'09 1125 clutch cover upgrade to '10 spec

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Mesozoic

Mesozoic

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 4, 2008
Messages
385
Location
Tucson, AZ
Hey guys, hoping you can help me figure out the correct course of action here. I found a good Buell tech in my hometown and farmed out the valve adjustment job as well as the '10 MY water pump/clutch cover upgrade.

Tearing the '09 clutch cover off, there's one distinct difference I'm unclear of how to address: the '09 clutch cover has what appears to be an oil drain line attachment plumbed from the rear cylinder head - the '10 clutch cover does not have this provision. What to do? If anyone has an exploded diagram of the '10 1125 engine, it might show this difference. My options appear to be modifying the '10 cover to accomodate the oil drain or remove the external oil drain line and plug the hole in the rear head.

Any thoughts? Here's a few pics of the existing oil drain line.

oildrain.jpg
oilsource.jpg
 
Not a drain line. It's actually an oil pressure line to cool the seal on the water pump, and the cover was cast with thicker webbing to accommodate the change. For your bike you can just block it.

FYI the 2010 (only) 1125 inner clutch cover is identical to the EBR 1190's. Just went down that wormhole....

E8254BCB-D2B0-49B1-92E8-D6BE540CBEEE.jpg

Edit: Came back to fix my mistake. It IS a drain line for the rear head, not a pressure line like I stated, and the threads in the cover are straight and metric. Not FPT. The line in the head has a nipple, I would pull it out with pliers and carefully use a bottoming tap it to plug it the same way.
 
Last edited:
Got my bike back from the shop and had to do the customary full inspection after cleaning to make sure nothing was loose. The overall quality of work was good, finding only one radiator mounting fastener loose, along with the bolt fastening the cable retainer on the right side (including the clutch hydraulic line), a bit of wire harness that needs zip-tying, and draining the engine oil to get the level within range. I've now got the '10 water pump upgrade, high bar kit installed, and the front head needed valve adjustment (shimming) whereas the rear was in spec.

It runs fantastic! It runs quite a bit better than it did before, so I reckon the adjustment was needed. Looking forward to getting back in the saddle and putting some miles on the CR - invested in a Laminar Lip since I intend to do some light touring with it soon.
 
Mesozoic said:
and the front head needed valve adjustment (shimming) whereas the rear was in spec.

It runs fantastic! It runs quite a bit better than it did before, so I reckon the adjustment was needed.
Click to expand...

Hopefully thats just perception, ya know a placebo effect like 'it ran better after I changed the oil, lol'.

Running notably better after a valve adjustment means that it was running poorly before and a sign of a problem. Since valve clearances shrink with wear, the only way they affect running and power (in a big enough margin to tell through your taint), is if the clearances went to 0 and they are being help open, which can burn the seats.
Hopefully it was a small change? I would think any decent mechanic would be startled enough to find 0 and mention it to you, to see if you want to repair or lap the valves/seats.

I hope if not adding unneeded concern, I hope you continue to pile on big miles! But IMO, worth it ask to your mechanic.
 
The engine has only 25K on it and I put on the last 6K. I think the better running condition is actually from the spark plug replacement.
 
So everything appears to be good, but clearly, the work done to plug the pressurized oil line at the rear cylinder head is not sealing very well. I've got some oil seepage onto the rear header and it's making a little mess. What have others done to to plug that no longer used port?
 
Whats normally in it? A Banjo? Whats in it now? A straight fine-threaded plug with a little copper gasket would be easy and clean. If you try to jam a MPT plug in there the threads will be ruined immediately and possible cracks and damage to the passage in the head as well:(
 
Cooter said:
Whats normally in it? A Banjo? Whats in it now? A straight fine-threaded plug with a little copper gasket would be easy and clean. If you try to jam a MPT plug in there the threads will be ruined immediately and possible cracks and damage to the passage in the head as well:(
Click to expand...

I reckon there's a press-fit tube in the head right now - the mechanic just used a short piece of the original hose assembly and plugged it with a bolt and a crimp-on clamp to attempt to seal it.
 
Sounds classy. A real Harley guy. Haha.

The right way would be to take the tube out, tap the hole and seal it with a plug and a gasket.

The easy way is to stick something other than a random bolt in the hose. Bolt threads aren't meant to seal pressure (obviously now, right?). Use something meant to seal against liquid pressure and will take the heat. A brass barb fitting to cap, a flared tube thats sealed, not a straight rod though, because you need a flare to stop it from spitting out of the hose and let all of your engine oil drain all over the exhaust and rear tire.
 

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