I realized last night how important it is to make sure you are paying attention when there are multiple people working on your bike. I'm very minimal in my mechanical ability so I've been doing it with my cousin who is a natural at it. We're rebuilding my engine (after bust tranny gear) and were finally at the point of being able to fire the bike.

Well, she fired and sounded great! However, the jubilation was shortlived as all of a sudden there was oil spraying from the left side of the rear cylinder head. We had placed the head gasket on the WRONG WAY!!! Well, I think many of you clinic members would be proud to hear that not a curse word was said (although one or 2 might have been thought!). Well, fortunately, there is JUST ENOUGH room to pull the cylinder apart and flip the gasket around.

1 hour later (and at around 12:15am, getting tired at this point) we had everything reassembled and just wanted to see the bike run without oil spurting from the head joint. She fired up again beautifully and ran without leaks. YAY!! However...

That was again shortlived as in our haste and drowsiness, the seal for the top of the rear push rod tube was found laying on the floor. It was all we could do to just laugh at ourselves at this point. We just shook our heads and laughed at our own stupidity.

So... we now have to go back to disassembling (fortunately not as much as before) and place the seal back so everything is neatly in place. The end is finally in sight (started the teardown in mid-late Feb) and she'll be roadworthy for this weekend.

Now as soon as the wet stuff backs off and temps rise a bit...

I can relate to that.

The first time I had to tear into the engine to change out the lifters, it had to go in twice

Doc

Thanks Doc! Nice to know I wasn't alone!

Practice makes perfect. Good job , glad you'll be on the road for spring. BB