twhitaker

I have not had a flat since I changed the original rear at 2,000 miles for a Michelin Pilot Road (now a Pilot Road). It seems my Karma bell has done its magic for the last 26,000 miles.

The final drive housing is filled with gear oil. On the housing you will see 3 fittings. One at the top, one at the bottom and a level plug at the back. I use 80W140 gear oil to which I've added some Molykote. If you get an oil that is rated GL5 it does not need the additive. Once a year or every 6,000 miles.

On my LeMans the trip meter reads right on the money while the non-reset odometer reads 24% low. Actually it reads nothing as the angle drive at the bottom of the speedometer cable is broke. $120.00

There is a threaded hex bushing screwed into the end of the bar. Loosen the screw in the end of the weight enough to allow you to get a wrench on the hex. Removal is straightforward.

Isn't there a check valve in the crankcase breather hose which would act as a PCV? I had a Norton basket case a long time ago and on the end of the cam there was a system that opened and closed a port on the crankcase. I believe it was set up to create a negative pressure on the case to minimize oil leaks. Obviously it didn't work very well.

When I compared the bottom of the sumps on my bikes and found the screen to be forward of the one on my California it became apparent that sealing the top of the screen would do little to improve the situation. I do, after all, enjoy accelerating my bike briskly! I believe I will join the group that wants a windage tray.

When you think about it my '96 has the strainer in the exact same location and the oil light has never had so much as a hiccup. The ONLY difference is the hole in the top of the strainer. If the windage tray can keep the oil level enough above the top of the strainer it could make my theory a moot point. If nobody else is going to try my o-ring idea, I guess I'm going to have to do it myself. On the bright side I have not seen an oil light in over a year.

Moto International markets a heavy set that work well on me LeMans. I think I paid $45 for the set back in '02. Big heavy lump of steel held on with a heavy brass expansion sleeve.

You have more than one pair of shoes, don't you?

I heard these gals were working at that ranch in Texas where Cheney peppered his buddy.

Thanks for the reminder. I'm also a member of the bubbling paint club. I did not go for the exchange OR the trinkets.

My battery drained down to within an inch of its life the first time I found out the fork lock had a 'parking light feature'. Fortunately, I was able to bump start the bike. That was before I found out you can't do that.

Back in '02 my trip meter locked up and I had the speedometer replaced under warrantee. This morning on the way to work I noticed the speedo had stopped working. I guess I now belong to the club of gear drive replacment. At 27,000 miles I figured I was going to be safe on that one. Clubs I've already joined: Speedometer - warrantee Shift pawl spring - warrantee Transmission leak - warrantee Steering damper Headlight bezel Tank suck Front engine case oil leak Ignition cam sensor oil leak Faulty oil pressure sender Leaking crankcase breather hose On the bright side, none of these faults have left me stranded and my dealer has been very, very good to me.

Nothing miserable about that. I think of it as efficiency.

It's true. The Harley Davidson people are not very fond of the Buell stepchild. It's amazing when you look at the resale values listed in the American Motorcyclist the desparity. All the harleys hold their value quite well while the Buell drops like a bullet. There's got to be a reason for this.

My tool kit came with a combination 27mm - 22mm box end wrench and the rear axle came with a 27mm hex nut. Put the two together and, voila, a manhole cover removal tool.

Take a look at the whole turn signal assembly. The stalk is much more flexible which can sometimes be a good thing. They mount a little bit differently. Instead of using the screw and nut the stalk has a 5/16-24 thread extension. This (with the wires coaxial) goes through the hole in the fairing and you put a nut on the back.

Buell has the same mirror too. This spring I went to the local HD shop where I bought 2 turn signals and 2 mirrors for under $50. They have the standard mirror as well as a 2 inch longer version. Do a thread search for 'Buell Mirror' for the part numbers.

Nogbad, Your analogy is right on target. However all the Guzzis prior to the V11 have essentially the same sump and the older models seldom if ever exhibit this problem. In my mind the only difference between the old and the V11 is the hole in the top of the strainer. When the oil sloshes to the back this hole is uncovered allowing the pickup tube to slurp in a slug of air.

See the 'Buell Lighting Foot Pegs' thread I just bumped. Very definitive.

Bump

It is not so much the flow rate but the restriction the screen puts on the flow of oil. The path of least resistance will be the opening in the top of the strainer when it is uncovered as the oil sloshes to the back of the sump. Not sure how big this gap is but maybe a thick walled o-ring just might be enough to plug it if it's concentric.

I remain convinced a vortex in the oil is snaking its way through the hole in the top of the screen cover alongside the oil pickup tube. Wouldn't the simplest fix be to make some sort of stopper to cover that gap? Something like a suction cup with a hole through the center? Push this onto the pickup tube such that the perimeter of the cup rests on the cover.

It could be a 'Ford' wrench but from where I come we call it a 'Monkey' wrench.

Never heard of such a thing. At least on a bike. YMMV, but as they say, "If the shoe fits, wear it."