TECH TIP EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE WE HEAR OF AN Owner who was stranded on the side of the road because his rear drive belt snapped. Unfortunately, some of these folks were the cause of their own problem. A rear drive belt, whether It's old or new, must be handled carefully and correctly to prevent internal damage. A belt should never be bent into a loop smaller than 5 inches in diameter, nor should it ever be bent back wards. Yet, stick a belt in a guy's hands and that's usually the first thing he does with it. The problem is that though the belt will bend past limits without much effort, it will be weakened enough internally to snap, usually at an Inopportune time. Another mistake is to reinstall an old belt in the wrong direction. Once a belt has been used on a bike, it must always rotate over the pulleys in the same direction. A Simple way to ensure that you do get It back on correctly is to put a direction of rotation arrow on the belt in chalk before the belt is removed from the bike. One other tip: Be gentle with the belt while getting It off the bike. Internal damage will also happen if you twist the heck out of It during the removal process. Found in American Iron Magazine
SAFETY SLICKER A cautionary taleLast week I used Black Magic on my 1995 Fat Boy to shine the outside of the tire. On my first ride after doing this, while making my first turn, my bike slid as if! was riding on ice and then fell completely side-ways. I slid about 15’ on my side, making a huge gash in the road. Horrified, I got up, expecting my tank, chrome pipes. and fenders to be totally destroyed. To my astonishment, there wasn't’t a single scratch on the bike! I realised that the bar holding the foot-peg underneath my bike took the entire brunt of the fall. I was wearing heavy boots, jeans, and a tank top. Only my arm and boots got scratched. What a miracle! When I got home and started looking over my bike, I realised my tires were covered with an oily substance. I cleaned them thoroughly, cleaned up my arm, and went on my way to the beach on my bike. Later, I read the instructions on the bottle. The first thing it says on the top is “Do Not Use On Motorcycles!” Philippe Bolsson Tampa, Florida Found in AIM
THE BELT DRIVE The FLHTC lost its enclosed, oil bath, rear chain drive after 1984 and was outfitted with the extremely reliable rear belt drive in 1985. The enclosed chain, developed because of emissions controls, left no oil deposits on the ground and the cover and oil bath dampened the chain noise. These are also the reasons for H-D's change to rear belt drive. A Kevlar belt seems to never wear out, and it eliminates the mess a rear chain makes by flinging oil all over cleaned and polished rear wheels. Even when abused, these rear belt systems easily last 10 years on a stock bike. I'm sure there are1985 Harleys with the original rear belt still on them today. An official Motor Company PHD training video shows a full bagger suspended in the air by one of the aramid fibres that the belt is made from. However, every new situation will bring a new problem. Old time Harley riders were used to checking their rear chain every time they went for a ride, so adjusting and checking them was a daily or weekly maintenance chore. Not so with new riders! They're used to never having to maintain or check the rear belt drive, so it gets ignored. But now, the belts on high mileage bikes have been wearing out and occasionally leaving a negligent rider high and dry on the side of the road. Changing a rear belt is a big deal; it's expensive, not all shops stock them and it takes a mechanic with some special tools anywhere from three to five hours to change one. Chains, on the other hand, have a couple of advantages over a belt. They're easier and much less expensive to repair on the side of the road, and more shops stock them. The other biggie is that it's inexpensive and easy to swap out the rear sprocket for gear ratio changes. Pulleys should be changed with worn belts the sprockets with worn chains because of adverse wear if not changed in tandem, the worn sprocket/pulley will prematurely wear out the new chain/belt. Found in American Iron Magazine
THE BELT DRIVE
The FLHTC lost its enclosed, oil bath, rear chain drive after 1984 and was outfitted with the extremely reliable rear belt drive in 1985. The enclosed chain, developed because of emissions controls, left no oil deposits on the ground and the cover and oil bath dampened the chain noise. These are also the reasons for H-D's change to rear belt drive.
A Kevlar belt seems to never wear out, and it eliminates the mess a rear chain makes by flinging oil all over cleaned and polished rear wheels. Even when abused, these rear belt systems easily last 10 years on a stock bike. I'm sure there are1985 Harleys with the original rear belt still on them today. An official Motor Company PHD training video shows a full bagger suspended in the air by one of the aramid fibres that the belt is made from.
However, every new situation will bring a new problem. Old time Harley riders were used to checking their rear chain every time they went for a ride, so adjusting and checking them was a daily or weekly maintenance chore. Not so with new riders! They're used to never having to maintain or check the rear belt drive, so it gets ignored. But now, the belts on high mileage bikes have been wearing out and occasionally leaving a negligent rider high and dry on the side of the road.
Changing a rear belt is a big deal; it's expensive, not all shops stock them and it takes a mechanic with some special tools anywhere from three to five hours to change one. Chains, on the other hand, have a couple of advantages over a belt. They're easier and much less expensive to repair on the side of the road, and more shops stock them. The other biggie is that it's inexpensive and easy to swap out the rear sprocket for gear ratio changes. Pulleys should be changed with worn belts the sprockets with worn chains because of adverse wear if not changed in tandem, the worn sprocket/pulley will prematurely wear out the new chain/belt.
Need a bike lift strong enough to lift your Harley Check out Machine Mart Their bike lift costs gbp 118 incl VAT It works well and easily lifts my softail They have a store on A12 at Ley Street junction Ilford or see and order on line http://www.machinemart.co.uk/ where they will deliver for a tenner you wont be disappointed
New Number Plate - When size does matter! Faced with the problem of fitting a smart chrome rack onto the back of my 03 low rider. I discovered that it cannot fit with the new standard issue number plate. Having no wish to collect a fine & points for fitting an illegal variation plate the quest was on. Local dealers could not confirm a remedy, other than cutting the stock issued one down. Ok i know loads of owners are happy to do that, but I can confirm that after trawling through various plate makers, there is another answer, I discovered that the "Off the Shelf" legal plate from Halfords is the perfect size for the job. It fits with about 1/4" to spare. They even offer it with 2 legal typefaces! Photozapper.
Thinking of going to france soon or in the coming year?. Then take note of this letter below..... Quote................Colleague of mine helps organise trips to 2-wheeled trips to France / Switzerland etc and recently completed a successful 2 week trip with about 9 others (on his K1100LT and the others on road-rockets). HOWEVER ...... he told me that a few weeks ago another batch of about 10 road missiles (average age = 45, average income = probably too much) headed over to France for the last of the good weather following approx the same route down through France. On Day 2, at a payage, the gendarmerie were there in force to meet them. They were waved over, asked to take off helmets, cut engines and dismount. They were told that they'd been timed between payages and their average speed was over 100 mph. What followed was a short sharp shock. They were asked to pay a fine of over £500 (sterling equivalent) each [taken to cashpoints to achieve this]; their bikes were confiscated and they were told to leave France by public transport... which they did. On returning, solicitors were contacted to begin the process of getting the bikes back. However, at this point French bureaucracy cut in par excellence and they were told they'd need to appear in a French court to ask for their bikes back .... total estimates of costs likely to exceed the value of the bikes in most cases, plus the risk of yet more fines. State of play is that some of the riders have decided not to pursue recovery of their bikes. The rest goes on. Why did this happen ? Well, story is that it seems the French authorities have had a "gutfull" of British bikers entering France and racing down their autoroutes and have decided to act very tough. Very tough indeed. So fines, confiscation and legal action are the "soup du jour". Expect more of same in 2004. Well, if we're honest (and I mean honest), the GS1150 isn't exactly a 100 mph machine (thank heavens) and doesn't have the "idiot rich boy" image (yet) that the R1's, XXXXBlades and Duck-ati etc etc have yet. So maybe less of a problem. But they are looking for "groups of bikers" who behave irresponsibly as they are now fair game in more ways than one. Be warned. The legal guys have said that this is the pattern from now on. Fine - confiscation - fast departure and expensive legal action later on is the new reality. The Swiss, Italians and Germans will probably follow. Spaniards - well, maybe in another 10 years when the EU grant money runs out. As for my colleague - well the trips are still on for 2004 but at what he calls "BMW pace" !!__________________RegardsPete. ( It`s as well to be lucky as good ) Sent to me by PaPa Smurf Thanks Paul
BLACK GOO REVISITED Someone asked how he should remove the black goo from his pipes where his nylon rain suit had melted onto the pipes. I’ve found that super-fine #0000 steel wool works great for removing melted material from my pipes, and it does not scratch or damage the chrome finish; whether it’s a melted rain suit or another common problem, namely a melted boot heel. Just lightly rub the area with the steel wool and the melted material comes right off. C. CAVINS JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Found in American Iron Magazine
Hi, This is a technical point that may be of use to owners of Sportsters and possibly other models too.Last week my bike would not start, itseemed to be a flat battery. I have a 1999 XLH 1200 S. After I had charged the battery it still would not start, even the lights would not come on. After a few hours checking all the wiring that I could see, I found the problem. The live cable from the + battery terminal to the starter was at fault. In fact the ring terminal at the starter end was not connected to the cable at all!The battery cables have a corrugated plastic cover on them, at the starter end it is sealed onto the ring terminal with shrinkwrap tubing this means that any moisture finding it's way down the open top end of the corrugated cover, lies on the cable at the joint with the terminal, it cannot drain away or evaporate easily, thus causing corrosion and inevitable failure! The replacement cable is available at motor spares shops for a few pounds and not difficult to fit, I have left the end of the corrugated cover unsealed to allow drainage and used a little anticorrosion battery terminal grease, this cable should last a lot longer than the original one did.I would think it worth owners checking their + cables to prevent the same happening to them, Nigel
If anyone wants a Harley stand -brand new £10.00 and its yours Tony (shooter)
Harley stand.. made myself one of these this afternoon. works like a good un and saves heaps of dough. full details are on this website......www.nightrider.com/biketech/bikelift.htm
Goo REMOVERI had the same thing happen to me on my 1995 Fat Boy. My nylon pants melted on the drag pipes while I was riding the bike. To remove the melted plastic on the pipe, the solution I came up with was this: Re start the bike and run the engine until the pipes are hot, which will re-melt the plastic. Then take a thick rag with paint thinner on it and rub it a few times over the plastic, and it will come off without damaging the chrome. Philippe Bpisson Tampa, Florida Goo REMOVER II After years of trying everything under the sun, I’ve finally found the best cure for removing boot marks and melted rain suits from my chrome exhaust pipes. Wet down a #0000 steelwool pad with nail polish remover and rub the area. The goo will come off like magic. Make sure the nail polish remover has acetone in it. The steel wool will not scratch the finish, and the remover will not discolor the chrome. Jim Recco Via Internet Found in American Iron Magazine.
If you ever have difficulty selecting neutral, try fitting a Hayden M6 Primary Chain Tensioner. I fitted one to my evo recently and found that gearchanges become much smoother and the primary chain is adjusted automatically. I have seen these advertised recently in American Iron Magazine for about $90 (excluding postage), but Wallys Cycle World sells them at $59.95 at present, plus postage (this brings the total cost close to $90). It took me about an hour or so to fit and was well worth the money. They are available for sportys. evos and twin cams.
Incidentally do you know that it's possible to put your tail light in thewrong way round?.............Well it is very easy to do. So before you put the cover back on just touch the breaks to check, If the light dosn't brighten, You've got it in the wrong way.
Taillight bulbs. Those little plastic canisters for 35 mm film, are a perfect fit for standard sized bulbs. You never worry about having a spare bulb when you need one
Taillight bulbs.
Those little plastic canisters for 35 mm film, are a perfect fit for standard sized bulbs. You never worry about having a spare bulb when you need one
Cleaning the black on your engine. To clean the black on your engine, fins etc, do this, heat up the bike to normal operating temperature, then spray onto the black parts (even the engine casings) some furniture polish, the one to use is Mr. Sheen don’t use the ones with fragrances. It will sizzle but that's ok and that’s it - your black will look like new Using WD4O. Don’t use harsh solvents to get glue off your bike use WD4O, it also works well on tar, the best thing is it will also protect your bike
Cleaning the black on your engine.
To clean the black on your engine, fins etc, do this, heat up the bike to normal operating temperature, then spray onto the black parts (even the engine casings) some furniture polish, the one to use is Mr. Sheen don’t use the ones with fragrances. It will sizzle but that's ok and that’s it - your black will look like new
Using WD4O.
H-D IronHead Sportsters: Need a new oil filter? If you want to save a couple of quid or just can't get to the H-D dealer, do what I did and get your local garage /motor accessories shop to match up with a filter for a car. Unfortunatley, the one you want is for a Volvo! Yes, it fits perfect and it works perfect. Part numbers from the H-D are useful, but if your local garage is run by a helpful geezer then he won't mind taking a bit of time out to help. It is not a genuine Volvo part but I think it might be Unipart or simular. I painted mine black before I fited it. Click this for something really clever.
This time of year June / July / August, when travelling down country roads at night say to an evening HOG meeting strange things happen. What I'm talking about is sudden showers that only seem to last seconds and come from no-where and are damned annoying when you don't expect it. Don't worry it's not all that strange it's just Farmer Giles left his irrigation on all night again. But that's not as bad as the Bird Scarers. But that's another story.
SMOKING KILLS Being stuck without a match was worth taking a risk for in this tip from "motor cycle" of 1924 "At some timeor other we have all probably been caught on a deserted road with plenty of cigarettes but no matches,and longing for a smoke.A tip worth knowing in such circumstances is to remove the sparking plug,reattach the high tension wire ,invert the plug and fill it to just below the top with petrol.Then,holding the body of the plug onto the cylinder,kickstart until a spark ignites the petrol,then light your cigarette"
Going camping this week end? Need a pillow? No space! The answer take an empty pillowcase and put your spare clothes in it to rest your head on at night.
Henry said add this tip so I'm doing as instructed. The best thing we've found to mop up oil spills is cat litter, its brilliant and almost exactly the same stuff as you buy in an 'oil spill kit'. The only word of advice I do have about it though, is shut the garage door when you're not in there or you will find your cat has left you a small gift on the top while you were gone.
Riding in the Rain? If your leather gloves get soaked to the point where they are difficult to get on, nick some plastic gloves available by diesel pumps at filling stations, put these on and your leather gloves will just slide on. An added benefit is that your hands stay dry. Also, if you have to put waterproof trousers on, try putting a carrier bag over your boots first - same principle as above applies and it stops you hopping on one leg by the side of the road. Most uncool!
Not a lot of help to us in the uk this one, But it might be of some interest to our American cousins. THIS IS FOR THE USA ONLY This procedure works in any state. Read it and if you get a ticket try it, you have nothing to lose but the points in your license. If you get a speeding ticket or went through a red light or whatever the case may be, and you are going to get points on your license, then there is a method to ensure that you DO NOT get any points. When you get your fine, send in the check to pay for it and if the fine is say $79, then make the check out for $82 or some small amount above the fine. The system will then have to send you back a check for the difference, but here is the trick! ---DO NOT CASH THE CHECK!! Throw it away! Points are not assessed to your license until all the financial transactions are complete. If you do not cash the check, then the transactions are not complete. However the system has gotten its money so it is happy and will not bother you any more. (SOURCE: Thoonen Production Administrator RACV Touring Publications.)
THIS IS FOR THE USA ONLY
This procedure works in any state. Read it and if you get a ticket try it, you have nothing to lose but the points in your license.
If you get a speeding ticket or went through a red light or whatever the case may be, and you are going to get points on your license, then there is a method to ensure that you DO NOT get any points.
When you get your fine, send in the check to pay for it and if the fine is say $79, then make the check out for $82 or some small amount above the fine. The system will then have to send you back a check for the difference, but here is the trick! ---DO NOT CASH THE CHECK!!
Throw it away! Points are not assessed to your license until all the financial transactions are complete. If you do not cash the check, then the transactions are not complete. However the system has gotten its money so it is happy and will not bother you any more.
(SOURCE: Thoonen Production Administrator RACV Touring Publications.)
Before engaging first gear hold the clutch lever in for 5-10 seconds. This will stop the crunch you normally get when engaging first gear.
Leather Saddle Bag Care To bring back the like new shine on your leather saddle bags. Spray with Lemon Pledge then wipe with soft clean cloth. It makes them look great and smell lemon fresh too.
Leather Saddle Bag Care
To bring back the like new shine on your leather saddle bags. Spray with Lemon Pledge then wipe with soft clean cloth. It makes them look great and smell lemon fresh too.
No Drip Cable Lube Lubing a cable without spilling can be a pain. A simple way to lube and eliminate the mess is to take the spark plug boot and put it over the cable end. The boot will act as a funnel and keep the lube from running all over. Tape the cable upright to the handlebars. Fill the boot with some lube and come back to it after all the lube has worked it's way down the cable.
No Drip Cable Lube
Lubing a cable without spilling can be a pain. A simple way to lube and eliminate the mess is to take the spark plug boot and put it over the cable end. The boot will act as a funnel and keep the lube from running all over. Tape the cable upright to the handlebars. Fill the boot with some lube and come back to it after all the lube has worked it's way down the cable.
