Bike in Shop Update

[desertdog]

Got my bike back Saturday after 6 weeks in the shop. Also got most of the parts from the engine and clutch that they rebuilt.

Front piston did not have a crack in the face, I misunderstood that part. But the top ring was broken. Lot of carbon on it. The mechanic had no idea what might have caused it. Hes' been working on Kawasakis' for 30+ years.

Said he has never seen a 1600 do that and he has rebuilt alot of them.

Needed a new hydraulic lifter, new cooling hoses, new cam chains. They did the front fork stem bearings also, they said there was a notch in one of them.

The most suprising thing was the clutch. I rebuilt it in November. They said it needed replacing. When I got the parts back it did need replacing. They said the clutch basket was warped. Never heard of that, never checked that part when rebuilding it.

I did a search on line and can't find any information on warped clutch baskets, so apparently its not a common problem, but could explain why I chewed thru 3 clutches since I got it in 08.

I asked them if it was anything I had done to create the problems with the engine or the clutch. I was looking for answers.

They could not say, but being I did all the oil and filter changes and other maintenance over the years or had it done at or before the required intervals they said they can't really say.

I never over revved the engine, but did ride it hard some times. Always checked the oil, so it never ran low.

Or maybe I really did something and they were too polite to tell me, but I kind of doubt that.

Bike runs entirely different now. I had them put a meanie spring and judges washers in for the clutch, I bought those a few years ago and decided to use a barnett instead, but kept them as a back up.

Clutch feels entirely different now. Never felt this secure on engaging since I got the bike. I like the new feel and how it handles.

[Rasta]

Congratulations on getting your ride bike. Could have been a factory defect on the clutch basket.

[BudMan]

Glad to hear you're back on the road.

[ringadingh]

It sounds like the fella at the shop knew what he was doing, its nice to find a good shop that you can trust.

[desertdog]

I checked around and asked different shops both Kawa dealers and independent shops who would be best able to handle the rebuild. The same Dealership and person came up in several conversations. I also checked out their on line reviews.

While some of their sales people did not have good reviews, I did not find one bad review on the service and parts dept.

I went thru the invoice they gave me with the major parts listed and checked Ron Ayers and e bay for prices. The major parts came out about the same or slightly lower than on line. I know they mark up the hell out of them, but I don't mind if the work is solid.

[redjay]

"Front piston did not have a crack in the face, I misunderstood that part. But the top ring was broken. Lot of carbon on it".

What grade of gas do you use ?

[desertdog]

I used primarily Shell 93 octane, till I put a dobock fuel processor in it. Then depending on the weather Shell 89 octane, or in cooler weather 87 octane. In really hot weather, ie over 105 I put 93 in it. If I couldn't find Shell I ran Chevron.

[redjay]

Using 93 octane fuel in a stock Nomad will lead to excessive carbon deposits.
Use the lowest octane fuel you can get away with.

[MAS Tequila]

Being as he is in Arizona, he probably needs the octane
due to the higher intake temperature.

It’s a bit different in the desert and subtropical climates
way down south here and out in the desert southwest than it is in
the far north of Canada.

Two different ends of the spectrum.

[desertdog]

When I bought the bike they told me to run 93 because the heat would cause pinging with lower grades.

[Spondulas]

Try running ~ 2 ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil or Sea Foam in the gas with each fill up. Both products help reduce carbon build up.

I bought a used Goldwing that had been living on high octane all its life. Owner's manual said it would run on regular gas, so I used the regular on my first fill up. The bike pinged so heavily on regular gas that I had to drain the tank and re-fill with premium. I started using the Marvel Mystery oil in my premium gas and after about a dozen tank fulls, I filled it with regular gas again. No pinging then or ever again!! Apparently it had dissolved the carbon that was causing the "hot spots" that caused the pre-ignition.

On my Nomad, I was never able to use the lowest grade gas but I was able to consistently use mid-grade regardless of the temperature or elevation where I rode it.

[alwhite00]

I have a 2001 1500 Nomad and have been running 92 in it. I thought it required that. I have a TFI controller and V&H Bagger exhaust. Can I run 89?

[redjay]

Try it and see if you get any pinging ?
I ran 87 in my Nomad with a TFI and intake with no pinging.

[ricklee4570]

My owners manual says to use premium.

[Peg]

Down here we really only have two grades, premium 95 (equates to about 93 US) and regular 91 (US 89), with a small difference in price (both of them expensive by US standards). I used to have to run premium fuel in my 1500 Nomad or it pinged... But after I installed a Dobeck fuel controller I got better fuel mileage, better performance, and no ping at all using the cheaper regular gas.

In the Voyager, I was also able to use regular when I had a fuel controller on the bike, but with the controller gone in favor of Ivan's re-flash - I've had to go back to using premium.