Here we go again...
A few of you have followed along as I replaced my original 1641 with an 1835. Well, I finally got it dialed in, and I've been riding as much as I can, weather permitting.
So here I was Friday afternoon, trippin' down the highway after work, headed home to start what was supposed to be a great three day holiday weekend. I'm cruisin' along and about a mile from the house, I start to hear this rattling sound and the bike starts to pitch forward and back. I pull off the road and shut it down, fearing the worst thinking my new power plant just went south. I look around, and can't see anything obviously wrong, so I start her up again. The engine just purrs like a kitten (albeit a very large and angry kitten), pretty as any I've seen.
So I get back on and take off. 1st gear, no problem. 2nd gear, smooth as silk. 3rd gear has a bit of shimmy, and 4th gear grinds and clatters like it's full of gravel. Son-of-a-beatch, after all the crap with the new engine, the damn thing shells the transaxle! So I cram it back in 3rd and limp it home, and once again, the process to "refit" begins anew.
Of course, there's nobody around here close that'll even touch a VW tranny, but I found a guy in Springfield, MO who's been rebuilding bug boxes for a long time. He seems to have a pretty good rep, so I'm gonna roll the dice on a rebuilt unit. He says he has what he needs to get it done in a few days and can have it ready by next weekend. That'll give me enough time to get it back together, just in time for a weekend road trip the following week. He's building me a single plate with 388's out of a '74 Super Beetle. Should be stout enough for my app, and it might even improve mileage over the 412 that is on the bike now. I guess I'll find in a week or so.
Wish me luck, guys and gals. My patience with this contraption is wearing very thin, not to mention my wallet.
PEACE and ride safe!