Ontario to BC - 1985 LTD

Requiem for the trip – post trip report

Lots of time, thought, planning went into bringing this new to me '85 LTD to the west coast from Ontario. I would never have embarked on this adventure if it had not been for the family being in Ontario and my want for another bike of the same vintage and type.

I have rode across to Ontario and back, to San Diego and back, and another short trip to LA and back. I can attest to these type of distance rides as being boring and trying sometimes. This trip had an extra component that was very enjoyable, and broke up the monotony. I had my cell phone connected to my Sena headset so my partner Sonya could phone and chat with me. My brother also did this and made the trip enjoyable as well.

Having Sonya able to connect with me and chat made the trip that more enjoyable. She was able to be part of the trip without being there, was my pseudo navigator as we discussed weather, routes and distances during our chats, and she would talk about the various places en route that were specific to her family's heritage. Solo riding any distance can be made better by doing this.

I had initially bought this bike as a parts bike, and my first look at it confirmed this; however, I had the opportunity to have a second, longer look at the bike and it was in better condition than I thought. My last opportunity to determine the direction I would take with this bike came at Christmas last when I told my brother that we had to try and start the bike or it was a boat anchor. With luck in my court, the bike did start and was able to move under its own power.

With the bike now a viable road worthy candidate, I set out to determine what I needed to do to bring this bike under its own power from northern Ontario to Victoria, BC.

To meet a timeline many items/components had to be prepped in advance. There was thought put into the electrical system upgrades such as wiring, relays OEM style connectors, and tools required to do the work.

There was also the unknowns that will come to the fore and have to be addressed. I did not have an unlimited budget, but I had planned and ensured that I would have sufficient capital to give myself the best possible chance to ride this new to me biker across Canada as trouble free as possible.

There was an initial “scraping” sound in the rear engine case that I concluded was from the clutch pack. Had comments that corroborated this and can now report that this sound has disappeared. The lack of a neutral light at the start of this project was an annoyance, but is now more common than not.

Had trouble getting a neutral indication on the dash when first starting this project. Since the work and ride across to Victoria, the neutral light is now coming on more often – nothing like using a bike to get it to work properly.

Realizing that the symptoms for a faulty throttle position sensor (TPS) and a fuel system issue are virtually the same was an eyeopener; however, I think there are minor differences that allow me to know the difference between the two.

I also had the help and constructive advice from many on the forum when I did have a hiccup in the schedule for which I am very grateful.

Did the fuel system pressure check – 36 PSI with the ignition switch on – engine not started, and 33 PSI with engine started. Slightly high with engine started but can live with it.

Compression test done with engine cold after a night's rest – results: #1/#2/#4 125 PSI #3 – 135 PSI.

Balanced all four cylinders as best that could be done. Did not do a cleaning of the throttle plate at this time, for the near future.

I reported previously that there was a possible coolant/oil leak from the water pump weep hole. I have seen a few more drops from the weep hole so a water pump rebuild may be in order. I did notice during the work in Ontario that the water pump impeller had about a 1/4 inch play when moved. Will investigate and correct.

Checked the spark plugs yesterday for colour and how each cylinder was firing. Cylinder three was reported on previously as not firing, or not firing enough because the porcelain was still white. This colour has darkened ever so slightly, but this could be TPS and balance related. I now have the time to do a more thorough calibration of the TPS regarding this – and I am prepping another new TPS for install. New plugs have been installed.

Happy to report that the mod to the Honda Civic TPS where I drilled the TPS actuating arm and installed a small screw that was consequently covered with JB Weld is working well. The JB weld gives this mod a lot of strength.

An oil change was first on the list to do when I got back, and I used about 8/10ths of a quart of oil from Ontario to Victoria, BC. Would like to be able to a leak down test to determine what is leaking, rings, valves or valve guide seals. Have had an oil plume at first start up in the morning so the vale stem seals may need to be replaced.

Overall I am pleased with getting the bike to Victoria, and will now determine a way ahead regarding the two bikes. My intention is to keep both road worthy; however, there will be one that will be my daily and touring bike – the best of two worlds so to speak.

Great project and adventure. Another item stricken from the bucket list.

Trust everyone had an enjoyable read. I know I enjoyed reporting on this endeavour.

Cheers

Both happy and sad to see this adventure end. Thank you for all the updates and pictures.

There will be more. Have a 7 to 14 day trip around Vancouver Island in July. Will take pictures. There was a trip around Vancouver Island in the latest Wingworld, but never have enough stories and pictures.

Thinking of the new Sena 10C, the one that has a camera built into the communicator. All too often you are ridding along and see a photo op and there it was gone.

Cheers

Glad to follow your adventure, it was enjoyable!

Great that you had an excellent trip and our now safely home Ernest. There are even lots of fantastic pictures to prove that it really happened. :salute:

Won't be turning into a paparazzi any time soon. Looking into the Sena 10C or 10 EVO with the built in camera. It is getting good reviews and would be nice to have on a trip or even driving for safety and possible interaction with other vehicles. Not inexpensive but may be worth it.

Cheers

Post work and trip report.

Time to put my thoughts down on paper regarding what I did in Ontario and why, as well as the follow on to the resurrection and road trip across Canada from northern Ontario to Victoria BC.

There was much that needed to be done especially after my brother and I got the engine started and the bike went from a parts bike to a road bike. I can say that if the bike was not at my brother's place, and I did not have his garage and facilities to do the work, I would not have attempted this. In place of this I might have been tempted to buy another one at more of a premium, or get a different bike all together.

Having taken an '85 LTD that was on the road, and updated/upgraded it to as new a condition as possible, I had a good idea of what needed to be done to get the bike from Ontario with the minimum amount of work to be done, but necessary to have the bike safe to travel across Canada.

As with all projects of this nature, and from having perused the various GW forums, the amount of information available to a person to resurrect one of these older GWs is quite a lot. I took this information, and my penchant to over maintain what I own, and had a list of what should be done to resurrect, or bring one of these bikes back to its former glory.

Making the bike safe for the road is the first issue. This entails tries, brakes and mechanical items that may affect personal and bike safety. Next address the engine components and what has to be done such as fluids. Do the basic maintenance on the bike such as lubricating the rear drive.

Items that I needed to address were:

1. new timing belts;
2. check tires for date stamp and condition;
3. rebuild brake calipers;
4. new brake pads;
5. ensure all electrical components work and work as they should such as signals, brake lights, head lights, horn(s), gauge lights, and such;
6. condition of upholstery, no sense in being uncomfortable, and eventually this will be on the list of things needed to be done;
7. change out all fluids;
8. coolant system condition, rad fan start/stop, rad flush;
9. starting system condition;
10. electrical charging system condition;
11. electrical connector condition; and
12. suspension condition.

These are global issues and once you start to delve into these areas, there will be other issues that may need to be addressed. I used this framework to assit in determining what I needed to do to my second '85 LTD.

At Christmas last, I did a good review of the bike and decided on the following as a minimum:

1. brake caliper rebuild;
2. timing belts;
3. new tires;
4. rewiring for various electrical upgrades;
5. install relays for external alt mod sense and excite wiring, new horns, and switched circuits for the new accessory fuse block install;
6. GPS mount and electrical install;
7. replace horns with aftermarket FIAMMS Freeway Blaster;
8. troubleshoot to make horns work – check switch;
9. do maintenance on the rear drive;
10. new brake pads;
11. rebuild the clutch slave cylinder because of all the crud found in the clutch system when flushing the clutch fluid; and
12. replace all fluids, brake/clutch/coolant.

When I returned to Ontario to get the bike ready for the trip across Canada, I gave myself a 7 day window on arrival to do the work necessary to get the bike ready for its first road trip. Before returning to Ontario, I did a lot of work preparing work packages that would allow me to do various installs and work to maximize the work in the first week.

The most extensive work packages were the electrical wiring upgrade and install, and the external alt mod. I went with the external alt mod because it is easier to replace an external alternator than a stator while on a distance trip. My second reason for this was that the PO had used an RR from a different bike with a smaller stator, and because of this, the size of the installed stator was brought into question.

I would have liked to do testing such as fuel pressure, cylinder pressure and the likes but I did not have the tools available.

Testing the fuel pressure would have probably have gotten me to the TPS being an issue a lot sooner than it did, and it would have made the trip around Ontario and across Canada much more enjoyable. I did get to changing the TPS at the half way point across Canada, and once done, the bike did carry me across Canada and it is still going – a testament to the robustness of these 1200 GWs.

Since arriving back in Victoria, I have done a fuel system pressure check – IAW OEM spec, a cylinder pressure test – cold at 125 to 135 PSI, a cylinder bank balance and idle calibration. I intend to change out the TPS to make sure I have at least two good TPS units just in case.

I would like to be able to test the TPS units with an oscilloscope as per this web site - https://autoditex.com/page/throttle-posi ... -22-1.html – however, this is not going to happen any time soon. I am doing additional research to determine if there is a better style of aftermarket TPS that would better suit as a replacement for the OEM TPS.

I noticed in Ontario and since I returned home that I have a very slight and intermittent leak through the weep hole for the water pump. Along with this is that when I installed the external alt mod, I checked the water pump for movement and found it to move. I have researched this and have read that there is supposed to be no movement. This will need to be addressed before too long.

My intention is to change out the water pump with new, rebuild the old as a spare for the two bikes. At the same time I will be cleaning the rad as the engine does heat up quite fast compared to my other '85 LTD.

I will be changing the wheel, steering stem and swing arm bearings as well as changing out the brake and clutch lines on this new bike.

I checked the brake rotor thickness. The front rotors have some life left in them, but the rear rotor is at the minimum. I am presently looking for replacement rotors.

I changed the front fork oil in Ontario with a 10 weight oil, all I could get on short notice in the local town. Intend to change it out and replace with 20 weight this coming winter.

I will be taking the engine out and replacing the vacuum hoses, and doing a good cleaning of the bike.

I also intend to prepare one bike as my daily ride and touring bike, the second one as an opportunity ride, and as my ride when I do maintenance/work on my main bike.

Having mention the above, My work list is developing quite well, as is the parts list.

I have determined which platform will be used as my main ride and it is this second '85 LTD. Will be able to swap parts over between the two bikes.

I have made this decision because I have a suspicion that my Victoria '85 LTD was in an altercation of sorts. What leads me to this possible conclusion, without objective evidence is that the travel computer, front forks, rad and how the steering turns and touched the wind screen is not quite what I would expect. Additionally, the travel computer and rad had that tell tale yellow marker that a wrecking yard uses to identify parts for sale. The front fork upper tubes are not identical as well.

Work list in no particular order or time frame:

1. new water pump;
2. clean out spark plug drain holes;
3. rear brake rotor;
4. front brake rotors;
5. steering stem bearings;
6. wheel bearings;
7. new rear wheel cush bearings;
8. swing arm bearings;
9. remove, clean, paint centre stand;
10. install driving lights;
11. have rad cleaned;
12. investigate and correct final drive oil leak;
13. change front fork oil to 20 weight;
14. brake and clutch line replacement; and
15. remove engine – do vacuum lines – possible painting of engine and area.

Cosmetic changes:

1. clean and paint rims – have spare set so can work on while using the bike;
2. investigate painting of upper fairing where paint is peeling; and
3. new radio antenna.

Doing the above work will entail more time than money. I have kept track of the cost for most of this work because I did it on my Victoria '85 LTD. Costing the parts and accumulating over a year will make this work very economical. I have set out a budget of $1000.00 for parts and such, but there will be a considerable investment of time for this work and to get the bikes to where I want them.

Considering the build threads I have read and what many are doing with these older GWs, I'm not embarking on too great a work project. I do know that I will have two good rides when I am finished.

I'm now going to progress to enjoying the summer riding season with Sonya, and my HD friends. Depending on the day and the mood will depend on which bike I use. At this stage, both are good candidates for riding anywhere I want to go. Have a lot of trust in both.

Thanks for reading and dropping by.

Cheers

Good stuff, Ernest. An interesting read, as always. I was a bit surprised at your decision as to which machine would be doing yeoman's duty, but not after hearing your reasoning behind it.

Also, and please forgive me if I missed it, but I didn't see a summary of mileage (km) on the various legs of your trip. I did see where you mentioned the pre-trip shakedown distance south in Ontario, but I don't recall your distance traveled from Ontario back to BC.

Day 1 - 800 Km
Day 2 - 450 Km
Day 3 - 575 Km
Day 4 - 1220 Km
Day 5 - 880 Km

Day 1 was a fairly normal day, cooler than days 2 and 3. I have read where temperature will affect the rheostat in a TPS. Day 2 stopped early to check fuel system and try to get rid of the hard miss fire. Day 3 did not get rid of hard miss and stopped early to change TPS. Day 4 was a good ride with the hard miss fire gone. Day 5 was good as well.

The engine does get hotter sooner than the Victoria '85 LTD so a little work needs to be done. I also like the wiring changes I did on the second '85 LTD, did a better job second time round using TESA anti-abrasion tape, and using the Eastern Beaver PC-8 fuse block. Always the case.

I can always swap engines between platforms. This change to Ontario '85 LTD as the main ride will probably not take place until next year, lots of work to do in the meantime.

Cheers

Since I have been back have had time to think about the two bike issue and which one will be the main ride/platform.

Have done so much to the Victoria LTD and I would have to do extensive work on the Ontario LTD to make it the same (may happen in the fullness of time) - trying to keep this straight. The Ontario LTD is good as it sits, everything works, it needs some work, but it is safe and roadworthy.

The Victoria LTD has been upgraded/updated in all areas - new brake and clutch lines, new clutch, all bearings done, upgraded suspension, etc - I will be redoing the wiring - always better third time round and I did learn from doing the wiring on the Ontario LTD - and other aspects as well. Even though I think the Victoria bike was in an altercation, it tracks straight and is running well.

The engine on the Victoria LTD is operating well, doesn't use oil. Cleaned all round the front of the engine and down the sides the other day - should never do this - noticed a small drip of coolant from the water pump weep hole. Going to have to go in and fix this, have new pump and gasket set on order. Intend to rebuild this water pump and install it in the Ontario LTD because it needs the water pump looked at as well.

New plan is to keep both on the road and the Victoria LTD as the main ride, since both are safe and roadworthy, nice to have a second when needed but have also had friends drop out and nice to be able to offer a ride to show off the area. Want to pull the engine on the Victoria LTD this winter in prep for next year's main riding season - clean and paint as well. Will still have a bike to ride - win/win all round.

Have a spare set of rims so a CT is going on. Have been researching this for tire size, tire clearances, etc. Think I can do it.

Time for new thread on Victoria LTD "mid-life" refit. Have started this by moving the exhaust from the Ontario LTD to the Victoria LTD this past week.

Cheers

In my experience, a coolant weep from the pump is not a constant. My '78 has dripped one or two drops periodically for a couple of years. The impeller is solid as a rock. Usually, the drip is after a run when it had sat up for a couple weeks or so prior to the run. Then it stops. I know it'll need attention eventually, but at this point, it's certainly not demanding it. My old '84 did the same thing the entire time I owned it. I sold it that way. Oddly enough, the pump impeller on that one didn't show any sign of wear, either. YMMV

Thanks for the info. Intend to ride it this way for now and monitor. It'll probably be an over winter project as well.

I know the pump on the Ontario LTD needs to be looked at because it is a coolant/oily discharge, but no oil showing up in the expansion tank, and the impeller has play in it. It has had some drips as well, but very sporadically.

My thoughts are new for the Victoria LTD, rebuild for the Ontario LTD and rebuild for a spare.

I intend to be riding these bikes for at least the next 6 years - have to amortize my costs so it seems reasonable that I did all this - so never know what will occur.

I like your '78 bike info - custom and evolving. Thinking that is what is happening to the Victoria LTD. Now that I have two, time to start looking into a modern ECU maybe. Always a project that can be dreamed up and made a reality.

Cheers