Igofar Reviews

I called him on the white phone today about an FI code. We had LOTS to talk about concerning the bike from brakes, oil, fuel, reseting the code, Marvel mystery oil, seafoam, and on and on. He has more knowledge than anyone I've met at any dealership or mechanic shop. He is legit. No doubt about it. Believe the hype; he's the real deal! Thanks Larry.
 
Well, it is official, I may be hundreds of miles away but I have become ensnared in Larry's web! I don't plan on fighting it either!

This morning I had the ST1300 on the center stand plugging a flat rear tire (I know, I know, stop spitting your beer on the floor.) when I noticed the rear brake dragging pretty well. I believe I said "oh darn" or words to that effect.

I went online, read several articles about rear brakes and SMCs, and then went back to the garage. Yup, everything didn't work just like the articles said. It all pointed to the SMC being toast.

So, like anybody who wants to be sure, I wrote a note to Larry explaing what I had done. Fairly quickly a reply arrived - but alas, he was in the desert changing a tire for some other poor soul and would call me later.

Later arrived. After exchanging pleasantries and pretty much telling me everything pointed to the SMC and ahem, my poor maintenance (that part was not said out loud but even I could understand it) he asked me to go to the garage. As soon as I walked up to the bike he pretty much told me the front forks were out of alignment and to do a and b to check .. they were! "That's something for later" was the response.
After poking this and wriggling that and reporting the results - the conclusion is the SMC is bad, real bad.
I now have to get online and get some parts ordered ..

We will now pause to wait for FEDEX, UPS, or Pony Express .....
 
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Earlier in the spring, Ron Ayers was the only supplier that would let me place an order for a new SMC; others were out of stock and would only accept requests for notification when available. It still took over eight weeks to arrive. I hope your experience is better. Good luck!
 
kscssmith said:
I met Larry last year on a RTE when he took my bike hostage and bled my breaks and clutch. I very pleased with Larry's knowledge and level of care for bike and me.
So a few weeks ago I called Larry and asked his advice on how to change the fork seals. Larry told me what parts to order and invited me come to his house and he would repair them for a really good price. I live near Yosemite, so its a 3 hour drive for me to get to Larry's place. Due to my lack of confidence in local shops I decided to take the drive.

I showed up a Larry's place at 9am on a Sunday and Larry informed me "Now that I have your bike..." and preceded to list off many more projects he wanted to do . I said, well I didn't plan on extra charges. Larry told me that this was already in the original estimate.
So I not only got my fork seals done, but I got my throttles timed, my coolant flushed, thermostat changed, hose clamps changed, mystery plug sealed, oil changed, gear oil changed, axles greased, clutch and breaks bled, windshield tracks cleaned and greased, throttle cables lubed, and washed and waxed every inch. (Please forgive me Larry if I forgot anything) no my bike handles better, responds instantly, stops on a dime, (and gives change) and now I don't have as much heat coming up from under tank and seat.

So all in all, if anyone is in the market for a fantastic mechanic that has does above and beyond level of workmanship please look up Igofar.
Thank you Larry for all you did for me and my bike. I am very happy with all of it. It was worth the drive both times.
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Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
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He really needs to move to SW Colorado, I could a guy like this!!
 
STRider said:
Earlier in the spring, Ron Ayers was the only supplier that would let me place an order for a new SMC; others were out of stock and would only accept requests for notification when available. It still took over eight weeks to arrive. I hope your experience is better. Good luck!
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That’s strange, I’ve ordered half a dozen of them in the past few months and it never took longer than 10 days.
 
Igofar said:
That’s strange, I’ve ordered half a dozen of them in the past few months and it never took longer than 10 days.
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Timing... Fortunately my SMC was malfunctioning in a benign way so it wasn't urgent for me.
 
Well, here's yet another positive experience with Larry aka Igofar. My clutch slave cylinder recently went out, so naturally I gave Larry a call for some insight. He answered right away but told me he was busy and would have to call me back later, which he did. I had started removing the old cylinder when he called back and he went through the whole process. Of course he gave me a shopping list and where to buy the parts. A week has passed and I finally got a chance to get back into it. I finished the job by noon and was ready to start the bleeding process. I called Larry again to get some advice and he politely obliged. He even called me later to see how it turned out. Thank you, Larry! Your selfless acts are very much appreciated and will never be forgotten. Jevers
 
I posted a question to the forum about maintenance and service to undertake with the wheels off the bike. This was preparatory in nature as I'm looking to get the wheels to the shop in the next month or so. Sensei Larry (aka Igofar) offered to speak to me via the White Courtesy phone. I sent Larry a message and the next day he took a couple hours out of his Sunday to walk me (over the phone) around my ST1300 and gave me some advice and things to look for when the wheels are off. He sent photos and videos of how things should look and act which was very helpful. I even got a video on how to properly install the rubber boot on the clutch lever piston. Lastly, Larry asked that I keep him posted on my progress and ping him again with any questions. I would describe my level of bike maintenance expertise as "just enough to be dangerous;" with Igofar's and this forum's guidance I hope to be less (more?) so. Thanks again Larry!
 
sah48 said:
Well, it is official, I may be hundreds of miles away but I have become ensnared in Larry's web! I don't plan on fighting it either!

This morning I had the ST1300 on the center stand plugging a flat rear tire (I know, I know, stop spitting your beer on the floor.) when I noticed the rear brake dragging pretty well. I believe I said "oh darn" or words to that effect.

I went online, read several articles about rear brakes and SMCs, and then went back to the garage. Yup, everything didn't work just like the articles said. It all pointed to the SMC being toast.

So, like anybody who wants to be sure, I wrote a note to Larry explaing what I had done. Fairly quickly a reply arrived - but alas, he was in the desert changing a tire for some other poor soul and would call me later.

Later arrived. After exchanging pleasantries and pretty much telling me everything pointed to the SMC and ahem, my poor maintenance (that part was not said out loud but even I could understand it) he asked me to go to the garage. As soon as I walked up to the bike he pretty much told me the front forks were out of alignment and to do a and b to check .. they were! "That's something for later" was the response.
After poking this and wriggling that and reporting the results - the conclusion is the SMC is bad, real bad.
I now have to get online and get some parts ordered ..

We will now pause to wait for FEDEX, UPS, or Pony Express .....
Click to expand...

TO CONTINUE THE SAGA ....
Boxes, bundles and envelopes arrived, were opened and sorted. (except for one box addressed to my neighbor - that one was delivered to her posthaste)
After a couple evenings (on my side-the 3 hour time difference was interesting) covering about 5 hours he had me remove the failed SMC, replace it and all the pads, then do the full brake bleed, in between talks with Larry I did the preload adjuster and a a couple other things I knew needed doing but I hadn't gotten to yet.
I finally buttoned it back up this afternoon and went for a spin to test my .. errr.. our work. What a difference !!! The brakes definitely had more bite so the first few stops were a little more aggressive than I usually do!! What I really noticed was the lack of drag. I hadn't realized how much the failed SMC had been causing the rear brake to drag. I now actually need to brake when coming to a stop. What I thought before was coasting to a stop was actually the rear brake! I suspect my gas mileage is going to improve significantly.
I was a bit hesitant about digging into this thing but Larry made it easy. Now that I have some confidence I'll ride the top tank dry so I can pull it and the airbox to see what is interesting that might be hiding in the area. Who knows, maybe I'll even check those splines on the rear wheel everyone is talking about! Now I am scaring myself!

Anyway- another satisfied white courtesy phone customer!! Many thanks Larry "Igofar".
 
Here is a another post from the "Igofar fan club"!

I sent off a private message to Larry asking about my SMC and brake system. I received a call back within an hour, (wow, didn't expect that!), and like many have described, I was off on the Igofar quest for brake perfection! :)

Larry is patient, knowledgeable and very willing to help out. I received several phone calls checking on my progress.

Thanks, Igofar!!!
 
Well following the maintenance list and the additional items Larry (igofar) posted. I’m finally back on the road after purchasing my 04 last year.
Immediately noticed that my idle was not as smooth as it could have been during the starter valve sync, #4 cylinder idle bounced a a little more than the others but idle was fine after the sync.
Warmup was good, 3 bars pretty quickly but the heat output was a concern for me because my right foot was noticeably warmer than left, checking my EGT’s with my IR temp gun, the #4 cylinder was over 100F higher than the other 3 cylinders at idle. I had my plan all together (used to automotive service) but decided to get a second opinion and reached out to igofar via PM.
He responded almost immediately!! Good thing I reached out. He gave me suggestions I would not have even thought of.
He suggested cleaning the reed valves, check the coil pack mounting screws for corrosion and MMO in the snake bite holes to smooth out #4.
I cleaned my reed valves early on the process last year but I remembered that they were still sticky with residue. Used a different cleaner (intake cleaner) and got 3 of the 4 spotless but #4 was stuck open and still very dirty after soaking/scraping and stuck open so I’ll replace it.
He called me out of the blue a couple of days later to check on my progress and to see how it was going. How cool is that?
I still have to put MMO in the snake bite hole and clean the coil mounting bolts but I’m sure that this will correct my issues.
He is very knowledgable and a great resource. He also gave me other things to check and tips to enhance my ownership experience. I should have contacted him immediately after the starter valve sync and I would not be removing my tupperware or raising my gas tank for the nth time.. ..

i can say he is great resource, wealth of knowledge, great teacher and willing to share the info that he has acquired over the years! I look forward to learning and passing along any data I receive.
I’ve already been telling my biker friends about cleaning their rotor bushings!

Thank you again igofar for sharing your knowledge and experiences with us!
 
Another satisfied customer!

Hopefully that’s the last time I remove the Tupperware until next maintenance interval!
Sent Larry (igofar) a PM and he told me to call him, so I did.

Bike ran really good but the ocd in me would not leave it alone. I didn’t like the startup idle hesitation, #4 cylinder EGT runs 100F hotter than the other 3 cyl at idle and the idle just wasn’t as smooth as I knew it could be (starter valve sync was done a couple of weeks ago).

Off came the Tupperware, airbox, etc. He told me to check my ground bolts on my coils, #4 spark plug wire, reed valves and also clean the pistons for the starter valve adjustment with MMO.,
2/4 coil mounting ears and tabs were sure enough rusted and showed signs of corrosion.

I trimmed the unused tab from the dark plug cover to ease removal and installation as recommended.
Cleaned the reed valves with intake manifold cleaner (I had cleaned them last Aug as well as I could but used brake cleaner and they still had some sticky residue on them. Intake manifold cleaned up all but #4, had to soak it a couple of times and brush it to get it clean. Then I tackled the rust/corrosion on the coil mounting tabs (cleaned both), removed air filter and airbox. 2 semi-stripped heads on my brand new screws .
Remove the tank and apply penetrating oil to the screws and heated them up slightly with my heat gun, per Larry. Then remembered one of my JIS screwdrivers was impact so a couple of whacks and both screws were out.
Warmed the bike up, proceeded with the MMO cleaning, got a small amount of smoke from all the cylinders mainly 3 and 4 which were very slightly not smooth during the initial starter valve sync. The throttle response was much more consistent and it revved so quickly after the initial cleaning that I was hitting the rev limiter and didn’t realize it initially.
I came back the following day to perform another starter valve sync after the MMO cleaning and rods in my Morgan carb tune were much more stable during the adjustments this time.
Went from semi rough idle to smooth as silk in about 5 minutes. I definitely notice a difference in the smoothness of the idle as well as snappier throttle response throughout the rpm range.
The #4 looks like a lean condition so either an air leak, not enough fuel (clogged injector) or exhaust valve(s) not fully closing. This will be part of my winter project list. Technically you should checked the EGT under load so not too concerned about it at the moment. I’ll be replacing the spark plug boot as well.

If you haven’t picked up the white courtesy phone then you are doing yourself an injustice! He is very knowledgeable, patient and doesn’t mind sharing his knowledge.
If you follow his instructions you will have a safer, better running bike!
 
RiderRon said:
Another satisfied customer!
Off came the Tupperware, airbox, etc. He told me to check my ground bolts on my coils, #4 spark plug wire, reed valves and also clean the pistons for the starter valve adjustment with MMO.,
2/4 coil mounting ears and tabs were sure enough rusted and showed signs of corrosion.
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Do you just put a few drops in the air holes and work the valves, or do you have to disassemble first then clean?
 
Neither, you perform this operation with a fully warmed engine and bike running. I used a condiment bottle that I use as an oiler. A needle oiler would be perfect.

You should PM igofar as he walked me through the procedure and is the SME on the procedure and you will learn a lot about your bike in a short period and lots of other interesting facts as well! I know what snakes to steer clear of if ever out in that area!
I know I just completed this a few short days ago but I work on a lot of equipment and don’t want to give you bad info, miss a step or don’t give you all the info.
Thanks!
 
Just a follow up to post #476 above.

I checked my EGT with a Heise gauge that has a temp module and contact wire after trying to correct a self induced fault that I created…. “DO NOT DUMP HALF A BOTTLE OF SEAFOAM IN YOUR GAS TANK” no matter how dirty your intake valves look!! I am happy to report all cylinders were within 25F of each other, so no problem there. The IR thermometer was picking up stray heat from somewhere when I measured #4 header pipe. I could feel the heat swirling around #4 area whenever the fan kicked on.

Contacted white courtesy phone once again and was not disappointed! I received a few helpful and insightful tips.
His patience and teaching ability are impeccable!
 
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