Rescuing Jennie 1989

[Donkey Hotey]

Back in 2000, I got the bug to buy an Excelsior Henderson, that story here:

http://www.cifumotorsports.com/mc/2000excelsior/

Originally, I wanted a Jennie but, living in California, none were to be found. The nearest was in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Being in California, that presented a number of import problems, mostly centering around smog equipment and needing to have 7500 miles on the bike before it could be registered here.

And so I bought 1525, along with all the accessories to make my own Jennie if the mood ever struck.


1525 when she didn't even have a plate

Still, the love for that single-tone Oyster paint job and the exclusivity of having a limited edition bike never left me.

Fast forward to late Spring of 2012. I'm scanning Craigslist ads all over the country for a long list of interesting motorcycles, just as I do every night in front of the TV. One of those keywords would cost me: excelsior.

There it was: a 2000 Excelsior Henderson "Jenny bike" as the ad described it. Only these two small photos, not much description and a good price...well...if it were local. The problem is, she was just a smidge over 1,500 miles away.


Pictures from the original Craigslist ad
A few things looked out of place but, not beyond repair. Enough temptation to make one say, "hmmm" but, not get you to run out the door and jump on an airplane. Thoughts of fly-n-ride ran through my head. After all, I had done that once from 700 miles away and it went just fine. Nonetheless, I have one in the garage that needed fixing and I sure didn't need two Super Xs.

"A nice bike. She'll make someone a fine ride", I foolishly thought.

[Donkey Hotey]

As things often do, the Jennie continued to show up in my nightly searches. Every week or so, she would be bumped back to the top of the listings. I would occasionally click the ad to see if new pictures or more information had been added. Nope.

Finally, she disappeared. A slight bit of regret set in, though I knew somebody got a good deal and would probably put her back to her former glory.

That relief was short-lived. July 2nd she was back, this time at a considerably lower price. Suddenly a fly-n-ride is in the budget. Stupidly, I called the number (knowing darn well, I would be hooked if the bike were at all rideable).

"Nope, it hasn't run since 2006. I parked it, bought a Harley in '07 and this one just sat. Now I can't get it started. It has new tires, a new battery and a new fuel pump but, it won't start. I'm tired of it. Come and get it."

Then he knocked more off the price because he knew how far I would have to drive to get it.

"What about the factory mufflers? Do you still have those? And the saddlebags?"

"OH yeah! Everything is here in my storage container. Just come on out, you won't be disappointed."

"OK, I'm not going to give you some lame excuse about getting the money or permission from my wife or whatever. I AM going to the bank tomorrow to get the money. All I ask is that once I roll out of the driveway, you don't sell it to somebody else until AFTER I get there. This is going to cost me $600 in fuel, plus hotel bills."

"Aww, man, I wouldn't do that to you. If you say you're coming, I'll hold it."

"OK, I'm going to get cash in the morning. Can you look for the stuff so we're not hunting for it when I get there?"

"Yup, I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, I'll call you Friday"

Dammit! Another bike, and now I have to drive 3,200 miles to pick it up and bring it home.

[Donkey Hotey]

Being so close to July 4th, I figured he might have family plans. I gave him the 3rd and 4th to find the parts and enjoy the holiday. In the meantime, I readied the cash, the Trailer-in-a-Bag, the tie downs and anything else one might need for a retrieval like this.

The morning of the 5th, I was absolutely not looking forward to 1500 miles of driving. I told myself that if he didn't find the mufflers, I would back out. In earlier follow-up calls, I had learned that the stock ignition switch and lock were gone, replaced by aftermarket Harley stuff. Anything could be wrong with the bike. It could have spun a bearing and I won't know until long after getting it home.


Jennie on her first real outing in 6 years, heading for the San Gabriel mountains

Once I leave, I'm into it for $750 whether I buy the bike or not. There were a hundred reasons not to go and only one reason TO go: I wanted that Jennie.

With the van in the driveway and loaded, I made the phone call:

"Did you find the mufflers?"

"No, man, I'm sorry, I just spent an hour looking for them. I know they're here but, I can't locate them. I'll knock another $300 off so you can buy new ones."

Well, that settled it. I guess I'm going.

"I'm walking out the door right now. I will see you tomorrow afternoon."


Valyermo Road in the Mojave Desert

Adrenaline does strange things to the mind. I normally love road trips and retrieving a new motorcycle is a high that nothing else matches. After 15 hours and 1000 miles of driving, it was time for a hotel. Unfortunately, that time also enables one to ponder. Crossing two time zones and so many miles meant that if anything went wrong, I would be arriving late at his shop...after closing time.

Not being tired, I decided to push on. If I got sleepy, I'd use a rest area. An air mattress and blanket in the back of the van were packed for just such a need. So I pressed on...and on...all the way to the destination.

I pulled into his driveway a scant 22 hours after hanging up the phone--9:30 local time.

[Donkey Hotey]

There was precious little to discuss. I had driven this far and I wasn't leaving without the bike. Man, she was a sight; covered end to end in dirt. She was so dirty that I hoped to find a car wash before leaving town, just to hose her off and see what I got.

We did the paperwork, I asked for the last time if he was sure about the price. He was. I handed him the cash and got her loaded up for the 1600 mile drive home (a different, more trailer-friendly route).

At this point, I hadn't slept in 26 hours. I was exhausted but, wasn't sure I felt safe leaving the bike in a hotel parking lot. People can be strange and people in hotels are often stranger. I figured I would head west and drive until I found a good spot. Of course, the trip had to happen right in the middle of a huge midwest heatwave.

Loaded on the trailer and ready to start the tow home

[Donkey Hotey]

Driving west, fatigue began to catch up. I had slept much of the day on the 4th and was consuming a steady intake of Gatorade and canned nuts. Eventually, the pace of stopping at every-other rest area to walk around and pet the bike wasn't going to do it. Despite the 100+ degree heat, I stopped in a rest area and tried to sleep.

That lasted about 20 minutes, before the heat and the sweating caught up. No, this was going to require a hotel. Of course by this point, it's mid-day and hotels have all kinds of early check-in rules, check-out times, vacuum cleaners running and other distractions.


Black Butte in the Mojave Desert, seen from Angeles Crest Highway

It was only about 20 minutes but, it seemed to recharge me more than it should have. I pressed on toward Wyoming. Five hundred miles after picking the bike up and crossing the mountains going into Cheyenne in a thunderstorm, I finally pulled into Laramie, Wyoming where I settled for the night. Amazingly, the thunderstorm actually DID improve the looks of the bike a bit. I chained her to the van for her only parking lot stay of the trip.


Further up the road, again on Angeles Crest

[Donkey Hotey]

The next morning, after a quick McDonald's breakfast and fuel-up, it was back to the road. Just a little over 1,100 miles to do and she'd be home.

Towing in Utah is almost surreal. In California, speed limits for tow vehicles are limited to 55 MPH. In Utah, it's 80 MPH for many sections--towing or not. Pulling over 900 pounds of motorcycle and trailer at those speeds somehow didn't feel right but, it all went very smoothly.


She got to drag her floorboards for the first time today: Angeles Crest Highway

That is of course until the tires on the trailer were worn and needed replacing Knowing this time was coming, I had packed a floor jack, a tool bag and two mounted spares. I thought I had it all figured out. Just outside of Park City, Utah, I stopped for a rest area and decided to swap the tires. A great idea...if not for the fact that one wheel was a 5-lug and the trailer takes 4-lugs. GAHHH!

At least Salt Lake City is the land of Wal Mart...where I had bought the tires in the first place. Looking it up on the iPhone, I was soon in possesion of a proper wheel and some new bulbs for the trailer. After only an hour delay, we were back on the road again.

[Donkey Hotey]

I pulled into the driveway some time after 1:30 AM. Luckily, my neighbors were out of town and their kids were having a pool party. The noise and distractions on the street made unloading the trailer almost silent by comparison.

Despite total exhaustion, sleep did not last long. I was outside by 9:00 AM with the hose and a bucket of sudsy water. Whatever was on the bike did not come off easily. Though the dirt came off relatively quickly, there was some kind of grainy residue under the dirt that stuck to every exposed surface.


Stopped at the famous Newcomb's Ranch on Angeles Crest highway for lunch

It took considerable effort and polishing compounds to remove. Eventually, it was discovered that claybar and lubricant did an amazing job of cutting through this coating and restoring the original factory shine. Things began to shape up immediately. She looked good, but of course--would she start?

[Donkey Hotey]

Having 1525 in the garage meant that part swapping should be easy. First, the basics were checked: strong battery, clean fuel in the tank, cranking ok. The owner said it ran fine until it was parked, then wouldn't start. Based on that, spark was dismissed and the fuel system was focused on. Fuel pressure checked out fine but, crank and crank and crank and not even a pop out of her.

In desperation, starting fluid was shot down the throats of the throttle body and the starter was tried again. Still no response. OK, that points to a bigger problem. This time, I noticed the tach did not budge during cranking. The ECM has no idea the engine is turning over. "It's got to be the crank sensor!"


Still drawing attention wherever she goes

I crawled under the bike to try to remove the sensor and found the front cross member in direct way of the wrench.

"What moron designed that where the cross member is right in the way of the screw holding that sensor in?"

As I lay on my back in frustration, I thought to myself, "What am I going to have to do to jack this engine up and get that screw clear of the frame?" Just as that thought began to simmer, I peered up to the front engine mounts and found one of the rubber isolators was sheared clean. The engine had actually DROPPED onto that cross member, damaging the sensor and putting the bike out of commission. That sensor mounting screw wasn't supposed to be lined up with the cross member at all. Fix the mounts and it should be good to go.

[Donkey Hotey]

Since 1525 was still in pieces, a pair of front isolators was just a matter of finding the right box and retrieving them. Rolling that one out of the garage, she surrendered her crank sensor in a matter of minutes.

Isolators and working sensor in-hand, I returned to the Jennie. The bike was placed on a lift which raised the engine enough to clear the crank sensor screw. The sensor was swapped, the isolators installed and fingers were crossed.

Turning the switch, all looked normal. Push the button and she lit immediately! "SUCCESS!"


Descending the last few miles of Angeles Crest, downtown LA in the distance

I immediately shut her back down so as to not heat up the headers. She still had a pair of shotgun pipes and there was no way I was going to be "one of THOSE guys." The pipes were coming off before I did anything else.

This time, 1525 surrendered a pair of clean stock mufflers. Everything borrowed was added to a list for ordering replacements the following week.

Still on the lift, I foolishly thought those shotguns would be an easy removal. They weren't. It seems that they weren't slotted far enough and they must have been hammered onto the headers. I absolutely could not get one of the pipes loose, no matter how hard I tried. Knowing that header damage or exhaust flange damage was a possibility, I decided to sacrifice the shotguns.

An abrasive saw was taken to the shotgun pipe, about 6 inches from the mount and the wall was cut all the way through. Once cut open, a saw cut back toward the header was started until I found the end of the flange. A screwdriver and pair of vise grips finished the destruction of the mounting flange and it finally released the header from its grip. I smiled as I tossed the straight pipes in the trash.


Meandering along Schueren Road above the Pacific Ocean

[Donkey Hotey]

Right when I hoped the story would be over, it took a few ugly twists. She was now running for the first time in six years. Checks of the oil level showed a reasonable supply. I decided to take her to lunch and see how she did.

She rode just as I remembered 1525. It was a beautiful, sunny summer day as I rode six miles to get something to eat. As I sat inside, looking out the window, I decided to take her for a bit longer ride on the way home.


The world famous Rock Store on Mulholland Highway

Once back on the road, I thought, "Man, I got off easy on this! I'm going to go for a ride in the mountains." No sooner did that thought cross my mind than I glanced down to see the charge light illuminated. "Alright, back home we go!"

A series of normal checks showed nothing unusual. All three phases of the stator showed the same impedance. Running open circuit (unplugged) all three pairs produced 15-18V. "It must be the regulator."

Back to 1525 who surrendered her regulator willingly. Back to the Jennie. Nope, still not charging. This story went back and forth for a couple of days before I finally made longer jumper wires for the regulator plugs so I could check things while loaded and running. Under load, the stator was putting out charge but, clearly not enough to run all the systems on the bike.

Somehow, all three phases got identical, partial shorts that did not go to ground. Amazing. In all the years I've played with motorcycles, I have never seen a failure like that.

Atlantic EH to the rescue: a stator, gaskets and clutch slave repair kit were sent 2nd-day so I wouldn't have to wait through yet another weekend to get the bike roadworthy.

[Donkey Hotey]

Three days later, the box arrived with everything I needed to swap the stator. Work began about 4:00 PM and things moved steadily.

By 7:00 PM, the clutch slave had been thoroughly cleaned out and new seals installed. Gasket surfaces were spotless and waiting for gasket sealant. The stator was installed and I was finally satisfied with the wire routing inside the primary cover. Time to button her up.


Near the Ventura County line on Pacific Coast Highway

Things went predictably: the clutch system was filled and bled, wires were connected and screws were checked for tightness. By 10:30, the replacement shifter bracket was in place, the charging system finally worked. Then I stayed up until midnight, washing her yet again.

[Donkey Hotey]

At this point, the only remaining issue to be fixed was the wiring of the highway lamps; not critical to riding the bike so a proper shakedown ride was taken.

The ride began at my home in Palmdale around 1:00 PM and took the same loop I ride nearly every weekend in the warmer months: Angeles Crest Highway to Newcomb's Ranch.



Following lunch, I knew I didn't want to head the short way home (50 miles), nor did I want to backtrack my steps (70 miles). At about 3:00 PM, I decided to drop into Los Angeles and head across the San Fernando Valley and zig-zag the ridge of the Santa Monica Mountains.



After the gratuitous pictures above the ocean, it was up Malibu Canyon Road to Mulholland Highway for a picture in front of the Rock Store, which was uncharacteristically dead for a Saturday...well, it WAS 6:00 PM when I got there.

Back down to Pacific Coast Highway for some sunset photos, then back inland, arriving home just after dark.

To this point, the bike needed:

• Crank Sensor
• Engine mounts
• Mufflers
• Fuel filter and circlips
• Stator
• Clutch slave rebuild kit
• Replacement lockset
• Ignition switch
• Shifter bracket
• Spotlight bulb
• Highway light switch & wiring
• Four turn signal lenses (cracks from over tightening)
• An assortment of replacement rubber parts (just to freshen her up)

Was it worth it? What do you think?

[wytfut]

Mr. Hotey,
     I just got back in town (working)....
     And read your amazing story here..... You my friend are a wonderful writer.....

     And you own a very nice Jenny!!!!     Many miles my friend!!
Bruce

[Donkey Hotey]

Thanks, Bruce. It was mostly an excuse to share some some pictures of a Jennie. 

I'm going to get busy on 1525 this weekend. It's been in pieces far too long. Marty at Atlantic EH set me up with an intake cam that I've needed for five years (admittedly, wasn't trying hard enough).

[2CoolWheels]

Greg,
   Fantastic story! Thanks for sharing it. Where did you go to pick up 1989?
   My 3000 mile adventure to pick up 901 and attend the X-rally went without a hitch. And 901 only needed a highway lamp when I got her home. Here's a picture of Bruce, Dale (owner of the hotel in LeSueur, MN) and myself in front of the EH building in Belle Plaine.
    And a picture of 901 safely at home with her new room mate 741 in the background.
You live so close, we should try to do some riding together.
   Mike (in Tehachapi)