How Not to do things

[ekap1200]

Here a few pics , you will have to click the link and it should open up in a new window to view , from the Roxio web site.
But only pics can describe this FUBAR. This poor 2002 1200 with only 35,000 miles , I couldn't believe the things that should have never been touched...
Anyhow, Tech Tips needs to have some NOT TO DO tech-tips from time to time.
If Its your first time pulling the carbs. These are pics of things that can go wrong.
It can really bugger up both the carbs and make a mess on the top of the engine in such a short time. Customer came in with a what turned out to be #3 carb slide sticking. Wonder why since it was suckin air from the off the road instead of the air filter.
Both the boot to the intake of the carb and the crankcase vent tube were not installed correctly. And there is also a pic of where the spark plug drain is for #4 cyl. there are four of them and if not clear and the bike is driven in wet/dusty/or back roads , well they are a bugger to clear out if left for some time and you will be sorry when you go to do just a quick plug change. It wont be that quick..
Any one have two clamps off a parts bike to sell me....

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[Thud300]

Nice vid!

Yeah, I see that a lot on cars too.. air intake boots not fully seated and then perma-buggered.

Good info on the drains too, are those unique to the Voyager engine? Can they be blown out with shop air?

[carl leo]

i have seen this quality of workmanship from $90 per hr shops.....

[cushman eagle]

Thank you for posting that video Gene!That reminds me of a service call I went on about a year ago for a hard starting , poor running farm loader tractor.When I got there I found the air cleaner assembly was not on the tractor.I asked him if he took it off to give me better access to work on it .He said he took it off about 15 years ago,and only had to overhaul the engine 6 times!

[gshickluvx]

This story teaches many things. I really like it

[voyager55]

Unless you know the tech, going to any shop is a coin toss.

[chevyman1]

that is why you do it yourself, If it's wrong you can only blame yourself.
that's a perfect example of what Gene's post's say at the bottom: Its not bad if you don't know something, but when you don't know you don't know; That's when your in trouble.

[Mr Jensee]

I am easily sure that there are a lot of folks who buy and ride motorcycles that have no clue how they run and what it takes to keep them running. Even I who have spent many an hour crouched over a cylinder head or pulled spark plugs and wires am intimidated at times with the complexity and the amount of work it takes to do some things on a Voyager. I have tried to maintain my bike but with 32000 miles on the clock I have yet to pull and grease several bearings sans the wheels. I feel uncomfortable especially now in my weakened state to pull and grease the rear suspension and the fork yoke. I am going to tackle those things but with a friend who has a bike lift and a lot more experience doing total maintenance on Goldwings. My Voyager has been a piece of cake compared to them and he has all the tools. Don't think I won't get my hands dirty because it is just my nature to do so. But I want some past experience in my presence before I tackle those things. To the amature even changing tires can be a daunting experience. We were not all born to be natural mechanics. Thank God for youtube videos!!

[ghostler]

Yup, got to agree with both of you, Chevyman and Mr Jensee. I am extremely careful on which mechanic I take my vehicles to, because I have seen very poor workmanship. I do all my own work, except that requiring special tools like auto exhaust repairs. Then I do my research and find someone that several others have had good success with.

More times than not, I get it done correctly when I do it. You find interesting things done by other mechanics, who nicked up an aluminum rim, which you don't see until you remove a tire. I've ended up dressing them with a file, so new bead will better seat without leaks. Aftermarket electrical accessory installations have been interesting too, to see what someone has done or tried to do. I've had to clean up someone else's messes.

The nice thing is, after I fix it, there is great satisfaction that it is left in far better condition than it was before. I like it to look as the work was done professionally, nothing less.

[ekap1200]

Nice vid!

Yeah, I see that a lot on cars too.. air intake boots not fully seated and then perma-buggered.

Good info on the drains too, are those unique to the Voyager engine? Can they be blown out with shop air?

Don't know if they are unique to the 1200, but they are not large enough to expel little screws or washers. And that is what I had found down in the #3 well.
What a mess it was, the plug cap boot had rotted away and filled up right to the top. It would miss from time to time as what was in the mix was rust from the screw and washers dropped down in there. What really bothered me was the crankcase vent being off , no telling how many thousands of miles it went like this but I'm sure it took some life off the two middle cylinders. I have not gotten into the carbs yet,other than to remove the tops and slides. But by the wear I see its been like this for some time. Customer is on vacation and I wanted him to see what a mess of things have happened from all this.
I know I have posted this before but many a time I have had a bike and the customer has said "all I did was to replace the plugs and air filter".
As simple as that can be , if not done with care it can bugger things up. My grandfather used to tell me " one grain of sand is as bad as ten" So in closing, keep it clean, tight and , know when you don't know . Gene

[On a Voyager 12]

Nice vid!

Yeah, I see that a lot on cars too.. air intake boots not fully seated and then perma-buggered.

Good info on the drains too, are those unique to the Voyager engine? Can they be blown out with shop air?

I have seen similar drains in other bikes too. They all look different though. and yes! Please do blow high pressure around the plugs after the boots are off but before you pull the plugs! I pull a plug cap, stick the blower down in there (it's a long thin metal tube/straw type) and blow it all around, look with a flashlight and keep at it until there is no debris I can see. I'll do them all, THEN I'll plull the plugs. NOTE: dont look in there while blowing it out. LOL!

[On a Voyager 12]

Yes, thank you ecap 1200 that is a good video. I have seen that exact problem before. Someone else had rebuilt carbs, but they had a huge flat spot in the throttle. Too much air. WAY too much unfiltered air!

[suzib6sw]

Simple tip to help avoid this happening.. Either soak the boots in hot water (dry before re-installing) or warm em up with a hair dryer (if you dont mind taking your life in your hands, from both the sig other or from splashed fuel)