Thursday, August 11, 2011

Stators are submerged in oil

Lately I have been in keep fit mode. I have been cycling and last week I decided to take a walk on the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. Not long ago I used to take my camera and walk all day shooting photos of daily life. These days not so much because it irritates my foot, but I take it easy, take smaller steps and keep the distances manageable. As I was in the area, I decided to walk past this old house

P1070495

It's the 3 storey walkup with the red roof. I notice that the veranda is now closed in. It used to be open

P1070496

It was not considered to be in a good area back in the mid 1960's, and I notice that nothing has changed. It is still not in a good area but things look more deteriorated now. Earlier I walked past the front of the house intending to snap a closer photo, but the tenents came outside to enjoy the sunshine and I had to back off to a more discrete distance and zoom in, from a vantage point out of view.

It is not general knowledge that I was from a broken home and I thought my mean step-mother was picking on me as I was the one that always had to do the chores, while my step siblings didn't . One night I packed all of my worldly possessions into the trunk of my car and went to work as usual . . . only I never went home again. I found a room in a boarding house and shared my room with a friend. It wasn't the greatest existence but I continued to go to work expecting my family to call me on the phone at work to ask about me, but they didn't. A couple of weeks later, my dad called and asked how I was but we were not well off and he couldn't help much . Not long after I decided that a boarding house was not for me. Dinners were Kraft dinner and perhaps a hot dog or two for protein, preceeded with a stack of bread and butter. To this day when a meal is served with bread as the starter I often think of these sad times when I was alone with no support .

When I left the boarding house I was finally on my own. I had to fend for myself and I rented half of the upstairs of this old house, photos above. I look at those two windows on the top floor and remember that the one on the right was my bedroom, and the left one was the kitchen that I had to share with another young person. As I walked by it reminded me of these old times that I would rather forget. This was nearly 45 years ago and I still remember the sadness.

I walk around the corner to see if my previous mechanic, DJ Paul is in

P1070497

He was the one who used to work on my SV650. He used to work out of a private garage, but now he has a storefront called, Motomethod. You can hire him to do all the mechanical work, or you can rent a lift and work on your bike yourself and call him over if you run into problems

P1070498

Chelsea has a failed stator which she installed and somehow there is now an oil leak. I did not know until today that the stator is immersed in oil. here she is with her 600 sport bike leaned on the frame sliders while she removed the stator cover

P1070500

with the cover off DJ Paul noticed part of the previous gasket was not fully removed causing the new seal, not to seal correctly and the oil just gushed out when the engine produced some pressure

P1070501

That is the starter pinion gear near the bottom . After her bike was put back together and started for a few minutes

P1070503

both of them crawled underneath to check for oil leaks . There was some oil residue but it was presumed that it was not completely cleaned off the inner fairings from the original leak, and was dripping down

P1070504

There is another person who uses the shop to make custom bikes using 650 engines. Here is one example

P1070505

later on this other person started one up to go on a road test



12 comments:

  1. Bob my friend,
    I was moved by the tale of your early life. My parents split up when I was around 10 although they remained on quite good terms. I've no doubt that those early experiences can actually help to shape your later life in a positive way and I'd bet that that's what happened in your life from what I know of you and your family.

    Moving on to stator (and rectifier) failures, this seems to be a relatively common occurrence on modern bikes, particularly with some specific models. You'd think it would be well sorted by now, wouldn't you? Hardly new technology. Pre-2002 Honda Blackbirds were well-known for it.

    Take care....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting story and a bit surprising from the way the post began. I worry about my own boys since they are from a broken home. While I was growing up, it was without any fears or concern about family security. And I lived at home until I moved to Alaska when I was in my mid-20s.

    I never even given a though to where the alternator is on a modern bike. The one on my old airhead is very similar to an automotive alternator except it is running slow (direct drive off of the crankshaft) and not in oil. Interesting post....

    ReplyDelete
  3. I too recently visited a former home after 45 years and that too brought memories of sadness. It's maybe good to look back and remember the past some times.

    N

    ReplyDelete
  4. P.S.

    No problems with BMW R series electrical generation - nice dry alternator with a drive belt!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Environment and biology. Past shapes, but so does your desire to be who you want to be. Bad people can come from Norman Rockwell families. Good people can come from broken homes.

    Like Nikos, car alternator, dry, tucked under the tank.

    Lot of bikes in that lot. Good sound on the one...need pipes though. :) And the camera lens needs a little cleaning. hehehe

    ReplyDelete
  6. to Lori

    Thanks for telling me where it is - I have never had to touch mine in 4 years.......


    (famous last words?)

    Loving the crocs(tm), N

    ReplyDelete
  7. A kid from the asphalt jungle, eh? It's like corrective surgery. Painful at the time but ultimately makes one stronger.

    Explains the self sufficiency.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Bobskoot:

    Finally, a glimpse of the man behind the legend. Isn't it curious that when you are living under one set of circumstances, how endless those circumstances seem. Then years later, you go past one of those places and it seems like memories from someone else's life.

    Every former experience contributes something to one's current life. These experiences are like individual tiles in a broad mosaic.

    Fondest regards,
    Jack/reep
    Twisted Roads

    ReplyDelete
  9. Bob,
    I wouldn't have commented again but for reading everyone else's posts. You're a lucky man having those friends - empathy, honesty and humanity but not empty sympathy. Understanding where you're coming from and telling it like it is.

    Who could ask for more?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Geoff:

    Our family split in half. My sister went with my mother to her previous home 3,000. miles away in Toronto. We had no contact

    Richard:

    at least you are giving your sons family support, I had to fend for myself by living with my Uncle

    Nikos:

    sometimes a song will trigger good memories too. The past wasn't always as good as we remember it to be . I think I would like to have an "R" bike someday

    Steel Cupcake:

    you are so perceptive. I didn't know my lens was dirty until I reviewed the video

    Irondad:

    when the chips are down, there is only one person you can depend upon. I am trying to make up for lost time

    Jack:

    I knew you would understand . You have to make the best of what you have

    Geoff:

    I know you have a kind heart, thanks for the kind words, Bro'

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very touching story from your younger days. I'm glad you decided to share it. Sometimes that's not easy to do, especially painful memories. Sending a big hug.

    The shop sounds like a nice resource, especially if you want to work on your own bike, but have the back up of a good mechanic when things get tough.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Bluekat:

    I nearly didn't mention it but everytime I go past this place I feel a bit sad.

    DJ Paul is a great mechanic, he also moderates his own section on a local bike forum.

    http://vrombc.com/v-web/smf/index.php?board=2.0

    ReplyDelete