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WildWanderer posted:I lubed the chain today. ...Can I have sex with that? That'd be super.
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Nov 3, 2010 18:10
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Z3n posted:gently caress him through paypal, item significantly not as described. Didn't use paypal. Here in Germany ebay on its own is actually a pretty reliable thing with a majority of responsible users and I never felt the use for paypal which I only heard bad things about. I am awaiting a reply from the guy and see if I can talk him down on the price or return it. Best case he returns some of my money, since I can fix everything on the tank, it's just more work than anticipated and not worth the price I paid since I don't own a rare item now.
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Nov 3, 2010 18:28
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Frost posted:Didn't use paypal. Here in Germany ebay on its own is actually a pretty reliable thing with a majority of responsible users and I never felt the use for paypal which I only heard bad things about. I am awaiting a reply from the guy and see if I can talk him down on the price or return it. Best case he returns some of my money, since I can fix everything on the tank, it's just more work than anticipated and not worth the price I paid since I don't own a rare item now. The majority of US Ebay users are pretty reliable as well, but I still use paypal and eat the fees because it's worth it for those times when someone does exactly what happens to you. Hope things work out, but unfortunately if he didn't take pictures of the damage and wasn't up front about it in the first place, it doesn't bode well 
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Nov 3, 2010 18:34
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Sorry there, from the anecdotal stuff I read on the net I imagined US ebay to be a festering pile of scammers which seemed pretty amazing to me, since the worst I ever had to deal with was kicking lazy people in the butt via email a few times. Well, here's hoping that it works out to my satisfaction, and if not, lesson learned and I can still use the tank.
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Nov 3, 2010 18:52
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There's plenty of terrible things about paypal that mean you should avoid it, but 99% of them only affect the seller. It's actually a very friendly and convenient service for buyers, and in a dispute will side with them about 100% of the time. The big problem with them is that they have a tendency to hold the seller's money from them for ungodly long periods of time, specifically because it's so easy for a buyer to ask for it back. So use paypal at every opportunity if you're buying something, but for the love of god never accept a payment through them if you're selling.
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Nov 3, 2010 19:29
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I installed stiffer clutch springs (raising the launch RPM), removed the luggage board and installed a new carburetor in my '09 Ruckus. I finished just as the sun went down so I didn't have enough light to dial in the jetting but I'm already pretty damned happy with the change... Even with it running ridiculously rich I barely lost any top speed, and it went from being ridiculously quiet to sounding like a real loving motorcycle, and that's without changing out the exhaust! Also picked up a bunch of paint to attempt a new colour scheme, which if it works out will look slick as hell. I'm loving this thing purely based on the fact that I'm learning so much about how this stuff works from it, I bought it knowing literally nothing about motorcycles, I didn't even own a socket set. Since then I've got a respectable lot of tools and have done all of my own work in modding it. Next up is to replace the handlebar with the new one sitting on my desk, get the carb tuned up properly and then buy the stuff for my next phase of mods... Going to get an engine mount extension (so I can do a proper wire management job) and a performance exhaust for the next step, once that's set up I'll do the front end getting a new headlight and getting a new tire with a disk brake setup. After that it's time to bore out the engine to 58cc and pretty much call it done. This will be interspersed with getting my second Ruckus, an '04 up to par. I need to do the valve shims so it'll actually start and then jet the carb, but beyond that it's got most of the work I'd want to do already done, just getting the colour scheme set up properly and making sure all of the performance mods are up to par.
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Nov 6, 2010 08:55
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I got tired of looking at the crap hanging off the back of my Buell, so I did something about it. I installed a integrated turn signal/stop lamp assembly today. The LED's are purty. Took off the stock blinkers and plate bracket. I fabbed up an aluminum bracket real fast from some scrap I had laying around. I took off the passenger pegs too. My g/f has her own bike (Triumph Daytona 600) so she doesn't ride two up with me any more. I kind of wanted to see what it looked like without them. I like it this way. I also put on some 1 inch drop pegs because I am six feet tall and Buell's are made for short fuckers. I think Erik sized the bikes for him and him only. Any shorter than 5'6" and you might have problems touching the ground flat foot. Any taller than 5'8" and it's not comfortable at all. I still put on 150-200 miles about every time I ride if I make it past the six miles of twisties 1/4 of a mile from my house.  Other than a jardine can, and breather re-route it's pretty stock and usually covered in bugs. I'd rather spend time riding than cleaning. Guess that's why I will never own a Harley or anything with a ton of chrome. I did out grip pads and frame pucks on it.  Click here for the full 2048x1536 image. I always have liked the shaved look better. I'm trying to find some front turn signals that I like. The g/f has some really cool flush mounts on hers, but they were there when she got the bike, so I have no clue where they came from. This winter on my to do list: 1. Pull all the plastic off the Daytona and repair as needed. 2. Find daytona oil leak and fix, might as well change the oil too. 3. Daytona, new chain. 4. Drag my old man's Honda ST1100 out and start freshening it up a bit. Maybe so the woman and I can ride two up on it and do some toruing. Pop won't ride any more. 5. While I have the ST in the shop, I will probably do some plastic repair on it too. Thinking about all this reminds me that I really really need to get to town and get some more sta-bil. I also need to GTFO of the house and get some wok done so maybe I can go ride today.
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Nov 6, 2010 16:36
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Scald posted:I'm loving this thing purely based on the fact that I'm learning so much about how this stuff works from it, I bought it knowing literally nothing about motorcycles, I didn't even own a socket set. Since then I've got a respectable lot of tools and have done all of my own work in modding it. Wrenching on your own vehicle is a really empowering thing. Freedom from the self-styled black magicians who will charge you $100 per hour to suck air through their teeth and hamfist every other job on your prized machine. I now realise there were jobs on my bike that I paid the dealer to do early on where they grossly overstated the work involved. Most notably adjusting the rear spring preload and changing the cam chain tensioner. "Adjusting the preload costs so much because while we could do it with punches in situ we prefer to use a proper spanner to stop the rings getting all dented, and for that we have to pull the rear sub frame." Sounds involved, thought I. Much later I found out that pulling up the rear subframe is a case of popping the seat and removing just 8 torx bolts, the frame is designed to pivot upward on it's upper mounts to give access to the shock. 10 minutes, max. They pulled the engine when they did my cam chain tensioner. Luckily it was covered under warranty but I can't imagine what it would have cost otherwise. Recently the tensioner started collapsing again (it's a poo poo design) so I decided to replace it myself. By shifting a couple of cables out of the way and using a joined socket extension I changed the tensioner entirely in situ. It comes down to the fact that most modern "mechanics" are no such thing. They are glorified fitters, replacing assemblies by following only approved procedures from a service instruction sheet. No enthusiasm, imagination or intuition.
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Nov 6, 2010 18:49
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Used Sunlight sales posted:I also put on some 1 inch drop pegs because I am six feet tall and Buell's are made for short fuckers. I think Erik sized the bikes for him and him only. Any shorter than 5'6" and you might have problems touching the ground flat foot. Any taller than 5'8" and it's not comfortable at all.
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Nov 6, 2010 19:17
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Endless Mike posted:drat, really? I was going to look into them next year. Not exactly, I may have exaggerated a little bit. The stock pegs are fine, I put almost 4,000 miles on the bike since the first of June with them on. $40.64 off of ebay, I wanted to try the lowered pegs, and I like them more. Unless you're planning on tracking or doing a lot of canyon carving/mountain riding, get a lightning over a firebolt. Lightnings have a more comfy seat and higher bars. Not that the bars on a firebolt are stupid low or anything like that. My g/f is 5'4.99999" and she can't quite flat foot, granted the suspension is set up for my weight, not hers. She also says that it's a little wide in between the thighs. Her triumph feels wider to me, so w/e. If you've got any questions or need a reason to buy a Buell over something else, just ask. I won't bullshit you. Buells are great if you like torque and turning. If you want something comfy that you can toll around on all day....might look for something else.
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Nov 6, 2010 20:01
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Used Sunlight sales posted:
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Nov 6, 2010 21:13
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Fired it (1982 Suzuki GS650GL [shaft drive]) up and drove it around a little to try and figure out where the gas smell was coming from. Turns out the fuel line isn't quite sealed tight enough at the carb end, which caused a small puddle to form directly under the carbs. I need to get a hose clamp installed there, but since it'll have to involve removing a bunch of air intake stuff, that'll wait until another day. In the process of driving a few blocks down the street, I did manage to get a bit spooked when a cop car pulled up to the stop sign directly ahead of me. See, since I just got the bike and have been getting it in order, and because I'll be leaving the state soon, I haven't bothered to actually get it registered, get a license plate, or get my motorcycle permit. And I was riding without a helmet (stupid, I know, but I was going slow on very quiet streets). I just whipped it into somebody's driveway and made like I was checking something out (which I was, I was looking for fuel leaks) until they drove off. Got lucky that time, but it also drove home how dumb it is to ride without a helmet.
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Nov 6, 2010 23:23
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Pham Nuwen posted:Got lucky that time, but it also drove home how dumb it is to ride without a helmet. It's not just dumb legally, there was one goon who posted some time back about how he got minor brain damage from falling off a bike in a parking lot with no lid on. Just don't do it, ever.
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Nov 6, 2010 23:49
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ReelBigLizard posted:It's not just dumb legally, there was one goon who posted some time back about how he got minor brain damage from falling off a bike in a parking lot with no lid on. My buddy was in a low speed crash with a full face on and got brain damage. Wear that lid folks.
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Nov 7, 2010 00:25
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ReelBigLizard posted:It's not just dumb legally, there was one goon who posted some time back about how he got minor brain damage from falling off a bike in a parking lot with no lid on. Yeah, I meant it was dumb both legally and medically. I'm an engineering student, my head is my livelihood. Thus, it's off to find a decent full helmet as soon as money and time permit, and yeah, no more riding until I get that taken care of.
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Nov 7, 2010 00:33
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Used Sunlight sales posted:I got tired of looking at the crap hanging off the back of my Buell, so I did something about it. Did you find a pre-built unit? I haven't been able to find anything I like. For the front of my Firebolt I'm planning to go with bar-end mirrors and to put flush mounts where the mirrors went. That is if I can find any flush mounts that aren't ugly as hell or cheap crap. I have half a mind to just make my own. Endless Mike, I'm 6'2 and have put 10,000 miles on my Firebolt without much discomfort. My biggest problem with ergo is without true clip-ons I can't adjust the angle of the bars. They point in just a hair too much and long rides (over 100 miles) can get a little uncomfortable in my wrists. Just try one on to see how you like it. Unless you are on the short side, then yeah, that might be a problem. And what did I do to my ride today? I looked at it forlornly while I try to scrape together the money for a rear tire, tag and insurance renewal that all popped up at once. Then I checked the mail and found i got my vacation pay earlier than expected. 
Stormangel fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Nov 7, 2010 |
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Nov 7, 2010 01:08
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Storm, I got the light with integrated turn signals off ebay, and the plate bracket I built myself. The comfort thing is fairly subjective I guess. I have narrow hips/waist so it's not so comfy for me. I can put more miles on the Triumph on a given day than the Buell. The difference in the bars is a little strange too, I actually like the Buell's better for the turns, cruising, not so much. I'd go the bar end route, but I'd rather keep my throttle meisters. Work today....I did a tail/fender chop on the Triumph. Just used a hacksaw blade, chamfer tool, file and a razor. It looks pretty good. Thought I had a picture of it, but i don't. And I'll be hosed if i'm going to walk out to the shop when it's 33 degrees outside to take one. Maybe tomorrow.
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Nov 7, 2010 05:03
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Rode it, crashed it, broke my ankle (talus to be exact). Yay for weeks off work. Boo for no riding till next year.
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Nov 8, 2010 05:51
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Finally measured the Seca's fuel economy. 42mpg- definitely on the right track. I'd love love LOVE to get hold of a Colortune for an afternoon and nail the rest down. With that in mind I decided it was time to take a step away from utter ratbike status and get the seat recovered by one of the seven thousand shops around here (San Jose). $165 later it looks great and hopefully won't make my taint go numb as fast. They really rebuilt the whole seat, they didn't just recover it. Now I won't be mistaken for a two wheeled homeless person with the disaster of cracked vinyl and black gaffers tape I was sitting on before. Also I got a set of superbike bars to replace the clubmans that are on it now. Not installed yet though. You can actually see them in the picture next to the can of VHT.  Here's the "before": 
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Nov 8, 2010 07:46
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Put a 450mm Delkevic on the SV today. The sounds is just.. mmph. So good. Before:  After: 
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Nov 9, 2010 01:36
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AnnoyBot posted:
Which place was it? Looking to get my old seat redone. I'm down in Santa Cruz.
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Nov 9, 2010 01:53
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Killed the battery on my Bonneville. Of course when I finally found the time to wait at the shop 4 hours while they got around to programming an urban tune on the last Bonnie, it was totaled the very next day. Now I have to go through that again with the new bike.
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Nov 9, 2010 03:18
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Lunchb0x posted:Which place was it? Looking to get my old seat redone. I'm down in Santa Cruz. http://www.yelp.com/biz/abys-custom-upholstery-san-jose Let me know if you want extra detail, under the seat pics, etc.
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Nov 9, 2010 05:16
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Put a new clutch and rear tire on the DR650! I never knew it could sound so much better clicking into first gear just by changing the clutch. Mmm.
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Nov 9, 2010 05:53
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Took it to the mechanic and worked out the source of my braking problems. Not the discs thankfully (lots of $$$$$$$$$$ for new ones). As I thought, the head bearings are on their last legs, but not that bad. The wheel bearings though....oh boy. Mechanics said they looked like they came out of a dirt bike. Much better now. Getting the head bearings done week after next, but they also mentioned that it will need the front wheel seals, spacer and axle will need replacing soon rather than later, same for some seals/spacer/bushes/somethingorother in the swingarm pivot. So more $$$ gone soon. My holiday is looking further and further away
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Nov 9, 2010 09:12
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Z3n posted:The majority of US Ebay users are pretty reliable as well, but I still use paypal and eat the fees because it's worth it for those times when someone does exactly what happens to you. Hope things work out, but unfortunately if he didn't take pictures of the damage and wasn't up front about it in the first place, it doesn't bode well All is well. I am now bartering with the seller over how much he will pay me back. I got him this far, so the actual amount isn't that important to me. He is willing to make a compromise and I am content.
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Nov 9, 2010 14:31
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Took the DR into a farm field here and messed around, then crawled back onto the road and dropped it. Turned out the front tire was all mucked up and turned into a big rolling grease ball so it just slid out from under me. Dislocated my right shoulder and banged my knee on the ground, but it's no big deal because I pop my shoulder out at least once a week on average. Got it back up and popped a wheelie back to the shop 
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Nov 10, 2010 01:52
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Thursday: had the day off, rode it out to my parents' place in preparation for winterizing. Figured I'd take advantage of a guaranteed nice sunny day rather than risk waiting til Saturday in case it rained. Had to flip over to reserve while going 110kmh on the highway, that amused me a bit. I usually top up before heading out there but didn't bother this time because I'd filled up fairly recently. Got there, went for a ride to fill up and dump the stabilized in, rode around a bit, then headed back to their place for dinner, then got on the bus and headed home. Saturday: bussed out there again, picked up a new cover and gave 'er a good wash & polish & finished off the winterizing. Chatted for a bit at the bike store with the cashier, she says she rides 'til it snows. 
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Nov 14, 2010 20:30
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Tried to replace the fuel line on my GS650, discovered it's gonna be pretty much impossible without removing the carburetors.
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Nov 14, 2010 20:41
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Gave the new bike a good going over. * Checked the oil - it's fresh, but a little overfull (2-3mm on the dipstick) * Checked the coolant. Good color, full. * Lubed the clutch cable. * Lubed the throttle cable. * Checked the air pressure (2 PSI F/R - no wonder it was squirrely as gently caress when I rode (very slowly) up to King Soopers to fill it up Saturday Morning!). * Added air to the tires (15 PSI F/R). * Checked the front suspension settings - they were way out of whack, and not matched. Set them to 13 clicks from hard at the top, and 12 clicks from hard at the bottom. * Checked the rear shock settings. Set the rebound damp to the recommended setting. Can't find the Compression adjuster. * Lubricated the chain. * Set the idle mixture/pilot jet to ~1 1/2 turns out. * Fiddled with the idle speed screw to set the idle up from where it was on Saturday (it kept dying at idle - the idle speed screw was all the way out) * Added ~4 oz seafoam to the tank. * Checked the voltage on the new battery (12.5v) * Took some pictures * Rode it for about 20 minutes around the neighborhood. * Did Babby's First Wheelie without realizing I was doing it until I was done.  Pictures in the We Do It With Two thread.
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Nov 15, 2010 19:43
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Took out the battery for about the 10th time in the past 3 days. I had my bike and battery for about 1 year 7 months. As the weather gets colder the bike is getting harder to start, plus with a near empty battery I'm doubly screwed. I'd say about 90% of the electrolyte was gone so I filled it with water and then put it on a charger. Going to trickle charge it every night until I get a new battery. Found at Saturday that the 2009 Kawasaki Ex500 had slightly different builds, each required a different battery. I didn't know it at the time when I first took it to a RideNow Powersports and neither did the parts clerk. His parts book listed two batteries for my bike. He had one, and didn't fit my bike. He called another RideNow that was an hour drive from there to find out they had another type of battery. So I rode all the way there to only find out that was the wrong kind as well. The guy there is going to try to order the factory battery for it which is going to take another 5-6 days .I'm really hoping I don't have to waste money on a taxi as that gets really expensive. Plus I'll end up being tardy at my place of employment which is a bad thing.
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Nov 16, 2010 05:21
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ijii posted:...being tardy... I always thought that only little schoolkids were "tardy". Employees were just "loving late again".
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Nov 17, 2010 23:37
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This afternoon I changed the spark plugs on my SV. Trivial, I know, but I did everything right the first time. I usually gently caress things up. For me this is an accomplishment. The plugs that came out were blackened and ugly, and the bike seemed to run more smoothly on my brief, chilly ride. Now I only have to install a CBR r/r, clean and apply dielectric grease to every connector, and hope that solves my starting problem. At least I have all winter. 
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Nov 20, 2010 22:44
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Loucks posted:At least I have all winter. I put in fuel stabilizer, emptied the float bowls and put the battery-tender on.  I do love riding around Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, but the encroaching winter makes me long for Florida or California.
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Nov 21, 2010 00:27
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Replaced the kickstand (I bent the original when I trailered the bike back from Houston). Previous owner mentioned he disabled the kickstand kill, so I decided it was a good idea to cut the cord off the new kickstand and install it without. I finish up, start the bike, and pop it into gear. It dies.  Dug the cord out of the trash, butt-spliced the wires together to close the circuit, taped everything up, and spent 20 minutes playing grabass with the connector assembly. I eventually had to pull the tank up in order to get to the drat thing.
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Nov 21, 2010 02:18
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Rode it around while collecting the supplies to put it in my dad's garage for the winter (my house doesn't have one, for some dumb reason). Luckily, it was 32 degrees (Fahrenheit) today, and I was miserable riding to my dad's, so it's not like I was interrupting a world of fun to put it away. It was very sad walking out of the garage and looking back at it all covered up in the corner though. See you in 4-5 months, buddy.  (Changed the oil, put sta-bil in the gas, replaced the coolant, drained the carbs, and put the battery with my dad's line-up of batteries to be charged over the winter. Also had to clean the garage because I got coolant loving EVERYWHERE, and rekindled my dad's midlife crisis. Success!)
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Nov 21, 2010 03:05
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Installed cooler looking aftermarket LED front turn signals on my Buell, poked around for the turn signal relay for about 30 minutes to install a lower power relay so my lights wouldn't flash so fast, gave up and tested them anyway. Blink rate is fine. I have a resistor pack in wired in with the rear turns, and I can't tell much of a difference between the blink rate with the stock fronts and the new fronts.  Then I pulled the air box off and cleaned the filter, and drained the oil in catch can. Silly Harley based motors and their appetite for oil and needing to blow a poo poo load of it out the breathers. I stripped all the fairings off my trummy so I could pull the upper triple off and get at the bottom side of the key cylinder. Pulling that upper triple was an adventure, and so was digging around and finding the right wiring plug. Drilling the security bolts out that triumph uses was pretty dead easy. It took me longer to figure out how to clamp the bloody thing in a vise than it did to do the drilling. Tomorrow is supposed to be back in the 70's for a few hours and I want to ride it instead of my Buell. Hopefully I will get my fat rear end out of bed early enough to put it back together, plug the busted key cylinder in and go ride. I have a disc lock for it, and I would hide the cylinder back up under a bunch of crap. Might even splice in a hidden ignition cut out switch for a little extra security. Sigh I need to go set an alarm.
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Nov 21, 2010 07:04
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Got the head bearings replaced yesterday, and I'm just about to take it back because they put the front wheel in backwards.
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Nov 22, 2010 23:43
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2ndclasscitizen posted:Got the head bearings replaced yesterday, and I'm just about to take it back because they put the front wheel in backwards. Really? Aren't there any spacers or speedo drive dogs or something that makes that almost impossible? Getting the tire on the wrong way is easy enough. KARMA! can vouch for my skills in this regard.
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Nov 23, 2010 00:12
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Ola posted:Really? Aren't there any spacers or speedo drive dogs or something that makes that almost impossible? No, it's a wheel. It is symmetrical. However, a Road 2CT is directional, and the wheel is balanced in that direction.
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Nov 23, 2010 00:39
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