Ride Reports and Other Drivel: May 2024

Yep, I was going to take two weeks off for vacation this year, but my work decided that I started the year with -5 days, so my two weeks are gone and I'm down to three days paid out of five. Gotta love it. They are going to pay for it in morale, and employee turnover no doubt.

But, I'd had some charging problems with my bike that seemed like I just couldn't trust it for longer than to work and back, which is only about 7 kilometers or 11 minutes away (if you don't get caught behind a slow islander or his cousin).

The Fundy Trail Parkway

I got a text from my friend Wobbly Cat warning that at long last he was going to take me up on my offer of a couch and a meal or two, and that he would be arriving sometime on the Friday before my vacation, so I started to clean up couch so I could see it again, then found out from my sister that my brother Rich and his wife Kay had hit the island and did I want to head out to Stanchel to join them for supper? Lol. Time was running out, my motorcycle parts weren't here yet, as I'd put a new battery in the bike only to find that it still wasn't charging, and I'd only been able to get to and from work by charging the battery over night, then running straight to work, and back again with perhaps a single stop if the fan had NOT been running while stuck in traffic. Yeah, it was bad. My car was down as well, with a seized windshield wiper transmission linkage. The left side was just impossible to free up and even my Red Seal certified mechanic of a nephew gave up on it. I was not a happy camper, and on the weekend I was not looking forward to the of the month, and the start of my vacation which my girlfriend no longer had off, so I was going to be playing host to a good friend motorcycling his way about my favourite province, and here I was with a dead bike, car, and no parts for either. **sigh

Enter English J to the rescue. He used his parts look up super powers to locate a wiper transmission in a local salvage yard. Rich and Kirk visited it on the Monday and bought the one they had in stock, of which Rich & Kay made me a gift. I used Monday night to install it.

test

I called the local Kawasaki dealer, Bolger Motorsports, to obtain a quote on parts, and they informed me that both the stator and regulator/rectifier I wanted was on backorder from their parts supplier, so I opted to order them in from Fort Nine as the Kimpex heavy duty Stator and their Regulator/Rectifier with Mosfet were both in stock and ready to ship! Whoot! I ordered a stator cover gasket and some fork bushings from Bolger Motorsports. Things were looking up.

I spent some quality time with my Island family, Rich & Kay, in spite of the sickness rolling around through them, and managed not to catch the summer cold, but I'd shot my cleaning plans and did what I could on the Thursday night before Wobbly Cat showed up, And again on Friday, as he was a bit later than I had been expecting, but that was fine as I needed the time to get things sorted.

Wobbly Cat arrives a chez moi!

We stashed his bike down in the underground, and I helped carry his gear up the four flights of stairs to my apartment as the elevator is down for the next couple of months while they replace it all. What joy!

I sautéed some peppers, garlic, onions, celery and added in some hamburger, then did some basmati rice up to which I tossed in a jar of butter chicken sauce and presented James with supper, quick easy and filling, and headed out for a short walk with James out to Peake's Quay where the Cows booth called out to me and I might have convinced James to try some of their finest. I think he was envious of my sprinkles.

Cows Creamery's finest
Photo Credit: Wobbly Cat Photography

Saturday reared it's head, and I sent Wobbly off to meet up with his friend, armed with my Google Map of the island that I've marked up with some of my favourite spots.

Ride Prince Edward Island
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1STTrTlknWPlzrp5Mg36sEAZsNRD9Urf6&usp=sharing
The Island is like a Lobster trap… It's free to get in, but you have to pay to get out.
Ferry and bridge are free going to the island, so a common theme is to come from Pictou Nova Scotia and leave via the Bridge.

Yeah, it's a bit busy, but you need to zoom in, as it is only a small island after all.

Sunday

Sunday was the big day for me, I'd arranged to use by Brother-in-law Kirk's garage to do the repairs, and riding with Wobbly Cat out there was just like a blast from the past of my former life in Onterrible (Ontario) with my fellow moto junkies. Except I had to do a U-turn for this lemonade stand that had popped up just around the corner across from Queen Charlotte Intermediate School. Two girls were accepting donations in support of Ovarian cancer, and were selling Croc stick on thingies as well, so I did my bit, donated some money and enjoyed a cool lemonade while Wobbly Cat chatted and got his photos. I used to run a lemonade stand myself, so appreciate the need for good patronage. :)

We stop for Lemonade

Fundraising for a good cause

We got my Versys into the garage just after noon, got it up on a borrowed rear stand, dropped the oil into a cut away oil jug, and promptly had the side cover off the bike using my Bikemaster 1/4 inch drive T-Handle that I was learning to love.

This thing was awesome! Loads of torque yet easy to use.

The side cover came off for the second time for this bike, and I was able to quickly remove the old RM Stator I'd installed in 2018 and swapped in the Kimpex one, but it didn't look all that great. In fact, I didn't like the position of the screw holes as they try to be multi purpose for many types of bikes and it seemed like the cable that goes under the spinning mass of the flywheel was not going to clear and get rooked soon after I started the bike. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach, then I tried a radical rotation and the screw holes lined up, the cables worked, and it was time to pull out the blue loctite and smear it on everything I was touching. I got it sorted, in spite of my apprehension.

The old stator tested well, and I can't see any visual faults
But I'm tired of towing my dead bike
so out it comes

The Kimpex stator has more holes for a variety of mounting options than the RM Stator did, and I have to admit, trying to figure out where it was going and how I was going to secure it in was more fun that I wanted at the time, but I managed to get it into place and fastened in making me think that the spinning mass of the the fly wheel wasn't going to cut through the stator wires, so I blue gooped everything and fired it back together.

This round I knew that I would be reusing an old gasket, so I'd some RTV silicone borrowed from my nephew Ryan, and I stuck that gasket on and ensured I had a wee bead all the way around the case and that the metal gasket was gooped into it, as well as positioned over the case locating holes.

I got it in, on and together, and was pleased so far... although if you are new to this game, the hardest part is matching the two case halves, the pins, gears and all while fighting a strong magnetic pull!

Not fun at all, but easier this time as I'd used that RTV silicone to keep the gasket in place, and I'd ensured that the gearing you see was located in the bike side of the case as it was easier to simply get two pins home, then pins and gears.

So I'd been having connection issues with the three wire connector, they seemed pretty secure, but obviously I was seeing some arcing and heat here. One person on KawasakiVersys.com suggested that the OEM stator was wound as a Y

My nephew Tyler shows up with the beer, but I told him he made a mistake, beer is for AFTER the work is done... :)

Time for a test ride!

Cooper enjoys the treats

I am not going to lie, I was pretty happy, and with the bike charging the battery, it felt like the world was my oyster. I went from a unreliable pain in the ass PITA to being back in the saddle and ready to go and do what I wanted to do.

My Island family and I

Funny face shot, not everyone got the message

Under Construction

Or three turkeys visit West Point and Cedar Dunes, then blast home for a lovely Thanksgiving feast with the Kelly family.

It was Wobbly Cat's last day on PEI and I wanted to do a Monday ride, but we were both slug-a-bed, and it took us an age to get moving, and by the time the gears stopped squeaking and began to turn, it was around noon, and time to invite others to join in on the fun, so I asked Seeline if she wanted to join the ride that was heading out to West Point Cedar Dunes for some photos.

West Point Lighthouse PE

It took a while as Wobbly Cat was booking some airline tickets that day to take advantage of a drop in price, so we didn't clear my apartment until later in the afternoon... and this time there were no side cuts, it was straight down the Trans Canada to make time and collect Seeline from Crapaud on our way through, where we collected her at the South Shore Pharmacy, then the three of us rode straight down the TCH.

As it was lunch time, I hoped that the PEI Handpie Company would be open but no such luck on a Holiday Monday, but Wobbly opted to take some photos and it gave me a great idea for a wee parting gift... More on that later.

Day Tripping - Charlottetown PE to West Point PE and Return - Drive 310 km, 4 hours

Charlottetown PE to West Point PE and Return

The Handpie Company
Photo Credit: WobblyCat

I think the tractor is winning this race!
Photo Credit: WobblyCat

Well, we would beat our way south of the Trans Canada, and while doing that, we passed a field where they were harvesting the potato crop, and I did a U turn to get a shot of two.

The harvester is in the distance

It seems a bit strange... They spray the tops of the potato plant with a herbicide that kills the tops, stops the growth of the potatoes, and allow the greens to wither away so that there is minimal vegetation left during the harvesting process. The machine then lifts the mounded dirt including the potatoes and brings them up, stripping away the loose dirt and vegetation, and tumbles them into a potato truck that will take them back for washing, sorting and storage. For a short time frame, potato trucks are allowed to be driven by just about anyone, and if the driver is in a hurry, chances are you may get a few pounds of potatoes tossed in your general direction at stops or turns. :)

Another consideration is the dirt from the field pulled out onto the road. It's no bother when it is dry, but that red clay turns into slippery snot when it rains, so if wet, you treat it like riding across ice. No large steering or braking maneuvers until you are clear of it.