Getting to know my new-to-me 91! (Warning: long)

[cranky]

... hhhmmmm , easier after progressive front springs.... I'm about to do that,
hope you are right!!! '03 with <70K, fronts could be shot....

[cranky]

[quote="I've found that my speedometer is off by a factor of about 10%... 61 mph on the speedo equals 55 mph past radar equipped signs. Possibly a tire size issue, will recheck after the 777s are installed.[/quote]

You can use a 25T gear in the front for a speedo fix, be aware it will effect
your odometer also.... My new to me scoot had it done and the speedo is
spot on... Best to Ya!!!

Check the forums for the speedo fix, not a wrench and can't explain it
any better...

[Thud300]

Got the new front tire on and balanced. Nice to have fresh rubber up front. Rear tire goes on next week. Here she is sporting the new front tire.



Went after the cruise control, found that the cable from the servo to the junction box was stuck. Removed it, freed it up and lubed it, reinstall and adjust. Took the bike for a test ride, the cruise worked great for about 15 miles, then after tapping the front brake to give a car pulling off to the side some room, the cruise never engaged again. Later I found that the turn signals also would no longer self-cancel. However, the speedometer is still working...

This suggests a problem with the speed signal from the cluster assembly?

[ComputerGeek59]

Got the new front tire on and balanced. Nice to have fresh rubber up front. Rear tire goes on next week.

Went after the cruise control, found that the cable from the servo to the junction box was stuck. Removed it, freed it up and lubed it, reinstall and adjust. Took the bike for a test ride, the cruise worked great for about 15 miles, then after tapping the front brake to give a car pulling off to the side some room, the cruise never engaged again. Later I found that the turn signals also would no longer self-cancel. However, the speedometer is still working...

This suggests a problem with the speed signal from the cluster assembly?

I had problems with my cruise when I first got my bike. It would turn off when I hit a bump. I got to the point where it would not stay on at all. I found the connectors at the front brake were not making good contact. Sounds like you could have other issues as well but thought I would mention my problem.

Good luck!

Brad

[Thud300]

Ah, the saga continues...

Ok, so on the Sunday ride after fixing the stuck cruise cable, I reported that the cruise failed to set after about 15 miles of riding, and later discovered that the turn signals would no longer self-cancel, but it felt with my thumb on the button like it wanted to, just lacked oomph. I decided that I would diagnose that later this week, and continued commuting on the bike.

Tuesday afternoon, a brief ride between jobs including a stop at the local ethanol-free gas pump. Shut 'er off, gas up, hang the nozzle, thumb the start button, and, well, suddenly she would barely crank. Oh, and the night before, I installed the screws for the tank cover, and had no tools with me to remove it

With the help of a couple of complete strangers who noticed my plight in the 95 degree heat, the tank cover was off and a jump pack brought the bike to life so I could get it to my kaw barn, switch bikes and get to my other job, just a half hour late. A quick check before shutting off with a voltmeter revealed the bike was running at 10.6 volts... apparent alternator failure. Undiagnosed as I write, but the loss of alternator output, if it occurred on the Sunday ride, could explain the sudden loss of cruise and self canceling, as the dropping system voltage would affect the performance of the distance sensor and the components using that signal (radio auto volume did not seem to be as affected.)

Ebay to the rescue, I've gone ahead and ordered another alternator. Also awaiting install, the rear caliper seal kit from All Balls, and a kickstand switch with harness.

I know some people frown on the kickstand switch, but it's functional on my other two bikes, and I actually rode the V-XII for a short distance with the kickstand down. Fortunately, I made only right turns, then heard a scrape and put it up at the next light. I was at that same gas station and a sheriffs deputy was asking me about the bike, and after our convo (he is a motor officer) rode off forgetting to put the stand up.

Oh, and while throwing money all over the internet like I actually have some, I ponied up for AVA membership. Figured that would be a good investment too.

[Jimvoyager01]

AVA membership is a bargain,,,welcome,,keep us informed,,, lots of help on this site

[Thud300]

And now, the next installment of Wuthering Bikes...

In our last episode, we discovered an apparent alternator failure, which was accompanied by a loss of turn signal cancel and cruise control operation. So, on Friday, received a replacement alternator from eBay, bolted it on, and success, the operating voltage was back around 14 volts at idle. A test ride confirmed that the cruise and turn signal canceling were once again functioning , so the distance sensor in the speedometer was indeed affected by the lowered available voltage. So, take heed of a potential early warning sign; if your turn signals suddenly and consistently fail to cancel, suspect a loss of voltage and check that altenator.

I had promised myself the new rear tire would be installed last Saturday, but work got in the way of that. I had sufficient time to install and wire the new kickstand switch, which works correctly and very well, thank you. The previous owner had removed it completely, cut the terminals, twisted the wires together and stuffed the mess in the frame . After finding and inspecting it, I was surprised the bike would even try to start.

Sunday, I decided to do what Concours owners call the 'free power mod', basically a redundant ground circuit from the igniter ground wire directly to battery negative. This additional direct ground wire works wonders on most C10 Concours, and I did notice a difference in performance after it was done on the Voyager as well.

After doing that, I turned my attention to the igniter vacuum circuit, where I found that I was unable to blow though the hose leading to the #1 carb, and was also unable to get any air to flow through the carb nipple. So, took a very fine torch tip cleaner and some carb spray, and cleaned that puppy out. Test riding afterward, the bike starts easier and runs smoother, and it's easier to modulate cold idle with the enrichener.

But the only bad thing about the way this bike runs still persists, it's a hunting, unstable idle while rolling with the clutch out (think parking lot or bike range) causing the bike to stutter and lurch. I call it 'fishbite'. The Idle instability is also present when warming up in neutral, but stabilizes when the vacuum is disconnected from the igniter. The condition is only present under load at idle speed, adding any amount of throttle or pulling in the clutch and the fishbite is gone.

Monday, I brought home a vacuum gauge and hooked it up in place of the igniter. At idle speeds, the needle was swinging so wide from vacuum pulses you almost couldnt see it. And that was with the 'filter' in place in the line. If that is indeed a valve to modulate the vacuum to the igniter, it aint doing its job. At higher revs, the vacuum signal stabilized. I did some forum research and found where vacuum bleeds have been used to modulate the vacuum signal to the igniter. I've ordered a delay valve that I'm going to experiment with and see if slowing down the changes in vacuum to the igniter, and/or adding the vac bleed, will solve the idle fishbite.

I continued by punching the paper element out of the OEM filter frame and installing a new STP air filter in it per the tech section instructions. At the same time I replaced the rotted foam seal around the filter frame with sponge tape so there would be a tight seal. I also discovered an open breather tube on the right side of the airbox, causing an open air leak, so reinstalled that.

Today's rides were the best yet in terms of engine performance and smoothness, very awesome. Will report later on whether the fishbite is cured, or not.

[Thud300]

Resurrection and discoveries continued dept.

On a previous post I asked about a rubber clip that was in the center of the inside of the trunk lid. Turns out, it's supposed to be outside the trunk, it's a storage holder for the passenger end of the intercom Y-cable. Probably transplanted when brackets for passenger backrests were installed, I put it back in a suitable location.

About that centerstand, I discovered the secret. It is....

wait for it...

LUBE.

Thought I had it sufficiently lubricated, but penetrating oil isn't enough, those pivots needs to be well greased. Once that's done, the operating effort is much less. Duh

Moving on to the igniter vacuum, I got hold of a spark delay valve for $20, It's spec'd for the vacuum distributor advance on a 1980 Ford F150, 5.0L engine.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/bwd ... lsrc=aw.ds

Hooking this up to a Mityvac on one end and a vac gauge on the other, you could see how it 'buffers' changes in vacuum so the transitions are smoother, just enough. By comparison, the old valve from the bike might as well have just been a piece of hose. Installed the new in place of the old one, it fits the existing hoses, and have been riding it for several days, and it does make the engine feel smoother. Also, the cold idle speed on the enrichener is more manageable, it was unstable before. Not as good as my Connie on cold idle, but vastly improved. Overall, the rideability is much better with the new valve in place. As for the previously mentioned low-speed 'fishbite', it's still there but not as bad, can be managed with a little clutch control and throttle. I'm presently doing a fuel mileage test and will report on that.

The cruise control has continued to work intermittently, then not at all again, until I took a close look at the brake lever, and found that the tang on the lever that 'makes' the two micro switches was bent away from the switch assembly so that the bottom switch was not being actuated. So, removed the lever and carefully bent the tang back. At the same time, removed and cleaned the switch, cleaned and lubed the lever pivot, and did the same with the clutch lever. The cruise has not failed to operate since.

I got around to changing the brake fluid, or whatever it was, in the clutch and front brakes. I didn't know that brake fluid could look like rancid chocolate milk, but there ya go.

Finally, I installed a voltmeter/USB/12V socket panel to clean up that hole in the left dash where a CB control would go. Separate writeup on that in the 'look what I did' section.

Still going, but she's becoming a daily rider. Still need to get that rear tire done.

[voyager55]

Wow, You could start a reality show!!
I've owned my bike for 12 years now, Haven't had any of the problems you're having. You might need to take it to a Exorcist next!
I carry a small set of jumper cables just in case. Made for bikes
Good luck

[Thud300]

This bike was in rough shape when I bought it about five weeks ago, but it's coming along very nicely. It just needed TLC, which it hadn't had in quite some time.

It was much the same way as I got my other two bikes, both in various states of neglect and disrepair, but half the fun of a new ride is in finding and fixing the issues and getting things the way they should be.

Results of fuel mileage test with new air filter, 'free power mod' and new spark delay valve: 39.8 mpg, mostly city riding with about 30% highway/slab.

[ghostler]

Glad to see your bike is coming right along, Thud300. Thanks for the heads up on this delay module. I'll need to check mine, if bad, then I have a source. I did something similar with my 1999 Chev S10 pickup two years ago, when i replaced the heater core. That was a job and half, removed entire dashboard, steering wheel prior to getting to the truck's air handling unit, using TLC around the air bag electrical connections. One of the heater hoses has a flow restricter that was missing. It was a hard to find part at the dealers and pricey. I bought one for a late 1960's Ford Mustang small block V8 for under $10 on-line. That did the trick.

[Thud300]

A couple of new additions, found a upper fairing extension in matching color on eBay, so snapped that up. And my AVA decal!

Stylish and functional. (It's hiding a crack in the windshield)

[ghostler]

A couple of new additions, found a upper fairing extension in matching color on eBay, so snapped that up. And my AVA decal! Stylish and functional. (It's hiding a crack in the windshield)

You may already know this, but a trick to prevent further cracking is to drill a small hole at the end of the crack. That stops the concentrated point stresses.

[keithert]

What did you lube the center stand with and where did you lube it?

[cushman eagle]

I lube my center stand with a short shot of chain lube aimed at each pivot point.I do that when I have the bike up on the center stand to check the rear tire pressure about monthly.

[Thud300]

What did you lube the center stand with and where did you lube it?

The MOM recommends engine oil. I hit the four pivots (two on the frame, two between the two stages of the stand) with a squirt can of oil and then she came up with a lift on the passenger grab handle.

Once it was up, I hit it again with chain lube and more oil.

[Thud300]

Pandora's box, continued...

Saturday morning, the opportunity finally presented itself for me to replace the rear tire with the Shinko 777 HD. I followed along with the video by NorCal Voyagers so I had a road map of what I was doing and hopefully would save some time. LOTS of de-griming and cleaning and fixing little issues as I went along, getting the tire replaced wasn't too bad.

Checking the final drive lube, opened the drain bolt and, well, not a whole lot came out... so top the unit off with some synth gear lube... what did come out looked ok, just dark.

Time came to reinstall the rear fender, and the fight was on... there was a big clump of wiring up above the inner fender, couldn't see what was really going on up there, but no way was this fender going on... also, the Markland hitch was causing issues cause I lost track of how the supports were arranged, and the hitch plate is seized in the right hand tube, just to complicate things. So, time to figure out how the trunk comes off so I can see what's going on...

...and I can't pull the trunk without snipping the trailer harness, cause somebody wired part of the trailer harness to the trunk side of the circuit, not the other side... so snip snip, oh and this plug isn't supposed to be where it is anyway, should be behind the passenger seat and not between the trunk slide rails... so the trunk is finally off, and behold, it's a Gordian knot of connectors, bike wiring, trailer wiring and 26 year old electrical tape coming off of everything... and it's all misrouted and getting smashed by the trunk rails so it takes me a couple hours to get this all sorted out.

But finally, the wiring gets routed in places that make sense, the tape is removed and replaced with plastic wire conduit, and everything fits together just fine. It's so much easier to get that fender back on with the trunk off and the wiring fixed. Then I can get the Markland hitch back on, still a PITA because of the seized plate... I don't even have a trailer (well, yet) but I'd like to keep the bike the way I found it, accessory-wise.. then before reinstalling the trunk, a little lubing and tweaking of the trunk slides, cause the left side would not lock in the notches, it was like the latch was too short, but some creative bending fixed that.

After the rear tire install marathon, installed a new-ish right side muffler from eBay, to replace the one that was cracked completely around where the gasket is, and missing one of its exhaust tips to boot. Then after checking my tire and suspension pressures (10 front, 40 rear, just a bit above the specs) I could finally give Xaviera a shakedown run, and man did it feel nice to have two new tires at last. And the new muffler sounds great, and you can really hear that engine purr. It's beautiful, man...

Then, completed one more farkle, and it's officially a rider; installing LED taillights, and a programmable brake light flasher. Will do a separate writeup on the flasher, I've had the same one on my Connie for a couple years now and I really like the features it offers. It's an attention getter.

Finally tonight, just before writing this, I took apart the Markland driver floorboards and got everything freed up, then installed them in a configuration that I can actually use them comfortably.

Oh, and a discovery, earlier in this thread I described something I called a 'fishbite' at low speed...it dawned on me that perhaps this bike doesn't have a slipper clutch, and some forum research indicates that 94 and newer bikes have a slipper, but earlier ones do not... so I just need to use the clutch properly to manage the power at low speed.

She's really becoming a beautiful bike, with a little investment and a lot of sweat equity and TLC, and I'm riding her confidently almost every day. What a long way it has come.

[VoyKimmer]

Do yourself a favor and drain the final drive and fill with 180 cc or 6oz of 80w90 hypoid gear lube only or you will develope a leak. Ask me how I know. It is not to be filled to the top of the fill plug.

[Thud300]

Do yourself a favor and drain the final drive and fill with 180 cc or 6oz of 80w90 hypoid gear lube only or you will develope a leak. Ask me how I know. It is not to be filled to the top of the fill plug.

Thanks, BTDT with my Concours, which actually started showing a leak at the bevel drive after filling to the top of the plug. Draining a bit cured that.

I used Delco 75W90 synth gear oil, same as the Connie, and filled to about 3 mm of the plug opening. So far, no seepage.

[cushman eagle]

Thud,I am glad to hear you are finally getting your bike to where it should be They are a real joy to ride when they are right