16 - Corvallis, OR - Day 4

One more project done. N, as n approaches infinity, more projects to go. The first picture shows the Dicor sealing the edges of the Eternabond tape. Both products are designed for rubber roofing repair. The vent covers go over the pins and are held in place with a washer and spring clip as shown in the second picture. This makes them easily removable for cleaning. There was still some Dicor left in the caulking tube so I went around the roof adding some where it looked a little thin. 

The third picture shows where the vent covers were put and before we leave the campground, we will verify that the A/C cover is still the highest thing on the roof. There is a railroad bridge less than a 1/10th of a mile from the RV park that is labeled as 13’ 4” and 13’ 6”. We’ve been under the bridge several times without issue and, since it’s on the way out of town, I thought it would be a good idea to measure again. 

An odd thing happened. I moved the RV to a full hookup site this afternoon and after getting it all hooked up, I noticed the Trimetric monitor was showing negative current. The charge controller wasn’t showing any errors but after rebooting it, everything was fine again. Current was showing 17 amps charging. Hmmm...

15 - Corvallis, OR, Day 3

I needed warm, sunny weather to soften the Dicor sealant used to waterproof the original vent. I used a putty knife to carefully remove the warm sealant so I could get to the screws. Removed the screws and carefully pried the old vent off of the roof. The existing putty looked to be in pretty good shape. It was only a couple of years old as the roof was replaced back in 2016. After the new vent was put in place, I put in the screws and hand tightened them to make sure I didn’t crack the plastic frame. The metal plates are for the vent cover allowing the roof vent to be open in inclement weather. Tomorrow, I’ll seal the new vent with some Eternabond tape and Dicor self-leveling sealant. The Eternabond tape I have is 4” wide. I’ll cut it in half lengthwise as 2” is sufficient.

This vent needs 12VDC as it has a fan motor, temperature sensor, rain sensor, as well as a motor to open and close the vent. The height of the ceiling where the vent is installed is around 7 1/2 feet so being able to operate it without a step stool is a benefit. The nearest always-on 12VDC is at the reading lights on the rear overhead cabinets. I fished the wires through the ceiling into the cabinet. I then removed one of the lights and drilled into the cabinet so there was a path for the vent power wires.

Just about finished. This evening, I used Eternabond tape to cover the edges of the new vent as well as the older bathroom vent. That is a different model of Fan-tastic Fan. Completely manual and only one speed (of three) works. Maybe one of these days I'll take it apart to fix. I also picked up a vent cover for this one as well.

I tried out the new fan with the fancy remote and it works pretty well. The thermostat is adjustable in 2.5°F increments and the fan has 14 speeds. 

Rear LED Turn Signals

Before I could replace the rear turn signal bulbs with LEDs, I had to slightly modify the dashboard turn indicator (LS1). Like most bikes that use a single indicator for both directions, each direction is wired to each side of the bulb. When the right side is flashing, the dash indicator is being grounded through the left indicator bulbs. Not enough current is running through the dash indicator to light up the bulbs on the other side. Unless you switch to LEDs. The fix is a small mod where you use two diodes (D1 and D2). For my mod, I used 1N4001 diodes which are rated at 1 amp. Sufficient for the dash indicator bulb. I was going to replace the indicator bulb with an LED but it is glued to the plastic lens. A non-replaceable bulb. Thank you, Ural...

I could then replace the rear turn signals with LEDs. The left was no problem. The bulb on the right side was so corroded that I used PB Blaster to get the bulb out of the socket. I should've done the tail/brake bulb as well as it is also corroded into place. But for now, the LED turn signals are working great!

Summer-like daylight is sneaking up. Civil twilight is almost after midnight and within a couple of weeks, it won't really be getting dark anymore. By mid-week, the forecast is for highs in the mid-60s. Maybe it's time to remove the studs from the tires and drag the Prius summer tires from the shed...

Better Tire Chain Straps

Yesterday, I had picked up some nylon webbing and some steel slides. The heavy duty velcro ties that I had picked up were a couple of inches too short. I made these short extensions as I like the idea of having the velcro straps double back on itself for additional strength. I knew that they would be a little short when ordering but I couldn't really find anything ready made that were the correct length.

I put four of the pairs on the rear wheel to check the clearance at the drive shaft. No problem at all and it only took a couple of minutes to put them on. I then drove around our neighborhood again heading up and down the hills to see how well the velcro holds.This time, no problem. I'm leaving the leather straps on the other four as I can always use them on the front or sidecar wheel. Now I'm ready for the next heavy, wet snow.

Last night, I plowed the church parking lot for the first time. One of the guys that plow it regularly gave me tips. He is out of town this week so I figured that it would be good practice. The most challenging part were the entrances to the lot as they slope down towards Farmers Loop Rd. There were only a couple of inches of fresh snow so it was a good opportunity to get more used to the controls and plan on where to move the snow. I stopped there this morning to see how much I missed. This was the smaller of the two lots. Both lots took me a couple of hours. Some of that time was going over what I had done before as I didn't have the blade angled enough or tried to take too big of a bite. i.e. Snow spilled over onto what I had done on the previous pass.

I just received an update from Aerostitch. The repairs on my Roadcrafter Light are done and it should be shipped out later this week!

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Spring Challenge

Dar from Princess Scooterpie Adventures of a Motorcycle Diva posted a challenge to show her what Spring looks like in our area. I think this may be as typical as it gets here in the interior. The snow is melted and all of the brown and grey has turned various shades of green. The Alaska Railway has the fancy Princess Tour cars. This group is probably arriving in Fairbanks after a stay at Denali Natl Park after their stay at the Princess Hotel just outside the park entrance. 

Today, Bridget and I went with a small group from our church to the Monderosa just north of Nenana. Definitely one of the best hamburgers in this area. This was another test of the homemade air box and the gas mileage definitely improved. From 25 mpg to 28.5 mpg over the same route. Lots of hills and there was a 15 mph north wind. Both trips with the sidecar windshield up. The additional drag is very noticeable as it tends to pull the rig to the right all the time.

The new air box is a bit noisier than the stock set up. All week I have been tweaking the jets and I think that I may be close. I'm trying to figure out if hearing subtle popping through the exhaust while decelerating indicates a rich or a lean mixture. The only problem is that the engine runs hot. I saw cylinder head temperatures of almost 500°F which is way above the Ural recommendation but similar to what I was seeing with the completely stock setup. At least is isn't worse.