Mr.H: How a motorcycle evolves over time

[Sidecar Bob]

Just for closure, we picked up the slabs for the extra row a few days ago. Today I finished laying them and moved Eccles into the shed (Mr.H is ready to ride the next time I go out)

12 - 6th row done.jpg

[Rat]

Very posh …

Gord

[Sidecar Bob]

Mostly just firm enough that Mr.H won't sink in when I roll it out of the shed in March or April.

It was nice to be able to drain Eccles' carbs and remove the battery outside and then easily roll it inside, though

[Sidecar Bob]

I was beginning to think that finding the fix for the 7 year old fast idle issue was going to be the only thing I did to Mr.H this year (other than re-routing the priming setup) but then Friday happened.
I still haven't done anything with the fall colour ride video I took last year (a camera setting caused it to save the raw video as 29 3 minute clips) and the last thing I uploaded to YouTube was the Polar Bear Ride so I decided to take a ride around the area and record some of the fall colours before they're all gone. I turned off of the main road onto a dirt road and a few minutes later the front end started sliding around and the back wheel started to spin. The road wasn't that wet so I stopped to see what was wrong and found that both front discs were very hot so both calipers must be stuck.
A few good kicks with my heel freed them up and I turned around at a nearby driveway and headed home, not using the front brake. And when I looked at the speedometer it said I wasn't moving.
When I got home the discs were pretty warm but not as hot as before.

I had lunch and previewed the video (looks like I'll probably be able to do something with it), then did a couple of yard jobs I wanted done before it starts raining again. And then headed to the garage.

The first thing I did was open the master cylinder and check the relief hole but it was clear. So I pulled each caliper and cleaned them up, put them back on and went for a test ride up & down our street. They seem OK but I'll want to keep an eye on them for what's left of the season.
I'm sure it is well over a decade since I last had them apart (possibly not since I replaced the original mismatched ones with a matching & freshly rebuilt pair in '07) so I put rebuilding them properly on the list for spring.

[rcmatt007]

recall riding out 412 in Oklahoma at dark thirty in the morning, and I thought I could smell some trucks brakes burning. Pulled into the rest area and burned my hand of the front right brake. Was VERY careful going home that night only using my rear brake.

[Sidecar Bob]

Mr.H returned to hibernation about 1/2 hour ago. only 438 Km this year (= a bit over 90 Km per month). Too many projects kept me from going anywhere much.

I did drive it to the post office yesterday and then a few Km outside of town to test the front brakes. They didn't lock up on me but when I pushed it around in the garage after I got home they did feel a bit draggy so I will definitely be rebuilding them in the spring.

[Sidecar Bob]

I've already posted this in a couple of other places on the forum but I'll add it here too because I mentioned taking the video here

[Sidecar Bob]

Mr.H is still slumbering peacefully in the shed but Aliexpress has some LED lights on sale that caught my attention. And the wheels in my head started turning.........

Spot light front (from Ali).jpg

Spot light rear (from Ali).jpg.jpg

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005969179034.html

The first set arrived a few days ago. They are pretty good for that price but right now you can get a pair of them for for $1.79 US in Ali's "Pick 3" sale (buy 3 or more items in the list and get free express shipping).
https://www.aliexpress.com/gcp/30000051 ... 703_210504

So what am I thinking you ask? Well, remember this from 4 years ago? Well, these are not only brighter but my test & calculation indicates they only use 1.33W each (1/3 of what the old ones burn).
https://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=68097

The lower power won't matter to Mr.H (the regulator wastes far more) but Eccles is another matter. Between extra loads like the handlebar heaters, the 250W alternator (as opposed to the 'Wing's 300W) and harder starting in cold weather I'm always looking for ways to save a watt or 2 or improve lighting without using more power. It currently has 1.5W single LED lights under the fairing and in the front of the sidecar that don't give nearly as much light.

I don't expect miracles for that price so I opened one up for a look (pretty basic - half a dozen LEDs and a couple of resistors, all surface mount) and sealing them properly should be easy. So should mounting them on Mr.H's light bar and Eccles' fairing (I like the idea of one under each side like on Mr.H.).
But on the far side of either of the sidecars without relocating something else not so much.

Then I found these, also in the Pick 3 sale. Yes, they are really license plate lights. I'll think about how & where to mount them when they arrive....

Plate light (from Ali).jpg

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006010800220.html

[Sidecar Bob]

I moved Mr.H from the shed to the garage today. I think I have the priming setup right now because when I squirted 180cc of fuel into the priming hose none came out anywhere I could see and when I connected the battery it started like I had run it yesterday.

Unfortunately, rolling it out of the shed wasn't as easy. I knew I had at least one stuck caliper so I went back to the garage for the deadblow hammer to see if i could free it up.
The sound was coming from the rear so I started hammering the rear caliper; It seemed to move easier after a few hits but not enough to push around easily; I couldn't get a clear shot at it with the saddlebag in the way and its pads looked thin enough that I knew I'd need the bag off to change them anyway so I went back again for some wrenches to remove it. A couple of hits and I could hear the pads rattling but it was still hard to move so I tried the front.
Hammering on either of the front ones didn't seem to make much difference. Then I remembered both fronts sticking when I was on a dirt road last fall. It wasn't the relief hole then but... When I cracked one of the bleed screws open I didn't see any fluid coming out but I tightened it and tried again. It still didn't rolled as easily as it should but it was good enough to drive around the house and into the garage.
I guess I know what this year's first job is going to be....

Mr.H in garage Apr 21 2024.jpg

After that I put the battery back into Eccles so I can drive it tomorrow morning.

[Sidecar Bob]

I thought I had posted this at the time but somehow I didn't. Since the symptoms (brake stays on after application until a bleed screw is cracked) indicated a blocked return hole and it was a 10 year old and not terribly expensive eBay/China master cylinder and I really like the feel of Eccles' new brake system I was contemplating replacing the front master cylinder. Almost a month ago I started researching master cylinder to caliper ratios and things like that first (the best possible size master wouldn't cost any more than any other size) but came to the realization that the size on it now is as close as I'll find to optimum and Eccles could actually be better with one size smaller (it is still a whole lot better than the old setup).
Hmmm.... I'd better go out and compare how their levers feel....
And while I was doing that I noticed that Mr.H's lever was rubbing inside the hand guard. Enough to prevent the brake from releasing. Could it really be that simple?
So I loosened the hand guard's bracket and tweaked it over a bit and the brake released. Except that put the end of the hand guard a bit closer to the sidecar than I like so I took the guard & lever off and shortened the end of the lever a bit.

Modified lever.jpg

What is really puzzling is that I installed those hand guards in the fall of 2018 and the lever didn't start rubbing until fall 2023. And being on the side closest to the sidecar there's no way anything could have hit it or pushed it out of place. Curious.....

With the lever no longer hanging up the brake still felt slightly draggy so while I was working on brakes I decided it wouldn't hurt to clean up the front calipers up again. I needed a mallet to get the left caliper off of the disc. That shouldn't be necessary so I put a spacer between the pads (one of the old rear pads) and squeezed the lever until the right caliper locked then released the lever and the front brake no longer felt draggy.
Pumping the left caliper's pistons out and pushing them in with a C-clamp, one wasn't moving as easily. I cleaned both pistons with brake cleaner and ran them in & out a few times (wiping off any dirt they carried away from the seals each time) and the sticking piston started moving as easily as the other one so I put everything back together. I think it feels OK but I'll really need to ride it to know and between a table of tomato plants sitting behind it and planting scheduled for the rest of the week (beans today, tomatoes & cucs tomorrow & Thursday) that won't happen for at least a week.

And while I was working on the calipers I noticed some slight pitting on a couple of the pistons so I guess I should start shopping for replacements at some point. Ah, the joys of antique vehicles

[Sidecar Bob]

Well, the garden is planted and the heat wave is over so I finally got to spend some time in the garage. I actually installed the lights on the bike a couple of weeks ago so I'll start with them. There really wasn't much to it, just unplug & unbolt the old ones, spray the new ones' brackets black, add bullet connectors to their wires, bolt them on and plug them in

01 - New lights on bike - 1.jpg

02 - New lights on bike - 2.jpg

The ones on the sidecar didn't replace old ones so I had to figure out where to connect them. I took the shelter off and removed the cover from the wires in the front of the sidecar to figure out which wires in the sidecar connect to what on the bike and I couldn't help thinking that things like this would a lot easier if I made a good drawing of the sidecar wiring (& all the other non standard electrical stuff) like I did for Eccles a few years ago. So I started by writing a page of notes about how everything is connected and took a bunch of pics of the wiring; I won't get to it right away but at least I won't have to take as much apart when I do.

Then I had to drill holes in the sidecar. I covered the area with masking tape and figured out where the holes needed to go and it looked like this when the tape came off

03 - Holes in sidecar.jpg

And with the lights

04 - New lights on sidecar.jpg

Man that machine is dirty. I didn't wash it before storage and it has been gathering dust in the garage for over 2 months so I think I'll give it a really good wash before I put the shelter & seat back on.....

[Sidecar Bob]

It didn't rain today so I took the bikes outside and got them wet. And when they were dry again I took some pics

2 outfits Jun 2024 - 1.jpg

2 outfits Jun 2024 - 2.jpg

2 outfits Jun 2024 - 3.jpg

After that I took Eccles for a short ride and drove it into the big space where it will sit until I replace the exhaust system. Then I moved my stuff (& the battery) to Mr.H. And tried to start it. I wasn't too surprised that it didn't start easily after sitting for over 2 months so I gave it a shot of starting fluid and cranked it again. Then I primed the carbs and tried again.
And just as the battery ran out of oomph I noticed that the kill switch was off (I'd turned it off while working on the lights) So I hooked up the charger and went in for break.
An hour later it started at the first touch of the button so I took it for a slightly longer short ride and drove it into my parking space.

Oh, and the new lights look like this

05 - Mr.H new driving lights 2024.jpg

[Whiskerfish]

[Sidecar Bob]

Whenever I change from the CX to the 'Wing I am struck by how much more cramped it feels. You'd expect the longer bike to be more roomy but it always feels like I'm being pushed forward off of the seat. I know that this is because the horizontal engine limits where the footpegs can be but it feels like some adjustment to the seat should be able to fix it (it is as far back as the brackets will allow). It doesn't help that the seat I have on Eccles is mounted so that the front is slightly higher and the GL1100 seat slopes down to the front.
When I had the seat done the upholsterer moved the bump back as far as was reasonable with the step in the pan. In retrospect it might have been better to remove the bump and make a smooth transition instead so I can slide back more but that isn't going to happen.
Maybe I can do something with the brackets and move it back another inch......
Or maybe I'll just get used to it like I do every year

[Sidecar Bob]

Last year I saw an occasional drip of coolant under Mr.H but it wasn't enough to worry about. The recovery tank was a bit low this spring so I topped it up and wouldn't have thought any more about it except that I over filled it a bit and expected it to pee out the excess the first time it got really warmed up. The spots on the floor were bigger but I figured that would stop eventually.
A few weeks ago I had to run some errands half an hour from home and when I stopped for gas on the way home I found that the aux. tank, battery box and right saddlebag were covered with coolant (my right pant leg and boot too). When I got home I hosed everything off before putting it away and the next day the level in the tank was just about at the full line.
When I left today (more errands) the level was halfway between the lines, right where it should be but when I came back after the first stop I noticed a puddle; I wasn't sure if it was there when I parked so I paid more attention at the next stop and sure enough there was a fresh puddle.
When I got home I looked for where the drips were coming from.

01 - Big drip.jpg

After putting the groceries away and having lunch (& letting the engine cool down) I went back to the garage and noticed a puddle on top of the engine too. And on the carbs. Could it be a bad rad cap?

02 - Coolant puddles.jpg

So off with the seat & shelter to get at it and I noticed something odd. Can you see it?

03 - Can you see the problem.jpg

How about now? The crack ends just below where the coolant should be so it only leaked when the level was above that

04 - Can you see it now.jpg

When I replaced the engine in '18 I noticed that the bike's original tank was all scratched up from years of taking the shelter on & off so I replaced it with the nicer looking one from the parts bike (as you can see from the pics it didn't stay that way long). So up to the attic for the old one and in a little while all was right again.
I hope.
I'll report back after the next time I take it out.
(If it looks wet that's because I hosed as much of the coolant off of the bike and the floor as I could without taking it outside.)

05 - Old tank installed.jpg