Misty Green

With so many builders out there and so many styles it’s inevitable that some bikes, while beautiful in the eyes of the builder/owner, trigger my gag reflex. And then there are many, many that do nothing at all for me – take it or leave it, could not care less. But then every so often a bike surfaces that, to my eye at least, is so stunning I’m left drooling on my keyboard and wondering if I could afford it if I sold my left arm. (Just kidding about that last bit – how would I clutch?)

Enter Misty Green.



The heart of Misty Green is a 1968 Norton Commando 750cc engine (I’ve had a love affair with the Norton marque forever as some of you may know), and the front end is off a Honda CB550 (Had one of those too; it’s really calling out to me now!) But what I really love about the bike is it’s such a beautifully crafted version of the 60’s and 70’s cafe racers.

I won’t prattle on any more but will simply stare longingly at this photo for a while longer as you hop over to Fuller Moto for more fantastic images and a description of the build.

Sigh…

From the “It’s always something” department

We’ve had spectacular weather here the past few days (we earned it!) and yesterday I put down the yard work tools to go for a ride. Not a long ride but I needed a few things at Canadian Tire and a stop at Tim Hortons on the way home was also factored in.

To get a few extra riding miles in I headed up the valley to Renfrew instead of going to my local outlet. Besides the Renfrew Can Tire is a much larger store and offers more opportunities to buy stuff I don’t really need but which is too good a deal to pass up.

I got what I needed (and a little more besides) and headed over to Timmies where I enjoyed my Iced Capp and watched the bikes roll by on O’Brien Street.



But then, as I’m riding home, a dreaded red light comes on on the dash. The bike’s still running strong but I also notice my signal lights aren’t working.

That’s not good, but at least no other indicators are lit that would indicate an oil pressure problem or anything like that. So it’s hand signals and I press on home, concerned about the reason the warning light’s on. It’s when I pull into the garage that I also notice I have no headlight and no taillights. Really not good.
I checked the fuses and found there’s one burnt. Ah-ha! Replaced it only to have the second one blow as soon as I turned on the ignition.

So I’ve got a short - somewhere. A wire has pulled out of a connector, or the insulation is worn through and making an unexpected connection. After a couple of hours I am still no further ahead. The bike is somewhat dismantled (most of the wiring harness is under the tank and really easy to get at – NOT!) and I’ve blown all the spare fuses I had.



So I’m done for today. Tomorrow I’ll pick up some more fuses, or a circuit breaker if I can find one, and go at it again.  That’s what I hate about electrical issues – either you find it right away (which I didn’t), or you’re in for a long, hard slog with a multimeter and continuity tester until you track it down. Wish me luck!