Milk's 03 Bullet dual sport build

[noisymilk]

Br Arizoni,

I agree, most of the drivers here in the hot state don't really listen too well. However, I figured any horn was better than none. And since I had funds, I figured a little louder was better than the little door buzzer that comes stock. I'll be honest, I drive all over the country in my work life, and AZ drivers are by far the worst. Even worse than LA, and some of those folks are crazy.

Br Ice, I will get with you when the arrival time gets closer. Looking forward to a beer and a meal. Mrs Milk is going on this trip as well. You might also meet one of my best friends from when I was a kid and his wife, depending on how things work out. Its a good part of the impetus for this trip, visiting them.

My electrics box looks so empty. I clearly need to rewire the bike and move things inside there. I figure the turn signal flasher, and power distribution system of some sort, and perhaps the new power regulator mounted on the back of the box, rather than on the rear fender. It still needs air flow, obviously. I remember reading somewhere that someone moved the coil inside the electrics box. Anyone remember who, and if they had heat problems of any sort?

Just wanting to clean up the electrical.

Anyways, be safe all. I gotta go be a dad for a while.

[baird4444]

there is room if you do away with the starter relay, you don't need it
any way. I don't think heat will be a problem, but I'd at least do away
with the Lucas coil for one that will not have such a failure rate. Your
reg-rec is fine under the seat, out of sight, out of mind....
           - Mike

[ROVERMAN]

When my stock horn started dangling because the bracket fractured,i put a Range Rover horn on it (because i could). This leaves me feeling all prestigious and s%$t.
  .
Robert & REnfield.
P.S. The build is looking GOOD Milk.

[AgentX]

power distribution system of some sort

http://www.cloudelectric.com/category-s/12888.htm
and
http://www.cloudelectric.com/category-s/12620.htm

Place has friggin' everything at good prices.  The website's kind of hellish to navigate, though.

I ordered the other day and they got back to me very quickly about an item that wasn't in stock...just some heat shrink.  So I think the personal service has been good so far.

I'm trying the bus bars with covers on my bike; they're marine-grade products.  Have a positive in red and a ground in black, all to be assembled in a tray that fits under my seat/tail.  I like the screw-down eyelet attachments and don't really need all the fuses that come in the fuse block unit with push-on blade connectors.

The 8-point under "standoff connectors" looks nice and compact too.

[noisymilk]

there is room if you do away with the starter relay, you don't need it
any way. I don't think heat will be a problem, but I'd at least do away
with the Lucas coil for one that will not have such a failure rate. Your
reg-rec is fine under the seat, out of sight, out of mind....
           - Mike

Br Baird! You're the one who did that. I think it's a great idea. And the stock reg/rec will eventually be replaced with a Sparx unit along with the alternator. So cool.

[noisymilk]

When my stock horn started dangling because the bracket fractured,i put a Range Rover horn on it (because i could). This leaves me feeling all prestigious and s%$t.
  .
Robert & REnfield.
P.S. The build is looking GOOD Milk.

Br Roverman. Thanks so much. Its a slow going process. Money and time to work on it rarely align.

Range Rover horn!? Ha! Bet that turns some heads.

[noisymilk]

http://www.cloudelectric.com/category-s/12888.htm
and
http://www.cloudelectric.com/category-s/12620.htm

Place has friggin' everything at good prices.  The website's kind of hellish to navigate, though.

I ordered the other day and they got back to me very quickly about an item that wasn't in stock...just some heat shrink.  So I think the personal service has been good so far.

I'm trying the bus bars with covers on my bike; they're marine-grade products.  Have a positive in red and a ground in black, all to be assembled in a tray that fits under my seat/tail.  I like the screw-down eyelet attachments and don't really need all the fuses that come in the fuse block unit with push-on blade connectors.

The 8-point under "standoff connectors" looks nice and compact too.

Dude! Those all look like really good options. I wanted to put a Positive and Negative bus in the nacelle, and those look like a good way to accomodate that. I'm a fan of star grounding (it's how we do the big audio systems I work on). And I try to avoid multiple chassis grounds if I can. Maybe thats a bad idea, but it's what I do anyways.

[noisymilk]

Well, as always, I got distracted and diverted for a while.

However, I did finally get a solution to attaching the tank panniers. Got some little 1" flat hooks from a local trucking strap supply house. 2 of them on the front hook perfectly around the squared off section of the down tube. The backs are still strapped as previous.

I'll get a run around shake down ride in and see how they stay put (or not).

Um....hey. Ace's floating bush project is moving forward. I'm on the short list!!! Yay!!! I'm saving my pennies to send away my crank later this fall. That should give me the freedom to reduce the spacers under my barrel, and aim for slightly higher compression. Or at least, feel safe about flogging the bike on the road a bit more.

Saw Br Ice in Seattle a few weeks ago. Awesome meal and chatting. THAT Dave (my good friend) might be joining the motorcycling world. Not the Enfield world (total noob), but perhaps a nice little bike to travel around with me.

Ok...no major updates. Just that.

Be safe all.

[noisymilk]

Hello there all!

Just a quick update. It's starting to get hot down here in the desert. I had the enfield out for a hop on the highway heading home from some work Sunday at around 1 pm.

The old leg thermometer tells me that the bike is using and shedding heat better than previously. Nowhere near the burn that used to come off the engine. So, slightly improved head, better barrel, and some coatings on head chamber and exhaust pathways seem to be having some good results. At least from the leg thermometer (is that like the butt dyno?).

Looking forward to some good riding coming up. Take care all. Get out and ride....it's nice everywhere else now right?

Be safe.

[ace.cafe]

Sounds like an improvement!

[Scottie J]

Awesome!  Great to hear your bike is producing less heat.

Scottie

[noisymilk]

Br's Ace and Scottie J,

thanks for the good words. I'm quite happy with the results so far. I also got out for a good ride on Sunday trying out the tank panniers I got on the road for the first time. I think I came up with a good solution for the front strap:





Straps all cut to length:


I rode it 70 miles at various speeds in the heat. Not floppy at all. My knee's JUST touch them if I slide forward some while riding. And no apparent increase in the heat coming off the engine....IE seems still enough air flow around the head. Straps don't touch the header at all either.

I'm thinking of fabbing up some sort of doubleD for the flat hooks to hook on to on that square part of the down tube. But this solution is excellent for now.

On the tires front....I've been having a continuing conversation with a dude at advrider about Mitas e07's 100/90 19 as a good adv tire when the long trips come. And the folks at MX1 Canada (the only North American supplier) say they can be used front and rear. I'm unclear as to how, but might try when the long trip comes. People report 8k miles from the rears travelling. We'll see.

Hope you all are out enjoying good weather everywhere, and hope everyone had a good holiday weekend. Be safe, all.

[noisymilk]

Well, here goes nothing.

I've got a gig in LA starting this week. I'm not flying over. I think I will ride the Enfield over for the week. I have safe parking down town. It's about 350 miles one way.

Gonna change the oil, lube the chain, check the tires, and roll over. I have a day to make the trip. It's gonna be hot, but I think if I stop often and be the right lane denizen I usually am, it should be a good ride.

Wish me luck.

Be safe all.

[ace.cafe]

Good luck!
Ride cool!

[noisymilk]

Of course, I just look at the weather. 108 degrees forecasted most of the way on Thursday. Debating now......