First ride of the year

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Bevelheadmhr

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May 8, 2013
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My 961 was put away last November, this year it seems to have been raining non stop every single day, until today. Rolled the bike out, checked the tyre pressures, both lost a few PSI over the winter.. then hit the starter button. I was surprised to hear the engine fire up immediately, as the battery hadn't been on a trickle charger. Not bad, not bad at all. Spent an hour dodging Sunday drivers on the local back roads and puddles you could swim in.

I've owned the 961 since June 24, this year will be the first time I finally have time to ride it. Got a couple of long trips planned already, can't wait..
 
TonyA said:
No maintenance charger at all since Nov 2024 ? That is good. Is battery AGM or Lithium ?
Click to expand...
The original AGM, the bike came fitted with the charger leads for a trickle charger, just not one I already own. Not got around to buying a different charger yet. Though I did buy a set of leads that match the chargers I already own. Fitting them involves lifting the seat and tank to access the battery, so again haven't got around to that yet. Its only been off the road for 3 months over the winter.
 
Bevelheadmhr said:
The original AGM, the bike came fitted with the charger leads for a trickle charger, just not one I already own. Not got around to buying a different charger yet. Though I did buy a set of leads that match the chargers I already own. Fitting them involves lifting the seat and tank to access the battery, so again haven't got around to that yet. Its only been off the road for 3 months over the winter.
Click to expand...
The great part is you have very little parasitic drain .
 
Bevelheadmhr said:
My 961 was put away last November, this year it seems to have been raining non stop every single day, until today. Rolled the bike out, checked the tyre pressures, both lost a few PSI over the winter.. then hit the starter button. I was surprised to hear the engine fire up immediately, as the battery hadn't been on a trickle charger. Not bad, not bad at all. Spent an hour dodging Sunday drivers on the local back roads and puddles you could swim in.

I've owned the 961 since June 24, this year will be the first time I finally have time to ride it. Got a couple of long trips planned already, can't wait..
Click to expand...
I'm jealous! I've owned my 961 since June 25 and, despite getting a punture on the first day of ownership which makes me nervous about lengthy trips (how would you deal with a puncture?) I've really enjoyed every minute. This year however, on that dry day we had, the bike just refused to start for me, even though it has been on trickle charge. I'm keen to learn if you have a particular technique?
I too have a non fitting charger (although since aquired an additional do-it-all one to cope with the lithium battery on my Tuono) but I just bought a short adaptor cable to connect to the 961 lead.
 
If I got a puncture, I'd just call the AA, not much else to do with a tubed tyre these days. No particular technique, I dont touch the throttle, just hit the starter button. This time last year, the bike took a few spins of the starter before it fired up after its winter sleep. Hence I was pleasantly surprised it fired up straight away this year.

The only point I would make is that I've found hitting the starter button for a few seconds only seems to work better than turning the engine over for a long time on the button. It often seems to catch and start just when you think it wont.

I went out again today, just for an hour. Gave me a break from the hassles of dismantling a set of old CV carbs for a project.
 
Bevelheadmhr said:
If I got a puncture, I'd just call the AA, not much else to do with a tubed tyre these days. No particular technique, I dont touch the throttle, just hit the starter button. This time last year, the bike took a few spins of the starter before it fired up after its winter sleep. Hence I was pleasantly surprised it fired up straight away this year.

The only point I would make is that I've found hitting the starter button for a few seconds only seems to work better than turning the engine over for a long time on the button. It often seems to catch and start just when you think it wont.

I went out again today, just for an hour. Gave me a break from the hassles of dismantling a set of old CV carbs for a project.
Click to expand...
Yes I think you are right about hitting the starter button for a short time.

When I had a puncture on my Bonneville I was only a mile from home so I fetched tools and then removed the back wheel and took it to a tyre fitter.
I'm just wondering what you would do when you needed a new back tyre. Would you trust a tyre outlet to remove the wheel or remove it yourself. If the latter how you would go about that.

Also what is your procedure for lubricating the back chain? Before I got an Abba stand for a bike I used to have, I would oil a stretch of the chain and then wheel the bike backwards. But the chain on that bike was on the left side, so no risk of oil dripping on the brake or back tyre when the bike was left.
 
albional said:
Yes I think you are right about hitting the starter button for a short time.

When I had a puncture on my Bonneville I was only a mile from home so I fetched tools and then removed the back wheel and took it to a tyre fitter.
I'm just wondering what you would do when you needed a new back tyre. Would you trust a tyre outlet to remove the wheel or remove it yourself. If the latter how you would go about that.

Also what is your procedure for lubricating the back chain? Before I got an Abba stand for a bike I used to have, I would oil a stretch of the chain and then wheel the bike backwards. But the chain on that bike was on the left side, so no risk of oil dripping on the brake or back tyre when the bike was left.
Click to expand...
So you have a rear wheel stand now ? This is what I use to lubricate the chain. Lift the rear wheel off the ground and spin the wheel.
 
albional said:
I'm jealous! I've owned my 961 since June 25 and, despite getting a punture on the first day of ownership which makes me nervous about lengthy trips (how would you deal with a puncture?) I've really enjoyed every minute. This year however, on that dry day we had, the bike just refused to start for me, even though it has been on trickle charge. I'm keen to learn if you have a particular technique?
I too have a non fitting charger (although since aquired an additional do-it-all one to cope with the lithium battery on my Tuono) but I just bought a short adaptor cable to connect to the 961 lead.
Click to expand...
Re punctures, suggest you get the wheels converted to tubeless. That way you ditch the inner tubes and can repair with a plug. Central Wheel Components in Birmingham (who built the wheels for Norton) do it. I had the conversion done when I purchased my 961 in 2024. Have had one puncture since then which was repaired with a Dynaplug kit at the roadside.
 
For lubing the chain I use a paddock stand, using bobbins that fit into the hollow wheel spindle. Obviously can't remove the wheel with this method. IF I had a puncture out on the road, I'd have the AA take me home and deal with it in my workshop.
 
lfoggy said:
Re punctures, suggest you get the wheels converted to tubeless. That way you ditch the inner tubes and can repair with a plug. Central Wheel Components in Birmingham (who built the wheels for Norton) do it. I had the conversion done when I purchased my 961 in 2024. Have had one puncture since then which was repaired with a Dynaplug kit at the roadside.
Click to expand...
Thanks, that definitely seems worth considering. I carry a Dynaplug kit for my Guzzi V7.
 
Bevelheadmhr said:
For lubing the chain I use a paddock stand, using bobbins that fit into the hollow wheel spindle. Obviously can't remove the wheel with this method. IF I had a puncture out on the road, I'd have the AA take me home and deal with it in my workshop.
Click to expand...
It looks like I'll have to buy a paddock stand although I don't fancy using one, maybe ok with a little help. When you got home you would presumably have to remove the wheel. I haven't figured out how to do that yet. When I had the puncture on my Bonnie even though a good tyre it wasn't repairable, I had to have a new one fitted. I've had three punctures in three years.
 

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