The objective was to try and get a shot of the Anchorage skyline from across the small stretch of water between Point Mackenzie and Anchorage.
First though, some more pictures of the loaner rig, seeking feedback from you all as to the look of the top case system mounted by Anchorage URAL's Mickey over the rear fender. Like it? Don't like it? In its present state, it won't fit on my Valencia as she has the bench seat. Spacers would be needed to raise the mounting frame about 1-2 inches in order to clear the bench seat.
It had been a while since Bob had ridden in this area though, we kept running into either new fences/gates, heavily rutted/muddy trails or just no trespassing signs where there had not been any before.
In the end, we just did some riding about the Point Mackenzie area, some dirt trail riding as well but never went to deep into the woods.
The above is as close as we could get to the Point Mackenzie spot
Bob had been trying to reach.
Lunch was at the Tug Bar which is part of the Goose Bay Inn
We had a late lunch, burger and a hot dog.
A scenic turnout located close to Wasilla
As to Valencia, got a call from Mickey at 5:15PM, he's still got a couple of hours of work on her. Didn't find anything wrong with the clutch install done by Raceway (slim possibility at best) and he did replace the clutch release rod/bearing/sleeve even though existing components showed no issues.
Mickey's not road tested the rig yet, I am to show up tomorrow in the late morning to see what the road test reveals. He did mention my idle is set too low, and he's planning on re-synch'ing the carburetors as well.
Sigh, I'd hope he'd find damaged clutch release components.....we'll see tomorrow I guess.
13 comments:
Dom:
Isn't that always the way? Something doesn't quite work right, you take it apart, put it back and find nothing wrong. It will work good as new, until . . . you leave
Hope they find something . . . we'll have to wait until late morning, then you have to stay another day. Lucky thing you don't have to get back to work
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
I really like the box, in my mind I am already putting together a bracket system that will allow the bench seat to remain in place, cradle over the seat but would be on a fairly quick release system to get everything off quick if I chose to. The box, backrest is a great idea, I was already thinking about making a back pad and velcro belt to turn the box into comfortable back rest for a long haul. The box could even have a small rack attached to the top for tough camera bag. I see it as a "must have" item.
The dragging clutch once the engine is hot is a real concern for me....I too was really hoping there would be a definitive solution. It is my assumption that the clutch release rod is not going far enough into the clutch housing and thereby not releasing the clutch plates...therefore I was already thinking of building up a new piece 2 with a jam lockable set screw on the nipple area for an adjustable depth to the clutch release lever.
Since the clutch release is fine on my bike when the engine is cooler, I assume the heat causes things to "grow" and makes the problem....so I may approach it from that direction. The point is if, when the engine is hot and the clutch is shy of the necessary length to make it fully release, then it follows to make the throw longer....thus I am looking at the nipple on piece 2 to do that for me.
The service department at the dealer south of Seattle appeared puzzled at the problem last weekend. This with my bike parts being brand new and yours looking ok but being replaced with new stuff by a very competent mechanic dealer makes me feel more confident that the "throw" of the clutch release lever is too small.
Another fix would be to weld a bump on piece 2 with hard steel rod and and file of the excess if it is too much...just no adjustment that way. The cost of a clutch release lever is about $47. It would be possible to make a temporary test piece that would clamp on a shim on the pc 2 bump to test that theory of needing more throw on the release lever.
How did the 2011 Gear Up do on shifting and clutch release? Any hint of that kind of problem?
It has occurred to me that your pc 2 lever could be worn and mine could have been ground off too much in the manufacturing process. Stranger things have happened. Eager to hear how the test ride goes tomorrow for you with the new parts.
I am confident a solution will show up suddenly and make this gremlin go away for good. Really appreciate your blog. GlennandSun
Bobskoot....sigh, I hope this is not the case. Still, it would have been nice for Mickey to find a "smoking gun".
Glenn, I like it too but not sure I want to go that route anymore. I may go with a smaller case and some kind of rack to secure it just above the pillion portion of Valencia's bench seat. Must ruminate on it some more.
As to the dragging clutch thing....we'll see what Mickey comes up with in the morning I guess. The fact that it happens when the engine is hot is a clue but he's explored all clutch components apparently , and they all look OK.
The GearUP is a 2012, no issues with clutch release or engagement. Annoyingly, it starts right up from sitting overnight without engaging the enricheners like I have to do on my own rig.
Thanks for your thoughts on this issue, let me know if you find the answer!
dom
Dom, please ask Mickey what jets he has in his 2012 Gear up loaner, and what he sets his idle RPM at to start without enricheners. Did you notice what the fuel mileage on the loaner bike was?.
One look at Mickey's bike set up tells me that he can fix anything, so I feel confident he will run down your clutch issue and put it permanently behind you.
I am asking a lot of questions, and need to ask one more. At some time when you have space and time to reveal some details, would you please expand on your shifting system. Getting into neutral is very difficult on my bike, did I understand you mentioned having a tank shifter (in the 50's and 60's we called these shifters "Suicide Sticks"? Is your shifting system a dual system for both reverse and forward gears...or just for the forward gears, and still reach down for the reverse? No hurry commenting, just wondering what you have since it apparently works...and I need something that works.
I am confident Mickey is going to put your mechanical worries behind you, and it will be clear sailing here on out. Enjoy the warming weather. GlennandSun
I believe Valencia simply likes it up north and doesn't want to go south again, hence the issues ;-)
I hope you'll be back on the road soon.
Dom,
I have the same back case on my outfit, just a Vanguard case, not a pelican. Mine has the removable soft camera
insert for my camera gear whenever I stop overnight. Do it. You'll love the space and ease of just throwing stuff in there so easy.
The case should be level though, looks better and is then practical as a table top. And you don't need to go to the trouble of putting in a slider. Just more shit to break. I have mine bolted onto 6"X2"'s to the BMW rear rack.
I have no words of wisdom on your clutch problem.
It's a Ural.
Dom,
I have the same back case on my outfit, just a Vanguard case, not a pelican. Mine has the removable soft camera
insert for my camera gear whenever I stop overnight. Do it. You'll love the space and ease of just throwing stuff in there so easy.
The case should be level though, looks better and is then practical as a table top. And you don't need to go to the trouble of putting in a slider. Just more shit to break. I have mine bolted onto 6"X2"'s to the BMW rear rack.
I have no words of wisdom on your clutch problem.
It's a Ural.
Regarding the top box, I like the idea of using something like a Pelican case instead of the normal thin fiberglass that you normally find. I don't understand why it was designed to tilt back when slid to the rear. I think that not being flat looks odd though it does more closely match the angle of the rear rack on the side car and loks like it's well made.
Glenn, I shall try and ask Mickey, though he's a busy man. Not sure he records this stuff down so he'd have to actually open up a carb to look into the jet settings.
As to getting the rig into neutral, I don't have either the raceway or mickey's "suicide shift" setups to move the bike into and out of gear. I just use the left bottom portion of my boot heel to kick the lever into neutral, further pressure to go into reverse. I also use same contact point on boot to push the lever forward from reverse into neutral. With a little bit of practice, it works for me. Sometimes, I have to look down to get a good angle on the lever but no big deal.
With the clutch dragging issue, I would just wait till I came to a stop with clutch lever engaged, kick the lever into neutral then release the clutch lever....its almost becoming muscle memory now! Hope this helps.
SonjaM, I pick up Valencia today....clutch release rod/bearing/sleeve replaced....clutch plates verified installed correctly though clutch pack was not taken apart, just a visual check. We'll see how she rides. It's such a minor issue more annoying than anything else.
Murph, the convenience factor is a large driving factor indeed. I am thinking a smaller box though as you mention, flatly mounted.
RichardM, I think it tilts back because that's the angles provided by the seat mount used. It's kind of cool in a way as you can pull it forward to provide a back rest and push it back to give you dismount legroom. Still, the angle is a bit "off" to the eye. I must ruminate further on this option.
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