But it does look really good. After the first round of chrome plating, there were some details that stood out even more and needed some attention, and here they are:
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Chrome won't get you home.
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Electricity, nostalgia.
In the context of the ongoing upgrade of the Rising Star, another thing that seemed simple enough was to go over switches (the headlight dip switch and the three toggles on the avionics box) and check all light bulbs: the one above the license plate didn't work properly so I chased down the gremlins with a multimeter until I found an oxidized connection at the actual bulb. Cleaning contacts and grounds, making sure connections were tight and well insulated took care of most things. In the end though, the real culprit is the battery: it's fine while the bike is running (the alternator is up to snuff and the Boyer-Bransden Powerbox🗲 certainly helps) but it just doesn't hold much of a charge anymore, poor thing. Eventually I will replace it, but I can live with it for now.
I also checked the horn, which works just fine: beep!
All this dealing with the devil's spaghetti seemed like the perfect time to go for something I've secretly liked since I was a rebellious youth, so I've decided to finally go for it and fit the coolest of accessories... a blue marker light. Heck yeah.
Time passes, and things fade out of fashion and away from memory (and because there was no internet and no digital photography back then, there really isn't much in the way of records of this cool trend left behind for us to look at).
But I always thought those little blue lights were cool, and so now, finally, I can have one too.
Uncle Fester cut a very simple bracket out of mild steel, then mounted it to the rear brake stay bracket. Sandro (no, the other Sandro. No not this Sandro either, the other Sandro!) then ran the wiring along the hardtail and over to the "avionics" box, plugged it into a switch (it can be switched on independently of the other lights) and tidied everything up. I am so stoked with this.
Lots of small improvements add up to a more noticeable "quality feel" overall; it's important to do this stuff!
Monday, November 27, 2023
We ain't done yet!
There are a few more things I want to do on the Rising Star, some parts are already off to get chrome-plated and I'll move on to more involved tasks as soon as I can get the "gift horse" BMW off the lift...
Saturday, October 7, 2023
Singing in the rain.
I set off on another solo trip on the Rising Star not long ago, but it ended up being a 300km excursion in the rain, which wasn't much fun at all.
There were still moments of pure riding joy as the machine handles so well and is just so cool, but all in all it was not the most satisfying experience.
With no front fender, as soon as the road is even slightly wet, the front wheel shoots up a plume of water droplets that must be at least 2 meters high, much to the horror, confusion and delight of oncoming traffic. It also provides a refreshing, tickling sensation on my face and beard, but eventually you get soaked to the bone and it's not that much fun. Or all that clean.
On the plus side, I think I've figured out an improvement I can make to the luggage using the enormous, yellow Touratech bag, or even the Famsa. I think I might also have a pad made for the rear fender, to match the seat and provide extra support for luggage.
Other than that, I have rediscovered the SR666 that goes from the town of Sora all the way to the border with Abruzzo and eventually leads to Opi; don't let its satanic designation fool you, this is a beautiful road with a rich and varied scenery that's well-suited to a slow bike. I will make another attempt whenever I can, as the itinerary I had in mind should make for a fun three-day outing.
For now, time to rearrange the workshop so I can bring the Rising Star in for the next part of the upgrade, hopefully soon.
Monday, September 25, 2023
Toolkit & Spares
While I was waiting for parts to come back from chrome plating, I finally got around to putting all the Rising Star spare parts together and organized in a single crate. It's not a lot of stuff but there are some interesting items, especially that Cyclone head. Maybe one day I'll get it refurbished and swap it out on the bike, who knows.