stormsedge

The new owner reported the RM's arrival vicinity Kansas City yesterday. I'm out this year...unless...

I think I've noted this here before...years ago I stopped off on my '79 SP at a Cobra replica get-together at a decaying strip mall (small shopping center for those not seeped in the lore of Americanisms)...one of the snotty owners walked over, looked at it and said "why didn't you buy a Harley?" I responded with "Why didn't you buy a Corvette?" That was the end of our witty repartee. The V11 RM, in retrospect, always elicits positive comments...often from females tired of riding behind the leathered lump hanging from the apes of some Harley. Moral of the story? None...I think they just like the color k

((fourth in the five book trilogy by Douglas Adams...)) The RM ships out to a new owner this week along with all the pieces, parts, bent things and scribbled-on shop papers I've accrued over 9 years of ownership. Time for something new. Greatly appreciate all the support and thoughtful assistance from those on this site over the years. Keep smiling. k

I've not had carbon build up with mine.

Rich Maund rebuilt my seat with a gel pad in it a few years ago...make sure you get a foam pad over the gel as it gets hotter than a firecracker in the summer (I didn't do it against Rich's advice and my butt paid for it). To help with the heat, DLPierre (a poster here) put together a really nice wool saddle blanket...I've left that on year round. I still have to get off and walk around at the 100 mile point, but the combination made a big difference. k

I've been getting >9K miles from Michelin Pilot Roads...haven't paid attention to what iteration they are on with that tire now, but I am about due for new ones as well.

Have you tried opening your gas cap as soon as the motor dies of suspected vapor lock? If you hear a hissing and see the tank expand, check the routing of your vent tubes on the bottom of the tank to ensure they are not kinked. You may be experiencing tank suck-starving the fuel pump. I've had the tank suck...but not a vapor lock even in many miles of over 100 degree heat. After you park, the cylinders will tend to be a great deal hotter to the touch than when the motor is running with air flowing across them as you ride. If I can lay my gloved hand on the rocker cover at 50 mph without having to quickly pull away, I call it good. I don't touch it when its sitting still. That said, if your fuel line is cool or easily handled, then it wouldn't seem (to me) a likely candidate for vapor lock. You can verify your oil pressure by removing the sending unit and attaching an inexpensive oil pressure gauge. Then crank her up...or, remove the plugs and spin your motor on the starter for a few seconds if you really think you've lost pressure. When did you last change the oil filter? Might it be loose? Cheers. k

I use the Redline shockproof (heavy) no moly in both...but you have to very careful with the measure and fill on the rear differential to keep from overfilling (leading to "adventures with oil"). k

I tell my grandson..."the big ones, with the yellow handles". "Water pump pliers"...that's what my Dad called them. I haven't heard that in a while. Thanks for that...I'll call them that from now on. Cheers. k

I just put the big hose clamp on mine (after all these years). I remove the pan and use a big (BIG) set of channel locks to remove the oil filter...I've not had one refuse. k

The bar risers from MPH come with front brake line and clutch line to make the reach...so factor bleeding those into your timeline if going that route. k

I'd suspect detonation (too hot) with particles on the plug. http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/tech_support/spark_plugs/faqs/faqread.asp I usually fall back to the photos to try and decide what is going on. k

I agree with G that it is probably the overflow and what has happened is the hose has pulled off the nipple (it is just a push-on). k

Oh man...I still haven't cleaned my bike.

I've had a PC545 for about four years. Bought it off the shelf at one of the walk-in battery stores. I keep it on a Battery Tender when not in use. I haven't had any issues with it since putting it on the Battery Tender...initially, I wasn't using the bike enough and it would get a little weak between starts. k

My '01 will occasionally stumble and carry-on below 3500 rpm or so. When it gets to the point of annoyance, I reset the TPS. The remainder of the rpm range has been smoothed out by tinkering with the ol' PCIII. Check your motor mount bolts...when I purchased mine, one motor mount bolt was missing, and the second was loose. Tightening/replacing them helped. I also backed off the steering damper. Between the two, it really changed the bike. Shortly thereafter, I replaced the tires and that made it even better. Some people are very sensitive to vibration---I'm one of them. I ended up putting aftermarket heated grip wraps around each grip, which really knocked out the handlebar vibes (and you can plug them in if you want to get toasty). I replaced the metal footpegs with a pair that have rubber inserts knocking out the vibration that put my legs to sleep. k

Mine will do it from time to time as well. When I get home from riding, I will usually close the fuel petcock with the engine running, rev it once and hit the kill switch. That seems to minimize the drip. k

We watched the Swedish versions with English subtitles...very good stuff.

Mine was twitchy in corners and high speed straights when I first got it (had about scared the previous owner to death)...replacing the missing motor mount bolt on one side and tightening the other went a long ways to making it better. But, the single biggest improvement came from backing off the steering damper--that eliminated the twitch all together. I would have never thought of (or attempted) the path you undertook, but it really sounds like a good solution. That's what I like about this forum--so many people smarter than me. That said, the power delivery is still a little wonky when riding the tight stuff (add that to my general wonkiness--ha ha)...I plan to switch from the single plate clutch to the heavier double plate unit as the path towards resolving that piece (reading Pete Roper's thoughts on this and my memory of the relative smoothness of my previous '79 SP has convinced me that change will help---the single plate is probably on borrowed time anyway). Keep smiling.

Excellent!

Very cool.

Been in Sonny Angel's a couple of times over the years. A real motorcycle shop. Sad to see it go. k

2001 V11 Sport Rosso Mandello #244 (PCIIIusb, Stucchi X, FbF open Airbox, MPH Bar Risers, Michelin Pilot Roads, Rich Maund seat/pegs, dlapierre saddle blanket, MG tank bag, handwarmers, Rossopurro sliders, OdyPC545). Typical bubbles in black engine coating. Apprx 24K miles...odometer quit at 16K. Not a pristine garage queen, but in overall good shape. $4250 USD obo. Going to the garage sale this weekend...Dave Ramsey says "sell" before I can have any new projects---would trade for the right automotive fixer-upper. PM me for starters. Kim

Once stopped at a fiberglass Cobra replica get-together on my old SP. One of the replica owners asked "why didn't you buy a Harley?"...I asked him why he hadn't bought a Corvette. Ubbada-ubbda. k