Yesterday, Sept 10, 2006

Picture:  This is what the TS-185 looks like new 

My brother-in-law and personal welder, Bob, bought a used 750 Vulcan a few weeks ago.  It didn't take long for his wife, Kayrene, climb on the back and ride with him.  She isn't the type to stay in the back but she was a little short in the leg for the Vulcan.  She got the idea that Bob and I could get her old 1973 Suzuki TS-185 running and she would have something to putt around on.  One day Bob came home from work to find this beat up dirty hulk of a 2-stroke sitting in his shop where she had put it after digging it out from under a 25 year accumulation of "stuff" in a shed.  See if you can get it going were the orders.

  This machine obviously needs tires, chain, headlight, fork seals, brake light, turn signals and the list goes on.  Since the engine turned over and had compression Bob's first thought was to see if it would make a spark.  No Joy.  A little investigation showed a coil with a big crack so we tracked down a coil on Ebay.  Still no Joy.  Bob calls in an expert (me) with a VOM.  We set to tracking the flow of electrons from the Mag/stator/alternator what ever the hell this thing has.  The 6V battery died years ago but Bob remembered that you didn't need a battery to start it.  It also has an electronic ignition (no points) which is a step up from what I'm used to. 

  He had wisely cleaned up the mag/alternator thing and it was putting out fire when kicked over.  I might add here that the head or barrel have not been removed.  Bob did look at the top of the piston through the exhaust port when he thought he had dropped a little washer into the spark plug hole.  Oh yes, the crank case had some oil added to it and he removed the rag stuffed in the tank and added some 2-stroke juice.

  It didn't take too long to locate the blockage to a corroded connection and we got spark on the plug after which the following conversation took place:

 

Bob:  Let's put the gas tank on and see if we can start it.

Me:    Have you cleaned out the carb?

Bob:  Naw, but look the throttle works just fine, you think it needs it?

Me:    Idunno

Bob:  We'll give it a try (replaces gas tank, puts in gas, breaks 33 year old gas line, puts on new gas line, sees gas dripping out the end, hooks gasoline to carb, installs new spark plug)

Bob:  Think I need to choke it?

Me:    Wouldn't hurt.

Bob:  gruntkick, gruntkick, gruntkick

Bike:  ringadingy, ringading, smoke

Me:    Damn, it's running!!

 

  I couldn't believe it, after 25 years of neglect the thing starts on the 3rd kick.  There is still a long way to go before it is on the road but there is nothing like getting something in that condition fired up again.  I must say it took my mind off the Royal Enfield's troubles for awhile.