Lisa Duke Was Right

When I first bought the Interceptor I bought a new battery and tried turning it on. At first I didn’t get lights or anything. After checking the fuses and just generally messing around, but doing nothing substantive, the lights came on. A little more messing around and I could get the solenoid to make a clicking noise. But the bike wouldn’t turn over. I played with it now and then but still to no avail. By the time I took the bike into class the battery wouldn’t hold a good charge (that is to say hold a charge up of 12+ Volts, you really want 12.6) despite repeated attempts to charge the battery. Even so, I explained to Lisa that I had had a new battery in their and the bike wouldn’t turn at all. She told me to get a new battery. I explained again that it had had a new battery and that it all my attempts previously hadn’t worked and maybe there was some other problem electrically between the battery and the starter. She was having none of it. She said you need a new battery before you start playing diagnostic doctor and refused to look at the bike until I did (In fairness I’m not even enrolled in the class so that is totally her prerogative). So I did get a new battery and on Saturday I put it in and hit the starter and what do you know? The starter turned over like warm kitten. I didn’t have the carbs in (and I am two bolts short, having stripped them getting the carbs disassembled, so I have to wait on that but I suspect once I get the carbs back in the bike will run. I can see that the carbs need adjusting visually and it’s going to need some more parts (fuel filter, oil filter, radiator cap, etc) but I believe that the engine is going to be running maybe tonight.

Incidentally, on the way to pick up bolts for the Carbs I drove by a &^!#ed up GPz550 on the road. I pulled over and checked it out and it looks like an ‘83 (which is the same year as mine) that has been sitting outside since ’84. The airbox and carbs are missing but I think there is a lot of salvage I could use off of it. The tank has no dents (unlike mine) and much less rust. Also the blickers and fuse box, I could use. I’m going to leave a note and see if I can pick it up as a parts bike...I feel the slow inexorable slide to becoming a grease monkey with a yard full of motorcycle parts.