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Son of Hidalgo Resurrection

18K views 81 replies 12 participants last post by  bikerbill 
#1 ·
Well, here's the first post in the thread covering the Resurrection of Son of Hidalgo, the 1998 EN500LTD that I purchased from JazzDad as a project for my son Daniel.

Daniel will be 16 years old in 2019 at which time he will be legal, in Texas, to ride this 500cc, 45hp machine. Between now and that time we will be working to make things *perfect* so that his early motorcycling experience will be the best that it can be.

Here is a list of things that have done so far:

04-16-16:
1) The trip home from picking up SoH was quite eventful with rain and tornadoes. Christopher (friend and fellow Ironbutt rider that took me to pick up SoH.) and I missed a tornado by less than 20 miles on the way home. We were watching the weather radar *very* closely for about an hour near Sweetwater, TX.

04-17-16
2) I found that the fuel petcock was plugged on the RES side, probably because of lack of use. I cleaned it and added fresh fuel to the tank. The fuel tank still has lots of gunk floating around so cleaning of the fuel tank will be a priority during the resurrection process.

3) The battery was dead and, according to JazzDad, not expected to live. The battery has taken a charge and seems to be working okay, for now. A new battery will be installed before putting the bike on the road.

4) The alleged 'performance enhancing hole' in the airbox that was covered is really the only place where air can enter the airbox. The problem was that the hole, by itself, lets in too much air. There is supposed to be a 'snorkel' that fits into that hole so that the right amount of air gets through. I installed a 'snorkel' from a parts bike.

5) I did a quick initial inspection of the engine and started it up. No unusual sounds and it revs properly.

04-20-16
After doing some initial carb adjusting we took it around the block. The engine seems to be running good. The carbs still need to be synced.

04-24-16
6) I replaced a few missing screws, bolts, and panels. These include bolts for the headlight bucket, screws and inside panel under the right side cover.

7) Replace terminals on the Ground wire from the starter to the battery terminal. The cable was working well but I wanted it to 'fit' better.

8) Ordered a few maintenance items from ronayers.com. Front fork seals, battery strap and cover, valve cover gasket, coolant tube o-rings, and carb bowl o-rings. These should be in in a couple of weeks. The next installment should be then.
 
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#2 ·
As an aside, Daniel and I were perusing an auto parts store this afternoon and he found a 'piston keyring' similar to the one that has been on Hidalgo's keyring for many, many years. We purchased it and hung it on SoH's key.
 

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#4 ·
Good luck and have fun!

Sounds like a great project for both of you. Have fun while you are at it. One question, about that battery strap you ordered from ron ayers.com. Is there a part number for it. Mine broke last year and I have been looking for that strap for a while. I looked on the site but could not find the part or number. Any help would be appreciated.
 
#5 ·
pjckm,

The strap is listed in the 'Battery Case' section of the parts breakdown as 'BAND,L=142.1 CA'.
Its part number is 92072-006. Current pricing is $5.74.
 
#6 ·
The parts arrived from Ronayers.com yesterday. Wow! Almost a week ahead of schedule, things are right with the world for a change.

Daniel and I checked the valve clearances today. All were a bit on the wide side (wider than spec). I showed Daniel the proper way to use a feeler gauge and a torque wrench. Both 'click style' and 'dial type' torque wrenches.

The next item on the checkup list are the carburetors. Next weekend perhaps?

I have also set up a 'Resurrection Blog' at http://sonofhidalgo.shutterfly.com . It is a work-in-progress but will improve as time goes on.
 
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#7 ·
Today Daniel and I did a quick run thru of the carburetors. I showed him what parts did what job, how to check the float height and its effect on performance, and the different jets/orifices. Sorry, no pics.

Next up are the front forks and seals.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Fork Seals

Daniel and I tackled replacing the fork seals yesterday. Well, mostly yesterday. I had forgotten how much fork oil was needed and did not get enough to complete the task so I had to go back to town and get more. I must remember that it is 507ml *per* fork.

No surprises here other than a bit of difficulty removing the bottom bolts. Since neither had been out before (possibly ever) it took a bit of persuasion with a wooden dowel and an impact driver.

Again, showing Daniel how to use a torque wrench. Also patience in aligning the fender to the forks, in the correct orientation, :), and how to remove windshield mount protective tape residue from a fork tube with GooGone, Carb Cleaner and a scraper. He also got instruction on measuring the fork oil level with a machinist scale. 125mm is the correct spec.

https://sonofhidalgo.shutterfly.com/pictures/31

Next up: Fuel tank cleaning!
 
#12 · (Edited)
Fuel Tank Cleaning-Carb Sync

Today we tackled the fuel tank. It did not have as much debris in it as I had expected. After several sudsy washes and rinses, application of isopropyl alcohol, and a coating of engine oil we reinstalled it and filled it full with fresh fuel. Time will tell if we will need to do more debris/rust removal to the tank.

Also we synchronized the carburetors, set the idle mix and idle speed. Due to constant fouling of the DR9EA spark plugs I had to scrounge up a pair of DR8EA spark plugs from the shed.

I rode it across town (to top off the fuel tank) and checked out overall rideability. So far, so good. I got it up to nearly 70mph and it felt good.

https://sonofhidalgo.shutterfly.com/pictures/39

Next: clean up, tires/tubes, front brake pads.
 
#15 · (Edited)
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#17 ·
What front brake pads are you putting on, and where are you getting them? I need to put new ones on mine.
I used these EBC Brakes FA85HH on Hidalgo the last time I replaced them. Amazon.com. Currently $18/set.
 
#19 ·
Steve,

Those are the correct pads for the Vulcan 500. Both A & C models. I re-verified the info on both my Amazon purchase history and EBC's online catalog, p40. 2014-us-mc-catalog

The vendor on Amazon is moto-haven.
 
#21 ·
I just ran through their Fitment thingy at the top of the screen. It shows to fit the 2008 model but not the 2009. It's probably an error in their database. EBC's catalog says that they'll fit. That's good enough for me. :)
 
#23 · (Edited)
Took SoH out for a short spin today. About 6 miles out I felt the engine surge a bit so I switched the fuel to RES and headed back. The surging continued, got worse, and finally sputtered to a stop a couple of miles later. I checked the fuel cap for POOGS but no 'woosh'. After a 5 minute sit it started up, on full choke, so I continued back home. It sputtered to a stop another mile later. 5 minute sit, another mile. I figured that some junk from the bottom of the tank was being fed to the carbs and it wouldn't get any better so I called my wife to pick me up.

I came back with some fuel, drained the carbs, added the fuel and switched back to ON. It finally started running good so I rode homeward. Wouldn't you know it, another mile down the road and the sputtering began again. I was able to eventually limp back home.

Anyways, I figured the fuel filter was clogging so I replaced it and took it out for another spin tonight. It's running much better. Tomorrow I will try again to see if the new fuel filter is the fix.

Edit: We've put about 15 miles on it today just puttering around town with a few 'dashes' down the highway. No sputtering. I think that I'll change the fuel filter every few tanks until the 'crud' is out of it.

Additional Edit: 60 miles on the highway and FM roads and all is well.
 
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#24 ·
First Road Trip

Daniel and I took SoH on its first road trip this morning. The plan was to ride from Levelland, TX to Clovis, NM to meet a friend, Steve Aikens, and eat breakfast, then return to Levelland. About 180 miles round trip.

*Almost* all went well. The ride to Clovis was terrific. The winds were calm, temps upper 70's, the sun over our right shoulder, and SoH was purring sweetly. Just as we pulled into Clovis I felt the engine surge, suggesting that it was time to switch to RES. But when I switched to RES the surging continued. We slowly rode on to the restaurant to meet with Steve. After the visit I topped the fuel tank then rode across the street to Advance Auto Parts to get a fuel filter. Steve helped find a larger fuel filter that would fit and we installed it. No more surging issues for the rest of the trip.

The return trip did go well. The temps rose to the lower 90's and the winds had picked up and were headwinds. No gusts so riding was somewhat comfortable.

Due to the load, speeds and headwinds fuel economy was around 35mpg.

Here is the Spotwalla track of the trip:

https://spotwalla.com/embed.php?id=113c857652f95ba2ad&scale=on&zoom=default&refresh=no
 

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#28 ·
Bob,

The 'flimsy' saddlebags arrived today! They look great!

The first thing Daniel said, before we even opened the box, was "Finally a set of Not-Ugly saddlebags!" :) He/We like the looks of them and will get them mounted soon.

Again, thanks.
 
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