Topic: What did you do to your non-SOHC4 motorcycle today?

[BenelliSEI]

Thanks guys, the good thing is that it doesn’t owe me much. The year before last I went for a ride, and stopped at my local RSL club for a drink. Put $20 into a poker machine and won $5600. Spotty and I then drove to Warragul to buy another Triumph Rocket III for $4500. I didn’t like the exhaust system on it so sold it for $2K, and I put an old Jardine pipe on it. I then saw the Duke on FB Marketplace for $5K and offered the seller a swap for the Rocket. He was stoked as everyone had been lowballing him and he was sick of scammers. We did the deal and were both happy. The Duke needed some TLC, a new battery, a new starter motor and tyres, so all up I think I’m still ahead. Great little bike, and an absolute weapon.

Well played! Literally!

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks John!

[spotty]

Thanks John!

get back to work

[scottly]

This ad was airing on TV here a few years ago, and I just recalled it.

[Lucien Harpress]

I finally got my KZ1300 carbs cleaned, reassembled, and (with the help of a heat gun and against my better judgement in 20 degree weather) reinstalled.  Now the bike can hibernate until spring, when I can actually try to make it run correctly, and probably tear my hair out in the process.

[BenelliSEI]

I finally got my KZ1300 carbs cleaned, reassembled, and (with the help of a heat gun and against my better judgement in 20 degree weather) reinstalled.  Now the bike can hibernate until spring, when I can actually try to make it run correctly, and probably tear my hair out in the process.

What a beast!

[newday777]

I finally got my KZ1300 carbs cleaned, reassembled, and (with the help of a heat gun and against my better judgement in 20 degree weather) reinstalled.  Now the bike can hibernate until spring, when I can actually try to make it run correctly, and probably tear my hair out in the process.

Sweet

[Terry in Australia]

Yesterday Spotty and I replaced the cam belts on the Ducati 916 Monster. The old belts looked fine, but all of the Ducati experts reckon that if the bike's been sitting for any length of time, they should be replaced. I figured that new belts were cheap insurance, and the job was pretty easy.

Once we'd installed the new ones, we turned the engine over a couple of times to make sure that the timings marks were still lining up, and then fired it up to check that the new belts were properly seating, and tracking straight. The idler pulley bearings were all good, so didn't need to be replaced. The bike has only done a little over 16000 miles in 23 years, so it's possible that the belts and pulleys are original.

[simon#42]

yes a nice easy job , i have never quite figured out why ducati specify such a short replacement interval . the last one i changed was made by gates, a make i prefer to use at work except the car belts have a life of at least 70 thousand miles .

[Terry in Australia]

yes a nice easy job , i have never quite figured out why ducati specify such a short replacement interval . the last one i changed was made by gates, a make i prefer to use at work except the car belts have a life of at least 70 thousand miles .

I agree Simon, I’ve got an old Hyundai car that would be lucky to drive once or twice per year and the cam belt is probably 20 years old, and is still fine. The cam belt that I replaced in the wife’s other Hyundai (daily driver) still looked good after 25 years, but I installed a new one anyway.

I’m glad mine’s a Monster and not a 916 with all the fibreglass though, I watched a 20 minute video yesterday of a guy doing a belt change on his bike and the video I watched was just part 1, where he was removing all of the extraneous stuff (seat, tank, airbox, fairing panels, battery and battery box) before he got to the belt covers.

Beautiful bike, but apart from the fact that I am too old and broken to be able to ride in a racers crouch for any distance, basic maintenance takes so much longer, and my attention span is too short.

[RAFster122s]

Didn't FunJimmy have a 916? Pretty sure he did before he dropped off the list and became divorced. He is into mountain biking and is still in the Vancouver area to the best of my knowledge. I would venture a guess the 916 was a casualty of the divorce... Often wives will go after a spouse's "toys", sometimes just to be spiteful and sometimes they are sold when assets are divided...

[Terry in Australia]

Quite possibly David. I got my Ducati S4 Monster registered today but as I had 3 extractions yesterday, didn’t feel like going for a ride. It will feature in the “25 rides” thread soon though.

[RAFster122s]

Congrats on getting your Ducati registered! Hope your teeth extractions heal up without any issues. Hate going to the dentist, I have been fortunate to be blessed with good teeth and have only had a couple cavities.

[MauiK3]

I go to the dentist today, regular cleaning, not fun but better than anything more extreme.

[Terry in Australia]

I hate going to the dentist, hence why I needed 3 extractions. All three teeth were the victims of Army dentist’s crappy work that eventually caused them to fall apart. At least my current dentist (Dr Miranda) is using the latest equipment to design and build some new dentures or implants. (my preference, but dependant on DVA approval)

I had a full mouth scan and was impressed at the 3D modelling that’s available now, compared to what was available back in the 1960’s, when I had my first dental work done. All this technology is still lipstick on a pig when it comes to extracting teeth though, not much has changed in 60 years, the dentist would stick me with a needle then rip the tooth out, and those memories came flooding back as Dr Miranda was yanking those suckers out on Monday, I was sure that my jaws were gonna snap before the roots did. I still think that dentistry has evolved from some midieval form of torture.

[Don R]

 The tooth I had pulled last week made two giant snaps. I think he cut them in half and took out the pieces. That's the first one I was ever awake for.

 On the motorcycle theme, I dug out the replacement speedometer pod for the GS1100E. The odometer didn't work on this one either, but I opted to keep it to practice on in case it didn't go back together well. I'm not sure exactly what I did, but something went snap and it started working. I think the pawl on the ratchet was stuck. I gave it some silicone lube, cleaned the inside of the lenses with mist and shine and carefully re-assembled it.

 The Wizards mist and shine is the best thing ever for plastic lenses and lexan. It works awesome on paint too.  A couple years ago I was at Indy helping crew on an alcohol funnycar and the guy pitted next to us had a brand-new car. His crew was grinding on the inside of his windows with paper towels and Windex. The more they rubbed the worse it looked, prompting them to do more. I got my buddy and we took some mist and shine and a couple baby diapers to them and it got better.

[grcamna2]

The tooth I had pulled last week made two giant snaps. I think he cut them in half and took out the pieces. That's the first one I was ever awake for.

 On the motorcycle theme, I dug out the replacement speedometer pod for the GS1100E. The odometer didn't work on this one either, but I opted to keep it to practice on in case it didn't go back together well. I'm not sure exactly what I did, but something went snap and it started working. I think the pawl on the ratchet was stuck. I gave it some silicone lube, cleaned the inside of the lenses with mist and shine and carefully re-assembled it.

 The Wizards mist and shine is the best thing ever for plastic lenses and lexan. It works awesome on paint too.  A couple years ago I was at Indy helping crew on an alcohol funnycar and the guy pitted next to us had a brand-new car. His crew was grinding on the inside of his windows with paper towels and Windex. The more they rubbed the worse it looked, prompting them to do more. I got my buddy and we took some mist and shine and a couple baby diapers to them and it got better.

I hear you on the tooth,I had a dentist do that;cut it out in 5 pieces while I was awake    with low-grade novacain    Man !?!! 

Good to hear about the success on the ODO.
Did you find a way to spin the front wheel in your garage to test it ?

[Don R]

 I have a broken speedometer cable, a reversable drill and bench tested it. This is the replacement pod that I bought so I have not removed the one on the bike yet. I'm thinking that I want to pre-test the lights before I put it on the bike.
 I was able to spray a little silicone spray on the gear from behind, it might have worked but it also went right to the gauge face and lens, so I hurriedly popped it apart and cleaned it off before it ate up the dials or faces.

[Gurp]

I havent done any work so to speak...

but i have collected a shovelhead motor open primary setup and a 57 raked frame
need a tank and trans still

then its time to set up the garage and get the sporty and cb going...

[grcamna2]

I havent done any work so to speak...

but i have collected a shovelhead motor open primary setup and a 57 raked frame
need a tank and trans still

then its time to set up the garage and get the sporty and cb going...

"set up the garage"  sounds great to me 
I've been working part-way between my 2nd floor apartment,the parking space downstairs(mostly)and my storage locker for 6 years.
A garage would be great to consolidate everything,plus a lift would be wonderful.
May as well dream big.    I hope you enjoy setting up your garage. 

[Gurp]

It's definitely going to be a task but will be worth it. I've already got it over packed with plans to add more so organization is going to be paramount 

[Kelly E]

It's definitely going to be a task but will be worth it. I've already got it over packed with plans to add more so organization is going to be paramount

You know the saying, no matter how big your shop is you'll still fill it up.

[Gurp]

It's 14×26 with a 7×12 offshoot.

I came for a 11x12 shop (full) with a 7×12 second building that wasn't very full
When I don't have stuff in the rafters and lining the walls it fulls my garage. Hoping to get some organization going in my favor

[Terry in Australia]

Well I had a heart attack on Monday, or so the doctor told me on Tuesday when the wife finally succeeded in convincing me to go to hospital. The doctor saw in my history that I'd had another (two actually) heart attack, and asked me who my cardiologist was, and was a bit pissed when I told her I didn't have one, as I didn't go to hospital. Oh well....

Anyhoo, I've been on sick leave since, and I'm not allowed to ride bikes at the moment. I was bored out of my mind, so on Friday I wandered out to my Ducati S4 916 Monster, and remembered that I had some new parts to put on it. Firstly I removed the OEM mirrors, for some reason Ducati used some close copies of Kawasaki's Z1 mirrors, which gave me an excellent view of my armpits, but nothing behind me. I'd bought some bar end mirrors and assumed that I'd have to machine up some mounts for them to clamp on to, but as it turned out the alloy bar ends that Spotty made for me were almost the perfect size, so I just trimmed them down a tad, and the mirrors fit fine.

I also bought a small screen for it, to help direct some of the wind off of me. It was cheap, but looks good (I think) and when I went for a quick lap around the block, it felt better.

Ducati Friday 28 February 2025 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Ducati Friday 28 February 2025 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Yesterday I was trying to decide what I'd do to fill my day. I trawled thru Facebook MarketPlace and immediately say a 2010 Harley Superglide project. It was a stolen/recovered bike, but not an insurance write off, so I can (eventually) get it registered and ride it. The big seller for me was the (Sofaking Low) price, of $1800. (AUD, or about $1100 USD) It was a mess, but all the important parts (103 inch engine, 6 speed gearbox, wheels, frame and forks were there. I sent him a message telling him I'd take it, and was happy to send him a $500 deposit. By this time the ad was 10 hours old, so I didn't expect to hear from him, but he called me right away and said I could have it, if I picked it up that day.

I explained that my trailer was at Spotty's so I'd have to wait until he came home, but the seller said that I could borrow his trailer to take it back, and he'd collect the trailer later in the week. Bargain! I then asked the wife if she'd like to come for a romantic drive in the country, but she was awake up to me, and said, "What have you bought now?" so remembering that it's my 65th birthday in a few days, said, "My birthday Present". She was actually happy to come with me because it got her out of a family commitment, so we jumped in my truck and drove 100 miles to a little country town to pick it up.

While he was waiting for me he'd put the bike on his trailer, and had found some parts for the bike. It looks truly awful, either the meth head who stole it, or the previous owner (my guess) had splotched paint all over it, and it might have had a fire too, as the wiring harness has some evidence of melting on some of the connectors. My intention is to get rid of the OEM EFI and ECU etc, and install a Mikuni HSR carb and aftermarket ignition, and have a basic wiring harness made, so I can get rid of all of the crappy wiring harness and various sensors etc. I see several conversion kits are available, so by the time Spotty and I are ready to put it back together after removing the horrible paint, it should be relatively easy to get going again.

It's over at Spotty's place, so I'm going to drive over and pick up the gas tank and bring it home so I can try some fancy paint stripper I bought a year or two back, that I haven't tried to use, but is supposed to be really good. At least I won't get bored.

Harley Dyna Saturday 1 March 2025 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Harley Dyna Saturday 1 March 2025 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Harley Dyna Saturday 1 March 2025 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr   

[grcamna2]

Terry caught a Big Hawg;you better wait until you're feeling much better before trying to wrestle that machine around.