Going through my bike soup to nuts

[Bonnie and Clyde]

I bought our 98 Voyager with 42k back in October of 2021. This January when the snow was on the ground I decided it was time to go through the bike so I could have the confidence it was up to snuff maintenance wise. My wife and I had flown out to Indiana and rode it home and it came with a good service log. It ran great but It was due for a service. Also I wanted to address a couple of things that needed upgrading that became apparent on our ride home.

1st LED head light bulb. The stock halogen was terrible and I ride at night so that needed addressed.

Amazon $19 plug and play easy peasy and a world of difference (I bought a second to carry as a spare)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B092S ... UTF8&psc=1
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SpGAFJbYPvaRW4N88

2nd rear suspension. The bike came with progressive rear suspension and front springs. I was surprised at how under sprung the rear shocks were. They had to go. I couldn't get any response from Progressive suspension about upgrading springs or ordering new ones. So I contacted EPM https://epmperf.com/yss-motorcycle-and- ... -absorbers They had done suspension for a sidecar rig we had years ago and did it right. EPM told me that the Progressive Shocks were grossly under sprung and had no business on the bike with anything but one rider. Long story short I ordered YSS Rz362 custom sprung for our weight 2 up with luggage. These are a very nice adjustable and rebuildable shock.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JwS58Ap8v5qS6H7w9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6k7fBdPHWawZk3h49
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Suw1W25rj2BNzZB5A
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FECxDfwegwfaMLpE6
Before the bike would bottom out pretty easily with 2 riders and squirm and wiggle in corners. The YSS shocks fixed all that.

Other maintenance items done included pulling the final drive, swing arm, and drive shaft. All the splines looked good but had no lube. Splines lubed and swing arm pivots lubed. Final drive drained and refilled. Oil changed and new PC racing Stainless filter installed.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/eyAJaEdhkwyBAhw28

Fuel filter replaced
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pSMciNYRjdkjhSDeA

Carbs pulled and rebuilt. I think the fuel rail O-rings were the main culprit for the carbs weeping. Sometimes I could smell fuel and the carbs would be wet to the touch. Reinstalled and synched. Runs great. It had no running issues only wet carbs and fuel smell. I decided to leave the fuel pump alone after checking the points they looked pretty good.https://photos.app.goo.gl/2vu6Howp9uWnWbLFA I found an ebay fuel pump to carry as a spare on a long trip. New OEM air filter installed. It came with a K&N and it did not seal very well.

Brakes all flushed with new fluid. Calipers and pistons pulled apart and cleaned. New brake pads installed. I would say the old pads had been used.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/HEfskWARNcxF866t7


Clutch slave fluid flushed.


I did notice while doing the rear final drive assembly that my rear tire had a 2 inch gash dead center of the tread. It was a shame as the tires were nice Michelin Commanders with tons of life left. The front while lots of life was showing some sidewall checking. So I decided to buy new tires and be done with it while it was all tore apart. Then the bike would really be starting fresh. I ordered Continental Tour tires they come with free towing which is a nice bonus. Other than a plug for a puncture this bike would not be easy to pull a wheel off for fixing on a trip. So the towing option is nice.

Once maintenance was done, I decided to pull the stereo out and send to Pete Franchi for the Blue tooth MP3 mod. New rear speaker mounts installed as well. I added a small fuse block for XM satellite radio and heated vests. I think our bike is ready to hit the road this year. I cant wait to go exploring on it.


Ill post some pictures of the bike once the snow clears up.

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

You stated that "Before the bike would bottom out pretty easily with 2 riders and squirm and wiggle in corners. The YSS shocks fixed all that." It may sound personal but when we ride 2 -Up and add luggage I know we are pushing 450# total. Can I ask if you're close to that, over or under? So I can determine if I should rebuild my oem or switch to YSS. Also what was the cost of the rear suspension?

[cushman eagle]

You stated that "Before the bike would bottom out pretty easily with 2 riders and squirm and wiggle in corners. The YSS shocks fixed all that." It may sound personal but when we ride 2 -Up and add luggage I know we are pushing 450# total. Can I ask if you're close to that, over or under? So I can determine if I should rebuild my oem or switch to YSS. Also what was the cost of the rear suspension?

Scott,you would probably like the Progressive 416 shocks.
We,at 300lbs together are too lite for them unless we are loaded for a trip,then I put about 15lbs air pressure in them.

[cushman eagle]

Hi,Bonnie and Clyde,it sounds like you were quite thorough in your preparation for the coming riding season
I expect you will enjoy your investment.

[Bonnie and Clyde]

You stated that "Before the bike would bottom out pretty easily with 2 riders and squirm and wiggle in corners. The YSS shocks fixed all that." It may sound personal but when we ride 2 -Up and add luggage I know we are pushing 450# total. Can I ask if you're close to that, over or under? So I can determine if I should rebuild my oem or switch to YSS. Also what was the cost of the rear suspension?

We had extra parts in the saddle bags for the tow hitch and some body panels along with our stuff on our ride home. Im sure we were #450lbs and overloaded. The progressive shocks were HD 412s and the seals looked good. I sent their spring rate chart to EPM who said those springs are way under sprung for that bike with 2 riders and luggage. What I do know is the YSS shocks are made much better and are sprung correctly with rebound and compression adjustment and rebuildable. The 412s are not rebuildable and no adjustment other than preload. They perform as they should. I paid $480 shipped. Im pretty sure the progressive 412s are more money than that. We did ride it a couple of times once home without luggage and the 412s still felt soft.

[SgtSlag]

If you wish to connect heated vests, you might want to replace the rest of the bulbs with LED's, to build a reserve of Amps to run the vests -- the Voyager Charging System does not produce a lot of extra Amps for accessories, from the factory. Make sure to compare the Lumen output of the LED's with the Lumen output of the incandescent bulbs in the bike, to make sure you do not take a step back. My Charging System voltage, idling, went up more than 1 Volt, just by replacing all the bulbs, except the instrument cluster, with LED's. You can also increase the Lumen's your brake lights put out, without taking more Amps from the system! MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) of LED's are typically 20,000-50,000 hours; MTBF on incandescent bulbs is typically 7,000 hours, or less... The LED's will likely outlive all of us!

I would also recommend a Voltmeter, attached directly to the battery terminals, but with a relay: make sure the relay turns off the Voltmeter, when the bike is turned off. Otherwise the Voltmeter will slowly drain the bike's battery, over time. This way you will be able to monitor the drain on your Charging System and battery, especially when you have the vests turned on. Otherwise your bike may suddenly roll to a stop, and there you will sit...

A smart trickle charger, and an AGM battery are worthy investments, as well.

On a safety note, consider upgrading the anemic OEM horns on the bike. An air horn is the best. No matter what horns you might install, I recommend using a relay to connect them directly to the battery terminals, to provide maximum amperage when you hit the button! Use the existing button's wiring to close the solenoid. Run it through your sub-fuse block, easy-peasy. Cheers!

[Bonnie and Clyde]

If you wish to connect heated vests, you might want to replace the rest of the bulbs with LED's, to build a reserve of Amps to run the vests -- the Voyager Charging System does not produce a lot of extra Amps for accessories, from the factory. Make sure to compare the Lumen output of the LED's with the Lumen output of the incandescent bulbs in the bike, to make sure you do not take a step back.

I would also recommend a Voltmeter, attached directly to the battery terminals, but with a relay: make sure the relay turns off the Voltmeter, when the bike is turned off. Otherwise the Voltmeter will slowly drain the bike's battery, over time.

A smart trickle charger, and an AGM battery are worthy investments, as well.

On a safety note, consider upgrading the anemic OEM horns on the bike. An air horn is the best. No matter what horns you might install, I recommend using a relay to connect them directly to the battery terminals, to provide maximum amperage when you hit the button! Use the existing button's wiring to close the solenoid. Run it through your sub-fuse block, easy-peasy. Cheers!

The bike came with an Air horn and stock horn. Voltage meter also came already installed. The bike came with a New AGM and trickle charger check! LED bulbs all around Im working on now good point thanks.

[SgtSlag]

These bikes are amazing. Once you get it dialed in, you, and your wife, will enjoy it, tremendously! My wife and I ride/tour 2-up, 99% of the time. We try to get in one 7+ day trip, each Summer, if at all possible.

I can quantify the miles, but there is no measure for the smiles. Enjoy! Cheers!

[Nails]

1st LED head light bulb. The stock halogen was terrible and I ride at night so that needed addressed.

LED headlight bulbs often result in a crappy blotchy light pattern, mostly due to the light source being different from a conventional bulb. This post has some information about that, including a tip to align the LED bulb better.

https://www.amervoyassoc.org/forum/view ... 499#p91499

I have an LED headlight, but haven't gotten around to trying this tip. I've just learned to live with it the way it is. I think the bee's knees would be a projector headlamp, something I'm aiming at for another bike build -- I'll need to re-fab the headlight housing.

[HMB Don]

How or where did you order the shocks from? I contacted Y.S.S. Suspension today and was quoted $599.00.
I checked Race Tech and there price for Voyager shocks 899.00.

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

How or where did you order the shocks from? I contacted Y.S.S. Suspension today and was quoted $599.00.
I checked Race Tech and there price for Voyager shocks 899.00.

Don, he is riding a 1200, I'm guessing you were quoted for the 1700 Voyager.

[Bonnie and Clyde]

How or where did you order the shocks from? I contacted Y.S.S. Suspension today and was quoted $599.00.
I checked Race Tech and there price for Voyager shocks 899.00.

https://epmperf.com/yss-motorcycle-and- ... -absorbers


Bryan Font
EPM Performance Imports
E-mail: sales@epmperf.com
Phone: 732-786-9777
www.epmperf.com

[GrandpaDenny]

I didn't see the VXII listed on the YSS web site. BTW Progressive 412HDs from Dennis Kirk were $399. If you get Progressives, make sure you get the heavy-duty version. I run mine on the 4th preload step (I'm 300 pounds in full gear), which is a little stiff but almost never bottoms out. Third step was too light. With my 180# buddy on the back she rides like a Cadillac even over potholed crappy Philly roads. Yep, that's 15 pounds over rated capacity, and I also carry a bunch of junk (tools and first aid kit) in one of the saddlebags. So maybe 25 pounds over rated load. He wants to go on a club ride; in that case I would kick the preload all the way up.

I have, however, noticed a bit of wobbliness in the rear suspension in hard turns; I attributed that to the rear tire, and a sign that I was going too fast (who, me?). Won't be long until replacement, so we'll see if it is the tire or the suspension. I don't think I'd had the wobbliness on the old tire. The only time I've felt the unsteadiness is on my favorite road on my regular commute, Lincoln Drive here in Philly, at an excessive rate of speed.

[HMB Don]

No, I was getting quotes for the 1200. I'm hoping to trade my 1700 for my old 1200. So trying to get everything ready for a cross country trip.

[Nails]

No, I was getting quotes for the 1200. I'm hoping to trade my 1700 for my old 1200.

As I recall, the dude who ended up with your 1200 is a rascal. Be careful!!!