WINTER MAINTENANCE...90% is getting started !

[ekap1200]

Good thing I'm retired! I'm going to need all winter for these guys.
Dave

Lucky man, to be retired and have all that work to keep you busy at your own pace.
I am not a gambling man , but that one with all the silicon, I would bet a dollar that there is some of it stuck to the oil pump screen

I just hope as you start taking it apart you don't find those dog-gone chisel cuts where someone had a bit of a time in splitting the case....Lots of silicon sealer hide those, Iv'e seen. Or maybe not, could be a nice sealing job and the bulk of the bead squeezed out to the outside of the case. Should be a nice photo for the "How not to seal you case's" when you get the clutch cover off of it..... But your retired

This is just a hobby now. And its better to be safe than sorry. Let us know how much you spend on this job. ie gasket kits and what not. Just wondering what gaskets and seals your going to need will cost nowadays.

[triton28]

Good idea eKap. I will submit photos for "How Not To Do Things" should I find any. I will keep a log and advise on the items used and the total cost when I have finished. Hopefully I will find the goop came to the outside of the cases and there are no chisel marks.
Regards,
Dave

[Lucasind]

...Hey Triton, ....As I read your last post.....I think I understand that the 1990 model year is the engine that has the "tell tale"signs of being all "gooped up" having the cases split ?
I would have thought ,that, that would have been one of the 87' model years ,cause of the
1179 igniter,having the starter drive chain issues ! very interesting ? other than a bad
(usually 2nd gear drop out) there is not many other reasons for someone to have to do the engine out... "flip it over" and split the cases thing !
Are you using one of your three XII's for a "parts bike" ? ...or are you gonna get ALL three of your XII's up and running ....and back... "on the road again" (willie nelson)
just curious.......and hope to see ya (on one of your bikes) at the rally !...






Tony

[broksonic]

That northern route sure would be a great ride though!

[Lucasind]

...So ...just getting out of the shop ,after a day out on the "road" in the service truck....figured I should put a few more hours in on the "winter maintenance" on my XII.
Things are coming along nicely....The last month of the season, my clutch lever was not feeling the same , so I ordered a master cylinder rebuild kit for it, and installed it today, was surprised to see how much "muck" had accumulated at the bottom of the mast. cyl. in only(nearly) 3 years since cleaning, and fluid change !



I plucked a single hair out of my wire brush to ensure that the "smaller" of the 2 holes present in the master cylinder was clear . If you look closely at the photo you will see the wire brush strand in the hole.Because it is so small...it is the first to get clogged up.

[Lucasind]

....Continuing with the "Galfer" line replacement...the O.E.M line is removed ,and the new line is installed in it's place for clutch operation.



Next ,the radiator is removed ,for o-ring replacement on the coolant manifold, at this time
(as long as it is apart) the exhaust system will get cleaned ...and made "all purdy"again !
I know .... who cares what your exhaust system looks like ...if ya can't see it ?
Well that's where the "sick and twisted" part comes in ! I will lay awake at night , and see it in my thoughts ,if I put it back together without making it WAY better than it was ! ( I built alot of models as a kid )



This ugly looking mess will look alot better when I'm done with it !

[triton28]

When I was 12 years old I got bitten by the "AMT/Revell model kits bug" and I haven't been the same since. I keep buying bikes and fixing them up to as near to new as I can, and since I have these 3 XIIs they all must be brought up to that condition, ( Lingering Model Kititis Syndrome ).
This was the first '87 I rebuilt but since it had 160+ lbs. of compression and rode well with no shift problems I left the engine unit alone and only rebuilt the remainder. It must have had the broken starter chain issue though as the engine # is high 15000s. I guesstimate a year 2000 engine was swapped into the frame.
The second '87, which is the partially disassembled XII in the previous photo, I had been riding this year as well. I bought it because it was almost an exact clone of the '87 in the above photo, except for the burgundy vinyl. But alas as mentioned, it had the rattle and I didn't want to continue riding it without fixing that.
So I bought a '90, bent, missing most of the cowling and associated plastics and totally neglected, to use as a donor for the 2nd '87 and that's when the "L M K S" kicked in again. The more I looked at the '90 the more I couldn't just let it pass away, it deserved to exist.
So here I am, up to my elbows in XIIs. The 90 frame is headed to a frame torture rack to be checked out for true. The stanchions and trees were like pretzels so I don't trust the geometry of the frame as is. This seems to be the season for front ends as I am also doing stanchions/lower tree on a '93 that had a slight wander.
Up here in Canada the recall for the igniter doesn't seem to have either been in place, or taken seriously by the bike owners, as every '86 or '87 I have seen so far still has the 1179 igniter. Both of mine did as well as a lot of ones I looked at buying.
Broksonic is right about the northern route being a great ride, all that wilderness until crossing into the US at Sault Ste Marie. We have so much undeveloped forest area with these good roads winding through them, similar to northern Michigan/Wisconsin I suspect. One day I will get to a Rally to say hello to all, but it doesn't look as though it will be this year, way too much to do when the weather is good at home.
But enough, I have bored you all too much with this diatribe so I will go back to the shop and start taking the '90 apart. I am going to have to buy a shorter lens and better lighting for my camera to get those closeups I want.
Regards,
Dave

[Lucasind]

Hey Dave ...thanks for the (not boring at all) response. I knew I could'nt be the only old ex-model builder ! ....and I like the term/title/acronym " LMKS" that you came up with .
I think I got it straight on what you are doing with your stable of XII's now ! I am a bit surprised to hear you say that the majority of XII's in Canada that you see ,still have the 1179 igniter ! We all know that the trouble is caused by a discharged battery in combination with the 1179 in place is a recipe for disaster ! I imagine your riding season is even shorter than ours here on this west end of lake Erie ! Bikes that are not rode much have discharged batteries.....a unsuspecting owner goes out to start his XII , and BANG The 87' shown above looks very good ,and I like what ya did with that color twist on the seats combo ...... Yeah that would be a LONG way for you to travel to get to the rally and back !...oh well ,maybe the rally will be in Maine some year! ......................Tony

[triton28]

Yes Tony I couldn't believe the number of '86s and '87s still having the 1179 igniter. Now I have probably only looked at 10 or 12 pre 1988s here in eastern Canada but almost all had the old igniter, and some had the dreaded rattle but were still starting/running. I guess with our season being short up here, there isn't a duration of time longer than a few days that one doesn't ride, so the batteries stay charged, OR more probable, dumb luck keeps the chain from breaking.
Dave

[cushman eagle]

Tony,I read of your speedo cable issues and checked the mileage of mine.I had the cable come out of my meter several years ago and lost the core ,so I replaced it.I have about 33000 on this one which I lube regularly and run outside the fork .I did buy a spare during my service order.I also have to say I am about 3300 miles short of your mileage for the year.

[Lucasind]

Tony; I re-read your to do list. I need to do the darn water-log o-rings also.. gee my list is getting longer.[/quote] Gene


Here is a look at that part of the job.... actually my coolant manifold o-rings looked in good shape still. The hoses in that area , ( I suppose due to such close proximity to hot header pipes) are showing signs of fatigue, I went to the dealer to get everything on my list $165.
bucks is a small price to pay for the dependable service I get from this great motorcycle !
Not to mention FUN !





Will be up early in the morning and out in the shop to start on the "clean-up" process on the XII's engine.and exhaust system. A good hot fire in the wood stove ...and David Alan Coe playing on the shop stereo makes for a great work session ! ...Tony

[Lucasind]

Tony,I read of your speedo cable issues and checked the mileage of mine.I had the cable come out of my meter several years ago and lost the core ,so I replaced it.I have about 33000 on this one which I lube regularly and run outside the fork .I did buy a spare during my service order.I also have to say I am about 3300 miles short of your mileage for the year.

Yeah ....that speedo cable breaking issue is something that falls into the "huh" category. If that is the worst "failure issue" this great bike has to offer, I'm o.k. with that !
It gives me a good excuse to go see the folks (and bikes) at the dealership,when I need to get parts ! About your mileage ...had your bike made the trip out to Estes Park CO. this year.....we would have about the same mileage !..............Tony

[ekap1200]

Well Tony , you have me wondering about the condition of my hose's now.
85,000 + on the clock I may be due. Whats a few more bolts to remove for peace of mind... My plan was to do the tires this winter and pull the front tubes to get at and inspect cones/cups of the head set anyway. Guess I will just keep the air ratchet going and get-R-done... Time is my enemy, so when I go to do all this I will need to have all the parts ready. Never know who will walk in the door with cash in hand. HD is coming in and I am hoping its not a splice and tape job on the wiring. Right after that job I am going at warp speed to get my list knocked out. We get some winters where we can ride a good deal of the time until the salt/calcium trucks ruin it.

Your shop is looking better now with the added work-bench's , won't be long until they are covered in stuff. Never enough room with us guys is there.....
90% is getting room on the shop floor

[cushman eagle]

Well Tony , you have me wondering about the condition of my hose's now.
85,000 + on the clock I may be due. Whats a few more bolts to remove for peace of mind... My plan was to do the tires this winter and pull the front tubes to get at and inspect cones/cups of the head set anyway. Guess I will just keep the air ratchet going and get-R-done... Time is my enemy, so when I go to do all this I will need to have all the parts ready. Never know who will walk in the door with cash in hand. HD is coming in and I am hoping its not a splice and tape job on the wiring. Right after that job I am going at warp speed to get my list knocked out. We get some winters where we can ride a good deal of the time until the salt/calcium trucks ruin it.

Your shop is looking better now with the added work-bench's , won't be long until they are covered in stuff. Never enough room with us guys is there.....
90% is getting room on the shop floor

Yah,Gene,talk about the salt/calcium trucks.The weather got up to the high 40s today but the roads here are covered with salt! No snow,I can find no reason for the salt,decided not to go for an hour ride,then spend an hour washing the salt off the bike.

[Lucasind]

....Continuing with the "Galfer" line replacement...the O.E.M line is removed ,and the new line is installed in it's place for clutch operation.



Next ,the radiator is removed ,for o-ring replacement on the coolant manifold, at this time
(as long as it is apart) the exhaust system will get cleaned ...and made "all purdy"again !
I know .... who cares what your exhaust system looks like ...if ya can't see it ?
Well that's where the "sick and twisted" part comes in ! I will lay awake at night , and see it in my thoughts ,if I put it back together without making it WAY better than it was ! ( I built alot of models as a kid )



This ugly looking mess will look alot better when I'm done with it !

So Friday after work,a half day on Saturday,and a half day on Sunday I was able to complete my exhaust system clean up on the XII. After a thorough cleaning, the pieces are heated, then the chrome is masked off,then three coats of 2000 degree ceramic header paint is applied,then they are
hung up over the heat for a good baking. Very pleased with the results,nice and clean !
Here is a few pictures of the process :










All of my current parts on order will be in on Thursday (so I'm told) , I should be able to install the exhaust system and move on to the many remaining items on my"winter maintenance" list, this upcoming weekend. .............................Tony

[triton28]

Tony;
that ceramic paint makes so much sense. The areas you have painted are generally the areas that pit and rust and I for one think your paint job looks great. Should be maintenance free after that painting.
What brand of paint did you use? Is it rattlecan or bulk liquid?
Dave

[Lucasind]

Tony;
that ceramic paint makes so much sense. The areas you have painted are generally the areas that pit and rust and I for one think your paint job looks great. Should be maintenance free after that painting.
What brand of paint did you use? Is it rattlecan or bulk liquid?
Dave

Thanks Dave,
We can't do much for a exhaust system rotting out from the INSIDE , but we can slow down the process from the outside ! The brand name of the paint is VHT and I have been using it for a long time, pretty good product I used rattle can,cost about 10 bucks.............................Tony

[triton28]

Tony;
Thanks for the name of the paint.
Dave

[Lucasind]

.....So ,got a few more hours in the shop on the XII winter project between last night and tonight......



The same process was repeated....all parts were thoroughly cleaned ,free of rust.
heated, painted, then baked. Everything in this area ,is looking "ship shape" and ready for the arrival of the new parts.....( hoses, exhaust gaskets etc.) staying busy day to day,
checking things off of the "to do list" ......Is ALL of this necessary ? ...of course NOT, but being a "couch potato" ain't for me ! ....and I take great pleasure in making things look like this !..... then move on to reaching the next completion. I am told that it is going to reach temps in the low 60's this weekend here in Toledo .....if it does ...I will be out riding the 1300 Voyager (for as long as I can ! ) Wow ! what a bonus day this will be for the second weekend of December !..............................Tony

[ekap1200]

Looking good Tony, shame once the plastic is on , not much will show. But we all will know its there.... and there is the peace of mind that all is in good condition, with no chance of coolant leaks for a 100,000 miles or so.
I may try the ( dollar for dollar ) recommendations for the hoses and go with Gates when I do the water log o-rings. They may be newer stock now than whatever stock is OEM. Same with this years air filter may have to do the retrofit Fram 3915 . BUT its still together and I am hoping for a nice weekend here riding....

Temps are looking good for this weekend here in southern NJ. Glad I didn't start on my bike yet. I am going to get my moneys worth on these Avon's.... and I can't squeeze much more out of them. I have someone coming in early Saturday for a quick fuel pump job, then I just have to follow him for a few miles to make sure all is well.....Yup that my story and I'm sticking to it..

Homing in on that fender trim job. rev 4 of the die cured the fit I was looking for. The two corner radius's took 4 tries to get the right radius and the overbend amount. Now just one more fixture to get the two end bends and its off to jet some blanks for a small run. I have to get at least what they went for when available. It may cost me 12.00 or so for the hardware in SS





The fixture for the floorboard blanks is close and I am going to make another one up tomorrow and hope to have ONE good set by Saturday.
Just have to tweek the fixture by .8 degrees and this one can be off to jet some blanks as well. These will go for slightly less than the OEM's and will be formed for use , when that tab is ground away. If, one can drill and tap a threaded hole they should be able to do what you did 'Tony'