What did I do to my bike today

[norton73]

I need to investigate the Monster clutch sometime in the near future.

Lynn complains it's grabby, seems OK to me. She didn't like riding it in the stop 'n' go traffic at Barber last week.


But it does have 20K on it . I put a new slave cylinder on when I replaced the timing belts the other day.

[bblass]

I need to investigate the Monster clutch sometime in the near future.

When you're ready, I bought the ducati clutch tool and you're welcome to borrow it. Not sure it's possible to safely torque the center nut to 150ft/lbs without it.

@IceCold4x4  - I love the look of the open air covers but I just can't get behind opening up a clutch system to the road & elements... Seems like inviting disaster and it comes and visits enough as it is.

[norton73]

Btw, I don't know if I have posted this before, but I have been getting parts and tools here;
http://desmotimes.com/index.html

He doesn't suffer fools or what he considers silly questions well, but the prices are decent and the shipping fast. I highly recommend his service books as they include his experience, not just the dogma from the factory.

[bblass]

I've got his manual, excellent stuff!

[norton73]

Fun and games replacing the odometer drive gears on Lynn's BMW K75S this morning;

[KevinB]

Been busy on the A/T past couple of days.

- Started out with a simple mod. The license plate bolts to the fender via this contraption...



...which requires a spacer on the tag light, resulting in this unsightly protuberance.



I removed the bracket and spacer, then drilled two holes in the fender and mounted the license plate directly. Subtle, but much cleaner.




- SW Motech rack to supplement the useless oem rack. You can actually strap stuff to this one.





- Honda's idea of a "tool kit" consists of a vinyl pouch under the seat with a fuse puller, a 5mm hex key (for access to the superfluous tool box) and one of those tiny plastic screwdriver handles with the reversible bits. I'm not sure it they're pretty confident of their build quality, or figure most people have a credit card or Roadside Assistance coverage nowadays.

However, they do provide a small toolkit box on the left side which requires removal to access the battery compartment. Mere hours after getting my new bike to the house, I decided to check out this little stash box...only to find that someone on Mother H's assembly line apparently got their torque wrenches mixed up. I tried to use the underseat hex key, only to have it slip out of the bolt head. I next tried a 3/8's ratchet with 5mm hex socket. I cranked about 50 lb/ft on the screw before the head stripped.  >:( 

So today I got around to fixing it. I drilled out the head of the screw and managed to get the bracket off, mangling it in the process (I cut off the damaged corner...new bracket ordered), and replaced the oem butter-soft screws with stainless ones.




- Replaced the oem wind deflectors with Barkbuster handguards, added TechSpec tank protector pieces, and an SW Motech tank lock ring to fit my beloved SWM Ion tankbag.




- I originally planned on mounting the Tusk brand pannier racks with a set of Wolfman Rocky Mountain saddlebags, but the Tusk racks were on backorder...which sent me searching other options. I stumbled upon the Bumot brand racks and panniers...they looked to have some better features than the generic-fit Wolfman bags, and had a lot of positive feedback on the ADV forum.

The racks are rock-solid, and the soft bags have an aluminum mounting plate and lock to the racks. They include internal drybags and have water/fuel bottle sleeves on the front and rear of each bag. Bumot also makes aluminum panniers that mount to the same frames.

Drilling big holes in a brand new bike...  :(





Nice racks!







I also ordered the add-on lockable toolbox...




- Lastly, I spooned on a pair of Motoz GPS tires to replace the oem Dunlop Ditchfinders and bolted on a set of SW Motech crashbars.





Waiting on an Eastern Beaver PC8 power distribution module to come in before I can wire in the electrical accessories...GPS, heated grips, heated clothing plug, battery tender lead, etc.

I've also got a Bumot skidplate on back-order that'll cover the engine's soft bits. If it's good enough for this guy to bash across the Sahara for 2,000 miles, it should hold up to a TNF ride...

[Nice Goat]

Been busy on the A/T past couple of days.

Looks awesome, dude!

[KevinB]

What did I do to my bike today?

Nearly screwed up a new bike with less than 120 miles on it... :-[

I'd like to taint punch the Honda engineer that designed the battery box on the A/T. It's buried in the center of the bike, with the battery placed with the terminals facing forward. You have to slide the battery out sideways to gain access...and even then access is limited.



Anyhoo...that wasn't really the issue I had.

I began installing an Eastern Beaver PC-8 power distribution module in order to wire in my various electrical accessories. I ran and connected the positive wire with just a little "PITA" factor. The ground wire...not so much.

While running the bolt in to attach the ground to the frame, I felt the familiar resistance that says "You're cross-threading this!". Before my brain could tell my hand to stop turning the ratchet, the head of the butter-soft bolt snapped off.  :'(




While studying my options for removing the remaining stud, I realized that it didn't screw into the frame, but the transmission case...so if I screw this up, I'm really fu*#ed!. I can't imagine that buying a new trans case and having the entire bike dis and re assembled would be cheap.

First, I tried to figure out how to remove the plastic battery box in order to get better access to the bolt stud. I found out that apparently the battery box was the very first item bolted to the bare frame on the assembly line...no way it was coming out.


So I tried a pair of needle-nose Vise Grips, hoping I could grab onto the stud and reverse it out. No go. Time to break out the bolt extractor set.

I drilled a hole in the bolt stud and began working on it with an extractor. It didn't want to budge, but I was hopeful and kept at it...until the extractor broke off inside the bolt stud.

So now I'm down to drilling out the entire stud, hoping I don't goat-f*#k the transmission case...except now the stud has a hardened-steel center due to the extractor carcass encased within.

After two broken drill bits, I finally got the stud drilled out without wallowing the threads too much and gave it a try with another extractor...

Success!




I carefully tapped the trans case, trying to keep as many shavings out as I could.




Finally finished the 15 minute job after two and a half hours.

[springer]

What did I do to my bike today?

Nearly screwed up a new bike with less than 120 miles on it... :-[

I'd like to taint punch the Honda engineer that designed the battery box on the A/T. It's buried in the center of the bike, with the battery placed with the terminals facing forward. You have to slide the battery out sideways to gain access...and even then access is limited.



Anyhoo...that wasn't really the issue I had.

I began installing an Eastern Beaver PC-8 power distribution module in order to wire in my various electrical accessories. I ran and connected the positive wire with just a little "PITA" factor. The ground wire...not so much.

While running the bolt in to attach the ground to the frame, I felt the familiar resistance that says "You're cross-threading this!". Before my brain could tell my hand to stop turning the ratchet, the head of the butter-soft bolt snapped off.  :'(




While studying my options for removing the remaining stud, I realized that it didn't screw into the frame, but the transmission case...so if I screw this up, I'm really fu*#ed!. I can't imagine that buying a new trans case and having the entire bike dis and re assembled would be cheap.

First, I tried to figure out how to remove the plastic battery box in order to get better access to the bolt stud. I found out that apparently the battery box was the very first item bolted to the bare frame on the assembly line...no way it was coming out.


So I tried a pair of needle-nose Vise Grips, hoping I could grab onto the stud and reverse it out. No go. Time to break out the bolt extractor set.

I drilled a hole in the bolt stud and began working on it with an extractor. It didn't want to budge, but I was hopeful and kept at it...until the extractor broke off inside the bolt stud.

So now I'm down to drilling out the entire stud, hoping I don't goat-f*#k the transmission case...except now the stud has a hardened-steel center due to the extractor carcass encased within.

After two broken drill bits, I finally got the stud drilled out without wallowing the threads too much and gave it a try with another extractor...

Success!




I carefully tapped the trans case, trying to keep as many shavings out as I could.




Finally finished the 15 minute job after two and a half hours.

WELCOME TO THE WONDERFULL(y frustrating) world of Africa Twin ownership! :D

You ain't seen nothing yet. Just wait until you change the air filters...yes filters, as in 2 of them. Location? UNDER the front fairing...1 on each side, so just the front of the fairing comes off. Be careful too. They are held on by "Tabs". (Tabs is a Japanese world for fragile delicate wall flower that breaks at the slightness tug.  ;) ) Any crashbars in the way will have to be removed too.  Some grease that is safe for rubber will make it go on easier...sorta and sorta make them easier to remove the next time.
If you plan on running ANY extra switch's for electrical stuff, do it all at the same time...as the fairing has to come off.  Buy a switch that is shallow in depth...there is not enough room for a normal toggle switch. So if you want fog lights with the switch in the fairing, plan ahead.  ;) ;)

Oil changes are pretty easy.

Tire changes, just to be sure to mark what spacer goes where...expressly on the rear.  ;)

Hope you didn't get the Honda heated grips...they do not heat really good. More like warm than hot. Aftermarket is the way to go there. ;)

Anti-seize any bolts you take out...like the ones for the battery.   ;) 

Other stuff is more normal, sort of. Like suspension. New springs for your weight in full gear, oil, and while you are at it, fork seals. The stock ones leak after awhile.  Check the old fork oil for any contamination. Some owners have had the anodizing come of the inside of the fork. Honda has a recall on that. Rear shock, new spring for your weight and your done.

When set-up is right, the A.T. is pretty dang good off-road...until you drop it.  ;)

I think I have been kicked off every "private" dirt road/trail/what have you, in Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, Walker, and Tuscaloosa counties.  :D

[KevinB]

Replaced the thin stock "baking sheet" skid plate with something much more substantial.

Made by Bumot in Bulgaria...it exhibits the typical tank-like robustness expected of something coming from the former Soviet bloc.

{sorry for the crappy pics}

[klaviator]

Now you just need to go out and put some dents in that thing ???

[merc16]

Christmas came early for Big Blue, Galespeed wheels and titanium rear axle.

[IceCold4x4]

Justin some days I really hate looking at your blue bike.... Gives me a real guilt trip about my zrx...

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[DonJuan]

Hellooo ladies... Digging bikes from the recesses of my garage. 4 months of home upgrades are almost over, so my garage has reopened as a proper bike shop again.

Time for the aroma of two stroke and carb cleaning, and maybe a tire change or two.

It's good to be back.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DonJuan]

Christmas came early for Big Blue, Galespeed wheels and titanium rear axle.

Your ZRX is amazing.

I'd like to do some similar mods, but I really think it's cheaper for me to buy a newer ZX10 or 14.