tag #mechanic
To maximize longevity of my #generator I prepared 1Gal of ethanol free gasoline. Since ethanol will bind with water, all that is needed is some #chemtrails liquid!! I used a clear fuel resistant container, fabricated a drain nipple and used 0.2Gal of dyed chemtrails. Add 0.5Gal gasoline, mix well and settle for 12 hours. With 10% ethanol, 0.25Gal dyed water will settle and can be drained. That + fuel stabilizer + marvel oil is good for at least 12 months.
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6mo maintenance day. Rotated tires + had them re-balanced. Old school oil change every 3k miles, but I save time with an oil extractor pump. Using FRAM Ultra Synthetic filters rated for 20k miles I change the filter every 3rd oil change. Between frequent oil changes and Idemitsu GF6 synth I hope to make 200k+ :) Washed exterior, detailed, vacuumed, washed interior upholstery, conditioned plastics & leather. Even splurged on a new car smell air freshener :)
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Another weekend #diy project - 20-30% power increase on #Honda #Grom . These are made for affordable, reliable, daily transportation - which means lots of power is “left on the table”. I already have high flow exhaust, so remaining easy power upgrades were: intake, camshaft and ECU retune. Went with Chimera short ram intake, Decha Performance HR camshaft and DHM ECU stage2 retune. Now the motor keeps pulling hard above 7k whereas before it ran out of breath.
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#Honda #Grom seat is quite uncomfortable and this weekend I fixed it. I used an aftermarket high-grip skin and a 2.5cm thick gel pad. I also re-profiled the seat to round out an annoying ridge between front&back. I was hoping for a straight across shape (motocross style) but didn’t have foam + hotwire to build it up. It looks 8/10, high grip, and comfort got a big upgrade. Not bad for a first attempt.
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I bought #honda #grom for 3 reasons: - a) as customize and mod project (cheap) - b) get comfortable working on engine internals (cheap) - c) learn to wheelie (cheap and non-intimidating) I’ve been shopping for stunt bars (see c) and finally decided on #AngryStuntz unit - reasonably priced, beefy, should work with most tail tidys. Install was quick, but I needed to trim the tidy to make it all fit under the bars + drilled out from metric to imp.
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The replacement “premium” gasket for clutch-side engine cover arrived. 3x the price of #Honda cork-n-paper but worth it!! Strong fiber base + nice silicone bead. I laid the bike down, kept oil in, didn’t make a mess, gasket wasn’t sliding during installation and I was done in 20min. Previously, I had the #Grom on a stand and considered laying it down too hacky. But! that way is superior - better lighting, no mess, gasket doesn’t slide…
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Another weekend project, this time Honda Grom. Todo: remove oil spinner, install high flow oil pump with rear pickup, install 60% over clutch springs and billet lift plate with six bolts, and a Kitaco clutch cover with cartridge oil filter. This will make oil changes a 5min job, will flow 30% more oil for better cooling and no oil starvation when front wheel is off the ground!! Clutch upgrade fixes OEM’s slippage. Spinner removal saves 2.5lb!!
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Done with #KTM #Babyduke 390 \o/ Installed aftermarket airbox cover filter under the seat. Doubles intake filtered surface area for moar power & sound! Previous owner damaged threads of fairing nut plates by trying to use non-metric bolts. Chased threads with a M6 tap, epoxied cracked catches and replaced one broken catch with a hardwood block + a wood screw!! :) Finally quickened the throttle via Powertronics: 80% twist gives 100% power! whoa!
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With bike on stand and waiting for parts, I couldn’t resist finding something to do. The rear lamp was crooked, so took tail apart & found alignment studs cracked - ordered new lamp. Then upgraded mirrors, ordered intake mod which adds filtered air-path from under the seat and backed up the PowerTronics. Old 112-link chain was stretched a WHOLE link - it NEEDED replacing -> bling orange EK. Waiting for more parts :) No 10mm wrenches were lost 😆
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Drivetrain service on #KTM “Baby-Duke” 390 after I measured the chain stretch and it was out of spec. Installed new rear spools, removed the old chain, old front and rear sprockets, removed 4mm of grime in the front sprocket housing, cleaned the chain guides and serviced the air filter. Now I must wait for new parts. I already changed the oil, bled the brakes and flushed with new brake fluid in the spring. 10k miles on this motorcycle so far!!
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I started a long weekend today and went flying. Bumpy, thermals everywhere, cloud bases at 6k and the world is green again (bugs included). I took my #meshtastic Rak device and from 5k feet up I was “heard” 40 miles away in Fresno by a user who emailed me. My cabin is starting to look like a ham cave - antennas from left to right: #meshtastic , #ADSB -in, #APRS -out.
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Belly paint touch up completed and with a break in the weather, I got some hobbs in the log book :) Dramatic clouds, Grumman F8F1 at Watsonville while I got coffee and bread pudding for all the sweat equity that went into the painting efforts.
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FAA 14 CFR Part 43: “Apply preservative or protective material to components where no disassembly of any primary structure …. where such coating is not prohibited or contrary to good practices.” I’m cleaning up areas where paint was compromised, then iso, alodyne, epoxy primer (the white layer) and will be able to feather and start applying color in a few days. Almost caught up with 40years of wear into my 6th year of ownership.
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Q. Can anybody confirm that they already got their aircraft registration 4-year renewal automatically from FAA? I tried renewing today and all I could find is this note:
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Caught up on 500hr Magneto inspection by upgrading to an electronic ignition (3.). The engine bay of this 1947 aero-craft is looking more and more modern every year :)
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EAA New Parts Program Big Win for Vintage Fleet https://www.eaa.org/eaa/news-and-publications/eaa-news-and-aviation-news/news/new-parts-program-big-win-for-vintage-fleet
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