Natasha is going to the shop

Well, I gave it the old college try but was in the end defeated by two rpoc screws I could not remove in order to be able to remove the engine's front cover.

My Russian friend Andre and I tried for hours on Monday and did not even budge them. Penetrating oil failed to loosen them, we tried various ways to apply pressure while the other tried turning the screwdriver using pliers....no joy. Heck, the tip of my craftsman screwdriver bent without managing any movement on the screw itself.

Today, I tried screw extractors, all I managed to do is break two drill bits trying to create a hole for the extractor! That's when I decided the motorcycling gods were telling me to let the professionals take it from here. Coincidentally, as I was putting away my tools, Dennis of Linden Engineering called me to ask if I wanted him to come get Natasha and take her to the shop.

He'll be here tomorrow afternoon, after 4 PM so I can get a full day of work in and then meet with him at my home so he can trailer Natasha away. Sigh.

Here's some pics of where I ended up giving up this repair effort. Now, I'll be stimulating the economy in Golden instead.

The view of the engine front cover, the round part with three notches on it is where the Ignition Control Module mounts.

Note the damn RPOC flathead screws, located top right/left of the cover

A view of the engine, from the left side, it should give you an idea of the ackward angles we had to deal with while trying to remove the cover.

A photo from Natasha's previous owner, this is what I would have seen if I'd gotten the damn front over off. That middle gear was worn down from what I could see through the alternator mounting hole so the timing gears will definitely be getting replaced. The smaller gear on top is what got sheared off the alternator.

Hmmm, I just realized, that cotter pin holding the alternator gear, no in evidence when I took the alternator out....hope Linden finds it!

Thanks to all who offered supportive words and comments. I'm going to have Linden replace all the rpoc flathead screws with allen head steel screws so the next time the engine cover has to come off, it'll be doable by me!

Oh, and I am going with putting in OEM Ural Timing Gears and a rebuilt 35 AMP Ural Alternator. Why? The timing gears are $70 vice $230 for the aftermarket Herzog timing gears. The rebuilt alternator is $200 vice the $600 Nippon Denso Alternator which is backordered for the foreseeable future!

In other words, it's cheaper and faster to go with Ural components. Once she's running again, I'll have more options. I wanted the Denso but am unwilling to have no ETA on getting one.

One thing I've learned of all this, one must monitor the noise level coming from the alternator and adjust its position accordingly to prevent excessive wear on the gears. These motorcycles are definitely "interesting" when it comes to keeping them running.