Nahatlatch expedition

 Took a trip to the Nahatlatch area on Hallowe'en day, under a blue sky and full sun. Although it was a bit chilly, it was worth it.
Read about it HERE.

Hallelujah....hallelujah....

 No...I'm not trying to channel Leonard Cohen...I'm just proclaiming joy for the sake of my CT90's functioning clutch!
After several months of failed attempts, I finally have it re-assembled AND working as it should. Previously, it would not "clutch"...that is to say, the clutch-action was non-existent. I'll assert that the PO was not as good a mechanic as he would like us to believe; at least not on these little hybrids.
With patience and perseverance, I prevailed....don't ask me what I did differently this time, unlike the dozen or so previous attempts. All I know is that when I lowered the engine cover into position this time, everything felt different, including the adjustment...as if to say that today was my day to shine!

After having said all this, and basking in my own light...the bike STILL runs like crap, thanks to the Chinese AM carb. Each time I start it, I have to adjust the idle speed AND air mixture...even if I just started it five minutes ago...literally!

Hopefully the US border will re-open next month and I'll be able to order a nice, reliable Taiwanese carb from Beatrice Cycle (DrATV).

....maybe by NEXT season. ;)

Daytrip to Tulameen.

 This was to be the last day of decent weather, so we made the best of it. The Coalmont/Tulameen area is rich in history and is well worth the trip.

Read about it HERE.

An outing!

 Labour Day monday and I'm home alone...might as well go for a ride.

Read about it HERE.

Failing at this...

 It's literally been MONTHS since my last entry...mea culpa!

The CT90 I purchased back in June will be out of service for a while longer. It was getting dark and he didn't have much room for a test-drive, so I had to go on instinct...turns out my gut was out to lunch.

The carb and intake boot did NOT fit together, so he had electrical tape holding them. The carb has a fatal flat spot that won't allow for any decent riding.
The clutch....doesn't. That is to say, it never disengages. With the CT's, depressing the shifter actuates the clutch mechanism. If you hold the shifter down (or UP in this case) you can rev the engine and the bike won't move...if it's working properly....which it isn't. I can hold the shifter up and the bike will take off if I give it gas. Shifting on the fly is interesting, to say the least. 
I suspected that it had been assembled wrongly, so I took it apart and re-assembled it as per the many YouTube videos and it still isn't working properly. I think I may need a new clutch basket...and I broke off one of the tines that holds a shock-absorbing spring in the clutch assembly...so yeah, a clutch basket is in my future. 
Once I've got that part working, there's the issue with the carb....might have this working by next Spring.

As for the TW...nothing but routine maintenance. 
I noticed a bit of a bounce in the front end when at speed, so I pulled the wheel and balanced it...took a bit of weight to get it right but I still didn't like that Kenda K270. It is a 5" knobby tire that makes a big racket and is difficult to turn in technical sections, even though I don't do many of them.
I installed a 4" Shinko SR241 instead and am quite pleased with how it is handling so far. I made the mistake of installing it without balancing, but that doesn't seem to be an issue at this time.

I had ordered a new rear-tire a few months ago and decided to mount it today too...might as well have new rubber all around so I have a base-line.
In hindsight, this is something I should have done LAST season, and it is definitely something I will add to the list of SEASONAL maintenance. The PO must have done a lot of water-crossings as there was quite a bit of rust on the inside of the rim. I was able to take it off with a wire wheel in a cordless drill...then I painted the rim to minimize future rusting...but like I said, this is something I should investigate once a year. 
I was able to remove 99% of the rust that clings to the tube, when the rim is rusted...surprisingly easy with some warm water and a plastic scraper. Didn't appear to compromise the rubber at all, which is good.
I lubed the bead BEFORE trying to install the tire back onto the rim and this helped. Once the tire was fully mounted, it only took 16 PSI to fully seat the bead.
Now, I just need to ride "moderately" for a few miles to break in the new rubber....

A (hopefully) minor setback...

The worst thing about buying a second (or third) hand item, is that you never *really* know what you're getting, until you dig into it.

Such is the case with this recently-purchased CT90. When I buy a bike, I give it a good 'once over' but no matter how shiny it is, you never really know anything about its internal condition. 
The seller had a large dog...tiny yard and a heavy gate, so any sort of test drive was limited to about 30 feet in any direction ...hardly enough to go through the gears.
Still, she was in perfect physical shape....even had ALL signal lights  (working) and buddy pegs. The seat had no tears and the plastics were in phenomenal shape for a 46 year old bike.

After fitting a new (offshore) carb and fuel filters yesterday, I decided to throw caution to the winds and take her for a test-drive down our street. 
To make a long story short....the clutch does NOT work. That is to say, it works so-so when it's on the center stand, but as soon as I've got some asphalt underneath...it's as if the clutch doesn't even exist.
Since I had to change the oil any, I decided to pull the right cover and see what shape the screen and centrifuge were in. 
Screen was fairly clean...so was the centrifuge....and all the clutch adjusting parts were present BUT, the clutch itself looked in fairly rough shape. The center-portion of the centrifuge appears to be rough and pitted instead of smooth. The clutch should spin freely in one direction and grab in the other...it grabs BOTH ways.
I thought (hoped) that I could salvage this with some clean, fresh AMSOIL, but nothing seems to have an effect. Regardless of how loose or tight I set the adjustment...it's as if the clutch isn't even there. If I put it in gear, there is an awful lurch...and when driving, there is no coasting while the shifter is depressed; it just clunks violently into the next gear.

So, it looks as though I will be replacing/rebuilding the clutch on this one before we can use it...and the riding season is lessened by another week, in the meantime.
My hope is that when I have the clutch basket on the bench...I don't find more "issues" on the inside.

New member of the stable...

 I've been looking for over a year, and out of nowhere, this one fell into my lap:

Now...my wife and I can ride side-by-side. 

That is...once I get it "just right"....she still needs a bit of work.
The first thing I noticed (before the purchase) was the black tape around the carb/boot joint. Upon closer examination, I discovered that the PO had installed one of those "offshore" carbs and the boot doesn't fit over the end, it fits INTO it...hence the tape. That ain't right.

He also installed some cheapo fork gaiters that were all split and barely hanging on. I bought some after market types and installed them over the weekend.

I looked into upgrading the rectifier, but it looks as though someone beat me to it....and the ignition coil is NOT stock...and it's just flopping around loosely in the battery compartment, so I'm going to have to deal with that as well.

I'm also going to need to do an oil change...I don't know when or if any of the PO's have ever cleaned the internal filters, so I'd like to get that out of the way.

Then...it's just a case of finding some flat ground for her to practice on and we'll be set for adventures.