Tourmeister
03-14-2004, 02:44 AM
Howdy,
Pics: http://twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/
:tab So after the last Butt Burner ride, I noticed a puddle of coolant under the 98 VFR when we got back from the ride :-| I do a little checking, read the manual, do a little more checking... It seems the waterpump seals are toast. Do a little more checking... The new seals are only a few bucks. It will cost more to ship them than to actually pay for them :mad: So down to Cycle Shack North in Conroe to visit my buddy Steve in the parts department. He makes me a good deal, orders the parts, they'll be here sometime Friday. Paul is coming up for the weekend so he agrees to stop by on his way up and pick up the goods for me and to help with the repairs.
:tab Saturday morning arrives and I wind up working because the stoopid pager goes off. About the time I get that taken care of, Paul arrives with the parts. Excellent timing. When I finally get out to the garage, I find Paul busily detailing his Sprint RS. So I start taking off fairings, checking things out, reading the manual again, checking things out... The Paul goes and says, "I think I'm gonna take the bike out for a short spin since it looks okay outside." What can I do?! I get on the other VFR and go with him. I certainly can't let a good riding opportunity go to waste, can I? We suit up and head out.
:tab We head down FM 1791, a familiar and oft run backroad that heads South towards Montgomery. Then I recall a little side road that I seldom run, but to my knowledge Paul has never run , FM 3179. It just runs back to the North and connects with Hwy 30. However, it has some really fun and fast sweepers. We take off at a nice clip... Scant moments later we are nearing the North end of the road and I put on the left blinker intending to pull in the parking lot of a small church to turn around for the run back to FM 1791.
:tab Apparently, Paul is looking ahead thinking we are going to be turning onto Hwy 30 and does not realize I am slowing. As I tip the bike into the left turn, I catch a glimpse out of my left peripheral vision of a bright orange bike sliding at me slightly sideways, surrounded by a huge cloud of white smoke and ridden by a guy whose eyes look like they are about to leap through the helmet visor and smack me!! :eek: Before I can even react, he slides behind me as I roll into the parking lot. **** close!! And a nice save! He turns around and joins me as we take stock of what just happened and look at the 30+ foot skidmark on the road, perfectly straight. He locked up the back rock solid. It is a good thing there is a new tire sitting at the house in the garage to be put on later this evening!
:tab Relieved at our good fortune when it could have been disasterous, we take off again and head back to FM 1791, Paul following a good ways back ;-) It's quite overcast and slightly breezy. The temperature is hovering around the low 70's upper 60's. As long as it doesn't rain, this is a great day for riding. Spurred by the adventure of this little side track from the norm, I recall another little side road that I think we will visit. We reach FM 1791 and head South again.
:tab Near the South end of FM 1791, a few miles before it drops out onto FM 149, there is a big long left handed sweeper. After the sweeper, there is a little bridge over a creek. Just before the bridge, on the right, is a little side road. It is marked as Talleferro Road. I came down here a year or so back and the road was paved a few miles back up into the woods and then became gravel. However, those few miles were nice. So we head into the woods. The road is narrow, about a lane and a half, and still quite nice. We cruise along at a relaxed pace, just enjoying the scenery, the feeling of being out in the middle of nowhere, and not having anywhere we need to be. When we reach what I expect to be the end of the pavement, it keeps going! Cool! We have to check this out and see where it leads.
:tab The new pavement is smooth with nary a pothole. This must have been done in the not too distant past. Somewhere along the way, the road has become Forest Service Rd. 209. As we are putting along, I look down every little side road we pass. One is paved so we stop, turn around, and decide to see where it leads. I think this is Cedar Hill Dr. There are some really nice ranch properties out here, some beautiful lakes and rolling green pastures. In some places I can smell the sweetness from some kind of tree we keep seeing everywhere that is covered in thick white blossoms. Very strong. The road is still very narrow, but the pavement is still great.
:tab Somewhere along the line, the road gets right down into the forest. On our right, there is a really nice and tall fence. The woods beyond the fence are thick but free of undergrowth. It is really cool looking. Judging from the fence, I am guessing this is some kind of exotic game ranch similar to the ones I've seen out in the Hill Country area Southwest of Kerrville. I don't see any critters though :-? Once again, I think the road has changed names and we are now on Hoke Road?
:tab After a few more miles, we finally come to a tee in the road. The cross road does not look familiar at all. It is wider but still does not quite look like an FM. Besides, I know every single FM within miles of here. For a county road, it is very nice!! Not sure where we are specifically, but having an idea generally, we opt for heading to the right thinking it will take us further off the beaten path. It does.
:tab I haven't seen a road name anywhere. A road this nice has to have a name. We pick up the pace a little now that the road is a little wider and visibility in most of the corners is much better. At one point we pop out of some woods into a clearing and I spot a HUGE tree on the right, totally engulfed in Spanish Moss. Picture time ;-)
Tree 1 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01420.JPG) / Tree 2 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01421.JPG) / Tree 3 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01422.JPG) / My riding buddy (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01423.JPG) / The rides! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01425.JPG)
:tab When we first turned off of FM 1791 onto Talliferro, I noticed the bike sounded a little strange and was acting a little sluggish? When I would give it some throttle, it seemed hesitant and almost sounded as if one of the cylinders was dropping?! Otherwise, it seemed to ride okay. While we are sitting here on the side of the road, I annoy the locals by slowly revving it up through the rev range and listening to it. It sounds fine now. However, as soon as I pull back onto the road, it starts again :scratch The 98 VFR did this some time ago for about a week, then never has done it since. I never figured out what was causing it. I guess now that I am looking to sell the 01, I have to get this solved, what luck!? The good thing is that I still have a year left on the extended warranty, woo hoo!!
:tab We continue heading on down whatever this road is called and get back into the woods. The road winds around lazily, in and out of the woods. It is really pretty out here. There is just something about the look and feel of the countryside that is really soothing and relaxing. To think I could be back at the house right now skinning knuckles and pulling a waterpump... I can do that tonight after it gets dark outside ;-) I have been taking it easy around all the corners because I never know when I'll come around one and find the road suddenly becoming gravel. However as I crest a slight hill on a straight, the road suddenly becomes gravel. It is not real loose so I just coast down to around 20mph and keep going. No point in stopping now. :shrug: However, the road soon turns to loose sand and now there is a real good point :shock: We stop for a moment and just soak in the moment. This is part of what riding is all about, exploring the unknown and really getting to experience the world outside our helmets.
:tab We head back the way we came, satisfied that we have run this road to it's useful end. I will definitely be coming back here if I can ever figure out how to get myself a BMW R1150GS :twisted: For now, I am remembering that we passed a real small, narrow and somewhat paved road a mile or so back the way we came. I wonder what's down there? Soon we reach a small church, Bay's Methodist Chapel, established in 1851!! The little side road is Bay's Cemetery Road. Sounds interesting.
:tab As we run down this little road, the trees come in close and hug the edge of the pavement. It almost seems like this is just a long driveway. About a mile or so back off the main road, we come to a sharp corner and what looks to be the end of the line. Set back off the road a few hundred yards is a massive mansion. Just beyond the entryway to the main driveway, the road comes to an end in front of an old cemetery. I decide to stop and take a walk around. Paul agrees and grabs his camera.
:tab Walking through cemeteries is always an interesting experience. There are numerous graves from the early 1800's. Some of the markers indicate that the person was a soldier in the War of 1812!! Many of them were soldiers in the C.S.A., which is the Confederate States Army. There are quite a few newborns, infants, and young children of a few years or less, a somber reminder of the high infant mortality rates of years past. Also common are what appear to be young wives and mothers. We are guessing perhaps they died during, or as the result of, childbirth? Many of the grave markers are made of marble and have been severely eroded over the years, some even tipping over and falling off their pedestals. There are newer markers in places made of granite. I guess some of the family members put out new markers because there is no way they'd be so new looking if they had been sitting out here for 150 years or more! There are also graves from more recent times, mostly husbands waiting for their wives to join them. We spend a good twenty or thirty minutes wandering around. It is interesting to think what the lives of the people living in this area nearly 200 years ago might have been like?
:tab We mount back up and head to the main road. I have a good idea of where we are now and we head back the way we came on the main road. It is not long before we drop out onto FM 149 next to a small community center a few miles East of Richards. This is the place were Mark Eggers was killed in a motorcycle accident back in November of last year. Every time I come by here I am reminded of how fleeting our brief lives must seem to the land that sees us come and go.
:tab I'm starving so we head towards Richards to find the little BBQ shack on the side of the road. I've driven by it a million times but have never stopped. Today seems to be a good day to go places and do things I've not done before so why buck the trend?
:tab We pull into the gravel parking lot and carefully park the bikes. The gravel consists of big coarse stones a few inches deep, not exactly biker friendly. As we head inside I notice that it looks like the sun is trying to peek out from behind the clouds. The shack is small. There are a few tables, two restrooms and a tiny kitchen. Outside there are a few picnic tables under some trees. We visit with the owner a few minutes, place our orders and then head outside to wait.
The bikes parked out front (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01426.JPG)
The sign you see from the road (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01427.JPG)
The Redbuds are in full bloom all over the place! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01428.JPG)
:tab We kick back, relax, chow down and just take in the evening. It is sometime around 5:00pm, the clouds have regained control of the sky once again, and a slight breeze is blowing in from the Southwest. The BBQ is average, nothing to write home about, but I'll come back for more. After a quick Ice Cream sandwhich to top things off, we roll the bikes back so we can get turned around and head back out for some more riding. Once again, we crest the slight rise and curve where Mark inexplicably lost control of his bike on that fateful morning. With a full stomach and a great day of riding behind me, I have to wonder what a strange twist of fate it is that separates us.
:tab Paul and I zing on down FM 149 through the National Forest and soon find ourselves in Montgomery. We stop for gas at the Texaco where everyone meets on Saturdays and Sundays. After gassing up, I suggest Paul ride my bike back so he can see for himself how it is running and perhaps help me with the diagnostics. Of course, this is really just a red herring. I just want to ride his Sprint RS :twisted: Willing to help out a friend in need, Paul readily agrees.
:tab We head back North on FM 149 into the Forest again, me leading on the RS. The RS is so smooth. I feel like I am sitting up higher than I would be on the VFR, the bars are wide, and the double bubble windscreen does an excellent job of cleaning up the air flow. I don't get any buffeting at all. I plop the tranny into high gear and forget about shifting for the rest of the ride. The 955 triple has so much torque that I can be real lazy about the shifting thing. The only problem is that it is really really hard to keep the bike down around "not quite go to jail" speeds :roll: If it had some aftermarket suspension bits, it would be a real hoot for railing around on little twisty backroads! Of course this ride is all business, I am not having fun. :-P
:tab Paul chases me all the way back to Huntsville up FM 149 and 1791. In the thirty minutes it takes us to get home, the skies have gone from thin overcast with a beautiful fading evening sun back to heavy ominous looking clouds. What a strange day? However, it never does rain on us and we've had a great time. As I pull back into the garage, there sits the 98, patiently waiting for the tender loving care it so desperately needs... Time for beer!! :chug:
:tab Okay, so there is no putting it off any longer. I've been able to ride today, I have cold beer and good music, I settle down to come to terms with my nemisis:
The leaking waterpump (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01441.JPG)
:tab As I start to settle in to the task at hand, Paul starts the process of removing his rear tire. My job looks simple enough. One more check of the manual, I need some kind of Lithium based grease for the pump gasket! So off to the autoparts store I go. It soon becomes evident that I will be buying enough grease on this one trip to last for several lifetimes. They don't sell any small convenient tubes, just large inconvenient tubs! The amount I need will fit on one fingertip, and I'll have enough left over that I'll have to dream up some new after hours activites for me and Beth :mrgreen: You now, things like door hinges, squeaky toilet seat covers, etc,... :-P
:tab So now it is somewhere around 8:00pm and I still have not touched a tool. I can see that I will be needing another beer soon. This is strenuous work! Paul has his tire off and is busily working on breaking the bead so he can get it off the rim. After letting the bike come up to operating temperature so the thermostat will open up, I wheel the bike back in the garage and finally grab an 8mm socket and loosen the drain plug on the pump. My catch pan gets what little dribbles out. I position a good bucket in front of the drain hole and then pull the radiator cap off. The coolant shoots straight out of the drain hole almost perfectly horizontal. Had I set a pan on the ground it would have shot right over it and all over me. Don't ask how I already know this :roll:
:tab I manage not to scald myself. Now I have to get to the cylinder drain plug and that is above the oil filter between the front header pipes, a hot place!! :shock: It soon becomes obvious that getting this plug out without removing the oil filter will take more time than just changing the oil and filter. It's due anyway so out comes the oil drain plug too. With the oil filter removed, I check the manual again to make sure I have the right bolt in mind before I start cranking with the wrench. Once spotted, Paul lends his larger than Japanese hands to the project and gets the bolt out, which makes a mess :lol:
Look just to the left of the right header pipe at the motor wall, the wet spot. (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01432.JPG)
Then Paul goes back to the rear tire job. He's not done with that yet? :-? He has decided to balance the rim alone before mounting the tire:
Does this thing ever stop spinning? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01433.JPG)
:tab With the oil and coolant all drained from the bike, I now set to actually breaking open the water pump. First I remove the overflow cannister just to get it out of the way. This probably is not a necessary step, but it makes me feel like I am doing something useful. I grab a 6mm socket and break loose the upper right and lower left bolts. The upper left and lower right are 8mm for some reason? Then I grab an 8mm to loosen the remaining two bolts... When I torque them, the whole assembly spins!! I guess the 6mm bolts hold the whole thing to the bike and the 8's hold the two haves of the pump casing together. So I stick the 6's back in, undo the 8's and split the case, then pull the 6's again. Coolant splashes all over the place, on my arms, my t-shirt and the little carpet I am laying on. Doh!
:tab I pry the case gasket out of it's groove and have a look. It is obviously old and somewhat reduced in size, but it still looks like it should work. Since I am here, it is getting replaced anyway. The pump impeller and housing all look to be in good shape. Now I have to pull the impeller and shaft away from the crankcase housing to expose the backside of the pump. More coolant goes flying all over the place and before I can get a peek, the inner seal comes flying out at me and bounces across the floor. I retrieve the seal, the one I suspect is the culprit. Compared to the new one, it has lost a lot of its' original size and efficacy.
The side of the crankcase where the impeller shaft goes in and the inner seal mates. (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01434.JPG)
Teh impeller and shaft. (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01436.JPG)
The whole mess. (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01437.JPG)
:tab Looking at the parts, it seems like a no brainer operation. Put the new seals in place, bolt it back up, refill the oil and coolant, we're done. Well I have to take a break to help Paul get the rear tire off the rim and then get the new tire on the rim. No biggie. I put the inner seal up into the recessed area in the side of the crankcase after dunking it in motor oil per the manual. I then orient the pump shaft slot with the little dohickey up inside the crankcase that spins everything and gently push things back into place. Next I grab the bucket-o-lube, put a little on my finger and lube the outer seal. I gently press it into place, line everything up, and bolt it all up tight again. Simple! Why is Paul still over there staring at his rear wheel on the balancer?
:tab With all the various drain plugs reinstalled, I proceed to refill the crankcase with oil, then the radiator with coolant. There seem to be air pockets in the cooling system. So I have to pour until it is full, put the cap on, run the engine until it hits about 190F and the thermostat opens, shut it down, add more coolant, repeat. I am sure that at 10:30pm, the neighbors have to be wondering why I have the bike just sitting out in the driveway making a racket?! Eventually, I get it full, shut it down and wheel it back into the garage. Paul is still messing with the balancing of his rear tire :scratch
:tab As I start the process of picking up the various tools, I spot a few drops of coolant under the bike on the concrete!! :shock: That had better be residual stuff and not a leak. I get a towel and clean all around the pump housing real carefully. I roll the bike out and fire it up again to get the system back up to operating pressure. Then roll it back in and let it sit for a few minutes. Now the drips are coming pretty fast :angryfir: This is not good! But it is late, Paul has finally got his rear tire balanced after an hour and a half and a few beers. Beth is wanting to go get something to eat. So I stick a towel under the bike and call it quits for the evening. At the end of the day, the score is Scott-0 Waterpump-1 :-? Paul-0 His rear tire-1 ;-)
:tab Sunday morning rolls around, I roll over and then Sunday afternoon rolls around 8-) I've never been much of a morning person. Paul gets the duty of feeding the cats since he gets up early and then he usually settles in to surfing the net as he only has a dial up modem at home and we have cable. About the time I start mulling around and thinking I ought to be doing something productive, the pager goes off :mad: It never ceases to amaze me. I could goof off all day and do nothing and it will never go off. But Heaven forbid I actually try to get something done!! It would not be so annoying except that it happens so regularly as to be scary :-|
:tab A few hours later, I am once again ready to go back out into the garage and take stock of the bike and my failed repair. Paul apparently finally got his tire balanced and has reinstalled it on the bike :dude: He decides to save the front tire for another weekend :lol: It is already pushing 5:00am and now Debbie has come over because she wants to do the 3000 mile oil change on her GS500. Paul gets to assist (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01438.JPG) in teaching her what to do (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01440.JPG). Meanwhile I set about to pulling the waterpump again... :miffed:
:tab I get the engine up to temp so everything will flow out readily and burn the crap out of me! Seriously, this is hot stuff. I get my bucket positioned and out it comes, steaming up my face with the wonderful smell of hot antifreeze. I don't bother with a full drain or mess with the cylinder drain plug and oil. I just drain it until stuff stops coming out of the water pump drain and then pull the pump. Here is what I find of the inner O-ring:
Where's the rest of it!? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01439.JPG)
:tab Keep in mind this was a new O-ring just last night! Apparently, I was not quite gentle enough when I reinserted the waterpump into the side of the crankcase :headbang: Just to be sure I have not missed something, I check the manual for the umpteenth time! Hmm... I seemed to have missed something :oops: The manual shows that the O-ring should be slipped over the shaft housing on the pump and then everything inserted into the side of the crankcase. I put the seal in the side of the crankcase and then slipped the housing into it. Apparently, this sheared off a large portion of the O-ring which then disappeared into gear driven never never land to be chewed into tiny little bits of rubber. Hopefully, none of the little pieces will wind up where they should not be :-|
:tab About the time I get everything back together for the second time, Paul and Debbie finish her bike. Once again I take the bike back out into the driveway and bring it up to operating temperature. Once again I wheel it back into the garage, and once again, it is dripping from the bottom of the water pump :angryfir: Granted, it is barely dripping compared to before. Fed up, and out of O-rings, I call it a night. Who knows, at this rate, maybe I will use up that lifetime supply of Lithium based grease :roll:
:tab Now here it is Monday evening. I carefully cleaned and dried the floor under the bike so that I could see if any new drips appeared, which they did :evil: However, after sitting all night, there was only a few drops on the floor. I may take it for a drive later in the week and see if a few heat cycles don't cause it to seal up tight. If not, I guess I'll be ordering another couple of O-rings for next weekend. I'm sure I'm getting some benefit out of this rather than taking the bike to the dealership... right? :huh:
Adios,
Pics: http://twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/
:tab So after the last Butt Burner ride, I noticed a puddle of coolant under the 98 VFR when we got back from the ride :-| I do a little checking, read the manual, do a little more checking... It seems the waterpump seals are toast. Do a little more checking... The new seals are only a few bucks. It will cost more to ship them than to actually pay for them :mad: So down to Cycle Shack North in Conroe to visit my buddy Steve in the parts department. He makes me a good deal, orders the parts, they'll be here sometime Friday. Paul is coming up for the weekend so he agrees to stop by on his way up and pick up the goods for me and to help with the repairs.
:tab Saturday morning arrives and I wind up working because the stoopid pager goes off. About the time I get that taken care of, Paul arrives with the parts. Excellent timing. When I finally get out to the garage, I find Paul busily detailing his Sprint RS. So I start taking off fairings, checking things out, reading the manual again, checking things out... The Paul goes and says, "I think I'm gonna take the bike out for a short spin since it looks okay outside." What can I do?! I get on the other VFR and go with him. I certainly can't let a good riding opportunity go to waste, can I? We suit up and head out.
:tab We head down FM 1791, a familiar and oft run backroad that heads South towards Montgomery. Then I recall a little side road that I seldom run, but to my knowledge Paul has never run , FM 3179. It just runs back to the North and connects with Hwy 30. However, it has some really fun and fast sweepers. We take off at a nice clip... Scant moments later we are nearing the North end of the road and I put on the left blinker intending to pull in the parking lot of a small church to turn around for the run back to FM 1791.
:tab Apparently, Paul is looking ahead thinking we are going to be turning onto Hwy 30 and does not realize I am slowing. As I tip the bike into the left turn, I catch a glimpse out of my left peripheral vision of a bright orange bike sliding at me slightly sideways, surrounded by a huge cloud of white smoke and ridden by a guy whose eyes look like they are about to leap through the helmet visor and smack me!! :eek: Before I can even react, he slides behind me as I roll into the parking lot. **** close!! And a nice save! He turns around and joins me as we take stock of what just happened and look at the 30+ foot skidmark on the road, perfectly straight. He locked up the back rock solid. It is a good thing there is a new tire sitting at the house in the garage to be put on later this evening!
:tab Relieved at our good fortune when it could have been disasterous, we take off again and head back to FM 1791, Paul following a good ways back ;-) It's quite overcast and slightly breezy. The temperature is hovering around the low 70's upper 60's. As long as it doesn't rain, this is a great day for riding. Spurred by the adventure of this little side track from the norm, I recall another little side road that I think we will visit. We reach FM 1791 and head South again.
:tab Near the South end of FM 1791, a few miles before it drops out onto FM 149, there is a big long left handed sweeper. After the sweeper, there is a little bridge over a creek. Just before the bridge, on the right, is a little side road. It is marked as Talleferro Road. I came down here a year or so back and the road was paved a few miles back up into the woods and then became gravel. However, those few miles were nice. So we head into the woods. The road is narrow, about a lane and a half, and still quite nice. We cruise along at a relaxed pace, just enjoying the scenery, the feeling of being out in the middle of nowhere, and not having anywhere we need to be. When we reach what I expect to be the end of the pavement, it keeps going! Cool! We have to check this out and see where it leads.
:tab The new pavement is smooth with nary a pothole. This must have been done in the not too distant past. Somewhere along the way, the road has become Forest Service Rd. 209. As we are putting along, I look down every little side road we pass. One is paved so we stop, turn around, and decide to see where it leads. I think this is Cedar Hill Dr. There are some really nice ranch properties out here, some beautiful lakes and rolling green pastures. In some places I can smell the sweetness from some kind of tree we keep seeing everywhere that is covered in thick white blossoms. Very strong. The road is still very narrow, but the pavement is still great.
:tab Somewhere along the line, the road gets right down into the forest. On our right, there is a really nice and tall fence. The woods beyond the fence are thick but free of undergrowth. It is really cool looking. Judging from the fence, I am guessing this is some kind of exotic game ranch similar to the ones I've seen out in the Hill Country area Southwest of Kerrville. I don't see any critters though :-? Once again, I think the road has changed names and we are now on Hoke Road?
:tab After a few more miles, we finally come to a tee in the road. The cross road does not look familiar at all. It is wider but still does not quite look like an FM. Besides, I know every single FM within miles of here. For a county road, it is very nice!! Not sure where we are specifically, but having an idea generally, we opt for heading to the right thinking it will take us further off the beaten path. It does.
:tab I haven't seen a road name anywhere. A road this nice has to have a name. We pick up the pace a little now that the road is a little wider and visibility in most of the corners is much better. At one point we pop out of some woods into a clearing and I spot a HUGE tree on the right, totally engulfed in Spanish Moss. Picture time ;-)
Tree 1 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01420.JPG) / Tree 2 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01421.JPG) / Tree 3 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01422.JPG) / My riding buddy (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01423.JPG) / The rides! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01425.JPG)
:tab When we first turned off of FM 1791 onto Talliferro, I noticed the bike sounded a little strange and was acting a little sluggish? When I would give it some throttle, it seemed hesitant and almost sounded as if one of the cylinders was dropping?! Otherwise, it seemed to ride okay. While we are sitting here on the side of the road, I annoy the locals by slowly revving it up through the rev range and listening to it. It sounds fine now. However, as soon as I pull back onto the road, it starts again :scratch The 98 VFR did this some time ago for about a week, then never has done it since. I never figured out what was causing it. I guess now that I am looking to sell the 01, I have to get this solved, what luck!? The good thing is that I still have a year left on the extended warranty, woo hoo!!
:tab We continue heading on down whatever this road is called and get back into the woods. The road winds around lazily, in and out of the woods. It is really pretty out here. There is just something about the look and feel of the countryside that is really soothing and relaxing. To think I could be back at the house right now skinning knuckles and pulling a waterpump... I can do that tonight after it gets dark outside ;-) I have been taking it easy around all the corners because I never know when I'll come around one and find the road suddenly becoming gravel. However as I crest a slight hill on a straight, the road suddenly becomes gravel. It is not real loose so I just coast down to around 20mph and keep going. No point in stopping now. :shrug: However, the road soon turns to loose sand and now there is a real good point :shock: We stop for a moment and just soak in the moment. This is part of what riding is all about, exploring the unknown and really getting to experience the world outside our helmets.
:tab We head back the way we came, satisfied that we have run this road to it's useful end. I will definitely be coming back here if I can ever figure out how to get myself a BMW R1150GS :twisted: For now, I am remembering that we passed a real small, narrow and somewhat paved road a mile or so back the way we came. I wonder what's down there? Soon we reach a small church, Bay's Methodist Chapel, established in 1851!! The little side road is Bay's Cemetery Road. Sounds interesting.
:tab As we run down this little road, the trees come in close and hug the edge of the pavement. It almost seems like this is just a long driveway. About a mile or so back off the main road, we come to a sharp corner and what looks to be the end of the line. Set back off the road a few hundred yards is a massive mansion. Just beyond the entryway to the main driveway, the road comes to an end in front of an old cemetery. I decide to stop and take a walk around. Paul agrees and grabs his camera.
:tab Walking through cemeteries is always an interesting experience. There are numerous graves from the early 1800's. Some of the markers indicate that the person was a soldier in the War of 1812!! Many of them were soldiers in the C.S.A., which is the Confederate States Army. There are quite a few newborns, infants, and young children of a few years or less, a somber reminder of the high infant mortality rates of years past. Also common are what appear to be young wives and mothers. We are guessing perhaps they died during, or as the result of, childbirth? Many of the grave markers are made of marble and have been severely eroded over the years, some even tipping over and falling off their pedestals. There are newer markers in places made of granite. I guess some of the family members put out new markers because there is no way they'd be so new looking if they had been sitting out here for 150 years or more! There are also graves from more recent times, mostly husbands waiting for their wives to join them. We spend a good twenty or thirty minutes wandering around. It is interesting to think what the lives of the people living in this area nearly 200 years ago might have been like?
:tab We mount back up and head to the main road. I have a good idea of where we are now and we head back the way we came on the main road. It is not long before we drop out onto FM 149 next to a small community center a few miles East of Richards. This is the place were Mark Eggers was killed in a motorcycle accident back in November of last year. Every time I come by here I am reminded of how fleeting our brief lives must seem to the land that sees us come and go.
:tab I'm starving so we head towards Richards to find the little BBQ shack on the side of the road. I've driven by it a million times but have never stopped. Today seems to be a good day to go places and do things I've not done before so why buck the trend?
:tab We pull into the gravel parking lot and carefully park the bikes. The gravel consists of big coarse stones a few inches deep, not exactly biker friendly. As we head inside I notice that it looks like the sun is trying to peek out from behind the clouds. The shack is small. There are a few tables, two restrooms and a tiny kitchen. Outside there are a few picnic tables under some trees. We visit with the owner a few minutes, place our orders and then head outside to wait.
The bikes parked out front (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01426.JPG)
The sign you see from the road (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01427.JPG)
The Redbuds are in full bloom all over the place! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01428.JPG)
:tab We kick back, relax, chow down and just take in the evening. It is sometime around 5:00pm, the clouds have regained control of the sky once again, and a slight breeze is blowing in from the Southwest. The BBQ is average, nothing to write home about, but I'll come back for more. After a quick Ice Cream sandwhich to top things off, we roll the bikes back so we can get turned around and head back out for some more riding. Once again, we crest the slight rise and curve where Mark inexplicably lost control of his bike on that fateful morning. With a full stomach and a great day of riding behind me, I have to wonder what a strange twist of fate it is that separates us.
:tab Paul and I zing on down FM 149 through the National Forest and soon find ourselves in Montgomery. We stop for gas at the Texaco where everyone meets on Saturdays and Sundays. After gassing up, I suggest Paul ride my bike back so he can see for himself how it is running and perhaps help me with the diagnostics. Of course, this is really just a red herring. I just want to ride his Sprint RS :twisted: Willing to help out a friend in need, Paul readily agrees.
:tab We head back North on FM 149 into the Forest again, me leading on the RS. The RS is so smooth. I feel like I am sitting up higher than I would be on the VFR, the bars are wide, and the double bubble windscreen does an excellent job of cleaning up the air flow. I don't get any buffeting at all. I plop the tranny into high gear and forget about shifting for the rest of the ride. The 955 triple has so much torque that I can be real lazy about the shifting thing. The only problem is that it is really really hard to keep the bike down around "not quite go to jail" speeds :roll: If it had some aftermarket suspension bits, it would be a real hoot for railing around on little twisty backroads! Of course this ride is all business, I am not having fun. :-P
:tab Paul chases me all the way back to Huntsville up FM 149 and 1791. In the thirty minutes it takes us to get home, the skies have gone from thin overcast with a beautiful fading evening sun back to heavy ominous looking clouds. What a strange day? However, it never does rain on us and we've had a great time. As I pull back into the garage, there sits the 98, patiently waiting for the tender loving care it so desperately needs... Time for beer!! :chug:
:tab Okay, so there is no putting it off any longer. I've been able to ride today, I have cold beer and good music, I settle down to come to terms with my nemisis:
The leaking waterpump (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01441.JPG)
:tab As I start to settle in to the task at hand, Paul starts the process of removing his rear tire. My job looks simple enough. One more check of the manual, I need some kind of Lithium based grease for the pump gasket! So off to the autoparts store I go. It soon becomes evident that I will be buying enough grease on this one trip to last for several lifetimes. They don't sell any small convenient tubes, just large inconvenient tubs! The amount I need will fit on one fingertip, and I'll have enough left over that I'll have to dream up some new after hours activites for me and Beth :mrgreen: You now, things like door hinges, squeaky toilet seat covers, etc,... :-P
:tab So now it is somewhere around 8:00pm and I still have not touched a tool. I can see that I will be needing another beer soon. This is strenuous work! Paul has his tire off and is busily working on breaking the bead so he can get it off the rim. After letting the bike come up to operating temperature so the thermostat will open up, I wheel the bike back in the garage and finally grab an 8mm socket and loosen the drain plug on the pump. My catch pan gets what little dribbles out. I position a good bucket in front of the drain hole and then pull the radiator cap off. The coolant shoots straight out of the drain hole almost perfectly horizontal. Had I set a pan on the ground it would have shot right over it and all over me. Don't ask how I already know this :roll:
:tab I manage not to scald myself. Now I have to get to the cylinder drain plug and that is above the oil filter between the front header pipes, a hot place!! :shock: It soon becomes obvious that getting this plug out without removing the oil filter will take more time than just changing the oil and filter. It's due anyway so out comes the oil drain plug too. With the oil filter removed, I check the manual again to make sure I have the right bolt in mind before I start cranking with the wrench. Once spotted, Paul lends his larger than Japanese hands to the project and gets the bolt out, which makes a mess :lol:
Look just to the left of the right header pipe at the motor wall, the wet spot. (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01432.JPG)
Then Paul goes back to the rear tire job. He's not done with that yet? :-? He has decided to balance the rim alone before mounting the tire:
Does this thing ever stop spinning? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01433.JPG)
:tab With the oil and coolant all drained from the bike, I now set to actually breaking open the water pump. First I remove the overflow cannister just to get it out of the way. This probably is not a necessary step, but it makes me feel like I am doing something useful. I grab a 6mm socket and break loose the upper right and lower left bolts. The upper left and lower right are 8mm for some reason? Then I grab an 8mm to loosen the remaining two bolts... When I torque them, the whole assembly spins!! I guess the 6mm bolts hold the whole thing to the bike and the 8's hold the two haves of the pump casing together. So I stick the 6's back in, undo the 8's and split the case, then pull the 6's again. Coolant splashes all over the place, on my arms, my t-shirt and the little carpet I am laying on. Doh!
:tab I pry the case gasket out of it's groove and have a look. It is obviously old and somewhat reduced in size, but it still looks like it should work. Since I am here, it is getting replaced anyway. The pump impeller and housing all look to be in good shape. Now I have to pull the impeller and shaft away from the crankcase housing to expose the backside of the pump. More coolant goes flying all over the place and before I can get a peek, the inner seal comes flying out at me and bounces across the floor. I retrieve the seal, the one I suspect is the culprit. Compared to the new one, it has lost a lot of its' original size and efficacy.
The side of the crankcase where the impeller shaft goes in and the inner seal mates. (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01434.JPG)
Teh impeller and shaft. (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01436.JPG)
The whole mess. (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01437.JPG)
:tab Looking at the parts, it seems like a no brainer operation. Put the new seals in place, bolt it back up, refill the oil and coolant, we're done. Well I have to take a break to help Paul get the rear tire off the rim and then get the new tire on the rim. No biggie. I put the inner seal up into the recessed area in the side of the crankcase after dunking it in motor oil per the manual. I then orient the pump shaft slot with the little dohickey up inside the crankcase that spins everything and gently push things back into place. Next I grab the bucket-o-lube, put a little on my finger and lube the outer seal. I gently press it into place, line everything up, and bolt it all up tight again. Simple! Why is Paul still over there staring at his rear wheel on the balancer?
:tab With all the various drain plugs reinstalled, I proceed to refill the crankcase with oil, then the radiator with coolant. There seem to be air pockets in the cooling system. So I have to pour until it is full, put the cap on, run the engine until it hits about 190F and the thermostat opens, shut it down, add more coolant, repeat. I am sure that at 10:30pm, the neighbors have to be wondering why I have the bike just sitting out in the driveway making a racket?! Eventually, I get it full, shut it down and wheel it back into the garage. Paul is still messing with the balancing of his rear tire :scratch
:tab As I start the process of picking up the various tools, I spot a few drops of coolant under the bike on the concrete!! :shock: That had better be residual stuff and not a leak. I get a towel and clean all around the pump housing real carefully. I roll the bike out and fire it up again to get the system back up to operating pressure. Then roll it back in and let it sit for a few minutes. Now the drips are coming pretty fast :angryfir: This is not good! But it is late, Paul has finally got his rear tire balanced after an hour and a half and a few beers. Beth is wanting to go get something to eat. So I stick a towel under the bike and call it quits for the evening. At the end of the day, the score is Scott-0 Waterpump-1 :-? Paul-0 His rear tire-1 ;-)
:tab Sunday morning rolls around, I roll over and then Sunday afternoon rolls around 8-) I've never been much of a morning person. Paul gets the duty of feeding the cats since he gets up early and then he usually settles in to surfing the net as he only has a dial up modem at home and we have cable. About the time I start mulling around and thinking I ought to be doing something productive, the pager goes off :mad: It never ceases to amaze me. I could goof off all day and do nothing and it will never go off. But Heaven forbid I actually try to get something done!! It would not be so annoying except that it happens so regularly as to be scary :-|
:tab A few hours later, I am once again ready to go back out into the garage and take stock of the bike and my failed repair. Paul apparently finally got his tire balanced and has reinstalled it on the bike :dude: He decides to save the front tire for another weekend :lol: It is already pushing 5:00am and now Debbie has come over because she wants to do the 3000 mile oil change on her GS500. Paul gets to assist (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01438.JPG) in teaching her what to do (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01440.JPG). Meanwhile I set about to pulling the waterpump again... :miffed:
:tab I get the engine up to temp so everything will flow out readily and burn the crap out of me! Seriously, this is hot stuff. I get my bucket positioned and out it comes, steaming up my face with the wonderful smell of hot antifreeze. I don't bother with a full drain or mess with the cylinder drain plug and oil. I just drain it until stuff stops coming out of the water pump drain and then pull the pump. Here is what I find of the inner O-ring:
Where's the rest of it!? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/031304-dayride/DSC01439.JPG)
:tab Keep in mind this was a new O-ring just last night! Apparently, I was not quite gentle enough when I reinserted the waterpump into the side of the crankcase :headbang: Just to be sure I have not missed something, I check the manual for the umpteenth time! Hmm... I seemed to have missed something :oops: The manual shows that the O-ring should be slipped over the shaft housing on the pump and then everything inserted into the side of the crankcase. I put the seal in the side of the crankcase and then slipped the housing into it. Apparently, this sheared off a large portion of the O-ring which then disappeared into gear driven never never land to be chewed into tiny little bits of rubber. Hopefully, none of the little pieces will wind up where they should not be :-|
:tab About the time I get everything back together for the second time, Paul and Debbie finish her bike. Once again I take the bike back out into the driveway and bring it up to operating temperature. Once again I wheel it back into the garage, and once again, it is dripping from the bottom of the water pump :angryfir: Granted, it is barely dripping compared to before. Fed up, and out of O-rings, I call it a night. Who knows, at this rate, maybe I will use up that lifetime supply of Lithium based grease :roll:
:tab Now here it is Monday evening. I carefully cleaned and dried the floor under the bike so that I could see if any new drips appeared, which they did :evil: However, after sitting all night, there was only a few drops on the floor. I may take it for a drive later in the week and see if a few heat cycles don't cause it to seal up tight. If not, I guess I'll be ordering another couple of O-rings for next weekend. I'm sure I'm getting some benefit out of this rather than taking the bike to the dealership... right? :huh:
Adios,