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Uly_man
| | Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 05:22 am: | 
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"I'll definitely be getting some of those neoprene covers". I would and use the Kriega ones myself. The problem is with the dust seals. Once dirt damages them it then gets under the oil seals and makes them leak. They should have fitted the spring clip type to this bike. |
Steveford
| | Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 05:49 am: |
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A couple headlight bulbs, replaced the battery last year, one fan, one O2 sensor, one spark plug lead (that one was my fault), the seat pan collapsed and broke the ECM, I had to move the TPS over a bit to take out the slop but that's been it as far as electrical problems.
My barnyard fix was to relocate the ECM and then I took some wood paneling and used that to prop the seat up away from the battery/ECM. It looks ridiculous but it does the trick.
I use dielectric grease on all of the connections and purple Loctite on all of the fasteners.
I wouldn't worry too much about things, you take some care of the bike and it'll just keep chugging along and there's always FedEx and the internet in a pinch.
(Message edited by SteveFord on September 20, 2013) |
Steveford
| | Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 06:07 am: |
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Do a preemptive strike on the saddlebag latches and reinforce the plastic with some loops of safety wire where it goes around the pivot points.
Those things suck! |
Danair
| | Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 07:27 am: |
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SPARE KEY |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 11:17 am: |
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Steveford, that makes for a very reliable bike. Cheap running too. No intake seals in that time? Re: the ECM/wood paneling  mod; didn't your bike have the mod fitted that Buell started to use in 2006? Mine has. Isn't this enough? At what mileage did your seat collapse. Mine seems fine. I never ride two up, if that makes a difference. I love the 06 seat. I don't have bags on the bike. My idea of luggage for this trip, if I don't bottle it and get an XT will be: Baglux tank harness and 11L tank bag, a 32L Metal Mule top box and a 52L Ventura Bike-Pack that i Had fitted on to a frame on my R1100GS from 1996 onwards but which goes over the Triple Tail on the XB. In the top box I'll have spare parts, some tools and a workshop manual  plus guidebooks etc. and in the Ventura pack my clothes and waterproof/winter liners for my two-piece Motoport Kevlar Mesh suit, which I haven't bought yet. I can't think of anything better. The tank bag will just contain maps and stuff for the day plus my documentation. |
Buewulf
| | Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 03:18 pm: |
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"SPARE KEY"
Ah, yes, that is probably the best suggestion so far. DAMHIK. |
Steveford
| | Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 06:58 pm: |
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Let's see - I forgot the ET sensor, I had to replace that and the intake seals were replaced with the entire throttle body at 23,000 miles (nobody was making just the butterfly's rod back then).
That was a weird one! Why would that break? I got lucky, nothing went into the motor.
I did buy the stand off block for the seat but just chucked it a parts hoard box but it probably wouldn't have helped much as the low seat's pan just disintegrated over time. One of the cheap plastic seat stand-offs actually snapped off at around 65,000 miles which is when I cut the paneling to hold it up.
A new race ECM was required at 50,000 miles, that's when it got crunched.
I found the stand off block the other day and installed it just for the sake of having it in there. The replacement race ECM is wrapped up in bubble wrap and shoved down by the fan and is pretty much immobilized. So far so good.
It sounds like you have some time before your trip and I plan on doing a write up on the bike once it hits 100,000 which should be late next Spring/early Summer 2014 if all goes well.
The problems didn't start showing up until 25,000 miles and then it was one stupid thing every five or ten thousand miles as it wanted to go on strike and take a vacation.
REQUEST DENIED, GET BACK TO WORK!!!
Running costs have been low as I spend all the dough during the initial set up and then try and keep on top of the maintenance which is minimal for a motorcycle.
It's been a good bike. It could be better, it could be worse.
Knowing what I know now I'd still be on my original clutch cable, belt and ECM but hindsight is always 20/20. |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 07:14 pm: |
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You are on your original belt? |
Steveford
| | Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 09:09 pm: |
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No, it popped last year due to bucking and surging which I just could not get rid of.
That tip about removing, lubing and manually resetting the actual TPS would have saved me a lot of grief and would have saved the original belt, too.
I'm nearly positive that's what was plaguing Dr. Greg's bikes but he unloaded them a few days before I did the TPS removal/dielectric grease/reset.
That's the best kind of fix: free!
The clutch cable broke because I didn't realize that the barrel was going to crust into the lever unless I blobbed it with grease and lubed the cable at every 5,000 mile service.
I was doing it annually and well, that didn't quite cut it. |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Saturday, September 21, 2013 - 05:18 am: |
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You don't grease the newer clutch cables, do you? Have I got you right, you've installed your ECM bubble wrapped? I don't understand your point on the TPS/dialectric grease bit, unfortunately. |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Saturday, September 21, 2013 - 05:21 am: |
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Forgot to add this question: is the fact that the ECM can be interfeared with by the seat the only reason it fails? Mine is alright so far. |
Steveford
| | Posted on Saturday, September 21, 2013 - 06:32 am: |
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You don't grease the newer clutch cables, do you?
Yes
Have I got you right, you've installed your ECM bubble wrapped?
Yes
is the fact that the ECM can be interfeared with by the seat the only reason it fails?
Yes
TPS/dialectric grease bit
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/718016.html?1375573241 |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Saturday, September 21, 2013 - 11:18 am: |
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Thanks for the link, Steveford. |
Uly_man
| | Posted on Saturday, September 21, 2013 - 08:32 pm: |
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On my two Ulys I have rode 20k miles and I only have the 10 bike because the 06 bike was stolen. In that time I have had five breakdowns. One was fuel so my fault. One was the sub-frame Earth which I fixed and rode home. The other three were belts. Other issues did not stop me riding the bike it was just that it did not run as good as it should have.
Long thing short. You know the bike, or should, it is well run in for faults/problems, you are doing good prep work, you know what you are getting into and it is WHAT YOU want to use/ride. So in this case I would do it as I see little reason why it would not work out. And lets face it you can have problems on any bike.
Have a great ride and be safe. |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Sunday, September 22, 2013 - 04:44 am: |
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Good encouragement, Uly man. It's certainly a well prepared bike. Importantly several electrical wires have been re-routed etc. etc. After being set-up in Manchester (I'm heading back to England from Portugal first for a few days) it would only be a ride of less than 7,000 miles. The 10,500 I talk about includes the European legs. |
Desert_bird
| | Posted on Sunday, September 22, 2013 - 01:01 pm: |
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Nick, I rode my '08 Uly (with 25K miles) from the US straight down to Argentina. Finicky problems I had to deal with on the road included a burnt stator, VR, fork seals, starter motor, head tube bearings and a faulty BAS, which meant the bike would suddenly and unexpectedly just shut off at the worst times! These were all just maintenance items which came up at inopportune times. My side-stand bolts also loosened and the stand sheared off in the middle of nowhere. I had my rear shock rebuilt, though this was more preventative and probably overkill. Bearings and shocks take a beating on any extended touring with funky roads and high weight. And I was loaded.
I went through a set of tires as well. Not always easy to find the right ones out there. When touring I run about 50 psi rear and 45 front. This allows me to get about 8-10K miles and also improves mileage. I find Uly's great suspension and seat offset the slightly harsher ride. I didn't really notice any difference in traction on corners (expect in rain!!).
If you do use neoprene fork covers I'd suggest puling them off and checking every several days. They are designed to keep things out, but anything that does get past them ( something invariably will) will stay locked in there, potentially scoring the sliders and/or working their way past the seals.
My voltmeter was an indispensable diagnostic. I'd also stick with traditional lead batteries. But this is a topic of debate.
You are going to be a rock star with your bike. There are many single cylinder thumpers and Power Ranger riders with their Euro bikes. But Buell's are pretty rare and there is a great pleasure riding a unique, capable and well-designed machine so far from home.
Nursing a serious case of envy here. |
Motorfish
| | Posted on Sunday, September 22, 2013 - 08:03 pm: |
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Another two things I thought of are: 1. Bring a short piece of 35mm film negative with you to slip under fork seals to clean out debris and stop leaks. 2. Bring plenty of zip ties to change tires. I just learned this trick from this post. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/721948.html?1379892723
I think this is a brilliant idea. Of course I found this AFTER I just bought a No-Scuff tire tool, and built a tire changer like shown on their website! Oh well.
It does work well, though.
Enjoy! |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Monday, September 23, 2013 - 04:40 am: |
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Desert bird. VR, Stator, fork seals, head tube bearings (headrace bearings?), bank angle sensor. Blimey! Trouble free tour, then? That's what I'm worried about. How many miles was your trip?
Motorfish. 35mm film negative is a good idea although you can buy a bit of plastic specifically made for this (www.sealmate.net). |
Desert_bird
| | Posted on Monday, September 23, 2013 - 12:21 pm: |
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My trip was about 11k miles. And my bike had 25K when I began. Nothing that I mentioned was dealt with prior. This stuff would need to be replaced at some time in the life of the bike, but good to have them fresh when you begin for peace of mind. Same for any bike. Though Jap bikes are generally so much more reliable.
In my experience all Buell bearings generally suck, and as a result, they all need periodic re-greasing/replacing. Head tube bearings are easy to do and new ones produced by All Balls are roller bearings, instead of the OEM ball bearings (which aren't the right bearing for the job). If you have clunking or notchiness then a good upgrade . No way to know if a stator is dying so a good preventive measure to put a new one in to begin, thereby safeguarding your battery, lights and VR all (assuming they are in good shape to begin with). BAS, well a little gizmo, but I think you can turn it off in your '06 with software.
DB |
Uly_man
| | Posted on Monday, September 23, 2013 - 12:41 pm: |
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"BAS, well a little gizmo, but I think you can turn it off in your '06 with software". Yes you can. Now these CAN be a problem. I would either turn it off before you go, carry a NEW spare or take a Netbook and lead so you can turn it off if needed. It is on the bike to cut the fuel pump if the bike is on its side and not feed a bike that is on fire. |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Monday, September 23, 2013 - 12:49 pm: |
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Desert, my headrace bearings will be new along with wheel and swingarm ones.The trouble with fitting a new stator before I set off may be if the replacement is a dodgy part. I wonder whether this ever happens. I had wondered whether replacing it and the VR may be a good idea. When I set off the bike will have about 23,000 miles on it. |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Monday, September 23, 2013 - 12:53 pm: |
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I could carry the old VR and stator as spares, bubble-wrapped in plastic boxes. |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Monday, September 23, 2013 - 12:54 pm: |
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Uly man, I'll get the BAS turned off prior to the trip. |
Desert_bird
| | Posted on Monday, September 23, 2013 - 05:15 pm: |
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Carrying around a spare stator may be overkill? It's heavy, big and you really don't need it if the one in there is fine. A new OEM stator should be just fine for another 30K and is worth the peace of mind. Why would the replacement be dodgy?
These stators don't go bad for voodoo, but rather when carbon builds between the poles. It's like a burnt marshmallow between poles that causes the stator to short out. A new stator has none of this and so you are all good with that part. If you want to go with what you have there is a pretty simple diagnostic to check the resistance on the stator using a multimeter. A visual would be easiest though but by the time you get into that bugger better to just swap it out for a new one.
My two cents.
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Turf_moor
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 24, 2013 - 01:38 am: |
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Good advice. I appreciate it and thanks for the clear picture. I bet they're tricky to fit on the road, anyway. |
Uly_man
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 25, 2013 - 02:42 pm: |
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The Stator is "static" and the magnets (Rotor) rotate around it. The Stator gets very hot and, in this case, is cooled by the primary oil. If the Stator is not cooled enough the enamel coating on the windings will burn off. That is the smell you get in the primary case and the Carbon is what is left of the enamel insulation. Once the insulation burns off the windings they will either short/arc to themselves or to Earth IE It is toast.
The best way to test for this would be an "insulation resistance" test. How you do that is another story as you need the right tool and skill to do it. The easy way though is "smell in the primary = burnt Stator" and it is toast.
The primary NEEDS the right oil and not just to lube the chain. Use the wrong one at your peril. |
Desert_bird
| | Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2013 - 11:25 am: |
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Thanks for the finer point, Uly man. Not to hijack the thread, but enough good oil (NOT an oil thread  ) is necessary but insufficient to prevent stator meltdowns. I don't know what the hell is sufficient, but on some Buell models they just want to burn up after X miles. |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Saturday, September 28, 2013 - 11:21 am: |
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I was just about to ask whether I could use Screaming Eagle synthetic gearbox oil in there but I don't like the look of the beating that cow is getting. |
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