| Author | Message | ||
     Tootal |
Court, I enjoy reading your comments here and wondered if you have heard of any problems with piston to bore relationships on the XB's. I have an 06 Ulysses and was riding from St. Louis to Colorado and had to add half a quart of oil about 2/3rds the way there. While on some jeep trails running 2500 to 3000 rpm in first gear I could really hear piston slap just like some of my old dirt bikes. When I heard that, the oil consumption started to make sense. Have you heard of any engines getting out with improper bore dimensions? I've build a lot of engines over the years and I've never had oil consumption problems before and with only 2 1/2 quarts that worries me. I had the oil changed at Pike's Peak HD/Buell and had to add another half quart to make it home. I'm going to take it to a dealer and wanted check with you to get any info that might help them figure it out. As far as dealers, all the St. Louis dealers are owned by the same guy. Do you know any of the mechanics around here that you would trust? I appreciate any info you can pass along. | ||
| Court |
Thank you for the nice words Greg. I'lve never heard of any piston vs. bore problems or piston slap in the Uly. If I were going to have anything worked on the STL area, I'd touch base with Josh Andrews first. You can find his profile here on badweb and PM him. He's like me, just smarted and without the male model looks. Keep us posted . . . I may be a Uly owner someday and all the wisdomosity I can accumulate is good. Ride safe, lean much and smile more, Court | ||
| Jlnance |
Tootal, that doesn't sound like an supprising about of oil consumption for this motor. Oil consumption from bike to bike can vary a lot, but they all consume some oil. Some bikes also don't like to be filled all the way up to the top line of the dipstick. If you do, they will blow oil out until it gets down to a level the bike is happy with. The badweb recomendation is when you change the oil, to add 2.5 quarts, and note the level of the oil. Thats your "full." Also, make sure you check the oil when the bike is hot. It will read low if you check it cold. Then of course if you fill it cold, it will be overfilled when it warms up. | ||
| Jimidan |
I agree that using the described amount of oil in that distance is not a problem in one of these engines. Oil is cheap, and easy to add, so bite the bullet and carry that spare quart. I routinely add oil to my 88" engines. However, you pistons should not be slapping when warmed up, so if you really think they are you should have a compression and leak down test done by someone who really knows how. If you have a problem in the piston to cylinder dimensions, these tests will give you some confidence on those long rides. My bet is that your engine is fine, but that is just a guess based on past experiences where ring failure started some real oil consumption. jimidan | ||
| Tootal |
Thanks for all of the replies. When I checked the oil I was on the road and it was definitely hot! I was getting gas and was on a level concrete pad. The oil was touching the dipstick by 1/8". I only added enough to get half way up the cross hatch on the stick. I will check the compression before hauling to a dealer. There was 26 miles on the bike when I bought it and those miles are so critical during break in. I think that is why I'm using oil. Thanks Court for the tip about Josh, I'll contact him for sure. | ||
| Court |
>>>>Thanks Court for the tip about Josh, I'll contact him for sure. When you talk to him tell him to send wine. . . Henrik's running low.  | ||
| Tootal |
You don't mean Heinrich's do you? Heinrich is a friend of mine, therefore I understand your dilemma!! Fortunately Heinrich likes our homebrew. It's a nice trade!! | ||
| Court |
No . . Henrik is a far and wide fabled Dutch Wine Connoisseur who used to continually have his fine wine stolen by construction workers. He's a bit of a ghost and only comes around when there's talk of:
Long ago Dutch children, when they got sloppy and failed to give proper attention to detail were often told by their Mothers. .. "Henrik unst gonnask gitcha". He's basically a legend. | ||
| Henrik |
I'll sometimes chime in on crank seals and regular tools as well Oh, and the "Mother said" story is true, only for Danish children  Henrik | ||
| Court |
There . . . . right THERE . . . .that was him! | ||
| Firemanjim |
I blinked, oh well. Next time. What's up, Doc? How did your west coast foray go?? | ||
| Reepicheep |
You can sometimes lure him out with talk of swingarm spools as well.... | ||
| Court |
>>>You can sometimes lure him out with talk of swingarm spools as well.... He's going to be in hot water if he delay's Job #1 for the 1125R! | ||
| Henrik |
He's going to be in hot water if he delay's Job #1 for the 1125R! Eh, no worries. Nobody listens to me anyway West Coast was ok - I guess people had hyped up Portland so much that it was actually a bit of a let down. A fine city and nice surroundings, no doubt, but still. I loved the Japanese Garden - if only I had the time, $$ and space The coast line was pretty cool too, and you can still find spots there that aren't completely swarmed with people. Oh, Bill, seeing your name reminds me - I'd like you to take a look at my firewall etc. I'll shoot you a PM later in the week. Henrik | ||
| Firemanjim |
Henrik, ya shoulda done SF and Napa Valley,or Monterey/Big Sur,Yosemite, or Tahoe area. All with in a 30 minute to a 2 hour drive from my place. Do I got some roads for you. Might be able to find a couple of wine making areas,too.  How's that ,Crusty?? (Message edited by firemanjim on August 23, 2007) | ||
| Crusty |
Might be able to find a couple of wine growing areas,too. Uh, Jim; you don't grow wine. You make it from squeezing grapes. | ||
| Henrik |
Thanks Jim - we may well take you up on that offer sometime. The Portland trip was part purpose part pleasure, so there was no choice in destination this time around. Next time maybe ... Henrik | ||
| Firemanjim |
Really, I was wondering how that rotten grape juice got into the bottles? (Everyone is a dang english professor,sheesh!!) I would never make a mistake like that discussing beer----  | ||
| Blake |
Henrik, Did you visit the Columbia River Gorge, and Mount Hood, and Crater Lake, and Cannon Beach, and... ? Can you tell that I totally dig Oregon? ![: ]](http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/clipart/proud.gif) A two week trip to include all the above plus some other side trips like Cape Lookout, Heceda Head, the Tillamook cheese factory, and be sure to take a drive up to the end of Starkweather Road near Gold Beach. The locals there are true gems and will likely insist on feeding you a sumptuous dinner including fresh seafood if in season or if not then steak and beer. Then you'll be off for a ride on Busa and Thunderbolt. Further south just into Cali are the truly awesome redwoods. Can you tell that I dig Oregon? | ||
| Blake |
Tootal, I'm thinking that the slapping you heard was most likely the primary chain. When it gets a bit loose, it can produce just the noise you describe. | ||
| Tootal |
No . . Henrik is a far and wide fabled Dutch Wine Connoisseur who used to continually have his fine wine stolen by construction workers. He's a bit of a ghost and only comes around when there's talk of: Well if he ever wonders through St. Louis we can find some twisty backroads down to the Heinrichaus Winery and show him what a 76 year old German can do!! | ||
| Blake |
The excessive oil loss may be a problem though. See if you can find a borescope to inspect the inside of the combustion chamber. If you see a lot of burnt oil type shiny/crusty black deposits, you may have identified the source of your oil consumption. If the chambers are nice and clean or at least normal looking, try sticking with not refilling until/unless the level drops to below the add line. And be sure to check dipstick oil level after changing the oil per the manual. If it shows up (after a thorough engine warm-up) still below the full mark, take note and use that level as your new full mark. | ||
| Henrik |
I did indeed visit Columbia River Gorge ... and hated every second of it. I took some scenic highway, only to end up in traffic, jammed parking lots and paved over scenic beauty. Mount Hood was cool though - we did a relaxed lap around it one day. We went out to the coast as well and stopped off at a few of the beaches. One very cool stop was a state part/beach with a half mile walk through the woods to a fantastic rocky cove beach. Very cool. Didn't it to Starkweather Road this time, but it's on the to-do list. I shouldn't knock Oregon/Portland - after all I was only there for 4 days, and our itinerary was limited by certain obligations, so we didn't have time to explore and enjoy it as we'd like. Of course the sneaky Oregoneans arranged for 4 days of perfect weather to lure us in ... but we know about the 152 days of precipitation per year Greg; should I make it to St. Louis one day, I'll take you up on that. Henrik | ||
| Crusty |
Do I got some roads for you. Might be able to find a couple of wine making areas,too. How's that ,Crusty??   (Message edited by crusty on August 24, 2007) |
