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Ranccor posted:Its that time for my bike. Im close to needing a new chain and need some maintenance done. I can do it myself I'm sure with a manuel. Is there any reason I can't do this? If you're a thalidomide child with no arms.. but even then you could work a ratchet with your teeth (no offense to any potential thalidomide children)
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Mar 11, 2011 01:43
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Ranccor posted:Its that time for my bike. Im close to needing a new chain and need some maintenance done. I can do it myself I'm sure with a manuel. Is there any reason I can't do this? You'll need a tool for breaking the old chain off and riveting the new chain on. You can also use a master clip but riveting is more of a sure-fire-no-fuckin-way-this-is-failing method. Unfortunately the popular Motion Pro chain breaker/riveter tool will set you back $90. If you have the tool, it's pretty cake. Figure 2-3 hours if it's your first time and you're relatively new to mechanical work. A way to jack up the rear tire will be needed. Make sure you replace your sprockets, too - a worn sprocket on a new chain means the new chain gets a shortened lifespan.
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Mar 11, 2011 01:45
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I used a dremel to shave down the rivets on my old chain, then just popped that link out and off it came. Took 5 minutes.
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Mar 11, 2011 01:47
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Cool thanks. I can drop a bit on tools rather than pay for someone at the dealer to take a break.
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Mar 11, 2011 02:52
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I also just used a dremel to remove my old chain, and the $40 Sprocket Center rivet tool to install the chain. Took around an hour or so. Just cut/grind off the rivets on one link plate, and use a screwdriver to pop it off.
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Mar 11, 2011 06:05
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GZA Genius posted:I know this is very broad, but I am currently in the process of researching a trip from California to Chile. I am at the very early stages of planning (about 1 1/2 years early) so take my questions with a grain of salt. I'd say the choice of bike depends a lot on your plans for the trip. You can go from CA to Chile entirely on pavement and 4 lane highways or you can blend in a lot of improved and unimproved dirt roads to wild 4x4 tracks which lead into vast expanses of desert. So it depends a lot on what you want to ride. My short list for bikes would be: DL650 - Great on pavement, several countries along the way are heavily stocked with parts, rock solid engine and enough ground clearance to make speedbumps fun instead of a worry. All the advantages of a SV650 with a more comfortable riding position and wider luggage selection. DRZ400 - in SM or S trim would be just fine, outside of the Pan-American and toll roads in Mexico you won't be seeing speeds above 60mph much anyway. When it comes time to visit the Salar, ride to Macchu Picchu or explore the Mosquito Coast you'd have have a great bike for all of that. Plus any mechanic can fix it and it dosen't look all that out of place. Want to ride mostly pavement in comfort on the cheap? ZZR or the older Kawi Concourse, cheap, comfortable and you'll blow away all the locals with the size of your massive engine. You can pass trucks in the blink of an eye and have plenty of power for picking up the occasional chica along the way. OR save a bunch of money and walk across the border into Mexico, buy a Italika Spartan, (200cc Dual Sport bike) ride the piss out of it (dealers in nearly every country all the way to Chile. You'll spend a couple more dollars at a mechanic but it'd be the ride of a lifetime.
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Mar 11, 2011 06:40
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Anyone wanna give me positive confirmation on plugging a tire? I just picked up a nail in an almost new pilot pure right in the siping almost directly off dead center. I'd really prefer not to drop another 150++ on a new tire as I just did on this thing. Anyone have any ill-advised hard riding done on one?
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Mar 11, 2011 15:27
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I'm not quite sure what the prevading thoughts are on motorbike tyres, but on a car a nice neat nail hole can easily be plugged. Shouldn't cost much at all if you take the wheel off yourself and bring it in to a workshop.
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Mar 11, 2011 15:37
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Well I'm not so much asking how hard it is - I know that it's not difficult. I'm more-so asking "is it cool to be riding reasonably hard on the street with a plugged tire?" I have a trip planned coming up and I really don't wanna spend another 200 dollars on a rear tire and just toss this one. It's a pretty small roofing type nail so it should plug up cleanly but I'm a little on edge about riding twisties with it. I realize the answer here is "get a new one if I'm worried" I'm just kind of looking for those anecdotes where it turned out ok.
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Mar 11, 2011 15:42
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JP Money posted:Well I'm not so much asking how hard it is - I know that it's not difficult. I'm more-so asking "is it cool to be riding reasonably hard on the street with a plugged tire?" I'm not an overly aggressive street rider but I have ridden a plugged tire 2 up somewhat aggressively in the dirt for more than 5K miles with no issues. Tire was a Scorpion Sync, bike was an R1150R. Never had any problems on the street either, I think the highest speed I had the plugged tire at was ~110.
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Mar 11, 2011 15:47
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JP Money posted:Well I'm not so much asking how hard it is - I know that it's not difficult. I'm more-so asking "is it cool to be riding reasonably hard on the street with a plugged tire?" The worst-case scenario is that the plug fails and the tyre starts going slowly flat. A modern motorcycle tyre isn't going to explode because of one tiny hole. If you're still worried, remove the tyre and patch it on the inside instead.
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Mar 11, 2011 16:19
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Have it patched internally, but from there you should be good.
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Mar 11, 2011 17:30
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JP Money posted:Anyone wanna give me positive confirmation on plugging a tire? I just picked up a nail in an almost new pilot pure right in the siping almost directly off dead center. I'd really prefer not to drop another 150++ on a new tire as I just did on this thing. You can ride aggressively if you get an internal plug but I'd still be checking that tire pressure EVERY TIME you get on the bike. My friend had a similar puncture on a 180 rear made by Conti and an internal plug by a shop lasted him a couple weeks before it started leaking again. And when he got it plugged again, it lasted another couple weeks. He rode fairly aggressively. Maybe internal plugs are supposed to work better but I haven't been overly impressed.
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Mar 11, 2011 18:53
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I had a puncture on my bike a while back and I never had any issues with the plug. It seemed to hold air just fine for as long as I had the bike.
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Mar 11, 2011 19:08
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Ranccor posted:Its that time for my bike. Im close to needing a new chain and need some maintenance done. I can do it myself I'm sure with a manuel. Is there any reason I can't do this? Depends on how many years Manuel has worked as a bike mechanic  No, it should be relatively easy with the right tools, just make sure you have the correct tool for the job (especially the first time) and follow the manual, you should be ok. EDIT: vvv DON'T. MENTION. THE WAR! KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 20:50 on Mar 11, 2011 |
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Mar 11, 2011 19:33
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KozmoNaut posted:Depends on how many years Manuel has worked as a bike mechanic Wow, Basil Fawlty is a goon?
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Mar 11, 2011 20:15
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I miss that show...
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Mar 11, 2011 20:35
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My rear tyre got punctured by the mother of all drywall screws after less than <1000kms, I got properly patched and 5-6000km later it's holding up perfectly fine. Loses maybe 2 or 3 psi a fortnight tops.
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Mar 12, 2011 01:12
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Thanks all! My mechanic ( a frequent racer) claims that the speed plugs hold up just fine even on the track (although it's not ideal nor 100% guaranteed.) I feel pretty good about it as it's both a plug and a patch so it seems like it'll be pretty sturdy in there barring me hitting something justttt right.
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Mar 12, 2011 01:36
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I'll also add a thumbs up to the plug. My rear got punctured by something in my garage 2 years and about 3k miles ago, and I got it plugged. No issues.
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Mar 12, 2011 02:06
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Stupid question time from a guy that has never done motorcycle maintenance before. My front brake has been squealing pretty badly lately. I took the front caliper off to inspect the pads (they are still veery meaty) and give them a bit of a cleaning. I reinstalled the pads and bolted in the caliper, but now I can hear them rubbing just a little bit against the brake disc when rolling the bike back and forth with no engine on. Is that normal? I can't remember if it was like that before or not. It doesn't seem to impede the bike from moving at all, and the brake works just fine, but I want to make sure I did this right before I go riding tomorrow and gently caress up the brake disc. Tomorrow morning I am bleeding out the brakes and replacing the fluid, hooray!!
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Mar 12, 2011 02:21
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You should be able to hear them rubbing against the pads a little.
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Mar 12, 2011 02:22
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Also chiming in on tire plugging.. I ran over a box staple less than a hundred miles after replacing my rear pilot power. Threw a plug in it, never had any issues the several thousand miles I rode it. Didn't leak air either. This was a on a 97 Honda F3 ridden fairly spiritedly. Cycle World's answer to this question came down the to the idea that a tire never punctures the same way. In all probability the tire will be okay with a plug. However, on a motorcycle, you only have 2 tires and if something that is completely preventable should result in, well.. injury or death. Just replace the thing. I prefer to live cheap and dangerous.
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Mar 12, 2011 02:32
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Zeroboy posted:live cheap and dangerous. A small puncture from something like a nail, properly patched, is not going to result in any kind of catastrophic failure on a motorcycle tyre though. Worst case is the tire slowly deflates. A cut is a different thing, a piece of scrap metal, glass, or similar will not make a small, neat hole, it will cut more than a few of the fibres in the tyre and compromise the integrity. I have read some stories of steel belted car tyres failing after a plug because the plug allowed moisture to get to the belting and cause corrosion, but this is not an issue on a motorcycle tyre.
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Mar 12, 2011 11:41
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Complete bike newbie here so forgive me if this is a bone question. This was my 2nd day riding to and from work and my xr125 cut out (still running but no revs) both ways whilst I was in the middle of an A-road. Luckily the roads weren't too busy so I was able to paddle over to the side without being flattened. The bike refused to start for about 5 minutes both times before kicking back into life. First thought - fuel. Shaking the bike I can hear a bit of fuel sloshing around in the tank so I don't know if it's that. It was fine yesterday, and the other couple of days before that. Only difference I can think of today is that it rained all day/night and the bike was out in it (waiting on cover). I don't really know what the deal is but I don't fancy like riding to work if it's possibly going to cut out in the middle of the road again.
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Mar 13, 2011 07:24
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Try putting it on reserve. This always happens on everyone's 2nd day of riding.
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Mar 13, 2011 16:44
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Stupid maintenance question: My 99 ST1100 is getting a bit of whine from the front wheel at low speed from what I'm 99.9% sure it is the speedo cable. It seems to be a bit more jumpy at low speeds too and is original. A brand new cable assembly is about $30. Typically, are they worth saving (IE: try to blow some graphite in it) or should I just order a new loving cable when I order my brake pads? I have no idea how difficult it would be to get dry lube through the whole cable but I'm thinking it would be a pain in the rear end.
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Mar 14, 2011 03:03
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slidebite posted:Stupid maintenance question: Speedo cable can affect the bike performance? I thought it was just for a read-out.
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Mar 14, 2011 03:51
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Xenoid posted:Speedo cable can affect the bike performance? I thought it was just for a read-out. Performance? The "jumpy" is the speedo, not the bike itself. Sorry if I wasn't clear.
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Mar 14, 2011 03:57
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I'm looking to get frame sliders or something similar for a 2005 CBR 650 F4i because I have a tendency to be tippy in parking lots, and I'd like to do some track days once my spine grows back. It looks like my options are Vortex, PSR, or some sort of crazy rail thingies (which may or may not be bogus). Does anyone have suggestions as to which would protect the bike a bit, and not potentially cause more damage? Also, I don't know if I trust the shop to cut the plastics without noobing it up, and my mechanically-inclined friends understandably don't want to be responsible if they make a mistake. Is that something I could even attempt myself?
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Mar 14, 2011 16:10
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slidebite posted:Stupid maintenance question: You should be able to disconnect the cable from the drive housing on the front wheel, and then the inner cable should pull out from the outer sheath. Clean it up and put on a light coating of wheel bearing grease, and then reinsert it. Failing that, the cable would need to be replaced. ( http://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84680&highlight=speedometer+bounce )
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Mar 14, 2011 16:48
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I’m doing a valve adjustment on my 2006 ZX-10, I changed the shims and am in the process of re-installing the camshafts. After removing the camshafts I was a dumbass and turned the crankshaft with the camshafts removed. Now when I put my crankshaft at #1 TDC how do I know if it’s TDC of the compression stroke or TDC of the exhaust so I know what position to install my camshafts. Does it matter? Is the computer smart enough to figure it out on its own as long as everything is installed with the marks lined up correctly? I'm pretty new at engine work and the manual isn't any help so this has me a little stumped.
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Mar 14, 2011 16:58
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Raven457 posted:You should be able to disconnect the cable from the drive housing on the front wheel, and then the inner cable should pull out from the outer sheath. Clean it up and put on a light coating of wheel bearing grease, and then reinsert it. Failing that, the cable would need to be replaced. Thanks very much for the link.  As a lube guy, I'm a little dubious of putting something as thick as wheel bearing grease in it though, but if nothing else it sounds quick to take apart and clean so I'd really have nothing to lose.
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Mar 14, 2011 19:48
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Frankston posted:Complete bike newbie here so forgive me if this is a bone question. As Ola said, does it have a fuel tap (on / prime / reserve being the usual options with a road bike)? If so it may just have run out on main and needed switching to reserve. This is to tell you that you have 20 miles or whatever to put some petrol in it! If this is a carby bike, you could have got water in the float bowl somehow. Not sure what precisely you're saying the symptoms are. Are you saying it would idle but not accept any load? Try draining the float bowl (see your manual). In the absence of a manual, there should be a plug on the bottom of the carb. Unscrew and allow fuel and any crud to drain out into a suitable container. Reseal it, clean up any spilled petrol and set the fuel tap to "prime" so the bowl will refill. Also, check the condition of the plug and that you have a good spark.
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Mar 15, 2011 11:22
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Ugh, I did the valve check on the Husky (everything is in spec) and slapped it back together, only to realize I never took the spark plug out. Is there a reason why it needs to be out to check the valves properly? All the guides have you taking it out prior to doing the check, I dunno why though. Edit: I guess it would be to relieve pressure which could cause a false reading? Would this really be enough to skew my readings, though? Gnaghi fucked around with this message at 18:51 on Mar 15, 2011 |
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Mar 15, 2011 18:46
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Gnaghi posted:Ugh, I did the valve check on the Husky (everything is in spec) and slapped it back together, only to realize I never took the spark plug out. Is there a reason why it needs to be out to check the valves properly? All the guides have you taking it out prior to doing the check, I dunno why though. They have you remove the plug because it's easier to turn the engine over when you don't have to fight the compression. I rarely remove plugs during valve checks, but I'm particularly paranoid about dropping a shim into the head or something.
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Mar 15, 2011 19:29
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Gnaghi posted:Ugh, I did the valve check on the Husky (everything is in spec) and slapped it back together, only to realize I never took the spark plug out. Is there a reason why it needs to be out to check the valves properly? All the guides have you taking it out prior to doing the check, I dunno why though. Removing the plugs just helps with positioning the crank. Like you said, if the plugs are still in, the cylinders are still pressurized and that causes the pistons to sometimes spin the crank themselves. As long as you managed to check the valves at the proper crank position though, you're all good. e:f;b, refresh thread before replying
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Mar 15, 2011 19:43
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Awesome, I was worried it would change the clearance or something and I'd then have to go on a quest to find replacement shims. Last time I paid $10 for one at a service shop.
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Mar 15, 2011 19:55
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Can someone who is adept in the ways of the carb hit me up on AIM? I'm following FactoryPro's instructions for rejetting, tuning from high to low RPM ranges, but I'm having a bitch of a time getting the idle and low-end situated enough to even ride the drat thing. AIM handle is my username. want ride bieku  edit: Nevermind, I'm a bleedin' idiot. AncientTV fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Mar 16, 2011 |
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Mar 16, 2011 00:35
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The CRF I picked up last weekend won't stop leaking oil. It is leaking from the engine side oil drain screw. At first I thought it was from used crush washers so I changed the oil again and put a new set in...still leaks. I am torquing the bolt to the specified torque per the manual. When I got the bike and drained the oil last Saturday the bolt was way over-torqued and I'm wondering if that messed up the threads on the bolt or in the case causing the leak. Is this possible?
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Mar 16, 2011 13:30
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