Been in the market for a second bike. Recently had the flywheel separate from the crankshaft on my 2003 Stone Touring. Couldn't have happened at the worst time. House is being sold. Space that I have to work on the bike can't be used as it needs to be ready for showings. So the Stone Touring has been disassembled. Placed in storage. Leaving me high and dry :(
Just so happened to be going to New Hampshire the week that this was posted. Called up St. Hilaire Motorsports. Talked about the condition of the bike, history of the bike and whom the owner is. Big plus for me was that a majority of its life was spent in New Mexico and had only recently, within the past year, been brought to New Hampshire. Had Josh, the owner of St. Hilaire Motorsports, then remove the timing inspection plug and snap a picture of the flywheel.
Double clutch baby! Next I had Josh inspect the triple tree for a crack. None was visibly apparent. He then called up New Haven Powersports in New Haven, CT and verified the casting marks did not match up with those known to crack. I then asked Josh to take a valve cover off to verify the CAM recall work had been done. Was met with reluctance. He didn't want to remove the covers unless he had a replacement valve cover. Luckily I keep a few on hand. Promised to bring them up when I physically inspected the bike. Put a deposit on the bike. Then got to packing, just in case I rode home :)
Arrived on Saturday July 2nd to check the bike out. First impressions were good.
* All the chrome farkles are shiny and lacking pits.
* Saddlebags are in immaculate condition (except for one lock that looks like a key was broken off in, but never fished out which I didn't notice until I was home. still got work do to in my vehicle purchasing strategem).
* Some battle scars here and there.
* RH valve cover has some rash where it looks like the PO dropped the bike in a garage next to a wall.
* Tank had a very small amount of surface rust by the fuel level sensor where a minute amount of paint was missing along the crimped edges where rubber trim goes which is MIA, but no pitting. Minor touch up work to prevent a 'holy' future.
* Side stand had some minor surface rust, but is in working order.
* Center stand is there ( yes! ) and in working order
* Of course the turn signals are wibbly
Before anything else happened, it was time to look into the deal breaker: CAM recall. Josh took off the LH valve cover (didn't want to be liable in case a bolt was seized) without ruining the gasket. Yes! CAM recall done. Rocker arms still had some shiny bronze. Rocker arms had break away adjusters. Valve collars are shiny and non-magnetic. Let's just hope the oil pump was checked during the recall
Started the bike up. Idled good. Got suited up then took the bike out for a test ride. Had to come back rather quickly as the valve cover gasket had developed a leak. But surprisingly on the RH side (which was not the side we removed for the recall check). Cleaned up the mating surfaces, laughed at the inappropriate use of gasket sealer. Hopefully this was a get you home fix and not a regular occurrence. New valve cover on. Valve cover tightened. And off again. Into first, high rev into second, high rev into third and then a loss of engine power until the revs came down. Limped back to the dealer. Josh took it out for a ride. He faced the same thing. Turned out to be a misbehaving side stand switch. Adjusting bolt was out of adjustment letting higher revs bounce the side stand so that the switch would engage and kill the engine. By this point, the girlfriend was POed as we'd been there for 3 hours, so this would be the last and final test run. Nothing but smooth sailing!!! Clutch functioned exceptionally. Gearbox opened up and let me in. Handled just as good as the Stone Touring has been. I know most complain about the EV's high bars, but for my 6'6" frame they be workin. Seat was somewhat comfortable to boot. Great feeling to be riding once more
Completely satisfied, I came back to the dealer and picked the bike up for the asking price
With the deal done, we took the hour long trip up to Ossipee Lake to camp for the evening. Bike performed without issue. It's symphony of sounds leaving its mark in the mountains.
Next day, Sunday July 3rd, during pre-flight checks I noticed that gas was dripping down onto the LH floorboard. Appeared to be coming from the fuel level sensor. Some online research found that it could be the sensor or a pin hole leak. Given that, I decided that I would just have to ride it home and figure out the issue later. Fingers crossed that I would not have to deal with the issue roadside.
Thank my lucky stars, the bike made it from Ossipee Lake in NH back to Waterford CT without a single glitch. Ride time was 6 hours as I took the backroads of NH to I-495 in Mass. This was my first ever extended ride. Loved every minute. Didn't feel like 6 hours had passed at all. Sleep was hard to come by with all the adrenaline pumping through thine veins. Nothing a little herbal remedy can't help
