Most of these are minor, at least in the sense of "I can live with 'em" ... tho the first might put my gluteus maximus on the pavement if I am not careful!
So, had a grand time riding my EV to Atlanta and back recently.
Ticked over 100K miles along the way, too. Here’s a slideshow if you care … http://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/EVDoesFirst100K/n-Hnz9dw
Mod John Z even gets a speaking part.
But that isn’t why I write!
I have encountered a few issues that I am now attempting to diagnose and, if possible, fix. Sure hope to ride the EV at the Southern Spine Raid at Tellico Plains, Tenn., early next month.
Here they are:
Headshake. This is disconcerting. Doh. Not sure how long this has been around as I don’t often do “Look, Ma, no hands.” It actually becomes near violent somewhere between 30 and 50 mph. Above 50, one could run hands-off with no issues; below, and especially in the 30 - 50 mph range, it quickly becomes uncontrollable. FWIW, I usually ride with both hands on the bars (!), but in the course of checking stability — OK, OK, boredom on a straight stretch! — ran across that issue. As stated, this condition may have been around for a while and I just missed it, as when your hands are on the bars it is unnoticeable. Front wheel bearings? Those seem to be OK when I wiggle the wheel.
Decel popping. I thought I had figured that one out and thought I’d just do the old "beer can fix” at the joint of the rear cans and the Stucco H-pipe crossover. It seemed on looking at the set-up that the rear cans did not extend as far as optimal over the H-pipe. On removal of the former, however, it appears that those connectors are snug enough, and the rest of the exhaust system from headers to crossover seems just fine. [FWIW, I recently had Winchester Motorsports balance the throttle bodies and (try to) check mapping, etc. The PADS system would not connect to the EV’s ECU, with the screen reading words to the effect, “Does not recognize the ECU.” The tech said he'd seen that before and it usually was a faulty connector on the Guzzi.]
Oil leak. This is perplexing to me and interesting at the same time. I usually keep my EV on its side stand and, over time, believed that it had a rear-main-seal leak, as it seemed that oil engine oil — no, not tranny stuff — was coming out that little slot at the bottom of the bell housing. John Z and I even talked about that when we met at the N.C. gathering at Cruso mentioned in that slideshow. Anyway, after changing the oil and filter -- and using a hose clamp for the first time! -- I cleaned the whole bottom well before this last long trip. Along the way, I noticed that the oil seems to be coming from the area of two bolts on the right rear that connect the transmission housing to the engine proper. Those appear to be # 7 & # 12 in the parts diagram. They also seem quite snugged down. This is not an Exxon Valdez situation, but does drip a drop or two a day, at least after a run. Nada just sitting. So, just ride it or OMG?
Front wheel fastener. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Why did the factory use that odd nut? I have — or think I have! — removed the front wheel before, but now wonder how I removed that expletive-deleted POS. What “ordinary” tool works? What “ordinary” nut would sub?
OK, that’s enough (and more). Many thanks for any comments. Well, for most, anyway. ;-)
Bill
So, had a grand time riding my EV to Atlanta and back recently.
Ticked over 100K miles along the way, too. Here’s a slideshow if you care … http://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/EVDoesFirst100K/n-Hnz9dw
Mod John Z even gets a speaking part.
But that isn’t why I write!
I have encountered a few issues that I am now attempting to diagnose and, if possible, fix. Sure hope to ride the EV at the Southern Spine Raid at Tellico Plains, Tenn., early next month.
Here they are:
Headshake. This is disconcerting. Doh. Not sure how long this has been around as I don’t often do “Look, Ma, no hands.” It actually becomes near violent somewhere between 30 and 50 mph. Above 50, one could run hands-off with no issues; below, and especially in the 30 - 50 mph range, it quickly becomes uncontrollable. FWIW, I usually ride with both hands on the bars (!), but in the course of checking stability — OK, OK, boredom on a straight stretch! — ran across that issue. As stated, this condition may have been around for a while and I just missed it, as when your hands are on the bars it is unnoticeable. Front wheel bearings? Those seem to be OK when I wiggle the wheel.
Decel popping. I thought I had figured that one out and thought I’d just do the old "beer can fix” at the joint of the rear cans and the Stucco H-pipe crossover. It seemed on looking at the set-up that the rear cans did not extend as far as optimal over the H-pipe. On removal of the former, however, it appears that those connectors are snug enough, and the rest of the exhaust system from headers to crossover seems just fine. [FWIW, I recently had Winchester Motorsports balance the throttle bodies and (try to) check mapping, etc. The PADS system would not connect to the EV’s ECU, with the screen reading words to the effect, “Does not recognize the ECU.” The tech said he'd seen that before and it usually was a faulty connector on the Guzzi.]
Oil leak. This is perplexing to me and interesting at the same time. I usually keep my EV on its side stand and, over time, believed that it had a rear-main-seal leak, as it seemed that oil engine oil — no, not tranny stuff — was coming out that little slot at the bottom of the bell housing. John Z and I even talked about that when we met at the N.C. gathering at Cruso mentioned in that slideshow. Anyway, after changing the oil and filter -- and using a hose clamp for the first time! -- I cleaned the whole bottom well before this last long trip. Along the way, I noticed that the oil seems to be coming from the area of two bolts on the right rear that connect the transmission housing to the engine proper. Those appear to be # 7 & # 12 in the parts diagram. They also seem quite snugged down. This is not an Exxon Valdez situation, but does drip a drop or two a day, at least after a run. Nada just sitting. So, just ride it or OMG?
Front wheel fastener. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Why did the factory use that odd nut? I have — or think I have! — removed the front wheel before, but now wonder how I removed that expletive-deleted POS. What “ordinary” tool works? What “ordinary” nut would sub?
OK, that’s enough (and more). Many thanks for any comments. Well, for most, anyway. ;-)
Bill
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