What did you do for your Buell today?

[Cooter]

Ok, it's not a Buell, but what do you do when the muffler on the forklift gets all blown out?

Obviously you take a 1990's Yosh pipe off the dusty back shelf and like fer sher, make it like, totally radical okay?

 

[outthere]

****canned the rear brake cyl. reservoir. Just using a piece of hose with a bolt stuffed in the end drilled to breath.

 

[DieterVonCunth]

Changed engine oil & oilfilter and primary oil.

 

[Cooter]

Been tracing a long time minor issue that I think a new ECM box solved (shocked, and even with the same fuel map!) and decided to add a port for a screw on fuel pressure gauge into the injector housing.

It should make any future fuel system diagnosis super simple I've been meaning to do it for awhile, and I can't take credit for the idea. Crazy Ol' TPHAK did it first.


Fairly straightforward job. Pull the airbox base and airhorn off. Take off the IAC, and it took a right angle bit driver to get at the 4 Phillips screws that had the injector housing on, then just pull it up, off the injectors.

Man, I wish I had a chance to clean them while they were out and there really only the 4 TB bolts left to get to the intake gaskets. Oh well next time I guess.

 

[Cooter]

I also installed the dash that I had put the Voltmeter/clock/timer/and temp gauge display in:


Right now it's just measuring ambient temp, but the probe will reach the head or the oil cooler. Not bad for $3:applause:

I keep having to ask Siri to convert Celsius though. The gauge I got doesn't do Fahrenheit. Us Americans don't get that commie measurement system.

 

[Cooter]

And swapped the knobbies back on, might have a dirt trip soon:angel:

 

[outthere]

Removed muffler, wheels, belt. Took primary cover off to tighten starter. Reinstalled primary, refilled with 900ml fluid and got out the Brakekleen and went to work. All clean again. Installed spare wheels with Q4's, muffler back on and were race ready. Took 6 hours. These day's I work slow and thoughtful. Ass hurts from sitting on stool. Sat on the porch and watched the birds for an hour along with 2 beers. Finally a day without smoke.

 

[mike lowary]

Lightened my stator rotor by 1/4lb

 

[34nineteen]

Is that steel? Ugh. Puhleasze.


You should knock some of the magnets off the rotor to lighten it even more. You may have to convert the lights to LED to prevent over taxing the electrical system, though. The R/R will probably live longer as it really wont have to shunt off any excess current.

 

[Silverrider]

Tank pads on both Bikes

 

[Cooter]

Love those SR^^^ they're not cheap for what they are but very nice! I put one on the MV but I spent yesterday turning sexy Italians into cash.

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FWIW I bought it simply because it looks amazing, but I did fall for her and was VERY impressed to find a razor sharp, smooth as silk, dependable girl. But no lie. I was always waiting to come home one day to find my wallet missing and all my crap on the lawn

 

[Cooter]

I got inspired from someone reviving a necro-thread. Didn't know "rings" were a thing way back when. I like the look so... I found some 3" polished stainless from an exhaust tip project in the scrap pile. Chopped off 3/8" wide sections, polished the inside with a Dremel. Bam!


I also temporarily added my WB O2 and gauge again to make sure she's running well and for some drivability tuning. Thank the LORD I finally solved a longtime issue by replacing an ECM(!). I'm not one to ever replace a part unless I can test it and it fails...
Running the same fuel map, it has MUCH more power, starts easier (no more Buell-bump), and is even quieter running down the road? Like dramatically so. Whatever. I'll take it!

And attempted to install a smaller (11mm) rear brake master cylinder for the THIRD time. Fail. Eff China.

 

[optomist]

What I did for my Buell Ulysses Weds last was drop it at O mph, simply moving it around the shop. Over she went. Barrett located a new brake lever for me. I will find out Monday if it is the right one.
Frame pucks are a good thing as it took the brunt of the hit. I am hoping the Master Cyl is OK, seems to be.

No excuse but I am blaming it on an evil wind.

 

[outthere]

Last time I wrecked it was unloading it from the truck. That was an effed up weekend. After the day was done, Sunday @ TH, I was loading the bike, 1st gear up the ramp. I've been using a stool for the last 15 years as a stepping stone to get me in the truck. Well, it finally caught up with me at my advanced age and off the bike went on it's own power after I missed the stool. Ruined the fairing. Getting it out of the truck the next day I decided speed was the key ( going backwards ) to making it up the slight incline to the garage. Stupid idea. I parted company with the bike, landed on my head and it effing hurt.

About 1 month ago I did another stupid maneuver and fell off a ladder. Still limping from that. Black and Blue should be my nick name. Both elbows effed off, big effing knot on my head, cracked pelvis. One of these days.

 

[optomist]

Today I will discuss "what my Buell tried to do to me". Tried to kill me is what. I put on my new and correct brake lever and started the 40 miles to home. The brakes seemed fine. I made it about 3 miles, with multiple stops. Going along about 50 or so--the motor started bogging, felt like it was running out of fuel, after a second I realized what was happening was that the front brake had locked up solid.

So next I am stuck on the actual 2-lane highway, off course people are veering around me, beeping, cursing, giving me the finger etc. Did anyone offer to help--nope. I had to physically move one end at a time 'til I got the bike over to the shoulder. Try it sometime with the front wheel locked up. Well, I did it, the bike didn't tip over and I didn't get a heart attack.

I didn't have any tools with me, which is unusual. I set off to get some help from a nearby friendly Outboard shop. The Angels intervened as the owner was just heading out on to the road. He scooped me up and we went back to his shop and got a crescent wrench. Back to the bike and loosened off the brake line at the Master Cylinder. The brake released and I went home with only the back brake.

I don't "get" what happened as yet. I am in the process of taking the brake system apart trying to sort it out. ebay has lots of Made in China master cylinders with levers for $20.00--no thanks. If I buy a new one it would have to be the real deal Nissin?.

This is an '09 Uly. The MC has a brake light switch, a mirror mount included.
any thoughts as to what happened? The MC is free now.


Regards to all,

Optomist

 

[34nineteen]

Was it a new and correct Buell OE lever for that specific master cylinder?

Levers that are slightly out of spec can cause slight pressure to be applied to the brake, which will heat up, cause the fluid to expand and lock up the brake. This is why there are articles on the cheap chinese adjustable levers which are supposed to be correct for an XB to require clearancing. I realize this isnt your exact scenario, but just an example.




or you may have sticking brake pistons in the caliper (or a sticky master cylinder piston) causing the same thing. Being that you mentioned changing the lever before this happened, I would start there.

 

[Barrett]

John: only 3 things can cause this.
1-a frozen/stuck/corroded caliper piston/pistons
2-a collapsed brake hose/line.
3-constant pressure being applied to the master cylinder plunger via the brake lever.

the lever i had found for you should have been the stocker and it has a small 4-position thumb-wheel adjuster. i have seen these adjusters become clogged up, corroded and the adjustment cam gets out of wack. if set to position #4, the gap between the the plunger tip and lever cam becomes too tight resulting in locked brakes. try cleaning it and setting to #1 and see if that resolves the problem.

check the interference gap between the lever tip and the master cylinder plunger tip. therein lies your problem.

 

[34nineteen]

https://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?7752-Front-Brakes-Locking-Up

 

[Cooter]

Wow Opto, that sucks. Chinese lever syndrome happened to me, and ya, its damn near impossible to move a bike with a locked front wheel:upset: These guys have it nailed ^^^. Make sure the lever isn't touching the M/C piston at rest. You can pull it forward and see easily while it's still on the bike.

One last thing to check is if something clogged the compensation port in the M/C. Theres a big hole in the bottom that refills the piston bore and also a VERY small one, the "compensation port" that needs to be clear as well. A welding tip cleaner (Harbor freight $2) or a piece of wire pulled off a BBQ brush should do it.

 

[34nineteen]

These guys have it nailed ^^^.

Actually I learned this from lunatic fringe.

In the mountain bike world, there is a maker of disc brakes that has problems with heat locking up the brakes as well. Their problem is that as the system heats up (just from a warm/hot ambient temp) the M/C piston will get stuck and will not release. I thought that was happening on my first XB, and lunatic fringe set me straight and recommended tossing the junk chinese levers and replacing with OE.

Between that advice, as well as Deka Big Crank batteries, grounding system issues, relay issues, and fuel pump issues, he has given me a huge amount of priceless advice that I apply to every new Buell I get, and I am grateful!