Stripping Helga Bare

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Yep, getting your attention again.

What's really going on, is I've spent the better part of three days stripping Helga and doing all the maintenance that should of been done to the 53K mark that she's at now.

Here's what I did:

-Replace Engine Oil and Crush Washer Used Honda Synthetic

-Replace Engine Oil Filter Used Honda

-Replace Final Drive Oil and Crush Washer Used Honda Final Drive Fluid

-Drain Crank Case Breather

-Inspect All Light Operation

-Inspect/Adjust Headlight Aim

-Inspect/Adjust Tire Pressure (40F/40R)

-Inspect Tire Tread

-Inspect Brake Linings and Rotors

-Inspect/Lube/Repair Reverse Operation

-Flush and Replace Front Brake System Fluid Used Honda

-Flush and Replace Rear Brake System Fluid Used Honda

-Flush and Replace Clutch System Fluid Used Honda

-Flush and Replace Engine Coolant System Fluid Used Honda

-Inspect All Lines and Hoses

-Change Air Cleaner Used Honda

-Inspect/Lube Throttle Cables

-Replace Spark Plugs Used Honda Normal Heat Range

-Inspect/Adjust Valve Clearance

-Inspect/Repack/Replace Steering Head Bearings - Replaced with Tapered Head Bearings

I need to pick up a new/used kick stand, mine seems to be a little bent. I was surprised, the air cleaner had been change I think the radiators have been replaced along with the hoses, they just looked too new. The coolant was very clean. Clutch fluid was a bit dirty, Brake fluid was also not too clean. The front brake master cylinder was a bit sticky prior to the flushing but now works very smooth, so I'm glad I did that. The valves were all in spec. The crank case breather has a bit of fluid in it, but, not too bad.

Here's what the air cleaner looked like:



All in all, I was pretty pleased with how she looked under her clothes. I didn't expect any surprises, because she just runs so well. She is now officially ready for some meandering trips. I can hardly wait.

 

[Zammy]

LOL, nothing like a good strip tease to find out what's underneath. Now that you know , it's time to get lost somewhere out on the roads Fuzzy, congrats.

 

[radismukes]

Have you check the Honda recall list? It sound be me that the brake recall may not have been done or correctly done.

Robert

 

[paws]

Did I miss a spark plug change in the list or was it there?

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Did I miss a spark plug change in the list or was it there?

Third from the bottom

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Have you check the Honda recall list? It sound be me that the brake recall may not have been done or correctly done.

Robert

All recalls done ... she's up to date. I would of thought the brake fluid would of been cleaner ... but it is really clean now

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

LOL, nothing like a good strip tease to find out what's underneath. Now that you know , it's time to get lost somewhere out on the roads Fuzzy, congrats.

Alas ... it will have to waiting until after the knee replacement.

 

[paws]

Ok, so how would you bend a kickstand without some form of violence happening?

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

It's fairly common for bigger guys to put their foot on the peg and swing their leg over the seat while still on the stand ... it's not designed for that

 

[Ozarker]

It's fairly common for bigger guys to put their foot on the peg and swing their leg over the seat while still on the stand ... it's not designed for that

I have an 08 1800 VTX kick stand that needs to come off of my trike (not much use for it lol).

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Still fixing stuff ... mostly done.

-Installed Handle Bar risers

-Installed the trailer hitch that was removed to put OEM mufflers on

-Installed Kuryakyn Dually Rider Pegs

-Test fit the Hitch luggage rack and adjusted

-Installed carpet kit in trunk and saddle bags

-installed magnetic phone charger/Holder in the trunk (this and the SiriusXM install share and aux wired input that comes from the left faring pocket)

-Installed SiriusXM Vehicle kit in the trunk

-Replaced Chrome trim on the Saddle Bags and Trunk (Was pretty scratched and dented up)

-Replaced the Chrome Brake and Clutch reservoir covers (The old ones on it said GL1500, new ones are plain chrome)

-Installed Baker Wind Deflectors on the underside of the mirrors

-Installed 4.5" arms on the highway pegs

I still need to install the Head Light Adjuster/Hazard switch and I've ordered detent balls, springs and clips for the Transformer Passenger floor Boards from Honda. Those will need to be installed as well. At some point I need to get out the multimeter and figure out the fog light issues, but for now, they are disconnected. I also need to install star washers on the luggage rack.

After that, as far as I know right now ... she'll be finished ... well ... until I find something else she can't live without ... :AGGHH:

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Been fixing some things that came up during the meandering ride.

I found a used lower cowl in Canada on eBay. It's not the cheaper chrome one ... it's OEM from Honda. Cost more to ship that to buy, but got it less than $100, been installed and no more cracks.

Also found a used Hazard/Headlight Adjustment switch and installed that, Now hazards work. Also, I liked the look sans Wing Bling Chrome so much that I purchased and installed a right side panel where you unlock the right pocket.

Gonna try to remove some more of the chrome "stick ons" by heating and pulling or maybe using fishing line. Then I'll clean the area with some Alcohol. I'll start on smaller things and see how that goes. If it goes well, I'll do some of the larger pieces like around the radiators.

On my meandering trip, the front brake master cylinder started "sticking" again. I ordered a rebuild kit and installed it yesterday. Of course, I did a flush and bleed afterwards and it is completely smooth now. There was some "grit" on the plunger, so I'm glad I did that ... Safety first.

Another annoying intermittent issue was the cruise being "touchy" to engage. My first thought was it had something to do with the engine temp which made no sense. It appeared to not work when the engine was cold, then it would engaged after reaching operating temp. Pretty sure there is no "sensor" in the cruise control circuit for engine temp, so I kept trouble shooting. I finally narrowed it down to the rear brake switch. It had come loose and out of adjustment. If I put my toe under the brake pedal and gently lifted up, the cruise would engage every time. Adjusted and tightened down the switch and I think that is good to go. Time will tell.

Next thing to install was a ground loop isolator from J$M. It is a simple install between the wiring harness and the aux input plug. I installed it and when testing, I lost the front speakers and the rear speakers went to half volume and the music coming from the rear was like something from the chipmunks. Called J&M and they decided my unit was bad ... new one shipped, so we'll see.

I also did a mod to the Phone charger in the trunk that made it stronger and closer to the wall of the trunk so it is less likely to get banged by trunk "stuff". Not a big deal, just cleaning up the mod I'd already done.

I've ordered some OEM panels that screw onto the side covers (batter cover). Helgas Chrome ones just take away from her beauty.

That's all that's new ... I'll keep ya updated as I do more.

 

[paws]

Pictures, pictures... DETAILED, up close pictures.... or it didn’t happen...

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

well ... well ... well .. I thought after all my almost 9k posts ... and ... previous repair threads ... I didn't need to "prove" it happened ... but ... apparently I do. So Here goes.

Pictures that were posted online before I bought the bike













Pic of stuff removed (tossed the chrome cracked lower cowl, but it is shown in the dealer pics)



Right Mirror



Left Mirror



Radio



More in next Post

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Right Rear Speaker



Left Rear Speaker



Right Pegs



Left Pegs



Right Lever



Left Lever



Right Switch Panel



Left Switch Panel



Old Mufflers



Lower Cowl



More in next post

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Air Cleaner and Plugs I removed



Aux Power Connector ... Not installed yet



These are the tools I used to get the "Wing Bling" off. A normal hair dryer, a nylon body panel tool and Isopropyl Alcohol.



Okay ... so since I posted lots of pics the last time I did the major service catch up ... on the white trike ... I didn't take pictures of Helga stripped to do the air cleaner, or the cranck case breather drainage, oil, final drive oil or brake fluid ... nor did I take pics of the front master cylinder apart .... so I guess you'll have to trust me on that ... or not ... :Shrug:

If you look at the lever pics ... you will see the ISO grips. If you look at the lower cowl pic, you will see I removed the chrome trim on the Markland front fender flap. I didn't bother to wash her yet since my meandering trip, so forgive me ... It's been cold.

 

[paws]

Looks like you have done all the good! I know Helga appreciates your kindness.

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Looks like you have done all the good! I know Helga appreciates your kindness.

One would hope ...

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Spent a lot of the day at the VA with the guys playing Monopoly ... and I'm convinced the old geezers cheat ... LOL.

Did get in the kill switch cover. I plan to put it over the "auxiliary key" for the gas door and side pocket.

Here's pictures for the doubting Thomas ....

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

The Ultimat Goal - Sort Of

So I occurred to me that my vision for Helga might not be "Clear".

So here it is:



Okay ... Just kidding ... but if I could find one of those .... and trike it .... WOW

Here's my real goal for Helga



Yep ... basically "Wing Bling" free ... stock with some functionality items of my choosing. When you buy used, which I mostly do, you may need to spend a little to get it back to stock-ish. My experience is that going from "Bling" to "Stock" is cheaper than going from "Stock" to "Bling" ... and ... it's very hard to find used stock. Every Wing owner tends to put his own spin on the bike ... Kind of like Harley owners. Oh no he didn't ... LOL