Clutch Hub Pulling

Tuesday Night:

Clutch Hub Puller arrived, so head straight to the shop after work.

Get bike on the lift, grab the tools I'll need.

Install the puller on the clutch hub.

Tighten center Bolt until there a great amount of tension.

Spray some lubricating/anti seize oil up in there.

Tap head of center bolt lightly with a mallet.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

POP.

Pick up hub and puller off the ground.

Look at the enemy tapered shaft.

I win this one.

Wow, sheared the damn key in half.

Realized I ordered the wrong main seal for the transmission.

Need to stop for the night. Nothing more I can do.

Take bike off life, put away tools.

Walk home defeated.  

Search out what parts I need now.  

Turns out my tranny is a 1980 model that uses a rubber seal specific to 2 years.

Order correct seal and a few other small bits. 

Sleep for a few hours.  

Work day starts again. 

Bike is one tiny step further than it was when I woke up yesterday. 

With every step forward, there is a step backward.
With every step backward, there is some learning to be done.
Without this, there could be no forward again.
While it is frustrating at the moment something else goes wrong/different, the lessons learned will last forever.
I'd rather have the knowledge of knowing how to fix things than leave this to someone else.

shiny

time for a break from NYC.

Heading out to SoCal for some good daddy/son relaxing time and catching up with the crew out there.  I'm hoping for a Saturday night O.G. BCM Crew Dinner session.  Let's make it happen boys.

Paint on the tins is curing.  So is Bob's heart.  The day after he finished painting them, he was having some chest pains and the following morning, right after arriving to the hospital, he went into cardiac arrest.  Good place for that to happen though.  Went right into surgery.  80% blockage in one of his arteries.  Stent was installed and he is on the road to recovery.  I had a package of motorcycle magazines delivered to him.  Hopefully that helped.  Get better and I'll see you when I get back from the city named after Saint Diego.

vinegar hill

I really like DUMBO.  It has parks, waterfront views, art galleries, a few small bars and converted mill buildings for live/work space.  And right down the street is the little enclave of Vinegar Hill.  Definitely one of the most hidden or just unknown parts of riverfront Brooklyn.  

check out this article about the Commandant's House.  We rolled up to the back gates unknowingly and saw the same 'through the gates' views that that website already shows, so I didn't bother posting my pics. completely wild.

Brooklyn's Mansion on the East River

SuburbSaturday

Spent my day Saturday helping my dad and step-mom moving a 4 ton pile of rocks and making a stream bed. The natural flow of the water down the mountain behind their house started cutting its path through their property and rather than let it keep creeping and forming more mini rivers, they decided to help it out. 35 wheelbarrow trips later and a sore back, shoulders and tris, and it's done!

Oh and I got to take out the CB as well.

hub'a hubba.....home home

1:11am....just getting home from hours at the shop after a regular work day.

sometimes you need to know when to call it a night.

In the attempt to solve my transmission leak, I bought some James Gaskets kits and figured this would be easy enough.  Remove the clutch basket, belt and then take off the clutch hub and support bracket to get to the main shaft seal and nut.  well, i'll be damned.  Couldn't get the clutch hub off.  I don't have a gear puller or the special harley tool for this but tried every other option that I could come up with.  Each one ending in more frustration and disbelief that I wasn't going to get these gaskets replaced tonight.

I distinctly remember removing one of these hubs with Kim back in the old shop.  We had installed the puller and kept tightening it, giving slight taps along the way, and it wouldn't budge.  Just as we pulled our heads away from a close inspection....POP! bang, it pulled off with furious rage and hit the ground.  I remember thinking that it probably would have hurt had it popped off with my big nose in the way.... I'm guessing it will be the same this time around once I get that gear puller tomorrow or Friday.

greetings from Lancaster

Josh has been riding the hell out of the sportster.  He sent me these pics that he took in front of his shop.

that was a great bike.  never leaked.  glad you're still loving it Josh!