Subject: bringing home my Ambo's new stablemate (long)
Author: mjon-@yahoo.com
Date: Nov 16, 2003, 6:22 AM
Post ID: 1715233131
Thanks, Ian, I was hoping someone would ask for more
details! The �Vert is the one that was for sale on the
MGNOC web page for $1275. I've always thought an
automatic on a cycle is a weird idea, but have lately
been thinking that there might be some advantages to
the idea in certain situations. The liked triple-disc
brakes appeal to me, too! This one was advertised as
being in reasonably good me3chanical condition but
cosmetically challenged. That has always been my idea
of a good find. So I did a little homework on what the
potential problems would be on a Convert, and then
exchanged a few emails with the owner. He is not the
mechanical type, so his answers were not very
detailed, but it seemed worth a look-see. My brother
(�72 H1, �84 r80) and I drove up to look at it on
Thursday. It was up in the hills north of Scranton,
PA, and there were high winds and snow squalls all the
way up. We pulled into his driveway and saw three
bikes parked in the garage/barn: a nice Bassa, the
dirty Vert, and a Ural with hack. My kinda guy! He
turned out to be a nice fellow, and was very open
about the condition of the bike. He had a new timing
chain (not tensioner, for some reason) installed and a
reconditioned oil cooler from Harpers. He thought it
had rebuilt brake calipers. The milage was 22,400 put
the spedo doesn't work. Looking it over I saw that the
fork seals were shot, the tires were new, the cables
and wiring were so-so, the flywheel was the later
heavy-duty type, and tucked up under the tank was a
Dyna ignition. It looked fairly stock, with the
original bags but an aftermarket fairing, no wind
wings on the crash bars but Framm horns and spotlights
mounted in place of them. Most of the lights and
switches work. The oil and ATF were clean and full
(the oil a little over-full).
We started her up, and she ran nice. It has original
pipes but they have been punched out and are louder
then stock - it sounds nice, to me. As it warmed up it
picked up revs and wouldn't drop down - the choke
cables are really ratty. I pulled it out of the garage
- it's tall, but didn't feel appreciably heavier then
my Ambo. Kirk said I could take it for a test drive. I
was immediately impressed with ow well the floorboards
fit me - they felt great! (This is my first bike with
boards, though I have ridden Harleys with boards
before.) It ran and drove fine, tranny seemed fine -
the engine has about the same level of vibration as my
Ambo, just the right amount. The brakes are very firm
and seem to work well, though I didn't try any hard
braking.
Back at the garage, Kirk said he'd take $1200 for it.
I agreed. I don't see any major work that needs to be
done, but LOTS of small stuff. That suits me just
right - fixing/replacing the little stuff, a little
cosmetic improvement (but not too much, unless my wife
insists on it). We did the title transfer at a little
place nearby, and I picked up a bottle of Gumout and
dumped it in the tank. I had dressed warm just in case
I would be ridding the Vert home, since I have no
truck. The Vert seemed up to the ride (which surprised
me a little). My brother led the way in our minivan,
since the Vert's spedo is nonfunctional. It is an
almost 100 mile ride, and the Vert did just fine. It
is a good highway bike! I have always liked the seat
on my Ambo, but the seat on the Vert is even better.
The throttle is stiff, and the handlebars are quite
angled, but I'll get used to that. When we got home
there was a good deal of oil leaked out on top of the
engine - crankcase ventilator, maybe? - but no ATF
loss, thankfully.
My plan is to use the Vert for 2-up riding and for
pulling the hack. I'm gonna put antique tags on the
Ambo and make that my aesthetically pleasing bike (the
Vert will be the one I use if there is a possibility
of rain). I really don't need two bikes, but I think
it will be OK. For the time being, however, the Ambo
is still the main ride - I can't give the Vert much
time until after Christmas.
The Vert is certainly not nearly as pretty as a loop,
but it has its own strengths. It will be fun having
both. Thanks again to all those who emailed me about
the pro's and con's of Converts (especially Robert and
Chuck). Is there, btw, and Convert email listserv?
LENNY- I don't live on campus - I seldom even go to
school anymore, only occasionally to use the library
or attend department meetings. I live in Bethlehem, so
it is a pretty long ride. When I do go, I almost
always ride my Ambo, though!
-Mike (69 Ambo, 77 �Vert)
=====
M.Jones, student of philosophy and religion at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.
"The heart has its reasons which reason does not know." -Blaise Pascal
"With man, instinct and reason avoid each other with adversity, yet, by repudiating each other they lure each other to reach mutual correction." -Lucian Blaga
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