M1030B1 restoration in Oregon

Nothing really fancy today. I got the Deka ETX-15L. It’s a AGM battery that I use in my bike and all of the bikes I restore. It’s only about $75 on Amazon. I also replaced all of the fuses. In the main I use 20 and 15. I know it calls for a 10 but sometimes when you switch the headlight from low to high it blows the fuse. It’ not really an issue with a 15. I also changed out the fan fuse with a 15 and put a spare in there. Just waiting on some of the headlight bracket hardware to hook up everything on the front end and a doohickey kit from Eagle Mike. Then I’ll be ready to fire it up.

Decided to get the doohickey (balancer chain adjuster lever) done today. The stock spring and lever were all in one piece and still hooked up. I used the Eagle Mike lever, torsion spring, new rotor bolt, and a new inner and outer gasket. Took about 3 hours while taking my time. I also refilled the oil, installed the foot pegs with new IMS springs (always a10 minute fight). The Marines had the upgraded IMS pro series foot pegs. Got the toe shifter on and the front sprocket cover. Tomorrow I’ll get the lower engine mount on, front skid plate, and Marine specific rear metal skid plate on.

Was working on my bike today completing the doohickey, oil change, replaced oil filter, and installed some foot peg lowering brackets I found in my stash from JNS engineering. After that I installed the USMC specific rear skid plate, OEM front skid plate, and USMC specific lower brush guard. It was really a pain in the ass to get everything lined up.

Started hooking up the front wiring and gauges. Once the headlight was plugged in the headlight and taillight came on without the key even in or turned to on. Seems like there’s a big electrical wiring issue. I’ll be working on that this week with a multimeter.

Finally got back to the restoration bike today. I’ve been building a few other non-Marine Corps bikes. The electrical had the most issues. Prior to starting Bike 6’s restoration it wouldn't even attempt to start and none of the lights worked.

I finally got the headlight and tail lights to function. I noticed the brake light wasn't coming on. I just swapped out the bulb and problem solved. The rear blackout light, rear blackout light brake light, and front black out light all function.

Some people mistakenly believe that it illuminates (light the regular headlight) so that the rider can use Night Vision to ride. It actually just puts out enough light so that others wearing night vision goggles can see the rider. The rear has a functioning blackout light break light so that those following the rider can see when they are slowing down. See the videos below if your interested in how they function.

https://youtu.be/PTHdXGRAObM
https://youtu.be/LOwjn8Kp2do

Nothing was happening when I hit the start button. I’ve found that the clutch safety switch is usually the issue. Most of the time you can clean the brass connections on the bottom of the switch. I’ve also had to replace one since it was broken. I tested this by making a jumper on the harness side where it plugs in. Then it attempted to crank and it fired no problem. Once I disassembled the switch I noticed that the top clutch metal portion wasn't sticking out as much as it should. Upon disassembly I saw that it was missing the spring. You can see in the picture below how much higher the version with the spring is. Swapped that portion out and now the bike will crank.


I was getting ready to start it up using my testing fuel bottle but the battery didn't have enough juice to really crank it over. I’m charging the battery now and will try again later in the week. Other issues when starting the bike for the first time could be an issue with the carb (I rebuilt it), no spark (I tested and its good), and I moved the choke from the handle bars to the carb itself. I use the Stead Engineering choke. Sometimes the spring is a bit tight.

I also tested the fan by removing the wire that plugs into the lower portion of the radiator and grounding it to the engine block. Then turn the key to “ON” and the fan should kick on.

Got the tank on the bike. I installed the Raptor fuel petcock so it's now direct fuel. Capped off the vacuum port on the carb. The IMS supplied tank mounting straps are always ill-fitting so I’ll be modifying them. Just need to rewire the gauge to work properly, get the faring and side plastics on, and then its done. I also went riding on Carson National Forest this weekend.

Finally got the bike done. I’ll probably list it for sale on eBay sometime next week.

Bike walk around video. https://youtu.be/9_FmZkpTXiI

Sold the latest tan bike already. Decided to start on the next one in a week or two. I’ll be keeping this one and it'll be the original green color. From the UIC code on the inventory tag it looks like it belonged to H&S Company 3/6 2nd Marine Division. I pulled the engine a year or so ago to do some work to it. It only has 1,718 miles.

Stripped the bike down with a buddy in one night. Just waiting on the paint and new parts to turn it into a roller. It’ll be the original green. Also finally moved everything from the three storage lockers to the garage in my new house. Having lights, power, and an air compressor, will make life much easier.