Dexter’s Woes on Trips Continues.

I know I have said it on other posts and rantings, but I have a love hate relationship with Dexter. Since I have purchased Dexter (3rd owner) in November 2017 with 39,000 miles on him (have about 80,000 now) There has not been a single trip that I have taken with Dexter where there has not been some kind of mechanical concern. A large amount of money has been spent in replacing and prepping Dexter to be road ready, I am not certain of the actual dollar amount but I know it exceeds $15,000 U.S. Dollars at this point. Yes, I only paid 6K for Dexter which is very cheap for a Ultra Classic…..and I thought I would have been pretty much done with the huge outlaying for a bit when I replaced the motor with a new one in 2018. There was the work done on the Stator, primary tensioner, and shift lever in 2019. This year the laundry list was huge: New Battery, New Exhaust, Replaced the Starter, New front forks spring kit, new fork seals, new brakes and rotors front and back, Replaced the headlight and passing lights with LED’s, replaced the shift lever with aftermarket, and more.

So What is Matthew Whining about Now?

Well, before I left Ramona, California I noticed a small puddle under Dexter. He has leaked before, I fix it, and then he leaks again in a few months…this has been the cycle since I have owned him so I was not too worried about it. Well after stopping for my first fuel top off and break for me near the Salton Sea, I noticed that it was actually leaking with a fairly steady drip. I had assumed it was my transmission that was leaking as I use Red Line for all fluids and I saw pink in Ramona….the color of the transmission fluid. No, this was engine oil. So, I checked the oil and it looked to me that it was down about a quart, so I added the quart I had with me. Checked the oil again at the next fuel stop as the rate of oil leakage seemed to be more. Again the dip stick looked to be low so I added again. Well, I obiviously don’t know how to read the dip stick on this bike…..down the road leaving Lake Havasu I noticed a bit of a light cloud coming from Dexter…..I pulled over and there oil covering the rear of my bike and it was smoking off the exhaust.. Later, I wiped it down but it is still filthy.

I decided to not check the oil again but kept an eye on the pressure guage and, t seemed ok. I check the oil dipstick again this morning, and again it seemed low. I wiped the dipstick 3 times and rechecked….so I added some more oil.

Low Battery and Jump Start needed before determination of Oil Issue

After putting in oil again this morning, I saddled up on Dexter and headed about a 1/4 of a mile down the road to a gas station to top off the tank. Oil pressure seemed a tad high but nothing crazy and no oil spewing from the bike (always a good sign). I topped off fuel and mounted back on Dexter to fire him up….and NOTHING! just the horrible sound of click click…I made sure the night before that nothing was plugged into the aux electrical sockets and even decided not to engage the security system because I was concerned about battery drain. The only thing I can figure is that yesterday’s excessive heat (well above 100 degrees for most of the trip….I know I felt like burnt chicken). played an issue with all the devices that charge from the bike.

Here are the devices that charge while I am riding (this is the setup I always use…though I did have to replace the stator last year in Utah.

1. HP Windows 10 Tablet (using an AC inverter)
2. Cell Phone using DP port
3. 2 portable battery packs
4. LED Headlamp (flashlight)
5. Earbuds
6. GoPro Battery Charger

I suspect that the AC inverter may be what is causing the problem. Never had a problem until a low battery this morning.

After getting the bike jump started, I unplugged everything except the GoPro Battery charger and my cell phone. The stator was producing over 14 to 16 volts according the dash voltmeter. I did not shut off the bike until the next fuel stop for 150 miles and nervously shut off the bike. When it was time to go, it fired right up. I am curious to see what happens tomorrow morning. If the battery is low, I have a different problem. I already looked up where Harley is here in Las Cruces. Someday Dexter and I will go on a trip void of mechanical issues……maybe lol

Almost forgot about the oil issue

So after adding the oil again this morning, the oil pressure guage looked normal (tad high at first but very soon normal). Dexter has been running fine thus far aside from the battery issue this morning. So, I think I am actually making the issue worse. For now, I have decided to monitor the oil pressure and will wait a bit to check on the oil. I will check in the morning but unless it is near bone dry, I wont be adding oil. Again, the back of dexter was an oily mess. I believe I had overfilled it both times thus causing oil blow out…not cool. But as stated, Dexter has been running fine. Is it just me, or are the dip sticks on this gen of Harley hard to read (Dexter is a 2005)