Kickin Back

Spent some time with Dolly today on the road, and took a breather at Taco Cabana... she caught me relaxing.

Calm before the storm. This is just a few miles short of the 500 mile break in on the new motor. With all the rain coming in with Hurricane Dolly, I gotta come up with other ways to keep myself busy during these few days of my summer break.

The Big Bore is now P.I.F.

Just a little short of selling the bike to get it out of the shop, it was a good feeling to pay the bill today and have the little orange repair tag ripped off today.

The 500 miles to break in the engine is next.  I have not had the experience of seating an engine for several years. My last overhauls were my first automobiles in the early and mid 70's when I wasn't apprehensive of taking an engine apart.  When I saw this V-Twin on the bench, I was struck with the modular design that Harley Davidson has in this new balanced Evolution engine. I have a learning curve to get this type of repair procedure figured out.

Gulp... Maybe Friday

The Majestic 100 year Anniversary Edition Fat Boy is looking lean and not so mean today.  The Limited Power Train warranty is covering the repair for the damaged bearings that were found in the case.  This balanced engine was sweet to ride and nice and quiet until the Father's Day weekend.  The metal-on-metal roar got definitely worse, and upon having the oil changed, the fine people at Mancuso Central dove into the bowels of my ailing 88 c.i.  One of the first comments was to 'please consider upgrading to a bigger bore engine upon completing the repair.'  I have been on pins and needles until today when I became aware that the 'Limited Power Train Warranty' covered 12 months or 12,000 miles.  Since they began to tear the motor apart, they had not been able to find the origin of metal shavings in the main case... until today.  It was definitely the bearings for those shafts that facilitate the fine balanced EVO88B.  THAT WAS COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY!  Otherwise I would have been responsible for the EXTENSIVE work being done.  

The next 48 hours will tell the tale of a successful rebuild to the status of a BigBoreBadBoy!  I will wind up with a lot less 'out-of-pocket' than normal, since they already have the case cracked open.  The pause is what is most disconcerting.  I have grown accustomed to spending much of my daily commute in the grip of the Houston Traffic and in the trust of my God - I miss that from my 2-wheeled view. 

So, I wait - maybe, Friday. 

Look Deep Inside Yourself - don't be skerd!

Look Deep Inside Yourself
Originally uploaded by rmaxtorres.

FatBoy Saga Continues: The Mancuso mechanics have been looking for the source of a bad sound... no luck so far. The next step is to crack the case open for a deeper look.... nice!  Only concern is how deep I will have to dig to get it outta hock.