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I'll throw out the dissenting opinion...it seems as good as the HF stuff I use. I don't use the center post thing, just tire irons, so that'd work out nicely and looks like it wouldn't require any drilling into the ground. $100 is a bit expensive, but only $20 more than the HF setup. If it breaks the bead and can hold the tire, that's all you really need.
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May 27, 2011 06:41
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So what equipment does it take and how hard is it to replace ones own tire? I need to change my rear tire and wanted to know if it's cheaper to just buy the equipment now. I plan to ride bikes my entire life, so I'm assuming learning would save me some bucks. I can remove the wheel easily, but I've never tried changing a tire.
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May 27, 2011 07:20
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americanzero4128 posted:I am signed up for a motorcycle license class (beginner level) through the great State of Illinois. It is a 3 day class and at the end I am supposed to have passed the test and will have my motorcycle license. I'm kind of nervous and a little scared because the last time I rode a motorcycle was ~10 years ago and it was a dirt bike on my farm. I don't even remember how to shift gears My MSF class started out with walking the bike in a straight line, then practicing the clutch in a straight line in 1st gear. It's a very slow progression. Only hard part was the figure 8 at the end.
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May 27, 2011 07:22
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outside of hold in the clutch, move your foot up to shift up one gear, then let out of the clutch. I feel like I might be missing something there though.
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Spydre posted:Any recommendations for a decent, cheap(ish) rear motorcycle stand? In what country?
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May 27, 2011 09:07
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I've changed my tires with three tire irons (spoons?) and a car tire as base. And an air compressor. And loads of reading/youtube. I looked at the videos for the No-Mar tire changer, looks like I can use their techniques with the center axle for leverage. Don't think I'll need tires this season though.
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May 27, 2011 11:53
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americanzero4128 posted:I am signed up for a motorcycle license class (beginner level) through the great State of Illinois. It is a 3 day class and at the end I am supposed to have passed the test and will have my motorcycle license. I'm kind of nervous and a little scared because the last time I rode a motorcycle was ~10 years ago and it was a dirt bike on my farm. I don't even remember how to shift gears hehe I took it in IL last summer, I'd never sat on a motorcycle before taking the class! (nor did I really know how to drive a manual car) I was pretty drat nervous but really the pace ends up being so perfect I never felt uncomfortable. You'll be fine, just remember to relax and have fun with it 
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May 27, 2011 15:01
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Saga posted:In what country? United States. New England if that helps.
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May 27, 2011 16:28
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Spydre posted:United States. New England if that helps. ...because different brands are available in different places. I was going to offer some UK or European suggests if relevant, but I suspect the US goons have it covered. If your bike has a swingarm drilled for bobbins, hook-type stands and bobbins are kinder to paintwork that swingarm cups, and usually more secure. But a stand that has both as an option (reversible/replaceable) is handy. More (solidly attached) castors on each leg and cups/hooks that are width adjustable by bolt rather than by bending the stand are also both good things.
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May 27, 2011 16:33
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Z3n posted:I'll throw out the dissenting opinion...it seems as good as the HF stuff I use. I don't use the center post thing, just tire irons, so that'd work out nicely and looks like it wouldn't require any drilling into the ground. $100 is a bit expensive, but only $20 more than the HF setup. If it breaks the bead and can hold the tire, that's all you really need. If you're gonna use tire irons, no need to buy much more than the irons and a big c-clamp for breaking the bead. Last tubed tire I changed I slapped the wheel on the new tire, pushed the bead in with my hand and the tire irons were used from there. The entire Harbor Freight jobber, which they don't sell any more, was a steal for $100. Chincy but if you're only changing a couple tires a year, good enough.
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May 27, 2011 16:44
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Skier posted:If you're gonna use tire irons, no need to buy much more than the irons and a big c-clamp for breaking the bead. Last tubed tire I changed I slapped the wheel on the new tire, pushed the bead in with my hand and the tire irons were used from there. My problem with C-clamps is that they're time consuming and they have a tendency to punch little round holes in the bead of the tire, especially a stiff sidewall tire. I also reuse a lot of the tires I swap, so a dedicated bead breaker that keeps the beads nice is worth it. Probably not a factor for most people though
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May 27, 2011 17:34
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Some two-by-fours and bolts make a nice bead breaker, as I understand. Reusing tires is a weird concept to me since mine usually get changed when they are paper thin or have a nail hanging out of them. 
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May 27, 2011 17:47
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Skier posted:Some two-by-fours and bolts make a nice bead breaker, as I understand. Selling/reusing my track takeoffs is what makes racing affordable! 
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May 27, 2011 18:21
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So when I get my bike to England, I intend to fix some things about it that I haven't been able to do here.. So some questions.. This is the back wheel:   As you can see it's got a loving car tire on it, and it's a shaft drive and must have had some custom work done to get whatever that big grey thing is called attached to the wheel. It also has disc brakes that don't work at all. I've got the original frame and I want to put a motorcycle wheel and tire back on it, but I don't think the original Dnepr wheel would be appropriate since it's spoked and has a horrible lovely drum brake on it. How much work am I looking at to put Unnamed Grey Shaft Drive Thing on a new motorcycle wheel with decent brakes? I assume not a huge amount.
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May 27, 2011 22:43
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I was riding my '07 CBR600RR for the first time in a couple months and as I was resting, I noticed a small ~1 cm diameter soft rubber hose with an ~3mm opening hanging off under the lower fairing under the engine. All the brakes work, the bike isn't overheating, and nothing comes out of it or has been coming out of it. I've got the bike garaged at a friend's house until I can strip the side off and figure out where the hell the thing was supposed to go. I'm hoping it's an overflow hose. That or my bike is magic and doesn't need critical hoses.
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May 27, 2011 22:54
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Overflow hose. Older ones will have a couple, one for overflow, one for straight-to-atmosphere crankcase ventilation, the way it should be.
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May 27, 2011 23:06
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Backov posted:So when I get my bike to England, I intend to fix some things about it that I haven't been able to do here.. So some questions.. What is going on here, my god.
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May 27, 2011 23:51
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Latvian engineering. Because a motorcycle is too much like a motorcycle.
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May 28, 2011 01:09
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Z3n posted:What is going on here, my god. Ya, the PO put a loving car tire on the back. Why? "Because it looks cool." Any insight on the mechanical questions?
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May 28, 2011 01:16
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Backov posted:Ya, the PO put a loving car tire on the back. Why? "Because it looks cool." It's really hard to say what is going on without a good idea of how it looked to begin with. Definitely some redneck engineering going on though...is that rear spacer design the stock one? I'd try and find stock parts and recreate that, lovely drum brake or not, because I can't imagine it's going to be cheap to swap a complete wheel assembly on to a shaft drive. At least with a chain you could mess with spacers and probably get it somewhat close, but with a shafty I have no idea what's going to happen there. Looks like they machined an adapter plate for the car wheel that clamps through the lugnut holes, but I'm not sure how it maintains it's spacing.
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May 28, 2011 02:13
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Is it normal for a motorcycle clutch to not fully disengage? When I rev the engine in 1st with the clutch in, I can feel that the bike wants to move a little. I don't think I could get to any speed, but I do feel some drag. Up on the center stand, clutch in, idle throttle makes the rear wheel move. Do I bleed the clutch? Adjust clutch lever throw? Accept it as normal?
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May 28, 2011 07:42
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Edit: nevermind
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May 28, 2011 08:25
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Is it normal for a motorcycle clutch to not fully disengage? How badly does it want to move? If it drags quite a bit and you don't think you could stop the wheel with your hand, it's probably the clutch not fully disengaging. A little bit of drag is normal with wet clutches, but it shouldn't be able to move the bike with you on it. I don't know what kind of bike you've got, if it's a hydraulic clutch, you may want to check for a slow leak, bleed the system, top it off, whatever. I've only done this in cars but I'm pretty sure it's the same thing. Never had a bike with a hydro clutch. If it's a cable just adjust it at the engine side and the lever side, follow your shop manual, it should tell you what you need to know.
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May 28, 2011 14:28
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I think I asked before, but I've got a `00 GS500E, and it looks like the speedometer is connected to the left side of the front wheel...my speedo's off by about 8-10% (it ready 70, I'm going 60ish). Aside from mounting a GPS, is there a way to get a more accurate speedo? It's not a big deal, it's just really annoying to have to do the math in my head each time.
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May 28, 2011 16:24
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Elendil004 posted:I think I asked before, but I've got a `00 GS500E, and it looks like the speedometer is connected to the left side of the front wheel...my speedo's off by about 8-10% (it ready 70, I'm going 60ish). Aside from mounting a GPS, is there a way to get a more accurate speedo? It's not a big deal, it's just really annoying to have to do the math in my head each time. You can run a taller front tire, but besides that, there's no easy way to make it more accurate. Don't go up more than one size on the second number (ie 120/60 to 120/70).
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May 28, 2011 16:36
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I finally figured out my previous oil leak problem, but a bout of idiocy consumed me shortly after. I went out on a nice ride, and when I got home I got distracted by a neighbor when I was getting off my bike. Cue me forgetting to cut the lights and walking inside. By the time I had the gut-wrenching realization that I had left the keys in the bike and lights on all night, I came out and the bike was dead. I bought a 1amp trickle charger and charged the battery for the suggested time (it is a 12A-A and told me to charge it for 9 hours and let it sit for one) and hooked it up but when I turned the key the headlights and gauge lights didn't come on. I knew the battery was at least a year old, but didn't know how long the previous owner had kept it, so I went out and bought a replacement battery. I filled all of the chambers of it and charged it for 9 hours again, let it sit for an hour and installed it. Same thing: the bike is still completely dead. At this point I'm guessing it's not the battery (unless I'm doing something completely wrong during the charging process) and it could be something else--could the alternator or something get fried from a complete drain on the battery?  EDIT: Bike is a 1985 Honda CB450sc.
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May 28, 2011 16:36
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Do you have a multimeter? What's the sitting voltage of the battery?
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May 28, 2011 18:10
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My bike has a few deep scratches so I picked up some touchup paint from Color Rite. Is there a secret to applying this paint for it to not look like poo poo? They match the paint colour specifically to my bike. I also bought primer and clearcoat. I haven't used the clearcoat yet as I want to put on a couple layers of the colour. The problem is that the brush strokes (brush is included with paint) really show and the spots where I painted the scratches just looks stupid. It isn't smooth and really doesn't blend well. Will clearcoat make much difference? Is there something I'm missing?
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May 28, 2011 18:22
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Z3n posted:Do you have a multimeter? What's the sitting voltage of the battery? I don't have a multimeter, but I'm guessing I should pick one up. I figured I wouldn't need one since I was testing it out with a new battery; I just used the (probably wildly inaccurate and foolish) alternate method listed on the battery instructions that said to charge for the recommended time and then listen for bubbling to know it was charged. EDIT: I'm picking up a multimeter tomorrow morning (local shop was out and are getting one in on the morning truck), but in the meantime I checked the ground wire and it doesn't look like there is a short there. The service manual says that a potential cause for this is a blown Main Fuse. Is it at all probable that the main fuse would blow from leaving the lights on all night? Agrias120 fucked around with this message at 21:58 on May 28, 2011 |
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May 28, 2011 18:54
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Welp, what better way to start off a three day weekend than stripping the threads in the oil drain hole? What's the recommended mend for this boneheaded move? Heli-Coils? Something else I found called TimeSerts? Are either of these products something that I'me going to be able to find somewhere in SoCal today? There is no  big enough.
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May 28, 2011 22:25
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sirbeefalot posted:Welp, what better way to start off a three day weekend than stripping the threads in the oil drain hole? Depending on how much meat there is on it, you could also tap it out one size larger. Id probably shoot for a helicoil/timesert though.
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May 28, 2011 23:15
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Z3n posted:Find the recommended settings on TT, seriously. Eddie is the man for drz stuff, and he's posted jetting recommendations for just about every drz config available. I got pretty far with this, 160 main jet solved the problem but now it is bogging when I give it the goose but only at idle. It idles fine, and I can WOT if I do it slowly and it "catches up" if that makes sense, but if I go full throttle at idle it sputters and dies. I have tried several of the recommended settings (apparently nobody has a setup exactly like mine, hmm) with the clip at 2nd, 3rd, 4th position and the fuel screw at settings of 1.5, 2, 2.25, 2.5, 2.75 and it's either too rich or too lean. I'm not good at this stuff but I'm assuming if it's popping thru the exhaust it's rich and if it's popping thru the carb it's lean. Is it possible to pop thru the carb if it's rich? When I take the carb off sometimes it's smoking and looks like there's gas in the intake side of the engine. Yeah I obviously have no idea what I'm doing but I didn't think I was this bad.  Also there are no air leaks anywhere. Would adjusting the float height help with this? How do I tell if the thing is bogging because it's too rich or too lean? Is there a basic strategy to dialing one of these things in because I've just sort of been using a trial and error sort of game plan and it's really not getting me much of anywhere.
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May 28, 2011 23:16
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Have you done the accelerator pump oring mod?
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May 28, 2011 23:18
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Z3n posted:Have you done the accelerator pump oring mod? Nope but I'm about to try it! 
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May 28, 2011 23:25
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Ducks posted:My bike has a few deep scratches so I picked up some touchup paint from Color Rite. Is there a secret to applying this paint for it to not look like poo poo? They match the paint colour specifically to my bike. I also bought primer and clearcoat. I haven't used the clearcoat yet as I want to put on a couple layers of the colour. The problem is that the brush strokes (brush is included with paint) really show and the spots where I painted the scratches just looks stupid. It isn't smooth and really doesn't blend well. Will clearcoat make much difference? Is there something I'm missing? Wet sand it before you clear.
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May 28, 2011 23:47
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Z3n posted:Depending on how much meat there is on it, you could also tap it out one size larger. Id probably shoot for a helicoil/timesert though. Thought about going larger, though once you're past the wall thickness of the case it looks like there's just little flanges that extend the threads into the case more. Suzuki! 
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May 28, 2011 23:51
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Z3n posted:Have you done the accelerator pump oring mod? No dice, same issue. FWIW the exhaust smells really rich but there's definitely a very loud bang coming through the air filter a lot of the times when it dies.
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May 28, 2011 23:59
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I'm just now getting into bikes, and I've stumbled across a 2007 Ninja 250 for $2500, and it only has 300 miles on it. He kept it running and checked up to make sure fluids were good despite the low miles, and it's in stunning showroom condition. Anything I should be wary of?
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May 29, 2011 04:14
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If he kept running it without getting it to operate temp for at least a few minutes he brought water into the oil. Why people still do this is beyond me. I have no idea if this can do damage over a 3 year period, but I would have a mechanic look it over as a part of the sale. Assuming that's what you mean by running it. Otherwise just get the usual oil change intervals, look it over and get a test ride in.
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May 29, 2011 04:26
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Bondematt posted:If he kept running it without getting it to operate temp for at least a few minutes he brought water into the oil. Why people still do this is beyond me. From what I was told, he'd take it on the weekends and go on multiple-mile rides, so I don't believe it was just sitting there idling for 30seconds. A mechanic friend of mine may go with me to see it, but if he can't go, are there particular things I should keep an eye out for during a visual inspection/test ride? I don't know motorcycles barely at all, so this is still foreign territory for me
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May 29, 2011 04:54
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Synonamess Botch posted:No dice, same issue. FWIW the exhaust smells really rich but there's definitely a very loud bang coming through the air filter a lot of the times when it dies. Try choking it and seeing if that makes it better or worse.
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May 29, 2011 06:09
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