The last true post had "616" newly labelled One-Alpha-Nine-Sierra-Mike, and if I recall fully, running like a cow pattie. Much has happened since then. This post will cover the lead-up to my departure...
After getting her registered I had to spend the next 4 ½ days at work. This meant late starts on any evening work, attacks from killer mosquitos and (worst of all) rain. Rain is the biggest problem with working in a carport. The wind is cold & moist even though it is supposedly summer. The last thing I wanted to do was detailed fabrication work while it was raining around me.
First thing on the list was to identify the general lack of power and inconsistent idle.
So check the spark plug. Black insulator nose. Running rich, eh. Or just because I had the throttle open fully to just get her home from the Rego Office. I clean & put the same spark plug back in.
Flip the tappet covers & LH sidecover inspection port plugs off. Find Top Dead Centre (TDC). Check for loose tappets to confirm TDC. Both RH (Inlet & Exhaust) are tight. Mmm... Recheck that I have TDC on compression stroke (again). RH still tight. Strange. They couldn't have been like that when I rode her back all those months ago. I spend an hour adjusting all the valve tappets to just over minimum specification. The exhaust ones are painful, no, impossible to get right. I can see why they were set wrong to begin with.
I pack up and go to sleep.
The next night a brief test ride shows that she is running crisper, sounds cleaner (except for just off-idle) but still feels very different after 15 minutes riding. She refuses to rev and lacks power as the oil (or something else) heats up. The idle is much more consistent, in terms of speed but also in terms of sounding "fat" and stalling after 10 or so seconds. I play around with the pilot air mix to no noticeable effect. I can make it worse, but not better!
Crunch time. 616 is unrideable after 15 minutes running. Do I pull the pin now? Do I do the major work that I now think is necessary? I order the LH sidecover gasket and o-rings (which locally are 250% the price of US genuine parts - postage included). They will be in by Saturday.
Saturday rolled around, finally. The working week was tucked away nicely. I picked up the gaskets & grabbed 2 new spark plugs (standard heat range and another one step 'colder') from K&J Thomas in Whittlesea. Then went to spend the morning (and subsequently an unplanned afternoon) with my kids & parents. I love doing that and nothing bike-related is going to take precedence. It also gave me a chance to machine a stepped spacer or insert on my dad's lathe. This insert was to re-thread the upper countershaft cover hole that had been thoroughly stripped (and smashed by a chain de-railment) by a previous owner. On the second attempt I just machined down a M6 nut to leave a 2 mm flange, the rest being 6.7 mm in diameter. Yes, I know that's paper thin - a M6 male thread is 6.0 mm nominal.
The Andy Strapz soft panniers need support frames. I have acquired the components to make them, have decided a basic design but need to weld them together without a jig. The rear indicators need to be relocated, rearward and inboard. The early-variant genuine rear rack (from "132") needs modification to attach them. It seems like too much stuffing around.
I played around with the Andy Strapz panniers and "A" Bag with Expansion Pak - it actually seems like too much luggage volume (although 70 liters doesn't sound like much). What will I take anyway? I haven't packed anything yet. I spend an hour planning what I really NEED to take, what I would LIKE to take and analyse whether I need to take as many spares for the bike as I planned.
I decide a simple strategy:
a) Trust that the long-range weather forecasts for the next weekend is as predicted (good);
b) Take 1 set of dress clothes & shoes (as I'll be eating at local pubs on the road);
c) Socks & jocks for the 5 days (so I need not bother washing);
d) Minimise bike spares to levers, spark plug & chain link (plus the tools to change them);
e) Chain lube, axle spanner, tyre levers & pump, plus a good quality bicycle tyre repair kit;
f) A dozen or so of each of 3 sizes of zip-tie (cable tie);
g) A small wooden block so the bike stands more vertical (for maintenance).
I chose to put all the bike related stuff into a backpack for easy access, unfortunately it weighed about 6 kilograms! Even more with 2 large bottles of water. I imagined the reminder in my standard overnight carry-on flight bag. This hinted that I might get away with using only the "A" Bag. I'm conflicted - the lower centre of gravity of the panniers is better for handling, but the rack mounted "A" Bag requires little work to mount. I continue stuffing around with designing & fabricating the pannier frames. This consumes Sunday. In the end it is all too hard to get right by myself (without some holders, etc).
Monday is spent replacing the rubber bushes in the handlebar mounts and dealing with so many little detail things. I'd rather a big thing like ignition failure stop me than a small thing like a rubbed through wire. The top triple clamp bushes proved to be a slightly more difficult task without the correct tools to use in the press. After some stuffing around with my stock of sockets our under-grad auto engineer 21 year-old walks by and suggests a 1 Dollar coin... Bugger me - it's a perfect size. Sit it on top and pump away on the 6-ton Shed Press. Voila! Why couldn't he have walked by 3 hours earlier?
Monday evening I dismantled the LH side of the engine from "535", removed the Stator armature and Ignition trigger (pick-up) coils and replaced the cover for storage. The trigger coils have permanent magnets in them and attract all the metal particles in the engine oil. It took a while to clean all this gunk off. I had to re-crimp the Stator winding terminals and install a new connector (this is common - I had already done it on the original in 616).
I email my father details of a small spacer I need made to mount the lower end of the airbox. The original had broken off in events past. It needs to be fixed in the present.
Tuesday morning the CDI unit on 616 was swapped out for one I picked up on eBay for $50. The eBay one was from the 3rd design variation (lucky!) so I was hoping that it had all the reliability countermeasures learned from the previous series units. That is, if it actually worked - too much stuff on eBay is actually just crap. Which is why I only paid $50 for it - they run upward of $250 most times and are $650 new from Yamaha USA.
Tuesday is also my father's birthday (and my ex mother-in-law's as well as my mate Peter Taylor's - popular day!!). I spend the middle portion of the day celebrating with him. I never care much for my birthday, so I rarely actually plan for other people's. Dad enjoyed it so that was time well spent. He was surprised to see me as I was scheduled to leave that morning. Besides he had made my airbox spacer...
Tuesday evening, the ignition coil was also swapped out with the one from "535", with the original plug cap from "616" as the others I had were broken. All connectors were cleaned up and the LH sidecover cleaned of remaining pieces of gasket material, then everything was bolted back together. I start it and she runs... no time left for testing.
I head out Wednesday morning for Melbourne to spend The Gorgeous One's Gift Voucher (a Christmas gift to me) at Mars Leathers. Nice range of gear - I decide on some black kevlar reinforced Draggin' Jeans cargoes. Plus some winter gloves. A nice way to round off 300 dollaroonies. A double-quick visit to MSY Computer at Oak Park scores me a nice new digital camera & fast SDHC card. Further on to AMX at Keilor, where I was supposed to secure a DriRider Rallycross 2 Pro jacket. I look at them at length and decide to just buy some summer weight gloves and rely on my near-new DriRider NORDIC textile road jacket for the trip. The plan is for only a few hundred kay of semi-serious dirt - the Nordic will do!
It is now 32 hours later than when I was planning to leave to meet the other Ténéré Tragics at Hillston. I could ride all night and catch them at Cameron Corner, or change my trip to a solo jaunt across the state into South Australia via the Riverland country. I sigh deeply then take in a deep infusion of the "Ténéré Spirit" - and choose the solo option.
I am now facing the longest solo (and unsupported) motorcycle trip I have ever attempted. Just me and "616", relying on anyone kind enough to assist if there is any problem.
The plan change also means I don't need any camping gear for Cameron's Corner. I jump on the 'net and plan some accommodation at Burra in South Oz. Booked. I call the best looking motel at St Arnaud - no vacancy. I call the cheapest. Room booked.
It is now 16:30 Wednesday March 2nd. I have 2 days to get to Arkaroola. I'm stuffing clothes into the Andy Strapz "A" Bag. It all fits nicely. I think about whether I'll take my "classic" early 80's BELSTAFF waxed-cotton riding jacket. It would really set the scene on a similar vintaged motorsickle. I stuff that into the "Expansion Pak" along with a windcheater. I strap it all on the bike. It seems secure.
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| Nearly ready to head off. Only 36 hours behind my original scheduled departure... |
The Gorgeous One wishes to take photographs of me leaving. She probably thinks this is the last time she'll see me alive. I'm thinking that I'll be back home in half an hour...
I pop a tiny 2nd gear wheelie as I exit the driveway, and when 616 settles I wave politely and turn out of my street and into ADVENTURE.
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| OneAlphaNineSierraMike & I head out of the driveway - into a new adventure... |
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| The Gorgeous One missed a photo of the completely irresponsible wheelie I pulled. The front end has just touched down! |
