Woo Hoo! A Big Project!

[gspd]

It looks to me like the hi/lo function of your new lights is a type of diffuser, like those flashlights that 'focus' to intensify the light at the center or to spread the beam wider. Your new lights are much brighter, more concentrated and focused in the low beam pic, and softer, more diffused in the high beam pic.
Is it possible that your hi/lo wires are reversed? maybe they were mis-labeled? I think high beam should be bright and focused, low beam should be softer and wider.

Oh, ya, BTW, you might as well just run your (now practically useless) h4 on the 5w park bulb as much as possible and save 60w for some hot grips and a heated vest.

[melville]

A little lights update. I took Ernst for a weekish long trip out to Montana and back recently. On my first day, on Hwy 395 somewhere north of Fox OR I caught up to, and passed, a guy on an FJR. Now clearly, he wasn't trying as an FJR is probably the bike you want to be on when you absolutely positively have to be there overnight. But when I stopped for gas in Pilot Rock he pulled in and we talked Airheads for a bit. Nice guy--also an Airheadist when he's not on the FJR. His words as I remember them: "Those lights filled my mirrors!" He asked what they were and I gave him Google search info that would get him to this thread so he could find the link. I've been very happy with them so far (no real night riding yet as I avoid that) and it was great to hear some confirmation from an outside observer.

[melville]

Ernst has been sitting a while as I've gotten Edgar sorted. Partly because of this:



I parked Ernst at the end of June and took the final drive to Hansen's for new seals, and as it turned out, new bearings. That took a while as they rebuilt their FD fixtures but Craig thinks they're doing better work with better tools now. Here's what I got back:



I cleaned up the surrounding area and got Ernst back on both wheels a little while ago. Then I was able to push him to my new shop in the backyard. A little time to build a bench and bike stand, and we got to here:



A bit later in the winter than I'd planned (today is the first day of Spring) but I'm digging it nonetheless.

I've got some other stuff to deal with:





And I'm likely doing an alternator upgrade and a crank-triggered ignition with that front plate coming off. Possibly a new cam chain if it's showing wear. To get better access to that area, I'll be servicing the fork and head bearings. When the fork goes back together, it will have dual disc sliders, with the full brake upgrade to follow later.

In the meantime I've got to finish some things I'd started at the back end so I can dick with the front end. First, the Progressive shocks (nice pieces!) got entirely too patinated in 10 years on the coast, so they'll get handed down to Edgar, who is all about the patina. I'd come into these a while ago:



They are gas charged and rebound adjustable Sachs shocks from a Moto Guzzi V11 if I've researched it right. Statically, they're 1/2 longer than stock Airhead shocks which matches up nicely with my plans. I'd like Ernst to be a bit more of a backroad scratcher now that I've got Edgar for pillion and getting out of town use. And with the chrome bodies and springs, they really belong here:



I looked inside that book, and I'm just a little disappointed Ernst didn't make the final edit. But with these shocks, perhaps he'll make the next edition.

The bit I didn't know was whether or not the spring rate was anywhere close to what I needed. So I built a test rig:



It gets used like this (you don't see my ass on the end of the board):



I checked the Sachs springs against the OG BMW springs for load at installed length, load at installed less 1.25" (sag height), and load at 1' and 2" less than that. 3" was well beyond the rating of my $10 scale! The Sachs springs are progressive and probably will ride less than the 1/2" taller than stock. Otherwise, they were close enough to stock that it probably won't matter.

With some work with a hole saw, the test rig was also a reassembly rig:



Somewhere in here I ran the shiny bits on the buffer to refresh them:



And then it was time to reinstall. Ernst has an issue with the subframe on the left side:



I had similar issues with some Hagons I wanted to try. So I got the Dremel out and made some clearance to get to here:



That gets us caught up. Updates as they happen. As always, never too quickly.

[gspd]

Mel-
I totally envy your work space.
All this time my mind sort of envisioned you wrenching airheads in the back of a over-patina'd VW Type2 exoskeleton.
Congrats! Very impressive!

[melville]

I'm digging the work space and I'm working hard to keep it from getting cluttered. It's an amazingly powerful thing to be able to work on something without having to move three things (bikes, VWs, wood butcher stuff) just to start the job.

[Airbear]

Serious envy here too, Mel. That's a lovely space.

According to a radio program I heard recently I am a borderline pathological hoarder. My shed is chaotic, but nothing compared to what's in my head.