Yesterday, I took the engine apart; replaced the shifting cross, gears, gear tree shim, and cylinder studs; and checked the interior. I also got the engine back on the frame and started it up. I got down the road for a little bit and started hearing some thumping.

My heart sank. What if something came apart because I didn't put things together correctly. Could this be the end of my engine?

A new scooter friend - he just finished restoring a Baja - stopped by the house right as I was trying to figure out the problem. We took a look at it and he asked if I had lined up the piston rings. Ahhh, that is something I didn't think of.

Right now Heebie is sitting there with the cylinder half off the bike. I had thought I could take the cylinder off while the engine was still mounted in the frame. It can almost be done, but there is a small amount of the frame the blocks it from coming off. I'm hoping if I drop the engine a little more, I can do it. I really don't want to go through the pain of disconnecting all the cables, etc.

We'll see... I don't think I'll be finding out today. I plan to enjoy my Independence Day!