Re: Love when it's something simple (maintenance)

"Steve from Mass (at home)" <smarshallpaul@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:86udnYqXpIBm5RrXnZ2dnUVZ_hednZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Shirley, a round for the house.

You know, that Simple Green *** really is amazing stuff. Never used it before. Not that I was intent on cleaning my bike for poser points or nuttin', but Mule's sure nice and clean now.

Been leaking something under the primary when leaned over on the stand since well before the EKIII run, and after the run, she was filthy from top to bottom and in every nook and cranny. It was time for both a poser and a "maintenance" level cleaning.

When I stopped overnight in Owego NY on the EKIII return trip, I noticed she was leaving three or four thick spots of lubricating fluids on the pavement, but I didn't know where from. I did know it was now more than just the minor primary fluid drip I've had for a while now, and that it was more than could be accounted for coming outta the rocker covers on the rear jug, even after hard riding. Something else musta gave way.

So, after commutting with her all week since my return, I finally cleaned both the shiny side and the dirty side this afternoon after draining the oil. The Simple Green and a dish scrub brush made pretty easy work of getting the years of oil soaked grime off the bottom of the motor (and between the fins on the jugs) where a human can reach through the frame.

Once it was all clean, I added the fresh oil and let it sit for an hour to see if it was just seeping outta the joints or hoses somewhere. Nope, no oil marks. I then fired up the motor and let it run about 5 minutes. And there on the driveway, dripping off the lowest point of the crank case, was a small puddle.

So, I got up underneath to see what was going on, and followed the stream back to the fitting for the oil filter feed tube. The nut was a bit loose so I tightened it up, but the exhaust is in the way, so it's gonna have to come off to get a good idea of whether the filter tube fitting just needs to be tightened some more, or if I'm gonna need to replace the seal.

***, that's all fine, pulling the exhaust is something I intended to do anyhow. As I mentioned in an another post, I started to hear a cracking sound under load after running hard from Corning to Owego, and that turns out to be (I believe) the exhaust leak in the crossover pipe (Ebay'd a header a month or so ago). Fresh gaskets for the exhaust system were already on my list along with the motor oil and filter, so I should be able to get cracking at it first thing in the morning and be on the road well before noon, to nowhere, maybe north by northwest.

It's good to know where the problem is. I'll tighten up the fitting and keep an eye on it. If it still leaks, I'll put in a new seal on the next oil change. It's as good an excuse as any to put another 3000 miles on her before too long.

Then I'll be needing tires. (It never ends, ...thankfully.)


HHH here on the east end of Long Iiiiiiiiisland. 85 w/85 humidity. Scorcher. Summer's finally here just in time for fall to come around the corner. Bike's a dirty mess, just enough to make me wash it today. Riding home from EKIII was the filth kicker. 160 mile ride home later will be a hot one. If I hit typical Summer Sunday traffic, it could get ugly. :/

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Numbero #128

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