What did you do to your bike today?

[3Phase]

Naked XJ1100 and farkles for the FLHCS

My heel has been cracked/broken since July when I was on the way to Colorado for the Kremmling rally. It keeps re-cracking because I keep "doing stuff" like riding and hopping along with a limp. As I put my left foot down in the dealer parking lot my heel screamed, my left leg collapsed and I fell over like the guy on the Laugh-In tricycle with the bike on top of me. It was embarrassing but several people popped out of the service department to lift the bike off of me and help me get up.

There was no damage to Baby and me except it cracked and broke the already-cracked windshield I've been trying to get rid of since I bought it. I stomped on it to kill it, then stomped it some more and threw the pieces in the trash. The XJ rides a lot easier on the freeway without that wall that was the Slipstreamer windshield.

Baby is only about 80 lbs. lighter than Nanuk but when I ride Baby to the store or out on the highway it feels like I'm riding a sporty little pit bike and I need to find a sporty little fairing/windscreen for it.



For Nanuk, I had the dealer install some new parts along with heated grips.
The stock air cleaner and exhaust are more than ample for the 114ci to 117ci engine upgrade and I get to stay on good terms with the neighbors.

117 ci (1917 cc)/2= 58.5 ci (959 cc) per cylinder. Holy Moly!

If it was a V8, it would be a 468 ci hemi (7,670 cc / 7.7 liters).
It's not loud but it sounds like a hemi with a mild cam lope at idle and a quiet 'heartbeat' on the road at cruise.

The Softail version of the new M8 engine has two balancers so it's 100% balanced and the engine is hard-mounted to the frame. The bigger touring bikes have one balancer so they're 75% balanced and use rubber mounts on the frame. After the engine upgrade, there is still zero vibration in the mirrors, they don't even tremble. The Softail engine is brand new this year so no one knows if the twin balancers will hold up but I'll find out and it should be spectacular however it goes.

The Fine Manual




Fire-lined "Orange Lava" 117 air cleaner emblem from a 2018 CVO 'Glide
Stock laced front wheel with chrome baby moon




21" Windshield because the stock 18" blacked out windshield is too short and bobbles my head on the freeway




"Machete" tubeless, mirror chromed, aluminum billet wheels replaced the laced steel wheels and baby moon,
it dropped about 20 lbs. of unsprung wheel weight so it's not just a farkle
Floating brake rotors replaced the solid O.E.M. rotors
Added the missing sissybar and luggage rack




I bought a 117 CVO derby cover to replace the 114 but it doesn't fit the Softail primary so I had to return it
The dial for the heated grips is visible on the outer end of left-hand grip






The new front wheel looks empty without the chrome baby moon,
I may be able to put it back but I'll think of something




I like the twin chrome fuel caps but the left-hand cap is a dummy cap, it's just a decoration so I put a Stealie sticker on it:
"Steal your face right off your head!"

[IanDMacDonald]

Replaced my steering head bearings.

[webbcraft2150]

Replaced my 2004 dated coded Dunlops with 712 Shinkos. New EBC pads all the way around. Next up, SS front brake lines

[mschor]

Yeah, I gotta say, I'm glad I left those fairing and bags on though! Can't believe that's all that happened.

[CaptonZap]

http://craigvetter.com/pages/Online_Store/Replacement_Parts/Details.html#Anchor-Edging-28258

[bikerphil]

I'm glad it wasn't worse, It doesn't look too bad, a little touch up paint and no one will ever know. Is that a chrome moulding that got messed up too?

[mschor]

I Can Gingerly Tip an XS11

Add this to my list of things not to do twice. Last night after backing a couple inches closer to my XS so I could pull out of my parking space, I noticed a little flutter in the cover. Oh must be just a little breeze picking up, I thought to myself. So I paused a minute just to be sure before pulling forward and out. Oh the sight through my rear view of that beautiful 600lb machine beginning to topple.......no wait maybe its just the wind.........CRASH......a sound like plastic fairing and bags crumpling and who knows imaginings running wild....alas, barely a scratch, Amazing!.......it's built like an International Scout after all.

[IMG][/IMG]

[DiverRay]

And it's good thing I did, because what came out of the middle drive looked like a light Cappuccino and not 80-90 Hypoid oil! SO...I figured it must have gotten some water contamination in it from all of the rain riding I had to do. But wondering how since I had the vent drain hose well positioned down the back of the engine and out thru the frame swingarm wire bracket.

As Phil said, you CANNOT have the vent go down! I had my bike spewing a coco mix as I was going down the road because the PO ran the vent down, and NOT up as it's supposed to. The "clip" that should be under the seat bolt is to hold the vent tube under the fuel tank. If the tube is down, it WILL pick up water in the rain, as the rain cools down the middle drive, and the vent sucks in whatever is around when this happens.

[HalfCentury]

TC, its an amazing amount of work that you have done to your bike. Same goes for 3Phase.

I am looking forward to seeing these bikes in person that I have read so much about.

[TopCatGr58]

Godzilla Roars again.

Well,

Did a fair amount of work today. Cleaned and Repainted the muffler to get rid of the oil stains and heat stains and then remounted the headers/muffler, will see how long it lasts? Had to take off the rear caliper to remove the pads....OIL fouled from the Rt crankcase seal leak! Cleaned the rotor as well. Got the seat mounted. Had to replace one of the fuel lines to the carb "T". Put the gas tank on and connected the fuel hoses. Tore the carbs down and cleaned the jets, bowls and reassembled and installed. Got the Race/Automotive Alt bracket and Alt mounted, also sealed the galley plug with a new O-ring and 3bond. While manipulating the 10Ga charging wire, it came loose from it's CRIMPED O fitting going to the cutout switch I had to separate the ALT from the battery when the bike's not running. SO, had to trim and recrimp the wire BETTER into the O fitting, glad it happened NOW and not while running down the road.

Put the trunk bag back on, put bullet connectors on the 3 wires I had to cut going to the trunk lights, now I can take it off without cutting the wires again. Put the mirrors back on. Had to remake one of the windscreen brackets that got broke when the bike collapsed the 1" square tubing. Filled the crankcase with 3 quarts of Wallyworld 20-50. Had to repair 2 of the synch ports on the new intake manifolds that pulled out when I tried to pull of the vac. hose I had on there in place of the port caps! Turned the key and hit the starter button, and he fired right up. Rode it around the neighborhood for a few minutes going thru the gears, they all work. After getting back home, checked and so far no leaks from the right crankcase seal, so hopefully it'll hold.

SO it's ready for the inspector next weekend, and then the trip to XS SE the following weekend.

T.C.

[motoman]

I checked the spark plugs here in Phoenix, all good and the bike's running great!

T.C., the CFR is the Code of Federal Regulations, the States can make more restrictive laws but can't do less or no one could travel out of their home State, it's not a Call thing, if your inspector will ignore it -- great! It still won't change what other States can do.

Good to hear the XJ and you are both happy after your jaunt to there.

[3Phase]

I checked the spark plugs here in Phoenix, all good and the bike's running great!

T.C., the CFR is the Code of Federal Regulations, the States can make more restrictive laws but can't do less or no one could travel out of their home State, it's not a Call thing, if your inspector will ignore it -- great! It still won't change what other States can do.

[spectra]

TC good to hear she is doing good! And that a lot of work hanging that thing......

[bikerphil]

TC, the MD vent hose is supposed to run upwards to a dry location to avoid water contamination.

[TopCatGr58]

Sorry, no photos this time.

Well,

Got quite a bit of work done on Godzilla today, Oil pump back in, tranny pan, clutch assembly and clutch cover, gear shift shaft seal replaced and cover on. Fixed broken left turn signal threaded shaft....borrowed one from another signal stalk I had. ALso found the no turn signal on the left side a simple fix, pulled the switch assembly and the left side wire came unsoldered from the switch board, resoldered and good to go!

I had drained the final drive oil, but has just capped the middle drive vent tube so it wouldn't leak while flipped upside down. But after doing the HOIST method instead of the flip, I hadn't planned on changing the middle drive because I had just changed/filled it last year during the rebuild. But since I had gotten some Synth 75-140 Royal Purple Hypoid, I decided to go ahead and put it both final and middle drives....since I was going to be riding the bike the many hundreds of miles down there.

And it's good thing I did, because what came out of the middle drive looked like a light Cappuccino and not 80-90 Hypoid oil! SO...I figured it must have gotten some water contamination in it from all of the rain riding I had to do. But wondering how since I had the vent drain hose well positioned down the back of the engine and out thru the frame swingarm wire bracket. The filler cap was well sealed with a nylon washer. Oh well, it's drained and I filled it with the Synth Royal Purple, hopefully that and riding it a while will heat up any residual moisture and get it to vent out!?

Also checked my state inspection station and the fellow that knows me and Godzilla will be working next weekend, so that works out well for me.

Have more to do tomorrow, but got the major things that had me worried about both performance and inspection under my belt.

Scott, Thankfully I dont' live in "Can'tAffordYa" and all of their ANAL tendencies with vehicle law enforcement. My turn signals have been modded with LED innards for decade+ and haven't had any problems with inspections and such. Again, I know a guy at the inspection gas station that knows that I take care of my bike, and keep it in proper working condition, he is/was a biker also, so I have some leniency in his approach.

T.C.

PS, Nancy's Cardiac Cath showed only about 50% blockage, not severe enough for any Stents or Balloon angioplasty, just will make some medication changes to manage it, like her taking her Cholesterol meds AGAIN !