Saturday March 11, 2023 Guerneville CA.
Fixing the dirt bike no start problem
Yesterday when I installed the new starter on the dirt bike, it wasn’t fixed and it still needed the hammer trick.
It had a strange thing going on as when I get the hammer out and lean down to hammer the starter, it would start before I used the hammer on it. I repeated that showing my brothers this strange thing and we couldn’t figure it out. But at least with the new starter, I knew it was good so I could do some more trouble shooting with the new info.
Found it
So, today, I got the bike out and took things apart looking for something that would cause the problem. After taking things apart a bit, I discovered this one little broken yellow wire up front by the steering forks.
OK, now it all makes some sense. When I leaned over to hit the starter with the hammer, the steering got turned a little bit and would make the wire make contact for a bit until I turned the steering the other way.
Broken wire
Here is the broken yellow wire. It broke right at the connector which makes it a bit harder to repair.
I got my soldering iron and tools out to repair the broken wire.
Then I started prepping the wires to get them ready to solder.
I added a small piece of wire as the yellow one was too short, that’s why it broke.
Repaired
The assembly got finished off with a piece of heat shrink insulation to finish it up.
Tested
I pushed the start button to check it out and it started right up. Good to get that one fixed up.
Cutting metal
The next thing I started to work on was doing some cutting on these metal pieces I’m working on. I got the metal cutting saw out and started to make a cut when it started to drizzle lightly and it kept it up all day, so I had to quit on this project for now.
And extra starter
Since I had the old starter apart and had some new brushes I put it all back together so I’d have an extra starter. Having taken it apart and putting it back together a few times before, the process went real quick. I took it outside to test it out on a battery. At first it didn’t work, then I realized I was using too small a wire to test it so I tried a larger wire and it worked. Good.
Shipping container
I’m considering buying a 40 foot metal shipping container for a shop as the rats have ruined the one in my garage and I can’t keep the rats out of that. I studied the problem of getting a container delivered and where I wanted to put it and how I’d get it to that spot as my yard is too tight for a big truck to move around much. I think with the bulldozer I can put it where I want it.
I think I can do it so I’m looking into the cost of one.
Nice day.
What a relief. I was afraid the starter had a little mind of it’s own and was just messing with you.
Bob,
Not sure what you have in mind for the shipping container, but we have one that we aren’t using that you can have for free, if you can get it moved. FYI, this is on the Gurdjieff Foundation property, adjacent to your brother’s place. The container is behind the motel building, right alongside Fife Creek. It has a minor roof leak and is pretty moldy inside, but that would change with a different location and a little work. Anyway, you’re welcome to take a look and see if it’s usable for your project. If so, I’ll need a week or two to clear out some junk and do something with the roof we built over it. If you run into one of our caretakers, just tell them Bill invited you to look at the container.
Cheers, Bill Dudley (property manager for Gurdjieff Foundation)
Hi Bill,
Thanks for the offer. I’m still researching this and haven’t decided on what I want to do yet. Moving those big things isn’t so easy, so I’d likely go with a new one. It seems one of the bigger problems with them around here is the condensation from all our dew in the valley.
Thanks again,
Bob
So satisfying to fix a problem like that. I’m curious about the cost of a container also. They sure come in handy.