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I got the idea today that I haven't run Seafoam through my bike. Got home and dumped a can of Seafoam in the tank, the oil and let it run on Prime. While on Prime, I noticed a large air bubble was coming from the Reserve line going from the tank to the petcock and from the fuel petcock to the carbs. The bike would not let me take it off choke and eventually it died. Now I think something is wrong with the tank fuel valve, but wait there's more! So I switch from Prime to On and after a few tries the bike starts, idles and lets me take it off choke. I let it idle and she idles just fine; so, to simulate driving conditions, I rev it a few times and after a while the bike starts to lose rpms. Eventually the bike will not idle, unless I hold the throttle open. I'm thinking the tank fuel valve or petcock may be messed up along the idle circuit. What do you guys think?
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Jul 12, 2011 01:43
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Zelda posted:
You don't have anything to worry about. They all use small, very light bikes, and on top of that they showed us how to lift a tipped bike and got the smallest person in the class to do it.
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Jul 12, 2011 01:43
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Commodore 64 posted:I got the idea today that I haven't run Seafoam through my bike. Got home and dumped a can of Seafoam in the tank, the oil and let it run on Prime. While on Prime, I noticed a large air bubble was coming from the Reserve line going from the tank to the petcock and from the fuel petcock to the carbs. The bike would not let me take it off choke and eventually it died. Now I think something is wrong with the tank fuel valve, but wait there's more! Leave it on prime, does it run fine? Might need a petcock rebuild.
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Jul 12, 2011 01:44
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Marv Hushman posted:Underfunded sucks, but then it's sort of to be expected with a $25 entrance fee. That won't even get two in and out of a theater nowadays. Alabama doesn't subsidize the MSF at all, so I paid $250 for my course. We had a fleet of brand new Kawasaki Eliminator 125s with a second "backup" fleet in another shed. Apparently our MSF people partnered up with Kawasaki to be their sole bike provider. The local college donated the building and parking lot where they train the local State Troopers how to drive. Not having to pay for rent or bikes takes a big enough chunk of the cost which allows the MSF to hire really good instructors. So I guess I'm saying, "Go, Laissez-faire"! Zelda posted: Congrats for doing it the right way. You can now post passive-agressive rants about "squids" and "Hardley Ableson" riders here along with the rest of us.
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Jul 12, 2011 01:48
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A whole can of seafoam? Huh? Um... Aren't you supposed to measure it?I'm careful as gently caress with Seafoam!
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Jul 12, 2011 01:51
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frozenphil posted:You'll be fine. Relax. Thanks for confirming I am doing it the right way. I figured the motorcycle classes were the best way to start instead of just trying to hop on. Those terms are foreign to me. Time to dive into this sub-forum. nsaP posted:You don't have anything to worry about. They all use small, very light bikes, and on top of that they showed us how to lift a tipped bike and got the smallest person in the class to do it. I have a feeling I might be that "smallest person in the class". Thanks for the heads up! e; Fixed! Dame fucked around with this message at 02:13 on Jul 12, 2011 |
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Jul 12, 2011 01:54
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Should brake parts cleaner spray be able to get through an air filter, specifically a K&N pod filter?
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Jul 12, 2011 02:06
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Zelda posted:Thanks for confirming I am doing it the right way. I figured the motorcycle classes were the best way to start instead of just trying to hop on. Am I high or did those quotes get mixed up?
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Jul 12, 2011 02:07
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Synonamess Botch posted:Should brake parts cleaner spray be able to get through an air filter, specifically a K&N pod filter? Probably. Its usually just acetone/xylene/other nasty lightweight solvents.
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Jul 12, 2011 02:08
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Z3n posted:Leave it on prime, does it run fine? Might need a petcock rebuild. If I left it on prime it would eventually die from pushing air into the fuel system (and theres no way I could take the choke off). I saw air bubbles at the tank end and the petcock end of the line going from reserve to the petcock and from the outlet hose to the carbs. On is the only way it could run. I'll definitely look into a new petcock. The stock one has problems with high speed fuel starvation and the upgrade to the Pingle one is about the same cost. What do you think about the idle problem? The gaskets all look good and I swore I hit every metal surface with carb cleaner.
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Jul 12, 2011 02:14
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Commodore 64 posted:If I left it on prime it would eventually die from pushing air into the fuel system (and theres no way I could take the choke off). I saw air bubbles at the tank end and the petcock end of the line going from reserve to the petcock and from the outlet hose to the carbs. On is the only way it could run. Idle problems sounds like maybe you have crap in the pilot jets? But fuel delivery issues cause really weird problems so don't overthink it until you've sorted out the fueling issues. I'd go with the pingle. Zelda posted:I have a feeling I might be that "smallest person in the class". Thanks for the heads up! My mom is 4'11. She didn't have a problem. You should be fine. 
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Jul 12, 2011 02:51
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Zelda posted:I'm wondering, should I worry about having trouble with the bikes that might be at the classes if I have a bit of trouble lifting? Are they generally heavy bikes? Maybe I should start lifting something with my arms. Just an FYI: you don't lift a bike with your arms. Squat next to it with your butt against the seat, use your arms for stability, and lift with your legs. There's YouTube videos out there, but I can't really look for one away from the computer.
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Jul 12, 2011 03:19
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Uthor posted:Just an FYI: you don't lift a bike with your arms. Squat next to it with your butt against the seat, use your arms for stability, and lift with your legs. There's YouTube videos out there, but I can't really look for one away from the computer. That's Skert. 5'3" and she rides an R1150R or something. Big BMW.
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Jul 12, 2011 03:27
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Zelda posted:I'm wondering, should I worry about having trouble with the bikes that might be at the classes if I have a bit of trouble lifting? Are they generally heavy bikes? Maybe I should start lifting something with my arms. In MI, you'd have no trouble at all because the instructors had a stated zero tolerance policy for drops, which may explain why the bikes were in relatively good shape. In reality, it was more like a two strikes policy with progressively less slack as the course went on. A few got a pass, more than a few had to do the walk of shame. Which sucks, because drops happen, and if I were an instructor I'd be way more interested in watching how the student dealt with an event that is arguably more real-world than a good number of the exercises. Those that did the self pity dance would get shown the door; those that did a safety walkaround and jumped right back in like nothing happened would make it to the next round. Just stay focused, and remember that it's not a contest.
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Jul 12, 2011 03:48
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Giraffe of pain posted:A tube leak would probably be obvious. If you don't notice fluid spraying around it's probably burning off at your discs. I just picked one quote because a few of you guys are trying to help out. The bike is an 04 sv650 with around 14k on it, new to me this season, I've put 4k on it. Brake lines are original as far as I can tell, so it might be time for replacement. When I first noticed the brake feeling spongy and bled the system, the reservoir wasn't noticeably low until i started pumping fluid out of the bleed nipple on the back. Of course, then I had to refill it. The pedal had excellent feel at this point, I noticed no leaks, and I figured all was well. It was my first time bleeding brakes, but I feel I followed the instructions well and bled the brakes until there were no more air bubbles coming out of the line, just fluid. It definitely had a lot of air at the start though, not sure where it would have come from. I used DOT4 as required by the plates on the reservoirs. If a previous owner had used the incorrect DOT# brake fluid, the brake fluid coming out of the caliper would show this, right? I guess the brake has gotten progressively worse since then, although I don't rely on it for braking so I only notice that the pedal travel is getting worse when I'm just holding myself on a hill or something. I was gonna try to bleed the system again with a closer eye for leaks tomorrow. I'll grab some pictures tomorrow when I get home from work.
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Jul 12, 2011 04:49
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If I had to guess your lines are fine, they are some of the most over-specced parts of any car or bike. You probably have a MC that is on it's way out, they are generally pretty easy and cheap to rebuild.
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Jul 12, 2011 05:26
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Edit: oops
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Jul 12, 2011 05:43
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clutchpuck posted:You have to take off the head(s), disassemble, shave metal out of them to make the ports bigger [not really a diy unless you know what you're doing], reassemble with bigger valves, and put the bike back together. Usually you'll need a EFI remap, piggyback fuel controller, or carb rejet to compensate for the way-different fueling requirements. Righto. no real need then. i dont really feel like i need more power, it regularly cruises at 120 happily down the freeway and hit 175 no worries late one night. i was just aiming for more efficiency. i get 180kms on a tank riding normally on 95 octane, hoping to push 200 without having to ride like a nanna.
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Jul 12, 2011 07:29
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n8r posted:If I had to guess your lines are fine, they are some of the most over-specced parts of any car or bike. You probably have a MC that is on it's way out, they are generally pretty easy and cheap to rebuild. Is there a specific way to test that the MC is bad?
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Jul 12, 2011 12:15
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bladesamurai posted:The bike is an 04 sv650 with around 14k on it, new to me this season, I've put 4k on it. Brake lines are original as far as I can tell, so it might be time for replacement. I would be really surprised if the brake lines on that bike leaks. They should be good for at least 30K on that bike, and even then they won't leak, just lose a bit of stiffness. bladesamurai posted:When I first noticed the brake feeling spongy and bled the system, the reservoir wasn't noticeably low until i started pumping fluid out of the bleed nipple on the back. Of course, then I had to refill it. The pedal had excellent feel at this point, I noticed no leaks, and I figured all was well. Exactly how low was your reservoir when you noticed it was. Can you describe your bleeding technique. I'd be really amazed by serious brake failures on a 04 SV650 with less than 30K on it. I'd be really interested in a picture of your disc and pads. bladesamurai posted:I used DOT4 as required by the plates on the reservoirs. If a previous owner had used the incorrect DOT# brake fluid, the brake fluid coming out of the caliper would show this, right? Not really. Brake fluid come in a rainbow of colors. It's quite possible that the previous owner changed to DOT5 and didn't know how to handle a effective flush before he did so. If I was you I'd buy a big can of DOT 5.1 and seriously flush your system clean before anything else. And, oh yes, even though the plates on your reservoirs states DOT4, you should upgrade to DOT5.1 Still, I'm a bit worried about your bleeding technique. Please describe it in details. bladesamurai posted:I'll grab some pictures tomorrow when I get home from work. If you ride to work, I seriously loving hope your front brakes don't have anything like this problem.
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Jul 12, 2011 12:34
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Zelda posted:I grew up around motorcycles, but only got to drive around small dirt bikes. As I grew up, I developed a fear of cars and trucks. (Odd, I know. I think it's the loss of control I feel when I drive them.) Also, weight lifting is a good idea regardless of your gender or what you're doing. Fitness is a great thing The bikes tend to weigh around 350 lbs in the class, but you won't be dead lifting them off the ground. If you drop yours, the instructors will lift it back up, but rarely will the bike put all its weight on you.
BloodBag fucked around with this message at 12:50 on Jul 12, 2011 |
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Jul 12, 2011 12:47
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Giraffe of pain posted:I would be really surprised if the brake lines on that bike leaks. They should be good for at least 30K on that bike, and even then they won't leak, just lose a bit of stiffness. The reservoir still had some fluid in it when I started the bleeding process, I haven't looked at it yet for this most recent problem yet. I'll crack it open before I do anything, next. And I'll look into switching over to 5.1. Here is the process I used for bleeding the brakes: Loosen the rear bleed nipple nut until I can move it with my fingers, slip some vinyl tubing over it. With the nut finger tight, pump the rear brake with my hand 5 or 10 times (no fluid comes out during this time). While holding the pedal depressed, loosen the rear nut to let fluid (and air if it's there) escape. Once the flow of brake fluid has stopped, tighten the rear nut, once it's tight release the rear brake. I repeated the pump/drain process until I didn't see air coming out of the line any more, and then I filled the reservoir back up, along with tightening the rear nipple with a wrench. If this is an incorrect technique please let me know, as I said this was my first time bleeding the system. I'm not riding today but the front brakes function normally. I bled them at the same time as I bled the rear and they still have good feel. Although, they felt fine before I bled them and didn't have air in the lines, either. Is there anything I should be taking a picture of, aside from everything?
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Jul 12, 2011 13:18
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Well the off-idle stumble on my 1977 Honda CB750K is better since I changed the coils/spark plug wires but its still there. The bike revs a lot better but it still feels pretty darn slow. Here's a short vid I made after the ride into work this morning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jZRC80eGNY I know it's a 34 year old bike. Am I being unreasonable? Is it actually running great and I have unreal expectations?
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Jul 12, 2011 13:54
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Crayvex posted:Am I being unreasonable? No, it definitely doesn't run alright. I've got lovely sound on the netbook I'm at right now, but to me it sounds like it's not running on all cylinders, at least not in low RPMs. Does all exhaust pipes get close to equally warm? (You can test this with a wet rag or the tail of a small dog you don't care much about) Could you get your hands on a cheap compression tester and post the values both warm and cold. How are the spark plug colors? Can you post a few pictures of them?
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Jul 12, 2011 14:44
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It is definitely running on all 4 cylinders at idle. All four are equally hot. It has a manual accelerator pump. I wonder if its all gummed up? Valves were adjusted last year. They were super tight and it was cold blooded. Now it fires up immediately with choke. I have a pressure tester, so I guess I'll try to pull the plugs and post PSI info later.
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Jul 12, 2011 14:55
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bladesamurai posted:The reservoir still had some fluid in it when I started the bleeding process, I haven't looked at it yet for this most recent problem yet. I'll crack it open before I do anything, next. And I'll look into switching over to 5.1. There's a small possibility that you're sucking up air if you're only going finger tight with the bleeder. If you meant that you tighten it with a wrench I apologize. If you don't already, go and buy a box end wrench and slip it over the bleeder and then slip the tubing over the actual end of the nipple. This makes it quite fast to open and close the bleeder fully and is more reliable than making it finger tight. You can also try tapping the calipers with wood to release stuck bubbles, spreading the calipers apart while the reservoir is open to remove bubbles, or bleeding the master cylinder as well. I've really seen systems come alive when the MC is bled. Like, going from "ehh I guess that's ok feel" to "holy gently caress my brakes are now rock solid" kind of changes. It's a bit messy if you don't have the brembo style MC with a valve on it to bleed them but it can make a difference for sure. Doesn't explain why your pressure drops after a few days but it is good info to know for the future. A vacuum bleeder from HF is also a good investment that prevents air from entering the system while you tighten the valve back up and generally makes bleeding quicker / easier to do alone.
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Jul 12, 2011 16:32
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I will second the vacuum bleeder, especially if you are working alone. Makes all the difference in the world.
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Jul 12, 2011 17:06
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I've found that the vacuum bleeder can cause more problems than it helps...too much vacuum can suck in air around the bleeder, causing people to introduce air into the bleed line, which then can get sucked back in to the caliper, or cause it to appear that there's still air in the system. If you know what you're doing, it's great, but I generally don't bother with it. I do use the handy changeable reservoir it came with, but I don't generally add vacuum. Plus, I hate that sucking noise as it drains the last of the fluid out of the reservoir and you realize you have to start all over. 
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Jul 12, 2011 17:28
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Giraffe of pain posted:Pretty much correct if you run DOT3 or 4. DOT5 or 5.1 won't absorb much air moisture. To routinely bleed your brakes shouldn't be necessary at all. A one-year recommended service interval makes doing it routinely necessary enough for me.
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Jul 12, 2011 17:42
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Z3n posted:I've found that the vacuum bleeder can cause more problems than it helps...too much vacuum can suck in air around the bleeder, causing people to introduce air into the bleed line, which then can get sucked back in to the caliper, or cause it to appear that there's still air in the system. If you know what you're doing, it's great, but I generally don't bother with it. I do use the handy changeable reservoir it came with, but I don't generally add vacuum. An easy way around this I discovered while doing brakes on an old car is to slather bearing grease around the base off the bleeder, that way it can't draw air in around the threads.
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Jul 12, 2011 17:56
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Crayvex posted:It is definitely running on all 4 cylinders at idle. All four are equally hot. It has a manual accelerator pump. I wonder if its all gummed up? Dur, just remembered that I'm still running a 3/4 tank of gas from last year. I'll run a clean tank of gas through it to see if that helps. One thing is for sure, it doesn't idle as well on the side stand. (shrug)
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Jul 12, 2011 17:56
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bladesamurai posted:The reservoir still had some fluid in it when I started the bleeding process, I haven't looked at it yet for this most recent problem yet. I'll crack it open before I do anything, next. And I'll look into switching over to 5.1. You can't bleed brakes with a closed reservoir. Top it up as you bleed the brakes. If it runs dry there's a pretty good chance that you hosed up. bladesamurai posted:Loosen the rear bleed nipple nut until I can move it with my fingers, slip some vinyl tubing over it. Clear aquarium tube is unbeatable. You should also use a small ring-wrench on the nipple below the clear tube. While you bleed the system, there's only two nipple-settings: totally closed while building up pressure and slightly open while you vent air and fluid out. During the bleeding the tube should be totally filled with fluid. Trim the length of the tube to reach a jar filled with water. The other end of the tube should always be under waterlevel in the jar. Tape it to the rim of the jar. Watch the tube near the nipple. Keep bleeding the fucker till you see only totally clean fluid. Then take a pause. Close the nipple and beat your caliber, and hoses a bit with a Persuadertron (TM) (reasonable piece of wood). Repeat. bladesamurai posted:Is there anything I should be taking a picture of, aside from everything? Since you're kind enough to ask, actually yes. I would very much appreciate a picture of a penguin with a silly hat. Thanks in advance. Giraffe of pain fucked around with this message at 18:37 on Jul 12, 2011 |
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Jul 12, 2011 18:06
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Thanks for the help, guys. I'll bleed the brakes correctly tonight and see if the situation improves.
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Jul 12, 2011 18:24
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Giraffe of pain posted:Close the nipple and beat your caliber, and hoses a bit with a Persuadertron (TM)  They're difficult to come by, but well worth the investment. Don't know if I'd recommend using them to beat out air bubbles, but to each their own.
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Jul 12, 2011 18:59
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My bike was last serviced 3500 miles ago when I bought it and I haven't touched it since. Am I late for something? I heard there was a Z3n guide to maintaining your motorcycle but I can't find it.  EDIT: Hurr durr, '07 SV650N.
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Jul 12, 2011 19:27
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internet inc posted:My bike was last serviced 3500 miles ago when I bought it and I haven't touched it since. Am I late for something? I heard there was a Z3n guide to maintaining your motorcycle but I can't find it. Oil change. What's the overall mileage?
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Jul 12, 2011 20:02
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I'd check the chain slack, too.
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Jul 12, 2011 20:09
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Speaking of brakes, why is there a bleeder-type screw at the reservoir of my Street Triple's front brake?
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Jul 12, 2011 20:36
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Z3n posted:
That's a CBX specialist tool for adjusting vents on 3 and 4. I don't think the public is even allowed to own one.
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Jul 12, 2011 20:47
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Giraffe of pain posted:Clear aquarium tube is unbeatable. You should also use a small ring-wrench on the nipple below the clear tube. I tried to find the right size aquarium tubing since the common type had a diameter that was too small. Then I realized I'm a dumbass and heated up one ned with a lighter and put it over the brake nipple. So that's my tip. 
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Jul 12, 2011 21:21
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