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My first attempt with beer brats was last week. Recipe said to cover and simmer. They came out boiled and not good. So my own take this week is to just slowly add beer and deglaze the pan and let them crisp up on the skin. First round went well! Now for that onion jam gravy at the end. FYI this is also how I’d like to cook on an MC trip.

I use Walmart carb cleaner for situations like this. It makes an excellent degreaser. Outside and away from sparks.

It looks to me like the leak is farther forward. The problem with these types of leak is the oil can be coming from anywhere and being blown back. Probably best thing to do is get some black light type fluid (ultraviolet)for tracing oil leaks and put it in oil. Clean off as much off the underside as possible. Maybe gently lay bike down on side and pressure wash bottom only! Maybe. Pressure washers and bikes don't get along so be careful. Run engine for a few then use a black light to look for the greenish tint fluid that will show up under a black light. That would be where the fresh oil is leaking. I bought a small black light from ACE a while back for a few bux. They were near the cash register. Cheap.

You are correct about the trailer. We don't use it a lot and by that I mean maybe 3 times a year for relatively short rides...2 - 300 miles. This was the first long haul with it (approx 1200 miles), and it was pretty much 3 days of steady riding. ( Old Fart Tour) Broad strokes...Winnipeg, MB to Kenora, ON, then down to International Falls, MN, south and east to Ely, MN, down to Lake Superior then West from Duluth to Grand Forks, ND and home to Winnipeg. A lot of that was in moderate hilly country and I don't generally cruise any quicker than 65 mph. The VMax rear puts the engine at 3500rpm, which seems to be a happy spot for the motor. All that to say this...The bike seemed to be working fine considering the all-in weight. I had some concerns about pulling a trailer before getting one, and thought I was moving in the right direction by going with that VMax rear after reading a few posts from members who had gone that route. As for "stirring the pot" 🙂..the one oddity I noticed when I got the bike up on my scissor jack.(besides that whole bearing thing) was there had been oil seeping out at the joint of the gear pumpkin and the drive shaft tube (those 4 acorn nuts). It wasn't dripping, more like oozing out then carried toward the rear by the wind. Not a lot of oil, but enough to catch dirt. Definitely a first. Wrapping up here, for now...I know a guy who has a wrecked 2nd Gen (unsure of year but I think it's newer than mine). The bike was written off after a front-end hit. Everything from the handlebars forward was damaged, but everything aft is good. If memory serves I think the rad was untouched, which to me suggests no engine damage other than the sudden stop. He says he will sell me the engine. As of this post, I have not been to see him to determine a price, or for that matter to confirm the motor does indeed run. Something I have to get my head around, since I don't have the ability or shop space to pull and disassemble a motor. This whole riding thing is fun tho...right?

Just heard from Dray that a former member, Charlie E-Fishin-C from Canada passed away this morning. I’ll post some details later on as I get them. RIP Charlie 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻