24 Hours ago...

Yes it's getting worse all the time. I watched an Italian doctor talking about how powerless they are fighting this disease. She was exhausted. Brave doctors and nurses risking their lives to help their patients.

 

I am saddened by how people (not you guys) are unaware that the transmission rate is much higher than the flu, and what that means.
If you have the flu you'll infect (on average) 1 other person, and maybe two. Resulting in a relatively slow and steady spread over a long period of time.
If you have Covid-19 you will (on average) infect 3 people. By the time the infection chain reaches 10 contacts away from you there will be about 95,000 people infected.
Limiting nonnecessary contact will reduce the load on hospitals. Eventually everyone will have the virus, but we must slow the rate of transmission down or medical services will be entirely overwhelmed.

 

The virus moves by way of droplets from coughs/moisture in breath. The masks are to catch the moisture/prevent inhaling someone else’s.

 

They’re shutting down most non essential services here in Ontario. I’m a firefighter so it’s business as usual for us. They’re trying to keep us from “all” having contact with any potential carriers (one assists patient, the other FF’s are distanced but ready) and even to limit our interactions with other crew members unless necessary.
Good luck out there to all and happy social distancing!

 

Yes makes sense it's a serious situation indeed.

 

....none of my stuff was in a house that I have a mortgage on. Now some of my stuff is in a house that I have a mortgage on.
The big move-in day is Friday, and the trip to get my bike out of Kansas is in two weeks.

 

Get it on a trailer.

 

That's the plan. I have a car and the bike to bring back, so we shall see how that goes.

 

A little more than 24 hours ago It had been a full year since I last laid eyes on my machine.

80 MPH winds a few days before my arrival (117 MPH were measured at just 100 feet above ground level) forced her to duck for cover. Fortunately the windscreen is the only damage (and it miht have survived if it hadn't dinged the trailer's fender).


Got her loaded up fine, and she's now at the new house awaiting unloading and a more detailed inspection prior to startup.



I did the same triplast week to get the wife's fun car, so the work will have to wait until after my road-wearinesss wears off.

Fun fact: You cannot fit an XJ onto a U-Haul car carrier behind a Miata, even though it looks like you can. If U-Haul would have let me pull double I could have just made one trip.

 

Glad she’s ok...

Odd though. I would have thought the propulsion units you have installed back there would have counter balanced...

 

The battery went flat, so the gyros spun down.

 

Great your bike is ok.

 

Yes that is what it looked like happened with the gyro, glad the bike is okay.

 

sometimes they just need to lay down and take a little nap

 

24 hours ago she didn't run (new battery is on the way), but I managed to get her to chooch with a little electrical "engineering."



She is burning off the oil that got past the rings when she took her week-long nap. Thankfully the neighbors are all inside tonight.
There's still a fw things to do to get her back on the road, but that's what I get for setting her outside for a year (was supposed to only be 2 months).

 

What are the tubes on the back of your bike are they for storage and how did you make them k-moe?

 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=motorcycle+storage+tubes

That is a search link on how to make different types from Youtube...hope it helps.

 

Great idea I need to make some of those. Meant to ask you Timbox how you got your crankshaft oil seal out?

 

PVC pipe and fittings. Cheap and watertight storage.
Left side olds a fuel bottle and funnel. Right side holds tire plugs, air pump, the registration/insurance, and a few other odds and ends for roadside repairs.

I chose two different mounting methods to see what would hole up better.
The right side is held on with SS hose clamps, of which I've had to replace one.
The left side is held on with bolts that were heated and pressed into the tube (after drilling pilot holes). The left side is still solid, even after hitting the ground during the tipover.

 

Great l need to make some for my bike. Made a clutch basket holding tool today out of a length of steel bar and a large metal circular light fitting base. I never throw things away got some pipe somewhere for the storage tubes too.

 

I have not had that issue as of yet, so can't help you out.

 

Must have been someone else lol.

 

Today was the shakedown ride. She ran really well, and the oil smoke stopped after about 4 miles (sorry neighbors).
I did find that I had to reposition the bars, and I still had condensation dripping out of the airbox after a 10 mile ride so I let her idle a while to get the rest of the moisture out (did I mention how it rained for 4 of the 6 hours on the second day of my return trip?).

Now I need to go through the throttle cable and linkage to find out why she wants to idle at 3k sometimes. I don't think there's a vacuum leak, but I'll check into that too.

The big plus is that after a year sitting in a field there were no wires eaten, and no nests built in the airbox or exhaust.

 

....I found the problem.





3 new vacuum caps and she's back to normal.

 

Bit of cracking on the inlet stubs too.

 

Just surface cracks. They all do that eventually (these are about 6 years old). It'll be several more years before any cracks get all the way through.

 

There are inexpensive ones made in China but l don't know how good they are.

 

These are them. I may be the only person here who hasn't had them fail within the first year though.
Len stopped selling them because of how many failed.

 

There was a thead on here about aluminium inlet stubs, 90 degree ones which looked great. I contacted the manufacturer but they advised they did not have them to fit our bikes. It was because of the angle, the carburettors are not in line with the carburettor inlet ports on the cylinder head. Someone with the welding skills and the right material could make a set I am sure.

 

They arent

 

But they could be, which is a real shame.

 

Add them to the list of things they make which look the same, until you use them. One day they will get it right, but who will know?

 

i bet your vacuum hose is in good shape, the vacuum caps are made from different rubber. just cut some vacuum hose, plug one end and slip them on. fixed for a long long time
and basically free

 

Yup, my China set lasted less than 48 hours. Sent me on a lengthy troubleshooting session because I never thought my new intakes were the issue.

Thankfully I got them from Len who took them back faster than you can say XJ!

 

It's a shame, too........and I know why they are failing, the mfg. is "stuck" using defective rubber sourced out of China, and won't/can't/doesn't know how to do proper testing of the incoming material to verify it's the grade that he's ordering (and paying for). The good rubber is more expensive, but will vulcanize correctly. Everyone is frustrated.......

 

Hmm... I just bought a set of Cheapanese ones, too.
Regarding the rubber, it was exactly the same problem with China-sourced (and UK stocked) fork gaiters. They lasted a year and started cracking apart. My suspicion was that the rubber hadn't been the right grade or wasn't properly cured.
Meantime, the Volvo steering rack gaiters I fitted to the other bikes are still going strong, and will probably last me out.

 

I finally had time to take her on the freeway. Not one issue, not even a tiny drop of oil anywhere on the engine (thanks to Chacal's gaskets and o-rings).
Now I need to decide if she's getting the paint fixed proper (there was some flaking from the fall) or if I'm just going to clear over the scars.
The new windscreen and deflector came in too, so I'll be fitting those eventually.

 

24 hours ago my best friend was still alive.

f*** CANCER!!!

I hope that you and your families all stay well.

 

I'm thankful for having my 2-wheeled therapist back.
She's keeping me from breaking again.

I'm also thankful for the support from this community. You are good people.
Take care of each-other. There is nothing more important.

 

Following up on one of the great XJ forum threads...

24 hours ago I just finished mowing the lawn in 90° heat with hot wind blowing wildfire ashes all around me. Now I am inside, drinking a beer and watching snow fall.

K-moe, you might remember those days.

 

48 hours ago...pulled the back wheel apart to check and clean brake shoes. Still solidly attached to the metal and more than the minimal 2 mm thickness, about 1/8 in. Was so happy, I invited my son to come over with his '94 VN750. I gotta say that Kawasaki is a nightmare to work on compared to the XJ. His rear brake was in fine shape also though.

 

... I was nervous as H E double toothpicks about speaking at my best friend's memorial service. I'm not nervous anymore. It was the most difficult speech that I ever gave, but also the best. Keep love in your hearts, and keep on keeping on.

 

All the best thoughts to you. I see bourbon in the future. This will warm your heart.

 

...I was catching up with a friend that I haven't see in-person for almost 20 years (we took appropriate precautions). The combination of friendship, a fine meal of roased Lamb (Belorussian cusine), and being near the ocean...I honestly haven't been so relieved and happy since August.
I started out dreading this weekend, but ended up not wanting to let it end.

 

...I was only 49.
Today I am full of Jagersnitzel, Dunkelweiss, and a desire to take on another 50 years of living.

Peace be with you all.

 

yesterday i was full of Old Overholt Bonded 100 proof and a few Singapore Slings
today i feel like i aged 50 years

 

Today's "pro-rider" tip:
If you find yourself on the freeway and suddenly slowing down with the tachometer reading 0 RPM, do the right thing and carefully pull onto the shoulder. Then instead of cursing the world and your fate, just make sure that you didn't accidentally trip the killswitch while setting your throttle-lock.
Thankfully no trailers were called, and the ride back home was uneventful.

 

[EDIT] I'll respect political content on other threads (in the appropriate area, should that ever be decided), but not on my own, even if I agree with the post.
This forum is a refuge for me. Please respect that.

K-moe, yep, been there, done that. Glad it was an easy fix. Last year was at VIR with a friend, when we went to head home his Bonneville appeared dead, same problem. We found it before starting extensive "repairs".
John

 

FYI political content is not allowed on this site