This is my annual journal of what life with my 990 has been like. The good and the not so good as far as maintenance and repair. With only passing nod to travel and play.
This year the bike turns fourteen years old. Some wear showing, but not too bad. The bike may turn 100,000 miles this year too. That depends on me and how inspired I am to ride far enough to get that done. We’ve begun the year with 91,612 miles on the clock.
The year began with me removing the right luggage mount in preparation to deburr the mount and modify the gusset on the mount to more easily use my Wolfman Rocky Mountain Expedition bags. With the luggage mount off the bike the side panel is accessible so I’ll pull that and replace the discolored sticker with the replacement from Chrispy Designs.
The above view shows the “top” side or the side the punch tool enters the metal when stamping the holes. The far side has a definite burr/shaper edge. That far edge is not so sharp or jagged to cut or snag a finger or nick a strap, but it is not smooth. My intent is to smooth all these edges and enlarge the opening at the gussets to more easily mount and dismount the Wolfman Rocky Mountain expedition bags. And wear the straps less.
Because I had time I found a file in the tool box and gave one of the easier to access edges a go.
In doing this I’ve found another winter project. I need to pull the racks to gain access for the side panels and replace the toasted factory stickers with replacements from Crispy Designs. I’ll also address the Wolfman Luggage mounting for the Rocky Mountain Expedition saddle bags at the forward lower mount on the loops.
The gusset at the brace needs a larger opening for the strap to slip through there more easily and not wear at the edges. I’ll need some bits and stones for my sad old Demmel tool. The list for the winter is pretty complete now and should keep me well off the road and in the shed until Spring.
I did a little work on the bag mount today. No photos yet. But, I did peel the toasted stickers off the side panels.
And after peeling.
I need to remove the goo that is left then I’ll pull a panel off and install the new Crispy Designs replacements.
Cleaned the goo off the right side.
my attempt at mounting the Crispy Designs replacement stickers was an utter failure. I managed to drop the sticker, sticky side down on the garage floor after trying and failing to stretch it around the bends and bulges in the side panel. When it fell, I knew my work was done and I was going to be happy with the bare black panel.
I finished the right side rack work then got a start on the left.
A little bit more work and this end of the rack will be done.
Then I can begin on this end.
None of the edges are sharp enough to cut, but they are sharp enough to wear straps quicker than need be. They are decidedly not smooth. This view from the top shows the edge from where the punches started into the metal. The exit side is sharper. All finished with the side panel cleaned up doesn’t look too bad.
I happened to check the bike and found the battery flat again. I have yet to ride it at all in 2024. Plugged the Shorei charger in and we’re off and charging. I’ll probably just route this onboard side up to the glovebox.
I figured out the hard starting thing. I think. The throttle was not returning for some reason. I twisted it forward and it felt as if it were rolling past a slight notch. The bike immediately started at the first touch of the starter button. Perfect.
really wanted to go for a celebratory ride, but I’m battling a sinus congestion thing that would be even less fun from inside a helmet. So, that will wait a bit.
I’m planning a little ride up north. I figure to ride up just away from the coast, then get over to the east side of the Sierras and maybe ride a little BDR fro NorCal, then loop back across to the coast and run around up the Northwest corner a little and back down. Camp as much as I can and free as much as I can. It is more than a hundred miles of freeway to get to two lane. Some of the two lane may still be closed thanks to storm damage so that will have to be worked. All this for around middle to the end of June, depending on weather and what is going on.
I finally figured out the hard starting problem. The throttle cables needed just a tic more slack. I did that, zero’d the stepper motors and good to go. TPS voltage is a tic or two off, but I need to ride off some of the fuel load to make access a bit easier.
I found some goo in the crankcase breather thanks to condensation. Definitely not the coolant pump seal.
Moisture is not a big deal, so that cleared up after a few rides. I washed and pretty deeply cleaned the bike up.
I’d begun thinking and planning a ride for this summer. That became less of a ride and more of an exercise in considering where I am and where I want to go. And most importantly to this motorcycle, if I want to ride it.
On a bit of a whim I went looking at possible replacements. My thinking being pavement, but still adventure looking bike. I’m not ready to give into hours of fairing removal to change oil. And I’m not ready for a coffee and cake bike. What I call a naked touring bike or given my history with BMW, a naked RT.
That of course led be to consider the BMW R1250 GS, then Adventure. Then I discovered the R1300 GS. Wow! This bike looks and feels small. Has all the whizz-bang stuff. But, $30K even using my own old dented Touratech luggage. I had to look at the KTM 1290 Super Adventure S as well. Familiar, but modern with all the stuff. This was set off thanks to a visit to a Ducati store, (mostly to use the restroom), but got me considering the Multistrada V4. First I was looking at the GT, then the S with some options and now the Rally. I added the Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES to balance things.
Then did what an engineer does, I made a spreadsheet. I was inspired by the YouTube channel: NothingToProve and noting my list was getting long and hard to compare one thing to another between four bikes spread across several pages. My data is the result of my own milling of several magazine reviews and tests and comparisons and hours of Youtube along with discussions with owners. I think I got pretty close to what I was after. Whether, or not I buy any other bike is one option I am contemplating. I already exhausted my thinking about keeping the 990 and riding it until it, or I can’t. I feel I am clearly at a crossroads at 50 years of motorcycling as well as where and how I live. Falling off my bicycle at the very end of last year has had a part in my thinking as well.
I did a short video walk around, shared it with some friends, who shared it more. A few hours later the bike was sold after a friend asked if I was really going to sell it. Wow, that was quick.
Now, I need to pack up all the spares, service the fuel pump and a final check of everything, clean up the dust and few bugs. And it will be ready to deliver.
And that will end nearly 11 years of riding the bike, at 92,160 miles.
This bike and I have had a time.
New to me, September 2013:
The sale fell through then the bike began not starting easily, a condition that became increasingly worse to the point of not firing at all. I put this down to possibly dirty injectors. Lots of sitting, that eight months during the rebuild then more sitting. Not happy. So, today I pulled the throttle body assembly and pulled out the injectors and fuel rail assembly. I’ll build a tool to clean them, then reassemble it all and see how well it works.
The injector-fuel rail assembly removed:
The yellow tubing is for the cleaning tool. I need to buy some wire, connectors and a switch.
07/13/2024 I cleaned up he injectors, reassembled the throttle bodies and swapped out the spark plugs. The plugs had not been changed since the engine rebuild about 20,000 miles ago.
Fresh air filter as well as long as I was there. I set the TPS voltage cold to about .61vdc. I’d left the new throttle cables very loose so the throttles would zero. That worked. The bike fired right up immediately after I’d cycled the ignition a couple of times to prime the empty fuel system.
I’m certain now the problem was a combination of a sticky throttle cable, (I found a kink in the old cable that was inside the housing indicating it had been kinked prior to assembly. The spark plugs being very old and dirty and bad fuel. Now I need to add good fuel and burn a few tanks to get rid of any bad residue. I don’t have anyway to dispose of bad fuel. No old ICE cars in my garage. Well, no ICE cars period in my garage.
Test rode for a couple hours with the fuel level light coming on. Refueled and another hour ride home. All worked very well.
Today, 07/25/2024 I put it up for sale on Advrider.com.
It has been a good long ride. Fifty years of motorcycles and I figure I’m done. The last three summers have short trips in a lot of heat with a persistent bad fuel issue thanks to not ridding but a couple times a year. So, I figure it is time.
I did a long test ride on a nearly full tank of fuel across Orange County to Pasadena and back. The fuel light came on at 185 miles. When I’d filled the tanks last time the bike was on the side stand and I didn’t fill all that full. The bike throttled and rode smoothly. I saw 98°F at the hottest in Pasadena. And back to mid 70’s here at the beach. I’ve sorted through all the spares and parts into the saddlebags. I’ll need to do this again to get the shock spring in there. I’ll fit the crash bars back on again and do another once over everything. I plan one more long fuel burning ride just to make absolutely certain everything is working as it should.
I’ll finish up this series once delivery is completed. I’ve also sold my tire changing stand and balancers.
Today I took my last ride on the 990 Adventure R. A hundred mile loop around the county mostly by way of freeways, because that is what there is. The point in doing this was to make certain everything is working and ready for the cross-country, fly-buy-ride that will begin tomorrow.
The bike worked perfectly as expected. Checked the air in the tires, the coolant and oil then lubed the chain. All in good nick. I notched up the suspension settings, more rebound damping and a bit of preload added. I realized my riding to sort out the troubles with starting and checking my repairs amounts to more riding this year than any other reason. I’m satisfied with selling. Yes, a little sad, but I had some great adventures and lots of fun with friends. There were wheelies, jumps and slides. There were freezing nights in the desert and mountains. There were broiling hot days after days across the middle of America and home more than once. Soaking rains, lightening and thunder and even hail. Snow even. There were water crossings, but never got around to crossing any international borders. I will miss this bike more than any of the others. Not just because it’s my last and there absolutely will not be another motorcycle, but because this bike was and is exactly what I wanted when I bought it and remains the same rip your head off and spit down your neck monster yet docile enough to go for a coffee or make a grocery run. Yes, this bike will be missed. This was my venerable Norton brought back to life, but better. Far too tall, more than enough power to get more than just me into trouble. Though, I never managed a ticket. It was not without trying. Speed, wheelies and some dry roads slides on knobbies, and never anything more than a nod or thumbs up from the gatso. Jimmy Lewis rode this bike in the desert during one of his schools, while I sat in a tiny bit of shade and rested. He fully put the bike through its paces, riding it as it should be ridden. That was fun to see and I wish I’d been less beat so I could have learned a few more tricks. But, back then, that was the nature of life in a cube or plane. Not a lot of time between sleep and work for conditioning and certainly no fun riding. This bike was one of the many that helped to make work palatable because it worked as a commuter. Reasonable fuel economy, but a stupid long commute meant I filled the tanks every two days. Even at 45 mpg.
What’s next? Well, what is next is exactly why I sold the motorcycle. I discovered I preferred riding bicycles to motorcycles. Part of that is because I can bicycle and entertain myself doing so very close to home. The bicycle also serves as my gym, my adventure vehicle. My travels will be focused on family more than me on a motorcycle somewhere. Which means I’ll have to endure more airplanes, but I’ll maybe sneak in a rented motorcycle here and there. You know just to keep a toe in the waters.
The KTM is gone with its new owner off to new adventures today. My voice had a little catch in it, if I’m honest when I shook the man’s hand and wished him safe travels. He promised to let me know when he’s home safe. In the few hours we spent together we became friends. I’m satisfied with how this has turned out.
This closes the active motorcycle chapter of my life. Fifty years on two wheels. It has been a time.
Along The Way 