Started Looking at My Paso Project Bike

[Desmo_Demon]

The Final Chapter!.....

http://www.desmodemon.com/paso_project_10.html

[Desmo_Demon]

I figured I'd give an update on this, just in case someone stumbles across this thread in a search and is interested in what happened after I got the bike running and rideable....

The "Little Red Piss Bucket" has become an interesting addition to the stable of motorcycles at our house. It is the one bike that I can take out on a nice weekend and have all sorts of people come by to ask me about it. It simply is not a model of motorcycle you see out much, anymore. I have tried to ride the bike to work to share commuting duties with my Harley, but the little Paso doesn't get any better mileage than my Honda Civic (30-33 mpg), and the Harley gets 50-55 mpg. With tires becoming rare and impossible to find for the Paso, I've curbed my riding of the Paso to a couple times a month, if I'm lucky.

The Paso is a neat handling little motorcycle. It is very small, light, and has pretty good handling in the mountains. It is quite "flickable" and is a lot of fun. With the age of this particular bike and its hard life, I try not to rev it up too much, but I have had it over 100 mph and a little north of 8000 rpm. In general, I like to keep the bike between 4000 and 7000 rpm and under 70 mph. It is fairly comfortable, but I notice that the positioning of the feet is a little high-and-tight compared to something like my ST2. My knees can get a little sore with extended rides, and the longest one-day ride I've had on it is around 250 miles in the mountain twisties. The riding position for my feet feels similar to my wife's '94 GSXR-750, just less cramped.

I've only racked up about 2800 miles since getting the bike on the road. I put another 250 on it this weekend. In these 2800 miles, the only real issue I've had is that one of my wiring repairs was a cold joint solder and it came apart, causing me to lose the horizontal cylinder. Other than this broken wire, which I can very easily blame as my own fault, I have yet to have anything go wrong with the Paso (except a broken center stand spring and losing the glass mirror part out of a mirror). The bike now has 32,000 miles on it, and from the condition it was in when I got it, I'm absolutely surprised it has run this well.....or maybe I got lucky and most of what I did to the bike was done correctly.

I'm glad I "saved" this bike and its been a learning experience and a pleasure to have it for these last few years. I hope to keep riding it on occasion and continuing to rack up some miles with it.

[ducinthebay]

Well done. Lovely story, and well documented. an old bike that runs well is nice, but its much nicer when you have touched all the parts and know it inside and out. It will be almost impossible for you to ever sell it, but why would you want to.

Cheers,

[fredskidoo]

So whats new with the Mega Paso project? You know we are all interested in how your getting along with that ST4.
On another note - I noticed some kind of carbon fiber on the clutch cover of Vicki's paso - as seen on this webpage:
http://www.desmodemon.com/paso_project_10.html - what have you got going on there?



Forgive me for scabbing your photo - but I wanted to illustrate my question better.

Easy, E

[Desmo_Demon]

So whats new with the Mega Paso project?

It still sits needing the frame rail rewelded and then I can start assembling it and torqueing bolts. I've been busy this year with other obligations: finished school in June, had to repair my bike and the wife's R1 after crashes in April, I am currently rebuilding my 748 from a crash in September, and I've done three or four valve adjustments, changed out three sets of brake pads, a set of chain and sprockets, and performed at least 30 tire changes between ours and a few tires for my friends. To make matters "worse" for the MegaPaso project, I am hoping to start on a master's degree in January. I'm still awaiting final word from the college.

On another note - I noticed some kind of carbon fiber on the clutch cover of Vicki's paso

The previous owner put that on the clutch cover. It is just a piece of carbon fiber looking sticker sheet that was cut out and slapped on the cover. I left it on there because it looks kinda cool. He had slapped that carbon sticker stuff on various other places on the bike (such as the sprocket cover) but most of them were removed. IIRC, the only ones that remain on the bike are the clutch and sprocket covers.

Forgive me for scabbing your photo - but I wanted to illustrate my question better.

You just saved me from having to go look for the picture.

[ducapaso]

I've been busy this year with other obligations: finished school in June, had to repair my bike and the wife's R1 after crashes in April, I am currently rebuilding my 748 from a crash in September, and I've done three or four valve adjustments, changed out three sets of brake pads, a set of chain and sprockets, and performed at least 30 tire changes between ours and a few tires for my friends. To make matters "worse" for the MegaPaso project, I am hoping to start on a master's degree in January. I'm still awaiting final word from the college.

This is what you mean just busy?
If I were in your shoes I should have to say "I'm in a real rush, with a mass of jobs undone and not enough time at all "!!!

Can you teach me how you can do all that and have the time to live a normal life? I really need to!

[persempre907]

Nicola,
we have the Italian way of life, the Dolce Vita style, so that when we have some free time we go with the friends to drink a beer, to the billiard room, playing five people's soccer (better calcetto) or we tell that to our wives/fiancées .
Do you really want to learn another way of life ????
But, our bikes are not so pretty as the ones of our friends...
Ciao

[fredskidoo]

I don't know if its my Northern Italian ancestry or my California lifestyle but I'm
with persempre907 on the Dolce Vita - the Sweet Life - attitude about things.

This is my backyard playground! Tomales Bay and the Pacific Coast Highway



And my birth place - Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco

[persempre907]

Very nice backyard .
Here's where I was born.

Ciao

[fredskidoo]

OK OK I'm really trying NOT to be jealous!
So I'm going to up the ante!

Another great shot of mine - The Golden Gate


And Stemple Creek about two miles north of my place


Maybe we all should start a thread showing our local stomping grounds and favorite biking trails?
Or maybe we already have one and I'm clueless
Bring it on

P.S. Where is that place in your photo persempre907?

[persempre907]

P.S. Where is that place in your photo persempre907?

Naples with its gulf with a castle in the middle of the sea (here two images of that castle)





and the Vesuvio (the volcano) in the background.
Ciao

[Bijke]

@ Desmo Demon,

Do i read it correct? The paso is running without the fuel pump?

[Desmo_Demon]

This is what you mean just busy?
<snip>
Can you teach me how you can do all that and have the time to live a normal life? I really need to!

It's far from a "normal" life. I've always been an over achiever!

I just always have to be busy, and any time I get involved with something, I jump in feet first and go overboard with it. I was this way with my guitar playing and especially when I was in the band, but also when I was into firearms quite heavily. Since meeting my wife, motorcycling has pretty much consumed us (last weekend, we rode a combined 1800 miles, between the two of us). I've been known to change tires on a bike on a Saturday evening past midnight so I can have the fresh tires on the bike for Sunday morning. I also am a firm believer in doing maintenance and repairs myself. I just don't like throwing my limited amount of money around.

When I'm not working, going to school, or working on bikes, I'm doing maintenance to our cars, housework, and spending time with our five-year old. I sometimes like to do nothing, but the few occasions I am not working on something, I just sit around and drink (I am now), or I try to find my next project.....like installing crown molding in a few rooms in the house and repainting the inside and outside of the house....and resealing the deck, and....

Well, I have been writing some articles for the Desmo Leanings magazine, the magazine for the US Desmo club (http://www.usdesmo.com). I think I have two articles in the upcoming magazine in January.

Do i read it correct? The paso is running without the fuel pump?

Yes, that is correct. The Paso with Dellortos has sufficient fuel supply with only gravity feeding to the carbs. A fuel pump is not necessary.


In response to some of the other pictures and posts, This is the area I live in, now...









This cool bridge is only two to three hours from our house...

[beekeeper]

I clean old gas tanks with acitone & a box of copper BB's, set on a air compressor(vibration) for a few , fliping it every 15 to 20 min untill all sides have had a chance to be scrubed by the bbs.
then I spray it with the pressure washer, get all the gunk & h20 out! Then flush it with denatured alchol to get the h20 out. Kreem is then applied.

I recycle the acitone & alchol, using a coffee filter in a funnel... back into their container it goes!

regards,
JAy

[Desmo_Demon]

I ran into some issues with the bike fouling the horizontal plug a few times and I really need to replace the battery, so I quit commuting on the Paso for a while. Additionally, the front brakes got really spongy, and when I bled them, I couldn't get them to firm up. I got frustrated and let the bike sit for about three months (and rode the GSXR-1100 most of the time). I went to rebleed the front brakes a week ago and they were perfect. I guess I somehow got air in the lines, and after sitting for a while, the air worked its way out of the system and into the reservoir. I took it out for about a 100 mile spin yesterday and had a blast on the little bike.

When I go a long time without riding the Paso, I am quickly reminded of how light and nimble the bike is.....and how low it is on power (especially compared to a GSXR-1100).