An ill wind blows...

Good day friends and fans of the blog. I hope this post finds you happy and healthy. As world events continue to put a damper on racing and riding, I have decided to do some wrenching as a way to put my time to good use. Today's post was not in the plan. Well not in the plan as I envisioned it, but I am making the best of the situation as it developed. Follow along as I tackle a project brought upon by the changing of the seasons and some unpredictable weather.

Here is one of the culprits of today's adventure. This is a stand chock I found back when taking a walk for a little fresh air didn't mean risking catching a zombie virus. I have been using it in my driveway to park the bike when coming back from a ride. It has one unique feature that I haven't seen in other stand chocks. The section that your wheel hits as it first rolls into the stand changes width as you move forward. I suppose this is to grip the tire tighter as the bike sits in the stand. Maybe this would work with a fatter front tire. With the XJR, the stand is a bit less secure than a similar stand I have from Harbor Freight. I haven't had any issues with it until now. I usually put the kickstand stand down once I have pulled into the chock. After coming back from a walk with my wife, I put my cover on the bike as a light rain started. Later that evening the wind whipped up and as we were relaxing before dinner, the soul crushing sound of my bike taking a driveway nap reverberated through our thin house walls.  

I rushed outside to find the bike lying on its left side. I had forgotten to put the kickstand down. The wind caught my bike cover and pushed the bike over. I quickly removed the cover and got the bike upright. The only visible damage was this mild gouge to the left side of the engine case and a broken left rear turn signal. No leaking oil and just a bit of spilled gasoline. I started the bike to double check that nothing else broke and it fired up right away. A bit perturbed and annoyed, I went in for dinner. The next morning, I was suited up and ready to ride to work when the bike just wouldn't cooperate. Choke or no choke. Full to no throttle. Nothing. It would run, but it was definitely unhealthy.

I started the process of troubleshooting. Air, fuel and spark are the three things every engine needs. My tank was about 1/3 full. The fuel filter was clear and I checked one of the carb float bowls to find it sufficiently full. Good enough. Since the bike has been running well, I assumed that air was no problem. Spark. Maybe something was jarred or unplugged causing my issue. Systematically, I went over the power flow from the key switch to the plugs. I broke out my manual and traced the ignition system. All of the various safety switches, battery connections and fuses were good. Pulling the plugs revealed that the bike has been running rich. Maybe my hard starting was due to a slightly flooded cylinder? Maybe it was weak spark from the plugs? I ordered some fuel hose in a couple of sizes as well as some new plugs and got to work pulling the gas tank. My old hoses were dry and weak, snapping easily. The new plugs were properly gapped from the box. I was hopeful. 

Once I pulled the tank I found some evidence of DIY mods. The air box snorkel has been drilled and the air box cover was missing some screws. I suspected that the bike was tuned a bit. The custom exhaust pipe, plug condition and the air box mods prove it. The carbs also show that someone most likely messed with the mixture screws. I bought it from a dealer up in the mountains by Mt. Fuji so maybe altitude adjustment was the purpose for these tweaks.  Put "pull and inspect the carbs" on the to-do list. The air box was confirmed clean so I worked on trimming and installing the new fuel and vacuum hose for the carbs and the vacuum assist petcock. While I was in there, I replaced the fuel sender for the tank. Mine was showing an almost empty tank after only 50 kms. The old one was rusty even though it was underneath the tank in an area not prone to much water intrusion. A quick start up test proved that whatever I did worked. The bike ran a treat so I buttoned her up.

Another quick project was replacing the shift shaft rubber. The one on the bike was half chewed up. Another few hundred yen into the Amazon Japan cart along with the plugs and hoses got me a fresh one. It is the little things that really make a bike nice you know? I got the bike running on a Thursday night. On Friday I rode it to work. Just like my tests, it ran just fine. Start up was quick and easy. Very little choke required. No leaks from my new hoses thanks to a few spare hose clamps I threw in my tool box before leaving the States. I put a gallon and a half of fuel into the tank. So far the new sender seems to be working much better. I have run out of fuel twice as part of testing my range. Having a better idea of my tank volume will make my rides a bit less stressful. On Saturday I used a trip to the base post office to get out and take a longer test ride. The bike runs well making me eager for the movement restrictions to lift. The weather has also been perfect for riding making me want to ride even more.

There you have it. The bike is almost back to the way it was before this incident. I still have to fix the broken turn signal and figure out how to clean up the left side engine case. I have managed to ride almost 1000 kms since I purchased the bike. Not much, but I'll take every km I can get, especially with the world situation such as it is. I am going to do an oil and filter change in the manner of the locals using some unique products. That will be a post for another day however. If you have the chance, get out and ride safe friends. See you!

Old Blue