On The Road

# 926 is licenced!

I've been in the middle of a pile of red tape trying to get my two bikes registered here in BC. As seems to be the case in all dealings with the govmint, (as with life) everyone tells you something different and the printed material has conflicting information in it.

ICBC, our provincial insurance corporation has done a search but found neither bike registered although one clerk told me that other Chargers were registered in BC in 1974.

I had to prepare a "statutory declaration" stating where I got the bike, how much I paid etc. and have it notarized. I did this for both bikes and got a package deal of $25. Nice. Shopping around paid off here because everywhere else was charging around $40 each.

The VIN on the bike is shorter than the normal VIN here but vintage motorcycles are exempt from getting a new 17 digit VIN.

The literature states that all motorcycles with no history of registration need to be inspected. The inspector at the independent designated inspection facility, told me that motorcycles older than 15 years do not require inspection. He said that this happened to one of his customers who paid to have his vintage bike inspected and then found out later it wasn't required. I called registration support who confirmed, "inspection required". I decided to try to register without the inspection and after the agent did some computer fiddling with the cc category, bingo! PLATES!!!1!

Going on my first spin today!

If anyone in BC wants advice on registering one of these bikes in BC feel free to contact me here.

Toasted KDB

Could be a good anchor for my sailboat.  

I'm going to try to re-wind this.  I'm getting 8 lbs of 17ga wire rated at 200 degrees C.  the winding pattern looks kind of crazy so I hope I can figure it out.

Wish me luck.

Wax on... wax off. Wax on... wax off.

This is my favourite part.  Making the old look new again with just a little elbow grease.  The rims are a little wobbly so I'm going to attempt to straighten them.  I have spoken.

I have solved the mystery of the red button on the tank.  No, It's not the warp drive, not the smoke screen, not the "laser".  It's the horn.  Doing  it's best to alert the batteries of impending danger.  This seems to be a stock mounting as the connections, condition and look of all the components match the original.  I'm quite happy with the arrangement because it gives the front of the bike a cleaner look, never mind the audibility issues.

I found the brake drums a bit warped and one of the shoes cracked, but again, almost no wear.

Soon It'll be time to reassemble.  

KDB Extraction

When I first got #12 Orange home, I hooked up the burnt smelling motor to a 12v battery. Dead as Stephen Harper's black little heart. I removed the armature to see the damage. The windings are black and toasty, but the bearings, brushes and commutator show almost no wear, feeding my theory that the owner cooked the motor very soon after buying the bike.

Motor removal was harder than I had hoped.  I tried gently tapping with a hammer and a wood block but it was stuck good so I quickly fabricated a puller which worked perfectly.  I cut up my thumb and forefinger on the metal bandsaw in a moment of unusual carelessness.  I think the thumb cut went right to the bone.  (shiver)  But I soldiered on and got the beast pulled out. Some of the black paint came off revealing a blue "hammerite" finish which must have been the colour of the motors as they came from the KDB factory. 

I then took the motor to Armature Electric who gave me a quote for $700 to rewind it but I have since decided to try to rewind it myself.  I Don't think it's really that difficult to do but I am looking for someone who can walk me through it. Any takers?

Orange-A-Peel

Until I have time to shoot my own, here's a video of an Auranthetic in action.

Charger II: "The Grinning"

In case you don't know, the "EV grin" is the perma smile one achieves when driving an electric vehicle.  There is something about the power, silence and smoothness of an electric motor that just seems right. You can't help but grin.  The top three countdown of things you don't miss from a gas motorcycle  #3: the clutch,  #2: shifting gears #1:  kick starting.  The only thing you kick on this little baby is ASS!

I already have another "electric auranage" with thanks to Don.  Since buying my first one (#12 Orange) I did a bunch of research on the brand and found a small but dedicated community of enthusiasts on the "interweb".  On an Auranthetic enthusiasts forum I met Don who was an owner in Vancouver.  A few days later he offered me his bike for a very reasonable price.  I couldn't resist because I am a while away from getting #12 on the road. 

No gas stations, no smell, no noise, no stalling, no kick starting, no jerry cans, no oil changes, spark plugs, etc, etc, etc. 

Fun, power, and the open road!