Motorcycle – Page 30 – Not Your Average Engineer

December 15, 2009June 15, 2010

Oil leaking from the Pacific Coast — But from where?

UPDATE: After much head-scratching and replacing several seals, I finally figured out that it was the seal around the shift lever that had gone bad. After it was replaced, I haven’d had a single drip since.

Today when I took off the plastics I discovered what appears to be an oil leak. There were drips of oil pooled at the bottom of the water pump. Oil streaks go up the engine toward the carbs. Anyone have any idea where the oil could be coming from?

This is looking back up under the bike from the front wheel. The water pump is on the right side of the exhaust pipe. Notice the drips of oil hanging off. The oil was changed over the summer before I bought it. I’m pretty sure this is oil and not antifreeze.

Looking in through the left access panel by the driver foot peg. The slave cylinder on the clutch is visible in the middle-right. Just below it the frame is covered in oily grime.

With part of the plastics off. Click on the picture to get a bigger version.

I’m not sure if it is coming from behind the off-white engine heat shield or not. That will be the next thing to take off tomorrow morning when it gets light.

Another view from underneath with the plastic off. The oil pump is in the middle. The exhaust pipe is in the lower left corner. There is condensation from the rain. I have a redneck garage to work under at the moment. Maybe someday I’ll have a real garage again…

This is the right crank case cover. Notice the oil residue on the top of the case.

A closer look at where the oil is coming from on the right crank case.

December 8, 2009July 1, 2020

Popcicle ride

This morning I went for a short ride just to say I went on a ride in 13 degree weather. It was all of 7 mile. I used it as an excuse to fill the bike with gas. It took about three minutes of cranking to get the thing fired up. At the gas stop I put in 3.132 gallons at 159.2 miles. That ends up being 50.83 mpg. Not too bad considering all of the freeway driving and romping on the throttle.

Even with only 7 miles my hands were still VERY cold when I got back. Not as bad as on Sunday when I couldn’t feel my feet for an hour but still uncomfortable.

My Route Map

December 7, 2009July 1, 2020

Coldfoot Ride with Rick

Yesterday I went on a roughly 200 mile bike ride to get from Newberg back to Corvallis. Yesterday also happened to be the first day of a major arctic cold front moving into the region. Because of this fact it made sense to me to add an extra 140 miles to my ride to go visit Rick S. up in Oregon City and go riding with him out to Sauvie Island. We also tried to stop by the Wingman store by the airport but it was closed. Had it been open, my ride would have been a tad bit more comfortable. I had planned to buy some Gerbing heated riding gear.

Rick and I stopped partway through the ride to get some gas. I took 1.945 gallons and had ridden 90.5 miles by the odometer plus 10 miles from when the odometer had not reset correctly. That gives me an average mileage of 51.4 mpg. Not bad considering the antics of accelerating onto 99W out of Newberg. Prior to yesterday I was not aware that the Honda Pacific Coast can do wheelies. Now I am educated and I have a fresh change of pants. I wonder what the cars thought of a crazy cyclist screaming like a little girl while doing a wheelie down the highway.

Riding up to Sauvie Island we passed the western Portland freight rail yard and tank farms. I don’t think I’ve ever been past that area before. The neighborhood of Linnton really is in a crappy location considering all that industry next door. I got a bit of a start riding past the rail yard when two lines of cars boomed into each other. There weren’t even any fences separating the road from the rail yard. Anyone could walk right in if they didn’t mind being hit by a train.

Coming back down to Corvallis I took the freeway as far as I could before I got too cold. At the rest area near Aurora I pulled off to stomp my feet on the ground and try to warm my hands. It wasn’t any use. In Salem I exited the freeway for the slower 99W route to Corvallis. Even so, when I arrived in town shortly after sunset I couldn’t feel my feet or hands. My hands came back to life in short order but it took about an hour before feeling returned in my feet.

High on the to-buy list are heated gloves and insulated boots with heated insoles.

Route Map