|
Bucephalus posted:It's made that way, so the pinch-bolt will fit no matter where the lever is aligned on the shaft. Have no fear. It was overfull, and last night when I checked it, it had drained right down to the full line, but I just went out and checked again, and it continued to leak all night and now appears to be completely out of oil, and it's still draining off that exhaust joint. Edit: I turned it on and checked again. It's at about half, but it's definitely leaking at a pretty good rate. orthod0ks fucked around with this message at 22:41 on May 21, 2009 |
#
?
May 21, 2009 22:37
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 16, 2024 18:33 |
|
|
I let my bike sit over winter and the battery was dead, obviously, so when spring came I got a new one and swapped it in and everything was cool... I store it in my moms garage and I'd go and start it every weekend... I missed a few weeks and now the new one is dead too... I know it's not good to let the batteries fully die, do I have to replace this one too or should it still hold a charge? How much riding would I need to get it to start properly (been jumping it to try and charge it)? It hasn't been dead for months like the last one - does that even matter? fyi, I didn't start riding it daily once I swapped the new battery in for living arrangement and financial reasons
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 00:27
|
|
|
Colawa posted:I let my bike sit over winter and the battery was dead, obviously, so when spring came I got a new one and swapped it in and everything was cool... I store it in my moms garage and I'd go and start it every weekend... I missed a few weeks and now the new one is dead too... I know it's not good to let the batteries fully die, do I have to replace this one too or should it still hold a charge? How much riding would I need to get it to start properly (been jumping it to try and charge it)? It hasn't been dead for months like the last one - does that even matter? If the bike is going to be sitting for long periods of time, I'd recommend getting a cheap battery charger. You can get one for $10-15. Every 2 weeks, you can top off the battery. Your battery should still hold a charge, if it hasn't been sitting around discharged for long.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 01:34
|
|
|
orthod0ks posted:It was overfull, and last night when I checked it, it had drained right down to the full line, but I just went out and checked again, and it continued to leak all night and now appears to be completely out of oil, and it's still draining off that exhaust joint. New development - it seems that at about 1/2 oil capacity, the bike has completely stopped leaking oil. What the hell is going on with this thing? On a side note, I worked up the balls to ride to the gas station today! Yes, this is my first time riding, and yes I'm still scared (getting hurt, less... stalling in public and embarrassing myself, definitely, which I managed today).
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 02:30
|
|
|
Waaaaaiiiiiit a minute...the engine is leaking oil, and its dripping onto the exhaust at the joint, then getting blown out the muffler? Is that what's happening here? You've got a bad shifter or countershaft seal, and the whole oil-out-the-exhaust thing was just a red herring?
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 02:58
|
|
|
Bucephalus posted:Waaaaaiiiiiit a minute...the engine is leaking oil, and its dripping onto the exhaust at the joint, then getting blown out the muffler? Is that what's happening here? You've got a bad shifter or countershaft seal, and the whole oil-out-the-exhaust thing was just a red herring? I'm not seeing any oil on top of the exhaust joint, so I don't think it's coming from there. It still seems to me that it's coming out the exhaust, running back up the bottom to the joint, and dripping there. Though, like I said before, I did see some spraying from that joint area. I don't know if this related or even abnormal, but while the bike is warming up, sometimes when I give it some throttle, it gives off a bang and a good puff of smoke out of the exhaust.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 03:02
|
|
|
So the oil that's leaking out of the engine is going into the exhaust (not dripping on the ground, except for what runs out of the exhaust)? How long did it take to leak from overfull to half full?
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 03:17
|
|
|
Colawa posted:I let my bike sit over winter and the battery was dead, obviously, so when spring came I got a new one and swapped it in and everything was cool... I store it in my moms garage and I'd go and start it every weekend... I missed a few weeks and now the new one is dead too... I know it's not good to let the batteries fully die, do I have to replace this one too or should it still hold a charge? How much riding would I need to get it to start properly (been jumping it to try and charge it)? It hasn't been dead for months like the last one - does that even matter? It seems strange to me that a battery dies in "a few weeks". You sure you don't have a drain in your bike somewhere?
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 03:36
|
|
|
So I have a VTX1300 (07) here that's being a huge dick. It was having an issue where it would start, idle fine, go up to about 3k fine and then start popping and crapping out, acting like it was running out of gas or something until it reached around 4k at which point it would act normal again. If it tried to stay in the 3k range it would just be bad. Since this happened just after a fillup, I figured that maybe bad gas somehow or water in it or something. I drained the tank completely and got some 91 from a different gas station. Same thing. "Maybe there's something plugging the carb!" I thought, so carb was pulled off, cleaned, all vacuum lines inspected, air cutoff valve was fine, etc. Put it back on, and now there's no spark. No power to the coils, nothing. Pull the tank and airbox back off, inspected the three connectors I'd disconnected (two dash, one throttle position sensor); found nothing wrong there. In the process of checking everything I grounded a hot lead and blew the ignition/starter fuse. I replaced it and tried checking for spark, and suddenly there it was! So I put everything back together, starting it after each part was put on to make sure nothing was suddenly wrong. I finally started it and was letting it warm up, putting away tools, etc., and I unplugged the battery charger from it to put it away. Then it died. Tried to start it again, no spark. I poked around in the kill switch area to see if something was up there and again blew a fuse. Replace the fuse, SPARK! But it wouldn't start- it would turn over and kind of catch but act like a bike does when it isn't getting gas. Rechecked everything, it was all good. So I just put the charger back on and went off to do something else. Come closing time, I tried once more to start it and it started and revved perfectly. I didn't have time for a test ride so I don't know if the original problem was fixed, but I suspect something is still up. There's no way it could have fixed itself! tl;dr: Bike has plenty of gas; timing has not been messed with; everything was normal before last fill up, not that that signifies anything. Sometimes it sparks, sometimes it doesn't. When it does spark/run it will not rev at all; it'll idle like a top but no revving. When I attempt it it acts like it's not getting gas/pops/is crazy. I'm thinking maybe something is wrong with the throttle position sensor (maybe it doesn't realize the throttle is opening, resulting in the timing not being adjusted and so it shits out) but I just don't know. Driving me crazy.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 09:06
|
|
|
I think I'm having a similar issue to some of the other electrical ones this page and last page. All the lights, both dash and headlight, seem to fade when I'm at idle. Last night the bike finally wouldn't start, low battery. I tossed the battery on the tender but obviously I would like to figure out what's wrong since I don't remember the battery ever dying like that last year. The battery is only about a year old. I was keeping two batteries just in case but I had to toss the one that came with the bike a month ago since it wouldn't hold a charge anymore. My guess is that the charging system isn't charging the battery, so I was going to go to town with my manual and the multimeter. You guys mentioned having a drain on the battery though. How does that work, and how would you diagnose that? Also, is there anywhere I could find those rectangular nuts that you use on batteries? I lost one and have been using a regular hex nut but it makes it a little more of a pain in the rear end to connect/disconnect the battery. Bike is an '03 Katana 750.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 16:10
|
|
|
Colawa posted:I let my bike sit over winter and the battery was dead, obviously, so when spring came I got a new one and swapped it in and everything was cool... I store it in my moms garage and I'd go and start it every weekend... I missed a few weeks and now the new one is dead too... I know it's not good to let the batteries fully die, do I have to replace this one too or should it still hold a charge? How much riding would I need to get it to start properly (been jumping it to try and charge it)? It hasn't been dead for months like the last one - does that even matter? Don't just start the bike and let it idle, as that's just going to drain the battery faster. Motorcycle engines don't spin fast enough to charge the battery until you get them up to around 1/3rd of total RPM. Below that, the bike runs almost completely off the battery. This is why people get weird symptoms when batteries get low, as the bike is drawing for lights, electronics, and spark plugs off the battery, and it can be very hit or miss what gets powered. Just spend the couple of bucks to get a tender and put it on that. You're going to ruin the battery screwing around with it otherwise. orthod0ks posted:New development - it seems that at about 1/2 oil capacity, the bike has completely stopped leaking oil. What the hell is going on with this thing? How are you checking the oil level? Different bikes need it checked in different ways. Also, clean the hell out of the bottom of your bike with some degreaser or simple green or something, and then you'll be able to tell where the leak is coming from. With the amount of oil you're losing, it sounds like it should be pretty obvious where it's coming from very quickly. Oakey posted:I think I'm having a similar issue to some of the other electrical ones this page and last page. All the lights, both dash and headlight, seem to fade when I'm at idle. Last night the bike finally wouldn't start, low battery. I tossed the battery on the tender but obviously I would like to figure out what's wrong since I don't remember the battery ever dying like that last year. The battery is only about a year old. I was keeping two batteries just in case but I had to toss the one that came with the bike a month ago since it wouldn't hold a charge anymore. Get the bike running, rev it to about 1/3rd of total RPM, and check the DC voltage at the battery. It should be roughly in the mid 13s to mid 14s range. If it's outside of that, you have a problem with your charging system.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 17:14
|
|
|
Bucephalus posted:So the oil that's leaking out of the engine is going into the exhaust (not dripping on the ground, except for what runs out of the exhaust)? How long did it take to leak from overfull to half full? I don't see it coming from anywhere but the exhaust. As far as I can tell, with my limited knowledge of motors, the oil is leaking out of the exhaust. It leaked from full to half full in about a day and then stopped. Z3n posted:How are you checking the oil level? Different bikes need it checked in different ways. It's a GS750... there's a small window in the side of the engine.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 18:20
|
|
|
orthod0ks posted:I don't see it coming from anywhere but the exhaust. As far as I can tell, with my limited knowledge of motors, the oil is leaking out of the exhaust. It leaked from full to half full in about a day and then stopped. Are you checking it on the sidestand or upright? Sorry to ask such a basic question, but better safe than sorry 
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 18:25
|
|
|
Z3n posted:Are you checking it on the sidestand or upright? Sorry to ask such a basic question, but better safe than sorry Please do... I clearly have no idea what I'm doing. I checked the oil level while it was on the side stand.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 18:41
|
|
|
orthod0ks posted:Please do... I clearly have no idea what I'm doing. I checked the oil level while it was on the side stand. Ouch, on my bike that would mean I could probably get an extra quart or more in (it takes 3 total on my 600cc)
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 18:46
|
|
|
How about some pictures of the bike leaking oil out the exhaust? Show us where it's leaking from.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 19:04
|
|
|
orthod0ks posted:Please do... I clearly have no idea what I'm doing. I checked the oil level while it was on the side stand. Yeah, that's at least half of your problem. The bike needs to be checked upright on level ground. You're probably overfilled by at least 1 quart, if not more. If it's overfull, it's going to puke oil from assorted breathers, which can dump it on your exhaust, into your carbs, your airbox, etc. Drain it until it's midway up the sight glass with the bike upright, and you'll probably be good to go.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 19:29
|
|
|
Z3n posted:Yeah, that's at least half of your problem. Great, that seems to have been the problem then. I just took it out again, and it's only leaking a tiny bit, probably just getting rid of what was built up in there, but I'll keep an eye on it. New issue, the bike is now stalling out in first after it's warmed up when I'm stopped. It's fine if I give it a little throttle. I'm guessing the idle just needs adjusted?
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 20:42
|
|
|
orthod0ks posted:New issue, the bike is now stalling out in first after it's warmed up when I'm stopped. It's fine if I give it a little throttle. I'm guessing the idle just needs adjusted? Possibly. When you say it stalls out, do you mean the RPMs drop until the bike stops, or does it just suddenly stop dead? If it's the former, yeah, try adjusting the idle (after it's warmed up).
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 21:21
|
|
|
Doctor Zero posted:Possibly. When you say it stalls out, do you mean the RPMs drop until the bike stops, or does it just suddenly stop dead? If it's the former, yeah, try adjusting the idle (after it's warmed up). Yea, the RPMs drop steadily until it stalls. Seems to only be when the bikes warmed up though.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 21:24
|
|
|
Next question, any idea where the idle adjustment is on my 1979 GS750? I have a Clymer manual on the way, but it's not here yet...
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2009 23:42
|
|
|
Last week I bought an 87 Honda Rebel 450. It's got about 17000 miles on it and it's my first bike evar! I have zero mechanical experience, unless you count all those wicked legos I built before I grew up. And the wicked legos I built after I grew up. The PO said last fall (when he bought it) he took it to a mechanic for an 'overhaul' which I'm guessing means they cleaned the carbs and changed the oil. It runs pretty well now, but I have nothing to compare it to. I just have these fears that it's about to blow up on me and fling me cross the roadway. What should I do? Should I take it to a mechanic and have them do a once-over (and then charge me a billion dollars) just for peace of mind? I'm willing to get my hands dirty and learn how to do maintenance, that's why I bought an old bike to begin with. I just have never done it before so I don't know where to begin. I do have the clymer book, but I don't have tools and have zero space to work on it, save for my covered carport.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 00:07
|
|
|
Will WD-40 clean a chain? I was originally thinking of using kerosene, but apparently that's a bit difficult to find in non-winter months.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 00:11
|
|
|
tranten posted:Last week I bought an 87 Honda Rebel 450. It's got about 17000 miles on it and it's my first bike evar! Do you notice anything unusual? Stumbles, bogs, revs for no reason? Is it wobbly at speed? Feel wonky through the corners? Sound like someone throwing a washing machine into a wood chipper? If you answered "no" to all these questions you're probably ok. It wouldn't hurt to have someone who knows what they're doing give it a look over, but hey, it's a Honda. Don't worry about just having a carport to work in. I'm currently rebuilding a bike in my driveway with a $20 Wal-Mart tool kit...and it's working. You'll need some specialized stuff but most of it can be had for cheap like feeler gauges. Shaitan, I think WD-40 is not recommended for cleaning chains.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 00:40
|
|
|
100 Years in Iraq posted:Do you notice anything unusual? Stumbles, bogs, revs for no reason? Is it wobbly at speed? Feel wonky through the corners? Sound like someone throwing a washing machine into a wood chipper? If you answered "no" to all these questions you're probably ok. It wouldn't hurt to have someone who knows what they're doing give it a look over, but hey, it's a Honda. Ok, I only have about 100 miles total under my belt on a bike, so I'm inclined to think any wobbliness is my own drat fault and not the bike. Sometimes when I'm accelerating it feels like it 'skips' for a half-second, but I don't think I've noticed it after I've been on the road for a while (ie it's a warmup issue). How long should I let it warm up before I ride it? Say it's 55-60 degrees out. Right now what I've been doing is starting it and then putting on my helmet, gloves etc... but that's only like 1-2 minutes of warmup and maybe the bike should have more. Chain maintenance: I'm pretty sure I should be looking at the chain but dunno what to do. Will the info in the clymer book be enough for me to keep it working correctly? Same question but with oil / brake fluid / etc. Also I feel like my rear brake isn't doing a whole lot. I know to use the front more than anything (took the msf course a while back) but sometimes when I'm in the middle of slowing down I'll 'test' by just removing my foot from the rear brake completely and I don't notice a difference. When I'm walking the bike backwards, out of a parking lot for example, and I have the handlebars turned, sometimes the front wheel whines. Like a reeeeeeally long squeak. Lasts for a few seconds (I.e. maybe half rotation of the wheel) then stops, then does it again when it gets to that part of the wheel again. I don't notice any noise when going forward. I'm guessing I should check all the cables and whatnot... what does a 'bad' cable look like? How will I know when to change it? Thanks so much for your help, ya'll. Part of me thinks "dude it's a honda just keep it filled with gas and goooooooo" but the other part doesn't want to screw up the first vehicle I've ever purchased.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 01:12
|
|
|
shaitan posted:Will WD-40 clean a chain? I was originally thinking of using kerosene, but apparently that's a bit difficult to find in non-winter months. The ninja250.org guide on chain cleaning mentions WD-40 as one of your cleaning options, but they warn that the propellant in the aerosol cans can attack the o-rings. They recommend either finding it in liquid form if possible, or spraying it onto a rag first and wiping the chain. I used it to clean mine and it worked fine. Anything I couldn't get with the WD-40 was blasted away with the lube I put on afterwards.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 01:43
|
|
|
shaitan posted:Will WD-40 clean a chain? I was originally thinking of using kerosene, but apparently that's a bit difficult to find in non-winter months. Turpentine or diesel fuel.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 01:54
|
|
|
Bob Morales posted:Turpentine or diesel fuel. Speaking of, how do you dispose of the kerosene/diesel fuel/whatever?
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 01:55
|
|
|
Doctor Zero posted:Speaking of, how do you dispose of the kerosene/diesel fuel/whatever? Find a hated neighbors pool?  Autozone, etc type places usually take in used oil and stuff. Another option is a city oil reclamation center (big rear end tank that you walk up on and pour poo poo in through a grate).
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 02:05
|
|
|
Can we talk about turn signals? After various hounding and testing wires, I am fairly confident that the reason my left turn signals don't work is because of the switch itself. Is there a way to bypass it, in order to see if i'm right? Or do I just have to order a new one and hope?
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 02:09
|
|
|
Bend a paperclip into a "U" shape. Follow the wiring harness down from the left-hand controls, to a square yellow plug. Find a wire that has battery voltage with the ignition on. Being careful not to ground the paperclip against any bare metal, insert one end into the backside of the plug where the power wire goes in, and the other end into where the orange wire goes in. Left turn indicators should flash. Substitute light blue for orange to test right turn.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 02:46
|
|
|
bobula posted:tl;dr: For anyone else's reference who may be having a similar problem: It was a broken wire on the ignition module plug. I noticed it started running without a problem when I picked up the box so I checked around there and it was just that. Thank god.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 16:53
|
|
|
Does anyone here have air-assisted forks? I do on the 650 and the left seal is weeping badly. Thought I'd try the film trick, and then drain/refill the forks. But they don't have normal caps. Can I just disconnect the hose, use a pair of channel locks and unscrew them from there?
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 17:14
|
|
|
Yep. You can probably find an open-end wrench to fit the caps (3/4"?) so you don't chew them up with plier jaws. Hold the fitting in the RH cap with a 12mm wrench while you unscrew the hose swivel end. Then you can remove the hose from the left side. Don't lose the o-ring. You don't have to remove the fitting from the RH cap unless you need to drop the whole assembly through the triple clamps. Again, if you do, watch out for the o-ring.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 17:55
|
|
|
Bucephalus posted:Yep. You can probably find an open-end wrench to fit the caps (3/4"?) so you don't chew them up with plier jaws. Hold the fitting in the RH cap with a 12mm wrench while you unscrew the hose swivel end. Then you can remove the hose from the left side. Don't lose the o-ring. You don't have to remove the fitting from the RH cap unless you need to drop the whole assembly through the triple clamps. Again, if you do, watch out for the o-ring. Buy a new O-ring. They are dirt cheap and as long as you're in there, you might as well. Also make sure to empty the air pressure first unless you like poo poo getting shot into your face.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 17:58
|
|
|
^^ You're no fun. Shoulda mentioned that. My bad.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 18:17
|
|
|
I can only ride my Ninja 250 for about an hour before my rear end gets really sore. Is this typical for a cheap bike like that? Are there after-market seats or something I could buy? I was hoping I'd build up a sort of immunity to the uncomfortable seat after riding for a season but I didn't, and rides over an hour are almost painful. I can sort of solve the problem by stopping and taking a break and walking around for a bit every 45 minutes. Anyone have any experience with the seat mods described on ninja250.org? The Shep fucked around with this message at 18:33 on May 23, 2009 |
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 18:21
|
|
|
I have a 93 Yamaha Virage 535. I bought it a couple of weeks ago and only rode it a few times since I was still waiting on getting my gear. I finally took it for a longer ride yesterday and I don't feel like I'm getting all the power I should have. When I took the MSF class I rode a little 250 and it felt just as powerful as this bike. Here are the specific things that happen that make me think there is a problem: 1) When I'm taking off in 1st gear, as soon as I let off the clutch all the way it feels totally lackluster if I'm going uphill at all. On a steep hill it just dies. The engine revs up just fine with the clutch in and as I ease the clutch out the bike takes off great, but then as soon as I release the clutch all the way the revs totally drop and it stalls if I'm not going fast enough. I had to go up a hill playing with my clutch in and out (in 1st gear). 2) backfires randomly - I got it up to 50 and as I was cruising at that speed it would just randomly backfire. at one point it was probably doing it once every 10 seconds 3) I don't feel like it could get going much faster than 60 MPH. The engine seems topped out at 50-55. So, I'm thinking something isn't tuned properly but I don't have a lot of experience to know what it could be. Spark plugs? Timing? Carbs?
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 19:06
|
|
|
See if your air filter's plugged.* *this will be my stock response for the foreseeable future.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 19:56
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 16, 2024 18:33 |
|
|
You guys are gonna get sick of me... As far as I can tell, the oil leak problem is solved. I did recheck the level with the bike upright, and it looks completely full, so that's the good news. The bad news is the bike is now leaking fuel. I started it up and let it warm up, and when I revved the engine, fuel was spraying out of the exhaust joints. I'm planning to take the bike to a shop as soon as they reopen (I checked with 2 day, and both seemed to be closed for the holiday weekend), but I'm curious as to what sort of problem I'm looking at (and what it's gonna cost me).
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2009 20:58
|
|