I was out on the tracker the other day and she was a handful , not feeling on point. Sometime ago I had some loose spokes on the rear and I had tightened and half as$ed trued it. I think maybe the aluminum rim might be damaged(worn nipple holes) that make it impossible to properly true it. For not being a race bike it normally is very tight and when something isn’t right I notice it. Thought it might be low air but no. When Ryca had these wheels made I heard that they used the affordable rim and nipple holes had to be redrilled due to steep spoke angle of rear hub. Buchanan’s did such a nice job on the wheels for the BSA (Half Pint) , I’m gonna find me a box and send it ! Already have new Continentals & tubes ready and service the forks too while it’s down and oil & filter. I quite literally trashed the rear wheel , whole shots , jumping R/R crossings and just a good dose of abuse. It is , ok it was my daily and will be again soon. It’s such a fun bike to ride you can’t help but to test it and test it hard , it seems to respond best when abused ! I’ll also give that swingarm a close inspection for cracks. Tracker 3.0 will have to wait , not ready yet , I need her back on the road asap , maybe start on Tracker 3.0 in 2027. Until then she’s gonna cop some more abuse , ride it like you stole it !    

Yeah I fell prey to the wife , I decided to paint living room & dining room(all one room) or get starved out ! LOL , A bit over 600 sq ft of 10 ft high ceiling , walls . window coverings , new wall mounted TV & adding a big mirror over the fireplace mantle too.  It was overdue for sure. It’s a in progress thing , waiting for the blinds to arrive in 2 weeks , I should be close to done by then. I think the kitchen will have to wait till next winter , unless we have a longer winter. But I told her, that word may be a bit harsh , we agreed as soon as weather turns I’m back on the F100 till I’m driving it ! So I’m really wanting this DUN !  Still shopping for a street bike , really like the RE 650 that MM just bought , I can actually visualize me on that bike. As you know I absolutely hate cookie cutter bikes , this one is so well done it just a modern  version of a vintage classic. It would fit right in with my other bikes. That is a solid maybe !    

It was 60 degrees yesterday in northern KY, and I was able to go out and enjoy a little ride (I tried to ignore the dried salt brine they had spread on the roads to get ready for the coming snow/ice that is coming on Monday).

The 1972 BMW R75/5 rode well after the cam chain and tensioner replacement and fork oil change.  It is a 4 speed....I keep looking for another gear on top!!!!!

Our weather forecast for the next 10 days is cold and something white or wet for the next 10 days.

Over the weekend I rearranged the garage to get the tracker up on the lift and get the rear wheel off. Today it hit 90 here and it was almost hot enough to soften the tire , almost. Tire off was easy , but breaking the beads whooped my as$ , I used muscles I didn’t know I had , but I know now ! What a workout and of course I had to see if my blood thinner meds were working , nice gash in forearm bright red blood flowing down to my little finger. Got the spokes out , hub going to Buchanan’s for new rim & spokes. Wash & polish hub and ship it out soon. Tires , tube & bands waiting. The 404s are good tires but closer to a truck tire moving to some road going Continentals a lighter tire with softer compounds , should be interesting a real street tire. However I did love and will miss the 404s for their off road ability  

Cleaned up the rear brake , I use stock brake shoes. I tried the EBC replacement and the EBC slotted shoes too and both never made it on the bike. I got curious measured installed shoes (stock) and both of EBC shoes. EBC measured between .030” to .035” Less than the stock shoes with close to 10k miles of wear. That quite a bit of adjustment to loose. Stock shoes  are 56 bucks for OEM. I think they are a tad over 6” , I wonder if my 6” rear brakes shoes for my BSA will fit !? Gonna take some time to find a pair but they just might work. Probably not any cheaper than OEM.

Is it just me or am I just impatient. Chomping at the bit waiting on the rear wheel. All parts are clean , tire n tube with tools all laid out. Chain cleaned and lubed hanging to drain excess lube. Swingarm has no cracks , I keep a spare up in the warehouse. Then turn it around for front tire and fork oil , oil & filter. Also a quick carb cleaning & fresh Uni air filter. A tank of super and a can of “lawn mower gas” from the hardware store. And a new battery too! Waiting to order the battery last so I won’t short cut these repairs. Local P.D. probably thinks I moved away or got rid of the bike , it hasn’t been seen for at least 6 months. Riding the e-bike is fun but it ain’t the tracker and I’m itching to ride it. Spring is here spite all the rain and snow here in CA , six storms in 2 weeks and more on the way ! Maybe the rear wheel will show up this week !!!  

Most of my maintenance is done. Oil & filter , carb cleaning with a new foam filter. I’m not one to be pulling the plug out while jetting and honestly I don’t remember if I ever replaced the plug since the motor was built , I will have to take a peek at it. Checked jetting to last rejet , record reads 190 main & 12.5 pilot , but I removed a 17.5. The two and the seven are similar and I must have screwed that up. The rest of the written record oil soaked and ink has blurred. So it’s gettin a 12.5 cause it was rich on idle circuit. It ran perfect , maybe a bit better now ? Guess I’m getting seat off to get the battery out next , get one ordered. Not holding my breath but hopefully the rear rim will arrive next week and I can get the ball rolling. It’s a small bike that looks smaller on the lift. Also why my photos suck of this bike , It being on the lift made me realize that I need to be low to capture a good pic. Shapes & Lines are smooth and accentuated by the colors & patterns , l see it everyday and it still looks sexy. Only the engine looks not to scale , still make me snicker , the engine maybe a tad big  for the wheels & chassis , but I have grown to like it. No big changes , just a bunch of overdue maintenance. Next winter I’ll tackle the intermittent charging issue. If I don’t fix it while I’m waiting on my wheel !