I'm just learning what it's like to own a Harley. I'm really enjoying having all that torque at the twist of my right hand. Of course the bike handles much differently than my sport bike, but it's a welcomed difference- I really needed a bike with an upright riding position and I figured if I was going to get a cruiser, I might as well get a Harley rather than a Japanese wannabe.
It's such a great feeling having my arms stretched out forward with the wind hitting me in the chest. My knees and legs are in front of me comfortably resting on the foot pegs- my legs are relaxed.
I must admit that the stock seat and suspension do make for a little bit of a rough ride. With the 11" rear shocks and it's one inch of travel, every little crack and pothole in the road can rock your kidneys. The front shocks aren't quite as bad as others have complained about, but they are a little loose and imprecise.
Changing gears is a little bit of a task. The clutch pull doesn't seem to engage in the right place- it's way late in the travel of the lever. Also the gear changer seems to stick a little upon shifting. It does seem to shift more willingly if I let the motor rev down a little between gears. As soon as I get the chance, I'll change the tranny fluid and do a clutch adjustment.
One thing that is going to take getting used to is that unlike Japanese bikes that have the signal changer on the left handlebar that change left and right, the Sportster has individual turn signal changers one on each side- if you want to turn right, you hit the right side changer, for a left turn, you hit the left changer.
So far, I've only taken the bike up to 80 mph, but it seems stable at speed- with speeds any higher, the motor seems struggle a bit and it gets buzzy. With future plans I have for the bike, I'm not too concerned about any current idiosyncrasies. Since the bike already has Vance & Hines slip-ons, I'm planning on getting a new air intake and a tuner of some sort.
I haven't started commuting to work on the bike yet. I'm still feeling out the bike, making sure that it's going to be dependable and roadworthy. I may start using it as my daily driver in as soon as a week, as soon as I'm confident the bike's not going to kill me!
A collection of blurbs stemming from mostly the motorized projects that I do. Some posts mixed in have to do with my experiences in X-ray school. (Some entries are from older blogs that I killed off.) Some of my toys are a Mazdaspeed Miata that I work on and take to the track, a little Harley that I can't stop modding and an old Yamaha RD400 that I've been collecting parts for over the past 15 years. When I'm not wrenching, sometimes I mountain bike, sometimes I snowboard, sometimes I make beer.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Someone Lost Their Cappuccino!
I had a little free time this weekend, so I decided to rip into the bike and do a little maintenance. An oil change, a change of transmission fluid and clutch adjustment were in line. I ran by my nearby HD stealership to get some HD Formula+ tranny fluid. I also grabbed some Mobile 1 V-twin oil at my FLAPS. Okay. Got all the materials. now I'm good to go!
I don't have a motorcycle stand that will fit the Harley, so I had to shove some wood blocks under the jiffy stand to try and prop the bike more upright. From there, in order to access the derby cover, the driver side foot peg has to be moved down and out of the way. It wasn't too bad getting the allen bolts out of the derby cover- they're aluminum, so they're generally not torqued down all that tight.
When I popped off the cover, what oozed out was a creamy liquid that looked a whole like a cappuccino or a coffee and Kahlua! That sure didn't seem right!
The drain plug is right below the tranny case and was easy enough to find. I drained as much of the fluid out as possible. I just let it sit there, while I started working on the motor oil. For the engine case, there is a funny little rubber hose with a plastic plug hanging down a few inches in front of the rear tire- believe it or not, that is the oil drain plug! There is a worm screw that has to be loosened to remove the oil plug, which is no big deal. Just remove that plug and open the oil filler cap and let her drain!
With both cases draining, I went to work on my clutch adjustment. Once the clutch cable barrel screw was nice and slacked up. the clutch lever went limp. That way, after I could make the proper adjust to the clutch screw itself, then take up the slack to the appropriate tolerances. Once that was done, everything felt pretty awesome!
I removed the oil filter, wetted the gasket with some fresh oil and installed the new filter. I plugged up both of the case holes and went to work filling up the cavities again. I used a gear pump to inject the tranny fluid back into the case. When the fluid was about to start dripping out, I knew I was at the right fill point. After checking the gasket on the derby cover, I wiped the cappuccino foam from the inside surface and bolted the cover back on again. Done! Then I filled the crank case with four quarts of motor oil, capped it off and started the bike up. Everything sounded good- nothing broken or grinding. All that was left was a test ride.
I started out slowly, just a quick lap around the neighborhood to make sure that everything worked as it should. Next I took her downtown and on the freeway. The motor seemed to run much more smoothly than it had before! The transmission definitely ran smoother, shifted easier and I was able to find neutral with much more ease. I would say that the maintenance was much needed and it made a huge difference in the performance of the bike for such a nominal fee!
I don't have a motorcycle stand that will fit the Harley, so I had to shove some wood blocks under the jiffy stand to try and prop the bike more upright. From there, in order to access the derby cover, the driver side foot peg has to be moved down and out of the way. It wasn't too bad getting the allen bolts out of the derby cover- they're aluminum, so they're generally not torqued down all that tight.
When I popped off the cover, what oozed out was a creamy liquid that looked a whole like a cappuccino or a coffee and Kahlua! That sure didn't seem right!
The drain plug is right below the tranny case and was easy enough to find. I drained as much of the fluid out as possible. I just let it sit there, while I started working on the motor oil. For the engine case, there is a funny little rubber hose with a plastic plug hanging down a few inches in front of the rear tire- believe it or not, that is the oil drain plug! There is a worm screw that has to be loosened to remove the oil plug, which is no big deal. Just remove that plug and open the oil filler cap and let her drain!
With both cases draining, I went to work on my clutch adjustment. Once the clutch cable barrel screw was nice and slacked up. the clutch lever went limp. That way, after I could make the proper adjust to the clutch screw itself, then take up the slack to the appropriate tolerances. Once that was done, everything felt pretty awesome!
I removed the oil filter, wetted the gasket with some fresh oil and installed the new filter. I plugged up both of the case holes and went to work filling up the cavities again. I used a gear pump to inject the tranny fluid back into the case. When the fluid was about to start dripping out, I knew I was at the right fill point. After checking the gasket on the derby cover, I wiped the cappuccino foam from the inside surface and bolted the cover back on again. Done! Then I filled the crank case with four quarts of motor oil, capped it off and started the bike up. Everything sounded good- nothing broken or grinding. All that was left was a test ride.
I started out slowly, just a quick lap around the neighborhood to make sure that everything worked as it should. Next I took her downtown and on the freeway. The motor seemed to run much more smoothly than it had before! The transmission definitely ran smoother, shifted easier and I was able to find neutral with much more ease. I would say that the maintenance was much needed and it made a huge difference in the performance of the bike for such a nominal fee!
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Introduction- It's Just Me
I didn't come from a long family history of motorcycle riders. As a matter of fact, not in my nuclear nor extended families, to this day, still no one else in my family rides. I can remember back when I was in second grade, my neighbors let me take the reigns on their Honda Mini Trail in the nearby church parking lot. Later, my sophomore year in high school, rather than going to class, I took a terrifying ride on the back of a friend's bike. (Two weeks later, he totaled his bike.)
I kind of fell into motorcycles by accident. Back in 1986, when I went off to college, I started buying motorcycle magazines and reading them with voracious vigor. I was very interested in the up and coming Honda Hurricane and the front swingarm suspension design of James Parker, but mostly interested in frame designs and the physics behind motorcycles in general.
One day, I rode my bicycle down to the local Kawasaki/Husqvarna dealership to go sit on some motorcycles. Out in front, I spotted a used red Yamaha RD400. I asked about the bike and if I could take a test ride. The bike was on consignment and the owner was asking $500 for the bike. The shop owner told me sure, they give test rides- I just needed to wear long pants and have at least a motorcycle riders' permit. I told the guy, "No problem! I'll be back tomorrow!" Five minutes later, I was across the street at the local DMV taking the permit test (without studying). Of course I passed with flying colors. I returned the next day with pants and my permit and took a ride. I was in love! I had always been attracted by the looks of the RD400. I offered $400 and the owner took it.
Besides learning how to not kill myself on that old RD (and believe me, I had lots of close call lessons), I learned how not to be afraid of working on the bike. It's okay to break things- most things can be repaired- it's only money. After years of enjoyment, I retired the bike, as it was constantly trying to kill me. I tucked her away for later days, believing that someday, I would restore the bike.
In 2001, I bought another street bike, my Suzuki SV650S. That was an awesome bike! After using it as strictly a commuter for years, I finally started doing some serious mods, preparing it for the track. I learned how to do some serious wrenching on that bike. With that bike, I actually changed out the cams and did some carburetor modifications. I also learned how to change out and install tires.
Well, eventually the racing tuck of the SV started hurting my back. One 80-mile day of commuting on it would put a pinch in my lumbar for three days! I decided it might be time to find a different kind of bike, if I wanted to continue to ride. So I started looking for a little Harley Sportster.
I went down to the local HD stealership to kick some tires and sit in some saddles. I liked the Iron 883 a lot, so I started looking on Craigslist for a good deal. Since the bike had been produced for the past six years or so, finding a used one wasn't a problem. Eventually, I found a 2010 Iron being advertised for $6900 at a used car lot. The bike was a repo from Arizona, but had a clear title. It was a little sun beaten, so I haggled him down to $6200. Now that was a steal!
Well, now it's time to learn how to work on American bikes. I'm excited about the new direction I'm going in. The sitting position is much better for me with this bike- I can ride for hours and still my back is fine. The bike is definitely not perfect and there is much room for improvement, so in time, I'll do a few modifications that will make the bike even better. But for now, I'm totally digging this bike!
I kind of fell into motorcycles by accident. Back in 1986, when I went off to college, I started buying motorcycle magazines and reading them with voracious vigor. I was very interested in the up and coming Honda Hurricane and the front swingarm suspension design of James Parker, but mostly interested in frame designs and the physics behind motorcycles in general.
One day, I rode my bicycle down to the local Kawasaki/Husqvarna dealership to go sit on some motorcycles. Out in front, I spotted a used red Yamaha RD400. I asked about the bike and if I could take a test ride. The bike was on consignment and the owner was asking $500 for the bike. The shop owner told me sure, they give test rides- I just needed to wear long pants and have at least a motorcycle riders' permit. I told the guy, "No problem! I'll be back tomorrow!" Five minutes later, I was across the street at the local DMV taking the permit test (without studying). Of course I passed with flying colors. I returned the next day with pants and my permit and took a ride. I was in love! I had always been attracted by the looks of the RD400. I offered $400 and the owner took it.
Besides learning how to not kill myself on that old RD (and believe me, I had lots of close call lessons), I learned how not to be afraid of working on the bike. It's okay to break things- most things can be repaired- it's only money. After years of enjoyment, I retired the bike, as it was constantly trying to kill me. I tucked her away for later days, believing that someday, I would restore the bike.
In 2001, I bought another street bike, my Suzuki SV650S. That was an awesome bike! After using it as strictly a commuter for years, I finally started doing some serious mods, preparing it for the track. I learned how to do some serious wrenching on that bike. With that bike, I actually changed out the cams and did some carburetor modifications. I also learned how to change out and install tires.
Well, eventually the racing tuck of the SV started hurting my back. One 80-mile day of commuting on it would put a pinch in my lumbar for three days! I decided it might be time to find a different kind of bike, if I wanted to continue to ride. So I started looking for a little Harley Sportster.
I went down to the local HD stealership to kick some tires and sit in some saddles. I liked the Iron 883 a lot, so I started looking on Craigslist for a good deal. Since the bike had been produced for the past six years or so, finding a used one wasn't a problem. Eventually, I found a 2010 Iron being advertised for $6900 at a used car lot. The bike was a repo from Arizona, but had a clear title. It was a little sun beaten, so I haggled him down to $6200. Now that was a steal!
Well, now it's time to learn how to work on American bikes. I'm excited about the new direction I'm going in. The sitting position is much better for me with this bike- I can ride for hours and still my back is fine. The bike is definitely not perfect and there is much room for improvement, so in time, I'll do a few modifications that will make the bike even better. But for now, I'm totally digging this bike!
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