Bumping this old thread...
I finally got a replacement choke plunger. Yay.
Unfortunately for me, the throttle cable assembly was in the way for getting the old plunger out and the new one in. Argh.
Fortunately, my dad was working on this with me and between us we were able to get the old plunger removed and the new one installed. What we learned in the process is that, as we should expect, 14 - 15 years worth of age tends to leave screws, nuts and bolts a little unwilling to break free so that they can be removed if necessary.
We got one screw out of the throttle cable assembly, but couldn't get the other to move at all. We used a pair of vice grips to get the lower screw to move. The upper is pretty tough to get access to, but we'll figure it out. Eventually I'll probably wind up replacing both of those screws just to be sure that they can be replaced later if needed. Again, thankfully, we were able to get the new plunger in place without removing that assembly, but it was a total p-i-t-a. Definitely nice to be able to start the bike without worrying that the choke is going to slide right back in. (Now I only need two hands, not three
)
Meanwhile, my next issue is that we couldn't get the screw out of the bottom of the right front turn indicator assembly. Bleh. I have a replacement for the entire assembly, including the bracket that goes on the forks. I really don't want to have to take apart the forks to replace that darned light. We'll probably wind up drilling out the screw in that one if we can't get the screw that holds that assembly to break free.
Projects, projects, projects....
I got the saddlebag supports that I had ordered, and intend to get those installed over the next few days (if things go well). I should also have the new seat on the way soon. That should make for fun too. More than likely leading to ordering a forward controls kit.