A pic of my New-to-me Voyager

[tregal16]

no fittings on the u-joints...mine were bad it seems that they greased half of the cups but didn't the other ones...

not sure if it is only for long trips, but I guess if it pushes oil out near the front of the shaft (engine side) I guess it needs done.

I'll plan on doing it then. Is there any way to check the condition of the shaft bearings? Just look for play?

look for signs of wear/play in the bearings... as far as the ujoints look for rust, dry looking lube, stiffness, the ujoint should be smooth with no dragging when moving it. mine was smooth moving it one way but the other was stiff and you could feel in dragging when moving it by hand.

[Muleears]

Thanks tregal16, I guess I check with the bike on the main stand?

I go get it in a few hours. I should be able to post some more pics later today. I'm sure I will have many more questions. This forum has been a great resource and I don't even have the bike yet!

[Muleears]

Finally got her home and got some (bad) pics! I may have trouble posting them so please bear with me.






Don't know how many I can post at a time so I'll leave it at three. No real problems to report in the pics so far. Unless you can point something out I haven't noticed.

[Muleears]

A few more



Rear tire looks pretty good.



Front tire too.



Scratched up windshield which I have a replacement for from Cee Bailey.

[Muleears]

Last ones for today. I'll wait till I get her outside to take any more. It's 28* and about a 20mph wind. Kind of chilly for me to stand there taking pics!



Possible coolant leak in the red box?



Trunk and rack.

Thanks again to all for the help so far. I'm sure I will have more questions as I get to know her!

[Lucasind]

....THanx for the pics MuleEars.... there was some mention of renting a trailer. VS riding her home, what did you decide ? We all know what you paid to be a owner, you have alot of room left 4 ur improvements, how bad was the shop BILL sting ?

[Muleears]

....THanx for the pics MuleEars.... there was some mention of renting a trailer. VS riding her home, what did you decide ? We all know what you paid to be a owner, you have alot of room left 4 ur improvements, how bad was the shop BILL sting ?

When I left the house this morning to get the bike it was 18*.... I rented a trailer

Total for the rebuild of all the carbs and getting her ship shape and running great was $600. I'm happy to be in the bike at the price I am. Like you said it leaves a little room for other stuff like a new windshield and helmet.

I know its hard to tell in the pics but do the tires look ok? They are holding air fine and have plenty of tread but I know they are probably three years old.

I haven't found anything that doesn't work. The cruise does, radio (haven't tried a cassette and probably never will), brakes are good, all lights work. So far I'm a happy camper . Honestly though I have only ridden it from the trailer to the garage! A total of about 75'! Only supposed to be 30* tomorrow and I have to put pads and calipers on my son's Golf tomorrow too. May not get ridden till Monday.

[doug of so fla]

Look on the side of each tire and you will see a embossed oval with #'s like (4412) That is the tire mfg date means 44th week of 2012 it was mfg'd.

[Muleears]

Look on the side of each tire and you will see a embossed oval with #'s like (4412) That is the tire mfg date means 44th week of 2012 it was mfg'd.

Good point Doug, I knew they did that with car tires, I wasn't sure they did with motorcycle tires. Now, how old is too old?

[doug of so fla]

The tires on your XII look like the best tires that were made by Dunlop, Elite II 491's (imho) and don't know the front one off hand, but that particular tire has not been to available for the XII for quite some time so the date stamp is very important. If they have fulll tread 9/32, I think, and are not weather checked they should be ok, but if they are 5 or 6 years old or older I would look at them very close, If you can find a tire distributer around or find someone with a "Durometer" gauge and check the reading against a new tire it may be ok, but if they are old tires they will be hard as a rock which may mean big problems as you drive them or try to stop hard.. Don't use a old tire if it is at all questionable! You can still get the 491 but sometimes hard to find and to get a recent mfg date stamp is also hard. Plus they are expensive. I am not a fan of any of the MC tire mfg. So if you get new tires you need to shop around and do some research to see what you can get. Not much choice out there for the XII. Safe tires & brakes on a MC is the most important choice you have to make.. Ride safe..

[Muleears]

The tires on your XII look like the best tires that were made by Dunlop, Elite II 491's (imho) and don't know the front one off hand, but that particular tire has not been to available for the XII for quite some time so the date stamp is very important. If they have fulll tread 9/32, I think, and are not weather checked they should be ok, but if they are 5 or 6 years old or older I would look at them very close, If you can find a tire distributer around or find someone with a "Durometer" gauge and check the reading against a new tire it may be ok, but if they are old tires they will be hard as a rock which may mean big problems as you drive them or try to stop hard.. Don't use a old tire if it is at all questionable! You can still get the 491 but sometimes hard to find and to get a recent mfg date stamp is also hard. Plus they are expensive. I am not a fan of any of the MC tire mfg. So if you get new tires you need to shop around and do some research to see what you can get. Not much choice out there for the XII. Safe tires & brakes on a MC is the most important choice you have to make.. Ride safe..

Thanks Doug, I'll find the dates and post them and see what you think.

[Muleears]

Looks like I'll need tires soon...


Front




Rear.


Looks like 2009 on the front and 2008 on the rear.... Am I reading this right?

[doug of so fla]

Should be a smaller oval with just the 4 digits in it.

[Chris near Kansas City]

K491 was an ok tire. Start saving now for some Dunlop Elite 3s, Metzeler ME880s, or Avon Venoms. Other decent tires are out there, but those are usually the top 3 recommended choices.

[Muleears]

Should be a smaller oval with just the 4 digits in it.

So the pics I posted aren't of the tire manufacture date? I'll continue looking as soon as I get home.

It's supposed to snow 6-8 inches tonite so I don't think I'll be riding in the near future.

[Muleears]

To be safe, I just ordered a pair of Dunlop D404's for my bike. I suppose it's cheap insurance against a hospital bill... I don't plan on any hair raising, metal dragging runs but better safe than sorry.

Now, if it would warm up, I'll go for a ride. The 8" of snow last night might be a problem though. Even with new tires.

[carl leo]

404s ??? the most horrible choice........try to cancel and re-order E3s. 404s are nothing but rim protectors...............

[Muleears]

404s ??? the most horrible choice........try to cancel and re-order E3s. 404s are nothing but rim protectors...............

Thanks for the information. I'll do so immediately. Who makes the E3?

[carl leo]

Dunlop E3 MT90/16 Front, MV85/15 Rear

[Muleears]

Dunlop E3 MT90/16 Front, MV85/15 Rear

Thanks for the advice Leo, I should have asked before I ordered. I was to late to stop shipment but they (J+M) have a reasonable return policy. They don't however, carry the E3 in the size I need. I did find them at another online parts place (Bikebandit). If you know of a better source for the tires please let me know! Either way I'll have some here in a couple weeks. Still a couple months from serious riding season.