Igofar Reviews
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Shuey
Site Supporter
Part Two
11-12 October, 2022
About 9am or so I rode over to meet and visit with Larry. Although he's not a Yamaha we spent most of the day in his garage doing some basic maintenance, adjusting and examining the bike. Let me get all the gushing out of the way first. Larry is a warm hearted, knowledgeable and generous person who I am proud to now call friend. He basically gave me three days of undivided attention, education and guidance. I had a GREAT time and recommend to all, if you're traveling anywhere near Oro Valley, you'll be missing out if you don't at least arrange a social visit over a meal somewhere.
OK, up front, know that I don't do much in the way of maintenance of my steads. I provide for its basic needs and insure others more qualified attend to what's needed. I learned a lot from Larry. So, what did we do? Well, first, there's a 'get acquainted' preamble . . . magic tricks. Larry's pretty good with cards and slight of hand. He says it keeps his hands and fingers nimble. Great fun!
Ahh, the bike. First up, does the bike vibrate? Sure, all three of my ST1300s and both FJRs do a little. He cleaned the 'bobbins' or 'spools' on the front wheel as that might help with that. Not really sure what they do, but they're supposed to be loose and able to freely rotate. (Anyone have more info on what they do, let me know please.)
Larry coached me through some minor adjustments to the handlebar ergonomics (adjusted the clutch and brake lever) and made some changes to the preload. The FJR1300ES has lots of suspension adjustments. We only adjusted the electronic preload to Level 3.
Next up, let's flush the clutch just for fun, although I just had it done 3 months prior. Clutch first. Fluid in the reservoir looks good, but what came out of the line didn't. Seems like when last serviced, it wasn't flushed! (When I get home . . . Lucy? You got some 'splaning to do!)
Flush and bleed the brakes next, which I've never done myself. Known by everyone else on this site who reads this and does their own maintenance, using a one way valve in the line prevents air from running back up into the lines - and makes this job pretty easy. I'm now confident I can do this myself in the future.
Oil filter removal? I do usually change my own oil and use a technique of putting a piece of tin foil across the exhaust pipe and under the filter to have the last bit of oil go into the pan when I remove the filter. Larry fabricated a tool that just fits under the filter and keep oil from going anywhere except where you want it. I'm looking for the right size plastic bottle to make one for myself. Easy breezy.
Next, we took a good look at the front wheel. On examination Larry noted there was a lot of weights on it. In fact, there were 4 g of weights stuck on top of another 4 g of weights stuck on the wheel rim, along with one or two on the opposite side. Larry mentioned he'd never seen double stacked weights before. We decided to pull the wheel, remove all weights and have it rebalanced at a local dealer. When rebalanced, the wheel needed less than half as much weight as was placed on in Denver. Larry reinstalled the wheel noting there was some scoring on the axle and a lot of grease. Cleaned it up and applied anti-seize then installed it.
On remounting the wheel Larry pointed out that one of the pinch bolts was rounded out. (On arriving home, I ordered replacement bolts from Ayers.)
OK, maintenance done. I've grouped them all together in this report, although the front wheel work was actually done the 3rd day while everything else was done on the first day. If anything I described sounds screwy, it's probably my faulty memory and not anything the Larry actually did.
So, when we were done "maintaining" the first day, we went for a "little" ride, just down the road! Larry's screen name is well chosen; 40 minutes to an hour later we arrived at a memorial for "King of the Cowboys" movie star Tom Mix. (It would be another 15 years before Roy Rogers would claim the title.) His career mostly behind him, he was driving 80 mph in his fancy Cord and for an unknown reason, crashed through the well marked road construction barriers and into a wash . . . dying. I can remember watching some of his b/w films on TV when very young. His horse "Tony" was also famous at the time and was noted to nudge Tom sometimes closer and sometimes away from is love interest at the end of most of his movies.
So . . . who's that handsome guy in the picture you ask? That's Larry.
The next day we road up to the top of Mt Lemmon. I enjoyed every minute of it. Larry is a great riding companion!
On the way up to and back from Mt Lemmon (note, it's spelled correctly as it was named after someone). It's a beautiful ride with lots of HooDoos, magnificent balancing rocks, to see.
That takes care of 11 and 12 Oct, 2022.
Part 3 . . . tomorrow!
Shuey
11-12 October, 2022
About 9am or so I rode over to meet and visit with Larry. Although he's not a Yamaha we spent most of the day in his garage doing some basic maintenance, adjusting and examining the bike. Let me get all the gushing out of the way first. Larry is a warm hearted, knowledgeable and generous person who I am proud to now call friend. He basically gave me three days of undivided attention, education and guidance. I had a GREAT time and recommend to all, if you're traveling anywhere near Oro Valley, you'll be missing out if you don't at least arrange a social visit over a meal somewhere.
OK, up front, know that I don't do much in the way of maintenance of my steads. I provide for its basic needs and insure others more qualified attend to what's needed. I learned a lot from Larry. So, what did we do? Well, first, there's a 'get acquainted' preamble . . . magic tricks. Larry's pretty good with cards and slight of hand. He says it keeps his hands and fingers nimble. Great fun!
Ahh, the bike. First up, does the bike vibrate? Sure, all three of my ST1300s and both FJRs do a little. He cleaned the 'bobbins' or 'spools' on the front wheel as that might help with that. Not really sure what they do, but they're supposed to be loose and able to freely rotate. (Anyone have more info on what they do, let me know please.)
Larry coached me through some minor adjustments to the handlebar ergonomics (adjusted the clutch and brake lever) and made some changes to the preload. The FJR1300ES has lots of suspension adjustments. We only adjusted the electronic preload to Level 3.
Next up, let's flush the clutch just for fun, although I just had it done 3 months prior. Clutch first. Fluid in the reservoir looks good, but what came out of the line didn't. Seems like when last serviced, it wasn't flushed! (When I get home . . . Lucy? You got some 'splaning to do!)
Flush and bleed the brakes next, which I've never done myself. Known by everyone else on this site who reads this and does their own maintenance, using a one way valve in the line prevents air from running back up into the lines - and makes this job pretty easy. I'm now confident I can do this myself in the future.
Oil filter removal? I do usually change my own oil and use a technique of putting a piece of tin foil across the exhaust pipe and under the filter to have the last bit of oil go into the pan when I remove the filter. Larry fabricated a tool that just fits under the filter and keep oil from going anywhere except where you want it. I'm looking for the right size plastic bottle to make one for myself. Easy breezy.
Next, we took a good look at the front wheel. On examination Larry noted there was a lot of weights on it. In fact, there were 4 g of weights stuck on top of another 4 g of weights stuck on the wheel rim, along with one or two on the opposite side. Larry mentioned he'd never seen double stacked weights before. We decided to pull the wheel, remove all weights and have it rebalanced at a local dealer. When rebalanced, the wheel needed less than half as much weight as was placed on in Denver. Larry reinstalled the wheel noting there was some scoring on the axle and a lot of grease. Cleaned it up and applied anti-seize then installed it.
On remounting the wheel Larry pointed out that one of the pinch bolts was rounded out. (On arriving home, I ordered replacement bolts from Ayers.)
OK, maintenance done. I've grouped them all together in this report, although the front wheel work was actually done the 3rd day while everything else was done on the first day. If anything I described sounds screwy, it's probably my faulty memory and not anything the Larry actually did.
So, when we were done "maintaining" the first day, we went for a "little" ride, just down the road! Larry's screen name is well chosen; 40 minutes to an hour later we arrived at a memorial for "King of the Cowboys" movie star Tom Mix. (It would be another 15 years before Roy Rogers would claim the title.) His career mostly behind him, he was driving 80 mph in his fancy Cord and for an unknown reason, crashed through the well marked road construction barriers and into a wash . . . dying. I can remember watching some of his b/w films on TV when very young. His horse "Tony" was also famous at the time and was noted to nudge Tom sometimes closer and sometimes away from is love interest at the end of most of his movies.
So . . . who's that handsome guy in the picture you ask? That's Larry.
The next day we road up to the top of Mt Lemmon. I enjoyed every minute of it. Larry is a great riding companion!
On the way up to and back from Mt Lemmon (note, it's spelled correctly as it was named after someone). It's a beautiful ride with lots of HooDoos, magnificent balancing rocks, to see.
That takes care of 11 and 12 Oct, 2022.
Part 3 . . . tomorrow!
Shuey
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ToddC
Site Supporter
Say Hi to Larry for me.... And nice write up and pics..!!
T
T
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
If you look at your brake discs you will see two different types of metal on the brake disc. The inner disc diameter that is inside the circumference of those bobbins is the mounting surface, and it is bolted solidly to the wheel. The outer disc diameter that is outside the circumference of these bobbins is the friction surface that the brake pads rub against when you apply the brakes.
These are two separate discs that are not solidly attached to each other. They are linked to each other by the small steel bobbins at the interface between the two.
The outer friction surface can move laterally, i.e. parallel to the axle, a small amount independently of the inner mounting disc. It moves on these bobbins. This is done to allow it to float around a little to absorb small movements of the disc due to wear and warpage so that these variations are not felt as a pulsation in the brake lever when the brakes are applied.
If you have a warped front brake rotor on your car, the brake pedal pulsates when you apply the brakes hard. The same thing happens on a motorcycle, except that you feel it in the brake lever through your hand. Allowing the friction disc the ability to move independently of the mounting surface allows it and the caliper to more easily move together. This reduces the intensity of these pulsations, or eliminates them if they are minor, much in the same way that floating brake calipers do. It also provides better braking, reduced heat, and better brake pad wear all because the brake pads and the friction surface are in greater contact with each other more of the time than with a fixed disc.
docw1
Bill Rankin
Your experience with Larry mirrors mine. A great guy and an invaluable resource.
After having an intermittent fuel leak that me and 2 motorcycle shops could not find, I went down to see Igofar. I kind of put him on the spot saying that I was going to be by him the next day, and was expecting just to pick his brain. The next day He saw my message and said to give him time to eat lunch and come on over. Well, 30 hours later we were done with the bike. I'm not a mechanic, so things that I thought I checked, I overlooked. Big time. I was hoping to just find the fuel leak, which I thought was all that was wrong with the bike. He found, and showed me that I was literally riding a ticking time bomb.
This is a very brief list that he did at the spur of a moment with me there with him. And he explained and showed me as we did it together(99.99999% him).
1) Removed all Tupperware for inspections, removed radiator, tightened all loose clamps to fix coolant leaks, replaced T-stat and O-ring, complete coolant flush, and replaced coolant etc.
2.) Adjusted counter balance adjusters (which were both off quite a bit),
3.) Found all 4 spark plugs loose, which was causing a knocking sound that he heard but I didn't. found the #4 spark plug cap damaged from the cylinder head cover, and trimmed it to prevent future damage
4.) Replaced the O-ring on the fuel sending unit that was leaking. Replaced the fuel joint hose just in case since we were right there, and the fuel feed hose which was where the majority of the fuel leak was.
5.) Replaced all the vacuum lines, and cleaned 5 way tee which was absolutely filthy.
6.) Adjusted (sync) starter valves (throttle body sync-Sic) which reduced heat as verified by heat gun ( open throttle temp went from 223 to 97) which I was there helping and saw the the 2 temps! The side of the motor temp went with Tupperware off went from 120 to 91 which I also saw.
7.) Adjusted the throttle cables correctly, flushed the clutch fluid (and pointed out my leaking clutch slave cylinder that needs to be repaired).
8.) Replaced my damaged clutch lever boot.
9.) Discovered all 4 front axle pinch bolts loose, as well as axle nut (finger tight) ( which I bought a lottery ticket today lol!)
10.) Removed front tire and aligned the front forks correctly, which when I had the front fork seals replaced a couple months ago the shop didnt do right!
11.) Torqued everything down to correct torque, performed SMC function test - which passed at this time (rear wheel locking up & releasing correctly) Serviced my preload adjuster, adjusted your damping setting and tightened loose battery connections.
I cant thank him enough for opening his place up for me at the last minute.
This is a very brief list that he did at the spur of a moment with me there with him. And he explained and showed me as we did it together(99.99999% him).
1) Removed all Tupperware for inspections, removed radiator, tightened all loose clamps to fix coolant leaks, replaced T-stat and O-ring, complete coolant flush, and replaced coolant etc.
2.) Adjusted counter balance adjusters (which were both off quite a bit),
3.) Found all 4 spark plugs loose, which was causing a knocking sound that he heard but I didn't. found the #4 spark plug cap damaged from the cylinder head cover, and trimmed it to prevent future damage
4.) Replaced the O-ring on the fuel sending unit that was leaking. Replaced the fuel joint hose just in case since we were right there, and the fuel feed hose which was where the majority of the fuel leak was.
5.) Replaced all the vacuum lines, and cleaned 5 way tee which was absolutely filthy.
6.) Adjusted (sync) starter valves (throttle body sync-Sic) which reduced heat as verified by heat gun ( open throttle temp went from 223 to 97) which I was there helping and saw the the 2 temps! The side of the motor temp went with Tupperware off went from 120 to 91 which I also saw.
7.) Adjusted the throttle cables correctly, flushed the clutch fluid (and pointed out my leaking clutch slave cylinder that needs to be repaired).
8.) Replaced my damaged clutch lever boot.
9.) Discovered all 4 front axle pinch bolts loose, as well as axle nut (finger tight) ( which I bought a lottery ticket today lol!)
10.) Removed front tire and aligned the front forks correctly, which when I had the front fork seals replaced a couple months ago the shop didnt do right!
11.) Torqued everything down to correct torque, performed SMC function test - which passed at this time (rear wheel locking up & releasing correctly) Serviced my preload adjuster, adjusted your damping setting and tightened loose battery connections.
I cant thank him enough for opening his place up for me at the last minute.
ToddC
Site Supporter
Larry knows his stuff.....!
T
T
Ah ha! So, that's the FJR I heard was coming! I was thrilled to return the favor in a small way when Larry contacted me for copies of the service manual pages for reference! I, for a moment only, had an inkling of being the FJR whisperer east of the Mississippi...
Then I woke up...
Still need to combine a tech day out this way as a means to get Larry to come for the much talked about visit here...
Then I woke up...
Still need to combine a tech day out this way as a means to get Larry to come for the much talked about visit here...
Shuey
Site Supporter
Ah ha! So, that's the FJR I heard was coming! I was thrilled to return the favor in a small way when Larry contacted me for copies of the service manual pages for reference! I, for a moment only, had an inkling of being the FJR whisperer east of the Mississippi...
Then I woke up...
Well, you'd be closer than Larry and . . . have a larger range of FJR specific expertise! I benefited greatly from your assistance. Thank you.
Shuey
Shuey
Site Supporter
Thank you for the detailed response Andrew, it's . . . very much appreciated! I'm sure others will like it also.
Shuey
Shuey
Site Supporter
Part 3 . . . the final leg of the journey . . . comes tomorrow (probably).
Shuey
Shuey
Wow great write up! Thanks for posting those beautiful pictures!
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
Hopefully it made sense.
I was surprised that you didn't mention the security system in Larry's garage- snakes! It seems that he introduces everyone to them.
Nice report, well written, and great photos.
Shuey
Site Supporter
Andrew,
Your explanation made great sense. I couldn't imagine the engineers would design in the bobbins/spools and extra production expense just for the esthetics. I forgot about Larry's security system . . . thanks for the reminder! Yep, they were discussed just before the magic show started! I suspect the rattlers he lets loose at night in the garage are hungry also.
Shuey
Shuey
Site Supporter
Part Three
13-17 October, 2022
Thursday, 13Oct, Larry and I spent the morning taking care of my front wheel issues described earlier. The stacked weights in particular bothered Larry and just had to be taken care of. That finished up the bike work. Although Larry doesn't specialize in FJRs, we got a lot done. The immediate result was a dramatic reduction (near disappearance) of vibration while riding! Three ST1300s and I'm on my 2nd FJR and I thought all bikes were supposed to vibrate and shake the side-view mirrors. Not anymore. Thank you Larry!
Larry sent me this pic that best sums up why he does it . . .
All-in-all, Larry is just a great guy . . . warm hearted and giving, eager to give of his time to improve the world around him. Here's some examples, not bike related. While at the Tom Mix memorial, he noted someone had spray painted graffiti on the back side of one of the columns and said he might just have to come back out and clean that off. Larry also goes riding (think trail bike) out into the wilds to police up ammunition brass that people leave at various locations, just because it's bad for the environment. He also carries buckets and snake wrangling equipment to relocate snakes he finds in public areas (well, that's not completely altruistic as his security force does need replenishment from time to time
).
I finished out Thursday having lunch with a cousin who lives in Tucson and finished the day with a tasty farewell dinner at a great Mexican place with Larry and his wonderful wife Christy. She is just as nice as he is. I now call them both . . . friends!
Friday, 14 Oct, so long Oro Valley and heading east at a leisurely pace back to Niceville.
First stop was in Tombstone, AZ, for breakfast. Lots of history here and, yes . . . it's a tourist oriented town, but so what. I like it.
If you happen to visit Tombstone in the future, they were installing a new statue at the town square. I'll be interested in what it is when I visit again.
During my discussions with Larry, I let him know I found the sagas of the old west fascinating which led to our ride out to the Tom Mix Memorial. He also mentioned that east of Tucson was the grave of Johnny Ringo "Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County War in Texas during which he committed his first murder." (Wikipedia) For those who have watched the movie "Tombstone", Ringo intends to meet and kill Wyatt Earp outside of town, but Doc Holliday gets there early and bests him instead. Ahhh, not so (maybe). His death was ruled a suicide, but some claimed he was murdered. The facts support suicide. His grave is a state historical site on private land about 8 miles down a dirt/gravel road.
Surrounded by fencing marked "Private Property" there is this fenced access back to the gravesite.
If you want to know more . . . https://www.oldwest.org/johnny-ringo/
If you want to visit . . .
On my way out, heading up to I-10, I took a turn that dead ended at this National Monument. There are many HooDoos here also, but sorry, no new pics.
Nice ride back up to I-10 then eastward bound. First night was spent in Van Horn, TX. Van Horn figured prominently in my first IBA ride as it was 1,519 miles from Jacksonville Beach, FL, and my first stop as I head coast-to-coast back in 2008. I made it in less (just barely) than 24 hours. The town has grown a lot since then. The next day was a pleasant ride along I-10, enjoying the scenery and . . . still in Texas . . . I pulled in for the night in Columbus, TX.
Another easy day on Sunday riding I-10 with a stop in Beaumont, TX, to get a picture of the World's Largest Working Fireplug. It used to be the World's Largest Fireplug until a bigger one was built in Columbia, SC, but . . . it's not functional.
Beaumont was deserted on Sunday morning and I didn't see a single moving vehicle between getting off and back on I-10. Really nice!
I texted a copy of the picture to Larry and his reply was that "I'd run like hell before the world's largest dog . . . "
Then it was back on I-10, through Louisiana and although I could easily make it home, I stopped early for the night in Gulfport, MS, as I wanted to visit "an old friend" the next morning.
So, I had a nice breakfast then made the short ride to Ocean Springs, MS, to visit my old friend "Crooked Feather."
Peter Wolf Toth, a Hungarian born American artist realized his calling at age 24 to celebrate the American Indian and set a goal to carve, for free, giant indian statues in all 50 states as well as one in Canada. He achieved his goal and some states have more than one. Collectively, they are known as "The Trail of the Whispering Giants." Unfortunately the one for MS, located in Ocean Springs, was destroyed by termites and weather. The town replaced it with one produced by a local artist in 1999, in Peter's style, as they thought he had died. He's very much alive and working in Ocean City, FL, and thinks the replacement is a nice one that fits in well with the rest of his creations. There are over 70 "Giants" and I visited them all except the one in Hawaii, winning the Team Strange 2015 Grand Tour. My favorite is the one in Colquitt, GA. More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_the_Whispering_Giants
Well, that's the end of this adventure. It's been awhile since I produced a trip report. As you've probably noticed, the "Verbose" key on my computer is stuck in the open position. I keep meaning to get it fixed . . . maybe one of these days.
Trip total: 4,743 miles of smiles
For those that patiently read through this . . . thank you for sharing my adventure!
Shuey
13-17 October, 2022
Thursday, 13Oct, Larry and I spent the morning taking care of my front wheel issues described earlier. The stacked weights in particular bothered Larry and just had to be taken care of. That finished up the bike work. Although Larry doesn't specialize in FJRs, we got a lot done. The immediate result was a dramatic reduction (near disappearance) of vibration while riding! Three ST1300s and I'm on my 2nd FJR and I thought all bikes were supposed to vibrate and shake the side-view mirrors. Not anymore. Thank you Larry!
Larry sent me this pic that best sums up why he does it . . .
All-in-all, Larry is just a great guy . . . warm hearted and giving, eager to give of his time to improve the world around him. Here's some examples, not bike related. While at the Tom Mix memorial, he noted someone had spray painted graffiti on the back side of one of the columns and said he might just have to come back out and clean that off. Larry also goes riding (think trail bike) out into the wilds to police up ammunition brass that people leave at various locations, just because it's bad for the environment. He also carries buckets and snake wrangling equipment to relocate snakes he finds in public areas (well, that's not completely altruistic as his security force does need replenishment from time to time
).I finished out Thursday having lunch with a cousin who lives in Tucson and finished the day with a tasty farewell dinner at a great Mexican place with Larry and his wonderful wife Christy. She is just as nice as he is. I now call them both . . . friends!
Friday, 14 Oct, so long Oro Valley and heading east at a leisurely pace back to Niceville.
First stop was in Tombstone, AZ, for breakfast. Lots of history here and, yes . . . it's a tourist oriented town, but so what. I like it.
If you happen to visit Tombstone in the future, they were installing a new statue at the town square. I'll be interested in what it is when I visit again.
During my discussions with Larry, I let him know I found the sagas of the old west fascinating which led to our ride out to the Tom Mix Memorial. He also mentioned that east of Tucson was the grave of Johnny Ringo "Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County War in Texas during which he committed his first murder." (Wikipedia) For those who have watched the movie "Tombstone", Ringo intends to meet and kill Wyatt Earp outside of town, but Doc Holliday gets there early and bests him instead. Ahhh, not so (maybe). His death was ruled a suicide, but some claimed he was murdered. The facts support suicide. His grave is a state historical site on private land about 8 miles down a dirt/gravel road.
Surrounded by fencing marked "Private Property" there is this fenced access back to the gravesite.
If you want to know more . . . https://www.oldwest.org/johnny-ringo/
If you want to visit . . .
On my way out, heading up to I-10, I took a turn that dead ended at this National Monument. There are many HooDoos here also, but sorry, no new pics.
Nice ride back up to I-10 then eastward bound. First night was spent in Van Horn, TX. Van Horn figured prominently in my first IBA ride as it was 1,519 miles from Jacksonville Beach, FL, and my first stop as I head coast-to-coast back in 2008. I made it in less (just barely) than 24 hours. The town has grown a lot since then. The next day was a pleasant ride along I-10, enjoying the scenery and . . . still in Texas . . . I pulled in for the night in Columbus, TX.
Another easy day on Sunday riding I-10 with a stop in Beaumont, TX, to get a picture of the World's Largest Working Fireplug. It used to be the World's Largest Fireplug until a bigger one was built in Columbia, SC, but . . . it's not functional.
Beaumont was deserted on Sunday morning and I didn't see a single moving vehicle between getting off and back on I-10. Really nice!
I texted a copy of the picture to Larry and his reply was that "I'd run like hell before the world's largest dog . . . "
Then it was back on I-10, through Louisiana and although I could easily make it home, I stopped early for the night in Gulfport, MS, as I wanted to visit "an old friend" the next morning.
So, I had a nice breakfast then made the short ride to Ocean Springs, MS, to visit my old friend "Crooked Feather."
Peter Wolf Toth, a Hungarian born American artist realized his calling at age 24 to celebrate the American Indian and set a goal to carve, for free, giant indian statues in all 50 states as well as one in Canada. He achieved his goal and some states have more than one. Collectively, they are known as "The Trail of the Whispering Giants." Unfortunately the one for MS, located in Ocean Springs, was destroyed by termites and weather. The town replaced it with one produced by a local artist in 1999, in Peter's style, as they thought he had died. He's very much alive and working in Ocean City, FL, and thinks the replacement is a nice one that fits in well with the rest of his creations. There are over 70 "Giants" and I visited them all except the one in Hawaii, winning the Team Strange 2015 Grand Tour. My favorite is the one in Colquitt, GA. More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_the_Whispering_Giants
Well, that's the end of this adventure. It's been awhile since I produced a trip report. As you've probably noticed, the "Verbose" key on my computer is stuck in the open position. I keep meaning to get it fixed . . . maybe one of these days.
Trip total: 4,743 miles of smiles
For those that patiently read through this . . . thank you for sharing my adventure!
Shuey
Attachments
Last edited:
ToddC
Site Supporter
Thanks...!!!!
T
T
Not sure how two shops could have missed this…
This poor guy's been riding around on a bike, that has been pissing fuel down on the hot engine for way too long
I had visions of Richard Pryor running down the street on fire....
And bless his little heart, he confused me by putting green dye in the fuel tank, and failed to mention that part
When I first saw the bike, it was pissing green stuff out of every where!
Every radiator hose, and water pipe clamp was 8 to 12 turns loose, and green stains everywhere etc.
The T-stat was frozen, and leaking coolant out of the housing as well.
When I first saw green stuff dripping out of the left side of the bike, by the side stand, I suspected that the coolant overflow tank somehow got damaged, and was leaking.
Nope, just coolant colored green gas
It turned out to be the fuel line going to the fuel rail (serious leak), and the O-ring under the tank from the sending unit (minor leak) and we replaced the fuel joint hose just because we were there.
The fuel line ruptured enough that when it was pressurized, it was spraying fuel down the right side of the lower tank, along the little seam/ledge, following that down, and around the front of the lower tank, turning left, and following the wire harness down to the area of the coolant overflow tank, side stand, and oil filter area.
Sneaky little devil....and green to boot!
The starter valves where quite a bit out of adjustment, and there was so much heat coming off the top of the throttle bodies, I had to wait a while to work.
The counter balance adjusters were off 3 graduations on the top one, and 2 graduations off on the bottom one. (this was done the morning of the second day, when the bike was stone cold)
Did he mention that I took his bike Hostage, the first night, and drove him to a Motel?
The throttle cable adjustment was moved down under the air box base, and I removed about one inch worth of free play from the throttle grip.
The forks were not aligned correctly, and who ever did the fork seal job, installed the right fork leg almost 1/4 inch higher than the left fork leg.
After correcting the fork alignment issue, inspecting the wheel bearings, SMC, and both front calipers, we moved on....
The preload adjuster was serviced, and the line/shock/adjuster was filled with hydraulic jack oil, and the dampening (that was screwed down tight) was adjusted correctly.
The vacuum lines were replaced, the 5 way tee was cleaned out, and the starter valves were adjusted correctly.
The engine started running cooler right away, and even after idling on the table lift for almost 20 minutes, the temps never reached the mid 90's after the adjustments.
The OP was surprised that he could rest his hand almost on top of the open throttle bodies, and not feel the intense heat anymore.
We flushed his nasty clutch fluid out, replaced the damaged lever boot, and I was kind enough to point out that his Clutch Slave Cylinder had given up the ghost and was drooling brake fluid down the rear crank case cover (a job for another day).
Like he said, after 30 hours....it was time to let him return home to his family, as his kids kept calling every few hours to make sure he was still alive and safe.
I gave him a list of all the parts that he will need to replace his Clutch Slave Cylinder, and after the holidays pass, I'm sure I'll see him again.
After all, I still need to completely go through his brake system and drive shaft systems to make sure they are both in safe working condition.
This poor guy's been riding around on a bike, that has been pissing fuel down on the hot engine for way too long
I had visions of Richard Pryor running down the street on fire....
And bless his little heart, he confused me by putting green dye in the fuel tank, and failed to mention that part
When I first saw the bike, it was pissing green stuff out of every where!
Every radiator hose, and water pipe clamp was 8 to 12 turns loose, and green stains everywhere etc.
The T-stat was frozen, and leaking coolant out of the housing as well.
When I first saw green stuff dripping out of the left side of the bike, by the side stand, I suspected that the coolant overflow tank somehow got damaged, and was leaking.
Nope, just coolant colored green gas
It turned out to be the fuel line going to the fuel rail (serious leak), and the O-ring under the tank from the sending unit (minor leak) and we replaced the fuel joint hose just because we were there.
The fuel line ruptured enough that when it was pressurized, it was spraying fuel down the right side of the lower tank, along the little seam/ledge, following that down, and around the front of the lower tank, turning left, and following the wire harness down to the area of the coolant overflow tank, side stand, and oil filter area.
Sneaky little devil....and green to boot!
The starter valves where quite a bit out of adjustment, and there was so much heat coming off the top of the throttle bodies, I had to wait a while to work.
The counter balance adjusters were off 3 graduations on the top one, and 2 graduations off on the bottom one. (this was done the morning of the second day, when the bike was stone cold)
Did he mention that I took his bike Hostage, the first night, and drove him to a Motel?
The throttle cable adjustment was moved down under the air box base, and I removed about one inch worth of free play from the throttle grip.
The forks were not aligned correctly, and who ever did the fork seal job, installed the right fork leg almost 1/4 inch higher than the left fork leg.
After correcting the fork alignment issue, inspecting the wheel bearings, SMC, and both front calipers, we moved on....
The preload adjuster was serviced, and the line/shock/adjuster was filled with hydraulic jack oil, and the dampening (that was screwed down tight) was adjusted correctly.
The vacuum lines were replaced, the 5 way tee was cleaned out, and the starter valves were adjusted correctly.
The engine started running cooler right away, and even after idling on the table lift for almost 20 minutes, the temps never reached the mid 90's after the adjustments.
The OP was surprised that he could rest his hand almost on top of the open throttle bodies, and not feel the intense heat anymore.
We flushed his nasty clutch fluid out, replaced the damaged lever boot, and I was kind enough to point out that his Clutch Slave Cylinder had given up the ghost and was drooling brake fluid down the rear crank case cover (a job for another day).
Like he said, after 30 hours....it was time to let him return home to his family, as his kids kept calling every few hours to make sure he was still alive and safe.
I gave him a list of all the parts that he will need to replace his Clutch Slave Cylinder, and after the holidays pass, I'm sure I'll see him again.
After all, I still need to completely go through his brake system and drive shaft systems to make sure they are both in safe working condition.
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