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Hey everybody, its been a bit since I’ve done a post on here. That is mostly because the bike has been garaged since my last post. We decided that the noise it has been making is bad enough that I probably shouldn’t be riding on it. When I have run it by others, they say that it is likely the valves that need to be adjusted. In my experience, the ticking happens for a bit, and then stops for awhile, but it always comes back. Another observation I have had is that the oil light seems to light up depending on whether or not it is ticking. The oil light is almost always on when I start it. When I ride it, either the oil light will go out after a short time, or it will start ticking. After some time, the ticking will stop, and the light will be out.
After running that information by another experienced rider, it was suggested that there may be a problem with the oil pump on the bike, which I think feels right. We have looked into what that entails and it looks to be a much bigger operation than I would feel comfortable performing. So, the bike has been garaged for awhile now and after the fantastic weather we had here this weekend I found myself longing for a ride. Short on cash at the moment, and even if I had the money I don’t know a good place to take it. Either way, I remembered it had been a minute since I wrote anything here, so I just wanted to touch base with those of you who are still tuned in.
Take it easy!
We’re doing a contest this week and giving away a gift certificate to RevZilla. RevZilla is a leading online motorcycle superstore. They record and feature video reviews of their top products and have a very large selection of helmets, jackets, and pants for street, touring, and offroad bikers. I have been looking specifically at the Shoei Helmets. I figured it might be a smart idea to pick one up and I have finally gotten around to shopping the idea around a bit.
Anyway, if you are interested in the contest here is how it is going to work. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post about your first ride. When the contest ends on August 3rd, one week from now I will pick a comment at random. Please make sure you are using a valid email address with your comment as I will be contacting you via email to get more information so that I can get you your gift card. That is all there is to it, share a story with others, get a chance at a gift card to a killer online store. Take a moment to enter, then head on over to their site and check it out.
Congrats to our winner Don!
Been out on a few rides since the last post. The FLH is making a strange noise and I not quite sure what I think about it. I’ve spoken with a couple of people who say that it could be a normal sound after the engine gets warmed up. I guess my dad just rebuilt the top end within the last year. It was suggested that I change the oil just in case, so I went ahead and did just that last weekend.
Luckily, one of my more mechanically inclined friends was available to give me a hand. We road out to Thunder Mountain on Saturday to get some things we’d need. Oil, gaskets, and the oil filter. The book that we had wasn’t the most helpful, as there was a bit of confusion on how to go about changing the oil in the primary chain case, as well as the oil for the transmission. The gasket I was sold at Thunder Mountain didn’t help matters much at all, because it was the wrong gasket altogether. I guess the top piece for the primary chain case was a bit “custom” as the guys from the dealership had never seen anything like it.
Changing the engine oil was easy enough. It was very similar to my experience with changing the oil in a car. Just pull the plug and drain the oil. Changing the filter couldn’t have been easier either. Once we had figured out for sure what to do with the primary and the transmission, we got it all slapped back together and decided to run it around the block a few times to make sure it wasn’t going to spray oil everywhere. Unfortunately, the battery wouldn’t turn the engine over!
After doing a little bit of R&D I read that motorcycles don’t really recharge batteries like cars do and that it would be a good idea to toss them on a charger once a month or so. I ended up heading over to K-Mart to pick up an automatic charger that included a float mode. After letting it sit on the charger for awhile, I was all ready to give it another shot. The bike started right up after the battery had been fully charged, and I cruised it around the neighborhood for a bit. No leaks and it wasn’t spraying oil everywhere, so I am quite happy with the oil change. Its still making the ticking sound after the engine gets hot, so I’m not sure what to think of that. I will be putting it in front of some more experienced ears once I get the chance. Adjusting the valves may be the next step.
Just wondering if anyone else seems to have a bike that ticks after it gets running or have any ideas to share with a noob such as myself? A big thanks to my friend Dell for helping me with the oil change!
With the help of a friend yesterday, I was able to hop on the Electra Glide and cruise around the neighborhood. The feeling was indescribable.
I was very happy to have an experienced rider on hand, as there is quite a bit different between the Honda Nighthawk I rode in my BRC and the Electra Glide. After figuring out the controls we decided to start it up. After it was running for a minute or so, it started spraying oil out of the bottom, bad. Upon further inspection, my experienced rider friend told me this was just from the bike sitting, and that after sitting for awhile they have been known to seep oil. Sure enough, it stopped after a bit.
The first time I mounted up on the bike, I noticed the size difference. It wasn’t so much the weight as it was the actual size of the bike that threw me off. After playing with the clutch a bit and killing the engine finding the “friction” zone of the clutch, I decided it was now or never and off I went. I went down the street, took a corner, and went down that street as well. I knew that there would be some anxiousness back at the house, so I didn’t want to be gone for too long, but once I was off, it got harder and harder to think about turning back. I was gone for maybe 10 minutes or so and decided to turn it around and head back to the house. All said and done I probably got to take in 4 stop signs, 12 corners, and 4 or so turns. I only encountered one other vehicle and I just waved him through the intersection so I could take my time with the turn.
We chatted a bit more about how the ride went. I asked some very basic questions that I just wasn’t sure about like filling it up with gas and whatnot. We found the tattered book of my dad’s that has all the information I will ever need to take care of this bike. A huge thanks to Skinny for stopping by, answering my noobish questions, and giving me some initial confidence for my first ride!
After Skinny and his wife split and I had a chance to re-hydrate, I decided it was time for round two. This time I went quite a bit farther, but I stayed in the neighborhood. I have no doubt in my mind that I can ride the Electa Glide. I plan on keeping to back roads and neighborhoods for a while. I’m going to go fill it up today. While I appreciate everyone’s feedback about whether or not I should find a different bike to learn on, I have decided to just go with it and take my time. Its a bit bigger of a bike. Its an older bike. I don’t think I could find anything that would feel more right for me.
I know my dad would be proud.
