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Posted by JagLite
- November 22, 2020, 20:42:32 PMWinter mods for the 2020-2021 season, or as we will probably remember this year as the "Covid Year".
I put the dual seat back on so that Robyn could ride with me anytime she wanted to.
That was one time all summer. That's okay, I just wanted her to know she is welcome to ride anytime.
Bobby doesn't want her to come because she won't ride with me if I bring him.
I am going to put the stock exhaust system back on even though the Borla system sounds so nice.
My "old muffler look" didn't appeal to anyone except me. 
So it goes.
But I decided to modify the stock system to hopefully let a bit more Umph out of it.
I cut the primary muffler open to see what it looked like inside.
It has a closed tube drilled with a lot of little holes where each of the head pipe inlets bolt to the muffler.
I considered cutting them off then decided to leave them in place but to cut a couple large holes in them to reduce the restriction more and let some of the sound wave escape intact instead of broken up by the tiny holes:
Then I welded the muffler back together:
After it was all closed up and repainted I opened up the secondary muffler to see what it looked like inside:
I cut around the pipe just inside of the end cap to pull it out:
Those tubes are straight through with no baffles. It is interesting that the larger tube they smaller tubes go through act as an expansion chamber because there is a hole in each of the smaller tubes to allow the pressure wave to go into the larger diameter pipe. Or something like that anyway. There is just one small hole (1/4") in the side of each through tube. I couldn't get a picture of that though.
So what is inside the secondary muffler tube?
Two long tubes that the two end tubes slide over that run almost full length of the outer tube.
I could shine a light into the far end (the inlet from the primary muffler) and it was easy to see from the end through the two long tubes.
The "figure 8" plate just guides the end tubes onto the two long tubes, it is not a baffle.
The exhaust flow comes into the secondary muffler and can go directly into the two full length tubes or around the tubes in the are up to the middle baffle plate that closes off the first chamber. Some of the pressure wave will go into the long tubes but most of it expands and goes around the tubes, hits the baffle and bounces back to the inlet. That's how I understand it working anyway, sound wave experts may know a better way to describe it.
The actual exhaust gasses flow through the twin long tubes and the length acts as a way to dissipate the volume similar to a long straight through exhaust compared to a short straight through system.
I considered drilling around the center baffle plate and removing the two long tubes, then cutting my Borla muffler apart and putting the core and packing in the stock secondary muffler... But I decided to just weld the end cap back on and see how it sounds with the modified primary muffler first.
Robyn on our one ride together this summer:
Bobby was not happy he didn't get to ride that time! 
Posted by JagLite
- May 15, 2018, 23:35:01 PMI don't think he noticed it, he was having too much fun going for a ride after so many winter months. He sure does love seeing people in cars beside us.
Posted by CDNRatMan
- May 14, 2018, 19:45:11 PMWhat does Bobby think of this new fangled thingy on his ride?
Posted by JagLite
- May 14, 2018, 18:53:50 PMThe only addition to my Drifter this winter is a tire pressure monitor.
From Amazon and under $60
Like many things the instructions are less than clear but with enough playing with it I was able to set the parameters I wanted, screwed on the sensors that replaced the smart caps I had on it and went for a ride.
It works!
I was surprised how the pressure and temperature increased when riding.
The front tire gained 2 pounds, the rear gained 5.
Temp on the front only went up a couple degrees but the rear went from 60 to 80!
The front cooled down almost instantly, the rear took several minutes.
I took the picture about 5 minutes after stopping so the pressure had gone back down.
I have them at 38 front and 40 rear cold.
Hopefully it will last.
Posted by JagLite
- June 01, 2017, 10:27:06 AMI had to check my headlight as soon as I got home from work and discovered, as you know, that it does not come on when I turn the key on.
Since my spot lights are always on, or I leave them turned on always, it was the light from them I always saw when I turn the key on.
They probably use more juice than my LED headlight so if my battery is ever low I will have to turn them off before starting the engine.
Ah, well, good to know! 
You won't see me riding with the selfie pole, that was just a one time ride to get pictures to send to my folks. 
You might see me on Alaska Troopers though if they pull me over to check Bobby's navigation license. 
He's been riding with me for 6 years now and so far I have only had a few officers look at us. 
Posted by CDNRatMan
- May 30, 2017, 19:45:44 PMJagLite......this is just an FYI for you my Alaskan Buddy, I am now hooked and addicted to watching " Life Below Zero", "Last Alaskan" to see how people who live north of me do things.....and of course "Alaskan State Troopers" and been waiting to see the Troopers chase and arrest that crazy man riding about on a Drifter with a Selfie stick and a hound for a co pilot.......
Posted by Old Drifter
- May 30, 2017, 15:33:58 PMQuote from: JagLite on May 30, 2017, 11:19:24 AMThe headlight comes on after it starts and is running.Huh?
I thought the headlight always came on as soon as I turn the key on, but now I wonder...
I won't be surprised if it doesn't, that's the sort of thing I do all the time.
"I am sure _______" but I was wrong.
Good thing I don't gamble.
Posted by JagLite
- May 30, 2017, 11:19:24 AMHuh?
I thought the headlight always came on as soon as I turn the key on, but now I wonder...
I won't be surprised if it doesn't, that's the sort of thing I do all the time. 
"I am sure _______" but I was wrong.
Good thing I don't gamble.
Posted by CDNRatMan
- May 29, 2017, 23:51:12 PMVery cool and good job, I am not sure I understand that you do not trust Bob to keep you informed of your speed, or you just want to see for yourself.....lol.......FYI the headlight on a Drifter 800 does not come on till you start the bike or bleep the starter....lol....I learned this the first winter I was working on the bike and spend a few hours trying to figure out why the headlight was not turning on......lol...live and learn and be thankful for good people on here who help you out.....
Posted by JagLite
- May 29, 2017, 22:31:09 PMOn to the next project.
I am adding a dash cam and GPS speedometer to the Drifter
I have the same inexpensive ($30) dash cam in both our cars just in case of collision or something worth posting happens. It is not weatherproof since it is designed to be inside a car but I will just keep an eye on it when riding in the rain and if it is getting wet I will put it in my pannier.
The GPS speedometer is so I know what speed I am going since my navigator Bobby blocks my view of the tank gauge unless I lean over to look under him.
It is also an inexpensive unit designed to be inside a car with the same lack of weather proofing.
To wire them up I bought an inexpensive (notice the theme here?) panel that gives me 2 USB ports, a 12v power port, and a digital voltmeter.
It is designed for boats and comes with rubber covers for the USB and Power ports.
It took me 4 hours to wire the little panel up and find a switched power wire inside the headlight.
One thing I noticed is the colors of the wires in the shop manual (Clymers? Haynes?) don't all match the bike. I was looking for the accessory wires the diagram shows but my bike has no wire (the hot wire) of the color the manual shows for the '99 (J model) Drifter.
Eventually I decided to tie into the wires for my spot lights since they should have been wired to the accessory wires I was looking for but couldn't find.
That worked and all is as it should be now.
(Notice my high tech clock?)
The GPS speedometer is the black flat box ahead of the panel, and the dash cam is on the windscreen.
The camera comes with a plug to go in the power port, the GPS speedo comes with a USB cable.
I might have been able to wire the camera directly since it is 12 volt but it was cheap and simple to buy the panel and plug it in.
Have you wondered why the voltmeter is showing 11.5 volt?
Yep, I didn't think to plug in my Battery Tender while I was trying to find a power source and had the key turned on for a while.
I didn't think about it until I was putting the headlight in and checked to make sure it worked.
Except that it didn't work.
Huh???
Everything else worked.
But not the headlight.
Blast.
Did I blow the headlight fuse while trying to find a hot wire?
I pulled each fuse out and looked at it, and tested it for resistance to make sure it was good.
All were fine but the headlight didn't light up.
I started the bike and the headlight came on.
Then I thought to plug in the Battery Tender to charge the battery and when I tried turning on the key, the headlight came on like usual.
I guess my Cyclops LED light need more power than 11.5v to fire.
Or, is there some kind of headlight switch that doesn't send power to the light if the voltage is low so you can start the engine?
That would be smart.
Now to figure out how and where I will mount the panel and speedo.
Ideally, I want them to be out of sight except when I am riding for a cleaner vintage look.
My first thought is a leather handlebar bag that I can put the panel and speedo in, that I would open when riding to see the speedo, then close when parked.
I will have to go to Amazon and see what I can find...
Posted by CDNRatMan
- April 18, 2017, 15:55:45 PMAwesome my friend....that seat looks just like the one I bought the other day......what is it they say, great minds........
Bobby is looking good after that long winter, he did not seem to gain any weight......
Posted by JagLite
- April 18, 2017, 12:06:12 PMSunshine!
I was able to ride my bike yesterday after work.
Big deal, eh?
Well, this is the first time I have ridden in April here in Anchorage Alaska.
Of course Captain Bobby came along
There is still snow on the ground and we will probably get more before winter gives up.
We usually get snow in early May and sometimes in June.
Actually the danger isn't the snow, it's the marbles on the road.
The gravel they spread all winter long to give us traction on the ice.
It is like ball bearings on the pavement and extremely dangerous in curves.
As part of my riding start I go to a large empty parking lot and practice very low speed turns to get the "feel" back.
At first I do a bit of weaving, put my foot down(or start to) but after just a few minutes it comes together.
(I do my practice at the start of every ride for the first several rides)
Part of my practice is hard braking, emergency stops.
For fun I do rear wheel brake slides on the marbles, and it is fun because there is almost zero traction and I can slide a long, long way with no tire wear!
But turning on the marbles is not fun, it is very stressful actually because there is so little traction.
The more the bike is leaned over, the more likely the front wheel will just slide out and you will be on the ground, and possibly sliding into the oncoming lane.
So, until the sand/gravel/marbles/ball bearings get swept off the road I do very slow cornering.
On bike projects, the new seat mount position is excellent for me and very comfortable.
I found a nice round leather bag that fits the spot behind the seat springs and covers the gap between the frame and rear fender.
I am still looking for the right size box to put on the frame rear loop to be able to raise my backrest bag up about 6".
It will cover the frame loop too for looks.
I want to leave the tank bag at home because I don't like how it looks on the classic Drifter style, but it is very handy for carrying things.
And the best part is that Bobby doesn't scratch up the paint on the tank with his paws since he keeps his front paws on top of the tank bag.
Robyn is going to make a tank bra to protect the tank but hasn't actually got around to it yet.
I just have to ask her how to change thread on her sewing machine so I can do it myself... and she will do it. 
I'm planning day trips for the summer!
Posted by JagLite
- March 10, 2017, 15:59:59 PMBobby will like that!
Posted by CDNRatMan
- March 09, 2017, 14:45:04 PMI am almost done with all my projects for the bike, so once I get them done I will then take to task on a comfortable and proper deck for Lord Bobby's delight, I am thinking a nice level base with a nice carpet to keep his wee paws cool and something to grip on to. It should also be on a sort of pivot point so that even when parked the dock will be level. You should be thankful that Bobby even lets you sit on his bike and be the driver of said wonderful machine......
Posted by JagLite
- March 09, 2017, 09:49:24 AMI didn't put many hours on the solo seat last summer because it wasn't located where I wanted to sit.
I will get to experiment with the new mount this summer and see how I like it.
I like the look of the solo saddle MUCH better than the flying 2-up seat, but the stock flying 2-up seat is VERY nice to sit on all day long.
The stock seat also makes an ideal place to put my backrest-bag.
I am currently searching for a plastic box of the right size to bolt to the rear seat loop.
When I find that, my wife will sew up a cover for it (canvas look) to hide the box.
Then I can strap my backrest-bag on top of that.
Such a nice bike to ride mile after mile on back roads