EarthRoamer XV-JP "Northwest Edition"

[mk216v]

Ummm . . . Jeremy knows a lot more about this sort of thing than I do, but it was my understanding that all Oregon diesel cars and light trucks with a manufacturer's GVWR of 8500 pounds or less have to be emissions tested. I think this is right, as my T1N Sprinters just squeak by with GVWRs of 8550 pounds. (Bad record system though; every two years the DMV's paperwork includes the testing information as a requirement for re-registering, so every two years I send them another Declaration of Exemption.)

Aha Mike, you got me. I didn't think there was a GVWR exemption, but there is;

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/pages/vehicle/emissions.aspx
"In these [METRO] areas, diesel-powered vehicles with a manufacturer's gross weight rating of 8,500 pounds or less must be tested."
Mike, can you imagine an 8500lb JK?

 

[mhiscox]

OPEN HOUSE

Not that you'd want to attend unless you are in the area and have at least some interest in Sprinters, but if you're also a fan of the XV-JP, be sure to stop by and give it a look tomorrow at Northwest SprinterFest. Because of the extensive work done by both Paul Jensen and NWSF sponsor Upscale Automotive, the Jeep will be part of Paul's display in the vendors' area.

If you're in or around the Portland Metro area, stop by and say "hi." We'll be there the length of the event, 10 to 4, and would be pleased to see any and all fellow ExPo'ers.

----

Go here for the NWSF details: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/121567

 

[mhiscox]

Big Brake Kit Installation on the XV-JP

It's been a while since I've done much work on the XV-JP, mostly because there's not too much left I can think of to change/improve. But I did just invest the money to put on the Teraflex Big Brake Kit, so I can tell you about that.

Basically, Teraflex (and a couple of other suppliers) will sell you bigger front rotors and calipers which, physics being what it is, promise to make your truck stop better. You replace the stock parts and that's about all there is to it, though some years of JKs (including my 2007) should have the master cylinder replaced with a Teraflex item that has a 14% bigger bore and helps firm up the peddle compared to keeping the stock unit. All the parts are available from many of the usual off-road suppliers.

As is often their procedure, Teraflex did a video--a two-parter in this case--showing how to do the install:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3_6zIR8ODs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoIbJUd83XQ

These show all of the steps involved, including the master cylinder replacement.

It's not a tricky install, but having a lift makes life a lot simpler. I don't have one, but I was able to cajole my friend Jeremy, who owns one of Portland's most highly-regarded European auto maintenance and modification facilities, into letting the less-than-exotic Wrangler hang out with the Porsches long enough to do the work.

I actually can't say that this was an important modification. I'd never had any problem with the stock JK brakes. But given that my truck weighs about 70% over a stock JK Rubicon, it would seem that there should be some issues with the stock brakes. And I'm sure there might be in certain situations. However, I never got into a situation where I found shortcomings with fade or stopping distance. So this is more of an "optimizing" modification than fixing a current problem.

Jeremy made me some pictures, but I seem to have buried them somewhere in my computer. That said, you've seen one, you've seen 'em all, so these screen grabs from the Teraflex video will work to show my setup . . .

The brake parts:






Here's the stock rotor size:




Here's the new rotor size:




Here's the setup with the caliper:




Pointing to the 14% bigger bore on the replacement master cylinder:




One thing worth noting is that if you do the master cylinder swap, you may need to have some way (probably by making a trip to the friendly Jeep dealer) to get the air out of the ABS pump, which has to be cycled in some mysterious way by an expensive computerized machine.

Given the investment and the effort you're going to anyway, it probably makes sense to replace the brake kines with stainless steel lines. We have them front and rear.

At the end of the second video, Teraflex runs some comparison tests which make the big brake modification seem wonderful:



It'll be great if those are transferable results.

 

[mk216v]

Why thank you kindly sir!! <bow down>

Who's the pretty lady in the pics? I haven't seen her around the premises.

Yes, purging air out of the ABS pump, AND THEN bleeding the brakes a second time(only Jeep would have you do that eh? ) is necessary. If you have a Snap-On Modus it will take care of this first procedure.

Pics en route to you tomorrow for your posting pleasure.

The BBK does provide more initial bite(and certainly the larger rotors act as a larger heat sink if you're doing a Cannonball Run of your favorite trail), so definitely an improved braking experience. Highly recommended for a heavier rig like the mighty XV-JP.

 

[mhiscox]

Jeremy, true to his word, sent a a couple of photos of the front brake transplant from a photo collection better organized than mine.

Little brakes:




Big brakes:

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

That should be a nice upgrade.

 

[Overland Hadley]

I will be interested to hear how much of a change there is in braking power, given the weight of the vehicle.

I just finished ordering upgraded brake components for my Tacoma, at 90k I figure the stock brakes have had a good run. I am staying with the same size, but went with upgraded rotors, pads, and lines. I never had a problem with the stoping power of the stock brakes, but I figure a better anchor never hurts.

 

[mhiscox]

Update on hauling the moto . . .

If you head back to Post #538, you can read about me figuring out whether the XV-JP might work for carrying my souped up Honda XR600R off the back bumper.

At the time, I remarked that everything looked promising, and said that after I got some experience I'd report back and say whether the setup was a keeper.

It's a keeper.

The Joe Hauler carrier has a pretty long tongue; that is, the distance between the track that holds the bike and the open end of the receiver is bigger than you'd think it should be. I'm going to guess that it's that way to allow a bike with a fairing to clear the truck, but it ends up looking pretty silly when my Trail 90 is on it. On the other hand, in what I consider better fortune than I deserve, that's what makes it possible for the XR to completely clear the sizable Pelican case mounted on the rear door.

Regardless, the long tongue makes it seem like the bike should bounce around a lot. But countering that is a mechanism where, by turning a threaded rod, you tighten a wedge inside the receiver to eliminate slop.

It seems to work. There's virtually no play, and this makes for a great ride. When tied down well, you look at it out the back window and it's steady as can be. And the heavy duty rear suspension on the Jeep keeps the bike's weight from levering the rear end up or down.

Also unique to my situation is the fact that the distance the Jeep bumper sits off the ground is high enough that there's no chance of whacking the carrier on normal departures. When attached to lower vehicles (my Astro van, for example), it was pretty easy to scrape the carrier on a modest driveway incline. Not a problem, though, when sitting so high up off the XV-JP bumper. All in all, this has worked out much better than I'd expected, and now it seems entirely practical to haul my bike any time I won't be encountering potential problems from gnarly terrain.

And, if I do say so myself, the combination looks pretty nice. We had some fine weather a couple days ago, and I grabbed this shot of the setup:

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

That looks nice Mike! My only problem when loading my DRZ400SM on the hauler on the back of our camper was my limited height (I'm only 5'5"), so the handlebars were up over my head. This meant I usually had to have Cindy right there because once my hands were up over my head pushing the bike up, if it wanted to tip over, I didnt have nearly as much strength in my arms up that high.

If I was doing it solo, I would pull out a milk crate to step up on and it helped a lot

 

[mhiscox]

That looks nice Mike! My only problem when loading my DRZ400SM on the hauler on the back of our camper was my limited height (I'm only 5'5"), so the handlebars were up over my head.

I'm not actually any better off. Without a helpful pusher, I need to idle the engine and work the clutch to get it up the ramp, since that all that ground clearance I was just bragging on makes one heck of a steep angle. Fortunately, I have just enough height to control the bars and work the clutch. But the angle's all wrong for me to push the weight up.

Hope you guys are doing well down there.

 

[GR8ADV]

Wow that's pretty slick. I would love to see a short video of the loading and unloading.
Of course it goes without saying that the bike would look much better if it were orange.

Thanks mike for not forgetting about us.

Ken

 

[Every Miles A Memory]

Hope you guys are doing well down there.

Life is good in the land of Sunshine and Palm Trees Mike!

 

[mhiscox]

Life is good in the land of Sunshine and Palm Trees Mike!

Yeah, life does look good, don't it? You two should probably be overcome by guilt Real Soon Now. :sombrero:

 

[mhiscox]

Of course it goes without saying that the bike would look much better if it were orange.

If I understand the rules correctly after all of these years, if a motorcycle is orange, people with normal inseams are not allowed to ride on it.

 

[Beamer pilot]

If I understand the rules correctly after all of these years, if a motorcycle is orange, people with normal inseams are not allowed to ride on it.

You could try a GSA 1200...lol
BTW I wish I could get it on a rear bumper rack on the back of my Jeep but no joy due to width and weight. Be popping a wheelie at every stop...