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Taisa posted:I'm moving from WA to AZ. This means 2000 miles of driving a rented truck. I have an r6 that's coming with me as well. As cost is an issue, I'm wondering how terrible of an idea it is to throw the bike in with the boxes, and how to go about tying it down. Basically wondering how it's done when people race with it, since the inside of the truck has those tie-down slats all over it. I could rent a trailer, but I suspect it is a waste of money if throwing it in the truck isn't going to hurt it. You've got a few options. Pick up a cheap harbor freight wheel chock and use that to secure it nicely and then strap it down, or just lean it up on the frame sliders and ratchet it to the wall. Uhaul doesn't like you transporting things filled with gas and oil in their trucks, but what they don't know won't hurt them. Personally, I'd just get the chock. There's other ways to do it, but that'll be the easiest and the safest for the bike.
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Aug 12, 2009 03:43
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I put older two stroke premixed gas into my cars and four stroke bikes and I've never had any problems. Lots of guys love to use Marvel Mystery Oil in their cars and that is really just premix. I'd be more worried about running old gas than gas that has premix in it. It does change your Air/Fuel mixture a bit, but nothing that is going to cause any damage.
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Aug 12, 2009 04:13
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I just bought my first motorcycle (I rode dirt bikes as a young'un), an 82 virago 750, which I am loving. However, I let it for about a week while I went out of town and the oil level is now past the top of the sight. When I parked it before leaving, it was at the correct level (the top mark on the oil sight). I feel like I might have gas mixing with the oil. Could anything else cause this?
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Aug 12, 2009 04:18
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Z3n posted:You've got a few options. Pick up a cheap harbor freight wheel chock and use that to secure it nicely and then strap it down, or just lean it up on the frame sliders and ratchet it to the wall. Uhaul doesn't like you transporting things filled with gas and oil in their trucks, but what they don't know won't hurt them. I guess the only question then is what do I bolt the chock to?
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Aug 12, 2009 04:20
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Taisa posted:I guess the only question then is what do I bolt the chock to? it's got hooks that go through the edge of the "arms" on it, so you can run tie downs through that to the tie points on the floor. cloudstrife2993 posted:I just bought my first motorcycle (I rode dirt bikes as a young'un), an 82 virago 750, which I am loving. However, I let it for about a week while I went out of town and the oil level is now past the top of the sight. When I parked it before leaving, it was at the correct level (the top mark on the oil sight). I feel like I might have gas mixing with the oil. Could anything else cause this? Yeah, leaking float valves. Change the oil and either fix your carbs or turn off the fuel every time you stop the bike. They could just need to be cleaned up, although replacement is likely needed on a bike that old.
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Aug 12, 2009 04:34
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would running some seafoam through there help at all? There is no petcock setting for "off," just prime, reserve and on - incidentally this threw me for a loop when I got home from buying the bike, I couldn't figure out how to shut it off (it's a vacuum fed petcock which I guess you can't shut off?) I guess its time to get greasy and take apart these carbs... wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 04:59 on Aug 12, 2009 |
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Aug 12, 2009 04:55
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cloudstrife2993 posted:would running some seafoam through there help at all? There is no petcock setting for "off," just prime, reserve and on - incidentally this threw me for a loop when I got home from buying the bike, I couldn't figure out how to shut it off (it's a vacuum fed petcock which I guess you can't shut off?) Probably not. Leaking floats are usually caused by wear or damage to the float valves, although occasionally they can be stuck open by a piece of grit in them. Seafoams not gonna help the first, and may help the second, but...that's less likely. If you pull the carbs, you can gravity feed them with gas and see which one is leaking. Or you may be able to tell by checking the intakes when you pull the carbs.
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Aug 12, 2009 05:01
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Where would one go to get replacement parts for the carbs? Bikebandit doesn't seem to have anything available
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Aug 12, 2009 05:21
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sklnd posted:This is kind of a longshot, but has anybody here used in-helmet mic systems for radio communication while riding? What has your experience been? missed this until now. i made my own bike radios which used regular old GMRS walkie talkies. it worked pretty well as long as you were riding below 50mph. wind noise got too loud above it. for the headset/mics i decided the best option was to use a pre-made set, so i just bought 2 pairs of chatterbox accessory helmet sets. they are like $25 each and include mic and speakers. they make ones with boom mics for 3/4 helmets i think. you can buy these at most online bike shops like newenough, and probably most local dealers. they use a ps/2 connector.
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Aug 12, 2009 06:03
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cloudstrife2993 posted:Where would one go to get replacement parts for the carbs? Bikebandit doesn't seem to have anything available Are you sure you aren't just looking at a warm bike vs. a bike that has been sitting for a while? If you've got float valves that aren't working the bike should be pissing gas anytime it sits for any amount of time. Before you start tearing into at least see if your crank case oil smells like gas. Edit: Your oil should generally be in the middle of the sight glass, and since your bike was sitting just enough oil settled out to put it over the top. Generally you check a bike when it's off the sidestand - straight up and down. n8r fucked around with this message at 06:25 on Aug 12, 2009 |
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Aug 12, 2009 06:21
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BotchedLobotomy posted:*bike bulb* Phat_Albert posted:Its not due to oil film, its due to the fact that with straight gas, for every X amount of liquid from the tank pulled through the carb, 100% of it is gas, with premix, some % of it is oil, and less than 100% is gas, so it becomes lean. Addtionally, at this point I think It may be well just to put blaster on ignore. He's also saying that rear traction is more important than front traction on a bike. I can't tell if he's trolling or just that misguided. cloudstrife2993 posted:Where would one go to get replacement parts for the carbs? Bikebandit doesn't seem to have anything available Nerobro fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Aug 12, 2009 |
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Aug 12, 2009 07:06
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Nerobro posted:it's a H4 bulb. You can buy them at any auto parts store. If you order online, you can find some that are 55/100w bulbs, instead of the normal 55/60w. I recomend this. Or 80/130, if you want to be visible by day/obnoxious by night. OK if you ride late at night in the middle of nowhere, but I'm not endorsing it.
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Aug 12, 2009 07:20
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Entreri posted:drat. Alright, I guess I'll get on draining my tank. I bought the bike used and the guy didn't give me an owner's manual, so I'm not too sure on how to go about this process. Does anyone know how to drain the fuel tank of an 08 Ninja 250r? You need the Ninja250 wiki in your life. Specifically, you need this link.
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Aug 12, 2009 15:08
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Nerobro posted:Addtionally, at this point I think It may be well just to put blaster on ignore. He's also saying that rear traction is more important than front traction on a bike. I can't tell if he's trolling or just that misguided. I have him on "mental ignore"
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Aug 12, 2009 15:32
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Bucephalus posted:Or 80/130, if you want to be visible by day/obnoxious by night. OK if you ride late at night in the middle of nowhere, but I'm not endorsing it. Given that cars get 120w by defualt, I wouldn't think twice about it, at least driver courtesy goes. However, you need to keep an eye on headlight tempratures. Going to high wattage wise can lead to the destruction of headlight housings. Most of my bikes have glass reflectors so I'm fairly safe, but many modern bikes have plastic reflectors and lenses, and you could start making them soft if you're going slow and it's warm out.
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Aug 12, 2009 15:38
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The bike runs fine when warm but when cold it has a hesitation at ~2000 rpm which sounds like some sort of valve "sticking" and sounds like it's coming from the carbs or top end. It actually sounds kind of like a light "thwack" or a duck snorting (lol) The bike's level was actually a little high when I checked it after letting it sit a week, then I went for a 45 minute ride, parked it again (on the center stand) and when I came out like two hours later the oil level was higher than the top of the sight. I suppose it could be my petcock but those are vacuum operated so they should be shutting off, right? drat them for not including an "off" setting! edit I always park the bike on the center stand, for the first two weeks of ownership the oil level was steady at the "full" marker, then I went on my first long (hour) ride on it and then parked it for a week, after which the oil level seemed a bit higher than before but I blamed it on my eyes. Then I went on another long ride and checked it two hours afterward and the level was over the top of the sight. wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 16:06 on Aug 12, 2009 |
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Aug 12, 2009 15:59
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frozenphil posted:You need the Ninja250 wiki in your life. The 250 site is great, but my god, do they go over the top for some things. In this case, it's way easier to just syphon out 80-90% of the gas and then fill it with unleaded, if it was going to hurt anything, which it's not. I'd put Blaster on ignore, but I'm afraid he'll start spouting off about how in order to make things work the best tires must be run at 15psi because PHSYICS SAYS SO, and someone will get hurt listening to his retarded advice. Cloud, a little hesitation when cold isn't out the ordinary.
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Aug 12, 2009 16:47
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cloudstrife2993 posted:I suppose it could be my petcock but those are vacuum operated so they should be shutting off, right? *should* is the operative word. It wouldn't be if the diaphragm is ripped. EDIT: A Petcock is really, really easy to fix. It's the first thing I did to my bike mechanically. You can even take it apart to inspect the diaphragm just to be sure, but be careful with it, and make sure you get it put back in the same orientation. Take pics. EDIT: EDIT: There are also o-rings that could have gone bad in there. A petcock rebuild kit is cheap and should include everything you need. Doctor Zero fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Aug 12, 2009 |
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Aug 12, 2009 16:54
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Thanks for the bulb advice guys. I'm going to pull the bulb out tonight and see what I had in there, hopefully it will have some markings of the strength of the bulb as I like what's currently in there and it obviously works. Might go the "gently caress you" 80/130 route too but that's only if I can find one at the shop. Thanks!
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Aug 12, 2009 17:58
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I have a question about upgrading bikes. Currently I have/learned on a 99 Yamaha V Star Custom 650. The bike is the most even handed, predicable thing imaginable. For a beginner bike that is a good thing. I rode it pretty hard for the first three years, less the next three, and am now pretty bored. It is time for a change. After going over every add, magazine, and website for a good next bike, I fell upon the Triumph Thruxton. This bike captures my attention and imagination, but also stirs uncertainty. The v star has about 40hp at 495lbs, while the Thruxton has 69hp at 451. Is a near double jump in power, decrease in weight, and total change in seating position too big of a change? I have only ever ridden two bikes: V star 650, and v star 1100. I am 6'3", 230lbs, have taken the MSF level 1, but nothing else.
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Aug 12, 2009 19:34
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Tipped posted:I have a question about upgrading bikes. Nah, you'll be fine powerwise and weightwise. The change in seating position will probably be the biggest thing that you'll have to learn to deal with. Just take it slow, and you may also find tha the thruxton is a bit uncomfortable. Maybe see if you can take one on a test ride before you buy one?
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Aug 12, 2009 19:41
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Tipped posted:I have a question about upgrading bikes. It sounds like you've been riding for 6 years? You'll be fine. I went from a 45hp 450lb Silverwing to a 95hp 800lb Valkyrie after riding for almost 2 years without issues. Just make sure you take it easy on the throttle and tight curves until you get used to the bike.
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Aug 12, 2009 20:48
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Z3n posted:I'd put Blaster on ignore, but I'm afraid he'll start spouting off about how in order to make things work the best tires must be run at 15psi because PHSYICS SAYS SO, and someone will get hurt listening to his retarded advice. How much weight do you typically put on your front wheel while accelerating out of a quick curve? I'm personally close to zero. Rear tire friction is very important at higher speeds and acceleration since it's the only wheel that has to support the weight and provide friction for engine power transfer and steering (weight shifting). Front wheel friction matters, yes, but only at low speed steering and generally for breaking. Yes, it's nice and neat to be able to break and not drop the cycle at low speeds but given the choice, I'd rather not have my rear tire slip in a quick curve. The real answer is that friction on both tires matter almost equally.
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Aug 12, 2009 23:29
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Blaster of Justice posted:How much weight do you typically put on your front wheel while accelerating out of a quick curve? Blaster has to be some elaborate troll. Not that I have any clue what percentage of this is correct or incorrect, just that the sweeping generalizations and constant new topics of argument seem to suggest something non-serious.
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Aug 12, 2009 23:35
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Well poo poo. Apparently the bulb previously used in my bike was a 100/90 crazy rear end blue bulbed wonder. The most powerful bulbs they had at two local shops were the stock 60/55 bulbs. Am I really going to notice a difference between the two if I get the brightest I can at 60/55?  Edit: VVVV Mine is a blue bulb but the color it throws is pure white, so maybe it needs to be blue to give it that right color? I'm going to try it out and if it doesn't work as well, so be it. I'm not exactly riding in the dead of night with no streetlights. Minty Swagger fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Aug 13, 2009 |
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Aug 13, 2009 00:05
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an actual frog fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Jun 24, 2020 |
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Aug 13, 2009 00:23
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Blaster of Justice posted:How much weight do you typically put on your front wheel while accelerating out of a quick curve? I'll just leave this here as an example of why front end traction is a little more important than rear traction.  Botched, you should be fine with the 60/55s. Z3n fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Aug 13, 2009 |
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Aug 13, 2009 00:27
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Everytime I see Blaster posting he is wrong. It's pretty uncanny.
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Aug 13, 2009 00:32
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cloudstrife2993 posted:I always park the bike on the center stand, for the first two weeks of ownership the oil level was steady at the "full" marker, then I went on my first long (hour) ride on it and then parked it for a week, after which the oil level seemed a bit higher than before but I blamed it on my eyes. Then I went on another long ride and checked it two hours afterward and the level was over the top of the sight. Usually the sight will show an improperly low level when its on the centerstand. The correct level is the one you see when the bike is on both tires, held vertically. Most of the time, the difference is negligible, but if it was at the top of the glass on the centerstand, I could see it being overfull.
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Aug 13, 2009 00:35
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cloudstrife2993 posted:The bike's level was actually a little high when I checked it after letting it sit a week, then I went for a 45 minute ride, parked it again (on the center stand) and when I came out like two hours later the oil level was higher than the top of the sight. A few things come to mind... - motor oil will expand when heated. Both my Kawi and my Yamaha call for running the engine for several minutes, and then letting it rest for several minutes when checking the level. - if you check it immediately after stopping the engine, there will still be some volume of oil in the top end, and it takes a few minutes to drain into the case. - if your petcocks are leaking, you will smell abundant fuel. - I am 90% sure you need to replace the petcock(s) if they're late-70s early-80s Yamaha vacuum petcock. These are failure prone at this age and can be "fixed" but you will likely see it happen again. I replaced the petcocks on my XS750 with the manual ones when it was as old as your '82 and the notorious gasoil problem went away for good.
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Aug 13, 2009 03:22
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Blaster of Justice posted:How much weight do you typically put on your front wheel while accelerating out of a quick curve? The only time your weight on the front tire is "close to zero" is when you're on a very powerful bike under heavy acceleration. Front traction still matters at that point, as the rake/trail relationship is still what keeps the bike stable. Headshake under acceleration is a manifestation of this, and what happens when front end traction goes away. You only maintain control, becuase you're riding a unicycle at that point. Any bike someone new to riding should be on, will not have enough power to do that. Beyond that, if you're riding on the street, you should never be that near the limits of traction to begin with. When you're accelerating hard out of a corner, what happens when the rear tire loses traction? The back end steps out, and weight transfers to the front tire. No drama, nothing all that scary. Provided you don't chop the throttle, the bike will gather up the back tire and put it back in line with no intervention of your own. It's a safe failure mode. Now lets go back a few feet on that same corner. We'll pretend you're smart, and you've got your weight up over the front of the bike. You're mid corner, what happens when your back tire loses traction. The rear end slides out a bit, the bike picks itself up and steers to follow the rear tire. The bike won't let you fall unless you run out of steering lock. Yet again, safe failure mode. Again, mid corner, this time you were stupid. You were sitting way back on the bike, all the weight is at the back. The front tire is struggling for traction. And then it loses it's tenuous grip on the pavement. The bars turn sharply to the inside of the corner, as the bike attempts to dial in more and more steering angle in a vein attempt at picking the bike up again. Hard parts touch down, even more weight gets removed from the front wheel. Congratulations, you've just lowsided. Another scenario, if you will. You're riding on the street, it's a little wet out. You give the bike a little throttle. The back tire spins up, steps sideways a little. You laugh, and continue on. Just at the next intersection, a truck sloshed some diesel out onto the road. As you ride up, onto this oil slick suspended in water... you front tire loses all traction. There is no saving it, you, and your bike do a faceplant and slide right past the white line. Without front end traction, the bike can't keep itself upright. No matter what situation it is. Losing traction with the back wheel is ALWAYS safer than losing front end traction. Recovery from a front end slide is almost always luck. sirbeefalot posted:Usually the sight will show an improperly low level when its on the centerstand. The correct level is the one you see when the bike is on both tires, held vertically. Most of the time, the difference is negligible, but if it was at the top of the glass on the centerstand, I could see it being overfull.
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Aug 13, 2009 04:31
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Z3n posted:it's got hooks that go through the edge of the "arms" on it, so you can run tie downs through that to the tie points on the floor. The more research I do the more this becomes less researchable. All of the moving truck rental places I call have no idea which of their trucks have tie-down points on the floor, or what a tie point is  . Any idea what my options are with a chock when there are no tie points on the floor?
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Aug 13, 2009 18:37
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Taisa posted:The more research I do the more this becomes less researchable. All of the moving truck rental places I call have no idea which of their trucks have tie-down points on the floor, or what a tie point is Are there any tie down points in the trucks at all? Some way of securing the bike to anything? Do you have frame sliders on it? Worst case you can nose it up to the end of the truck in gear, lean it up against the wall with a towel to prevent anything from rubbing against it, and strap it down as best you can.
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Aug 13, 2009 18:44
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Taisa posted:The more research I do the more this becomes less researchable. All of the moving truck rental places I call have no idea which of their trucks have tie-down points on the floor, or what a tie point is The two uhauls I moved my bike in only had the side rails as tie downs. So I pulled the bike all the way to the front of the truck, wheel touching the front wall. Used three straps, one to the front rail around the steering column, one on each side wrapped through the frame. It worked well enough, but I was only going about 40 miles on the longer of my two trips.
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Aug 13, 2009 18:45
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Taisa posted:The more research I do the more this becomes less researchable. All of the moving truck rental places I call have no idea which of their trucks have tie-down points on the floor, or what a tie point is Could you just go to the local U-haul and look inside one of the trucks? You could then determine if there is anything to tie the bike to.
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Aug 13, 2009 19:28
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cmorrow001 posted:Could you just go to the local U-haul and look inside one of the trucks? You could then determine if there is anything to tie the bike to. I know they have side wall tie points, that's what all these places advertise. I'm also moving 1600 miles. I'd check on the bike at every gas stop, but it seems to me that the chock is a better idea. Guess I'll rent the truck first and see what I have to deal with.
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Aug 13, 2009 19:42
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Nerobro posted:I can't stand by this statement. As the statement is dependant on weather the sight glass is ahead of, or behind of the center of fluid level in the crankcase. On the centerstand, in general, is good enough. If you're off by an ounce or two, it doesn't matter. Being on the sidestand can cause a multiple quart discrepancy. And that DOES matter. My bike? on the centerstand, reads high. But the difference between being on the centerstand, and while level, is minimal. For some reason I was thinking he had an EX250, where what I said would be applicable. But you're right, it really is an insignificant difference in level reading anyway.
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Aug 13, 2009 20:31
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So I rode my bike for the first time on the street today. Now I've got a question that I already really know the answer to, but I'll ask anyway. I'm travelling down to DC next week (leaving Thursday) from Boston, which is about 450 miles each way. Is it reasonable at all, given what will be about one week's experience riding on roads, to ride my bike down to DC instead of taking my car? Honestly, I feel the answer is probably no, but has anyone else attempted that sort of thing with so little experience? I got up to 45 mph today on the road, but that is the fastest I've gone to this point. Riding around Boston is simultaneously awesome and frightening as hell.
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Aug 13, 2009 20:33
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The Ninjette can be a little hairy on the highway, especially the first time you experience it. Honestly I'd say take your car if you're having doubts. Skill-wise, you wouldn't really have any problems, as most of it would require you to basically hold the throttle open 2/3 of the way and stay inside the lines. Plus, you know, watching out for every other rear end in a top hat on the road of course.
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Aug 13, 2009 20:52
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NoCleverName posted:So I rode my bike for the first time on the street today. Now I've got a question that I already really know the answer to, but I'll ask anyway. I'm travelling down to DC next week (leaving Thursday) from Boston, which is about 450 miles each way. Is it reasonable at all, given what will be about one week's experience riding on roads, to ride my bike down to DC instead of taking my car? Honestly, I feel the answer is probably no, but has anyone else attempted that sort of thing with so little experience? I got up to 45 mph today on the road, but that is the fastest I've gone to this point. Riding around Boston is simultaneously awesome and frightening as hell. If you spend some serious time on the bike between now and then maybe. I did Dallas to Houston (300 and change miles)on backroads after owning my first bike for 3 weeks/1000ish miles. It really all comes down to if you're comfortable, and have the experience to do it.
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Aug 13, 2009 21:00
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