Bulbs are a success, I was camped out for 3 days, often leaving the doors open and thus the lights on, without any noticeable loss in starting battery voltage.
Bulbs are a success, I was camped out for 3 days, often leaving the doors open and thus the lights on, without any noticeable loss in starting battery voltage.
I sold both bench seats today to a family for $200. That more than makes up for the $150 I spent on the Flexsteel spinners. I'm happy with that.
I carefully positioned the plywood, crawled underneath the van and made some marks on the through 4 of the threaded holes for mounting the bench seats. Drilled holes, went to bolt the plywood down, bolts too short. Ran to the hardware store and got longer bolts and huge fender washers.
While I was there I also got hardware for mounting the bike shoes as one didn't include any hardware and I'm going with a slightly different method. I got some threaded nutserts with big teeth that pull into the plywood and stay there. That way I can easily remove and install the bike shoes. I rolled my XR650R into the van and marked where I thought the shoes should go. Unbolted the plywood and drilled and mounted the shoes.
Bolted the plywood down.
Rolled my XR650R into its spot in the van, cranked down the bike shoe...POP!
First time I put tension on this POS and a major pivot point comes loose. It looks like it's just a giant rivet, no retaining ring or anything. It sort of presses back together, but not all the way. Even if it did, uuuhhhh, how long will it hold? Summit Racing will be getting a call from me first thing. I'm going on a major trip to the Alvord Desert next Thursday. They're going to have to overnight me a new one for me to be able to get it in time. I'm pissed. I move the big XR to the other shoe. It clamps down ok but I'm questioning whether I should have put that one at an angle. When I kick the back wheel to the side it really leans over and doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy. The van just isn't wide enough for handle bars that big.
Good news is that the traction grooves do their job nicely, I can roll the bike out slowly and controlled using the front brake.
Packing up for a 5 day moto trip to the Alvord Desert dry lake bed. Trying to conserve floor space by mounting things up high.
Shovel mount
High pressure air for my Tubliss system on the XR650R
I used my favorite method of making holes in plastic, an awl heated with my propane torch.
Made a sound deadening pad since this was going to sit on the base for the handrail unevenly.
Making use of a sheltered space.
Pretty good fit. Also, notice the piece of traction tape I laid down on the top of the bumper. There's not much bumper to step on, but it was slick if you did step on it. It's still not really a step but much less hazardous.
Temporary winch install. I didn't have time for the quick connects or to chop a piece of aluminum to mount the relay box thing, I forgot what it's called. I made it out of scrap wood instead, and threw a coat of black paint on so it didn't look too ghetto.
Rewinding the line on it. With the van in neutral and parking brake lightly set, I had the perfect amount of resistance to wind the line on tightly. I unwound it to install a rubber isolator on the line. I made it from a chunk of heater hose. It's temporary also.
I ran the pos and neg cables inside a piece of bicycle inner tube to protect them from chafing. The scrap I had was the perfect length. Bonus points for the patch.
Stopped by a friend's house for some firewood. Don't worry, I laid down a tarp to protect the Honda Wing I painted on the floor.
you're out west, right? In New England, it's almost a damn felony to transport firewood across state lines... It's actually ridiculous. We're talking 'Firewood checkpoints on the interstate' levels of absurdity. Just wondering if that's a regional thing or if you fight the same issues and just say 'berkeley it'?
Nice Van. I've got a 300XCW that I run. It's really the perfect New England bike, since the trails are so tight around here.
In reply to golfduke:
They say, "Buy it where you burn it." However, where I'm going there's not much that can be called civilization. I'm not crossing a state line either. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvord_Desert
Question- do you run straps to the rear when transporting bikes, or are you trusting the "shoes" to stop them? One thing that has always scared me about transporting bikes in a van is the possibility of them bouncing around the interior in a crash. I was rear-ended with a motorcycle trailer once and the only thing that kept the bikes from rolling off the front was the rear straps- the wheel chocks folded up immediately.
In reply to ¯_(ツ)_/¯:
Yes. I used the rear most E-Track and ran a strap to each footpeg in the center. I also ran one strap from each handlebar down to a lower seatbelt mounting point. I'm not sure how hard I could impact before the let loose. A heavy duty cargo net isolating me from all the E36 M3 back there is on the list of things to do in case of a rollover.
I thought I'd add re vans and crashes - it's not just rollovers you should worry about. I was driving my dad's mid 90s chevy conversion van when a kid pulled out in front of us across a state road. I was traveling 60 mph or so when I saw him pull out, may have gotten slowed to 30-40 mph when we hit and punted him. We then veered to the right and plowed right into the corner guard rail, turning it inside out about the length of the van before we stopped. I know the rear wheels came off of the road when we came to a stop. An instant later, I heard a loud crunch. It took me a while after getting out of the van to realize that the crunch was a full can of fix a flat that came out from a rear compartment, flew through the center of the cabin and embedded itself in the middle of the windshield. Until that moment, I never thought too much about cargo in an accident. That can would have done some serious damage or worse had it hit one of us in the back of the head. I now try to make sure stuff that could be a bad projectile is in the trunk of the car or a box or something like that in our SUV, rather than loose. I also crate my dog in the SUV for that reason.
In reply to klb67:
I can only imagine how bad it would have been with my van loaded like this:
I tried to keep stuff secured so it didn't damage itself or each other under normal driving, but without a cargo net I really have no good catastrophic plan.
Anyway, more van porn.
This was the pile of firewood I had on the floor.
Sparse dining on the first night, plenty of drinking.
Epic moto riding
Tall van makes a good sunblock mid afternoon
My afternoon beer slaying chair.
The next morning with a wounded foot. Don't ride in flip flops after midnight.
Did some damage initially loading up the bike back at home
Action packed, that's my tandem kayak. The front wedges into the helmet shelf, the middle rests on the handlebars of my MTB, and the rear had a strap to the roll cage.
Finally got my vent visors installed. First set was broken in shipping due to poor packaging. Second set survived, but I went to Alaska to fight fire as soon as I mounted them so I'm not sure how well they work yet.
Vent visors are great for keeping the heat down when parked. Combined with the big side window on the driver side, it's ok. I bought a big roll of Reflectix to cut out window shades, I just haven't done it yet. That should help with summertime and wintertime parking. I'd love a nice remote control Maxxair fan that can be used while driving and in the rain. I drove it up a pretty steep and rutted dirt hill the other day after riding my dirtbike. It made it, but I can see myself spinning and losing momentum due to the minimal amount of articulation available. A locker is definitely in order. I just signed up to be a pit crew member for Mag7 at this year's Baja 1000, which is 2 months away. I'm going to formulate a list of things to do to prepare in order of importance.
That's all I can come up with for now. Here are recent photos of the Motovan doing its job.
Seatbelts have to go
Unloading my airplane after a couple weeks on the road fighting fire
How did I miss the Cub? I want it. 
Glad the stickers found you.
mazdeuce wrote: How did I miss the Cub? I want it.
When I was 7 years old I thought the Cub EZ90 was the coolest bike ever and I had to have one. I didn't get one until I was 30. It's still the coolest thing ever and I'm taking it to Baja for shenanigans.
mazdeuce wrote: How did I miss the Cub? I want it.
Can you believe the Motovan didn't even get to help out when I bought the Cub?
Very interested in seeing where your suspension goes. Im trying to figure out what to do on my e350 right now.
Trying to find one of these is proving difficult....
Trying to decide on cushy 2WD with a locker, or 4WD. One is affordable and easy to install, one is way over budget and invasive to install. Something must be done, it feels like I only have 3" of suspension travel up front. The rear seems fine. All 4 shocks should be replaced, the front springs are probably sagging. I'd love to go with big tires and a 6" lift, but that would make the loading height pretty tall. Sometimes pushing that big XR650R up the ramp is tough enough already. Not too mention the aerodynamics and gas mileage. I stuck with the stock tire size for these reasons. I'm thinking of just lifting the front and putting on quality Fox Shocks all around. If I need an add a leaf in the rear I can put that on later.
In reply to java230:
So how does that suspension work? From what I can see, the axle is bolted to a bracket that is bolted directly to the frame. Unless that is a bump stop bracket and I can't see the separation line in the small picture.
Petrolburner wrote: Trying to decide on cushy 2WD with a locker, or 4WD. One is affordable and easy to install, one is way over budget and invasive to install. Something must be done, it feels like I only have 3" of suspension travel up front. The rear seems fine. All 4 shocks should be replaced, the front springs are probably sagging. I'd love to go with big tires and a 6" lift, but that would make the loading height pretty tall. Sometimes pushing that big XR650R up the ramp is tough enough already. Not too mention the aerodynamics and gas mileage. I stuck with the stock tire size for these reasons. I'm thinking of just lifting the front and putting on quality Fox Shocks all around. If I need an add a leaf in the rear I can put that on later.
I think 2wd with a locker is the best bet unless you need 4x4. The Ujoint kits are SO nice....
In reply to CGLockRacer:
I think its a bump stop and side to side travel limiter. The springs are really only attached at the front perch. No panhard to locate the axle well.
I rarely needed 4WD in my Tundra, but I took a lot more chances going places in 2WD because I had the 4WD safety net. Momentum is key most of the time, and better suspension will allow me to carry more momentum with the van. Hauling a camper trailer and the inability to back up if I can't make it through forwards is one concern, the other is handling in snow and ice without the front wheels to help pull in the right direction. I honestly can't afford 4WD in the van, so the real question is should I just put 4 new shocks on or pay to have more travel up front.
http://www.weldtec-designs.com/product/1986-2015-ford-e-series-vans-performance-leveling-kit/
or
http://www.weldtec-designs.com/product/1986-2015-ford-e-series-vans-stage-1-lift-ocotillo-cruiser/
or
http://www.weldtec-designs.com/product/1986-2015-ford-e-series-vans-stage-2-lift-baja-grocery-getter/
Really depends on what you want to do tire size wise. I'd be looking at the first setup with the Fox upgrade myself. It says 'more' caster, how much? I know that going from 1.5 degrees stock to 5.5 degrees with Camburg arms on my truck was well worth it. Better driving dynamics and better tire wear.
I ordered the stage 1 kit with 4 Fox Shocks. I didn't want to mess with welding a new perch for the longer radius arms. I'll have better/longer springs, modified I beams and radius arms, plus much better shocks. Should be good for pounding down the washboard, railroad tracks and uneven pavement. I didn't want to go too high since I'm not planning on getting larger tires. I also didn't want to lift the rear end if I can avoid it. I may get better, more progressive leaf springs for the rear though. Better quality travel with plusher springs and better damping with the Fox Shocks.
Oh very good. Im still trying to figure out my spring situation....
You'll need to log in to post.
