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For those of you that don’t like wordy threads, close this one and pick a different one😉 For those of you that don’t mind my story telling, stick around and I’ll weave you a tale of a motorcycle that I’ve owned since the week I met Kelli, many trips across mid America, and now a special trip with my favorite princess... Way back in 1998, I got the itch to purchase a new motorcycle. I was the perfect candidate for A Harley but at that time it was nearly impossible to purchase a new one. I went into our local dealership and they said that they could put me on an order list and I should have my bike in about 18 months! NO DEAL KIMOSABE! 18 months when you are in your early 20’s seems like forever and so I kept hunting around. I came across this Kawasaki Vulcan at our local Rice Dealership and struck a bargain. I spent the next two years adding all the accessories for style but mostly for function as I was driving it all the time! I put on 12,000 miles the summer of 1999! these two pics were taken that year with me and my younger brother. Believe it or not we took this little bike and rode two up around the Great Lakes! It was the adventure of a lifetime for us... Notice the old “Discman” in Nate’s right hand😂 Good Times. ”Big gap in the story here-I’ll come back to that later...” As happens to many bikers that get married and have kids, the motorcycle became a very occasional means of travel until 2012. I used it to travel on a construction missions trip to northern IL and the chain/sprockets were so worn, I wasn’t sure I’d make it home. I was going to fix it up that winter but life got in the way. finally in 2018, my daughter Claudia asks me, “Are you going to get this motorcycle running before I become an adult, get a career, get married, and move on with life or what?” Well said. So, I decided to do some upgrades in the process. Back in the early 2000’s, aftermarket parts were readily available for these bikes but Kawasaki discontinued this model in about 2006 and now it is nearly impossible to find much for them. I’ll detail this later but these are a few of the parts that I recently put on it after much searching to find them: Kuryakyn Procharger Cobra Slash Cut pipes Mondo Belt Drive Kuryakyn Passenger floor boards and a host of tune up items... That brings us to yesterday. Claudia and I packed up for a Daddy/Daughter run to the great river road on Western Wisconsin... She is so excited and so am I. I never thought back in the late 90’s that one day I would be road tripping with my teenage daughter on this same motorcycle!!!!

Pickin sweet corn with the 417.

Threw a little bit o' color on the 414... and changed the engine oil too.

Changing out / upgrading an xi ignition and three of the four coil mounting bolts would not budge. The spud was flexing and was close to stripping out. I used this old timers trick from my mining past when we had socket head bolts that were tough to get out. Of course there the bolts were rather large and we used a sledge hammer not a small ball peen. Apply tension with the ratchet and giver a few taps on the butt! Just another way to help stuck bolts out.

Hello all, went to start one of the horses and got just clicks at the starter solenoid had 12 volts on battery side and nothing to starter so pulled the solenoid and drilled out the rivets holding the plate to the bottom with a 1/8 inch bit and found the suspected corrosion. To remove the plunger loosen the I side of the solenoid and it will come right out. Cleaned up the contacts and applied dielectric grease. Reassemble and use 1/8 inch pop rivets to finish up, works every time and doesn't take long to do. Hope this helps someone out that has this problem.

Rebuilt the On the Ran it down the length of the driveway and down the hill to the road @ a 1/4 mile away. The last time I did that it spit and sputtered, didn't think I was going to make it back to the barn. This time it ran perfect plenty of power and sounded great. It even shut off with out the usual backfire. Now just clean up the rims and this tractor has found a home. It's definitely a keeper

Pics to come guys. We finally got camp setup after a trip to Lowe’s for a fitting for the sink. The boys are about to die with excitement. Our camping spot is in the shade, portapotty is close, we’re at the gate, and here is our view!

A HUGE thank you to Tony @Docwheelhorse for settin' me up here. The generosity of some of our members never ceases to amaze me. This here is another 1974 C160, but with the rare Tecumseh HH/OH160 OHV engine. Made one year only. It's rough. Very much in need of a full disassembly and restoration. When it came here it was missing one tie rod and the other was broken off one end. Today I popped used tie rods on and Trina used her 867 to drag it from the drive to the shed. The engine wouldn't move. Tin was near chock full of skeletal mouseseses and their house. Cleaned that out and the engine spins freely now. So progress has been made. It'll be a good long while before we get to this one but I just couldn't turn it down considering the rarity.

Here are a few pics from our quick walk around earlier.

ABSOLUTELY AGREE!!! What are you waiting for? I am so glad my girl finally talked me into it. My only regret is how did I let a few months turn into years before I got it going... You had better believe it. We are sitting on a bench in downtown LaCrosse, WI enjoying a “lunch” of homemade ice cream in waffle cones from the Pearl. We spent the morning on the Minnesota side of the river traveling south with awesome views the whole way. Now back on the WI side for awhile... Claud took a pic of this bridge over the river and ended up with a selfie in my rear view mirror😁😉 More detailed report later. Suffice it to say that we visited the worlds largest work boot. Had there been a huge pair of shorts to go with it, well, we would’ve of needed a giant Kevin to go with that ensemble....😂

Thought I would share some photos of a rare piece an old friend of mine owns! A piece of Wheelhorse history! or as they say to show off how cool Wheelhorse engineering was! Thought all of you folks would enjoy this! See what you find searching threw your google photos. LMAO!

I helped my buddy clean up his 856. We got this from the same gentleman i bought my 312 from. If he wasnt going to buy it, I was. When we brought it home, it looked like it had 50+ years of rust and patina. We were originally going to rub it down with a mixture of mineral spirits and boiled linseed oil to shine it up and preserve the patina. After hitting it with the pressure washer, there was more red paint hiding under there than we thought. The original hood was dinged up, but we were able to find a replacement that matched pretty closley in color. Fires right up with a turn of the key, and the cigarette lighter still works.

@PeacemakerJack Thanks for posting this! As I type this, I'm looking out my dining room window at my '81 Honda CB750K that's been under cover in my driveway for the past year-and-a-half, and thinking about my now 23-year-old daughter who asked me a very similar question a few years ago. I believe it's time to uncover the bike and see what needs to be done to get it running again. Thanks for the inspiration! Can we assume that you enjoyed the heck out of your trip, and that you'll send us all photos?

Mock up of the cab, engine compartment filled in, needs sanding. Bedtime, more tomorrow....

Opted not to paint 'em.

I was sent these pics by a family member and was asked what model this is. I know it's one of those 3-digit models, but I dont recall what the numbers mean or how to figure out the model based on features. Looks like it has some kind of small-block Kohler, perhaps a 7 or 8 hp, starter / generator, and a 3-speed. Wheels and tires look like they are off a more modern tractor, but I could be wrong. I know the model number is on the belt guard, but he didnt take a pic of that. Looks clean whatever it is, doesnt look cut up or anything. Thoughts?

Ed, do your Amish neighbors know that you are picking their sweet corn ?😂😂

Repurposed this kitchen in our last farmhouse as it was almost unusable. Managed to use all the old components, uncovered an old serving hatch and made it an ok kitchen for just the cost of a bench and my time. I managed to get a stove for free from the previous farm as they were throwing it out - I had already saved it from the dump when we moved there as it was a really nice little unit. The amount of rental houses I have put right over the years even though I'm a tenant, should have been paid to live in them!

Working on the upper body and engine casing. It's so fiddly and not easy with the ship moving about! It's a bit rough and ready, but should clean up ok.

I was going to post this under non tractor related, but thought it fits better under tools. How many of you guys are fans of real 2 part 5 minute epoxy? I use it ALL THE TIME thanks to my retired engineer buddy next door. Wanna keep a bushing on a shaft? Turn the shaft half a thou less, or the bushing ID half a thou less and lube it up with 5 minute. Let it sit overnight on the top of your furnace. It ain't coming off until you want it to. It's extremely versatile and a quality epoxy's shear strength can exceed 2,000 lb/sq in! But what about The Bigger The Blob, The Better The Job? Well there's few things in life where this saying is true. The following is one: My son has a wireless headset he uses for gaming. The tiny usb charging port broke off inside, naturally. Only 4 soldered ground tabs holding it in. After a thorough cleaning, tinning and soldering, I layered on the epoxy. Watched it for a few minutes while it set up to ensure it doesn't flow the wrong way, and set it on the furnace overnight. With those beautiful filets, I challenge my son to break it again. ha! Notice the MUTE marking on the board? There's a micro switch just below it, and the black lever just below that mutes the mic boom when it is retracted. I had to be real careful not to let the epoxy flow in that direction. That's not coming off again. Photo is taken using my cell phone through a Baush & Lomb Stereo Zoom microscope at about 20x.

Emory and I are with our good friends Joe and Clay on our way to the Southeast Old Thresher’s Reunion in Denton, NC. Likely to be the only tractor show we get to go to this year. We have a pop up camper, food to fix, drinks, masks, and hand sanitizer. Think we’re covered! We’re just going to avoid close contact with folks. We’ll be there tonight through Sunday. Look at the smile on the boys’ faces!!

Pulled it out to mow a tiny section of grass that i always miss cause my tow truck is parked in the way. Hopped on the tractor with an ice coffee in my left hand. Went to put in on the footrest while i released the brake and lowered the deck. Then i realized i have a cupholder 😎 definitely something to appreciate compared to my old mower

Proudly made in the USA.

@ACman @PeacemakerJack @JCM how about this beauty of a beast parked not to far from my house?

rebuilt the fuel pump. Ran out of fuel this morning and it didin' t have the suction to prime itself. No idea how it was running. One valve was completely unseated and the other was cocked at an angle in the bore! I thought the flow was a bit anemic but figured it didn't need much. Luckily I'd already bought a rebuilt kit. Now its a gusher!!!! it fires up instantly and has a few more rpm. Happy days!

Many years ago before the throw-away, fix nothing generation took over, we flipped the contacts in less time than it took to buy a new one. It really is laughable how folks think they are environmentally correct while wasting materials, fuel, time and money to avoid turning a few screws.

Josh, you’re a story teller indeed! I like a good story! Safe travels again, Buddy!

My son in Germany tells me that Americans do not understand how old Europe is and Europeans do not understand how big the U.S.A. is.

“Check’s in the mail!”

Well upon further investigation it appears it is not a Westinghouse. It is a 1937 Cavalier. I saw the stamp on the inside of the chest. You can see it on the photo above. Bottom right corner.... T-37-6. T = Cavalier. 37 = 1937. 6 = June. Got it all painted today except for the lettering. See how steady my hand is tomorrow.

Transplanted the C-85 parts tractor Tranny into the 310-8 today and painted a few small items.

As some of you know I am a seafarer and spend half my life away from home. We all work a shift pattern and it's not uncommon to struggle to find anyone to talk to, they are asleep or working while you are free. In the modern era it's even worse, we used to spend a lot of time in the ships bar - they have banned drinking now. People just seen to melt away into cabins and watch endless movies to entertain themselves. I have a bit more imagination than that and like to try and keep my mind active - I once made a life size cow out of cardboard boxes just for something to do.... Anyway, lately I have been building things out of wooden stirring sticks - we have a lot onboard for the passengers. A couple of weeks ago a challenge was issued to see who could build the coolest thing. Out of a crew of 36 there have been 5 challengers - not many creative types then! My project is to build a 360 excavator, will post progress for you as it comes together. So far have built the tracks and undercarriage. If anybody on here wants to join in your more than welcome 😁

Few more from today. I have a video of a diesel horse and a 1916 Waterloo Boy that I’ll have to share when I get home and have WiFi . We are pooped! Wearing a mask in 92+ temps is rough! Sad part is very few people are wearing them.

I swear I’ve seen that one before somewhere . Glad to hear the motor isn’t locked up. (For those that don’t know I live right next door to Tony)

As much as I love my 86 K-20 squarebody those 70 / 71 /72 with a 350 4 speed and 4x4 are my favorites.

We have four main engines so can take one out of service during our quiet week. From Sunday we have to call into Orkney which means we need all four engines running flat out to keep our timetable. You can do repairs at sea, and if you are mid Atlantic there would be no choice, but it gets dangerous with massive objects swinging about so we tend to try and do that sort of job while alongside. We spend 11 hours a day in port and just sail overnight so have the luxury of plenty of down time.

I’m finished! Out of necessity I changed the screw color and I like the contrast better. Did some clean up work now time to deliver.

I have a local excavator contractor who owns a HD Shovelhead around an 81 or 82 that he bought new, i'm thinking a Super Glide in Black,that was my first thoughts when I looked at your bike. I do remember when you had to get on the waiting list to get one new. NICE ride, be safe.

Respect science Respect nature Respect Each Other. If only - life would be even better. Enjoy your trip.

Very nice original Randy... the seat is very nice!

I believe it is Murphy's Law sub-paragraph 3, section 5 which states: "A lost item shall only be found upon the postman delivery a suitable replacement."

@WVHillbilly520H @The Tuul Crib Here's the setup. Not sure if I can use it.

I believe those were the GMC versions.

For a GM. Definitely. Like em with the 4 light set-up. I've owned a couple. A 68 and a 69. Old rust buckets but awesome.

On my 1988 520H, I removed all that, just left the idler arm, pulley and spring, No more noise.

same plans, started on the case 220 refresh/minor resto. my house is all ready for paint, but weather is going to push that off, at this point might wait to paint in September

You should see my 3 pages of notes on 7" replacement gauge wheels for my mower decks!

Thanks for the photo's and you all stay safe. I'll have to wait till next year for anything over here in the UK. P.S. More photo's please.

Got it in primer and started brushing on some paint on the bottom. Way to hot out. Sweat pouring down my face burning my eyes had to call it quits for a little while.

Stefan... I got a call today... they’re coming for it! I bid a farewell to my old Wheel Horse. It hasn’t ever let me down, but now it’s yours and it’s on the way!