So, there I was, full grin from ear to ear. Throttle replaced, oil drained and refilled, head gasket replaced, and gas in the tank. I was ready man. I pushed down on the kick lever to pull it around, leaned left, turned the gas on, and jumped.
No joy!!! What!?!?!
The what was due to the hugely uncomfortable slip. There was no "humph" like I would have expected if it was turning over. Nope, it completely slipped. Clutch issues from sitting? I have no idea at the moment.
Just as I was going to try her again I heard it. Yet another sickening sound. Not a drip, but a pour. Somewhere between putting gas in the tank, and my ill fated kick, the tank began leaking. So the slip was obviously a good thing. I can't imagine what I would have done had it started and then caught on fire.
Knowing what I do about the guy who did the previous work, I'm not surprised, but I'm still not happy. Oh well, life goes on and this too shall pass. I'm gonna start a targeted thread on the clutch issue, but I thought I'd update this for anyone who might have been curious as to how it went.