What did you do to your Iron Barrel today ?

[GreenMachine]

Picked up a new Yuasa battery at the yamaha dealer...I had the gel on a battery tender for the past two days and it measured 13.2v on the table this morning..A motorcycle battery load tester showed it was indeed bad...So much for that...I'll put it in in few days after we dry out here and attempt to repair the type f leaking from the bottom of the case...I have a new o ring gasket and maybe a smidge of black rtv that I picked up a few weeks ago at the New Holland dealer to see if it helps that issue...

[72westie]

I haven't been a fan of those Bikemaster Tru-gels. We ran into a couple of bad ones this summer, they were not even a year old yet either.

[GreenMachine]

Mine was year old and it failed the load test. I put the new battery in today and installed the charging cable/loops so that I can just plug in the charger...Went out,  filled up and went for a 20 min. ride. So far so good..Apparently, as the battery started to to fail, it gives the symptoms of sputtering out when you come to a stop...As long as I was able to give it  good throttle, it kept running and got me home....The Gel was twice the cost of the new  Yuasa and the previous Yuasa (OEM) battery did last for 5 years..Guess I just had a bad one....GM

[72westie]

If you have the receipt, you might be able to get a warranty done on one. I warrantied one or two of those Tru-Gels.

[GreenMachine]

What sold me was the video of them drilling into it and it didn't seem to  affect it (Not that I was anticipating on trying out that procedure) ...The fact that it could be position at different angles and vibration proof was another  (Don't we know how that is ) ..Finally being a totally sealed unit finalized my decision....It was stamped in bold lettering at the bottom "Made in China"..Not sure on the Yusas but one would think its made here as they have put acid in it...I'm sure their are plenty of riders who swear by them...Just didn't last for me....No biggie, have other things that need addressing and time to move on...GM

[72westie]

Yuasa does offer a cheaper Chinese brand of battery, called Moto-cross I think. I have sold only a couple. I mainly sell Yuasa's, I rarely ever have a problem with them, maybe 1 a year (if that) and I sell a BUNCH of them ever year.

[joebuilder12]

Well, this is my first post having just found this forum, and running out of awnsers as fast as I need them.
  This weekend I finally got my early 99 bullet 500 on the road after a long time up on the lift. I bought the bike in july, got it home, rode it 3 miles when i lost electric power. I bought a new stator from bulletwala and installed it, rode the bike 3 miles when i found that the head gasket was leaking, ordered a new set from india, pulled the head, found it warped, had it milled, found valve springs below service spec, ordered new ones from bulletwala, reseated valves with grinding polish and a slow drill, installed reg rec combo unit, discovered that my new stator was a 6 volt, ordered new one, right one this time with violet green and white leads, installed it, found rocker box nuts were sloppy replacements, ordered new ones, and put it all back together and rode it 3 miles, brake light stopped working, turn signal indicator stopped working, and neutral light as well, these are in a 7 inch headlamp assy. I would really like to take a trip longer than 3 miles, so I have to sniff out what my new electrical issue is and try again.....

[LarsBloodbeard]

Welcome, JoeBuilder.  Sounds like a headache, but also fun!  You've definitely got a bad connection or short somewhere.  You might try checking the wiring bundle at binding/chaffing spots.  Mine had issues where it rubs on the frame near the headlight.

As to what I did today: I finished the paint on my front number plate today.  I accidentally touched it while wet, so it doesn't look great, but oh well, "doesn't look great" describes the rest of my bike's paint.

[Ice]

Hello joebuilder12, welcome aboard and congrats on your Bullet.

 Be prepared for the bliss and perma grin these things bring once the troubles are sorted.

[joebuilder12]

Thank you for the welcome, and the advice. I will check the wiring under the tank  and up to the headlight, I remember not paying attention to this specifically when I remounted the tank, will let you know, peace, joe

[edthetermite]

Yuasa does offer a cheaper Chinese brand of battery, called Moto-cross I think. I have sold only a couple. I mainly sell Yuasa's, I rarely ever have a problem with them, maybe 1 a year (if that) and I sell a BUNCH of them ever year.

The Motocross is MADE IN USA.

http://www.batterystuff.com/powersports-batteries/YTX14AHL-BS.html

View product images.

[72westie]

I took the Cafe Racer we got in for a ride on Saturday. Put around 60ish miles on her. Got back and oil was everywhere from the crankcase breather filter. It was mounted/laying on top of the transmission, so this morning I stopped at NAPA and picked up a 90 degree elbow and some hose and mounted the filter upright. Hopefully this will take care of the issue.

[ROVERMAN]

 8)Went for a nice ride Sunday. The weather was bizarre, 68 deg and a 40 mph wind! Yes this is in Michigan. Dropping down to high twenties tonight though.
Robert & REnfield.
P.S. good luck 72westie.

[walken4life]

72Westie, I have read of others having problems trying to run just a plain old crankcase breather like that on the Enfield.  I don't believe that breather is included as part of the Cafe Racer kit, but I could be wrong.  Some other folks run just a 'duckbill' hose instead of the stock condenser can (which needs drained periodically, also called the 'mayo can').  But there is supposed to be a certain amount of crankcase pressure for the bike to happy.

Hitchcock's sells a pretty slick kit for this as well, that I happen to have:

http://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/accessory-engine-timingside

It is the breather modification at the top.  Lets the moisture and excess pressure out of the crankcase while keeping the oil in.

[j byrd]

   Well, today I fired that rascal up on the 1st spin, grinning like a possum, pushed it out of the garage, and rode down to the end of the second street in our subdivision where it promptly died. After lots of trying to starts, I gave up. We tied a rope to my wife's scooter and started pulling it back up the hill to our house. She got a bit out of control on the steeper part, swerved left over a curb into a rock pile and jerked me over on the left side. SO- - what I did was break a clutch lever, hurt my foot that was trapped under it, bent the shift lever, and called the bike a very uncomplementory name. Still pouting and charging the battery back up to try again later, BAH !!!!  John  Oh, wifey was OK as  was her scooter.