Sprocket to Me

The above photos show a front chain sprocket from a Honda CM400. If you have ever wondered when you ought to change a sprocket, if yours looks like this then NOW is the time. Honestly, months ago was probably the time, but don't sweat the small things. The last image shows the amount of material that was lost between the original item and a spanking new sprocket.

Personally, I'm going to polish this thing up and use it as a throwing star for any wayward ninja vagrants.

My Bike Has Been Making A Lot Of Noise Lately

Rocker arms

What you see in this picture is the chewed up rocker arm of a 500cc single. A few months ago this bike came in with that really bad top end noise and it turned out that it didn't have ANY oil in it. It ran for a little while longer after refilling it, but it eventually died.
When we took the bike apart, we discovered where that very awfully loud noise was coming from: one of the rocker arms had worn paper thin, so the clearance between the rocker arm and the valve got rapidly bigger, making all that racket and the piston was worn out, too.
The damaged rocker was on the exhaust side. The engine would suck in fuel but because there was a big gap between the rocker and the valve, it wouldn't really open, not releasing the burnt fuel, causing it to not run anymore. The piston got damaged also when it was run low on oil, so it's getting a bigger Wiseco piston now!
So there is an upside: Our customer took the opportunity to make the engine faster and better and it'll run like a bat out of hell once we're done with it!
He's also doing some custom work to it, will post pictures when done! It should turn out pretty nice.

Nom Nom Nom Nom!

Hi, girls and boys!

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Gee, I wonder what my bike would do if I let the rear brake caliper eat my rain cover while I'm in motion?" Needless to say something exciting, as one befuddled but ultimately lucky customer found out in person.

Thankfully, even a totally gummed up and immovable rear wheel from Bavaria won't stop this bike from rolling about. Utilizing the very latest in modern sportbike transportation technology, we set the wheels in motion, cleaned this puppy up, and set it off roving.

Stay frosty out there.

Sweet 16...

On August 1st, 2010, Werkstatt turned 16. In some countries this is the legal drinking age. So cheers! Here's to 16! And you are allowed to now finally ride a motorcycle. That's something we here at Werkstatt have been doing for far longer than 16 years. I got my drivers license 22 years ago, and most everybody that works here has been riding since a young age.
My wrenching habit is turning 22 also if you count the many hours I spent on my first bike, a kick start only XT500 that constantly broke down, to the point that 20 years ago I decided to do an official 3 year apprenticeship in Munich, Germany, and then worked as a technician in a dealership near Munich for a while.
A lot of things have changed since then. I have moved to San Francisco. I became a business owner in 93, opening Werkstatt in the back of a welding shop as a one woman operation. I have hired people to grow Werkstatt to the great business it is now, and the staff has grown to 5.
This year we got voted "Best of The BayList" by the SF Chronicles SFGate readers, and we got voted "Best San Francisco Mechanics" by the readership of the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
The website was started in 2001 I think, and I started writing the blog in 2007. I have since neglected it, concentrating on the business and racing instead, but since we are getting requests to start up the blog again about the ongoings at Werkstatt, we will start posting again. There will be guest posters such as Kyle Dinh and Will Houng to share their experiences along with me. So keep posted!
Cheers! Jennifer

Chicks on Bikes

Wow, so I'm back, blogging. Sorry for the long absence! Had to figure out first on not to write the whole thing in Hindi :) The settings on blogspot.com had changed themselves in over a year of not logging back in.

So since I last blogged, I have raced another MotoCorsa Classico at Willow Springs and have been to another Moto Melee and I celebrated with many, many friends my 15 year anniversary of Werkstatt Motorcycle Repair in August and all of a sudden I can think of many a story to tell, but what was most awesome and made me want to blog again is the arrival of:

"Chicks on Bikes"! A photo book by Christina Shook.

12 years in the making, it has great pictures of women riders, including me (at the tender age 27) and a lot of other women, some of whom I have known for 12 or more years, riding and enjoying motorcycles, and pictures of a lot of women I don't know that I am glad to hear about their stories and see their pictures. There are so many!


The book itself is a fast paced ride with twist and turns, you never know what to expect on the next page, but it's always exhilarating, a roar to women on motorcycles. The mostly full bleed pictures in this small, square shaped and intimate book format truly capture this particular slice of life in an extraordinary fashion that makes you want to devour every page and then go back and take the same road over again.

Real, raw, full of life, a celebration of women riding motorcycles, no sweet talking here, just beauty. And in a way, a contemporary history book of modern women riding motorcycles, a cap-off to the long history of women riding motorcycles since the motorcycle was first invented.

I love this book, I am so glad Christina got it into print. There are only limited amounts available, and you can buy it here. I ordered 5 myself, to give away to friends and family, to share with them all these different women of all ages and backgrounds with one single uniting factor: the love of riding motorcycles.

Moto Melee

Every year there is the Moto Melee. A hundred vintage bikes take off to tour California in 1000 mile, 3 day tour.

I know the date in advance, end of June, always, yet, when do I start working on my bike? On the Sunday 6 days before departure.

Well, I'm a mechanic. My bikes don't break down, do they? Besides, it ran fine last time a rode it. 4 years ago. Wait, it kinda didn't want to idle so well. And it wouldn't start so well either then. As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, it wouldn't start at all, and it was summer and I was really busy at the shop and so I just parked it. It couldn't be more than a little points adjustment or blowing out the idle jet, could it? What could possibly wrong with it?

Just one little but crucial thing. I just didn't know it yet.

So on the Sunday 6 days before departure I gave the bike a full tune up, overhauled the carburetor, tightened all the bolts, replaced worn out rubber things and gave it a wash. THEN I kicked it over. Surprise! No compression! Now that's pretty crucial. Actually: that is one of the three crucial things: Spark, gas and compression. But no compression. As in: I put my finger in the spark plug hole and it does not get blown out. At all.

Instead, all the air goes out the side.

That would indicate a blown head gasket, see picture. Now my 1971 Moto Guzzi Nuovo Falcome is really nothing too special, except for you can't get parts in the United States for it.

I text my friend Jutta in Germany, despite being in the middle of night for her, and ask her to express me a top end gasket kit from Germany. She calls IMT Munich on Monday, they work on Moto Guzzis all day, and they have the head gasket in stock.

It turns out Marc who works there owes me a favor, and he hooks me up with a head gasket, and Jutta picks it up there and then it gets picked up from her house by the post office on Tuesday, and it appears at my doorstep on Wednesday, 40 Euros later. Thanks Jutta and Marc, you are the best!

Phew! So on Wednesday night and Thursday early morning I overhaul the top end and kick! Kick! Kick! It fires up!

I feel very lucky to have friends across the big pond.

Then test drive Thursday night, Friday night, and off I go on Saturday morning. And it ran great! The engine didn't leak, and besides re-torquing the head on the Sunday morning in the parking lot to avoid another blown head gasket, I really didn't have any major problems.

For a vintage bike that is anyway. You know, this used to be my daily commuter for two years 19 years ago. Now I remember how I became a mechanic beside the apprenticeship: fixing things on my vintage bike that needed a lot off attention.

So after this Melee it only needs a few things. Just a few. Like: Steering bearings, the forks need a rebuild since they are not much more than pogo sticks anymore, the brakes are terrible and need to be redone, shocks are now blown, the headlight and the taillight gave out, the tank mounts broke off and the ignition switch is on its last leg. Plus I REALLY would like a 5 speed transmission. It's a never ending story.

And although I had such a blast I really appreciated the KTM afterwards. So smooth, with brakes, real suspension, and lights. I never thought I would call the KTM smooth. But in comparison...Modern technology. The world has made progress. A lot of progress. It's not as cute as the Guzzi, but hey. Can't have everything.

Well, I blame the 1000 miles of all the rough back roads we did in those 3 unforgettable days, and the dirt roads. A lot of fun, and absolutely beautiful, like a dream, but also a lot of vibration. And since the Guzzi is really not a dirt bike, I shouldn't be too surprised. It looks like one now, see picture. Judging from the dirt that is...

And when am I going to start working on it again? That's right. The Sunday before the next Melee. Or maybe I'll do it this winter. I'll make myself a reminder. Really. I swear.

Needless to say though this was SO MUCH FUN. I had great ride companions and the roads were awesome. Ute, Johnny, Ben and Steve were great. And thanks Harley and Jeff for putting on 11 years of Moto Melee by now.

We made it through some mishaps together, especially Ben, who had all kinds of problems and crashed twice, but got right back up and made it through the whole ride. He also got the Willy Makit Award for that at the Banquet Monday night.

I'll write another blog about all that later. Probably on this blog. Keep posted!

'08 Sheetiron 300

This weekend I did the Sheetiron 300, which is a dual sport ride starting in Stonyford, then goes over the Sheetiron Mountain and ends up in Fort Bragg and back in 2 days, organized by the OMC.

The only street legal dual sport I have is my (since I did a bunch of work to it, now hopefully...) trustworthy KTM 950 Adventure. I bought it last year and prepped it to go to Mexico with but alas the water pump failed and I ended up taking a trustworthy KLR instead. But finally the Sheetiron gave me a chance to figure out the dirt with the beast.

I met John Sweeney, a friend from the SFMC at a Mill Valley coffee shop and we took the scenic route up to Stonyford where the temperature was like 109F. So once we got there and met up with the SFMC we kicked back and drank a couple of beers, made dinner and retired to our tents early.

The next day we got started fairly early, like 7.45. Could have been earlier, but have you ever tried getting 10 guys to leave from somewhere?

I was a little tentative about taking the big KTM over the dirt and people kept saying, you're riding THAT THING?

But it handled - great! Once I learned how to control it in the corners with the throttle I was having a blast! At the end of day 2 I was able to pass some people on smaller bikes to get away from the dust.

And dusty it was. At times all you could do is chase the taillight in front of you and trust it was going the right way. Since they were all street legal enduros, fortunately everybody had one. I'm still coughing up the dust though, and all day I had grit in my teeth...

I drank a lot of water, like a gallon and a half. And you have to, because all hat keeps you cool is the evaporating sweat. The breeze doesn't do anything, it's just like a hair dryer.

We were all really looking forward to Fort Bragg where we knew it would be cold and foggy, and that's how it was. You can see the fog in the picture of the Oceanside Hotel, formerly the Driftwood, which has cheap, charming and rustic accommodations. Read between the lines...but it must have like150 rooms or so and is perfect for a ride like this.

At the luggage pick up everybody got their photo taken and I got a button with my own picture on it, that was a fun souvenir! I think I give it to my Mom...

At the hotel I checked the oil and the air filter, which was pretty dusty, so I cleaned it a little and then went to get dinner at a fancy restaurant above a gallery space in Fort Bragg. Excellent natural beef and organic vegetables. Just the right thing after a dusty ride like that.

And back the next day. This time a different route, mostly easy fire roads, lunch in a little town, BBQ on the side of the road, organized through the OMC by local restaurants. Got back around 3, waited out the heat before I squeezed back into my full suit, and blazed home...got there at 9pm, took a shower, plunged into the hot tub.

Perfect weekend. Can't wait to do it again next year...Nothing like swallowing dust, working hard in 100F, with 500 other crazies...