[Chattanooga_Mark]

+1
I can't help but wonder how much is invested....
Or, "spent". Not really an investment. That's what we tell the wives.

I'm certain it's a great bike. I've never had a "forever" bike. I'm always thinking about the next one....so $ becomes an issue.

My Xroads will always be one of my very best motorcycles I have owned.
My Indian FTR is way up there, but for different reasons. Brute HP.

I never had a 'forever' bike either until I bought my glorious gloss pearl white 2012 CCT new in March of 2013. I knew very early on that if the CCT was the last new bike I'd ever have, I'd be fine with that. Ten years later, I still feel the exact same way about the mighty CCT.

The Hard-Ball is simply more of the same. I bit lighter on its feet without the weight of the fairing and the trunk. It feels amazing on the road. When I replace the clutch and the belt on the CCT, plus perform some other 100K mile maintenance, I won't be under pressure to get it done in one day. Either Victory is, or soon will be, able to go coast to coast without notice and without worry. I can't go coast to coast without notice, but I always want my bikes to be in that condition.

How much did all this cost with the Hard-Ball? A whole lot less than what other beautiful, but much less adorned, Victory bikes are put up for sale for by their sellers. I believe I bought it right at $5,500 and have done a whole lot of upgrades for not a lot of extra money.

 

[Chattanooga_Mark]

I scheduled a bit of time in the garage tonight. I first visited my office Parts Shelf and grabbed my 3 piece set of Lyndall Gold+ brake pads. I didn't know what pads were in the Hard-Ball when I started but I knew they weren't Lyndall Gold+. The rear caliper had oem Nissen pads and the front calipers had EBC HH pads. I never liked the performance of EBC HH pads so I was glad to toss them in the trash can. I don't care that none of the pads were to the wear indicators. I love the performance of the Lyndall Gold+ pads so now all three calipers have them and are good to go for another 40K+ worry free miles.

Tomorrow the fork seals, bushings and oil get changed. Sweet.

The fork seals/bushing kits, the brake pads, heated grips and a few other items all came from my Parts Shelf. It seems parts have increased about 20% since I bought some of these items. I've now depleted a lot of what was earmarked for the CCT at it's 100K mile maintenance celebration event. Thankfully the online seller I use most often has oem items at 20% off MSRP. I'll need that savings as I restock.

 

[notaharley]

I never had a 'forever' bike either until I bought my glorious gloss pearl white 2012 CCT new in March of 2013. I knew very early on that if the CCT was the last new bike I'd ever have, I'd be fine with that. Ten years later, I still feel the exact same way about the mighty CCT.

The Hard-Ball is simply more of the same. I bit lighter on its feet without the weight of the fairing and the trunk. It feels amazing on the road. When I replace the clutch and the belt on the CCT, plus perform some other 100K mile maintenance, I won't be under pressure to get it done in one day. Either Victory is, or soon will be, able to go coast to coast without notice and without worry. I can't go coast to coast without notice, but I always want my bikes to be in that condition.

How much did all this cost with the Hard-Ball? A whole lot less than what other beautiful, but much less adorned, Victory bikes are put up for sale for by their sellers. I believe I bought it right at $5,500 and have done a whole lot of upgrades for not a lot of extra money.

Considering what new motorcycles cost these days....I'm sure you have done well. There's little under $20,000. Crazy.

My son is moving to Chattanooga tomorrow. No final word on his job yet. 3 interviews. Should hear something next week. I need a few days of decent weather and I'll ride down and check it out.

 

[Chattanooga_Mark]

@notaharley, you have my contact information so please pass it onto your son. It would be nice to meet him and give him a bit of insight about how we love the Chattanooga area. We live about 20 miles NE of downtown Chattanooga.

 

[Bikesofbrads]

I never had a 'forever' bike either

Me either until I got my xct, love this bike

 

[Chattanooga_Mark]

Things did not go as planned today. It was dumping fuel out behind the rear cylinder. I’ll remove the seat and tank to have a look this evening. With the key on, there was enough fuel pouring out that there could be a crack or something on the fuel pump nipple. Or maybe the fuel line partially dislodged itself from the fuel pump.

Once I remove the tank, I suspect the culprit will be quick and easy to see. The bike was running fine. I smelled gas, looked down and saw white smoke/vapor coming off the rear head pipe. I quickly pulled off the highway and turned the bike off. The 'wet spot' under the bike is the residual fuel that ran off the engine.

Josh, the flatbed tow truck driver was a real professional. A biker himself he is well prepared and well versed in how to load and secure a motorcycle. It was a pleasure meeting and talking with him on the 45 mile ride back to my house. I've been a AAA RV Plus subscriber for many years. IMHO, it's just good peace of mind for me or my wife when we're out and may need assistance.

 

[MagVic CCT]

So long as there is only vapor and no fire. Glad it got handled quickly and properly. I don't have AAA, but do have Progressive and the tow/haul ins. Used it at least three times and no issues each time. As a locksmith I know something about AAA that makes me hesitant to use them.

 

[Chattanooga_Mark]

It seems the fuel line connection to the fuel pump came loose. The connection to the fuel rail was nice and tight. I removed the fuel line at the rail and lifted the tank off with the fuel line attached. When I checked the fuel line connection at the pump with the tank on the work bench, it clearly wasn't fully seated.

The fuel pump nipple was 100% intact and showed no signs of an issue.

I got all the gas residue cleaned off the engine, side covers and saddlebags etc. When I reinstalled the fuel line to the fuel pump on the bench, I clearly heard that familiar 'snap' as it went into the fully seated position. It could rotate but there's no way it could be pulled off or come loose on its own. Its a bear to remove when fully depressing the tabs on the connection. Same as when I reconnected the fuel line at the fuel rail. I could clearly hear that distinctive 'snap'. The fuel line and the fuel pump are both original so for now, I'll chalk todays leaking gas scenario up to the connection at the pump not being fully seated.

Things certainly could have been a lot worse today.

 

[Bikesofbrads]

For a “bad thing” to happen it went as well as it possibly could, is nice when it works out that way. Happy to hear was a simple fix but now comes the fun hindsight part of getting to bust the balls of the last person who had removed the gas tank & didn’t make sure the connection was fully made by hearing the reassuring “click”, hmmm, who had it off last? I remember, do you? 😂. Stuff happens to us all, we take turns

 

[MagVic CCT]

Don't bust em.....just dip em in gasoline.

 

[Chattanooga_Mark]

I ran a tank of gas through the Hard-Ball today. This bike continues to be an absolute joy to ride. It was a bit cold so the CCT heated seat and the CCT heated grips were again, a very welcome upgrade. The old saying of 'Buy Once Cry Once' is really true with these kinds of things.

Thankfully, everything went as it should. Meaning no speeding tickets and no gas anywhere outside of the fuel line and the associated components. Yea, hearing that reassuring "click' when reconnecting the fuel line ends is a step not to be guessed at.

I find it easier to remove the tank with the fuel hose connected which means disconnecting it at the fuel rail. That's how I've done it all but 1 time. I was watching a Vic Shop video and Rylan removed the tank after disconnecting the fuel hose at the pump. He even made a comment that you need a 'Kung Foo' grip to get the hose off the fuel nipple.

A couple nights ago I went back to the Witchdoctor's recommendation of disconnecting/connecting the fuel hose at the fuel rail. For me, it's much easier to do it this way as well as being easier to ensure both ends are properly secured. Securing the fuel hose to the tank with the tank on the workbench is easier for me.

Next up, still, is to get the fork seals replaced. That may have to wait a bit as my work and travel schedule is quite busy.

 

[Chattanooga_Mark]

Yesterday I received one of the ‘dress up’ items I like for the 106” motor. A set of the cam chain tensioner nut covers. The ones I like best were designed and made by Rick Fairless from Stroker’s Dallas. Rick designed and then supplied a bunch of accessories to Polaris as well as participated on many of the Polaris Victory design teams. One of my favorite accessory collections is the Shadow Collection. I have the chrome Shadow cam nut covers, derby cover, cam box cover and the exhaust tips on my CCT.

For the Hard-Ball I installed the black Shadow collection cam nut covers. I think they look great.

I have a Marine Corps EG&A derby cover on order from Vic Baggers as I couldn’t find a good set of black Shadow Collection covers.

 

[arkvic]

Things did go as planned today. It was dumping fuel out behind the rear cylinder. I’ll remove the seat and tank to have a look this evening. With the key on, there was enough fuel pouring out that there could be a crack or something on the fuel pump nipple. Or maybe the fuel line partially dislodged itself from the fuel pump.

Once I remove the tank, I suspect the culprit will be quick and easy to see. The bike was running fine. I smelled gas, looked down and saw white smoke/vapor coming off the rear head pipe. I quickly pulled off the highway and turned the bike off. The 'wet spot' under the bike is the residual fuel that ran off the engine.

Josh, the flatbed tow truck driver was a real professional. A biker himself he is well prepared and well versed in how to load and secure a motorcycle. It was a pleasure meeting and talking with him on the 45 mile ride back to my house. I've been a AAA RV Plus subscriber for many years. IMHO, it's just good peace of mind for me or my wife when we're out and may need assistance.

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thats a lotta gas.