Packing your bike for a long ride

(8/25/2014) For as many long rides as I’ve taken, you’d think I’d be pretty good at packing by now. I’m not. I started out okay, but as the ride progressed and I pulled different items out of their respective bags, I was slack in putting them back on the bike, often relying on the webbing to hold items in place. I’d forgotten what strong winds and incessant vibration will do to poorly packed cargo. All small objects should be carried inside large, redundantly-secured bags.

I had two hats, an old helmet, and a bright blue plastic funnel blow off my bike during the trip because I failed to secure them properly.* Mitch was riding behind me when the helmet flew off; it freaked him out a little as it spllt into pieces on the pavement. (He’s learned to ride a safe distance behind me.) The funnel confused him because it was so brightly blue and flew into the air so quickly. He thought it might have been a blue bird.

And then there’s the issue of what to bring. For example, on my recent ride to British Columbia (BC), I brought my heavy leather chaps and never wore them. My Aerostitch Darien pants were enough for warmth and they doubled as rain pants. I wore long underwear beneath them when I rode through Canada’s Glacier National Park. And, the issue of how to pack and what to bring are related in that you want to have sufficient space in your bags on Day 1 to stow everything with a little room to spare, as you are likely to make some purchases along the way.

I’ve been learning slowly. My friend Mitch, on the other hand, is a master at packing a motorcycle. He amazes me at how efficiently he can pack a bike. I mean, he brought a chair with him and still had a leaner cargo profile than me. He’ll cut off the lower half of a toothbrush handle to save a little space. He sometimes reminds me of a magician the way he can seemingly pull an endless supply of stuff from his saddlebags at a campsite.

So, from my experiences—the good, the bad, and the ugly—especially those on my recent 7,000+ mile ride to BC, and what I’ve learned from Mitch, here are some tips I can pass along to you on packing your bike for a long trip.

What you should bring

Before you begin deciding on what you want to bring on the ride with you, set up a checklist for yourself. I use Microsoft Word to create a document with a table and in that table I actually put small boxes to the right of each item. Then the day or night before the trip, I check the boxes with a pencil as I place each item in a bag or on the bike itself. I divide items into categories to help me in my decision-making:

- Navigation/Riding
- Camping
- Medication
- Communication
- Transportation
- Protection
- Edification
- Miscellaneous 

Navigation

Do not rely solely on a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) device to navigate. If you have one, bring it. But bring paper maps too.  A lot can happen on a long trip, including the failure of your GPS unit; and the little gadget can give you confusing or erroneous directions. There’s no substitute for using your own eyes and a good old-fashioned map. Most states will mail you a map for free if you ask for one on their department of transportation (DOT) web site. Due to budget cuts, some states, such as Washington, no longer mail paper maps. However, they do offer electronic copies (PDF) of maps. which you can download to a smart phone, tablet computer, etc. You can also usually get a free road map at the welcome centers located in each state near their respective borders along major routes.

In addition to obtaining maps from the various states I expected to visit, I visited my local AAA office where a very nice lady put together a comprehensive travel plan for me. I stood with her for about an hour at the counter and then returned a couple of days later to pick up a package of maps and guide books. These were very helpful and more than justified my membership dues for 2014.

Camping

Camping can be a lot of fun if the weather cooperates and you have a good air mattress, sleeping bag, and tent. However, camping gear takes a lot of space on the bike, so only pack for camping if you are committed to using it. I also learned on this recent BC trip that if you’re planning to put two tents on a space at a place such as a Kampgrounds Of America (KOA), the cost is almost as much as a cheap hotel room. That’s something you should consider as you plan your ride.

Medication

You can usually stop at a drug store while on the trip, but it’s far more efficient to keep small quantities of some key medicines on the bike with you. For example, I keep ibuprofen and antacids handy. Immodium is also a good idea because as you eat in unfamiliar places, you may find you’ve eaten something that disagrees with your digestive system. Taking potassium or magnesium supplements with some fruit or other breakfast in the morning is a good way to avoid, or at least reduce, muscle cramps each day.

Communication

If you’re riding by yourself, communication devices are not so critical, though a mobile phone will sure come in handy if your bike breaks down. If you’re riding with others however, a mobile phone becomes much more important. For example, if you become separated from your comrades, a quick call or text can be used to establish a rendezvous point. This kind of thing has happened to me, and I can tell you that when you’re unable to contact the others in your riding group, it can become a very frustrating experience.

If you have a citizens band (CB) radio and others in your riding group likewise have CB radios, they offer a handy way to communicate while in motion.

Transportation

This category includes the things you need on the road to maintain your bike, and that includes cleaning it. I do not mean cleaning it in the sense of keeping it pretty. You should keep your lights and windshield clear for safety reasons. Cooling fins should also be kept clear of mud so they can do their job cooling your engine. Keep instruments and other critical points clean as well, such as your fork seals.

Here’s a tip I picked up recently from a letter in Motorcycle Consumer News: put hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in a squirt bottle and use it to remove bugs. I haven’t tried it yet, but the idea makes sense. H2O2 is cheap, and as far as I know, non-corrosive on your windshield and lights. The idea is that the peroxide gives up those extra oxygen atoms and oxidizes—and rapidly breaks down—the cells of the dead bugs, thus making if far easier to wipe them off your plastic, glass, and metal surfaces.

Here’s a topic that often generates an argument among bikers. When you pull up to a gas pump and your windshield is covered in bugs, do you grab a rag from your saddlebag and get it good and wet in the windshield washer fluid that’s usually available next to the pump? And the do you go to work on the lights and windshield? I do. Sure, the ammonia-based cleaner is not ideal for your plastic windshield; but if you’re riding 500, 600, 700 miles per day, day after day, alternative methods for cleaning won’t cut it. As for me, I ride so many miles, I simply buy a new windshield every few years. It gets scratched up anyway from road debris and contaminated rags.

When you have a choice, avoid ammonia-based products on your bike. On the other hand, I usually finish off the wash job with a light coating of spray wax—using a different rag.

Protection

Protect your body. Always bring a helmet, even if you avoid wearing one. They’re great for protecting your head, not just from going down, but from sun, rain, and debris flying through air. And you’re bound to encounter a state the requires one.

 

Always pack a rain suit, if you’re not already wearing it. I’ve gotten wet more times than I care to remember on rides that started with my saying, “It looks like we’re gonna be dry for the entire ride."

 

Bring sunscreen and bug repellant. Bring a long-sleeved, light-colored shirt. I wear such a shirt when riding in hot, dry climates. It’s actually more comfortable than going with short sleeves. Or, wear a mesh jacket if you own one and you’re going to be riding in warm/hot conditions; then you won’t need that shirt and you’ll be better protected.

 

This category, for me, includes clothing. Clothing is where I tend to fall short when it comes to packing. Try as I might, I also seem to pack stuff I don’t end up needing. On the BC trip, I actually did a pretty good job. Take footwear for instance: I wore water-resistant combat boots and packed a pair a sandals. I actually used the sandals a few times and the boots kept my feet dry in the rain.

 

If you buy good, synthetic underwear, you can pack just a few pairs and wash them at night in the hotel sink. They’ll dry overnight—sometimes. ;-)

 

If you pack extra footwear, remember to stuff garments such as socks or underwear into them to use that space. Try to avoid empty spaces. 

Edification

Bring something to read or an MP3 player to enjoy if you find yourself with idle time. Recently, my bike broke down in central North Carolina. A broken wire on the rear fuel injector left me stranded. While I waited for my brother-in-law to come with a trailer—a 90-minute wait—I was happy to have a cigar and the latest issue of The Scientist magazine. 

Tools

I’ve never listed tools on my main checklist because they are a given. However, I learned on this last trip that I should create and maintain a tools checklist. It turns out I didn’t have the size allen wrench I needed, but probably would have packed it had I used a checklist.

I’ve included a picture of my tools before I packed them. You can use this photo to begin planning your own toolkit. Here’s what’s shown in the photo, beginning at the top left and going right, and then again left to right on the lower row:

- Base tool kit, e.g., wrenches, screw drivers, etc.
- Black plastic electrical tape
- Duct tape
- Wire
- Hunting (“Rambo”) knife
- Bead-neck wrap for cooling
- Coleman 74-piece first aid kit
- Coleman water-proof matches
- Foam ear plugs (just below the matches)
- Kickstand plate (just below the ear plugs)
- Zip-ties (aka tie-wraps, cable-ties)
- Large phillips-head screw driver (to remove my seat)
- Flat wear for eating
- Spark plug socket
- Tubeless tire patch kit
- Adjustable wrench (below screw driver)
- Offset phillips head screw driver (for seat removal, among other possible uses)
- Needle nose vice grips
- Channel lock pliers
- Torx tip tools
- Hex tip tools
- Side cutters
- Plastic bag with sterile vinyl gloves for first aid, more ear plugs, etc.
- Aerostitch air compressor
- Fleece balaclava 

It’s impossible to take all the tools you might need because they won’t fit. Your bike probably came with a toolkit; start with that.

Do not pack what you do not need or cannot use. For example, if you have a Japanese bike, take only metric tools; don’t take wrenches, for example, that don’t fit your bike. The exception here is if you have a riding companion who could use English unit tools and you’re coordinating the tool load with him or her.

As you can see, I include a patch kit and air compressor. Fortunately, I’ve never had a flat while on a road trip. I’ve been lucky, and I replace my tires right away when the tread nears the wear bar.

I can tell you that more than once I have needed the zip ties and tape. I have also needed the first aid kit. Be sure you pack one and inventory its contents before you check it off on your packing list. Many items in a first aid kit degrade over time.

Ear plugs reduce fatigue. But here’s another great use: if you end up sharing a room with a guy who snores, use one or two, and get a good night’s sleep. Be sure they’re clean to avoid infection. (I’ve been careless a couple of times in that regard.) 

Where you should put it

Where you pack stuff is very important and should be governed by these two primary factors: (1) weight and (2) frequency of access during the ride. During my recent trip to British Columbia, I ended up relocating stuff because I realized I had put too much weight on the tour pack. I shifted the heavy stuff to the bag on the passenger seat. If that spot can hold a 150-pound person with no problem, it can certainly hold 40 pounds of camping gear, tools, etc.

My cargo is stored four areas:

1. Left saddle bag
2. Right saddle bag
3. Tour-Pak
4. Passenger seat/seat bag

Left saddle bag 

I keep my tools together in the left-side saddle bag, typically with my rain suit, though not on this ride. On this ride, I brought my highly-functional (and expensive) Aerostitch Darien riding suit, which also serves as a rain suit. I choose this spot for the tools and rain suit because this is the least accessible of the four cargo areas, and I ride with the expectation that I won’t need anything in that spot. :-)

Right saddle bag

This is the most accessible spot—excluding the relatively small outside pockets of my Saddleman bag on the passenger seat—and I therefore put the things I need most frequently in this “bag.” This includes my camera, cleaning products, rags, sunscreen, etc. 

Tour-Pak

Harley-Davidson calls that big trunk on the back of the bike the Tour-Pak. You may have a similar container that goes by a different name. Because I tended to stow some light things on top of the tour pack and cover them in bungee cords and a cargo net, the Tour-Pak space is difficult to access. In the future, I will use a cylindrically shaped bag designed to sit on the Tour-Pak and reduce the need for the bungee cords. Regardless, the Tour-Pak is relatively inaccessible once the bike is packed.

It is in the Tour-Pak that I store my clothes and personal care products, which I take into my tent or hotel room each night. The bag I used for this fits almost exactly to the inner dimensions of the compartment. I generally keep the Tour-Pak locked all day.

Passenger seat 

One of the best products I’ve ever purchased for a motorcycle is my Saddleman seat bag. It’s designed to fit precisely on the passenger spot of a Harley-Davidson touring bike. It has a large main storage area, very functional pockets on the outside, and permits the use of a pillow for a backrest, which I did on my BC trip. That same pillow is what I used in my tent to sleep.

I used the Saddleman seat bag to carry my sleeping bag, cooking gear, sweat shirt, and other various, small items. The Saddelman bag also has convenient straps on top to hold a bag. I used that to carry a Vietnam War-era US Army duffle bag in which I fit my tent and air mattress. These two items would not be adversely affected by rain, so the duffle bag on top of the Saddleman bag worked out great. Except in South Dakota, where we encountered 50 mph wind gusts for the entire afternoon. Then I felt like I had a sail on my bike. I’m just saying… ;-)  

Of course, the packing challenge rises to a whole new level if you have a passenger…and if she’s your wife…that’s outta my league…Mitch solves that problem by having his wife fly to the ultimate destination; and she is free to check luggage. ;-)

Keep the shiny side up!

-The Long Rider

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*For once, I didn’t have any important parts fall off my bike during the ride. I did lose a bunch of fasteners, but managed to hold my bike together in spite of their absence. (Remember to pack duct tape!)

Lost some very important bolts!

(July 26, 2014) Not all fasteners on your bike are of equal importance. Yes, that’s kind of obvious; but the lesson really hit me this week. During a 7,400 mile ride earlier this month to the western US and Canada, I had some fasteners fall off my bike. I knew of the one from the windshield, but discovery that two others had fallen out happened only yesterday.

After letting the bike sit for a couple of weeks while I caught up on work and recovered from a cold, I finally got out for a ride yesterday. I decided to stop by Jockeys Cycle Inc. in Morrisville and tell the guys about my ride and ask them about some problems I had with the bike on my ride. I told Kevin and Blake about an oil leak (transmission, methinks), the speedometer and tachometer failing three times, the windshield screw going missing,  etc. I was about to leave to go to work when I remembered that I wanted to ask Kevin about an unfamiliar vibration I was feeling through my left footboard. I told him I began noticing it when I rolled over some railroad tracks in Sidney, Nebraska. (I remember thinking to myself that it felt like my engine was coming loose. Just a fleeting thought I pushed aside quickly, attributing it to paranoia given all the problems I’d endured with my machine preparing for this ride.)

Kevin got down on the ground and began his inspection. He grasped the left footboard. It was secure. I told him, “It’s not the footboard itself. It’s something I could feel by way of vibration through the footboard.” Then I hear him say, “Shit!” Not what you want to hear from your doctor or your mechanic. “What?!” I asked him. “You’re missing an engine mount bolt!” He got up quickly and went into his shop telling me that he’d get one and insert it immediately. He came back in a minute and got back on the ground.

Then I hear him again, “Oh my God!”

“What!!!?” I asked him.

“Dude, you’re missing both bolts!”  

“You mean as in my engine is just sitting in the frame?” Yes, my friends, I rode at least 2,500 miles with my engine unsecured to the frame in the front. After a few hours of heart palpitations, I began to feel really lucky. I’ve been riding for many years and covered a lot of miles, yet it never occurred to me to check the engine mount bolts. I took them for granted. No more. Learn my lesson and check—or have your mechanic check—your engine mounting bolts at least once a year and especially before going on any long rides.

Remember this: even paranoid people can have real enemies! :-) If your engine feels loose, maybe it is.

Other problem fasteners

I had problems with two other fasteners on my trip, one of which apparently eloped with the threaded fastener to which it was attached, and another bolt that came loose every day, and which I tightened every night before going to bed. And each night I cursed to my riding buddy Mitch, “My bike hates me!"

Windshield

(For those of you who have a Harley bat-wing fairing this will be of interest. All others will probably want to skip this section.) On the Harley bat-wing fairing, the wind shield is held on by three ¼-20 ½-inch machine screws. These screws are fastened to brass threaded-inserts (HD part number 16585-96). Sooner or later, you are bound to have one of these fail. Usually, you make the mistake of over-tightening the screw and stripping the insert, or the insert comes loose from the fairing. I had the latter experience a couple of years ago. On my latest ride, however, both the bolt and insert simply came loose and disappeared along I-80 in Nebraska.

On the road I wrapped a piece of duct tape around the edge of the windshield to hold it together. In the photo I've used here, I'm also using duct tape but this time, it's rolled up and placed behind the decorative chrome strip. I had a ride this morning at the Raleigh dealership and did not want to be seen with duct tape wrapped around my windshield. It just seemd to cross a line with me. ;-)

Tonight, I’m going to Mike Russo’s garage where we will attempt to replace the missing insert and fasten the windshield. If it works, you won’t hear about it again from me unless you ask. Here’s a great writeup online I found addressing this task:

http://harleytalking.com/showthread.php?2276-Repairing-the-dreaded-stripped-windshield-screw-on-the-batwing&s=df1bb1b08130da515591e25819dc4981 

A friendly parts employee at the local Harley dealership gave me a copy of the official instructions for making this repair when I bought an insert and screw this morning. If you’d like a copy, please leave me an email address in the comment field and I’ll send you a PDF scan.

Tour Pak/license plate mounting assembly

Later this month, I’ll write about the lessons I learned regarding packing my bike. An important one is striving to keep the load on the Tour-Pak as light as possible. In spite of my efforts in this regard, a bolt behind the license plate would work its way loose every day of the trip and every evening—after I discovered the problem, I would remove the license plate and tighten it. Today, I took some of Mr. Russo’s blue Permatex thread glue (aka “loctite”) and applied it to both mounting bolts. Now we’ll see who’s boss. :-)

As always, keep the shiny side up!

-The Long Rider 

Update on Monday, July 28, 2014 at 8:00PM by Michael A. Uhl

(July 28, 2014) As planned, I spent Saturday evening in Mike Russo's garage. As usual, Mr. Russo not only helped me make repairs, he saved me from my stupidity more than once, in particular when it came time to thread in the new insert. We used Loctite® epoxy to hold the new brass insert in place for the windshield and I had forgotten to thread two nuts onto the bolt I was using to turn the insert into the expoxied hole. Before it set we managed to get it off and start over.

I cleaned the insides of my auxilliary headlights ("passing lamps") while we had the fairing off. Like my headlight, they had accumluated a layer of dirt that was dulling their brightness. I then decided to go over the entire bike and look for other problems. I found two: (1) another bolt had come completely out and was gone; and (2) my horn housing was cracked.

As I made my inspection, I grabbed the Tour Pak and attempted to move it around to see if it was tighty secured to the bike. I detected slight movement on the left side and upon further inspection noticed that the bar on the mounting bracket seemd loose. After I removed the chrome cover that hides the mounting bolt, I could see that it had fallen out. Mr. Russo kindly went into his store of fasteners and provided me exactly what I needed to secure it.

Continuing along the left side of my bike, I noticed that my horn looked broken. It was functional, but it moved in ways it shouldn't. After removing it, we could see that the housing was cracked. This horn had been on Mike's bike and he had replaced it with something much nicer. Fortunately, I had purchased a replacement horn and Mike still had it in his garage. He located it and now I am in the process of purchasing yet another replacement horn to keep in his garage. :-)  This is my fourth horn in two years.

I've certainly learned the value of using Loctite® thread lock!

Back from British Columbia

My friend Mitch and I made a relatively quick ride out to British Columbia (BC) June 28 - July 10. We covered well over 7,000 miles (7,415 by Mitch's odometer) in 13 days.

We rode we rode through 18 states and two provinces: Alberta*, British Columbia*, Idaho*, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa*, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana*, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington*, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Six of these were new for me (marked with an asterisk).

We crossed three time zones so we could have the pleasure of riding through six Canadian national parks in Alberta and BC and five in the United States. I've never ridden by, over, and around so many mountains. I got to see the American and Canadian Rockies like I've never seen them before.

Here's a list of the National Parks (NP) or National Forests (NF) we toured--the ones I know of for sure:

Canada (6)

• Banff NP (Alberta)
• Glacier NP (British Columbia)
• Jasper NP (Alberta)
• Kootenay NP (British Columbia)
• Mt. Revelstoke NP (British Columbia)
• Yoho NP (British Columbia)

United States (10)

• Badlands NP (South Dakota)
• Black Hills NF (South Dakota)
• Coeur d'Alene NF (Idaho)
• Gallatin NF (Montana)
• Glacier NP
• Grand Teton NP (Wyoming)
• Great Smoky Mountains NP (Tennessee/North Carolina)
• LoLo NF (Montana)
• Wind Cave NP (South Dakota)
• Yellowstone NP (Wyoming & Montana)

We tent camped in the Badlands and Glacier (US) national parks. 

In all this travel, I learned a great deal about riding long distances on my Harley, which now has almost 102,000 miles on it. I also met interesting people. Over the next 4-8 weeks, I will post photos and descriptions of our experiences on this blog site. Please check every other week for new articles.

It sure felt good to be riding my bike more than repairing it, though there were some repairing activities as well. 

-The Long Rider

Rear fuel injector fails again

(6/23/2014) With a 7,000+ mile ride planned for June 28 - July 13 to Banff & Jasper National Park (Alberta) and other scenic places in Idaho, Montana, etc., I decided to take my bike for a weekend ride to Hendersonville, NC (~540 miles roundtrip) for a shakedown ride. Good thing too, because it failed the test. Around Hickory on my return trip, I started having very obvious engine problems that came and went but got much worse near Mocksville. In order to avoid premature death on Interstate 40, I pulled into the Davie County Rest Area and got on the phone immediately.

I called HOG Roadside Assistance. That was mostly a waste of time, although it did give me an idea of what I can expect if I need them in the future. I was still about 110 miles from home and it would cost an estimated $378 to transport my bike to my house. The nearest dealer was 22 miles in the wrong direction and closed. (It was about 4:00 p.m. on a Sunday.) Anyway, I'll write more about my experience with the Roadside Assistance person at a later date.

Given that I had already experienced a faulty fuel injector in the past, I recognized the symptoms. In fact, I noticed that sometimes when I'd hit a bump in the road, the engine would misfire. That screams "you've got a broken wire somewhere in the ignition system." Well, actually, this broken wire actuates the rear fuel injector.

My second call was to my brother-in-law, Mark, in Chapel Hill. He's a rider; owns a Kawasaki Concourse and a trailer. Amen. Fortunately, he was home and available to drive the 110 miles and get me. What a guy! Anyway, I pulled into rest area at 3:45 p.m. and he arrived just after 6:00 p.m. It took a while to strap the bike in securely but we got it home safe 'n sound.

I texted Kevin from Jockeys Cycle (Morrisville, NC) on his personal cell phone to let him know what had happened and to expect my bike in the morning. Coincidentally, Mark was scheduled to take his Councourse to Jockey's for new tires this morning (Monday). So, there we all were at 9:15 standing in the shop discussing my adventure yesterday. Jim and Kevin then got right to my bike. In less than 20 minutes, they found the problem: a broken wire on the rear fuel injector. They had repaired the same wire in a different spot a couple of months ago. This time they replaced the wires and redesigned the way they are routed to the injector.

There is a design flaw, as Jim pointed out to me using a flashlight on the front injector wiring. One of the wires is bent at a sharp angle as it enters a junction point just above the injector. The bend in the wire introduces stress on the wire and makes it susceptible to breaking from heat and vibration.

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about the problem many Harley Davidson owners had with the 2006 models' (mine is a 2006) 8-degree injectors. The Motor Company issued a bulletin to dealers indicating that for bikes having problems with the 8-degree injectors they were to replace them with a newer 25-degree injector. No, my problem was with the power feed to the injectors.

What was happening in my case was that the power circuit would suddenly open when the break in the wire stopped the flow of current to the injector. At that instance, fuel would stop being sprayed into the cylinder head. No fuel, no combustion, no power.

Jim and Kevin had my bike finished just after lunch time today and it's now back in my garage, ready for that ride to the Canadian Rockies.

Thanks again to my brother-in-law Mark and the guys at Jockeys Cycle in Morrisville!

As always, keep the shiny side up!

-The Long Rider

Installing gaskets properly

(6/11/2014) I had two leaks in my bike that I repaired on Sunday: a fuel leak and a primary case oil leak. I actually attempted to fix the fuel tank leak on Saturday but did a really half-assed job and actually made the leak worse. I made the mistake of using the old gasket and sealing screws and failed to notice that the gasket was installed backwards.

Here are some lessons I learned from this experience and previous experiences with gaskets.

Fuel Tank Canopy Gasket

As I wrote in an earlier post, I had my fuel pump, pressure regulator, and filter replaced earlier this year. These are all mounted on a bracket that angles into the fuel tank. By the way, the fuel level sender and float are also located on this assembly. Proper installation of this crazy-looking assembly is very important if you want to avoid altering the way your fuel gauge indicates the fuel level.

This assembly terminates on the top of the tank at what Harley Davidson calls the canopy. The canopy is a metal mounting plate with ten screw holes in it, in addition to two holes for mounting the console and the hole into which you pour gasoline into the tank.

In between the canopy and fuel tank itself, lays the canopy gasket (HD part no. 61402-02. Shown in the photo at the top right of this article.) Note a couple of things about this gasket that I missed the first time I worked with it: (1) it’s tapered, wider at the top than the bottom; and (2) there is a small piece jutting out on one end; that little piece indicates that this end of the gasket faces forward on the bike. This is how you can readily determine how to properly position the gasket. Had I read the maintenance manual more carefully the first time, I might have avoided some work.

Even after I read the manual and understood what to do, I managed to get distracted by something during the installation process and put it on bottom forward. Fortunately, I was proceeding very slowly, double-checking my work before moving on to the next step and caught my mistake right away. I sympathize with mechanics who screw this up.

As soon as I had the gasket in place, I could feel that it was right. It fit perfectly. Next, I hand-tightened the ten new canopy sealing screws (HD part no. 1311D, $1.05 each) into position in the order specified in the manual. These screws are specially designed to seal in a way that prevents gasoline from getting past them and the gasket. Notice in the photo of these screws (right) that they have a piece of plastic around the threads just beneath the head. On many of the old screws, this plastic had become worn or was absent completely. 

I then got out Mike Russo’s inch-pound torque wrench and tightened the screws to approximately 22 in-lbs. (The manual specifies 18-24 in-lbs.) Once tight, I inspected the gasket and could see that it did not bulge anywhere along the perimeter, as the old one did. The fit was snug and I can tell you after filling the tank to the top and then riding for several days that this gasket and its screws are doing the job.

Primary Cover Gasket

This is an expensive gasket (HD part no. 34901-94C), costing me $31.17 plus tax the the local Harley dealership. I knew from experience that if I had oil leaking from the primary chain case at a location other than the drain plug, I would have to replace the gasket. Sometimes, oil will leak at the drain plug if the O-ring has worn out. I knew the bolts were torqued to spec so that left only the gasket as the culprit. Sure enough, after I pulled the gasket, I could see it was worn and damaged at the point the oil was leaking, around the number 1 bolt.

This job took longer than I had anticipated because I forgot that I had to remove the rear shifter lever, left floor board, and loosen the left floor board bracket. It was a straightforward job, but it took a couple of hours.

Be sure to thoroughly clean the surfaces—on the engine case and primary cover—before installing the gasket. Inspect the surfaces for any damage.

Just as in the case of the canopy gasket, the bolts that hold the primary cover and its gasket should be tightened first by hand and then with a torque wrench in the order specified in the manual. In my case, I tightened them to approximately 100 in-lbs. (The manual specifies 84-108 in-lbs.) Coincidentally, there are also ten fasteners in this case. However, unlike the specialty screws, these bolts do not have to be replaced each time you change the gasket. If I could have afforded them, I would have installed new chrome bolts. :-)

With the cover off, we checked the slack on the primary chain and it was still in spec, so we didn’t make any adjustments. Mr. Russo happened to have a spare, new clutch inspection cover gasket in his garage, so I installed that as well. 

I am happy to report that after torquing the drain bolt properly, the oil leak is history.

All that remains now is for me to change the rear tire and my bike will be ready for my June 28 - July 13 ride to Banff (Alberta), Hells Canyon (Oregon), Yellowstone (Monana), etc. 

May spring last forever!

-The Long Rider