[The Garbone]

I rode about 100 miles in 75 degree weather today.  That pushes the limit on ATTGATT but I toughed it out.

Are you running a leather jacket?   I ride full gear with a mesh jacket in 98 degree weather all the time..  Just gotta stay hydrated....

[prof_stack]

Are you running a leather jacket?   I ride full gear with a mesh jacket in 98 degree weather all the time..  Just gotta stay hydrated....

Oh yeah, water.  I stopped twice for it.  I wear a Joe Rocket Meteor ballistic jacket and pants, with vents open on days like this. 

[kingrock]

Went 100 miles today just to test my homemade hard bags. Make sure the bolts didn't buzz off.

[Okie Enfield]

Had to go to work today  Took the bike  Wore my kilt 

If you though just riding a enfield will get you lots of attention, try it in a non-bifercated garment!   LOL! Strangely enuf I didnt have many tailgaters. 

[prof_stack]

Had to go to work today  Took the bike  Wore my kilt 

If you though just riding a enfield will get you lots of attention, try it in a non-bifercated garment!   LOL! Strangely enuf I didnt have many tailgaters. 

 

[Alaska Mike]

Yesterday morning, got home from work, filled up at the corner station, right to the top as I always do and always have done, put it in the garage and went to bed.  It was about 10 degrees Celsius out at the time (50 F or so).

The sun came up.

The temperature rose.

Twelve hours later, now a lovely 25 C (80 F) outside, I head out to the garage to go to work.  The tank had overflowed and the tank decals which had been soaking in gasoline all day are now peeling off.

It's looking very ghetto right now.   

And just to top off a FANTASTIC month, it picked up a disturbing new chattering noise at higher revs.  Runs okay, but I haven't a clue what it is, and it scares me.

At higher revs right before I up-shift, I had a strange vibrational noise as well. I read a post about the gas tank retaining bolt becoming loose. I loosened up the tank enough to scoot some foam in between the tank and the frame (think something along the lines of a medical splint) and retightened the gas tank bolt. Noise-Be-Gone.

[Andy]

Thanks for the tip.  I'm heading out to the garage today to do some investigating.  I was HOPING it's just something come loose.  Fingers are crossed.

[Sub]

yup, I had a similar rattle at speed. I did the foam trick too., I stole some foam from my water pipes.

[Alaska Mike]

I posted a week or so ago that I had a brief intermittent engine light come on at highway speeds, loss of power, and immediate regain of power.  A couple guys on here suggested my crank sensor was to blame.

I just got my C5 service manual in the mail and was thumbing through it and came upon the crank sensor. If the engine goes above 5500 rpm, the sensor shuts off power like a governor to save the engine from damage. This could have been the case with me as I was really pushing it when it happened and never had a repeat occurence.

My oil filters came in from the lower 48 as well, so it is time to change that as well. It seems like 50 weight oil is a little heavy, but if thats what they use in India, than it is good enough for me. 

[2bikebill]

Bike started making a terrifying racket. Stopped to investigate - the nut on the rear retaining bolt of the fuel tank had shaken itself almost off. The racket was out of all proportion to such a mnor event, resonating through the tank I suppose. Quick spanner job, and that delicious feeling of relief when nothing serious has happened after all.....    

[olhogrider]

A broken "head steady", the bracket from the head to the tank mount bolt, made that racket for me. Replaced it and the noise went away.

[greggers]

I broke it again! Was giving her a nice wash, planning on going for a late afternoon ride afterword. Came around to the rear, and the turn signal came off in my hand! The plastic material that attaches around the bolt going to the box just cracked off. Thing is, I did drop the bike on that side right after I got it, so obviously it was already weak and neither I nor the dealer when I had some fixes made had noticed. But I barely grabbed it, so I guess all that's been holding it on for the last 1500 miles was hope and prayers! I'm glad it happened at home and not on the road, but I guess I'm grounded again for the time being...

[Andy]

Ah, that sucks, Greggers.    Throw a cheap pair of aftermarkets on there until you can get an OEM - keep 'er rolling!

So I was heading down the highway....

All the best stories start that way, don't they?  But let me back up a bit.  First, I'm a coward, but I'm not a cautious one.  Drive it until it 'splodes is my credo.

Last week my tank overflowed and soaked my tank decals, lifting them off and leaving them looking extremely nasty.  Then, the same day, I picked up that unusual new noise at high rpm.  Friday morning I put the bike in the garage and didn't look at it again until Monday night when it was time to go to work.  I WANTED to work on it over the weekend.  But I was depressed.  I get that way sometimes.

Imagine my surprise to discover that four days in a hot garage had neatly reseated my decals.  They're not perfect, but you have to look close to see the damage.  As long as I resist the maddening temptation to pick at them like scabs, they should stay right where they are.  Colour me pleased.  Sometimes procrastination IS your friend.

Other times not so much.  Remember, folks, my purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others...

I slept in on Monday and didn't have time to check for anything that might be loose and rattling.  I quickly gave every nut, bolt and thingy a finger tightening, and couldn't find anything obvious, so off I went to work.  Still making that noise but not any better or worse. 

This morning, leaving work, I hopped on a 400 Series highway (local version of an interstate).  "Screw it!"  I said.  If it's an engine thing, I have nowhere to be except home, so if it's gonna blow I want to do it now!  If it's something coming loose, let the damn thing fall off, so I can put it back on!

So I'm heading down the highway, but the wind noise is so bad at 120 km/h, I can't tell if anything is getting worse or not.  I can't hear the noise at all, in fact.  Until I come to my exit.

Have you ever heard a straight pipe Rolls Royce Merlin engine, like in a Spitfire or Mosquito?  That's EXACTLY what my bike sounded like.  "OMG, pull over, you fool!"

It was the rear mount for the gas tank had come off.  The nut was left somewhere down the highway. What a noise it makes when that thing comes off!  It was so obnoxious (yet COOL!) noise, I had to dampen it somehow for the last several miles home. I parked my immense manhood as far up the tank as I could and the downward pressure killed the noise, but it was uncomfortable (and tickled!), so I settled for riding one-handed the rest of the way home, pushing the tank down with the other.

So it's a happy ending, really.  And a reminder that when something doesn't seem right, IT ISN'T.

Apparently, these Enfields vibrate and need tightening from time to time.  Who  knew?   

[Desi Bike]

Thanks for the morning laugh Andy, now I have to clean my morning beverage up.. I really should take a run up highway 27 next time I'm at OVC and meet you.

[2bikebill]

Ha Ha - that racket when the rear tank nut comes off is terrifying isn't it? I was in mid-overtake when mine started, and damn near shat myself, as I should think did the transit driver I was passing. I expect he had a good laugh when he passed me a couple of minutes later, scratching my head in the next lay-by