WMRRA assigned me number 931.  I don't know why that seems important, but it does.  Identity, I guess.  So, the bike has numbers now, and the oil arrived from Panolin, so I can change the fluids and get it a bit readier.  Tires are coming from More Power Racing, as are replacements for my aging helmet, boots, and gloves.  They also will be the source for filters for the bike.  They just worked a deal with Attack Racing, so I might get a spare set of bodywork in case of any crashes.  Sometime this month, I plan to order some spares from Vortex, namely rearset parts.  I have experienced the frustration of crashing and then not being able to repair the bike because there was one part you just can't get your hands on.  Spares are the key to getting back on the track.  Power Stand warmers arrived, too.  I haven't used tire warmers before, so it will be a pleasant change to be able to get on the track and not slip around for a lap or so.  I still don't have Stomp Grip on the tank, but the paint seems to be hardening up well.  There are a few weeks before it matters, so I probably won't put anything on the tank for a while longer, just to let the paint cure a bit more.



A couple cases of rattle can blue should make the van presentable, so it is probably going to be my next racing related project.  The windshield leaks, but I have a new gasket to put in, and as long as the windshield is out, I might as well make it look better.  Putting sponsors' decals on a really ratty 1973 Chvey van doen't seem like it is doing anybody any favors.  With it painted all the same color and clear coated, it will look like a reasonably well maintained old van instead of some kind of rolling toxic avenger.

The bike is finally painted, and I am reasonably satisfied with the way it turned out.  Hotbodies plastic is as tough to fit as its reputation, so there are a few fit issues, but nothing I can't live with on a race bike.  The tank came out better than I expected, considering it was strictly rattle color and clear.  It is still very soft all over, even after a couple days for some of it.  It had best harden up, or it won't last long.  I took a few pictures to send off to More Power to let them see where their logos are on the bike.  Once I get everybody's logos, I will make sure they all look good on the bike and get some more photos. 



WMRRA was going to issue numbers after February 15.  As it turns out, after February 15 means after February 22.  The club is run entirely by volunteers, so logistics and daily reality must have got to the people doing the work.  It is a funny thing.  When people remodel a house, installing the cabinets is always a big deal, and it is usually one of the last things you do.  But, it is what people focus on and no matter how many times you tell them when it will happen, they keep asking.  I am the same way about the number, even though it is a small detail.



Here is the bike, as it is now, with paint:





I am pretty happy with the way it turned out.  Suzukis are not the easiest bikes to find rational lines to follow with color breaks, unlike the Triumph which showed signs of being designed everywhere you look.  This Suzuki is even more challenging, since it is pretty well used, with dents in the tank, repairs in the tail, and uppers and lowers from two different manufacturers.

The new racer classroom session is on March 9.  Keeping sane for the next three weeks is going to be a trick.  Tire warmers are ordered, and the next step will be tires.  I have given up on the paint, and plan to use the ugly mess as my backup bodywork.  There must be five pounds of rattlecan mess on the plastic, and it looks awful.  The bike came with a spare, unused set of plastic.  Time to open it up, drill the fastener holes, and paint it.  Carefully this time.  Live and learn.

WMRRA hasn't assigned competition numbers yet, but it is still morning.  I guess they will do it sometime this afternoon.  If patience is a virtue, I am toast.

Paperwork finally got into the mail to Panolin, Vortex, Power Stands, and Lockhart Phillips.  I also balanced the checkbook and did my taxes.  I love paperwork so much I let it pile up until the desk disappears.



Painting the bike is an exercise in patience and time.  I don't have a lot of time, so I don't have a lot of patience.  The yellow didn't cover too well, so it is on really thick.  Then, I masked it off when I thought it was cured enough, but it wasn't and it somehow bonded to the newspaper I was using for masking large areas.  What a mess!  I have spent hours trying to sand it down, scrape it, and smooth it out, but it is just going to be lumpy.  To heck with it.  I didn't fix the holes where the previous owner tossed it, so a few more lumps in the paint is just character.  My leathers are at a shop getting sponsor patches sewn on.  The tailor showed me how he puts names and other graphics on people's leathers, so I got a name, too.  It may look absurd- brand new sponsor logos and my name, all pristine, on scruffy old white leathers with big scuffs where I had a getoff last season.  I might have to look into some leather dye to make them a different color.  After the fiasco with paint, I might not.



The generator fired up fine and seems to run and produce electricity as it should.  Getting oil into it made yet another mess to clean up.  This seems to be a recurring theme- make a mess, clean it up.  As long as everything works, it isn't a big deal, but it takes up a bit of time.  Now, I have to focus on getting the tire situation sorted out.  Then it will be back to focusing on the bike and getting it ready.  It will need new front pads, and it probably needs new brake fluid.  The valves need to be checked, so I am going to have to get a valve cover gasket.  I haven't attempted it yet, but the way the frame wraps around the top of the motor, it looks a lot more straight forward than trying to argue with valves, gaskets, covers, etc. on the Triumph.  I will find out soon enough.  The cooling water should probably be drained and refilled as well.  There are a few weeks for that.



WMRRA assigns competition numbers for novices sometime after February 15, so I expect to be putting numbers on the bike and finishing the paint next weekend.  Since I painted the fuel tank, I have to put a decent clear coat on it, or my leathers will get a big smudge.  They are silly looking enough already without adding tank paint.  Once the clear is on, the tank will get More Power stickers in lieu of Suzuki logos and eventually Stomp pads.

Vortex offered me a sponsorship and I have accepted.  It is a matter of getting some paperwork done now.  Over the weekend, I got the old decals off the bike's bodywork, sanded it and painted it.  It is pretty rough in some spots where I didn't do the best job of waiting for the paint to dry before masking.  I have to sand off the mess and repaint to make it look good.  Waiting for paint to dry isn't one of my strong suits.  I will be posting pictures once I get it cleaned up and repainted.  It looks pretty good from a distance.  I won't be clearcoating it or fixing rash under the paint in an attempt to avoid tempting the asphalt gods.  Pretty bodywork is an invitation to fall off, and I intend to avoid falling off if I can.