Back To Motorcycles

Like the title says I'm back to motorcycles .Yesterday I took out the  Moto Guzzi for a ride. I had her out a few days ago and noticed that the battery wasn't charging . I thought it was losing voltage while sitting overnight so I have been disconnecting it . I haven't been able to trace it to any specific wire or fuse . It's been bothering me so I decided to remove the halogen headlight I have in the bike and put back the conventional 7 inch round automotive Hi Low bulb that the bike was designed with. I think the halogen is drawing too much current and messing up my charging system . I once had a similar problem on my Yamaha R5 when I tried a halogen. It cooked my alternator . I replaced the rotor and put in the stock bulb and the problem went away never to return. That was 17 years ago ! So with this in mind I'm going to change out the bulb today on this rainy day so I can test it tomorrow and see what happens. I want to put in a new battery but not until I overcome this problem. You see, even though we are locked down due to the corona shit I'm still getting ready to hit the road (just in case ) . I sort of doubt I'll be able to go out west like planned but I will be heading up to my camp in the Adirondacks on this bike at least once this summer.

So, I have the kerosene heater going making my workspace nice and warm , I have a brand new headlight bulb , the battery is getting a full slow charge , and I'm going to get to work so tomorrow I can ride this bike all day long and see if the charging system is doing it's job . I bought this small jumper pack to carry on my two bikes with starter motors so I can jump them if ever needed . These days you  can't depend on anyone to help you. Last year I had a dead battery in my old 1976 Dodge and no one would give me a jump even though I had cables. America has really become a mean spirited place. I was lucky though, there was a Harbor Freight store near buy and I was able to buy a jump pack so I did it myself. Lesson learned and I now carry the big one in the car and the small one on the bikes.

It's always better to be self sufficient anyway. I still stop and help people and I know there are still lots of others out there that also do but here in the waste land known as the suburbs of NYC they would walk past you if you were lying on the sidewalk dying. It's good to be out in my garage again and working on bikes. Wish I had someone to do it with like in the old days when my friend Juan was around but this is the new reality and until the virus wanders off I'm stuck here alone. Think I might start working on this oil painting I started a while back after I get the headlight in. This thing has been sitting on my easel for way too long. I've been wanting to get back to painting for weeks now . Did clean my little studio so I can work in it last week and I have these two unfinished paintings to complete so I can start moving forward again.