FrankenSport hits the road

[callison]

The saga of the blowing ECU fuse is over. Maybe. Having finally gotten so disgusted with myself for not riding the thing, I dusted off the seat today and went for a ride. Previously, the ECU fuse would blow anytime the throttle was whacked open. Only on the road, never where you could conveniently try to trouble shoot it. So, I removed the 5 amp fuse and put in a 30 amp fuse. "That out to do it!" says I. "Not so fast says Murphy". And nothing happened. I didn't go into Luca Electrics mode and let all of smoke out thereby rendering the bike inoperative. Nope. Nothing of the sort. The silly thing just sang it's heart out and accelerated like a bat out of hell. Mind you, this comparison is only valid when you've been riding a very anemic Ural but, what the hey, it sure feels powerful. Since I couldn't let the smoke out, set the bike on fire or anything else that I was prepared for, I sauntered on down to the local auto parts store (they thought the bike was pretty good looking) and bought an assortment of 7.5A, 10A and 15A fuses and figured I would just narrow down the fuse blowing current. First step was a 7.5 amp fuse (stock is 5) and it's off to test the throttle. Works fine. Did all of the things that used to make the fuse blow and it's fine with a 7.5 amp fuse. Okay, WTF? As near as I can tell, whatever causes the fuse to blow is something that causes a current drain that is just barely into the 5 amp fuse blowing range. So, the 7.5 will remain and I'm going to ride the bike. Next it's change tires on the California and then tackle the Sport 1100i.

[Guest Nogbad]

Well, I know that this "cure" seems ok, and that Italian electrics are renowned for strangeness. However, putting a bigger fuse in there is a variant of the old nail dodge. Ok your subtlety afterwards is to be admired, but you did swap a 5 amp for a 30A and this is a nail by any other name (as Shakespeare would have said).

 

Anyway, I shall stop beating about the bush. Wear it with pride.

 

[Paul Minnaert]

carl, now put the 5 amp back in again, the bike knows what you're up to now.

[docc]

The further south you move the more latitude you have with the fuse block . . ."spark it off now, Henry . . ."

[Mike Stewart]

Carl,

 

Maybe it only blows in the warmer California tempertures

 

Mike

[callison]

you did swap a 5 amp for a 30A and this is a nail by any other name (as Shakespeare would have said).

 

This is what we Colonials call a "BFH". Big F&^%ing Hammer"! I wasn't worried, I have a spare ECU, wiring harniess, TPS, injectors, coils etc. The only thing I didn't have - was a fire extenguisher. Brave, aren't I?

 

However, I gracefully accept my Bodge Point. Now, did I ever tell you about how I put "air conditioning" on my 97 California for a trip to Arizona?...

[macguzzi]

Change your relays to GEI if you have not already done so. Massive improvement in current flow

[jrt]

Did you ever consider working UP to a 30A? You definitely earned that point.

 

 

Wet bandana works pretty good as an air conditioner. Not great...but pretty good.

[DeBenGuzzi]

yeah you can put it in your signature like mine if you are so inclined.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/Keg...dge_Pointsm.gif

[callison]

Did you ever consider working UP to a 30A?

 

Yeah I did, but after 31 5 amp fuses I figured what the hell and went for it. Remember, I have spares of everything. When all else fails, making it burn is a valid trouble shooting technique - as a last resort. I was actually concerned about catching on fire though. We're in an incredibly severe drought right now in Oklahoma and the last thing I wanted to do was set the state on fire!

[Guest Nogbad]

Yeah I did, but after 31 5 amp fuses I figured what the hell and went for it. Remember, I have spares of everything. When all else fails, making it burn is a valid trouble shooting technique - as a last resort. I was actually concerned about catching on fire though. We're in an incredibly severe drought right now in Oklahoma and the last thing I wanted to do was set the state on fire!

76051[/snapback]

 

Come on. Stop wriggling and display that Bodge Point. I don't hand them out like smarties you know. It was earned fair and square.

[Skeeve]

Congrats, Carl!

 

Now that you've got the Wimhurst generators cranking just right & the Jacobs Ladders sparking, reverse the poles from + to minus & back, and scream "IT'S ALIIIYVE!!" & get outta that monster's way!

[callison]

Come on. Stop wriggling and display that Bodge Point. I don't hand them out like smarties you know. It was earned fair and square.

76153[/snapback]

 

And you're not the least bit interested in the "air conditioned" 97 California? I bet Mike Stewart remembers it! While not quite a "bodge" point, it would certainly qualify for a wingnut.

[Guest Nogbad]

And you're not the least bit interested in the "air conditioned" 97 California? I bet Mike Stewart remembers it! While not quite a "bodge" point, it would certainly qualify for a wingnut.

76189[/snapback]

 

Post the details. We are always interested in potential bodges that need awards.

[callison]

Post the details. We are always interested in potential bodges that need awards.

76224[/snapback]

 

I don't even remember what year it was, probably 2001 or 2002, but I was getting ready to go the the Prescott, Arizona rally. I put a new rear tire on my Sport 1100i and headed for the gas station. I didn't buff the tire first and at the second corner, I departed the bike as the rear tire slipped out from underneath at about 10 mph. A bystander said it was the most graceful get-off he had ever witnessed. That did in the windshield and messed up a few things though, so I rode it home (minus a rear brake lever, my dignity etc.). I still had two weeks until the rally though and I had the 97 California as an alternate. It also has a set of Givi bags so nominally, it's a better camping vehicle. Snatching a giant handful of misplaced impressions of Arizona, I surmised that it would be quite warm there and perhaps there was something I could do to make the trip more comfortable. Never mind that the destination is high desert/mountains and the date is very early May when Arizona isn't really quite as warm as I thought it would be. In fact, it was damn cold! But I digress. The idea that came to mind was to "air condition" the motorcycle with an evaporative cooler. I bought a windshield wiper washer pump, some aquarium air hose tubing along with some aquarium air valves, manifolds and so forth. The pump I hose clamped to the bottom of the rear luggage rack, the tubing ran forward with the wiring harness and up to the handlebars, I split the tubing with a manifold that routed the two ends to two mister nozzles from my patio mister system (which never really worked all that well - I would've needed a couple of thousand of them to actually cool my yard in the California summers where I lived at the time). The misters mounted to the mirror stalks (no windshiled on this bike either), an electrical switch was mounted in a very cobby bracket near the left mirror mount and I was in business. Almost. I still needed a reservoir for the the water. The local hardware store sold some fairly flat 1 quart plastic containers. I bought a pair of those (primary and spare), some styrene tubing and a bunch of ABS plastic. With the ABS plastic I made a pair of holders for the water tanks. They fit between the back end of the Givi bags and the fender and weren't readily visible. The cap of one bottle was pierced and the styrene tube stuck through the cap into the water with some more aquarium air line going to the input side of the windshield wiper washer pump (wow, way that three times as fast as you can!). It worked! Off to Arizona. I met Mike Steward at Harris Ranch where we spent the night at a hotel, eating a good meal. The next morning we headed for Prescott. It was cold. Too cold to try the mister. I had hopes that it would be warmer in Arizona but that didn't happen. At the rally, the strange tubing on the mirrors was noticed by a lot of people and they sort of just shook their heads that anyone would go through so much effort to kluge up something when it was so cold out. Nevermind. On the return trip, it finally got hot enough in Kingman, Arizona that I got to try it out. It worked amazingly well at speeds between 50 and 65 mph. Faster than that, the mist blew away and slower than that the misters just didn't seem too effective. I left the cooler on for a few more months and ran it irregularly while commuting. I wish I had photos, but in reality, there just wasn't that much to see. There's a definite downside to misting water on leather in hot weather. There's an even bigger downside in misting water on leather that's covered with bugs in hot weather. Smell. Bad. Real bad. I'd overlooked that possibility. The cooler was removed from the bike before the first hot spell had even subsided. All of the parts are sitting in various boxes in my garage somewhere awaiting the call to duty again if I should ever decide that being cool (physically - not image) outweighs negative aspect of having a leather jacket that smells like someone died in it. So far, I'm making do with just being hot.