After spending a couple of weeks adjusting my new carbs the time came for the 200 mile ride to my friend's.
The engine did very well, was very smooth except in the 4500-5200 band where there were some vibrations. The new laminar lip did its work as well adding only a little more turbulence but allowing me to ride with open helmet if I lowered my head a little. So all in all a nice experience:
The last couple of miles before I reached my destination the engine began to die when idling with the clutch lever drawn. On closer inspection I discovered that the clutch cable was frayed at the lever and only three cordelles kept their connection to the lever. Not a very welcome discovery 200 miles from home with no spare. Luckily the local bicycle mechanic solved the problem by installing a new cable in the old sheath, so half an hour later and $28 ligther I had a new clutch cable.
The aim of the trip was to partake in a long distance sailing race but the weather gods were not favorable and decided to keep the winds in the bag:
Therefore the match lasted a day longer than anticipated and it was night before I could turn home. After having done about a third of the return trip I ran into a 10 miles long queue. When I had weaved my way through half of the queue I began to get nervous about the temperature of the engine and stopped to check. The reason for my nervousness was that the new carbs have a heavier vacuum spring than the original carbs which gives a slightly leaner mixture and this again makes the engine run a little warmer than before (appr. 120C).
To my satisfaction the temperature had dropped to 100C during my "weaving" so I proceeded to the head of the queue. From then on and the rest of the way home it was plain sailing with an average speed of 75 miles/hour
