Changing hall sensor 'on the road'

[Welshman]

16mm socket or spanner to undo the pulley.

easy way to undo the pulley is put the spanner or socket on the 16mm pulley nut, turn on the ignition and give the starter button a tap while holding the spanner/ratchet . Result = nut cracked loose.

What I do not understand is why the Merkins in the article lock the flywheel etc to do the change

 

[warmshed]

If you are going to carry a new pick up plate for backup, why not consider taking the two new cheap sensors and a gas powered soldering iron and heat shrink tube instead? The whole lot can be no bigger than the spare plate and those gas soldering irons are worth there weight in gold for all sorts of repairs en route.

 

[MattW]

If you are going to carry a new pick up plate for backup, why not consider taking the two new cheap sensors and a gas powered soldering iron and heat shrink tube instead? The whole lot can be no bigger than the spare plate and those gas soldering irons are worth there weight in gold for all sorts of repairs en route.

I'm with you on the gas soldering iron - I've been meaning to get a decent one for years.

However, changing the actual sensors on the plate isn't a 'side of the road' job - you have to grind off old rivets, buy or make make new ones, drill the plate to accept the rivets you've bought / made and carefully rivet the new sensors onto the plate (in exactly he right position). Then you have to neatly wire / heatshrink it. Definitely a job to do in the comfort of your garage

More details here:
http://advwisdom.hogranch.com/Wisdom/oilhead_hall_sensors.pdf

 

[warmshed]

Yes I agree its not best by the road but quite possible if you really need to. In reality it is quite unlikely to fail. The hall triggers I bought from Farnell already had the hollow rivets needed, a file and screwdriver would be a normal part of the toolkit. I have changed the trigger in a airhead beancan and that is much more difficult, but again if I really needed to, could be repaired en route even though it would take some time.

 

[MattW]

Yes I agree its not best by the road but quite possible if you really need to. In reality it is quite unlikely to fail. The hall triggers I bought from Farnell already had the hollow rivets needed, a file and screwdriver would be a normal part of the toolkit. I have changed the trigger in a airhead beancan and that is much more difficult, but again if I really needed to, could be repaired en route even though it would take some time.

I guess anything is possible given enough time, skill and tools.

I'm going to reburbish my plate (if required) in my garage though

Just made a little led test jobbie for checking the timing when I fit the new plate.

 

[Steptoe]

What I do not understand is why the Merkins in the article lock the flywheel etc to do the change

Because they're Merkins...... have you looked through some of their anal tech articles.

Pages and pages on how to change an oil sight glass = a two minute job requiring one tool.

 

[motobiker]

I never take any spares with me.. why should I need to? I used to worry about breakdowns and the like... when I used to travel in the 80's early 90s on my old Triumphs But not any more. Best advice I've read on THIS forum from a seasoned traveller is.. take a spare alternator belt. Well i don't even do that as the one thats in my bike is only two years old. Had that replaced at the same time as the duff H.E.S. seemed sensible to me.

This year prior to my trip to Slovenia the bike had a full service.. then I added about 1,500 miles in the intervening period. the Night before i set off for the chunnel.. I simply checked the oil level and tyre pressure.

I do take my stopNgo puncture kit and a pump.. that seems sensible. though the thing remains unused. Same applies to the bulb kit. 5 years old and unused.

Next year I'm hoping to make it as far as the Black Sea.. I doubt very much my habit will change for that trip. If anything appears to be dodgy when the bike is serviced beforehand then I'll replace it then.. i won't be taking spares 'on the offchance' I don't 'do' paranoia.

The 'group-think' on this forum seems to be.. take everything... well where does that end? some of the lists of 'essentials' I've seen you would think the rider was heading overland to Shanghai and not just down to the Picos or Dolomites.

Obviously if I were to go outside of Europe I would reconsider.. but even then the list of parts taken would be the absolute bare bones. But I have no desire to go outside of the EU. Time and budget are both limited.

 

[Rob Farmer]

Don't look at this previously posted link then http://advwisdom.hogranch.com/Wisdom/oilhead_hall_sensors.pdf where the author bought the bare sensor for less than US$13.00

I tried to sell a few sensors a while back. Nobody wanted them

Usefull site here for sensor info http://www.ebbo.org/2av54.php

 

[NeilDD]

I tried to sell a few sensors a while back. Nobody wanted them

Usefull site here for sensor info http://www.ebbo.org/2av54.php

Rob,
You're not the only one
I offered to buy a batch whilst in the US next month, and had only one person PM me, whats the point

Neil

 

[MattW]

Sorry guys - I didn't know either of you had offered to buy hall sensors. That said, without a spare plate to fit them to and not wanting to take my bike off the road when the existing sensor works fine, I probably wouldn't have bought any.

Depending on what I find when I remove my old sensor plate, I might decide to refurbish it with new sensors which I'll get from Farnell. At this time, I'll probably offer to buy a few to defer some of the US shipping cost. I guess if people put their hands up then all well and good, if not it won't break my heart and I'll still buy a couple for myself.

I've been toying with the idea of making a whole new plate once I've got a disassembled one to copy- it's only a piece of 16swg steel with a few holes. The problem will be the plug - I've no idea if it's available separately (I'm guessing, probably not)...

Edit: after searching on the part number, it turns out the connector is a tyco part (as is just about everything in the world) no 1-828877-1. This is probably just the housing without the pins. As usual with this type of thing I can find no UK supplier.

 

[Uncle Crumpet]

What I do not understand is why the Merkins in the article lock the flywheel etc to do the change

to clarify for one that's not native to Pudding Island, is a "Merkin" the same as a "Herbert"?? (or am I confusing both with a "Flopping Morton'".)

 

[Wrigsby1]

to clarify for one that's not native to Pudding Island, is a "Merkin" the same as a "Herbert"?? (or am I confusing both with a "Flopping Morton'".)

You might be confused but we are all wondering what an "Uncle Crumpet" is in Aus

 

[MattW]

Done.

2 hours from making a pre-start cup of tea to cleaning my hands afterwards. I did it just using my 'trip' toolkit and the only thing I went in my main toolbox for were some edge cutters to snip a cable tie (not desperate as I always have a knife with me, but I'm going to buy a small pair to keep on the bike). Because I could, I also used a torque wrench to do up the crankshaft pulley, but I'd happily do it by feel if away from home.

I scribed the position of the old plate and fitted the new one in exactly the same position, checking it with a multimeter (and for interest the 'listen for the fuel pump priming' technique) - it needed no adjustment.

The old plate looks superficially fine - I'd have to strip the sleeving to check the wiring, probably buggering it up in the process so I'm going to leave it and keep it as a spare. Interestingly the sensors on the plate are white unlike the black ones you usually see in pictures.

easy way to undo the pulley is put the spanner or socket on the 16mm pulley nut, turn on the ignition and give the starter button a tap while holding the spanner/ratchet . Result = nut cracked loose.

That's a neat trick