Red: 7.5 Volts

Realized that if I was short on voltage with the engine running and the lights on, then why not add a couple extra?  Seemed like the low horn volume when running was simply due to the low volts.

So rigged up an extra D battery to clip into the existing harness.  Tested ok, so then soldered everything together.

Test run showed a much better horn volume, though still not super loud...

Red: Horn Swap and Speedo On

Installed the new $3.79 thumb screw from Ace using a double nut to set the length.  One of those easy fixes that couldn't have worked out any better.  I like the look, too...

Then checked into the problem of the very low horn.  The odd thing is that it was low when you honked it from the button.  But if you hooked it up directly to the battery it sounded fine. 

Figured that somehow it wasn't getting the full 6V while on the bike, but tested the circuit and indeed the voltage was just fine.  So how could it betting getting full volts while on the bike but sounding very low, and then full volts directly to the battery but sounding fine?

Made no sense.  Finally just swapped Ivy's horn over as a test and it worked fine!  So just something a bit off with the aftermarket horn...  Have a new one on order anyway, so I'll just leave Ivy's on Red for now.

Speedo gear install was pretty straight-forward.  Used the new Husky ratcheting wrenches to good effect to remove the fender.  Almost made that job a pleasure versus doing it the old way.

Applied liberal amounts of moly-b to the gears.

Took it for a spin later that afternoon and it's working!

But based on that and a few subsequent rides, it looks like the ratio is going to be a bit off.  What the odometer displays is less than actual.  To get actual, multiply the displayed mileage by a factor of 1.4.

Run Ivy Run: Horn and Torque

My plan was to actually run the horn off 4xAA batteries housed in the headlight bucket.  Had wired the entire thing up but when I hit the button, the horn briefly sounded then wouldn't come on again.  Checked all the wires, continuity and voltage and it was all fine.

Then tested against the SLA battery instead and found that it worked perfectly.

Would have maybe put more time into troubleshooting the 4xAA solution, but housing the battery box in the headlight seemed clunky.  Probably better off just doing up the loom with all the splits.

Got a few bags of connectors anyway, so I've got everything I need now.  To be continued...


Then set about torquing everything I could on the frame.  Went well with 3 exceptions:

• The steering stem nut I'm using for Ivy is 30mm and the big socket I have is only 29mm.  Other stem nuts are 29mm so I must have only used it for those.  
• The right side top fork bolt is spinning.
• One of the rear flange bolts is spinning (marked it with red X)

Aside from that, here are the torque specs, which I also created a half-sheet file for:

• Steering Head
• Front axle nut (17mm) = 22
• Handlebar lower bolts = 17-22 (didn't do these)
• torque in this order
•  Lower fork bolts (14mm) = 13-18
• Top fork bolts (23mm) = 25-33 (only left was torqued)
• Steering stem (29 or 30mm) = 58
• Rear Suspension
• Swing arm (17mm) = 22-25
• Rear axle nut (17mm) = 22-29
• Rear sleeve nut (23mm) = 29-36
• Rear flange bolts (14mm) = 14-18
• Rear cushions (14mm) = 18-25

Run Ivy Run: Brake Light and Horn Test

Tested the tail light and horn.

Tail light is in good shape and both running light and brake light are working.

Horn works, too, but the wires are perished.  Will basically need to cut them at the source and replace with connectors.