| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
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 |
Nice! Interesting colors by the way. | ||
| Ratbuell |
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 |
Bike looks great! glad to see it back on the road! | ||
| Falloutnl |
"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 |
And they DO shout, especially in camera flash or oncoming headights....  | ||
| Whisperstealth |
Very, very cool to see you put this bike back on the road! Good for you! | ||
| Brother_in_buells |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
"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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
