Gwbarm

Good point! Im seeing more of that happening, dont stock, have to order it, i like looking over what im buying.

Yes the T4 diesel 15w40 oil is what i get, but i dont use it in everything, it is rathar thick for modern engines, i usually use it in older air cooled engines with some wear, the thicker oil helps in high heat environments. The T6 is the synthetic version a lot of my associates swear by it, i have never used it. For newer engines with few hrs on them i usually go with mobile ! or if its brand new, stick with the OEM oil for a while, only because it is specifically formulated for those engines and may help with the break in period. I know they say engines dont need to be broke in anymore, but i still baby them for a few hundred miles. Valvoline is another oil that many use that is available at Walmart Mart specifically for motorcycles and ATV, another i havent used but for many its there go to oil. I will try it at some point, the brand is one of the old reputable ones been around for a while and is good oil.

They have nice trailers, good choice!

You could get a cable oiler and try that first , i have saved many cables with a pressure oiler for cables.

Welcome! Lots of good people here with much knowledge to share. Good luck with your project. On a bike of that era i would start with carb and electrical, make sure you have gas and fire and go from there. That engine is very robust and powerful as long as it wasnt badly abused.

Thanks for the information i will have to check them out .

For day trips usually pack a few sandwiches in baggies and ice the little Yeti cooler keeps ice for 72 hrs so not a problem and potatoe chips and gronola bars no problem, the 12v cooler should work, dont keep things excessively cold but does work i have one but rarely use it, used to use it for long car road trips but never really keep drinks cold enough for me. Now i just use insulated travel mugs Yeti, Coleman and Buckees and i think the Coleman keeps ice the longest.

Nice job!

Thats bad news, that should have been noisy running. Thanks for the update!

Rotella T4 is a good oil im using it in many air cooled small engines.

Very nice enclosed trailer.

Did not know what a VW caddy was, googled iit and it looks like a small van, low to the ground should be easy to load, you could attach a winch inside and pull it in, or push it in, should work fine. Not sure if you can ride it in roof looks low.

You have to take the throttle plate off the shaft two small screws dont loose them, then the shaft comes out and you can get to the spring, there are a few other small pieces in there dont drop them they are small and easy to loose also.

Trailers are lower to the ground easier to load and unload, on the other hand just load it in the van and go no hook ups no lighting checks no stress of pulling trailer. , i always wanted to find an old El Camino or Ranchero to haul mine around in, they were lower to the ground and easier to load, but they got to expensive and hard to find. What about a truck, many people haul them in trucks. I do like the van idea covered, no trailer woes, and easy to find a used one reasonable.

I have a set of the high end walkie talkies they cover about 35 miles which covers my needs, i think, the only problem is you have to have someone listening on the other end. Not perfect but it might serve my needs, never have needed to use them.

Noi It would not run if the pickup coil was wrong line up would be wrong. The problem is you are only getting 3 volts out of the CDI , and you are getting the same with both CDIs i dont have a service manual to chase the wiring , but something is wrong there, make sure 12 volts is going in and make sure your CDI ground is good. The problem seems intermittant something electrical is not doing its job all the time. When you were riding it was there any hint of a running problem, poor idle, backfiring etc. or just wouldnt start after 2 days.

Welcome to the forum ! You have replaced everything spark related. I think at this point i would check out the start stop switch a little closer i have seen them cause more problems in the older Big Bears, only getting 3 volts out of the CDI couuld also be a ground issue, check all of your connections and make sure you are getting 12v to CDI. I have also noticed wiring harness issues also on the bears it been a long time since i have worked on a 350 but iknow on the 400s its easy to get misalignment of the pick up coil in fact the last one i worked on previous owner had it on upside down. Probably not much help all i have for now, but im thinking about it. Just wanted you to know we are listening, but this is a tough one. Probably not much help all i have for now, but im thinking about it. Just wanted you to know we are listening, but this is a tough one.

There are several checks i go through on a no spark situation. You have already done the first on my list, correct OHM range on the pickup coil. Te next is check to make sure you are getting voltage to CDI also make sure it has a good ground, check all connections going to CDI from pickup coil. Make sure you are getting 12V to the main coil and it has a good ground. Even though you r OHMs were correct on pickup coil check to make sure its putting out voltage i do that with an analogue meter digital is not sensative enough to catch the miilisecond voltage spike from the coil, unless you have a peak voltage adapter or your meter could possibly have one built in if its expensive enough mine does not so i use the analogue meter. Generally if it passes all these tests then i replace the CDI.

Yes i have run into this before, aftermarket replacements usually involve both gears being replaced and they are not the same size as the OEM ones, but they mate together perfectly and do the job,i ran into this on an old machine recently if that has happened to you i would try to find the OEM gears, both, and replace them. Thats what i did took me a while and one ended up coming from Japan. The measurment would probably be different from an OEM one , if you just need to replace the race you could get the old one out measure it and should be able to find one at a bearing specialty shop.

It sounds like the starter cutout relay a little black box close to the battery, lights light up when the engine is running because it doesnt go through the relay ,power is generated in the engine. Thats why the pull start works generates own power to start the engine.

Welcome! If you can fix cars you can fix this, although modern cars are like rolling computers, the 88 LTF not so much.

Sorry to say i have never had the opportunity to work on one, but it appears to be a vaccum or vent line, see if it might go into the air box, Cant really see from the photo where it comes from. You might try plugging it and see how it runs.

Buckees, interesting place, ever time i go there i say never again, absolutely the busiest place i have ever been, and i go to Disney every year, took me 20 minutes just to get out of the parking lot, right off I 20 close to Alabama, Florida line, so everyone going to Florida or Gulf Shores Al stops there, i always end up going back they have the best brisket sandwiches. I would probably get my non ethanol gas somewhere else.

Beautiful area, looks like some rough riding. Enjoy!

Even sideways your trailer will only be 78inches wide so depending on the distance from wheel to wheel ,you can let the excess which is not much hang over the edge. . If your SXS is 10 ft long that only leave you 2 ft in the back and you are 48 inches wide. Dont see how it will work unless im missing something.