This past weekend was set up to be a great trip-and it was. I've been itching to visit Black Mesa in extreme NW Oklahoma since I moved here, based on suggestions from a riding friend.
This was an opportunity to ride on my lonesome, which I do enjoy. I also especially enjoy riding to areas that would be considered lonesome, and the Black Mesa area certainly qualifies.
Riding west from OKC to Amarillo, then due north takes you most of the way. From Amarillo, you see less and less people, as you ride uphill to the Black Mesa area. Getting into the campground area (just a few miles from the Mesa high point trailhead) you are crossing cattle guards on the only state highway that goes there. The last cattle guard into the park was even being grown over with grass and weeds-this was just a confirmation for me that I was heading the right direction, away from people.
I set up camp (love that hammock tent) next to the water. On the way out of camp to explore before sunset were the small curvy roads. Typical to find free range cattle in the road.
Among other interesting things in the area are a 'monument' to the intersection of the states of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado. One only has to drive down the paved road til it ends, take a left at the Y in the dirt road, and then go to the second cattle guard where the monument will be just to the right.
Due to recent rains there was even a brief mud crossing, it was fun. I was glad I didn't drop the bike. I hadn't seen anyone since I'd left the campground, about 10 miles away.
So I rode around the monument a few times just to ride in 3 states within a matter of seconds :lol:
Nearby, heading west through the extremely small town of Kenton, OK takes you into New Mexico by paved road. Mesas as far as the eye can see....
going by the title here...
I've got 80K+ on one Magna and 22K on the other... Never had a Cam Tensioner issue. (Yet).. Knock on wood..
Really enjoyed the pictures.. Interesting tent!!
After an early nights rest, and early morning rise, I went back to the trailhead of Black Mesa Summit proper. 4.2 miles each way, most of it flat, almost all of it rocky to some extent. Did I mention that while OKC was suffering temps in the mid 90s with humidity, I slept in 60 degree weather and the highs during the daytime up there were cloudy and mid 80's? EVen while hiking-and I hiked this in 3 hours round trip-I barely broke a sweat. The essence of perfect riding weather for me.
Views hiking up were great. Short in elevation gain, but great. There was also a monument at the highest point of Black Mesa. I think there had been some Canadians there at some point.... note the rock statue just below the bush in the photo.
The view at the trail summit was great too-it was another half mile across the Mesa to the monument at the high point.
Now I know why you're all reading this... it's because of the cam chain tensioner bit, right?
Well, a man's gotta eat after all that early morning hiking. Besides, I had 8 hours to get back to the OKC area before sunset. The nearest town that had any businesses is Boise City, 30 some miles away.
After breakfast I stopped to get a shot of the view of the area. This is typical, hard farming up in these parts. By now the Black Mesa was long out of view, and as you head east you are going ever so slightly downhill.
Yes, thanks for the ride report and the photos, sorry to hear about the tensioner, glad you had a good trip though.
What is the bag hanging from the tent, is that your water?
It was not long after this that I was thinking a lot (hey, its flat, its straight, there's no traffic. It was thinking time.)
So I was thinking to myself: "Self (as the conversation goes in my head), Self, you gotta call Brad soon. At MOOTmag you two talked about getting together to change a tire and look at cam chain tensioners, Brad wanted to see how to change the front in case his ever had a failure, so he'd know how to do it real easy like."
And then I heard that sound, which is now familiar to me (the front failed on me last summer). So I stopped taking pictures. I rode @20 more miles to the nearest town of Guymon, OK where I hoped to get cell service-and did.
Now, both times there has abeen a failure, there have a few consistencies (by chance, who knows?):
TEMPS WERE IN THE MID 80'S
I WAS RIDING AT EXTENDED HIGHER SPEEDS, WITH @5000 RPM OR A LITTLE OVER-but maintaining a consistent speed.
I have no idea if the consistent high speed is a culprit. But those are the only consistencies I notice.
Hoot and Terry, the hammock tent is great, as long as you tie it up correct :eek:
The little bag is the bag the tent stores in; I hang it by the entrance and put in a water bottle, bike cover, etc to store things. But not food. Food+tent=nighttime visitors!
All said and done, the tent is huge, and packs in about the size of two motorcycle covers. It takes up a little under half of one of my saddlebags.
I don't think the constant speed has anything to do with it, Hoots 82k, you don't get there without a lot of constant speed a one time or another, but good to post it anyway.
Wish I could sleep out in the heat but I need cold weather at night and something comfortable to sleep on, that limits me to the cooler months only and I don't think the curvature of the hammock would work for me....my loss.
Oh yeah. so how did I get home?
Well, I have a Roadside America towing policy through my local Honda dealer (YES! Honda has a Roadside policy available but the dealerships don't sell it much, you have to ask for it). It took awhile (and some negotiating with them) but they agreed to tow me to Amarillo-FOR FREE-from which point I could get a U-Haul. I'd tried a few routes of getting friends or family to pick up me up, but Guymon is near 12 hours round trip. Amarillo is 8 or so round trip. I'd hoped Brad had a 'ready to go' tensioner which I could replace, but alas no luck. I was stuck.
It took 4 hours for the tow truck to show up, they could only deliver me to a Honda dealer (which was closed at 9pm on a Sunday), I gingerly rode to a hotel near one of the 2 Amarillo U-hual locations, followed the wrong directions from the hotel to the U-Haul, got there, found out the 10 ft U-Haul trucks didn't have a loading ramp, had to taxi to the *other* Amarillo U-Haul where they gave me a 14ft truck with ramp for the price of the 10ft, and got back to the OKC area just in time for evening rush hour. :mad:
So I have already ordered a new front cam chain tensioner, and another new one as a spare. And one on Brad's behalf because I have free shipping from Bike Bandit :???: Last time it took near two weeks for a new cam chain tensioner to show up, and when it did, the shipping label was from Japan.
And for the record, my original tensioner lasted something like 105,000 miles (mostly in northern climes where there are hills the roads go 'round). The replacement a paltry 13,000 miles! (mostly the plains part of the US)
Here is to hoping I get an average of say, 60,000 miles out of the next one :lol:
Hop Along.
Quote from: TLRam1 on August 13, 2013, 10:50:22 PM
I don't think the constant speed has anything to do with it, Hoots 82k, you don't get there without a lot of constant speed a one time or another, but good to post it anyway.
I certainly don't understand the vagaries of these things, but I'm at a loss to find any other similarities in my experience. And even with free towing, and a hoped-for AMA benefit to cover some other costs, it was still an expensive weekend. But it *did* get me out of work on Monday :-/
Terry, you'll also notice the tank bag on the bike, in the background of the hammock tent :lol:
Hop Along
Quote
Terry, you'll also notice the tank bag on the bike, in the background of the hammock tent :lol:
Hop Along
I didn't see the bag on the tank, so is it either on the ground below the tent or the back of the bike?
Are you getting use to it being on the tank?
I hiked the Black Mesa 'OK High Point' trail ~ 20 yrs. ago. Easy as hikes go, but if one likes wide open spaces and unlimited vistas, Black Mesa is the place. Nearby are dinosaur tracks in the Cimmarron River bed. The road West from Kenton to Folsom, NM is very scenic. The road was mostly dirt 20 yrs ago, but is paved now. Scott- ordered a new front tire and steel 90 degree valve stems today. Also, when we change the tire, need to change fork oil. I will always carry a spare cam chain tensioner from now on. Glad you finally made it back to Norman.
Brad
So now I am worried about cam chain tensioners, when I thought my only worry was regulator/rectifier!! How big a deal is it to install one in the field?
Replacing the tensioner itself on the road is simple:
I found the 8mm wrench in the stock toolkit to be insufficient to replace the tensioners; a ratcheting 8mm box end wrench is the easiest way to go by far, and are cheap, and easy to put in the stock toolkit. I do not suggest a socket and ratchet, it will be more difficult to use.
I'm a little unclear about whether or not one needs to check timing after changing that; the service manual only discusses a camshaft replacement procedure. There, it discusses having the cylinder heads off to look at the cam chain sprocket positions. I believe that also means gas tank off, airbox off.... etc. It goes on to discuss inspection under the timing cover with cylinder 1 at TDC (IIRC, manual is not in front of me at the moment); and after that, double checking the cam chain sprockets, then re-installing the cylinder head.
I did not check timing after changing the first one; I will check the timing under the timing cover this time-but I will not be removing the cylinder head.
If anyone has more experienced input regarding whether or not checking cam timing is needed, I would welcome it. I can turn a wrench as good as the next guy but I am not a true mechanic-I don't know all they hows and whys of things working.
Hop Along
You should not need to check timing unless the chain is loose enough to skip a tooth on one of the sprockets, so far I have not heard of that happening. On bikes I have dealt with, when timing is off by a tooth you will notice a obvious performance difference.
No, no performance difference has been discernible, given I also installed a Dunlop E3 rear tire based on suggestions MagnaMike has made (and I am a fan of this).
Though it has seemed like I've felt more engine heat, but I attribute that more to the move from Ohio to Oklahoma where it's, um... hotter. :x
Hop Along
Quote from: Brad Badgett on August 14, 2013, 02:32:21 PM
Scott- ordered a new front tire and steel 90 degree valve stems today. Also, when we change the tire, need to change fork oil.
Brad
Brad, I can't believe it but the tensioners I ordered from Bike Bandit arrived today! Last time it was @ 2weeks IIRC, and the shipping address was from Japan....
Let me know or give me a call when your items come in and we can have a mini Magna shop party... hopefully the weather stays good :-)
Hop Along
Ordered tire and valve stems Mon. pm, tire was here Tues. pm, and valve stems came in today. Moving Beth into her new apt. today and tommorrow.
Brad
Quote from: TLRam1 on August 13, 2013, 10:50:22 PM
I don't think the constant speed has anything to do with it, Hoots 82k, you don't get there without a lot of constant speed a one time or another, but good to post it anyway.
When I went to MootMag from Florida to Arkansas a couple of years back.. I rode about an hour at at time (about all the fuel tank and hind end would allow) in many areas doing about a constant 85 MPH (more than 5K RPM). This was on a Magna with 70K+ miles on it..
BTW - I always don't state the actual mileage because the speedo cable was broke when I bought it and had been broken for some time, so I'm unsure about how many miles went by while it was broke..
Quote from: hootmon on August 17, 2013, 08:26:42 PM
Quote from: TLRam1 on August 13, 2013, 10:50:22 PM
I don't think the constant speed has anything to do with it, Hoots 82k, you don't get there without a lot of constant speed a one time or another, but good to post it anyway.
When I went to MootMag from Florida to Arkansas a couple of years back.. I rode about an hour at at time (about all the fuel tank and hind end would allow) in many areas doing about a constant 85 MPH (more than 5K RPM). This was on a Magna with 70K+ miles on it..
BTW - I always don't state the actual mileage because the speedo cable was broke when I bought it and had been broken for some time, so I'm unsure about how many miles went by while it was broke..
I was polishing something on the Valk when you drove up.
So, this feature length film is coming out at what, Christmas?
No lack of adventures when you own a motorcycle.
Quote from: TLRam1 on August 13, 2013, 10:52:45 PM
Wish I could sleep out in the heat but I need cold weather at night and something comfortable to sleep on, that limits me to the cooler months only and I don't think the curvature of the hammock would work for me....my loss.
Terry, the real risk is you could get out there and run out of those frozen squeeze out of a bag Daiquiris that you travel with. Months later all we would find is a skeleton with an outstretched hand on the ground.
Yes, but I would go Happy!!
Quote from: TLRam1 on August 18, 2013, 08:54:14 PM
Yes, but I would go Happy!!
that's the only way, baby!
Quote from: hop along on August 15, 2013, 03:44:54 PM
No, no performance difference has been discernible, given I also installed a Dunlop E3 rear tire based on suggestions MagnaMike has made (and I am a fan of this).
Though it has seemed like I've felt more engine heat, but I attribute that more to the move from Ohio to Oklahoma where it's, um... hotter. :x
Hop Along
Sorry to hear of the tensioner issue. Great pics. I hope that Dunlop gives you many happy miles.
The Dunlop has been great... 16,000+ miles on it and still going strong. Turn in is alittle slower, but I found a few thousand miles ago that a new front tire brings the turn in back up to par :-)
Hop Along
Sorry to hear about the tensioner I had one go bad at 70K or 80K don't remember. My tensioner did not sound scary just sounded like it was free running. I replaced both. The talk in the past was only one of the two fails but I replaced them both. Safe then sorry. But for the future that is one less thing to wary about.
Quote from: lragan on August 14, 2013, 03:21:06 PM
So now I am worried about cam chain tensioners, when I thought my only worry was regulator/rectifier!! How big a deal is it to install one in the field?
According to a guy who owns a local shop that builds motorcycle engines for racing, the biggest reason for tensioner failure is allowing the bike to sit too long with dirty oil or allowing engines to run too hot, causing varnishing to form on the plunger, inhibiting free movement. While that may be true, I suspect Honda also had a heat treatment issue on the tensioners on some early Magnas because when I replaced my front tensioner a few years ago, I recall that the spring was broken. A chap over in V4Musclebike reported a similar failure. However, when I bought my bike, it had been sitting with only occasional engine operation for the better part of 10 years, so my experience does not fly in the face of the engine builder's statement.
as routine maintainence, how often should i replace the cam chain?
I have not heard of anyone replacing a cam chain so it is not often at all, scheduled maintenance I don't know.
Go to the Magna FAQ Sectin on this forum and download the Service Manual, see what it might say there, if not in your Owners Manual.
I'm with Terry, never heard of a cam chain issue (one guy on here has 180k on his bike)...
Now tensioners, they have gone and it's usually the front one..
It is not a routine maintenance's issue you only need to replace it if it goes bad.
Jerry you need to be my neighbor lol.
Thanks everyone. Looking at the details of the service manual, it discusses procedures for checking/setting cam chain timing in the event of replacing the cam chain.
It concludes with the bits about how to install cam chain tensioners.
One thing I wonder about: Is it necessary to check cam chain timing when just replacing the tensioners and not the cam chains? I gather the answer to that is 'no'.
My bike is at the dealership now (first time in years...) as the left side is significantly hotter in feel than the right. Even riding in below 40 temps, the cooling fan comes on, and you get that hot engine cooling sound.
The dealership technicians say they fixed the problem by changing the coolant which was less than 1 year old. So I am waiting for the ice to melt off the roads to pick it up. I only hope the coolant was the issue (implying I need a lesson in coolant changing....) or else I'll be a lil grumpy. They didn't even ride the bike to evaluate the issue themselves.
Hop Along
"Give this guy a pat on the head and send him on his way..."
Unless you had a lot of crud in your system a coolant change is of little help with the conditions you described.
What do you mean the left side? Left side of the radiator, left side when you feel the motor, left side on your leg?
Normally if you have a cylinder running hot, assuming your water flow is good, you have a lean condition. If your fan was coming on prematurely you have a sensor issue.
Quite hot on the left side, felt on my leg while riding; while stopped or after shutting down the bike, it is a little hard to tell if it might be the front or rear cylinder, or engine case. The temperature difference is quite noticeable between the left and right sides.
If they want to send me on my way they could at least give me a good cigar, eh? :-?
Hop Along
If what the dealer does will not correct the heat issue it would be nice if you could come up with an infrared thermometer and see where the heat is coming from. Run your hand close to the surface might give you an indication also, hopefully you have no more issue with the bike once you get it back.