Car Quest

Last Friday I put the Bonneville up for sale. Partly because I've gotten interested in older BMW bikes, and partly because it was just time for a change. Had a few emails and calls, and on the following Tuesday a nice gentleman came by with a reasonable cash offer and took the bike away.

The Bonneville was a good bike, and I really enjoyed the miles I put on it. I wouldn't be surprised if I wound up with another one some day. That said, it was time to move on and try something different.

So goodbye to the Bonneville. May you give your new owner many miles and smiles.

The Tunebug now has 500 miles on the new motor!

This is a significant milestone, as it's now time to change the oil and do a good once over on all the major systems. It also means that I should be able to start driving the car a bit harder and will be able to see what the new motor can really do.

I passed the magic 500 mile mark while out on a short drive today, and did put my foot down a bit harder when I had a nice stretch of empty road. I think the new motor is going to work out very nicely!

So dust off those whiskey glasses, boys and girls (but no drinks yet) -- I have an appointment with the muffler shop to get the exhaust installed on the Tunebug next Tuesday (4/27)!

Weather cleared quite nicely by the time I got home today, so I fired up the Tunebug for another testing run, and stopped by the muffler shop while I was out (it's just a few miles down the road). They can do the work on Tuesday, and I had already cleared the date with my boss. Weather is supposed to be clear as well. Shop opens at 8:00 am, and I'll be there right on time.

If all goes well I'll get the inspection and registration done the same day. Woohoo!

On a side note, the Tunebug held 60+ oil pressure and 180 water temp for the 20 or so minutes I was driving around. No major leaks seen yet, just a few here and there to track down. So far so good. Still need to set the timing properly, but it is close enough to be running okay.

So y'all will need to have glasses ready for Tuesday night. I consider registering the car to be the end of this 3-year project. Certainly still lots to do to have everything dialed in properly, and many more things that need attention (like some bodywork, the rear suspension...) as these cars are never really *done*, but getting back on the road is, for me, the critical benchmark. I'll finally be a car owner and not just a project slave. Keep in mind that I've never had a properly running LBC, so I'm ready to get out there and drive!

Another momentous day. I stopped by the auto parts store in Park City today and picked up the proper cotter pins for the front hubs and got them installed after work. I also spent a few minutes with the exhaust pipe, getting it back in place with a generous dab of exhaust sealer. It's still loud, but at least the loud is all coming out of the pipe now.

Before I got dirty on the car, however, I popped down to the DMV and got my temporary tags so I can legally drive on the roads (for 15 days) while I get things sorted out. I was also relieved that my TUNEBUG plates were still okay. I didn't expect anyone else would have taken them over the last year (and I think it takes more than a year to be released) but still it's nice to have that settled.

The upshot of all of this is that the last thing to be done is the exhaust system. I've got to get the car to the exhaust shop to have the muffler installed, and I'll be able to get the inspection done and be back on the road again. Still lots of tuning to do, but I'll be roadworthy again.

I honor of all this work, I took the Tunebug out for a little test drive. Just couldn't resist. Hopefully the neighbors didn't mind the straight pipe too much.

The Tunebug rides again!

Joe and I had a great day of Tunebug work, getting the alignment done and another pass at bleeding the brakes in addition to the biggie, which was firing up the new motor for the first time.

Just a few more small odds and ends before we can be back on the street again. Woohoo!