Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater
Yesterday I got two things done that I've been meaning to do for a while.
The first (and more important one) is I finally got that SOLAS tape onto my helmet. That stuff is bright! Damn! The first piece I stuck on, I forgot to round the corners (to keep it from lifting off so easily) -- when I tried to pull it off to fix it, it resolutely refused to come off. That's some good adhesive. I'm very impressed with the SOLAS tape: it sticks very well, molds to compound curves nicely, and is very reflective. Definitely a worthwhile investment.
The second thing I got done is changing the sparkplugs in the Goldwing. I really should have done that when I got it, but it was running well enough that I couldn't justify the work. I finally got some new plugs, and put them in. Last night, I took it for its first run with the new plugs.
There might have been a noticeable difference -- I'm not actually sure. It seemed to have a bit more power, but "seemed to have more power" after a change is commonly just a psychological difference. My car used to run better right after I'd cleaned it. At least, it seemed to.
Anyway, if I felt the difference I think I did, I think the Goldwing's gas mileage is going to go up. The old plugs were definitely weathered looking, although the color was nice, so the mixture isn't far off, if at all. But the electrodes looked a bit nubbly, which is a bad thing for sparkplug electrodes to be -- it suggests poor performance. They should be nice and smooth.
But if I did actually feel a slight increase in performance, then that means the gas is burning with a bit more vigor. That should help efficiency at least as much as it does power. And that's a difference I'll be able to see in the numbers, so I can report on that in the future.
On the whole, it was a fine evening.
Posted at 21:38 permanent link category: /motorcycle
Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater