Passes & Canyons Blog

Hallelujah! At the smallest possible cost my 1999 Kawasaki Concours is running great again. If I was a mechanic I would have known what to do a long time ago.

You’ll recall that I met a guy in the neighborhood, Eric, who has a garage full of bikes and a Jeep. He was in coveralls and was working on something in his garage so I assumed it was safe to bet that he was a mechanic, at least to whatever degree. More than me, for sure. So I described the issue to him and asked what he thought.

OK, I guess first I need to add the latest info I had derived. I had tried riding the bike again and while it started up and ran OK while warming up, when I tried to ride away it balked. Then I had the idea to give it some choke. It ran fine on choke while warming up. Maybe that would help. And it did. So I described all this to Eric.

His immediate answer was that the carburetors needed to be cleaned. If it runs on choke but not without choke, it’s the carbs. OK, now we’re getting somewhere. So I called my mechanic, Joel, and asked him. He agreed: carbs. He suggested I get some Lucas jet cleaner and pour it in the gas tank. So I did that.

I certainly hoped for results but I expected them to be gradual. Nope. The bike fired up and ran really great. Even when I turned down the choke it ran great. So I got on and rode off. Holy cow, this thing had more power than I remember it having for a long time! I pulled on I-225 and rolled on the throttle and it screamed!

Now, I have to say, this immediate change makes me a little nervous. Could it be that this Lucas stuff is like jet fuel and that’s what is giving the bike this pep? When this tank of gas is gone and I refill the tank will the pep be gone? Or were the jets just dirty and had been for a long time?

I won’t know for a while now, especially since we’re in the middle of multi feet of snow at this moment but boy is that a relief to have this bike running well again. Yahoo!

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if your saddle bags say “Gucci.”

OK, me, the non-mechanic, trying to trouble-shoot my Concours. I looked into what would happen if you had too much oil in the machine and my first lead was to the air intake, which is where excess oil presumably would be pushed out. Is the air filter saturated with oil?

First I had to figure out how to get to the air filter. I was going to change the spark plugs on this bike once but then I found that to do that I would have had to lift the gas tank. To do that would have required sealing off the gas line and who knows what else. I left it for Joel to do once I finally got around to having him do a tune-up. Would I need to lift the tank to get to the air filter?

Happily, the answer was no. I have a shop manual and looking in there I found that all I had to do was remove the left side panel, then take out two screws to remove the plate to get to the filter. Easy enough. So I pulled out the filter and found myself with a definite maybe.

The thing is, I don’t know what a new Connie air filter should look and feel like. This thing, seen in the photo, seemed to be a bit oily, but not so much as to be anything close to saturated. Is that normal? Plus, there was certainly no oily residue in the air box.

The only thing I know to do is take it over to Vickery and ask them if this is how it should be, and if they have one in stock, compare it to a new one. It is Sunday as I’m writing this so it will be Tuesday before I can do that. Nothing to do but wait.

If this proves to be the answer it will be a godsend. Because if it is not the answer I have no idea what to look for next. Of course I can always give Joel a call but man, I’ve really been giving him a bunch of my money lately. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

A little later: Nope, I did some more reading in my shop manual and it says to lightly coat a new air filter with oil. I guess my next move will be to go to the Concours Owner’s Group forum and see if I can find answers there.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if you have at least one ashtray that is actually a motorcycle part.

We had some fabulous weather to start off February so I got out on all three bikes right away.

Of the two bikes I’ve recently had issues with the situations varied. The V-Strom, which I put a new battery into, started and ran just great. It still drips something but that is a longstanding issue that I’ll just continue to live with.

The Concours is a different matter. It fired right up and I ran it a good while to make sure it was warm. That bike has always needed to warm up before heading out.

Previously I had apparently left the reserve lever in the Prime position, an error that led to gas trickling into the cylinders and seeping past into the oil pan. In that state the bike wouldn’t run and I ended up making a real mess changing the oil. And once it was changed, although the bike fired up and ran, it didn’t initially run well. I rode around the neighborhood to be sure it didn’t crap out on me a long way from home, but eventually it did fine.

Well, same thing this time. I pulled out of the driveway and there was very little power. Again I rode around the neighborhood until it seemed to be doing OK and then I took off. This time, however, in two instances when I was coasting downhill and not revving the throttle at all the engine died. Now, it started back up right off when I pushed the starter button but this bike has never just died on me before. For the rest of the ride, anytime I was slowing down I made sure to give it a little more gas so it would not die. That’s a pain.

Maybe the business with dying could be remedied by just cranking up the idle speed a bit, I don’t know. But what the heck is the issue with the poor running in the beginning? Could there still be gas in the oil? Certainly not much–would just a tiny bit have that effect? Is there some other issue? I’m convinced that my mechanic put too much oil in when he changed it back in June. Could that have blown out a seal? What happens if a seal is blown? I just don’t know the answer to these kinds of questions. I need to do research.

Of course I could change the oil again–it certainly helped to change it before. I hate to do that because motorcycle oil is not cheap and changing oil on this bike is not a simple operation. And if I did that and it still was not running right, then what?

I just did a quick Google search and it appears I ought to check the air filter to see if excess oil has been through out that way. Now I need to look into how I get to the air filter. Sigh. I’ll let you know what happens.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: Disassembling the motorcycle is done out of pleasure rather than need.

December 24 was very warm and the ice had finally melted off our street so I wanted to take the Kawi for a spin. I geared up, rolled the bike out and started it, and when it was warmed up I got on and headed out.

I got about 10 feet out of our driveway. Then the engine died. I started it again and tried to move forward and it died again. I tried a number of times. Finally I rolled it backward to where I could go forward into the driveway, revved it up, and managed to get right back where I had started from a few minutes earlier. What the heck is the matter?

I’ve been riding this bike for 21 years now and I’ve got experience with it. This seemed similar to something I had encountered a long time ago. You have to understand the Reserve lever on this bike. It has three positions: On, Reserve, and Prime. Normally you run on On, flip to Reserve when necessary, and I have never really known what you would use Prime for. But I know what happens if you move that lever to Prime. It drips gas into the cylinder and if the bike is not running it will continue to drip and that gas will seep past the valves into the oil pan. Motorcycles do not run well when you have gas mixed with the oil.

Yes I know that from experience. And this seemed to be acting very much the same way it did when I inadvertently left the lever in the Prime position. So how to confirm this diagnosis? Change the oil. That’s a major pain on this bike because you have to remove some of the bodywork to do it. Guess how I spent a big chunk of my day on December 24.

Of course it wasn’t all that straightforward. Things have to go wrong, don’t they.

I had wondered since I had the bike in for a tune-up whether my mechanic had put too much oil in. Looking at the sight glass all I had ever been able to see was black. The Concours is supposed to take a little less than one gallon of oil so I knew if what I drained out was too much to fit into a gallon jug that there was an issue. But that could happen either from over-filling or gas dripping in with the oil. Not sure which it was but I definitely couldn’t get it all into a one-gallon jug. And once it was drained I could see into the sight glass–it was no longer just black.

So I put new oil in, checking repeatedly as I poured to see when the sight glass showed it was enough. But I must not have looked soon enough; it always looked the same and I kept pouring oil in. When I concluded this had to be too much I looked hard at the sight glass and concluded that it was full of clear, clean oil. I had put too much in.

I needed to drain some out, but I didn’t want to drain it all and I didn’t have anything clean of the right size to catch it all. So I got a glass jar and tried to drain some into the jar without spilling a whole bunch. I was not successful. It didn’t all pour out but I had really big mess on my hands. Things have to go wrong, don’t they?

At this point I was sure I had drained enough but the sight glass still showed full. So I started the bike and ran it for about 30 seconds and then let it settle. Hallelujah, it was right where it needed to be, and I could clearly see the oil level.

Then I cleaned up this entire mess. Finally I started the bike. It started and ran beautifully. I got on and eased out of the driveway. It ran beautifully. I went just around the block and it ran great so I parked it. That’s all the riding I did that day.

So I guess I must have screwed up. I knew the bike was nearing Reserve last time I rode it so I must have turned that lever the wrong way. And while I already knew what happens when you do that, I’ve just had my memory refreshed.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if you have a heater in your garage so you can work on your bike(s) when it’s cold.

Maybe you’ve had this experience. You buy a brand new motorcycle and you ride it. And you keep on riding it. And then one day someone mentions that you sure have an old bike. What? This is not an old bike! But then you count the years and . . . yes it is.

My 1999 Kawasaki Concours is like that. I bought it new from Vickery in ’99. About 10 years or so later I took it over for service and they told me they don’t generally like to work on older bikes like mine. They fired me as a customer. Aurora Honda had done the same some years earlier.

I will interject here that recently I learned that you can sometimes get your older bike worked on at a dealership. But it’s iffy.

So I turned to Mountain Thunder Motorsports for all my service needs. Joel was operating out of a building on old Hampden over near Federal Boulevard for many years and he became my go-to guy. Then his landlord terminated his lease. This may have been a boon for Joel because he now works at home–no rent!–and he tells me he’s very busy. The one hassle is that he now has to pick your bike up, take it home, do the work, and then bring it back to you. But he makes it work.

Anyway, my Concours needed a new front tire. I want to ride it on the OFMC trip in a few weeks and that old tire was not going to make it. For good measure, I asked Joel to also do a complete tune-up, something the bike had not had in probably way too long.

This morning I took it for my first ride since Joel brought it back and oh man, what a difference! I pushed the starter button and it fired up instantly. That was what it used to do when it was new but it hadn’t done that in a very long time. And it ran so smoothly. Plus, now it has a brand new front tire. How nice to have tread.

So now it’s just like new, right? Unfortunately, no.

When we were getting ready two years ago to go on a trip to Canada with Willie and Jungle and some other folks I arranged for Jungle to put a new rear tire on the bike. When he got the rear end opened up he showed me that some seal back there had failed. He packed the rear hub with grease and said that would take care of it but at some point I would probably need to have some work done.

I mentioned this to Joel and asked him to take a look, and he did, but he said while there was clearly a leak somewhere he couldn’t tell where without removing the radiator and other stuff up front. His advice was to clean away all the oil and dirt accumulated down there and then watch to see where new leakage might be coming from.

But oh golly, when I was riding the bike this morning it was just like new. How can you call this an old bike?

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: One gets in no trouble for storing disassembled pieces of the motorcycle in the basement.

Something over 20 years ago the OFMC started out with three guys on two Hondas and a Yamaha. My, how times have changed.

A much larger group now, we got an email from John a couple days ago with pictures of his new Harley. As John noted, on our upcoming summer trip there will now be six Harleys, two Hondas, and one Kawasaki.

John was the one on the Yamaha–a Virago–in the beginning. It was just a few years later that he bought a Honda Shadow and he rode that for 19 years. The Virago went to his son, Johnathon, who only rode it a few years before buying his own Honda VTX.

Bill started out on a Honda Shadow but it has been a number of years now since he gave that to his son, Jason, and bought a Harley. That one got stolen so he bought another, and after a couple years Bill decided he was ready for a change. So he sold that Harley to his brother, Friggs, and got a new Harley.

Friggs had been on a newer Virago that was his first bike, but when Bill made him an offer he couldn’t refuse he became a Harley owner.

Dennis was riding a Gold Wing when he joined the OFMC, but after a few years he traded it on a Harley. Does anyone see a trend developing here?

Johnathon’s friend, Randy, joined the group, and like Johnathon he rides a VTX. And Jason’s friend Brett joined, mounted on a Harley.

Which leaves only me. I was the second of the original members on a Honda, my CB750 Custom, which I still have and still take on the trip occasionally. But in 1999 I bought a new Kawasaki Concours and that is still my preferred ride. No, I will not be getting a Harley any time soon. I probably won’t ever be getting one. That’s just not my kind of bike. But hey, if those guys want one, good for them. There comes a time when it’s time to stop putting things off. As John said recently, “The rainy days we’ve been saving for are here. It’s time to spend some of that money.”

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Details firming up for Lake Tahoe Adventure Motorcycle Ride & Rendezvous

Biker Quote for Today

Bikes are better than women because you don’t have to pay child support/alimony to an ex-motorcycle.

We just got back from our annual OFMC motorcycle trip and already the musical chairs have started. With our group up to 10 guys now, it seems like every year someone shows up on a new bike.

Last year it was Dennis, having traded his Gold Wing in on a new Harley Street Glide. This year Brett sold his Fat Boy to his brother Matt and got himself a new Street Glide almost just like Dennis’s. And Matt came along for the first time, the new kid, on what is now his Fat Boy.

Already now we know there will be at least two people on new bikes next year. During this year’s trip Bill and Friggs swapped bikes a couple times so Friggs could get a taste of Bill’s Fat Boy. You see, Bill is very interested in a new Harley Ultra and meanwhile, Friggs has decided it is time to move up from his old Virago. So Friggs will buy Bill’s Fat Boy and Bill will get his Ultra.

Incidentally, that will move our group one further into the Harley column. Just a few years ago we went out with nine guys and among them were five Hondas, one Yamaha, and three Harleys. With Bill and Friggs dealing it would line up for next year at three Hondas, one Kawasaki, and six Harleys.

Except that may not be the line-up. John has also made up his mind that the time has come to replace his 16-year-old Honda Shadow. And he, too, had been seriously eyeing the Harleys all these other guys are riding. However, to my surprise, he told me the last day of the trip that he had been cured of his Harley envy. It seems he talked with some of the Harley guys and was aghast at the cost of the regular service requirements to maintain the warranty, as well as Dennis’s remark to Friggs that the new handlebars Friggs wants for the Fat Boy will run him about $800.

Mind you now, John has an almost totally stock Shadow and it has been pretty nearly everything he has wanted. He has never been in the position of spending money on his bike. I agreed with him that the Harley prices seem pretty high but when I bought my Kawasaki Concours the first thing I did was put on risers to bring the grips 3 inches closer to me, at a cost of $300. And then I added a backrest for Judy so she feels more secure on behind me, also at a cost of $300. Harley gear may be more expensive but all motorcycle gear is pricey.

So it looks like John will be on a new bike next year but at this point he doesn’t know what it will be. I’m betting it’s a Gold Wing.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
OFMC sees green in Idaho and Montana

Biker Quote for Today

Remember, only you can convince yourself to ride a wheelie on a Bagger!

Well, OK, not quite. You might think that a rally for the folks who ride a bike that has been in production for nearly 20 years with only minor changes — very much like the old Volkswagen Beetle — would be a huge gathering.

In fact, approximately 250 Kawasaki Concours riders gathered this week in Frisco, CO, (no, Frisco is not short for San Francisco) for the Concours Owners Group 2008 National Rally. And unlike some rallies, nearly everyone rode their bikes to this event. No trailers for this group.

So, I have a Concours. I was there. I wasn’t there for very long, however. The rally started on Monday and I was starting a new job on Tuesday. Rats. So I cruised up on Monday just to say hi and shoot a few pictures.

Those Connie riders are an independent bunch, however, so efforts to get a lot of the bikes together in one place for a photo failed. Harry van der Laan, of Delfzijl, Netherlands, tried to set that up for me. Thanks just the same, Harry. Harry, by the way, is probably the Concours owner who came the farthest for the rally. He didn’t bring his bike all the way from Europe, though. He bought one here a couple years ago and stores it with Rick Hall, another local Connie rider, when he’s not here. He also makes it available to bikers from other countries who come here to ride. Nice guy.

So I had a nice ride in gorgeous weather while most folks were slaving at the office. And I did see more Connies in one place than I’ve ever seen before. And I met some nice folks.

Hey! That’s about got it covered. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

Biker Quote for Today

There’s something ugly about a NEW bike on a trailer.