live with the rubber mat in spite of the rust problems it might create.

And last, I bolted the duck board to the floor since it would be hopping all over the place with some of the riding I'll be doing. Even this simple task gave me a hard time. I broke four drill bits. So... it was one of those days where you're better off just staying out of the shop. The more frustrated I get, the more damage I do. Time to take a day off.

March 6, 2008

Both bikes received the deluxe annual maintenance package this winter, and I'm happy to say the real work is now complete. I'm looking forward to a trouble-free riding season with two excellent performing bikes. I finished up the grey bike today, and ended up doing a bit more than I intended. The eccentric screw for adjusting the points was fairly buggered and the best option was to simply replace the distributor. That meant brand new points and a brand new condenser in addition to everything else that got done this week. It was nice being able to pull another distributor off the shelf. I can't stress enough the value of keeping spare parts on hand.

I still have one little non-maintenance project left to do on the tan bike—and it'll get written up here just like everything else... whether it needs to or not.

March 4, 2008

I have to admit, I've been a little slack with some of the maintenance items I used to perform annually, but this habit is now broken. It's not always easy getting up the motivation to go out in the shop and get cracking, but once I get get started, everything just rolls along. Anyway, I hadn't decoked or done the valves on the grey bike in nearly two years, figuring she runs okay, she'll be fine. (I never neglected any of the other stuff, just these little tasks that seem like such a pain in the ass sometimes.) Anyway, the carbon build-up in the grey bike was pretty bad, but worse, there was virtually no clearance in any of the valves. That's all sorted now, but I think an annual valve adjustment schedule must be adhered to—maybe even twice a year.

This week I'll be changing the steering bearings on the grey bike and taking care of some details on the tan one. I'll take plenty of pictures so you'll have some step-by-step reference material should you ever need to service your steering bearings.

January 18, 2008

I picked up a new piece of information that I think is really cool—the Chinese word "Kuazi" which is used in reference to ex-PLA sidecar CJ750s. I'd love to learn the Chinese calligraphy for this word. Can anybody help?

January 14, 2008

Mama went to the mall today. Given the choice of going with her or staying home, the decision wasn't terribly hard to make. I puttered in the garage and then went riding on the grey bike (since the other one is in pieces.) It was only slightly chilly but the humidity was quite high, and that makes a big difference in how cold it seems when you're doing 50. Unlike my last ride, I managed to stay warm this time. You know it's really cold when it takes a few minutes just to climb off the bike because you legs won't bend.

January 10, 2008

I was ready for a break from the beauty makeover I've been working on all week. Since the formerly black bike isn't quite ready to be reassembled yet, I decided to haul the grey bike out of its winter hiding place, dust it off and go for a ride. I ended up spending all afternoon on my favorite mud roads, freezing my jalobies off in the process (but enjoying it regardless.) Actually, it was my fingers that froze. Whenever I stopped for a smoke I laid my gloves on the jugs which got them good and warm, and my fingers were soon thawed.

January 6, 2008

Whoa baby. Stainless steel carriage bolts are almost a buck each, but they'll stay new forever, a nice perk if they ever need to be undone. It seems a bit ironic that these stainless bolt heads are painted to match the sheet metal. (That's what I did this morning—sort and paint hardware.)

I've decided to tear the leaf springs apart to sandblast and paint them. That's really the only way to do them right, otherwise they end up looking like crap. (Really, it's only the top leaf that needs the most attention.) So tomorrow I'll be blasting the headers and leaf springs while Mama's at work. What a great way to spend one's time.

January 5, 2008

Since it's the weekend, I took it kind of easy out in the shop today, just long enough to have a good cigar and reassemble the taillights now that the paint is dry. I'm using car taillights from the 1930s which look right at home on a CJ (and infinitely better than that big plastic thing you see on so many Changs.) Unless the little lady has other plans for me, tomorrow I'll be purchasing hardware and starting on the next step—refinishing the header pipes. That involves sand blasting followed by a heavy spray of black 1200° stove paint. The beauty of that stuff is it's so easy to maintain. If it becomes discolored or worn, you just spray it again. I hope I can finish this project before returning to work in a couple weeks. During my next break the grey bike will get a good going through—all the annual maintenance I didn't do last year.

January 4, 2008

Another productive day in the shop. 99% of the paintwork is done. Only the carriage bolt heads remain. I'm really glad that job's mostly complete.

As the new paint was drying I started cleaning up the huge mess I've made, and then tinkered a bit on the motor. I'll start rewiring the taillights tomorrow and may start blasting the new header pipes as well. (It just depends on what the Mrs. has in mind.)

January 3, 2008

No pictures for you today, but that doesn't mean there hasn't been any activity out in the shop. On the contrary. Several hours were spent prepping and priming more parts for a big painting session tomorrow. The sand blaster was working overtime today and all the while, the mess in the garage keeps getting bigger. You have to tear one these machines apart to get an appreciation for the number of small parts that need to be prepped and painted along with all the big stuff. In my case there's even more due to the taillights and brackets that I use. I'll also paint the new brakelight switch to blend in better with the fender. And hardware too. I use carriage bolts for all the sheet metal applications, and they too are prepped and painted to match everything else. It's tedious at times, but it's really worth the extra effort. This is going to be one gorgeous bike.

January 2, 2008

I can't emphasize enough the value of limiting your CJ work sessions to just a few hours at a time. Believe me, it's far more enjoyable that way. Plus you have the luxury of really looking after the details that will make the results so nice.

January 1, 2008

Puttering in the shop this afternoon, I was impressed by how fast the time passed. I'm always intrigued by the level of detail you can go into while spiffing up a CJ, or, as my wife might say, how anal you can be. Today I worked on fender brackets, trunk hinges and front end components. (In order to use carriage bolts you need to square off all the holes, so I spent some time doing that with a hand file.) I also did some cleaning, priming and fabricating bits and pieces that will be needed later on. I've decided to route the taillight wiring externally along the fender, just like it is on the grey bike. It not only provides a more sensible location but also an opportunity to show off some really cool vintage wiring with fabric insulation. Besides, that's how it was done on M72s and early CJs. Oh baby, this is going to be a sweeeeeeet looking machine.

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