Figured I'd give this thread some closure - I'm sure you're all sitting on pins and needles waiting to see how my project ended up, right?
:lolrolling
The day before leaving for a 3 day mini vacation to NYC with my wife, I put the primary cover back on after adjusting the clutch. Refilled with new primary fluid. Reconnected battery. Seat back on. Sat down and was ready to start her up and then.....I had a thought. I said to myself, "What if this thing doesn't start or even worse, starts and begins to make a horrible noise?" I knew I wouldn't have time to do any troubleshooting and I knew it would put me in a really sour mood for the trip to New York. Not wanting to endanger a trip my wife was REALLY looking forward to, I took my thumb off the start switch and went inside to pack.
New York was a blast.
Happy to report that Thursday night I went out and finally started the bike. Started and ran fine. Friday I reattached the remaining items I had taken off to get the primary cover off. This morning, I went for a 4 hour ride with JDPEagle and AJPanda and had a wonderful, trouble free ride!
I know I need to work on my self confidence when it comes to mechanical work. As of today, I feel a lot better about my ability to handle most mods and/or repairs on my bike.
Thanks to everyone who gave me advice or simply encouragement as I worked through this project!
:cheers