Just sent you a message Larry.

Quick update, thanks to the generosity of LDW72120 I have the tank lock part I was looking for. Installed it on the bike this morning and it works great, And looks a lot classier than the zip-tie too.... Thanks Larry!
 

I've been riding the bike a little every day but am fearful that it may be running a little hot so I've only been running it a few minutes at a time and letting it cool down completely between runs. 

I have a trail tech temp gauge ordered which should be here this coming week. It may not be overheating at all, might just be my imagination running wild but the meltdowns I've read about have me paranoid.  But even it's not running hot then at least the trail tech will ease my mind and I'll be able to start making some longer runs. Looking forward to that.

love the paint job - did you do that?  and if so, what paint did you use?

in terms of the temp, have you validated lube pump output, correct jetting, timing, and no air leaks and correct plug with nice color?  First time around I missed some of these steps, second time around not and now I seem to have a bike that goes and goes without drama.  If you have these melt factors under control, then personally I would ride her further and further.  Temp gauge is cool, pardon the pun, but what will you compare this reading against?  I suspect the temp of these engines is all over the place depending on lots of factors.

Great looking tank!
Martin
 

I bought the paint from RS Motorbike Paint co and painted it my shop. Seen up close and personal the paint job isn't quite as nice as it may appear in the pics but not too bad for an old fart with shakey hands and poor eyesight. I'm satisfied with it but wish it was better. 

Everything in the carb is stock, same jets I ran in it thirty years ago. Oil pump is performing like a new one even though I didn't rebuild it. Plug is correct and I tested for air leaks after putting it back together. Had one small leak around the reed flange but Mark got me straightened out on that and I could detect no other leaks.

I'm surprised at your advice to go ahead and run it as it is without monitoring engine temps. You're a braver man than me.  I put my heart and soul (and a heck of lot of cash) into the rebuild and the thought of destroying all that terrifies me.  There are several posts on here concerning engine temps and information is available on other sites as well. From what I've read I'll be happy if my temps are around the 350 F mark (or be pretty nervous if they get up around the 400 mark). 

The price of the parts... Thats the key phrase...  I'm gonna make time to tidy mine up for riding in August... I'm sorting out the wires and to refurbish the oil tank... I had to buy an oil tank window... No way could I salvage it... spendy little bugger... I'd like to go way deeper into rebuilding the whole bike... But maybe just wait a year or so... I'd rather ride it... So... then ifn something breaks.. I'll have to fix it then.. 
Getting a title is a PITA in Mn... but I hope in a couple weeks, that'll be behind me... 
 Didn't mean to jump on yer thread here... I've an RT 360... 
Sneezles61

Jack,     
I've been following your progress and want to congratulate you on your success!
I agree with Martin that your paint job looks great.

I think that you will find your digital temp sensor readings to be informative and interesting.  I used a cylinder temp gauge in my kart racing career (Yamaha KT100 engine).

I tended to dismiss momentary spikes in temp, and focused on median outputs.

Your spark plug color will ultimately be the best fuel/air indicator.

Looking forward to your next posting.

I am not reckless and do not desire to smoke hard to find pricey parts either.

But my point is that if everything is on the money, then its time to ride IMO

 

Hi Jack.
I like your sense of humor. RS water based paint is a swine to use. It cost me £300 in paints and barrier coat . I painted my CT3 Sunburst metalic and only got it correct on the third attempt .
Does your bike run okay and start easy when it's hot ?
Make sure the oil pump is blead up good and proper and the feed line doesnt kink when it's hot. Mine did and stuffed the bore.
when i got my 250 and 360 , the oil pumps were backed right off.In other words the peg and dot didn't line up. The 360 was a week away from the mark !

Thanks Yamadude. I'm looking forward to monitoring the engine temp and learning from it.

Martin, I didn't mean to imply you were reckless, my apoligies if it came across that way. I followed your meltdown thread every step of the way and I know you took every precaution in rebuilding your engine to be certain you had everything right. I respect that.

 I probably am being overly cautious with it. But I don't mind waiting til the temp gauge gets here. The bike sat in my shed for 30 years waiting for me to get back to it and it's been almost a year since I actually began working on it so a few more days is nothing at all. 

Shyted, I found the RS paint really difficult to use too.  As I said I'm not especially proud of the paint  job but think the problem was probably with me and not the paint itself. I don't have a lot of experience with a spray gun anyway and none at all with water based paints so it was kind of a learn as I went along kind of thing.  A pro could have done a lot better I'm sure and even I could probably do better on a do-over but as I said I'm satisfied with it. it looks pretty good and way better than it did a short time ago.

The engine runs good but a little bit hard to start. Usually takes 7 or 8 kicks to get her going when cold and 3 or 4 when warmed up. I know that's not right and not sure yet what that is all about but hopefully I'll work it out sooner or later. I'm not using the decomp valve since I don't have a cable but getting along ok without it. Might be able to get a bit more speed in my kick if I was using it though, which might or might not make a difference.... Once I get some temp readings I'll start tinkering with it a bit more than I have and hope to find the right combination to easier starting. Otherwise, all is good.

I think my oil pump is fine, checked the output before firing up the engine and it checked out right on the money. Where did your oil line kink,, betting it was right at where it connects to the pump and then immediately makes a hard turn. I didn't like that but saw no way around it. 

Jack - didn’t view your comments negatively, if I came across as a tool I appplgize.  I was  just sharing a free opinion which is worth nothing!  I’ve put about 1500 miles on since melting her, the good news is thanks to this esteemed group I now know about 100 things not to do! 

I actually have a temp gauge under #3 plug of my bug. It’s a leftover from before I blew up factory case - #3 the hot spot - and popped for a racing case.  Head gets up to about 325f+ when I haul ass up big hill on 241 at 80. Not sure what it means except it’s below the toast point of my valvoline ZR1 illegal in CA oil that summit ships me and the melting point of aluminum.  Bug has big oil cooler so I suspect head on bike to get way hotter under a big load at a slower speed on a hot day which is exacerbated by my 250 lbs.

So what’s normal if everything is as the clever Japanese engineers intended?  I bet 400F is possible on a hot day with a high load???