NGWClub®, Inc.

ritalz wrote: ↑Tue Apr 15, 2025 9:17 am Trying to get the covers off without pulling the radiator is giving me a hard time.

I bet that is a tough squeeze to get them out! The two bikes I've done belts on, I have always stripped down the cooling system so I could check the thermostat and fan switch. Now that I recall, the first bike had some gelled up coolant and needed deep cleaning, and the second (current 86 project) turned out to be empty from a small drip that had gone on for a year or more. The 86 also has the Poor Boy alternator pulley, no way that is coming off without getting the radiator out of the way!

Not having to drop the radiator would be nice for a quick check, though. Good luck!

I did get the covers off and the new belts are installed without pulling the radiator. It was very tight getting the last bolt out. I just was not ready to do the coolant work at this time. Covers were put back on with only the outer bolts. Inner bolts are not really necessary and replaced them with some short bolts to cover the holes.

New horns are much much better.

Decided to attack the stator plug today. Sure am glad I know to look at these. Plug was in such bad shape I don't know how it was still making contact. Put my cheap volt meter on and it was showing right at 15 volts. I'll keep an eye on that.

Put a better volt meter on the battery today and it settled around 14.5 volts. I'm going to call that a win for now.

Oil, filter and final drive fluid changed today. Bout ready to take this one out for some test miles.

Good to know, you deserve a break Al.

Got about 40 miles of test riding today. Found a couple of things that need to be addressed. A little popping between 2k and 3k rpms. Added some carb cleaner and fresh gas but not sure if that will be enough. Idle speed kept changing so I may have to do a little cleaning. Front brakes did little more than slow me down and noticed some fluid leaking from the left caliper. All of the controls and switches seem to be working. Overall I think it went well with mostly small stuff to look into.

Took the front brakes apart to see what was going on. The banjo on the left caliper may have been loose and causing the leak. May require a rebuild and new pads since there was oily residue everywhere. Did a lot of cleaning and put it back together since I don't have the parts on hand. I'll give it another test before ordering parts. There is also two different types of pads in use with plenty of meat left. It's no wonder there was not much stopping power. Would have done more today but decided to go for a ride instead. My favorite ice cream shop is a little over an hour away. One banana split please.

Banana Split … mmmmm …

Gord

I too would have gone to the ice cream store instead. It was a beautiful day for sure.

Started to go for another shakedown today but the bike had different plans. Started and died a couple of times before I could leave the yard. Tracked the problem down to the main fuse holder on the solenoid had heated up once too many times and melted part of the holder. Solenoid appears to be unharmed but the fuse holder and connections are not usable. New part should be here on Saturday.

Bummer but it will not happen again. The new holder should be good for 50 years or more.

Ordered the part from amazon and slated for delivery today. Opened the package to find a bag of cat5 patch cords. Now I have to wait and see if they send the right part on Sunday.

Saturday morning I sent the cat5 cables back and Saturday afternoon the correct part showed up. Mind you the return process had just started and the replacement part has been ordered. On Sunday afternoon the replacement showed up so noe I have two of them. Good news is the part was a perfect match and works great.
In other news, the front caliper was not where the leak was coming from. It was seepage from the left fork seal. I cleaned it up and ran a piece of film negative around the seal. Probably won't stop the leak with my luck but worth a try. Guess I'll be ordering some fork seals soon. Not looking forward to that job.