Author |
Message |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 - 04:59 pm: |
|
First meal in over a decade
Did about 11 miles. Still have some adjustments to make (rear brake lever height, shifter height, left switch housing rotation, re-rebuild the carb, replace the fuel cap o-ring, do a service, find and install a windscreen)...but overall she's strong and seems pretty solid! |
Falloutnl
| Posted on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 - 12:42 am: |
|
Nice! Interesting colors by the way. |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 - 09:07 am: |
|
Those are the factory decals for the Defender bikes - they built 12 of them as police bike prototypes, and they were used at the 1998 HD races and events in Milwaukee. The decals are red and blue reflective - very 90's. |
Jhbuell
| Posted on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 - 11:51 am: |
|
Bike looks great! glad to see it back on the road! |
Falloutnl
| Posted on Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 06:19 am: |
|
"Those are the factory decals for the Defender bikes - they built 12 of them as police bike prototypes, and they were used at the 1998 HD races and events in Milwaukee. The decals are red and blue reflective - very 90's." Very cool! If I love anything it's shouty 90's colors on a sports bike. |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 10:47 am: |
|
And they DO shout, especially in camera flash or oncoming headights....
|
Whisperstealth
| Posted on Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 12:41 pm: |
|
Very, very cool to see you put this bike back on the road! Good for you! |
Brother_in_buells
| Posted on Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 05:42 pm: |
|
Looking very cool! Hopefully you find a screen and get all the little things fixed so you can ride the dust of it and enjoy |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Friday, June 14, 2024 - 08:11 am: |
|
Screen is on its way as well as a fresh seat. Waiting for some crappy weather to do the adjustments and carb rebuild (nice weather = mountain biking and yardwork). Evasive part is the right side lower...but that doesn't keep the bike from running, so that's a back burner piece anyway. |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Sunday, June 16, 2024 - 09:08 pm: |
|
Quick carb rebuild today, got the snot out of the slow jet, cleared the accel pump...and now it idles with the choke off. 45/190/2.5 turns. I've done too many of these damn things. Start to finish, stock air box...35 minutes. Didn't even take the tank off. |
Blks1l
| Posted on Monday, June 17, 2024 - 08:57 am: |
|
Do you take the airbox off? I can do it easily on my S1 with the Forcewinder, haven't done the S3 in a while. |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Monday, June 17, 2024 - 01:28 pm: |
|
Yep, airbox off, undo choke cable and fuel hose at petcock, undo breathers that hold the carb plate. Pull the carb, loosen the throttle cable to get the cables off, unplug the VOES, and its on the bench. Pop the bowl, pull the jets and spray with cleaner, spray the passages in the carb body till they flow free, pulled and cleaned the accel pump jet and cleaned that passage, kpulled and cleaned the idle set screw and its passage, reassembled and reinstalled. 45/190/2.5 turns, now I just need the choke to start it, and I can close the choke pretty much immediately after it fires. Idle is slightly choppy...but I haven't done plugs yet, either. I also need to do a fluid service and primary adjustment...but I'm making sure all the "big stuff" is good before I get into that. No sense servicing it if it has a bad rod bushing, or a bad valve....but so far, so good. Can't wait to ride it with the carb sorted. It was really snappy even with a plugged slow jet; I bet it's a hoot now that the carb is happy! And I haven't even put in my performance ignition box yet (that I found laying on my shelf in a pile of ignition boxes)...might not need or want to, with the stock exhaust and intake. But, we'll see... |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Tuesday, August 20, 2024 - 12:59 pm: |
|
well...I logged about 160 miles on it (a tank of gas)....and decided to load 'er down and ride to WVBR for a 4 day camping trip and multiple day rides. She did GREAT! Jetting seems sorted out - runs great, averaged 54 mpg fully (over)loaded, nothing broke, nothing leaks! Cruised around 80-85 on the interstate, and ...uh..."extra-legal" speeds were the norm on the day trips on those great WV twisties. Well...one thing broke on the way there. I was cruising 80mph down the slab and the bike just shut off. Lights good, voltmeter good, gauges good...no starter engagement, no engine run. 45 minutes on the median strip, pulled the tank, didn't have the tool to pull open the right switch housing (until a driver stopped and had what I needed in his Jeep), checked connectors under the tank, checked the wires on my (already bypassed) kickstand switch, disassembled the right switch housing, cleaned the contacts on the kill switch...and it worked for the rest of the trip with no problems. And I bought the tool I needed when I got to WV - I had allens in my tool roll, just not small enough for the switch housing. Nearly a 1,000 mile weekend and I'm very happy. Sore as hell - old age is a bitch - but had a great time! |
Falloutnl
| Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - 08:20 am: |
|
"Well...one thing broke on the way there. I was cruising 80mph down the slab and the bike just shut off. Lights good, voltmeter good, gauges good...no starter engagement, no engine run. 45 minutes on the median strip, pulled the tank, didn't have the tool to pull open the right switch housing (until a driver stopped and had what I needed in his Jeep), checked connectors under the tank, checked the wires on my (already bypassed) kickstand switch, disassembled the right switch housing, cleaned the contacts on the kill switch...and it worked for the rest of the trip with no problems." Nice work on sorting that out by the side of the road. Regrettably that is one of the things I wouldn't be much good at. |
Upthemaiden
| Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - 02:38 pm: |
|
Sounds like a nice trip! I keep some tools with me too, but don't think I have many hex keys in there. 54mpg... don't know how you guys do it haha. I think my S1 averages 36, and don't think I've ever seen it get over 40. |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - 11:33 pm: |
|
I've never had one do this well. Bone stock engine, bone stock exhaust, bone stock gearing. Overloaded (2 full saddlebags, tent, mattress and sleeping bag strapped to the pillion, full tank bag). Slabbing at 80mph I logged 58 (!) mpg. Back road abuse...48 or so depending on the ride pace. 45/200 jets. I've *never* run a 200 before...but it seems to love it! |
89rs1200
| Posted on Thursday, September 26, 2024 - 02:33 pm: |
|
Nice, I also get 58 MPG highway on my S3 Buells. Just completed "Run for the Wall", Central Route on my 1998 S3 Buell. On the way back, at 94,000 miles, the lower connecting rod bearings failed and the motor blew. See me on the Blue Curacao S3 with saddlebags; https://rftw.us/central-route-hub/ One of the photos here; https://rftw.smugmug.com/2024-Central-Route-Photos -Videos/Day-2-Williams-to-Gallup/i-Tvjj7tH/A |
Redridergr
| Posted on Monday, September 30, 2024 - 11:46 am: |
|
Nice to see another Defender on road. Does anyone have pictures of Defender(s) in the 95th parade? How many had deep bags on rear, like mine does? I am restoring my Defender back to stock. Hopefully a picture of right side to show air box & lower. Previous owner, at some point changed out air filter to a sporty style or was it from factory that way? The frame is now damaged, scraped from rubbing the air cover. |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Sunday, October 06, 2024 - 02:21 am: |
|
Right side was stock huge airbox, with the shorter lower fairing to match. As far as I know, all had narrow bags. Maybe 1313 can chime in on that... |
Redridergr
| Posted on Sunday, October 06, 2024 - 03:04 pm: |
|
I have the stock air box installed... So now looking for a lower, right side fairing & top motor mount. The mounting tab for air cleaner was ground off! 😔 Lower, I think, will be the hardest to find. Any help greatly appreciated Guys. |
1313
| Posted on Monday, October 07, 2024 - 01:13 pm: |
|
I'm pretty sure that I have seen (and posted) a pic in a Harley-Davidson book that appears to be vintage showing 2 Defenders at the Milwaukee Mile - one with narrow bags, one with wide bags. A cursory Google search of BadWeB did not produce any results, however... |
1313
| Posted on Monday, October 07, 2024 - 07:07 pm: |
|
|
1313
| Posted on Monday, October 07, 2024 - 07:46 pm: |
|
Tim, Send me an Email, please. dedsld 1313 AT gmailDOTcom |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Tuesday, October 08, 2024 - 12:27 am: |
|
Interesting. The decal wraps around the rear corner of the deep lid. I need to get my wide lids painted and stickered...and I still need a right side lower, too! |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Tuesday, October 08, 2024 - 12:32 am: |
|
Those "protect and serve" decals are also more of an arc than the new ones....
|
Ratbuell
| Posted on Tuesday, October 08, 2024 - 12:35 am: |
|
...and they stacked "Buell Defender" on the wides... (Message edited by Ratbuell on October 08, 2024) |
|