Took my Ulysses for a couple of long trips this past summer and some service was required this winter. Exactly a year ago I did the rocker box gaskets and it was suggested that I tear the heads off and do the base gaskets at the same time. Well the base gaskets weren't leaking then but the rear cylinder did start weeping pretty good in the fall. Lesson learned. The shifter was playing some silly games so an overhaul of the internal and external shifter linkage was in order.
work performed;
- new tires
- oil & filter
- primary case gasket and fluid
- total top end gasket replacement (base, head, rocker box, intake, exhaust)
- painted the muffler (rusts like iron in the rain)
- inspected wheel bearings (year old, 10,000 miles)
- ground wire to ignition coil
- changed right front fork seal
- replaced fork oil
I'm debating on performing the breather re-route, there was some oil residue in the airbox. Besides being a little messy, there was no drips. I'm sure it will improve performance but I'm afraid of letting that yucky residue drip down on to my rear tire. My S3 Crankcase breather was dripping oil on to my rear tire, wasn't very confidence inspiring. PO obviously overfilled the primary case.
Maintenance wise I find the bike very easy to work on and the price of parts very reasonable, my other ride is a ducati. The service manual and a Torque wrench are mandatory! One very interesting observation was the initial startup. Since the sporty evolution motor is a push rod beast there is no timing alignment concerns when removing the heads. I drained all of the oil, even the 1/2 quart that sits in the very bottom, you need to pull the muffler and access it with an allen key. What a DUMB design to leave 1/2 a quart of old oil in the bike when performing oil changes, but I digress. I pulled the engine apart, drained all of the oil and it sat for about a month before I found the time to put it all back together. When I started the bike it knocked like it was dry and I left a handful of sockets in the heads. I ran the bike for about 30 seconds two or three times before I shut it down. My heart was somewhere in my shoes, somehow I cooled my motor, not a nice feeling. I immediately assumed I messed up the push rods, either I swapped the intake, exhaust push rods or they weren't seated properly. After rotating the engine again (I'm getting good at that little procedure) and confirming the push rods and rocker box linkage was working properly I noticed NO OIL in the top end of the motor. I could imagine one push rod being blocked, preventing oil from lubricating the head but not all four. I re-assembled everything and pulled the spark plugs. I ran the starter for 3 to 5 minutes to hopefully give the oil pump an opportunity to prime. When I assembled the motor I made sure I filled the oil filter with fresh oil. When I did start the bike after inspecting the rocker boxes it knocked a little at first but quickly quieted down and it sounds like there is no permanent damage.
Is it normal for the evolution motor to take a while for the oil pump to start doing its job? I read on a number of sporster forums a similar issue after tearing down the head. Should I have applied a startup lubricant to the rocker box and valve assemblies? I did wipe everything down but its not like I sprayed it with brake cleaner.
If anyone could recommend a better startup procedure or a similar experience I would be grateful. There is nothing like the sound of the engine of your favorite bike imploding.
work performed;
- new tires
- oil & filter
- primary case gasket and fluid
- total top end gasket replacement (base, head, rocker box, intake, exhaust)
- painted the muffler (rusts like iron in the rain)
- inspected wheel bearings (year old, 10,000 miles)
- ground wire to ignition coil
- changed right front fork seal
- replaced fork oil
I'm debating on performing the breather re-route, there was some oil residue in the airbox. Besides being a little messy, there was no drips. I'm sure it will improve performance but I'm afraid of letting that yucky residue drip down on to my rear tire. My S3 Crankcase breather was dripping oil on to my rear tire, wasn't very confidence inspiring. PO obviously overfilled the primary case.
Maintenance wise I find the bike very easy to work on and the price of parts very reasonable, my other ride is a ducati. The service manual and a Torque wrench are mandatory! One very interesting observation was the initial startup. Since the sporty evolution motor is a push rod beast there is no timing alignment concerns when removing the heads. I drained all of the oil, even the 1/2 quart that sits in the very bottom, you need to pull the muffler and access it with an allen key. What a DUMB design to leave 1/2 a quart of old oil in the bike when performing oil changes, but I digress. I pulled the engine apart, drained all of the oil and it sat for about a month before I found the time to put it all back together. When I started the bike it knocked like it was dry and I left a handful of sockets in the heads. I ran the bike for about 30 seconds two or three times before I shut it down. My heart was somewhere in my shoes, somehow I cooled my motor, not a nice feeling. I immediately assumed I messed up the push rods, either I swapped the intake, exhaust push rods or they weren't seated properly. After rotating the engine again (I'm getting good at that little procedure) and confirming the push rods and rocker box linkage was working properly I noticed NO OIL in the top end of the motor. I could imagine one push rod being blocked, preventing oil from lubricating the head but not all four. I re-assembled everything and pulled the spark plugs. I ran the starter for 3 to 5 minutes to hopefully give the oil pump an opportunity to prime. When I assembled the motor I made sure I filled the oil filter with fresh oil. When I did start the bike after inspecting the rocker boxes it knocked a little at first but quickly quieted down and it sounds like there is no permanent damage.
Is it normal for the evolution motor to take a while for the oil pump to start doing its job? I read on a number of sporster forums a similar issue after tearing down the head. Should I have applied a startup lubricant to the rocker box and valve assemblies? I did wipe everything down but its not like I sprayed it with brake cleaner.
If anyone could recommend a better startup procedure or a similar experience I would be grateful. There is nothing like the sound of the engine of your favorite bike imploding.
