I tried some UV die in my oil years ago and used a black light to try and locate oil leaks, but wasn't successful. I'd like to try again and wondering if anyone has had experience using the UV die? I didn't have a totally dark environment the first time.
Over the years I have had my Shadow leak free, for too-brief periods of time. I've gone through all the drills and most mods to keep the pesky liquid on the inside but I'm still getting a rear wheel full of oil. The machine has an ultra slow drip when parked for long periods. So possibly the drip source expands at temperature.
I'm even getting a pool in the crankcase right where my McDouglator sits, and I sure think I have the compression release tube sealed. Robert Watson came up with some nifty o'ringed aluminum rings to seal the push-rod tubes and I've run them for years. I
made a mistake and made them from bronze, but they seal perfectly. The little copper washers on the oil feed lines have seen serious time on my water stones and they don't leak.
I keep thinking about the story of the rider who came significant distance to club meetings and delighted in placing a white napkin under his machine upon arrival to
prove how leak free it was. I won't even be disappointed if I find a leak I can't fix. Then
at least I'll know where the problem originates. Tracking down a miniscule broken wire in my home-made heated hand-grips is the type of satisfaction I'm hoping to achieve. My grips (phenolic wrapped with appropriate tiny wire and shellacked) are a nice little
mechanical accomplishment for me as all the wiring is inside the bars. Plus I now have Reynaud's Syndrome (tips of fingers can turn white when it's not real cold), so I had to
find the problem with the system. All of the new battery operated heated gloves heat
only the top of the hand, not the bottom. If interested in the gloves (or virtually any tool
you'd want) I give my very highest recommendation for the YouTube channel Project Farm. The presenter does some pretty scientific reasonable testing on just about anything you can think of that's mechanically oriented. He's not sponsored, so his tests are ultra-provable/believable.
I am thinking of putting the bike on the back stand and running it for 15 minutes
with fans cooling the engine/carbs in the dark while scanning it with a black light. Maybe I can detect some of the UV die and say, "I found you!".
I know it looks like a Rapide, someone removed the black from the engine so I've
hand filed every cylinder fin, had them powder coated and wiped the coat so the fins
shine. I like the White Shadow look for this bike.
Suggestions solicited.
Over the years I have had my Shadow leak free, for too-brief periods of time. I've gone through all the drills and most mods to keep the pesky liquid on the inside but I'm still getting a rear wheel full of oil. The machine has an ultra slow drip when parked for long periods. So possibly the drip source expands at temperature.
I'm even getting a pool in the crankcase right where my McDouglator sits, and I sure think I have the compression release tube sealed. Robert Watson came up with some nifty o'ringed aluminum rings to seal the push-rod tubes and I've run them for years. I
made a mistake and made them from bronze, but they seal perfectly. The little copper washers on the oil feed lines have seen serious time on my water stones and they don't leak.
I keep thinking about the story of the rider who came significant distance to club meetings and delighted in placing a white napkin under his machine upon arrival to
prove how leak free it was. I won't even be disappointed if I find a leak I can't fix. Then
at least I'll know where the problem originates. Tracking down a miniscule broken wire in my home-made heated hand-grips is the type of satisfaction I'm hoping to achieve. My grips (phenolic wrapped with appropriate tiny wire and shellacked) are a nice little
mechanical accomplishment for me as all the wiring is inside the bars. Plus I now have Reynaud's Syndrome (tips of fingers can turn white when it's not real cold), so I had to
find the problem with the system. All of the new battery operated heated gloves heat
only the top of the hand, not the bottom. If interested in the gloves (or virtually any tool
you'd want) I give my very highest recommendation for the YouTube channel Project Farm. The presenter does some pretty scientific reasonable testing on just about anything you can think of that's mechanically oriented. He's not sponsored, so his tests are ultra-provable/believable.
I am thinking of putting the bike on the back stand and running it for 15 minutes
with fans cooling the engine/carbs in the dark while scanning it with a black light. Maybe I can detect some of the UV die and say, "I found you!".
I know it looks like a Rapide, someone removed the black from the engine so I've
hand filed every cylinder fin, had them powder coated and wiped the coat so the fins
shine. I like the White Shadow look for this bike.
Suggestions solicited.
