Down to the Stator

With the engine out of Icarus, I removed all the necessary bolts to get down to the stator.  I was careful to mark all bolts with tape so I could put it back together properly. In the process, I spilled oil and coolant everywhere, and made an absolute mess.  Each part I took off I cleaned throughly in Simple Green and prepped to be ready to go back on bike.  The stator was remarkably easy to get down to once the rear engine cover was off.  There were obvious parts of it where the plastic wire covering was chipped away and it was contacting the engine block.  One area in particular had a wire that was pinched between the block and the stator body.  These spots ground out the stator and prevent the bike from putting out the voltage necessary for running and charging the battery.   The new stator and CDI I planned on putting in the bike allowed me to remove the extra piece below, which looked remarkably like the Iron Man energy source the Arc Reactor.

With the stator out, I put in my order for a new Ingitech unit and a rebuilt stator from Custom Rewind. I also ordered a full seal replacement kit.  

I returned to the bike and began cleaning out the carbs to restore them.  To my surprise, under the grime on the outside, the carb interiors were remarkably clean! My intent was to remove the air box and install cone filters, so I also got the old jets out and put in new ones.  I put in new 90 and 120 jets, and replaced seals throughout the carb.  

While cleaning the carbs, I decided to use some compressed air to blow out areas I couldn't get to. I hadn't removed a small rubber plug that gets squished down when the carb top is on, and with the first jet of compressed air, this little stopper ejected at light speed and shot across the shop, never to be found again.  After hunting the internet to find a replacement for this little guy, I discovered that many people have made this mistake before me and have used Bic pen butts to temporarily replace the lost part.  Since I had ample time while the stator shipped, I went ahead and ordered a few new ones that one of the forum users recommended.  

The rebound spring for the butterfly valve on my carbs was wired in place instead of fitting around the post where it is intended to sit.  To fix this hack repair, I took some string and threaded it past the post and around the hooked end of the spring.  Pulling and wiggling, with great effort I managed to pop it back in place, which gave the valve significantly more torque when returning to the throttle off position.