I left my Savage last October with... one good battery, half a tank of gas and...
...events got in the way and it wasn't until December that I had the opportunity to ride her a few times around the block...
...bad weather during the winter, I was away for months on end, come back in April but I somehow shyed away from her...it...that...beast waiting for me in the garage...

I eventually summoned up some courage, went in and circled her, getting closer and closer, like a man who's been away from farm animals too long and is shy of his old horse...

I slipped the key in the ignition, twisted it one click, tried the lights, horn OK, flick the starter...
...chug chug chug pofff coff sclack! ...

I went on like this for some 15 minutes, until it came to me I forgot to pull the starter on the carb... ...silly !

OK, recharge the battery, check the oil... can't see a thing... how can I check the oil with my head 1" from the ground and balance the bike on its two wheels?

I finally managed to find a "helper" to stand the bike almost upright... a stack of Land Rover magazines!

So, last time I checked the oil I looked and could see nothing... so I added 1/2 pint... then another 1/2 pint... then another... HOLD IT!!!

If I'm adding so much oil and still can't see through the little oil-window, chances are I already had enough oil and overfilled, right?

So, find the proper 17mm wrench, balance the bike on the Land Rover magazines, and apply delicate pressure (5lb hammer) to undo said oil plug nut...

...realize I haven't got anything under the sump, race to find suitable container (3 liter laundry soap bottle to which  I hastily cut away one side)... undo oil plug which by now is finger loose... hold oil plug firmy between wrong side of fingers (why can't the upper side of our fingers be as grippy as our fingertips?) and presto! expect 6, 7 pints of oil to surge out!

drip drip drip

???

3 pints poured out... black as charcoal...

???

Now, wait a minute, just the other day I had topped up one full liter (2 pints+) and hadn't ever started the bike, and now all she returns is a measly three pints?



What on earth was going on ?
Could I have been running the bike on... one pint ?



PS at least there was no fuel in the oil...

(By the way, as two of said three pints+ are actually good, new oil, how can I now recycle the ... stuff I drained? I have a diesel truck with a 65 liter tank - 17 USgal - do you suppose if I pour one pint every tankful I can just burn it away with my diesel? I know it sounds barbaric, but what else can I do? after all, it's a mere 1.5%, no two stroke runs on so little oil...)

Get real!
Take off the tank, dump out the antic fuel, while the tank is off do the plug and maybe even check the valves.
When you put everything back and charge the battery, put in some 10-40 oil. Start and run the machine for about 100 miles. Now drain the oil and change the filter.
Now put in a good grade of the proper oil.
Remember, you said about three pints of black goo came out. That is not an encouraging sign. It is indicative of neglect in the past. The 100 mile run and change is to clean out most of the grunge created by the neglect.
Consider the loss of oil as the price you pay for that neglect whether it is your neglect or someone elses.
The object is to refresh the engine and try to make it trustworthy again.
Don't forget to check your clutch adjustment and brake adjustments, oh and while you are down there, inspect the belt and adjust it if needed. neeed I say tire pressure and inspect for dry rot cracks?
Jack the machine up off the floor so that no weight is on the wheels and sound the spokes, adjusting as needed. Check your steering head bearings by gripping the forks down low and trying to move them fore and aft.
Any movement is unsatisfactory. Tighten as needed.
After all this you should be set to enjoy the summer!
keep your knees in the nreeze, bugs in your beard, and may you enjoy an hour in heaven before the devil knows you are dead.

Phelonius

Hey, Phelonius, how d'ya know I have a beard?
(well, actually, I only have a moustache... )

Anyway, I do not have a garage the way you guys have,
it's more like a set of yellow lines painted on the floor...
can't really do much work down there...

But you do have a point, drain out the old fuel and clean out the carb etc...
and change the oil again!

skatnbnc wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:07:

Good idea...well, sorta.  I do that with old gas and then put it in the truck.  I have some #2 cones that I use in a funnel.  But motor oil?  Better have a really big coffee filter and be prepared to wait a week or more....

...oil goes through a filter under pressure in the engine.  You have to be more patient with gravity

verslagen1 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:07:


Er... would that be a new pair of nylons from an old wife, or do I get a new wife to give me her old nylons...???

With these metric bikes, they're choosey, ya never know...

It is the high tech conversations like this one that I really like about this web-forum ... you just cannot find quality stuff like this anywhere else.  

verslagen1 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:07:


Please note that i said "if you have nothing better to do" since it will be a dogs age before it piddles down. You guys are right though, the pantyhose or cheescloth is faster.  

PS - you can get knee-high nylons for 99˘ or less at any store. Don't flinch at the cash register. "They are for my girl.  Her name is Suzi."  Knee-highs fit exactly over most size cans, elastic leg side around the rim.
Use a rubberband to secure regular pantyhose to the neck of the can. Been there. Messy if you dont do that.
Aren't you guys glad we girls are here to add these details!?  

Do you know yet where you will be living yet?  Do you get time from work to go search for a house?