Neal's mods/maintenance, 2017

[Nails]

I went back through the carbs, didn't really fix anything, and nothing is much different. It runs great until it gets warm; and then gets progressively worse. The clear problem is missing under acceleration from low RPMs. Turns out the left coil has no resistance (0.002 ohm) in the primary winding. Probably better not to light off on a long ride that way.

The funny bags on the passenger floorboards are coming together nicely, but not yet ready for photos. I won't need to go across the passenger seat after all. I'm repairing another bag, fixing a zipper and adding strategic tie rings. I'll have a gob of storage, especially for just me. It'll be a centralized mass.

The bead seat pad seems to work swell with the stock seat. I'm a hardass -- just ask the folks I used to regulate.

Still tracking down the lost power to the red/blue wire in back. But I have taillights (red wire), so figuring this out isn't essential.

That's news.

[cranky]

... the coil resistance... I'll assume you compared the two.....

A coil has impedance, not resistance, I'd expect very little if any
resistance on a coil..... again... if the two compare... NOT a wrench,
spent a lifetime in electronics/computers.....

It fails hot.. bet you measured it cold, no help, just pokin' holes...

.. shot in the dark, does the choke have any effect? ... color of plugs?
Just curious if it's going rich/lean, one or more cylinders... Sorry Ya
keep runnin' into "stuff"!!! Best to Ya!!!

[Nails]

The manual has ohm specs. The right one passed, the left one failed.
It also makes clear that a spark gap test is best, were that I had one.

[Nails]

I had an engine miss under acceleration from low RPMs. Replaced a coil, which improved things a lot. But there's still an off-idle miss, like when taking off from a stop. I turned the pilot screws down from 2 turns out to 1.75, which made a noticeable improvement. I think it's altitude, and I'll leave it alone to see what happens in the flatlands.

I mean, I had a bad coil on top of two carb issues: 1) something stupid I did that messed with the floats; and 2) trying to tune it at 7500 feet. That's really too much for my squid brain.

Still getting less than 40 MPG, but that's local runs in the mtns, with a lot of screwing around with the carbs &etc. Curious to see what I get cruising.

The fork seals still don't leak. This is astonishing to me because they leaked all over the brakes. But the seal-mate trick worked great. (I'm carrying seals and o-rings, in the off-chance I need to get someone to replace them on the road.)

Pannier cover leashes done. And the extra bags (on passenger floorboards) done. I did some other fabric stuff -- will get pictures when I load it up for the trip. Might still have time to make a bike cover.

I'll take a 200+ mile ride in the next couple days, almost all freeway. And then leaving on a long ride this weekend.

I think I'll be good with the bead pad on the stock seat. And that's without using riding pants, which I'll put on for this next ride. My schedule is very flexible, even if my butt turns out not to be.

[Mr Jensee]

Neal I think that expecting better than 40 mpg at high altitudes and riding in the mountains which already puts a strain on engines is asking for a lot. I live on flat land and at sea level and I get 44 mpg. so don't expect so much. Looking at the coils of the Voyager it looks like the coil wires can be changed out. I suggest doing that since you are looking at coil wires at least 16 years old. Glad to see the sealmates worked. So far I have used it on my bike twice and the original seals are still going strong.

[Nails]

Yesterday we buzzed up to the ski area (9000 ft) to pick up next year's passes. It ran like crap. It still runs crappy at home (7800 ft), but definitely was worse up the hill. Today I rode 350 miles, for a while down to 4500 ft. It almost ran right down there - just a bit of an off-idle stumble. And the gas mileage was up about 20%, to about 44 MPG. It ran kinda crappy again by the time I got home; and based on the gauge reading 1/2 after only 100 miles, it's back down to about 35 MPG.

Extrapolating, it should run swell below about 2000 ft. At least I'll give it a try. Maybe it'll still prove to be something else; but my little experiment gives me enough confidence to take off this weekend. And please forgive me if I look askance the next time I hear that these XII don't need altitude compensation: mine sure seems to.

And about that 350 miles (6.5 hrs in the saddle): my butt and back are sore, but not the kind that'll last until morning. I think 400-500 miles/day for 3-5 days at a run is doable without much stress. But I'm going to order a sheepskin, shipped to my first stop (Ohio). And since I'm taking camping stuff, I want to set up camp before dark anyway.

I took an injury about a month ago. Broken ribs basically healed, and the riding didn't cause any new pain at all. Just two days ago, I couldn't lift my arm above my shoulder (probably bursitis), but today's riding turned out to be gainful range-of-motion exercise. Still weak, but riding didn't hurt and actually helped: shoulder much better than yesterday, and I can start a whole new level of PT exercises!

So life is good, even if I have an enigma over whether to rejet for home or leave it alone for the long rides.

[cranky]

.. I run the left coast and never had a problem... and I do make trips over 88 / Carson Pass
at @ 8500 and now and then over 120 Tioga Pass @10,000 and never had a problem....
Hope Ya find yer gremlin!

[Nails]

Dunno. Mine runs fine >2500 RPM, and I'm sure it'd blast over Carson Pass. But it'd flail on Sonoma Pass.

True confession: I didn't remove the pilot screws to inspect them. I got about 4 turns and then got stuck, presumably on corroded threads. I decided not to destroy them just to see that they were fine. Had no reason to think anyone had been in there (I drilled out the plugs -- and I didn't smash them into the bottom); and they circulated carb cleaner. I can't see this being a problem, but I can't think of another single thing it could be.

Replacing that coil definitely helped, and the symptoms were very similar: sputtering and puking under load. But the coil problem was at higher RPMs, and it was more associated with heat than elevation.

I'm pretty sure this low-RPM problem is carburetion. It runs great before warmed up -- when some choke would be okay. Part of my ride was 15MPH twisty, and I wish it'd pull better off-idle. That's also when it seriously sucked gas. It's just way too rich off idle (pilot screw and/or pilot jet circuits, I think).

Setting aside everyone else's experience, I expect it to be rich up here. I usually go down 6% because there's about 6% less air pressure, water boils 6% colder, &etc. But on the other hand, lots of bikes were seriously lean from the factory -- they sometimes run better up here.

I'll take yet another 1/4 turn out of the pilot screws (down to 1.25 turns out), but I hesitate to go leaner before seeing what happens at lower elevations. I have absolutely no idea what else to do.

[Nails]

Not really packed up, just a dress rehearsal. The hard bags are empty.

The blue bag on the seat is a cot, 30" wide. The floorboard bag has an umbrella tent, large enough for that silly cot. (One bummer: I can't hang my heels on the pass floorboards.) The other side has a sleeping bag.

The black bag on the seat (also naugahyde) will be for whatever's left over after I pack for reals -- hopefully, I'll ditch it for at least part of my trip. Otherwise, maybe it'll be a backrest of sorts. I just added some compression straps &etc to a duffle.

The bead seat cover works, but I'll try to find a half-pelt sheepskin to slip under it.

The other kool thing I did: I have a cheap helmet with a drop-down sunglasses thing. I never use that because the optics are awful. So I cut off the bottom and then put black tape on the inside. It's an excellent sunshade. (And if I'm quick enough before a crash, I can flip it down and then tilt the helmet down, so that I don't have to see the crash!)

[cranky]

... can anyone loan Ya an Airhawk to try? Mine stopped me from looking for another seat....
The beads over the top keep it cool... it's a warm sucka.... now if you're riding in the
winter!!!! OK!! Lookin' great!!!!

[triton28]

Some real good storage ideas there. The bike looks ready to travel.
I like the wood shed as well,
Dave