Topic: 24 Rides in 2024, Frank's New Years resolution that we can all enjoy.

[jgger]

Congrats on #10 Terry, I can picture the smile as you hit the dirt roads. You have opened up a whole new world to explore. That little Yami looks like fun.

That air filter looks very simular to the FJR filter. Does it collect the dirt on the inside or the outside?  The FJR draws the still air from the box after it has been filtered, that threw me for a loop the first time I checked mine.

Good luck at the horsepistol tomorrow.

[jgger]

Terry, I little tip on stuff to take "off road"  is  of course at least 1 spare plug for the 2 strokes, but also a spare clutch lever. On the cable bikes the handle can be used on either side, just looks weird on the wrong side.

Also loosen the pinch bolt on both the clutch and brake perch so they can slip with just a small bit of force. Not loose enough to flop on their own,  and check that they move on your pre-ride look-see. In the event that you do drop it, it can save the levers from breaking, and if it is a mirror mount it can save those too. I have seen levers break from falling off the side stand before.

Hopefully that will save you some cuss words in the event of a whoopsi!

[BallAquatics]

Terry….. that’s a good looking machine!

I got a chuckle from a few of the above posts. A “tri-tip” became “BBQ-trip”. How many miles/oz. will qualify? If the meat is more, can the mileage be less?

+1 twice  lol

Been spending time out at Mom's place cleaning up after a tornado touched down Wednesday morning.  Luckily, she only had a couple trees down.  Many of the neighbors weren't so lucky.  About 9 houses down the road, a 200 year old church was just about destroyed.

Rode the CB550 out there today and swapped it for the NC700X.  Did about 60 miles on the NC as it was 65F here today.  Also had the Yamaha out for about 40 miles of twisty back roads.  Forecast is calling for our first 70F day tomorrow.  I might just have to head for points south if that happens.

Ride #8 100+ miles between the Turbo, NC700 and the CB550.

[willbird]

#2, 94 miles, zip code 43543, 64F :-).

Bill

[jgger]

Looks  good Dennis, you are right behind me! Glad to hear Mom made it through the tornado, I'm scared to death about those things. That's why I live in California,  we only have to worry about sliding into the ocean!

Bill good to see you joining in with #2 and more to come!

[BallAquatics]

Ride #9 65 miles.  Beautiful day with temps into the mid 70's.  Fueled up the Turbo and then came back for the NC.  Gassed her up too then off to no particular destination.  65 miles in a giant loop.  Sorry no photos.  Thought about getting a pic in between these two massive empty fields and making a quip about the ends-of-the-earth.....

[lash]

No.6 for me today, 200 km on the wing in 20c weather. Great day but windy. Pulled a couple of the 750’s out of the garage to see if they would start, but my gravel road is still too muddy to go anywhere.

[jgger]

Nice job,Dennis, looks like you guys are about to lea e me in the dust!

Ok weather here today, but no ride for me as it's the wardens birthday today.

[jgger]

Lash, you seem to be the sole ambassador for Canada and you are making a good go of it too!

Great participation in Frank's Challenge,  he would be proud. Keep it up guys.

[BallAquatics]

Nice job,Dennis, looks like you guys are about to lea e me in the dust!

Thanks Jim.  I've just been lucky to have some nice weather here and there!  Health issues are pushing me to do more riding.  Seriously thinking of quitting my part-time job so I can head down the road when ever the urge strikes me this summer.   

[Terry in Australia]

Terry, I little tip on stuff to take "off road"  is  of course at least 1 spare plug for the 2 strokes, but also a spare clutch lever. On the cable bikes the handle can be used on either side, just looks weird on the wrong side.

Also loosen the pinch bolt on both the clutch and brake perch so they can slip with just a small bit of force. Not loose enough to flop on their own,  and check that they move on your pre-ride look-see. In the event that you do drop it, it can save the levers from breaking, and if it is a mirror mount it can save those too. I have seen levers break from falling off the side stand before.

Hopefully that will save you some cuss words in the event of a whoopsi!

Thanks Jim, good advice, back in the day I always carried a spare plug and it was fun to see the previous owner had attached a spare chain joining link to the clutch cable like we used to do back then. I bought 2 new levers because the ones on it weren’t a match so I’ll throw them in my tool kit. I couldn’t fit the Suzuki T350 tool kit in the tiny spare provided by Yamaha so have bought a cheap handlebar mount tool roll on EBay so I can have a few extra tools and “consumables” at hand.

I stripped and cleaned the carb again today and it made no difference, it was missing and farting as much, or more than on Sunday. I remember how weak the spark was compared to the little blue bike so bought a new coil and when it arrives hopefully it’ll run like a champ. It could be a bad earth too, but for 20 bucks for a new coil, should be worth it to clean the mounting point on the frame and run a separate earth wire from the coil to the battery.

They say you meet the nicest people on a Honda, but Yamaha folks are pretty good too. The only part “missing” on my bike was the oil tank. I saw one on EBay USA but there was no mention of international shipping. I asked on the FB site and a guy in the US sent me a link to the same item. When I mentioned that I didn’t know if the seller would ship internationally he bought it and sent it to me, before I even sent him the money! What a great guy! I sent him a little extra to buy some beers as a “thank You”.

Anyway the wife’s mad at me for riding the bike less than 24 hours after surgery yesterday so I better pack up and order us some lunch to get back on her good side.

[Terry in Australia]

Oh and Jim, I remembered that I have a K&N air filter for an FJR1300 in the garage so had a rummage around and found it. Very similar to the DT filter, but doubt if it’ll fit.

[grcamna2]

Terry, I little tip on stuff to take "off road"  is  of course at least 1 spare plug for the 2 strokes, but also a spare clutch lever. On the cable bikes the handle can be used on either side, just looks weird on the wrong side.

Also loosen the pinch bolt on both the clutch and brake perch so they can slip with just a small bit of force. Not loose enough to flop on their own,  and check that they move on your pre-ride look-see. In the event that you do drop it, it can save the levers from breaking, and if it is a mirror mount it can save those too. I have seen levers break from falling off the side stand before.

Hopefully that will save you some cuss words in the event of a whoopsi!

Thanks Jim, good advice, back in the day I always carried a spare plug and it was fun to see the previous owner had attached a spare chain joining link to the clutch cable like we used to do back then. I bought 2 new levers because the ones on it weren’t a match so I’ll throw them in my tool kit. I couldn’t fit the Suzuki T350 tool kit in the tiny spare provided by Yamaha so have bought a cheap handlebar mount tool roll on EBay so I can have a few extra tools and “consumables” at hand.

I stripped and cleaned the carb again today and it made no difference, it was missing and farting as much, or more than on Sunday. I remember how weak the spark was compared to the little blue bike so bought a new coil and when it arrives hopefully it’ll run like a champ. It could be a bad earth too, but for 20 bucks for a new coil, should be worth it to clean the mounting point on the frame and run a separate earth wire from the coil to the battery.

They say you meet the nicest people on a Honda, but Yamaha folks are pretty good too. The only part “missing” on my bike was the oil tank. I saw one on EBay USA but there was no mention of international shipping. I asked on the FB site and a guy in the US sent me a link to the same item. When I mentioned that I didn’t know if the seller would ship internationally he bought it and sent it to me, before I even sent him the money! What a great guy! I sent him a little extra to buy some beers as a “thank You”.

Anyway the wife’s mad at me for riding the bike less than 24 hours after surgery yesterday so I better pack up and order us some lunch to get back on her good side.

Terry,a week away from riding the DT into work ? ? 

[jgger]

Terry have you checked the Reed valve when the carb was off? A piece of crap stuck in there or a broken/ cracked Reed. Will make them run pretty bad too. I do believe yours is equipped with one, my 75 400 Mono had a read valve.

Don't make the wife so mad that she wants to give you the Willie Nelson treatment. If you find a needle and some thread on the nightstand and a baseball bat in the corner, don't say I didn't warn you!

I had to do some major sucking up today because it's the wife's birthday.  Took her out for breakfast and then out again for dinner. As nice as the weather was, I never mentioned taking a ride. So hopefully now she is tired enough of my company that the sound of Eeyore the Magnificent  rumbling to life will bring a smile to her face. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!  Now if the weather holds.

[PeWe]

Oh and Jim, I remembered that I have a K&N air filter for an FJR1300 in the garage so had a rummage around and found it. Very similar to the DT filter, but doubt if it’ll fit.

That is the beginning of a new project. Just find the right bike for it!

[RAFster122s]

Thanks guys, I had a great ride, the weather was perfect, somewhere in the mid 70’s, the roads were pretty quiet, and the old Suzy was loving it. When I built it I installed a NOS speedo and it’s now done 296 Km with only a bad condenser on its first ride home from the Roadworthy Inspection. Jim, it’s loud and obnoxious but I don’t mind that at all, because I could see cars attempting to merge into my lane could hear me coming and gave me some space.

It’s been my experience that car drivers don’t look for bikes, so at least they can hear me coming. The blue smoke eventually cleared too, which was another plus. I’m going to replace the missing header bolt on the weekend and tighten the others, and take it for another ride.

Quite fetching that bike is, I’ve never had the pleasure of riding a 2 stroke bike, dealt with 2 stroke generators, weed eaters, blowers, and chain saws but not the motorcycles…
Glad you are getting it sorted out…with your recent rides…
I am happy you are enjoying it.  The loud bikes work in city traffic at slower speeds, the sound proofing on some cars has gotten quite good on cars that are more expensive, and even some of the not so expensive cars less than 8-10 years old. So. You might want to pop a set of earplugs in to protect your hearing and cut the intensity of the sound. Wind noise at speed and sounds like your exhaust are gonna add to your hearing loss. Hearing loss is cumulative unfortunately...
Congrats on getting it on the road and beginning to enjoy it!

I’ve missed quite a few posts, too many Dr visits, tests, procedures, & travel to some is 45 minutes to an hour away one way from where I live out in the desert. Sunday a week ago I dropped and broke my phone that I replaced the screen for it in early December… It has taken me forever to get the phone claim started, Im really fed up with the G-word’s support and phones…the 5A 5G has been not without a few warts and issues, of all things the phone started having overheating issues again after I replaced the entire screen in December. The preferred care insurance isn’t worth it for what you have to pay for a repair or replacement. Last Pixell I will own…it will become a gps device soon if it were not for the overheating issue, maybe it will get turned into a internal home security camera instead…yes, you can upload or download to the phone software to turn them into a security cam.
Just uses Wi-Fi instead of cellular network…

David, my mom was in hospital what first presented as a stroke, praise God it wasn’t.
She had a low potassium, C Diff and then came down with COVID, she’s recovering at home after getting transferred to a decent Rehab my sister found in Kingsport, that are 1900-2100 miles away…
 Both sisters came down with covid, little sister 3rd time with covid, older sister & mom had it for 1st time…
Brother flew home early from Zacatecas, Mexico with wile will be helping out and he is a doctor, so he is qualified as is Nurse Practitioner older sister. They are staying until grand baby is born merely weeks away… airlines let them pull up departure from ole Mexico
 

 

[BenelliSEI]

Lash, you seem to be the sole ambassador for Canada and you are making a good go of it too!

Great participation in Frank's Challenge,  he would be proud. Keep it up guys.

+1 to that. Our road is so muddy right now I can’t remember what colour our cars are!

[budman]

Ride #7, 66 miles.

Only 66 measly little miles, but they were fun and appreciated after a false start this morning.  I had a lot to do today and had it all planned out.  I even got up early, so I was sure to get it all done.  But, then my computer wouldn't cooperate.  There wasn't much I could do so except reboot it a bunch of times, which was taking forever.  While it was doing its thing, I moved on to task #2, which was to install a new battery in the Scout.  The OEM battery was continuing to lose enough of its charge to not start unless I kept it on the trickle charger.  It was sounding weaker when I rode on Saturday, and then the engine light came on.  I did a bunch of digging around the internet and came to the conclusion that on the Indian Scouts, a weak battery will make the light come on.  I started looking up batteries and saw that I could get one locally at Autozone that would fit it.  On Sunday I happened to be at Walmart and looked to see if they had anything that would work.  Turns out they sell Noco Lithium batteries for powersport vehicles.  I looked them up when I got home and they didn't sound too bad so I picked one up when I went to town for a haircut yesterday.  The best thing is that the one I bought was cheaper than the AGM battery from Autozone and it has a five year warranty.  It also claims 400CCA verses the 220CCA from Autozone.  They only thing was the battery was shorter than the OEM.  They did sell a Noco that had a bunch of spacers, but it was $30 more and had 500CCA.  I figured I could make spacers and save $30.  So that's what I did.

The new battery was slightly larger on the long side and made for a tighter fit, but it went in.  I had to find a longer bolt for the hold down strap because it wouldn't reach where it was supposed to connect.  Other than the extra effort, which made it take longer than I thought it would, and having already been pushed back because of computer problems, the new battery worked.  No engine light and it fired right up.  Sounded peppy again.

Once that was out of the way I attempted to tackle my next task, which was a Zoom meeting.  My computer was still acting up so I had to resort to a mobile phone connection.  Turns out the host got the time wrong.  So, I wasted a bunch of time trying to get that all going.  After giving up on the meeting, I finally got the computer where it was working pretty much like it was supposed to, so I left it and went to town hoping it would be OK when I got home.

I hesitated taking the Scout, just because it felt like one of them days, but I did it anyway.  First stop, was the grocery store, then some gas, then to exercise my rights at the voting booth as an American citizen on this Super Tuesday.  Once those tasks where completed I hit the Willow City Loop to scope out the wildflower situation.  Some bluebonnets were present, but I suspect the whole thing will be blanketed in the next week or two.  I will be checking back frequently during some weekdays when there aren't many people driving around the loop.

The day smoothed out and it felt good to get out and ride after the hassles this morning.  The sky was clear and it was warm, but not hot.  Only 66 miles, but most enjoyable.  I was able to get some work done too when I got home and had a new job come in.  The computer is cooperating.  So, the day mended itself.

Looks like we've got a pretty good rally going for the first one to get to 24.

[jgger]

You worked for it, so you earned it! Few things take the sting out of a crap day like a nice rewarding ride!

So now with the new battery, you will be ready to ride at the drop of a hat.........watch out everybody,  here comes budman!

[scottly]

On Sunday I happened to be at Walmart and looked to see if they had anything that would work.  Turns out they sell Noco Lithium batteries for powersport vehicles.  I looked them up when I got home and they didn't sound too bad so I picked one up when I went to town for a haircut yesterday.  The best thing is that the one I bought was cheaper than the AGM battery from Autozone and it has a five year warranty.  It also claims 400CCA verses the 220CCA from Autozone.  They only thing was the battery was shorter than the OEM.  They did sell a Noco that had a bunch of spacers, but it was $30 more and had 500CCA.  I figured I could make spacers and save $30.  So that's what I did.

I'd never heard of Noco batteries before. They are an LiFePO4 chemistry like Shorai, rather than lithium ion, which can spontaneously combust. The prices on their website look very good: $79.95 for the 250CA equivalent of the Shorai that I paid $130 for a few years ago. What did you have to pay at Wallyworld for the 400A version?

[budman]

I'd never heard of Noco batteries before. They are an LiFePO4 chemistry like Shorai, rather than lithium ion, which can spontaneously combust. The prices on their website look very good: $79.95 for the 250CA equivalent of the Shorai that I paid $130 for a few years ago. What did you have to pay at Wallyworld for the 400A version?

$99 + $3 Texas battery fee & sales tax.
$111.11

When the cashier rung it up a $12 core charge popped up and she promptly voided it.  Not sure why.  I didn’t ask.

[scottly]

I was wondering if there would be a core charge for a non-lead acid battery; I guess not. Wow, only $3 tax on $99?? Around here it would be closer to $9. Still, it's kind of cool to be able to walk into a local store and buy a high-tech battery right off the shelf. I'll have to have a look when I'm on the next beer and beans run, just for grins. My Shorai's are still doing fine.

[Terry in Australia]

Terry, I little tip on stuff to take "off road"  is  of course at least 1 spare plug for the 2 strokes, but also a spare clutch lever. On the cable bikes the handle can be used on either side, just looks weird on the wrong side.

Also loosen the pinch bolt on both the clutch and brake perch so they can slip with just a small bit of force. Not loose enough to flop on their own,  and check that they move on your pre-ride look-see. In the event that you do drop it, it can save the levers from breaking, and if it is a mirror mount it can save those too. I have seen levers break from falling off the side stand before.

Hopefully that will save you some cuss words in the event of a whoopsi!

Thanks Jim, good advice, back in the day I always carried a spare plug and it was fun to see the previous owner had attached a spare chain joining link to the clutch cable like we used to do back then. I bought 2 new levers because the ones on it weren’t a match so I’ll throw them in my tool kit. I couldn’t fit the Suzuki T350 tool kit in the tiny spare provided by Yamaha so have bought a cheap handlebar mount tool roll on EBay so I can have a few extra tools and “consumables” at hand.

I stripped and cleaned the carb again today and it made no difference, it was missing and farting as much, or more than on Sunday. I remember how weak the spark was compared to the little blue bike so bought a new coil and when it arrives hopefully it’ll run like a champ. It could be a bad earth too, but for 20 bucks for a new coil, should be worth it to clean the mounting point on the frame and run a separate earth wire from the coil to the battery.

They say you meet the nicest people on a Honda, but Yamaha folks are pretty good too. The only part “missing” on my bike was the oil tank. I saw one on EBay USA but there was no mention of international shipping. I asked on the FB site and a guy in the US sent me a link to the same item. When I mentioned that I didn’t know if the seller would ship internationally he bought it and sent it to me, before I even sent him the money! What a great guy! I sent him a little extra to buy some beers as a “thank You”.

Anyway the wife’s mad at me for riding the bike less than 24 hours after surgery yesterday so I better pack up and order us some lunch to get back on her good side.

Terry,a week away from riding the DT into work ? ? 

Thanks Bill, depends on how long before my new coil arrives, I want it running perfectly before pressing it into daily use. ;S

[jgger]

Well my diabolical plan worked! MUAHAHAHA! After taking my wife out for both breakfast AND dinner on her birthday,  she tells me" you know it's supposed to rain tomorrow". " If you want I can take the grand daughter to school and you can ride"! So away we go for #10, just a short 71 miles and like budman, just nice to get out.

I took my local ride up Ortega Hwy ( like most of the time), but did a bit of exploring.  Just past the Lookout, there is a road that crosses the main road that has had my curiosity when I go by, I had to try it today. On one side it is North Main Divide, and the other is .............wait for it.........South Main Divide, duh! I took the south route. It was a nice gentle curving ridge road that goes to some hiking trail heads, an off highway vehicle area, some pretty elite homes ,and the jump off area for the hang gliders. I got a different view of Lake Elsinore and when things dry out more, this will require some more investigation.  At about 5 miles off the main road it turned into the kind of place you don't want to be on a 650 pound sport touring bike, took a pic, did a u-turn and headed back to the main road. Continued on Ortega to the rest area/trail head I usually stop at, sat around cloud gazing for a bit and headed home. The weather was an awsome mid 60's the whole ride.

71 miles and # 10 is history!

[Terry in Australia]

Great pics Jim, and we're neck and neck with 10 rides apiece, which isn’t bad for so early in the year. The weather is unseasonably hot here, will be almost 100 deg F from Saturday thru Monday (public holiday for my 64th birthday) so if I do get out for a ride it’ll be a hot one. Get those rides in mate, and hopefully I’ll catch up to you down the road aways.