THE LOG / MECHANICS / 1 MIN READ
The Shadow: Engine Out (and Full of Water)
The Shadow came home, the wrenches came out, and the bike started telling me its secrets. Most of them involved water.
Brian Feller / Teardown photographs
Inventory day
The bike came with a bonus box of parts, the motorcycle version of "some assembly required." Before I unbolted anything else, I spread it all out on the floor to see what I actually owned. Think of it as a jigsaw puzzle where nobody included the picture on the box.
The Shadow was keeping secrets
The seat came off and the motorcycle jack slid in under the engine. Then the bike started confessing. The carb boots still had water in them. The airbox didn't just have water in it; it was full. This bike hadn't just sat out in the rain. It had been collecting it.
A friendly disagreement with the driveshaft
With the jack holding the weight, it was time for the engine to come out. The engine and the driveshaft had other plans. They'd clearly grown attached. After some persuading, they agreed to see other people. Even this far in, the bike had made one thing clear: this was going to be a long journey.
AS BOUGHT / THE PHOTOGRAPHS
