I Bought It With a Knock

[bigtwinthing]

JIm I've just checked your ride route, wow you certainly have some seriously long straight roads out that way. I take it there are some twisty bits too? You also certainly have a large area to ride in. Good work on the bikes.

[lloydie]

Great news ,well done


Lube, no lube, it's your choice .

[AMCQ46]

I love a happy ending.... Well except being stopped by the cops, but I suppose a warning is still a happy out come from that situation .

Good work jim

[tony.mon]

Snow man? I already look like Father Christmas!

Tis what I was getting at tho I didn't want to say .
;)

My mom and dad live in an assisted living community. Last week a lady came up to me, while i was talking to my dad, and she said "I hope you don't take offense at this but I think you would make a great Santa Claus." I didn't take offense and this is not the first time someone has told me that. Around late August I am going to let me beard really go and see if I can pull it off. I am a bit tall for the part but i do have the middle girth down pat.[/quote]

No, it's not me, we organise an annual toy run to the special needs school where my wife works, local Triumph owners and the Police riders clubs come along.

[Big_Jim59]

JIm I've just checked your ride route, wow you certainly have some seriously long straight roads out that way. I take it there are some twisty bits too? You also certainly have a large area to ride in. Good work on the bikes.

Yes, Texas has it's share of arrow straight roads. A couple of years ago I rode out to Colorado and through the Panhandle of Texas. I remember feeling a mild panic when I encountered a bend in the road.

The road from Leonard to Wolfe City is pretty nice. County Road 1553 is nice too. County Road 896 out of Leonard does not look like much fun on the map but it has some elevation changes that are unique for the flat lands so I do have a few local roads to ride. My goal on this ride was to get some miles on her while being in a place with a wide enough shoulder that if the need arose I could load it in the truck. I am still not very trusting.

I had ridden my VFR about 90 miles prior to getting the VTR out and they are really different animals. The VFR and the VTR have similar riding positions but that's about it. The VFR is smooth and makes it speed on revs where the VTR is a bit brutal. It's power is right now with a kind of kick in the pants feel when you twist the throttle. Also, the riding position on the VTR is a bit more racy than the VFR making it more fun to stuff into corners. I may have to take it to a track day.

As for Santa, I have always said there is a fine line between the portrayal of Santa Claus and looking like a homeless guy. Put Santa in a flannel shirt, baggy dirt jeans and have him warm his hands at a fire in a barrel and you can see what I mean. It's what makes growing out the Santa beard tricky unless you are know to all as an eccentric crank, which fortunately I am.

[Big_Jim59]

I have tried to get a better audio file of the VTR running. This is the best I can do using a GoPro and an external mic. It sounds a bit muffled but I think it captures the essences of the sound. Please give it a listen and let me know what you think. I have been riding it, as much as the monsoons we have been having will allow, and the sound doesn't bother me as much. Maybe I am getting used to it. The bike is quite powerful and very fun to ride. I guess I am having trouble putting my trust in it.

https://youtu.be/mRbaskaQvEM

[Stephan]

It could be setting of mcct, did you try to adjust it to get rid of the tapping sound? Just a guess. Of course you need to avoid to overtight the cam chain, it would be fatal for the engine.

[Varastorm]

It sounds spot on Jim

I have started to get clutch rattle also, it goes away once the clutch is engaged so all's good.

I think it has got louder since the lightened flywheel has been fitted.

I did the Mcct swap a few weeks ago & must admit I was a little over cautious on the tightness of the cam chain tension. I did tighten the cam chain on the loose side of tight & did notice a little cam chain rattle when cold (took me back to when I had a CB900f). It was remedied with a very small amount of tensioner tightening whilst it was running, just until the noise was silenced. It was only on the rear one though

I can't hear any cam chain tinkle on your machine, good job

[Big_Jim59]

I did put another quarter turn on the rear CCT but I hated to do more. I did adjust them per the book and using the fine DIY guide provided by Cybercarl. I hate to get it too tight. It's better to let it cluck a bit that to snap and blow the motor.

[Varastorm]

I did put another quarter turn on the rear CCT but I hated to do more. I did adjust them per the book and using the fine DIY guide provided by Cybercarl. I hate to get it too tight. It's better to let it cluck a bit that to snap and blow the motor.

That was my theory too Jim

[Big_Jim59]

I have not taken the Superhawk/Fire Storm, that is described in this thread, out for a very long ride since it's completion. I have ridden it at the most maybe 30 or 40 miles at a time. I have been a bit distressed at the rattling coming from the clutch side and I have been fooled by a false start requiring a valve replacement on the front cylinder. Last week I checked the valves clearances and the chain tension and it all checked out. Today was our last scheduled shop, group ride, of the season and I though "why not take the Superhawk? I even mounded the GoPro to get some pictures of the event.

I can't make the YouTube selection work so here is the URL. https://youtu.be/8SES8OV_9gQ

The ride, in total, lasted for a little over 100 miles. We stopped for lunch at the 70 mile mark. When we finished lunch I was only 30 miles or so from my house so I took a curvy, road less traveled, home while everyone else took the straight roads back to town. (I live in the rural neighborhood while all the other riders came from a suburb of Dallas.) While the VTR was more comfortable that I expected, I was ready to climb off at our lunch stop. It ran flawlessly and is so much fun to ride. It's even more fun to ride fast. At this point I declare it finished even with the rattling. I will change oil and tinker with it as necessary but it will go one the "good bike, ready to ride" list. It was a fantastic day and the ride was much too short.


My Superhawk in front of the Honda store.

[TheGingerBeardMan]

FIXED LINK for Big Jims Storm ride.

I Ride My VTR

Oh - cancel that - he's gone done changed it! Well done that man. A decent video clip, as there's very little wind noise in the film. Which I like a lot!

And no thumping music! Apart from the VTR Soundtrack!

[VTRDark]

Is that a 4 wheeled Harley at the back.

That's good to hear Jim. Sounds like your enjoying the bike.

[youtube][/youtube]

[Big_Jim59]

Is that a 4 wheeled Harley at the back.

That's good to hear Jim. Sounds like your enjoying the bike.

[youtube][/youtube]

That is a three wheeled Goldwing. The three wheelers (mostly with two wheels in back) are big here, with the geriatric set. They are used for cross country touring. I guess they think they are safer or something. Big Kevin, a sale guy from the shop, rode that on the group ride and he was just about worn out at lunch. It does not handle very well in even in modest corners it was lifting a front wheel. I think it was a bit like riding a side car where you fight it until you get used to the fact that it's not a motorcycle.

[Big_Jim59]

FIXED LINK for Big Jims Storm ride.

I Ride My VTR

Oh - cancel that - he's gone done changed it! Well done that man. A decent video clip, as there's very little wind noise in the film. Which I like a lot!

And no thumping music! Apart from the VTR Soundtrack!

I was expecting someone to critique my riding rev range. I try to keep it over 4K but I am not always successful. As for the video, I had the GoPro suction cup mount stuck to the tank and my tank bag just behind it. I have a few shots with the GoPro attached to the windscreen but that really are a bit shaky. It's not the road bumps but the engine vibration that's doing the trick.