Garage Baptism & Being Honest about your Skillz

 Sometimes... you just need to baptize the garage floor. 

This is what being impatient gets you. Plus, these oil pans suck.

Normally, I use a regular old open oil pan, but mine cracked and I can't remember how it happened.  Did I back over it with my car? Did I drop something on it?  Who knows. Any who, I was going to find an old kitchen bowl when I remembered this oil pan under my work bench.  

I was being impatient, the oil was still very very hot, and I thought I could control the flow.  Narrator: "He could not control the flow.".  The plug popped out, the oil burnt my fingies and my garage floor got a healthy coating of VR1 20w50. I am smart enough to not clean up the oil until the whole process is complete. In positive news, the oil plug was free from shavings and the screen displayed no more slivers of aluminum.  

I took the duc out in the lovely hurricane related rain over the past 2 days to test my gear. I purchased a one piece textile suit (not Aerostich) from eBay.  While comfy, within about a half mile, my arms were already soaked and I could feel water leaking in along the outsides of my legs.  I don't want to mess around with waterproofing spray before my trip, so I got out my Gore-Tex gear from my last trip. That gear worked great in 2022, but I wanted to explore a onesie. One day I'll get a Roadcrafter. 

With the KLIM whatever jacket, and my Aerostich Darien pants, I went back out for another hour+ of riding.  This time, I came home dry, except for the ends of my sleeves, which is to be expected.  If my sleeves would reach over my gloves, that wouldn't be a problem. 

One thing I'm strongly reminding myself of is, that regardless of how many bikes I've owned, and how long it's been since I started riding, I am a new rider.  I only state this due to the long stretches of not riding.  So instead of refreshing my skills, I'm learning them again almost as if from the start.  Being a flat-lander, riding into the mountains on a still relatively new to me bike, has me a bit nervous.  But riding smart, riding my own ride, and trusting my tires, are keys to riding safely.  

There are so many great riding skill resources out there.  I'm a big fan of Canyon Chasers and Moto-Jitsu, and many others.  Although, I'd love to see them try and ride a 900SS in the box, or practice tight u-turns; due to the huge turning radius.  It's like turning a garbage truck with very good brakes.

Stay safe out there. 

Project Odd Duc: Busting Ghosts and Gremlins

 Well, I certainly learned a lot about carbs over the last week.  As mentioned previously, the H cylinder was barely running during the idle circuit but operated fine over about 1500rpm.  I swapped the coils, the ignitors, tested the pick-ups, and replaced the plugs.  No change.  Then I balanced the carbs again. Nothing.  Pulled the carbs, cleaned again, and cleared passages with compressed air.  Verified my jets, checked all o-rings, and the diaphragm.  Still wouldn't run on the H cylinder only. 

Once again, using some random part I saved, to plug the crank case breather hose inlet.

I decided to keep the oil separator box, and just add a breather.

I decided to broaden my web searches and start reading about the mixture screws since it was the only thing left to adjust. Eventually found a few posts on Triumph Rat regarding enrichening the carb until the idle starts to drop, then leaning out a bit.  Interesting....

See, all my previous bikes that actually ran, were inline four cylinders and I always set them back to factory mixture settings assuming they need to be the same.  Well, that's just not the case.  I fired up the Duc, enrichened the H cylinder carb and I'll be damned, it worked.  I could pull the plug wire from the V cylinder and it ran!  I threw in some fresh plugs and went out for a ride.  

Afterwards, the plug on the H cylinder looked about perfect, but the V plug was a bit rich, so I leaned it out about a quarter turn.  I also noticed I have leaky valve stem seals.  While that is supposed to be a quick and relatively easy job, it will have to wait until I pull the engine and do all the top end seals. 

The other day, I reached out to my friend in CT, aka Mr. Wizard and asked for his input on what I had learned about mixture screws and if them being at different ratios was indicative of a carb issue. He said, most multi-cylinder bikes actually rarely have them all at the same setting! *MIND BLOWN* I guess my inline fours were just compensating enough that I never noticed.  Crazy. 

Ride to eat, eat to ride.

Never stop learning, and stay safe out there. 

Product Review: VHT Nite Shades Spray on Tint

 I had been rolling around the idea of ordering a tinted windscreen for the Ducati but they're a bit pricey when they pop up on eBay, and typically arrive from overseas adding to the overall cost.  My original DIY idea was to use something like Plasti-Dip, then I found the VHT Nite Shades spray on tint, typically used for tail lights.  A local auto parts store had one can left, $25 later my project had begun.  

Surface prep is the key, and while I know that fact, sometimes my eagerness overrides it.  I did clean the inside of the windscreen prior with window cleaner and let it dry fully.  But a few wipe downs with alcohol would have been a good second step.   

The application isn't much different than using any other rattle can paint.  Thin layers, with time to dry between (approx 10 min).  It looks terrible at first, but it will get better.  To clarify, I only painted the inside of the screen. 

First coat

This blobby texture will go away.

I think I applied 5 coats total.

I let it cure for about 4 hours, then tested. It was dry to the touch and didn't peel or smudge. There are a few spots that are light than the rest, and one weird line that wouldn't coat but you can't see it from the outside. 

I'm very happy with the results, and maybe I will be able to see the dummy/warning lights during the day now. 

There are a few more reviews on the way, in the meantime, stay safe out there. 

**UPDATE**

About 2k miles later, it's still holding up pretty well.  I have noticed that it will scrape off if something rubs against it, perhaps I should have put a layer of clear coat over it? Or maybe that's an indication of poor surface prep.  Regardless, it still looks good and in conjunction with 2w bulbs for the idiot lights, I can mostly see the lights during the day.  

Project Odd Duc: Chasing Gremlins and Ghosts

 Recently, someone commented my bike smelled like it is running rich.  So after my ride, I sat and listened to the bike while it idled.  It sounded... off.  I pulled the front plug wire, minimal change.  Pulled the vertical, dead.  Well, that's not good especially since I wanted to take a multi-day trip next month.  Guess that will have to wait until next year.

After some testing, the horizontal cylinder is running at least poorly, but in order to get the bike to run on the vertical only, I have to have the RPMs above idle.  So, my first guess is the carbs are out of sync somehow, or I didn't do it properly.   If the issue persists after the synch, it could be fuel starvation on the idle circuit, or even a spark issue.  The plugs definitely look like it's running rich, or at least burning oil on both cylinders.

I'd like to rule out as many things as I can before tearing into the carbs.  However someone did mention you can clear the idle circuit by removing the mixture screw and blasting cleaner through there.  If I have to tear into the carbs again, I need to double check the float setting. 

So... the plan of action: 

1. Synch Carbs again

2. Swap Coils

3. Swap Ignitor

4. Remove mixture screw and blast idle circuit

5. Pull carbs

No real work pictures to show, so here are some from my last ride. Heated grips are working great! My new to me tank bag is working much better. However dropping the triple has messed with my posture and that will take some getting used to.   I also tinted the windscreen, but those details are to come in a specific post about that process.  Plus, there is another review on the way for a new action camera mount.  

Stay safe out there. 

Installation: Oxford Vintage Style Heated Grips

 I've had heated grips on every bike, besides my vintage Hondas. Typically, I install the cheap Kimpex set and do all my own wiring with a relay (XJ600 and the Hurricane). But this time, I dropped the coin for a set of the Oxford Vintage Style Heated Grips.  I didn't feel like running all the spaghetti to a relay and distribution blocks.  Plus, these include a sensor that turns off the grips if the voltage drops too low, or if the bike is shut off (after a few minutes).   Installation was simple, remove old grips, run your power feed, install new grips, route wires, test, and zip tie it all. 

Still so easy to work on! 

I'm not a fan of this, but it's better than nothing.

Still plenty of clearance if I have to brake while at WFO (don't do that).

Even after a few seconds on high, they were getting toasty!

I skipped the supplied super glue, and went with a light amount of JB Weld.

I love the retro style! 

I'm hoping to get some commutes in this week, and the morning temps have been nice and low so we'll get to see how they do.  


Stay safe out there.