Author Topic: Traditionalist  (Read 14567 times)

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LJRead

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Reply #15 on: October 18, 2007, 07:32:32 pm
Got my motorcycle"endorsement" here in Tonga.  Took less than five minutes, cost about $5 U.S. and I was out the door.  Of course I built my house with no permits at all so things don't have to be as complicated as the bureaus make them.


hutch

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Reply #16 on: October 18, 2007, 09:32:44 pm
Yep, my front drum brake is as good as a single disc brake.  

And has no master or slave hydraulic cylinders to start leaking at the worst possible time.  Or pads that lock up solid after getting ready for Spring riding.  Or high pressure hoses that weather crack and need replacements so they won't burst on a panic stop.  Or accidently spilling hydraulic fluid on a beautiful painted gas tank.

All the above has happened to me over the years.  I'd rather just worry about a cable and end ferrules.

Regards, Foggy
Thank you for that refreshing comment Foggy. You can always tell who has been riding for years and beginners sold into the "works better, less maintainance line" The same people that fed them that line forgot to mention that the new set up is also more expensive to replace and more things can go wrong with them.  I remember my cousin Mike had a Japanese bike with disc brake and the piston would stick in the caliper. He would touch the brake let off and start a turn only to have the front tire slide out, and down he would go. After about three times I asked him when he was going to fix that. "SOMEDAY" I told him I could fix it for him right now. I slid a pipe over his break lever and broke it off. He never did fix the caliperpiston. Too expensive compared to a cable. He usually rode old Triumphs with drum brakes.  Hutch
« Last Edit: October 18, 2007, 09:50:07 pm by hutch »
You learn from your mistakes, and I have LEARNED a lot.


Kevin Mahoney

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Reply #17 on: October 18, 2007, 11:15:50 pm
We at Classic Motorworks often wonder how many of todays customers even want to fool with their bikes. Without making any value judgements we suspect not too many. Royal Enfield customers are the best because on average they have an honest dealer who has told them up front that this is a bike that requires "owner involvement". The absolute beauty of the Bullet is that anyone who can read or dial the phone, (given the courage to try), can fix anything on the bike. We have talked countless self-proclaimed "mechanically challenged" or "I have never touched a screwdriver"  types through complex repairs on the phone. The wonderful feeling of accomplishment they get when they are finished is very gratifying to us.
  For me personally, the mechanical aspects of the Bullet or any other motorcycle or car for that matter, outweigh my desire to ride or drive them. I love the chase and the mechanical challenges.
  Having said all of that, there are probably way more people who prefer to just ride their bikes and not worry about the mechanical aspects. It is hard to be very critical of that sort of thinking. We see this with some of the Electra riders. For us it is good as it widens out market, but it also means that those customers are less willing to take on mechanical challenges and buy performance changing accessories.
  I guess the best part is that this diversity fuels this type of thread on countless boards.
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Kevin Mahoney
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t120rbullet

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Reply #18 on: October 18, 2007, 11:26:10 pm
Regards, Foggy
Thank you for that refreshing comment Foggy. You can always tell who has been riding for years and beginners sold into the "works better, less maintainance line" The same people that fed them that line forgot to mention that the new set up is also more expensive to replace and more things can go wrong with them.  I remember my cousin Mike had a Japanese bike with disc brake and the piston would stick in the caliper. He would touch the brake let off and start a turn only to have the front tire slide out, and down he would go. After about three times I asked him when he was going to fix that. "SOMEDAY" I told him I could fix it for him right now. I slid a pipe over his break lever and broke it off. He never did fix the caliperpiston. Too expensive compared to a cable. He usually rode old Triumphs with drum brakes.  Hutch
[/quote]

My ElectraGlide,,,,,,2 quad piston calipers on the front and in all of Harley's infinite wisdom they built em without dust wipers or seals on the pistons. Every spring I have to take em off,pump em up until I can get all the stuck pistons out and clean em with a toothbrush and brake cleaner, put it back together and bleed it. 
My 99 Bullet still has the stock cable on it!  Works every time too!
It's amazing how they had down pat 50 yrs ago and now they design-in job security.
1972 FLH "Sambo"
1999 Enfield 500 Black Deluxe "Silver"
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hutch

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Reply #19 on: October 18, 2007, 11:29:45 pm

  For me personally, the mechanical aspects of the Bullet or any other motorcycle or car for that matter, outweigh my desire to ride or drive them. I love the chase and the mechanical challenges.
 
Kevin, that quote was beautiful, and sums up my feelings. When I was a kid I used to tear everything apart to see how it worked. I love tearing car and bike motors apart, and have been doing it for years. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than to tear something down to its bare components, fix the problem, and put it back together. When I hear it fire up and purr again the feeling is undescribable. I guess I am just a gearhead.    Hutch
You learn from your mistakes, and I have LEARNED a lot.


hutch

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Reply #20 on: October 19, 2007, 12:02:22 am
Regards, Foggy
Thank you for that refreshing comment Foggy. You can always tell who has been riding for years and beginners sold into the "works better, less maintainance line" The same people that fed them that line forgot to mention that the new set up is also more expensive to replace and more things can go wrong with them.  I remember my cousin Mike had a Japanese bike with disc brake and the piston would stick in the caliper. He would touch the brake let off and start a turn only to have the front tire slide out, and down he would go. After about three times I asked him when he was going to fix that. "SOMEDAY" I told him I could fix it for him right now. I slid a pipe over his break lever and broke it off. He never did fix the caliperpiston. Too expensive compared to a cable. He usually rode old Triumphs with drum brakes.  Hutch

My ElectraGlide,,,,,,2 quad piston calipers on the front and in all of Harley's infinite wisdom they built em without dust wipers or seals on the pistons. Every spring I have to take em off,pump em up until I can get all the stuck pistons out and clean em with a toothbrush and brake cleaner, put it back together and bleed it. 
My 99 Bullet still has the stock cable on it!  Works every time too!
It's amazing how they had down pat 50 yrs ago and now they design-in job security.
[/quote]T120r bullet, I know what you mean. Only 2 of my bikes get to reside in the warm house during the cold Michigan winters. The ones that set in the garage and have disc brakes are a pain every spring. Stuck calipers, rusted rotors and squeeking brakes if they aren't froze up. A few months ago I got a old Triumph Cub running for my neighbors grandson. It hadn't been driven since 1970. I cleaned and sealed the rusted tank which took the most time. I pulled and cleaned the carb, ran a point file through the 37 year old points used the original plug from who knows when, changed the oil, and replaced a dry rotted fuel line. 6 kicks later it was running. I couldn't even imagine how long it would take to get the disc brakes to work, if ever on a new bike stored in a barn for 37 years. My cousin put his Bike in my barn for 6 years and it wouldn't even roll when he decided to come get it. We used a chain fall to load it in his truck. I wonder how many of these new bikes will be found in a barn somewhere in 30 years that will be considered a cheap fixer upper.     Hutch
You learn from your mistakes, and I have LEARNED a lot.


Foggy_Auggie

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Reply #21 on: October 19, 2007, 12:45:14 am
Thanks guys for the back up on my post!

Still new here and kind of feeling out the temperment and tone of the regulars.  I thought I might get blasted (or flamed as the newer generation calls it)!

Regards, Foggy
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RagMan

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Reply #22 on: October 19, 2007, 12:46:54 am
I just managed to fix the Harley today - it had 271 miles on it, and is two years old. Chasing electrical problems around a bike so tightly crammed together was not fun - But, even though the thing sat for a year in the rain, has rust on the suspension, and sun damage to the seat, the disc brakes were not locked up, nor did they grab - I got it started eventually - it did not want to play, and I was thinking maybe something else was messed up, but it started, and I reckoned the discs would be seized, but nope - squeaked a bit for the first pull at the end of the driveway, but no grabbing, heating up, or noise for the ride.

I am glad to have been able to fix that bike - bought used from a Dealer, as a return from a guy that didn't like it. I reckon the Dealer didn't check it before he sold it on. A brand new bike now with 280 miles on it, shouldn't have needed a complete wiring check, replacing connectors, and going through two new batteries.  Hopefully the battery I bought today will not fry like the first two, I spent enough time with a multimeter checking everything, so maybe it won't.

Now all I need is the funds, and I will stick a sidecar on it.
aka Indiana Bulleteer.
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LotusSevenMan

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Reply #23 on: October 19, 2007, 10:03:35 am
Cooking batteries? Sounds like a Honda VTR!!!
They burn out their rectifiers (literally) and as they are placed under the seat are know as 'rectumfriers' for obvious reasons.  :o
Most of us change them for the far superior (as it has lots of cooling fins) Yamaha R1/R6 units!! Maybe you have a problem in that dept?
Good Luck
If it ain't broke-------------------------- fix it 'till it is!

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hutch

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Reply #24 on: October 19, 2007, 02:27:15 pm

They burn out their rectifiers (literally) and as they are placed under the seat are know as 'rectumfriers' for obvious reasons.  :o

 
I never did understand the logic of putting a rectifier under the seat. I put a solo on my Bullet so no problem. On my Savage I relocated it to the side of the rear fender in front of the shock where it was in the airstream for better cooling.   Hutch
You learn from your mistakes, and I have LEARNED a lot.


deejay

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Reply #25 on: October 19, 2007, 02:51:01 pm

They burn out their rectifiers (literally) and as they are placed under the seat are know as 'rectumfriers' for obvious reasons.  :o

 
I never did understand the logic of putting a rectifier under the seat. I put a solo on my Bullet so no problem. On my Savage I relocated it to the side of the rear fender in front of the shock where it was in the airstream for better cooling.   Hutch

This is kind of a newbie question, but do they really get that hot? Mine are under my solo seat as well, and I've made a point to feel them after a ride, and they don't seem to get hot at all.


hutch

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Reply #26 on: October 19, 2007, 03:49:23 pm
I never really checked the ones on my Bullet, but I took the rear section of my seat off on my Savage to run a solo look and the rectifier is so hot it burnt my arm one day leaving a real nice "fin" pattern. I know the old Zeiner Diode on Triumphs got that hot also. When I build a bike I always mount my rectifier/regulator in the air stream. I guess I will have to check the ones on my Bullet.    Hutch
You learn from your mistakes, and I have LEARNED a lot.


HRAB

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Reply #27 on: October 19, 2007, 05:26:03 pm
[snip]  For me personally, the mechanical aspects of the Bullet or any other motorcycle or car for that matter, outweigh my desire to ride or drive them. I love the chase and the mechanical challenges.
 [snip]

I love to ride and to wrench.
The dilema: if I am wrenching then I can't ride the bike.
The answer: A bike to commute and a bike to wrench.

For commuting I have an old rat K100RT on which I put about 12K mi/yr. It seems to be happy as long as I supply gas, tires, oil, and the all important spline lube (even Beemers have thier weakness's). It is unmodified with exception of driving lights, a sheepskin seat pad, and a JC Whitney top box.

For Wrenching the elegant simplicity of the Royal Enfields make them a joy to maintain and modify. Then when I finish saying that I need to confess. Last year I bought at an Insurance Auction, a '90 BMW K100LT that had been hit and declared totaled. My plan was for it to be a parts bike for the '86 (my wife named it "The Mistress"...'cause it was 21, fast, and dirty'.) When I got the '90 home I discovered it was actually in pretty good shape, better than "The Mistress" ...but no title. Then I did the foolish thing. I found a '87 frame with a clean title on the internet and well, you can quess the rest.

The project took all winter. This bike requires the frame to be lifed from the top of the power assembly. Lifting the frame requires removing all the faring, the complete steering assembly, dozens of electrical connections including the essential things line 4 way flasher, temp and oil pressure guages, electric fuel pump, mass air sensor, the usual safety interlocks, the radar detector, the radio, and the accessories plugs.

In the spring it was ready for the road with only one glitch: The ABS Brakes were not functioning. I have great standard brakes, but can't find the gremlin in the ABS electronics. My son sort of adopted it for our trips to the race track and named it "Frankenbike".
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinboatcapt/sets/72157600545562204/

"Frankenbike and The Mistress"... sounds like a B Movie!

And my neighbors can't figure out why I drive the shops Electra home so often!
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t120rbullet

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Reply #28 on: October 19, 2007, 06:48:36 pm
drum brakes.  Hutch
T120r bullet, I know what you mean. Only 2 of my bikes get to reside in the warm house during the cold Michigan winters.
[/quote]

Doesn't everyone in Michigan have a heated garage!!!!!!!!!!!
1972 FLH "Sambo"
1999 Enfield 500 Black Deluxe "Silver"
2023 Guzzi V7 Special "BOB"


LotusSevenMan

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Reply #29 on: October 19, 2007, 08:24:04 pm
The Bullet rectifier and regulator are finned and when used with the solo saddle are as exposed to fresh air as you'd ever want in their normal Classic underseat position!!!

Heated garages? Geez I'd just like a garage. A gazebo is as near as I get in this part of the UK. Bl%dy freezin' today while working outside on a Kawasaki two stroke screamer.
If it ain't broke-------------------------- fix it 'till it is!

Royal Enfield Miltary 500cc  (2003)
Honda VTR FireStorm (SuperHawk) 996cc 'V' twin
Kawasaki KR1 250cc twin 'stroker
Ducati 916 'L' twin