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Mostly, this site is for me, as I tend to forget where I saw something. Yeah, I know, I could save it to "My Favorites" but my kids are forever screwing up my computer and I needed a place a little less volatile that I can always find info. Anyhow, it's mostly good stuff to know, so help yourself.
My Story for those that care:
I first got interested in the idea of a bike when I came back from Iraq. My wife said just buy a Harley from the PX but I thought I might get something better/cheaper/cooler/older on the German economy. Picked up a used bike mag and started searching the antiques. Lots of old cool stuff, little pricey for the big cubes, though. Then I saw Molotovs!!! Started doing some web searches. Found an awesome Polish guy that'd give you the shirt off his back. Drove all over Poland checking out bikes and sending me photos. He found a 1951 K-750. It was love at first sight, almost perfect as far as Ruskie bikes go. Bought it, then got the fever for another. A completely different story that's best told in the following rant session from a while back..........
Oh, and just a few I didn't mention in the rant: the valve covers are missing some big chips and still had grass in the fins; the sidecar tire sticks out beyond the fender and will not come off the axle (gonna need a gear puller!); and best of all, I went to lift it once by the spare, and dumped the sidecar off its frame!!! The cost has been minimal in dollars, but I've paid with blood and tears (sweat soon to follow once spring/summer gets here). Here's my tirade.........try not to wet yourself at my misfortune!!!
My dealings with East Europeans (Poles) has been mixed. One went out of his way to deliver my first bike (actually, both!) but he was of German descent. We still keep in touch and visit each other occasionally. He makes a living taking German beater cars to Poland to fix them up. German junk is better than a Trabant. That's just how things are done in the East. And the further east you go, the worse quality gets. Things are bought "as is, where is minus the parts I can get off before you get back to pick it up." Which brings me to my other bike... It was advertised on the net as in "good condition, fires with every kick, new cardan (drive shaft), generally overhauled, etc...". Well, a Polish overhaul comes from a can, (mine was blue, guess it was on sale, on the swatch pallet it's gotta be listed as "Butt-Ugly Blue"!). And it's what is NOT said, like the battery in the photo was not part of the deal. Once I got a battery it took more than a kick or two-SURPRISE! The shaft drive was new, but finger tight. As was the sidecar wheel and mounts, the generator. It leaks from every possible joint/seal/head/cylinder/thing that holds fuel/air/oil/exhaust/water (yes, water; apparently they use water in their spares-what was I thinking?) But who would want to replace that warped rear wheel (and not just a little warped either-but it isn't even noticeable at speed! That may be because I'm worried about the bent handlebar coming off-don't worry, one handlebar clamp's not stripped. And "at speed"-not really sure, no speedo cable.) On the first test ride I lost two of those little brass screws from the K301 carbs, they only keep the gas in because performance didn't change after plugging the holes with formed solder. That frigging light to the left of the key, y'all say it's the "not charging" indicator... well, prior to y'all enlightened me it was the "oh scheisse, it's going to die on me" indicator, or the "key is not pushing on that stooopid RPOC contact while trying to start it" indicator, and one time it was the " some yahoo jammed the coil wire in without a contact on it and now it has wiggled loose" indicator, "at speed" of course. Electrics-'nuff said there. Essentially, the only thing that didn't make noise was the horn!
A Turkish mechanic (Turkey is the Near East, but not near enough I guess) thought he could fix (some of) it. I went to pick it up after a month. Wouldn't start, worse shape than I left it! New battery was dead; not even enough juice to light up the "hey, your battery's dead" indicator. I put in 6 volt headlight battery (headlight here means a stretchy band with a light on it you put on you head so you can work on your bike hands free when it breaks down in the dark) I put in gas (remember those leaks?), put in a new set of plugs and chitty-chitty, bang-bang I was roaring home... until the key eased out (why don't we start troubleshooting the easy stuff in the first 30 minutes?).
Anyhow, I parked it in the garage next to the yellow one. That was four weeks ago. I went out there 3 days ago and out of curiosity pushed in the key- the "I'm toying with your emotions in 20 degree weather" indicator came on. I had to try. Sometimes you just got to hear 'em run. Flipped the gas on... a little choke and a lot of throttle and by God this RPOS sputtered to life on the FIRST frigging kick!!!
P.S., I put brand new K-68 carbs on it recently. It will not run at much more than at idle now, but I'll be danged if I didn't start it today on the very first kick without ticklerin', chokin', or swearing after sitting for a month with the gas off!!! It's in the midst of a camouflage makeove right now. At least it'll look cool!
P.P.S., I put some old second-hand K-301's carbs on it (the ones on it when I bought it were a K-301 and a K-302). The "new" carbs leak perfectly (oops, work perfectly). Now it takes a few kicks to get it running, but it is capable of speed with some sputtering.
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