Lately, I’ve been terrified of old bikes.
It’s like the situation of “who’s going to turn the broken knob?”
Let’s say there’s a knob that breaks no matter who turns it.
Click! Snap? Oh no, me?
Hmm, I’m not sure I’m getting the point across. There are so many things in this world that, once broken, are done for—things you can’t just push through.
I’m always nervous, keeping my guard up.
So, with rough measurements, about 21 degrees is pretty steep, you know.
It’s more of a “hngh!” kind of lift. It might be tough when you’re not feeling well.
Time passes… I went ahead and applied Gunk Coat. (Spring too.)
That’s quite enough… I extended it by 15 mm.
The sole feels nice and flat.
Well, I’m not sure I’m explaining this well, but it’s something like this.
I think an angle around my favorite 15 degrees—somewhere in the 15–18 degree range—is the safest bet.
The customer asked me to replace the meter damper.
Back in those days, maybe connectors were hard to come by—there are an incredible number of spade terminals.
This kind of DIY customization was everywhere back then, wasn’t it? Brings back memories.
Using an OW switch, everything connected with spade terminals.
The mating colors are all different, the spade terminals pull out of the wires when you disconnect them, and when you peel back the vinyl tape, the wires are just wrapped up with nothing else.
Bikes are amazing because they still run despite all that. Or maybe the manufacturer’s safety engineering is what’s amazing.
But why does only my horn nut keep coming loose? Anyway…
Wiring management keeps evolving at our shop.
Let’s get a variety of colors so we don’t make mistakes.
Things that plug into the wrong color or where the color judgment is ambiguous will definitely be useful down the road.
Since it doesn’t cost much, I went ahead with an LED overhaul.
The sleepy meter lamp becomes sharp and bright!
GOSMY G14 BA9s LED Base
Surprisingly, many old bike bulbs are BA9s. With reproduction harnesses, they sometimes use wedge bulbs instead.
It’s a really awkward design. Even though it has a retainer, it still falls out from the inside.
Aluminum tape keeps it in place.
Just having the meter backlight shine makes everything feel sharp and bright.
The meter area is an important place that only the rider sees. I think it lifts the mood too.
• Sidestand extension & Gunk Coat paint & changed to lock nuts
• Meter damper replacement
• Meter bulb LED conversion
