941 is not 1000

The 1000 mile day on the diesel was very close to being a complete success. In school, 94% would be an A-, not so here.


Things that worked.
Speed - very good. Until the end, the rolling average was above 72 mph.
The bike got smoother as the day went on. The vibration continues to go away. I think that was caused by the new engine. As the engine breaks in, it's gaining power losing vibration.

Things that need work.
The drive sprocket on the input shaft of the transmission wobbles. The assembly instructions stated to use red lock-tite when the sprocket went on the shaft. It appears that either the engineer (me) that decided this was ok for this application or the mechanic (me) who put it together made an error. I suspect I'll need a new mainshaft for the transmission and a new sprocket to put on it. Of course all the associated gaskets and bearings will also be needed.

The radiator isn't quite large enough. At 70F, I can ride at 75, but I can't ride at 80. The radiator hoses are smaller than those designed for the engine. I think the restriction in the radiator is causing cavitation in the water pump.

Electrical add-ons. The voltmeter quit working, the CB doesn't transmit. Minor items.

As a shakedown run, it was a success. But, more work is needed.


John Ryan rode with me all day. We trade boredom on each other's rides. I counted laps when he rode the New York City 1000. John took the pictures today and tried to talk me into riding a Bun Burner Gold. If we had done that, we would be near Savannah, Georgia right now instead of back here in Virginia.

On operating an engine with a governor.

Jim Shaw commented that I've connected the handgrip to the governor rather than the fuel control. That is correct, but I'm not sure how to connect it to control the fuel directly.


The fuel injection pump has two levers on it. The one that is currently in use is governed. The other seems to simply slow the engine. With the governor lever held fully on, the engine increases to it's rated speed of 3000 and stays there. If at that point the second lever is moved, the engine speed decreases. No matter what the position of the governor lever, the other lever decreases engine speed. I ignore that one.

A governer is a mechanical or analog cruise control. The position of the governor control lever determines the engine speed. If I hold the handgrip WFO, the engine accelerates to 3000 RPM and stays there. I can lock the handgrip in place, run the bike up to speed, squeeze the clutch in, shift to the next gear and get an immediate pull from the engine. With the clutch in, the engine speed stays the same, but when I shift and release the clutch, engine speed drops and the governor adds fuel to bring the engine back up to speed.

Given that it works the way it does, I frequently ride with the 'throttle' locked in place. For example, in a 45mph zone, 3rd gear works well, lock the throttle down and the engine compensates for the hills automatically. The governor even works on the ramp coming out of the parking garage at work. Just leave the bike in first gear at idle and when it hits the ramp, rather than dying as a normal engine would do, the governor senses a reduction in the idle speed and adds fuel to bring it back up to where it should be. It simply climbs the ramp at idle without any intervention on my part. I suspect this is the origin of the myth about the torque of a diesel engine. It isn't that it has a lot of torque, it's the governor acting to keep the RPMs from falling.

The downside to that is when I have to brake suddenly. With electronic cruise control, applying the brake immediately releases the cruise control and the engine slows down. The governor isn't watching what's happening with the brakes. If I simply apply the brakes to slow down, the governor rolls on the 'throttle' to bring the speed back up to normal. That's scary as hell the first few times. Now I've trained my right hand to roll out of the 'throttle' when I apply the brakes. It's an extra step to slow down, but that's how this bike works.

Jim's other queston: "Does the IBA allow multiple baffles in lieu of foam?"
I don't remember that it does. I wasn't able to find the actual rule when I looked for it yesterday. I hope to talk to one or more of the rulemakers at the dinner in Florida. That rule may not have adequately considered what happens in a diesel fuel tank.

Woot and John Ryan asked questions today.
Woot asks: " Is the foam retaining the fuel, or is the foam causing problems with the fuel pickup as it nears empty?"

I think it's retaining fuel as well as taking up space that could be used by the fuel. I have an extra block of foam, it would be easy enough to test it. Perhaps the diesel 'sticks' to the foam more than gasoline does. Is there a number that measures osmosis? If the diesel stays in the foam, it wouldn't be available for the engine to burn.

I think another part of the problem is that this 11 gallon fuel cell is 'only' 11 gallons, the 5 gallon cell that I once owned would routinely take 5.2 gallons of gasoline even with some foam in it. The diesel is also very susceptable to air in the intake line. If I build an air separator, I might be able to use more of the fuel in the tank . . . that's an idea worth pursuing.

John Ryan is concerned that I warned the other diesel bike owners about riding a 1000 mile day. He was also kind enough to volunteer to ride with me. Dusty Collins has also volunteered to do that ride. I need to get my CB radio hooked up. Otherwise I won't be able to participate in the conversation. It would also be interesting to find out if any of the truckers ask about it.

Today marked 1000 miles for the diesel bike.

Fuel mileage for the second tank of fuel is 45 mpg. 8 gallons, 366 miles. IBA rules for the rally require the tank to be 80% filled with foam. That means 7 4x8x8 blocks in an 11 gallon tank. The bike was cutting out again before I refilled with fuel, but I was only able to add 8 gallons. It would seem I should have started with a 13 or 14 gallon tank, but unless someone has one of those to trade, I'll keep what I have.

I'm planning a Saddle Sore 1000 for Sunday January 28. So if anyone else riding a diesel bike wants the first recorded SS1K, you've got about 10 days to "get'r done." Route will probably be south on I95 and back.

The bike doesn't run well when it's out of fuel.

After filling it with fuel, it continues to run. The fuel pickup is in the front of the tank, I think acceleration causes the fuel to move away from the pickup, this gets air in the line and when that bubble gets to the injectors, the engine dies. I was only able to put a little more than 9 gallons of fuel into the 11 gallon fuel cell. New fuel cell rules for the Iron Butt Rally require the tank to be 80% filled with foam, so that will cut the total capacity down a bit more. It went about 450 miles on 9 gallons, fuel economy is not quite what I'd hoped.

I've wired up a temperature gauge and the lighting for the boost gauge. I added an LED which comes on with the fan to the temp gauge, so it's both a gauge and a light. Yesterday on the commute, the temperature rose to just over 200F, but the fan didn't come on. The temp went that high at three different times, so the gauge seems to indicate everything is normal.

Next change is to add a fuse block with a total of 6 fuses. Three will be wired directly to the battery, the other three through the ignition.

Two new items after riding to work two days.

On Tuesday evening, I loosened the engine mount bolts, realigned the primary drive belt and set the tension. After retightening the engine mount bolts, the bike is much smoother. There is minimal vibration and none of the growling and severe harmonic vibrations. The bike stayed smooth and pulled evenly through the entire RPM and speed range. Top speed indicated was about 83 mph; since it is geared for 77, I suspect the speedometer is about 5 mph optimistic. Between Dale City, VA and Washington, DC in the HOV lanes, the hills slowed the bike to an indicated 70 mph. Those speeds are quite acceptable.

But, the engine died twice after the high speed run into Washington DC and it died multiple times after returning to Dale City. In Washington, I thought it was an electrical problem, the engine restarts easily. After work on the ride home, the bike worked flawlessly until I got off the highway, then the engine died repeatedly. It would run for 15 seconds or so, then die again. Based on the way it died, I think this is a fuel problem. I don't plan to ride it to work tomorrow. This is a major concern, its important to identify a cause for this and fix it.

I have contacted Linda Tanner at Custom Tank Bags to build a cover for the fuel tank. Linda builds tank bags and fuel tank covers for many long distance riders. She does good work and understands what long distance riders need. I think the combination back rest and bike cover is a wonderful idea, I need both and this allows it to take no additional space.

The Polar Bear Ride is another success. Potomac Area Road Riders put on a good event.

There were about 50 bikes in the parking lot at Loehmann's Plaza. That's a lot fewer than normal. I rode the event with Dusty Collins and Calvin Hagen from the HRCA Factory Riders Club. At the event, I saw Randy Kuklis and Louis Caplan along with others who are there every year, the GWRRA and Buffalo Soldiers clubs were out again as they are every year.

Several people came up and looked at the bike when we pulled in, but after that, it didn't get many looks. The major reason for the initial crowd was the diesel clatter as we pulled in. Once I get something mounted to cover the empty frame rail up front, it should be even more inconspicuous.

The route was more challenging than usual this year. Normally the route passes several places to stop, eat and admire the other bikes going by. This year, we got lots of great twisty country roads almost no major highways and even a few miles of unpaved road. Our group got extra dirt, but only because I missed a corner.

This picture was taken on Gum Springs Road in Prince William County. The roads were wet, but not enough to worry about it soaking through, even without raingear over my 'Stich.

I made another adjustment to the primary belt and it continues to be a problem. Ergonomically, the bars need to be lowered and I need to add/change the backrest. The front of the seat needs to be raised to provide better support under my thighs. The right floor board is higher than the left one, but I set it up that way because the right board got moved out a couple of inches. I've only touched each side down once, but the roads were wet on New Year's Day and I've still to finish the first tank of fuel.

I disconnected the waste gate. Even with it disconnected, I didn't see the pressure go above 5 inches of boost. The engine shouldn't have a problem with twice that much.