Motorcycles BS Thread 2.0

Troubleshooting electrical stuff is def not my strength. I've had 2 bikes through the years that had electrical issues and after far too much grief unloaded both of them. Shame on both counts as I liked the bikes but there's a limit how much I'm going to tolerate and how deep my pockets are. Both bikes exceeded those limits.

 

Good deal, thanks much! So far it looks like I’m missing some small things, such as the springs that hold the boots between the air box and carbs.

Also, the kickstand mounting point in the frame got busted while the bike was being transported (it fell over and kickstand was down), so I need to find a way to repair it.
It’s going to be tricky because the threaded part inside the frame is broken and I have no access, it’s all enclosed.

 

Post some pics and maybe one of us might have an idea. Where I work we have a full machine shop and some pretty talented guys. Might be able to at least come up with a plan you can get done locally.

 

Awesome!

I will do that this evening, and thanks much! Stand by for updates.

 

Good to know... now to think of something I need made.

 

Didn't say we would make it, said we might be able to come up with a solution he can get done locally.

That being said there is a certain advantage to working somewhere that has ......capabilities like we have where I'm at.

 

Electrical isn't my favorite thing to do either but I can eventually figure it out most times. I put a new battery and alternator in it last summer so it's got to be something simple. Got it on the charger now to get the battery back up to spec. Then I'll go from there.

 

Plenty of fun to be had on a cruiser !

 

I'm learning that quickly! Although, to be fair, 90% I've ridden felt like riding a brick haha, but I'm surprised daily how nimble and flickable this one is!

 

Check the regulator rectifier. If it is shot, it can cause the issues you are experiencing and will eat through a new battery in no time. There are a few different ways to test. If it is easy to access/ remove, take it off and bench test it. You can also measure the battery voltage while the bike is off, under load & while reving to about 5k rpms to see if the system is charging the battery correctly. Of course, you'd have to get the bike to start to use that method of testing.

 

Thanks for the tips, it's on the charger now. I'll try and dig into it this weekend. I got a lot going on, getting the taco krown rustproof on Saturday, domestic chores, and trying to finish up a project in my wood shop.

 

That's about what I was thinking. I can't imagine there was anything wrong with it mechanically if it's only got 200 miles, nor would he give me a busted bike without telling me lol.

I figure a full once over, fluids, tires, maybe a new battery if needed, and possibly suspension service and it should be good to go.

 

A better picture while out riding today.

 

Test rode the LRS again today:

 

One hundred and fucking six degrees is way too damn hot to be outside doing anything. It was supposed to stay under 95* today so I took the risk and went riding. The first 3/4s was great, then the last southern stretch home it was stupid hot. Shorts and a t-shirt under mesh gear and it still sucked. The BMW app is pretty cool though and records just about everything about the ride. The bike was running for 5 hours 8 minutes, I rode 249 miles and temperatures were 76*-106*, max altitude 9976', max rpm 8171, max lean angles, 34* left and 28* right.

 

I like that color. You don’t see many of them around here that aren’t black.
What are your thoughts comparing the two?

 

The short version; I hope not to offend any LRS owners, but I'm happy with my decision, to say the least.

First things first, the seat on the LRS was much more comfortable than the Chief around town. Very cushiony and soft. I'm not sure how that would translate on a several hundred-mile trip, but around town, it felt like I was sitting on indoor furniture instead of outdoor furniture if that makes sense haha.

Other then that plus . . . there wasn't much else I'd prefer over the Chief.

On the (2021) Low Rider S (in comparison to 1,000 miles on my Chief):

-The seat isn't that much higher, but you do feel more like you're sitting on top of the bike rather than down in it.

-The skinner front tire (110 vs. 130) does turn in a little lighter and the slow speed turning/handling was superb, but it also felt a little less secure/stable/able to confidently throw into a turn hard (100% could just be because I'm more used to one bike than the other but that's how it felt to me).

-The throttle I didn't like. At first blip, it felt like it ripped hard. I thought, man, I thought my bike had more power, this thing really pulls (initially), but then as I cranked on it pretty hard it was an instantaneous crack of power followed by an anemic power curve to follow in comparison. I felt like maybe I wasn't twisting the throttle all the way or something. The other obvious difference being power modes. In Touring mode my bike feels casual but smooth, in Standard it's smooth power on but pulls hard consistently all the way through to 5k, and in Sport mode, forget about it, not even close in comparison. The Harley, to me, felt like the worst of the two extremes. Like it was too touchy (like my Sport mode) for the initial roll on, and then gutless (like my Touring mode) the rest of the way through. Power after that initial kick is not even close to relatable. Hands down the Indian pulls much harder much longer, just in Standard mode alone.

-The bars are much more narrow on the HD. Preference for me would be somewhere in between the two.

-The rear brake I had to invert my toe toward the bike to hit fully, which was weird.

-Button/controls felt cheap and not intuitive.

-The levers were nice. Mine feel like a big long, flat, wide, cruiser lever. The HD felt like little BMX bike levers ha. I dig it.

-The gauges are no comparison. ONE, having to look straight down at the center of the tank to see your RPMs is ridiculous, it's like checking your phone in your lap while driving, pretty dumb. But also the quality. I'm not talking electronic package yet, but the info screen was hardly readable, tiny print, very little info at once, etc. Not to mention there's no comparison that the Chief Dark Horse has built-in GPS, Bluetooth sync, ride modes, ride data, etc, etc, etc. all in a much bigger, more clear, more easily readable, better-positioned package. No contest there.

-I like the bronze wheels in ads. In-person they look a little tacky, plastic-y for me.

-The HD paint does shine. in the dark that maroon looks daaaaaark, and when the sun hits it the metal flake just shiiiiines. Super nice paint. I absolutely HATE all of the skulls and big Ones and the gross color-changing chameleon green gimmicky crap HD does, and like the muted Dark Horse colors of the Indians as personal taste and just better all-around in my eyes. But that HD paint on that maroon bike did catch my eye in the sun. Super nice!

-The LRS gas cap rattled LOUD the whole test ride. I kept setting my hand on it to shut it up. No clue if that's a common issue or just that one model but that would be both annoying but also an easy fix I would hope/think.

-Noticed no difference in braking hard, trail braking, etc. Both different feel, the HD feels like it has more mechanical drag in general, but overall similar.

-The HD vibrated a tiny hair more but not enough to write home about on a 15 min ride around town. Six hours on the highway, no clue on that one . . .

Again, short version, if I was talking with a LRS rider in person I'd just say, yeah, wow, that stock seat is nice and soft. Way more comfy than mine. And not mention that every other aspect I found to be worse, including just *overall handling*, smoothness, flickability, stability, confidence in corners, etc. etc. etc. At the end of the day if I had to ride one every single day for the rest of my life I wouldn't have to think for a millisecond which one I'd prefer to enjoy the ride of and am happy with my initial research/decision.

Ask any other questions you may have should you need to! Peace

 

the springs for the intake boots, I might have, I will look, they are also something you can find at some bearing supply places, because you only need the right size spring for the seals.

the kick stand mount might be able to be cut off and a replacement welded back on. It’s not part of the “structure” of the frame, so you can get away with melting a new one on and hitting it with some paint. Or just use the center stand all the time. There is no replacement part for the kickstand mount besides new frame, but a good metal fab place could make one, it might cost near the same to pay a good place to fab and weld on the bracket as to replace the frame though. Frames are cheap once stripped. I might look for some one with a bent frame bike parting out and see if they would hack off the whole kickstand area.

Also, lots of parts interchange up through the ninja 300 so check around for cheap stuff that way.

 

Truth!

Today was my first foray into super-moto hooliganism -




This bridge has been under construction for a loooong time and there are jersey barriers blocking the road on both ends (about a half mile between them) so I waited until dusk, scooted between them and did some riding on creamy smooth asphalt and then went into the area still being developed and dipped into some very bumpy bulldozer tracks. Checked out a few other "under construction" areas as well and I have to say I had no idea how much fun that could be!

I might have to consider selling the F4i to help finance a Husky 701 or something!

 

Do it!