Gertrude Goes In For Surgery

[GrandpaDenny]

The new lower airbox (aka known as the "surge tank") and new boots (aka "carburetor holders") in place awaiting carb placement:

[cushman eagle]

So,GrandpaDenny,What are you going to name your [new] Voyager?
I am enjoying your pictorial updates on renewing your bike.
It will be interesting how it will run with all the improvements.

[GrandpaDenny]

She'll still be Gertrude. Perhaps Gertrude The Flying Elephant? You know, Gertrude is the only VXII I've ever ridden, and I was so impressed with her speed and agility. Guess I'll find out what I've been missing all this time and didn't know!

This should be fun!

Latest update: the boots are, according to my buddy doing the work, a pain in the kronk. He says that's been the only difficult part of this whole adventure. He says these machines are easy to work on. That's compared to Concours 1000s and 1400s.

I'm going to be paying this guy for a long time for this job.

Looks like he's got the carbs in and will be syncing them tomorrow evening after work. Y'all would have loved the text messages going back and forth about putting the boots on:

Wayne from COG: I'll be heating the boots up before dropping in the carbs

Wayne from COG, I won't melt them lol

Me: lol

Me: little vaseline or KY might help too,

Me: oh you said "boots" not "butts"

Wayne from COG, Lol OMG

Me: anyway, seriously, a little water-soluble lube of some sort might help

Me: even some soapy water

Me: or alcohol. Kinda like putting new grips on

Wayne from COG, Yes 'some' lube ok,

Wayne from COG, I am very cautious in introducing anything that is not supposed to be in the air/ fuel mixture.

Me: well you put the lube on the outside of the carb and it won't get into the airstream

Me: or a very thin layer on the inside of the boots, Sunday, April 2 2023, 2:28 PM.

Me: soapy water will dry up. Alcohol will evaporate.

Me: Like doing grips. Even spit will likely work.

Me: I don't care if you spit on my new carbs, they're going to get dirtier than that LOL Just don't spit on the shiny parts LOL

Me: Brake fluid doesn't eat rubber so you can use that, too.,

Wayne from COG, All good suggestions.

Wayne from COG, Well other than brake fluid, duck screwing around with that stuff.


I don't know yet what he actually used. To be honest I don't think I've ever read about using any kind of lube on the boots, I was just messing with him and pulling ideas out of my deranged mind.

[GrandpaDenny]

Oh and did I mention he found a coolant leak (other than the coolant pipe o-rings) and an oil leak that he says is definitely engine oil, not gear oil. Probably from the oil pressure sender. And the front calipers need rebuilding. He flushed out a bunch of crap from the brakes, and I had just flushed out the brake lines in January when I last put brake pads on. Well that's something I can do myself and it's not terribly expensive - caliper and master cylinder rebuild kit all told run about $135. So when I get around to doing that, next pad change in about a year, it'll probably cost $250 LOL

[Nails]

I'm curious to hear how the 15W fork oil works. That's twice what works best in my bike -- 10W was too stiff for me.

I agree with Loren that she'll need a new name, likely reflecting "her" new-found huevos.

What does your mechanic charge for letting you nose around taking pictures? Much less tolerating "friendly suggestions"!

[GrandpaDenny]

I'm curious to hear how the 15W fork oil works. That's twice what works best in my bike -- 10W was too stiff for me.

That's what Progressive recommends for "heavy duty" use. In full gear I'm around 300 pounds, and the roads around here are kronk. It's funny, Progressive recommends 15w but they sell 20w. However, comma, noting that "weights" don't really mean anything - I found one company's "20wt" was thinner than another company's "10wt". The manufacturers make their own determinations of what "weight" means for their products.

There are frost heaves, potholes, all kinds of mean and nasty things (anybody catch that reference? Hint: Thanksgiving) on what they call "roads" around here. We'll see how I like it.

Pennsylvania vehicle inspections are required annually to ensure that our vehicles are fit to drive on roads that aren't fit to drive on.

I agree with Loren that she'll need a new name, likely reflecting "her" new-found huevos.

Well she has earned modifications to her name before, so why not? We shall indeed see. I can't kronking wait!

What does your mechanic charge for letting you nose around taking pictures? Much less tolerating "friendly suggestions"!

He took those pictures. Standard procedure for him with all his customers. Same for suggestions - he keeps me in the loop, telling me what he notices, what he's checking "just in case while we're in there", what do I want to do, etc.

We're friends, we're both kinda out there. His wife is even worse - she'll happily ride on the back of his C14 at 170mph taking pictures with her cell phone. Yes, they hit I believe it was 174 on the PA Turnpike while testing the speed shifter (or whatever it's called, I forget). His bike is not exactly stock, one could say.

Definitely Good People.

[GrandpaDenny]

My mechanic sent me a pic of himself putting the carbs in

[GrandpaDenny]

Carbs are in. Bike is running. initial vacuum readings before carb sync::

After synchronization:

[GrandpaDenny]

All that's left is buttoning up and she comes home tomorrow evening.

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

Yeah, love to read along as the story progressed. Like being there wihtout being there!

[GrandpaDenny]

Well, she's home.



First impressions from the ride home:
1. WAY smoother idle, sounds so different, so quiet.
2. WAY tighter, no wiggling. Actually went no-hands briefly a couple of times - I was never able to do that before.
3. Didn't get a chance to really wind her up, but power is definitely smoother and more linear. Clutch started slipping at about 5000 rpm - still waiting on the clutch hub nut to arrive, so the spider springs haven't been replaced yet.
4. Seems to ride substantially better. Don't think I noticed any front end dive when braking.
5. Front brake lever is good and firm now. No pulsing, no wobbles, no noises from the front brakes. Looks like I really lucked into a good set of rotor for $28. I think that's what they cost me. I think it totalled $34 with tax and shipping. The rotors themselves might have been less, like twenty bucks.

She doesn't feel like a different bike, she still feels like herself. Just... better. Tomorrow she gets a full tank of gas and a 60-mile each way commute to work. I tend to take the long way home, so usually end up putting about 200-300 miles on her in a day - 60 miles going to work, couple of hundred coming home

To Wayne, my mechanic, I offer the following:

[Nails]

My mechanic sent me a pic of himself putting the carbs in

I don't know what the problem is. Last time I had the carbs out, I left them on the bench while I went in to fetch dinner. When I checked back before bedtime, the carb set had jumped back into place entirely on its own.

[GrandpaDenny]

How many times have you yanked your carbs Nails?

[GrandpaDenny]

Ok some observations from today's little ride (I forgot to look at the odometer when I got home - I was exhausted - Let's say 130 miles since I came almost straight home from work)

- Idle is glass smooth. Off idle throttle response is spot on. These weren't really problems before, so not a huge difference.

- Low speed like in traffic, she's the same tractable, docile, well-trained Elephant. A little tighter, a little more precise. Still Herself, a little better.

- The front end - yay no more wobblies. Was able to take both hands off the bars. Never been able to do that. I will likely never do it again, it was only momentarily for a test. She tracks like she's on rails. Definitely substantially improved.

- Suspension - ride is a little better in some ways, a lot in others. The bike-eating frost heaves don't deflect the handlebars upwards nearly as far as they used to. I was telling my mechanic that I don't know if further tweakage is needed (is the oil too heavy, do we need to drain some oil or add (levels are at the recommended 145mm), etc) because I have no "ideal" to compare. I just know that it's improved over what it was.

- She starts instantaneously now even when cold. Now that is different. She didn't like cold mornings before.

- Oh you want to know if she Runs? I'd never had her up to redline before. At normal speeds, not a lot of difference. Opening her up, well, now I guess I know what I've been missing. This girl flies. Pulls hard, then harder, then harder, then harder, right up to redline with no sign of trouble. Hokey smokes this thing is FAST. Not only fast, but boy does she sound cool. And so manageable, solid as a, well, elephant.

Sorry guys, no new name for her. Still Gertrude, my pet Elephant. She's still definitely herself, just (a lot) better.

I like her. I think I'll keep her. ;)

[cushman eagle]

It sounds like you have made some very good improvements
So,now you are ready to get some miles on her
Good for you.

[Nails]

How many times have you yanked your carbs Nails?

I’ve had those damn carbs out about 17 or 13 times. Way too many.

And looking at yet another when I replace my damaged cylinder head. (Maybe time to consider replacing my damaged regular head.)

[GrandpaDenny]

Why have you pulled the carbs so many times, Nails? You're not the one a long while back who was talking about pulling and rejetting his carbs because he didn't know about the idle speed adjustment knob, are you?

[GrandpaDenny]

A note about the rebuilt carbs from voyagerparts (Carl Leo) in Florida. They went in and worked flawlessly. They looked brand new, even the shiny parts are shiny. Can't recommend him strongly enough!

Now to pack up and send the old ones back to him as core. He's gonna love #1 the slide is eroded!

I thought Gertrude was so fast before, was so proud of her keeping up with the late model Gold Wings, etc. OMG she is SO much faster now! The way she pulled so strongly up to redline, I wonder (this sounds like a job for you, Nails) how fast will they physically rev? Don't anybody blow their motors up trying (Nails) LOL

[Nails]

Why have you pulled the carbs so many times, Nails?

Mostly dealing with a rat’s nest of “issues”, the biggest turning out to be a stuck piston ring. Plus dealing with living at 8000 ft.

No, I’m the one who fabricated a tool to change the pilots (such as in a motel parking lot) for when I come off the hill and down to the flatlands.

Glad to hear that your trans bike is running so well.

[Nails]

Did you happen to notice which jets Mr. Leo installed?