Service
Service
RAY NIERLICH
MYSTERY OIL LOSS RARE STARTER BEST USED BIKE CHASING GREMLINS YAMAHA XS ELEVEN
MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARING OIL
Q: I have owned a 2004 Honda Gold Wing since new. It has 36,000 miles. It has always been well cared for and adult-ridden. I have used the same synthetic oil since the second oil change and do those every 4,000 to 5,000 miles. I have had absolutely no problem with the bike beyond alternator brushes. I changed the oil and filter just before a 4,000-mile trip. Four full quarts, like always. With about 3,200 miles done, the oil light came on. I dumped in a quart and made it home.
I drained the oil to see what might be going on. One and a half quarts was all that drained out, including filter. There’s no leak underneath where the plug and filter are, as I have had a bellypan there for its life. No more than a teaspoon of oil in the airbox. The right bank exhaust was very minimally darker than the left. Nothing had infiltrated the coolant.
I brought it to the local shop, and they could not find the problem. Compression was on target. I have always kept track of the old oil when changing, and it has never been less than 3.75 quarts. The days on that trip were in the mid-ços,
800 miles per day. Nothing over 75 mph. What do you think?
CURTIS TAYLOR DORSET, IIT
AH Are the usual you really 4 quarts sure on you that put last in H change? The 1800 Gold Wing has one of the most reliable, bulletproof motorcycle engines ever made. Yours would have to be the first Wing to suffer some super-odd failure, such as a cracked valve guide or broken rings, for no apparent reason. Your exhaust won’t show any obvious signs of oil burning (visible smoke/oily residue) because the catalyst will incinerate any small quantity of oil such as we’re talking about here.
Did any one of the spark plugs show excessive ash on the insulator? I am a little concerned that after the oil light—an oil pressure light, not an oil level light—came on, you only added 1 quart and then presumably rode it home the remaining 800 miles. Here’s what I think happened: Your bike had only
about 2 quarts of oil at the beginning of the trip, and it ran 3,200 miles before it sucked a bit of air and the light came on. You added one more quart, made it home, and then there was 1.5 quarts to drain.
To verify this, change the oil (and filter), making sure your Gold Wing is full. Ride the bike for about 800 miles and see if it is now a quart low, or not, before making the assumption that something inside the engine needs to be fixed.
RARE (AND PRICEY!) STARTER
I have a 2005 MZ 1000S, which is a wonderful sport-tourer. A * couple of years ago, during a rainy spell, the battery became slightly low. In attempting to start the bike, the starter gear and mating “step wheel” stripped. MZ closed its doors only a few years after making the bike and the few remaining dealers overseas expect real gold for starters—I’m talking close to $700 with shipping. I was able to have the step wheel remanufactured by a machinist, but replacing the starter or shaft has proven near impossible.
The starter is manufactured by Mitsuba, which turns out thousands for motorcycles, watercraft, and fourwheelers, and I was told Honda used one just like mine on one of their models.
But attempting to go through either Honda or Mitsuba has unfortunately proved impossible. The starter has MS-13 on the cover casting, and I have been told by a dealer that they make 42 starters with that designation. Is there any way to narrow down where I might identify it for a replacement?
MIKEOERALD HATTIESBURG, MS
A B After as your adopting MZ, extraordinary an orphan such B measures will be required occasionally to keep it on the road.
As you have already discovered, manufacturers’ business models don’t include making it simple for you to source that one odd starter. I suggest sending your unit to a motorcycle electrics rebuilder. Ask if it can either rebuild your unit or match up the drive
GOT A MECHANICAL OR TECHNICAL PROBLEM with your beloved ride? Perhaps we can help. Contact us at cwservice@cycleworld.com with your questions. We cannot guarantee a reply to every inquiry.
you need with another starter. I’d start with Rick’s Motorsport Electrics at (800) 521-0277. It offers custom rebuilds ranging from $145-$175. Also, your drive shouldn’t have stripped just because the battery was slightly low. If that were a known failure, no bike out there would have a working starter.
CHASING GREMLINS
QB I’m the sentimental and proud
owner of a 1990 Harley-Davidson * XLH 883. The top end has been punched up to a 1,200. In the past couple of years, I have replaced the starter relay and changed the battery from a 16 series to a 20 series. Now, when I try to start the bike, it just makes a click sound on the first try. Then it doesn’t do it again afterward. I seem to hear a very faint sort of buzzing sound, but from where? The engine doesn’t turn over at all. The battery is fully charged. The starter is an OEM stock unit. Who makes a good replacement? Replacing the starter is a bit of a pain, since the starter is within the side case. What would be the most efficient way to isolate this problem?
JONATHAN VALERA
CYCLEWORLD.COM
A At broken the risk record, of sounding the voltage like drop a B test is my favorite method for checking electrical faults. By checking the voltage lost in the offending circuit when energized, you are effectively measuring the current lost to resistance. A simple continuity test with a digital multimeter (DMM) is almost worthless since it won’t tell you how much current the circuit will pass. Like they tried to teach us back in school, think of water flowing through a pipe. A smaller pipe means it takes more pressure to get the same amount of water as delivered through a larger pipe.
Your buzz is almost certainly caused by high resistance somewhere between the battery and the starter. Begin with a decent multimeter connected at the extreme ends of the circuit set on DC volts—in this case, the battery hot terminal and the starter hot post. The resulting number should be battery voltage at rest (hopefully 12.6 volts or so). Push the starter button and you should see a drop of less than 0.2 or 0.3 volt. If this checks out okay, go to the ground side of the circuit, starting from the extreme ends, battery ground post to starter body. At rest it should be zero volts, and when energized no more than 0.2 or 0.3 volt. Next, isolate the problem. It doesn’t matter which end of the circuit you start with, negative or positive, just be methodical.
For example: Say the voltage from battery hot terminal to starter hot post was 12.6 at rest but 2.5 volts when energized (bad). Now starting at the battery end, measure from the battery hot terminal to the circuit breaker hot post. More or less than a 0.2-volt drop? More and you’ve found the problem. Less? Continue moving downstream. Next, measure across the breaker, hot post (battery side) to the other post (starter side). Again, more or less than a 0.2-volt drop? Continue, and don’t assume anything. I can’t stress this enough: Don’t assume anything.
If you find yourself stuck or confused, try working from the other end of the circuit. If you rack your brain for more than a half hour or so, go have a beer and come back at it later. Your stock starter is Japanese sourced and excellent quality.
A shop manual is a wise investment that will save time and headache.
FEEDBACK LOOP: YAMAHA XS ELEVEN
I saw the recent Service question from reader Bill Bender about * the Yamaha XS Eleven. I’m a former owner of a ’78 XS Eleven, and I recommend a book by the late Bob Jones entitled XS Eleven Heaven. Mr. Jones was a former Yamaha dealer in the Kansas City area who later owned a shop dedicated mostly to restoring and customizing XS
AB I learned about this ■ effect from the different cylinder sizes on three different Kawasaki two-stroke racers I worked with, all of which used the same-size 35mm carburetor. The 167cc cylinder of the H1-R 500 triple needed a 310-330 main jet, yet on the 250cc cylinder of the H2-R 750 triple, the same carb needed a 260-270 main jet. And on the 350cc cylinder of the F5 race engine, the main jet size went down slightly again, to 260.
Why?
ASK KEVIN
JETTING OFF?
QB Recently, I came across information ■ which implied that when increasing displacement-such as installing a big-bore kit on a bike engine-if the carburetors stay the same throat diameter, the jetting might need to be leanerthan that used with the previous smaller displacement.
This seems counterintuitive. A larger-displacement cylinder would require both more air and more fuel, sowhywould leaner jetting be needed?
ROBB MILLET MILFORD, MA I
Why? On a constant-size carburetor, the smallerthe cylinder, the weakerthe intake suction signal and the smallerthe fuel flow. Therefore, to give the 167cc cylinder the fuel it needs, a larger main jet must be used than forthe more strongly pulsing 250cc cylinder. Flowthrough the carburetor is not steady and continuous but is a series of pulses. -Kevin Cameron
Elevens. He was a guru who knew more about them than anybody. In the book, Bob reveals all of the known problems associated with this model and how to correct them. Mr. Bender may find the solution to his ignition troubles is an easy fix—soldering in a longer piece of wire. Anyone wanting to restore an XS Eleven will find a lot of good information in XS Eleven Heaven.
MIKE OIEBLER LOUISBURC, KS
AB Heaven, Thanks Mike. for heads You up don’t on XS happen Eleven B to have a copy to lend out by any chance? A quick bookfinder.com search turned up many copies, but the lowest priced is $229. Ouch! And you’re correct in that the most common ignition failure entails a relatively simple repair of the pick-up leads.
PULSING ROAD KING
My 2014 Harley-Davidson Road King pumps the fork up and * down when I apply the front brakes. I took the bike to the dealer for repair, suspecting a warped rotor.
The mechanic checked the rotors for runout. Harley allows no more than 0.008 inch. My left was 0.004 and the right was 0.005. The service manager said new rotors out of the box might not be any better, and the condition is slight, so I should tolerate it rather than spend money for what may not be an improvement. However, I can’t bring the bike to a smooth stop like it is. What do you suggest?
BOB BINDER
PEORIA, AZ
AB it It is. really I hate depends front-brake on how pulsation, slight and I certainly wouldn’t accept it on a brand-new bike. Your service manager is correct, but it’s possible some cleaning/waxing chemicals have gotten on the 3rotors. Try cleaning the rotors with brake cleaner (or acetone or lacquer thinner) and then scuffing the swept area with Scotch-Brite. I would sand the brake pads lightly too. Failing that, have the dealer change the rotors. It’s also worth checking to see that your fork has the proper amount of oil. Harley calls for a Type E, but the Screamin’ Eagle catalog lists a heavy-duty fork oil that might be more to your liking. CliM
