This is the continuation of one of James Russell's articles that contains useful information.
Due to his opinion differing from mine in many ways, I have edited some things to suit my way of thinking.
All the information contained in this article does not just pertain to Harley Davidson Motorcycles, it can be presumed that it applies to all motorcycles, where not specifically implied.
People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it's safer
to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs. ~Author Unknown
Part Three.....
31. Question:
A mechanic told me that he would still have to charge me labor to install cam gears only to discover my engine could not accept the gears due to a crankshaft run-out problem. Is this true or what?
Answer:
The mechanic is correct. The end of the crankshaft pinion shaft is narrow and subject to bend or warp out of concentricity, so a dial indicator has to be placed on the shaft to measure how much it is wobbling. If it hops too much the entire crankshaft will need to be replaced before gears can be installed otherwise the gears will clash and further bend the pinion shaft to the point the engine will run awfully bad or not at all. So you see installing cam gears can be a disaster if your crankshaft is out of whack. And you can imagine what will happen if the pinion shaft again bends? Yep, another new crankshaft with the threat it is going to keep happening to you.
(Harley Tech Tip #TT324:
Flywheel specifications:
Run-Out (crankshaft in crankcase) is 0-.010"
Run-Out (crankshaft on a truing stand) is 0-.004"
Flywheel Service Wear Limits:
Run-Out (crankshaft in crankcase) is .012"
Run-Out (crankshaft on a truing stand) is 0-.005"
Why are Twin-Cams having these lower-end problems as of late? It may be due to a few things such as:
• 2003 & later models have the same caged roller bearing as is used on the pinion (right) side as it is on the sprocket shaft (left) side of the engine. The preferred method to help better support the flywheels is to use a 2002 & earlier Timken bearing set-up. Companies such as S.T.D. can modify late crankcases to allow this. A customer's '07 FXDB has .002" of up and down play by grabbing the pinion shaft and moving up and down. What’s up with that? This in addition to .005” of pinion shaft run-out.
• These caged roller bearings have an outer race that works with the inner race on the pinion shaft and sprocket shaft. The service manual states clearance is .0002"-.0015"., but how do you measure that? There is no procedure for inspection mentioned in the service manual. Assumedly, you would measure the sprocket and pinion shaft inner races to determine correct clearance specs. However, if you look for a spec. for this you won't find it. Why is this?
• Noting the previously mentioned points. The bushing in the cam support plate has a tough job of supporting the pinion shaft and working with the oil pump. If there is a problem with the flywheels being out of true, excessive sprocket and/or pinion shaft clearances, or heaven forbid all the above then this bushing will rapidly wear. In addition, the oil pump will suffer as well as the cam support plate.) ............... From a V-Twin Forum Thread.
32. Question:
Do you recommend an oil cooler?
Answer:
The one James Russell uses is a Jagg. All air-cooled engines must have an oil cooler. Just because you can buy a brand new Harley without an oil cooler does not mean you don't need one, you do. Heat kills air-cooled engines. Keep the oil cool and you'll stave off many troubles. Pistons score cylinder walls and heads crack and valves bend and warp and bushings and bearings score with high engine heat. Even the new 110ci and larger Harley engines have oil coolers, but they are way too small and should be replaced with larger radiators. Buds Biker Parts and Ultra Cool has a fan assisted cooler for hot-running baggers. He had trouble with Jagg leaking oil from the adapter/hose bib threads. Not serious, but is not fun to deal with having to struggle with fixing these course thread-related leaks.
http://www.jagg.com/
http://www.ultracoolfl.com/
33. Question:
I need better braking power. What do you suggest?
Answer:
Harley-Davidson has good brakes. Even the sintered metal pads are fine. But you can get more braking power just by changing out the brake pads. Try the black carbon fiber organic pads. They will never fade as they get stronger the hotter the brakes get. They use them to stop aircraft and passenger trains. The cost is the same or less than stock pads. They do not squeal or bit the rotors hard. The only problem you may not enjoy is the black dust haze they produce on the wheel. The black dust comes off easily, so there is a price to pay after all. HH sintered metal pads are racing formula pads that are also big on stopping a bike, they produce little dust and no noise. Crotch rocket sport bikes use them. What you won't like is that they do wear the brake disk rotors a bit more than what you may be used to. It's not a horrible wear. You'll still get 50,000 out of your rotors but at 65,000 you may have to replace the rotors on the front wheel. The rear wheel rotor will not wear any faster than using stock pads as most braking power is in the front anyway. Still, using these more aggressive pads is cheaper than buying a four piston caliper set. Try both types of pads to see which one you like best. James Russell likes them both, but the carbon fiber takes the edge despite the dirtier wheel dust. On his Sportster he just stays with sintered metal stock pads or aftermarket stock replacement pads. He doesn't need extra braking power on that lighter weight bike.
34. Question:
What can I do to stop paying for brake jobs so often?
Answer:
Most Harley's are all too heavy for their brake rotors to handle. The rotors are too thin to start with, they could be thicker, but they do work even though the rotors are thin and soft. A lot of bike are like this so it is not just H-D's problem, but H-D's are heavier than most. Installing aftermarket rotors will give you options to purchase stronger steel brake rotors, but they won't be cheap in most cases. You need to learn to replace your own brake disk rotors. Can you unscrew a few bolts? If you look at your rotors they are only held on by a few bolts. Removing a front wheel on a Harley is easy. Just lift the bike with a ATV/Motorcycle frame lift, tie the bike down so it won't slip off the jack, remove front wheel, replace rotor(s). Piece of cake. It is your option to install new brake pads at this time... it is generally proper to install new pads with new rotors. If you don't? The bike will still stop after they adjust to the new rotors. I only mention this due to some people are on tight budgets and just may not be able to afford rotors and pads. In the real world you can do many things you are not supposed to do, technically speaking. Example: When you replace brake pads do you replace the rotors too? Of course not. The rotors normally last two to three or more pad replacements. You should put in new pads with new rotors to get a nice new brake job so the new pads will bed into the new rotor. If you do not want to learn to replace disk rotors and brake pads yourself, get your best friend mechanic to do the job for you.
35. Question:
How can I tell if a brake rotor is warped?
Answer:
Some riders will tell you to place a straight edge on the disk and slip a feeler gauge or piece of paper between the edge and disk to measure for gaps. In reality you need to mount a dial indicator to the disk and slowly rotate the wheel and check for run out that way. The service manual for your bike will tell you how much run out/warping is allowed. A little bit of warpage can be considered okay, even if you can feel a slight pulsation in the brake lever. You also need to measure rotor thickness. These limits are usually stamped on the rotor and you just use a micrometer to make your thickness measurement where the brake pads work and wear on the disk. If the disk is too thin, it is time for a new rotor/disk. Can you replace just the left rotor? Yes, you do not have to replace both rotors at the same time, but you will find both front rotors do tend to wear out at the same time. As you can imagine intense heat of braking will overheat pads and glaze them over and warp disk brake rotors. The heavier the bike the worse it gets for your brakes.
36. Question:
I need more stopping power. What advice can you share on brakes?
Answer:
You can still use stock brake rotors if you wish and just switch to stronger more powerful brake pads. They will be more harsh on your rotors, but safety to stop sooner has no price. You don't have to invest in expensive multi-piston calipers and floating disk rotors. They will give you more stopping power, no doubt about that, but not many people can afford the bill... even if you do it yourself. If you do, just upgrade the front wheel not the rear (unless you want to spend money). Be aware if you have skinny set of tires like those 21" on the front you lose a lot of braking power due to a loss of tire contact patch. Touring and Cruiser bikes normally have fatter tires. Sometimes brake levers can give you more leverage to increase braking power, but be careful as skidding or locking up the wheel is not what you want! Explore custom brakes as larger size rotors and multi-piston calipers will give increased braking power. If you have only one disk brake up front converting to a duel disk brake system will be ideal. You will be surprised to see increased braking power just by switching to high performance brake pads. Try that first. If aggressive HH and carbon fiber pads are not enough then you need to consider 4 or even 6 piston calipers, floating disk rotors and larger diameter rotors. Consider shedding weight as a heavy bike is tough on brakes. Jay Brake, Performance Machine, makes a six piston caliper that will give you all the stopping power you can handle. A four piston caliper is plenty of stopping power if you have duel front disks.
http://www.jbrake.com/
http://www.performancemachine.com/
37. Question:
My dealer told me I need new rotors because they are scratched. How can I know if this is legitimate I need new brake rotors?
Answer:
All brake rotors scratch and score like a phonograph record showing many grooves. Most will be shallow, but even deep grooves can be fine. If the disk is not showing overheat bluing in color and the grooves are still in spec with a micrometer thickness check and the rotor is not warped out of spec the disk rotor is fine, unless it is cracked. Some dealers are not to be trusted. The mechanics may just tell the service writer the bike needs brakes when it does not and business is drummed up that way making you "concerned" something is wrong. Get a second opinion at another shop, but even then, you could be lied to over and over. It is tough out there! To find honesty is very difficult in the auto/motorcycle/power sports repair industry. The repair industry reeks with corruption and dishonesty and it is horrible the scams taking place on people. Learn to fix your own bike or find a mechanic who you can trust.
38. Question:
Is the article "Join a Motorcycle Gang" for real?
Answer:
Yes, it is! You ride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle to appear cool, tough, wild and lawless, right? Of course you do! So, for you, this is your chance and your golden opportunity to join a motorcycle gang. Fill out the application and gang members will reply by return mail. This is the only way to find out if this article is true or not. I was told not to reveal any more information about this... secrecy must be guarded. After all, you could be a cop!
For a good laugh: http://www.jamesrussellpublishing.biz/joinmotorcyclegang.html
39. Question:
What's your opinion about permanent cleanable oil filters?
Answer:
James Russell does not use them. He prefers to not waste time having to clean the oil filter element screen, but does see advantages as you don't need to buy oil filters anymore, just clean the thing and reinstall it. They also have heat sink cooling fins on the filter and this is good to cool the oil. Problem is you can't use the filter if you buy a different motorcycle that has a different size mounting thread or spin-on o-ring sealing face. Scotts is a popular manufacturer. Wait until your motorcycle warranty has expired before installing permanent or other brand oil filters. If anything mechanical fails in the engine you can expect a fight rising as the warranty claim is denied blaming a faulty oil filter for the engine damage. Stay with the motorcycle's manufacturers brand oil filter when the motorcycle is under warranty. When the warranty has expired do as you wish, but damage to your engine could take place. How can you tell if a permanent oil filter is actually working or not? You can't tell once installed on the engine. This is true with disposable spin-on oil filters, but the odds are if you did get one defective filter stuck in by-pass mode, the second filter you install won't. If Harley-Davidson offers a new filter medium you'll have to put your expensive permanent filter in storage. But if you do use any oil filter make certain you use the proper oil filter as some Harley-Davidson models require no anti-drain-back valve, but modern engines do. If you see a lot of oil dripping from your air cleaner it may not be a breather blockage or worn piston rings issue. It can be simply a wrong oil filter as late model filters are less restrictive to oil flow that can build up in the crankcase and cam chest and blow upward into the breather system passageways. Even modern Sportster and Twin-Cam oil filters are different from each other in regards to dirty oil micron entrapment and oil flow rates. Engine damaging oil starvation or crankcase oil flooding (piston destruction from hydraulic action) can result if you install the wrong filter. Permanent oil filters run about 35 microns while spin-ons usually are 20 to 10 microns.
Diameter of average human hair 70 microns
Lower limit of visibility (naked eye) 40 microns
White blood cells 25 microns
Talcum powder 10 microns
Red blood cells 8 microns
Bacteria 2 microns
Carbon black 0.6 microns
Tobacco smoke 0.5 microns
Most Twin-Cam engines use an anti-drain valve filter. KN-171
Older engines don't require them. KN-170
V-Rods use KN-174 with ADV
http://www.scottsonline.com/Product_Info.php?PartType=3
http://www.knfilters.com/kn/harleyoilfilters.htm
http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/filters-and-by-pass-systems/motorcycle/
40. Question:
You recommend Progressive Suspension shocks?
Answer:
For three reasons. They have a large selection of shocks for Harley's and their cost truly is reasonable and they work as advertised. They actually have more shocks and more optional features than Harley-Davidson has for their own bikes. My advice is to remain with the stock length size. Do not lower or raise the bike. Lot's of riders want to lower their bike, but Harley's (Touring and Baggers) are already low and to lower the bike any further will prevent deep cornering without scraping pipes, frame, etc., on the pavement. There are more expensive shocks you can buy from other companies but Harley's don't need such fine tuning as lighter sport bikes. To save money buy the mid-range Progressive Suspension brand shock available for your bike and you will be satisfied with the ride and improved handling quality. If your bike bottoms out or hits you hard in the butt and back do yourself a favor and get some quality new shocks on your bike.
41. Question:
Every time I bring my bike in to my dealer I get bad news of one sort or another that there is something wrong with my bike I did not know I had. How can we protect ourselves from scams?
Answer:
Welcome to the power sports world where cheats thrive and devour the innocent. The motorcycle industry is inherently corrupted just as the automotive repair industry. There is something wrong with every motorcycle and dealers have a keen eye to remind you of every itsy-bitsy thing they can milk you for. Even oil changes can't be trusted as inferior oil is added, but you are billed for the good stuff. Used chrome and repainted oil filters have been installed while you are billed for a new filter which will enter by-pass mode and stop filtering the oil wearing out your engine. Guess who gets to fix it? Yep, the nice guys who do your service work! It is a shame, but this is one industry you do not want to trust. Many mechanics earn their money on percentages related to the job. It is an incentive for them to cheat. The mechanics can become so powerful that they actually hijack the dealership from the owners and can blackmail them too threatening to spill the beans. It happened to a motorcycle dealer in California that so many scams took place of cheating customers the owner had to shut the business down and fire everyone to clean up the place. All the employees from the sales and parts departments and mechanics were on the take and bankrupted the business are now working at some other dealership fixing the customers (pun intended). We are talking false billing, engine overhauls that never happened, oil changes with inferior oils, all sorts of wickedness. If you read Motorcycle Dealer News Magazine they report on things like this to expose the bad guys... if they can catch them! Most con artists today are not so sloppy and the cheat system they use is iron clad and fool proof as much as feasible. After all, lawyers and cops also ride bikes and they often can smell a rat, but the mice will play and not be caught. If you only knew what was going on you would learn to fix your own bike!
42. Question:
I was told I need to sit on the bike to check tire pressure. I never heard of this before, but it sounds proper. Is it?
Answer:
Your pressure gauge will not reveal a difference in tire air pressure whether you are on or off the bike. Maybe riding two-up you may see couple pounds increase, not enough to be concerned of. The reason is the rubber tire simply expands or contracts adjusting air volume so the air pressure does not rise or fall much at all. Just check the tire pressure with the tires cold with nobody sitting on the bike. You'll be fine.
43. Question:
When will Harley-Davidson build a water-cooled V-Twin engine?
Answer:
The V-rod is one, but I know what you mean. You will likely see a air-cooled finned engine as we do now, but hidden will be an internal water jacket passageways removing heat from critical areas like valve seats, heads and cylinders. I think the radiator will be the frame so nobody is going to see or know the engine is water cooled. There are no guarantees, but this is my prediction for the future. The V-Rod is a failure in the USA (but not in Europe) so the American market is old school. Also, fully flooded water jackets will absorb that Harley sound, so that will be avoided. I think if Harley had drilled water jacket passages they could solve heat problems they are having.
The new Touring Harley Davidson's have water cooled heads
44. Question:
Jims is building a 135 ci engine for Harley. What do you think about that engine?
Answer:
That engine is a racing only engine. It means what it means. Yes, H-D dealers will put that monster (136 HP, 135-foot-pounds torque) in your frame and let you go have fun. I do not know of racing engines with a useful warranty, so if this holds true you are on your own if that engine fails (be aware all racing engines fail sooner than later). What I saw so far is the engine is a Twin-Cam format and what I do not like is the cams are chain driven with nylon shoes. They are not gear driven like all true racing engines are. Even super bike race engines have no cam chains. They install a cascading gear set from the crank all the way up to the cams. Jims makes good stuff, but I have reservations at this point. What I would like to see is a S&S X-Wedge engine swapped into a stock Harley frame. Now that will be the cat's meow. Even the push rods are straight vertical risers, like the Sportster engine, and they are geared cams (even a cam belt drive is gear behaved).
http://www.jimsusa.com/engines.php
45. Question:
Which Website is the best for bikers?
Answer:
JC Motors has exceptional consumer friendly policies. They will even buy back your product in your lifetime... that is amazing. No restocking fees, no hassle returns. MotorcycleSuperstore.com was a favorite site, but now they are charging restocking fees and not even accepting returns on electronic items even if defective and that is bad business!
Some sites are good some are bad. Some don't sell to the public.
Sometimes you want something & only one place has it, so it is either deal with them or their representative if you want the item. Otherwise change your desires. It is buyer beware, so if you go in with the attitude that you may get a bad deal, at least it won't hurt so much when you do. Hopefully the item you wanted is worth the trouble.
Well that's it for part three......
Stay tuned for Part Four.
Happy Trails.....
No comments:
Post a Comment