Steam Engine Restoration - First Start in 80 Years (Video Post)

Last Christmas, the stationary steam engine that I received from my grandfather looked like this, the result of spending most of a century neglected:

But now, after 9 months of work, this engine is a runner!

CL450 Racer - Installing New Mufflers

Unfortunately, I had to remove my custom mufflers this weekend. I pulled over to fill up, and when my foot hit the pipe I heard a loud rattle. When I inspected it to tighten the hanger bolts, I discovered that the mounting rail on the EMGO outer shell had suffered metal fatigue and cracked off.

Busted!

I will try to repair this at a later date, but the metal is so thin and weak that I suspect a weld repair will never really hold for too long. Instead, I installed a pair of stock mufflers that a friend took off his new Harley. They are nearly the same size and have a similar diameter. However, they are so wide near the clamp that they interfere with the frame rail of the bike. I made an extension piece to move them back a bit and clear the frame. They have certainly robbed a little bit of power, but have significantly quieted the bike down (and made me more popular with my neighbors). When not racing, I will probably keep these installed.

KZ400 Diesel - First Try at a GoPro Riding Video

After a long hiatus without any actual "alt-fuel", I've pulled the diesel out of storage, repaired the transmission damage from last year, and tried my first attempt at a GoPro riding video.

Last year while putting the bike in storage, I noticed extensive damage to the supercharger drive sprocket and chain. Looking closer, I found that I hadn't correctly lined up the drive chain, so the sprocket was being eaten up by the chain. I finally cleared through enough projects to get the diesel back on the lift to address the problem.

The drive sprocket was shot, so I made and installed a new one.