| Author | Message | ||
     Thejosh |
So I've been riding my Ulysses exclusively to work because now that it is cooler in the morning, I need to pack away my gear for the ride home. Today I decided to take a ride on the X1 because it was warm. After being on the Uly, the X1 felt more connected to the ground, almost to the point that the power of the bike just felt fused to the road. Comparatively, it feels noticeably fast and more nimble. Ear to ear smile the whole ride and am now kicking myself for not riding it more often, although I will say that the Uly is more comfortable, I don't seem to notice because of how much of a great time I am having. So this might be the last ride of the year on the old girl, after the ride found some belt exposed on the rear tire. Oh well, gives me time to replace some gaskets too! Josh | ||
| Hotrats |
understand that, my x1 is sitting now, getting new rockerbox gaskets, front iso, belt, brake pads.... ect, ect.... next spring! | ||
| Thejosh |
I hear ya, as soon as I got home and noticed the tire wear, I put it up on jacks and took the rear tire off. Gonna take the heads of and get some work done on those pesky header studs. Of course I'll be replacing all the gaskets from the heads on up. Maybe put some higher compression pistons in with a little head work. I dunno, good luck this winter! Josh | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
If you take the heads off, you really should replace the base gaskets. If you're careful, you can take the jugs off withput taking the pistons all of the way out. I am of course not speaking from first-hand experience. I am just parroting what smarter people have pisted here. If you can't BE smart, you can fke it by copying the correct sources. | ||
| Harleyelf |
Up on blocks for the winter with the rear tire off? Sounds like a great time to check the oil lines from the pump to the oil tank. Mine rubbed against the frame and were both leaking at 35,000 miles. If the shock is dripping any oil, it's time for new oil hoses. Especially if your tire is bald. | ||
| Rick_a |
I just take a back pack during the cold months. The S1 is a capable year round commuter...for the short commute. Tubers have a lot of soul. I think that's why many owners have such a hard time parting with them. Seems a lot of folks end up buying another later on after selling one. | ||
| Thejosh |
Backpack starts to get heavy once it gets colder. The Uly is like a mini truck, the back seat is huge enough for me to strap a chord of wood to. Plus the old Lightning could use some time on the stands. Good advise, I will definitely have to run new oil lines, I put a works shock on it because the stock one was garbage so I should check for other wear too. The brake was covered with what looked like dust bunnies from hell, the belt looks good, but everything else down there could use a little cleaning. You're right though, the X1 has soul! Josh | ||
| Dryheat |
Sorry so many of you guys put your bikes up till spring, that would give itchy balls. Its nice living in Arizona and at the very least your bikes will be getting some well deserved attention. | ||
| Thejosh |
Never said I'll stop riding, still got the Uly! | ||
| Hotrats |
besides replacing, what work would you do to the header studs? (everything is off mine now, maybe this is something i should do also?) andyh oh yeah, still got the R to ride... | ||
| Thejosh |
The exhaust on mine are only being held on by one stud, because the other two broke off. No leaks because each port has one stud, but it's something that needs to be fixed. If'n I were you, I would also replace them regardless. Just my opinion but those things are known for breaking. Josh | ||
| Rick_a |
My exhaust nuts are safety wired and worry-free. It's the best method I've found to keep them tight and the studs healthy. | ||
| Thejosh |
Safety wire!, or "lockwire", safety wire is breakable; mostly used for jettison switches. Good choice, I think I will use that when I replace the studs. Is there a good place to get drilled nuts? There might be a place here in town, but maybe you have a better place? Thanks, Josh | ||
| Rick_a |
Yeah...lockwire, then. Just invest in some 1/16" drill bits. | ||
| Thejosh |
Should be able to get some pre-drilled, if I do, you want some? | ||
| Harleyelf |
They're called castellated or crenelated, Josh. Use a good .032" diameter stainless wire twisted about twelve times an inch and pieces won't break off and fall into places where they shouldn't be. Any hardware supplier can get the crenelated nuts for you; their tops look like a castle from a chess set. | ||
| Dave_02_1200 |
I use 5/16 x 24 tpi connector nuts. They stick out past the end of the stud and are easy to dill through so the wire passes through the hollow part that sticks out past the end of the stud. | ||
| Harleyelf |
If the wire doesn't pass through the stud, it cannot stop the nut from turning! You have to drill the stud. | ||
| Dave_02_1200 |
Harleyelf, My explanation was not the best: Both nuts are wired together. That is, the wire goes through the holes in one nut, then it is twisted to look nice, it is passed under the header, then it goes through the holes in the other nut, and it is twisted to a nice end. Neither one can turn. It looks just like wiring two bolts together (SOP). | ||
| Thejosh |
Yeah I was going to do the same thing, find some predrilled aircraft nuts and lockwire them together. Josh | ||
| Harleyelf |
Dave, If you have the reverse-s curve between your header nuts like it shows on the label picture on the spool of safety wire but you have not drilled the studs, it will only hold the nuts from backing off until the wire breaks and you will know when it happened by looking at the broken wire. If you drill the stud, the nut will try to back off and stick in place. We spent a week studying safety wire during my Air Force propeller repair training. My own exhaust nuts never back off - hot & dirty exhaust gases make them stick in place and the gaskets never seem to quite seal. Josh, you need to replace your missing studs if you don't want to lose the remaining ones suddenly. Ever had your bike set your pants on fire? I have. | ||
| Thejosh |
Yeah, gonna replace the studs. Are you saying to drill the studs to prevent the studs from backing off? | ||
| Harleyelf |
No, no. You drill across the stud a thread or two below the tip, in a drill press if convenient. Then you seat the stud with good sealant/adhesive into its clean threads on the head. Once that has set, you install the header and torque the castellated nut down until the hole lines up with two of the slots. Then you thread the safety wire through the hole and the nut, pull it clockwise around the nut 180 degrees, and twist it 12 times an inch into a reverse-s pattern which reaches the other nut of your pair. Now the wire will tighten as the nuts loosen, and act like a cotter pin when the cross-drilled stud hole loses its alignment to the nut slots. This will also keep the studs from backing out. The nuts can't come off the stud, and the stud can't back out of the casting. (Message edited by harleyelf on October 28, 2011) | ||
| Dave_02_1200 |
Harleyelf, I like your approach with drilled studs and castellated nuts. My simple solution will work fine unless the wire breaks. I have been using this solution for years and I have never had the wire break. Your approach is best but mine is easier and both are far better than simply hoping the nuts don't fall off. When (if) the heads do have to come off, I will drill the studs as you have explained. Thank you for that. | ||
| Harleyelf |
Yes, Dave, your method works fine as long as you have good wire. My (military) method allows for variations in materials available. Taking good studs out to drill them is madness. I'm concerned that Josh's riding habits may be hard on equipment; he has not one but TWO broken studs. Overkill is advised when correcting such a serious issue. | ||
| Oldog |
Might want to check all mounting hardware on the exhaust, stud breakage is usualy associated with problems relative to alignment or missing parts, some times assembley method plays a part, | ||
| Harleyelf |
+1 on that. Breakage happens for a reason; it's usually a symptom of some bigger issue. | ||
| Thejosh |
They broke because the V&H mount broke causing the engine vibration to beat on the header bolts. I fixed the problem with the muffler mount, now I need to fix the header. Harleyelf: I know how lockwire works, I worked on helicopters, my question was about the stud an the holes. So I understand what you were saying, but wouldn't it be easier to get some nuts with lockwire holes in them and lockwire them together? I was thinking you were talking about lockwiring the studs together. | ||
| Harleyelf |
Yes, that's how it's done on C-130s. You wire the nuts to the studs and the studs in pairs to each other. That way the stud can't back out and the nuts stay fixed to the studs. If you just lockwire the nuts to each other they can vibrate off far enough to break the wire because there's nothing holding their position except the wire itself, rubbing against the sharp edges of the holes in the nuts. It's good enough to get you back to the shop. And way better than letting them shake off again. | ||
| Preybird1 |
I have broke like 18 of the exhaust stud bolts. I stopped using the cheap HD garbage studs. I opted to remove the heads and have the studs removed and drilled up-sized to huge 10mm studs and have had zero problems since the upgrade. I try not to use any HD parts on my bike at all unless they are the only parts i can get. I have spent a lot on high quality aftermarket parts. |
