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!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Not such a wonderful day to die
Well, finally, the day came...it happened. I've been waiting for two years and two months to do it. I had my first skydiving experience today. And it couldn't have been on a more beautiful day. The weather was good, the company was great and I was firing on all cylinders.
Initially, I wanted to do the dive for my 40th birthday, but people kept backing out (or becoming noticably absent) as the day grew nearer. So instead, Emily took me to Cancun, where we had a great getaway. Two years later, I'm working with a bunch of young adventurous-type individuals and I knew that they would be game to do it! Although my birthday was in July, that month came and went, as we were waiting for one of the key people to get his finances in order. Eventually, his birthday turned up in September, where he received a skydiving day as his birthday gift.
Originally, we had all planned on jumping from Byron, because one of the included guys had jumped with them before and he had a good experience. After a few weeks of discussion, it turned out that another guy, who was going to jump with us, had a sister who had a good experience jumping from the company in Lodi, plus it was less than half the price! Can't beat that with a stick! AND she lived to tell the story! Lodi it is.
Initially, I wanted to do the dive for my 40th birthday, but people kept backing out (or becoming noticably absent) as the day grew nearer. So instead, Emily took me to Cancun, where we had a great getaway. Two years later, I'm working with a bunch of young adventurous-type individuals and I knew that they would be game to do it! Although my birthday was in July, that month came and went, as we were waiting for one of the key people to get his finances in order. Eventually, his birthday turned up in September, where he received a skydiving day as his birthday gift.
Originally, we had all planned on jumping from Byron, because one of the included guys had jumped with them before and he had a good experience. After a few weeks of discussion, it turned out that another guy, who was going to jump with us, had a sister who had a good experience jumping from the company in Lodi, plus it was less than half the price! Can't beat that with a stick! AND she lived to tell the story! Lodi it is.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Obama- Salvation is right around the corner!
After a long and dirty election year, it's finally over and done- Barack Obama is our new President-Elect. I've been waiting for things to change for so long.
The way of the Republicans has finally caught up with them- the ability of denial. The years of denial that the economy is on rocky ground from Bush. The years of denying the real reasons we went into Iraq to kick over that anthil. McCain's recent and utterly unsupportable claims that the polls are incorrect and that he will prevail in this election. I will never be sure if they all really believe in what they're saying, lying to themselves or just plain lying.
Come late January, when Obama is inaugurated, this world will begin its healing process, a process that will take a long time, but necessary nonetheless.
Thor Throws a Hammer
I've had better days. I had just changed my oil and wanted to test out my bike. The day ended in misery.
I was previously using Castrol oil, but after reading so much about Shell Rotella-T, I decided to give it a try. After changing the oil and filter, I took him for a ride.
My test ride started off slow. I first ran some local errands visiting Walmart and the post office. I noticed that the shifting was extremely stiff and stubborn. The bike was having great difficulty shifting from neutral to first gear. Finding neutral was a major task in itself, so eventually, I just resigned to keeping the bike in first, when at a stop.
Next, once the motor was sufficiently warmed up and the oil circulated, I decided to take Thor on the freeway. Once I was on the freeway and felt he was running pretty well, I found some open space in front of me and opened up the throttle. I hit 110 very quickly, but right away, the power cut out and I knew something was seriously wrong! At this point, I was just concerned with getting to the emergency lane before anything bad happened. I was thinking that maybe the engine seized, so I pulled in the clutch and started coasting across the three lanes. I was so far ahead of all the cars, it wasn't too much of an issue, plus as I looked over my shoulder during changing lanes, I noticed TONS of whitish smoke pluming from my exhaust!! Not good!
I made it to the side of the freeway and got off the bike. I tried to start up the bike, but he didn't want to start- the engine turned, but the battery didn't have enough umph to keep turning the motor. I examined the situation. It looked like there was oil spilling down the rear cylinder. I looked in the oil fill window and there were lots of little bubbles- the oil appeared to be boiling. Smoke was still floating out of the tailpipe.
Just as I was contemplating walking the bike off the freeway- the offramp was only about 100 yards away. Just about then, a CHP squadcar pulled over to see how I was doing. I told him that the bike won't go. He told me that AAA should reimburse my tow- they did for him and his bike once. I allowed him to call me a tow.
Don't Let This One Get Away! All the Work is Done! Just Enjoy!
The bike is a 2001 Suzuki SV650 equipped with SVS clip-on handlebars to give it more of an aggressive riding position. It is loud and has total attitude! It has a clean title and current California registration paid till February 2012. The maintenance has all been done and it shouldn't need any attention for a long time, except for regular maintenance- oil changes, etc.
This bike is in very good shape! i.e. there are no dents in the gas tank and no road rash (with the exception of a little burn on the headlight ring). Everything is straight and it runs great!! The paint on the frame and engine covers is a little tired, but it's still in very good condition overall. The motor has just over 60K miles on it, but has been compression tested and is very tight- the engine is strong. It has been tuned to perfection. The bike just received a new professional paint job and it looks fantastic! The tires are practically brand new and have TONS of life left on them. This bike is ready to be ridden HARD!
The bike has been completely gone through and the stock suspension has been replaced. The radiator is filled with Water Wetter and is literally ready to hit the track right now.
The bike has been recently thoroughly tuned including:
- Valves adjusted
- Fork oil changed and replaced with Bel-Ray 20wt oil
- Brake fluids flushed and replaced with Galfer Super Dot 4
- Oil change using Shell Rotella-T synthetic oil (and a new K&N oil filter)
- New NGK CR8E spark plugs
- Carburetors re-jetted (mains and pilots) and synchronized
- Air filter cleaned
- Idle adjusted
- Radiator flushed and refilled with distilled water and Water Wetter
- Chain cleaned and lubricated
- Valves adjusted
- Fork oil changed and replaced with Bel-Ray 20wt oil
- Brake fluids flushed and replaced with Galfer Super Dot 4
- Oil change using Shell Rotella-T synthetic oil (and a new K&N oil filter)
- New NGK CR8E spark plugs
- Carburetors re-jetted (mains and pilots) and synchronized
- Air filter cleaned
- Idle adjusted
- Radiator flushed and refilled with distilled water and Water Wetter
- Chain cleaned and lubricated
The bike is completely loaded with goodies!
- Brand new paint job
- New battery
- New clutch cable
- New tires front and rear, balanced with Dyna Beads
- Race-Tech Gold Valve Emulators
- Race-Tech fork springs
- Delkevic slip-on exhaust
- 2004 Kawasaki ZX6R 636 rear shock
- D.I.D 525VM Gold X-Ring chain
- Sprocket Specialist rear sprocket
- Goodridge stainless steel front brake lines
- Trail Tech Vapor instrument panel
- Buell M2 Cyclone windscreen
- Brand new billet aluminum bar-end mirrors
- Fender eliminator with LED license plate lighting
- Brand new LED signals front and rear (flasher relay installed to correct fast flash rate)
- Radiator trim covers
- Vortex frame sliders
- Swingarm spools
- Brand new paint job
- New battery
- New clutch cable
- New tires front and rear, balanced with Dyna Beads
- Race-Tech Gold Valve Emulators
- Race-Tech fork springs
- Delkevic slip-on exhaust
- 2004 Kawasaki ZX6R 636 rear shock
- D.I.D 525VM Gold X-Ring chain
- Sprocket Specialist rear sprocket
- Goodridge stainless steel front brake lines
- Trail Tech Vapor instrument panel
- Buell M2 Cyclone windscreen
- Brand new billet aluminum bar-end mirrors
- Fender eliminator with LED license plate lighting
- Brand new LED signals front and rear (flasher relay installed to correct fast flash rate)
- Radiator trim covers
- Vortex frame sliders
- Swingarm spools
I picked up this bike for so cheap that it allows me to sell it for a bargain. I am only asking $3300 for the motorcycle and as you can see, it's worth every penny of it, plus a lot more! If you're interested, please email me at fattirebs@gmail.com.
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