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babyeatingpsychopath posted:This annoys the piss out of me on my 2002 GSF1200 Bandit. Is there an acceptable drop-in petcock that has ON OFF RES for these things? Do some Googling. I found the 02 gen 600 manual no problem.
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Aug 17, 2011 14:55
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Just got a GS500 and gear. I typically park on the street and I want to avoid my bike getting stolen! Any advice on locks? Will a U-lock for a bicycle work? What's the best way to lock up a motorcycle anyway?
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Aug 18, 2011 00:49
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The best way? Chaining it to something with a good chain (like a Kryptonite Fahgettaboutit). Like a sign post if one is easily accessible. Through the rear tire. If you can't do that, then your best bet is to just use a disc lock and a motorcycle cover. And get comprehensive insurance. Keywords: keep out of sight, under a cover, and locked down onto something.
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Aug 18, 2011 00:58
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the walkin dude posted:The best way? Chaining it to something with a good chain (like a Kryptonite Fahgettaboutit). Like a sign post if one is easily accessible. Through the rear tire. Not through the rear tire, or a sign post. Easy to cut a sign post, and easy to remove the rear tire. Through the frame, and through something that can't easily be cut. Helps if your chain can't be cut. Rotor locks are useless, as stolen bikes aren't typically rolled, they're lifted. Not to mention it only takes 2 minutes to remove a wheel and remove a rotor. Out of sight isn't always best either, because if it's out of sight for them, it's also out of sight of everyone else when they steal it. This is why bikes are most likely to be stolen out of carports or private parking lots. Insure it. Laibility + Comprehensive (not collision) is typically pretty cheap, but considering it's a GS500 (unless it's one of the faired ones), it's unlikely anyone's gonna steal it.
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Aug 18, 2011 04:04
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I've always been curious about drilling out the curb and dropping in a U-anchor with epoxy. I imagine the city might have a few words to say about that kind of thing, not to mention liability if someone trips. I guess the alternative is filling a 50 gallon drum with cement and a lock chain and paying someone to drop it on the sidewalk where I park my bike. 
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Aug 18, 2011 04:07
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You could dig out a hole and concrete in one of these: Or you could dig out a small hole and countersink one of these so it's flush with the surface  I'm not quite sure what would happen if they ever decided to resurface the road, but I'm sure they'd give you advance warning if they were going to. All you have to do in that case is move your bike somewhere else and claim ignorance if they notice the ground anchor. Of course, this doesn't stop nosy neighbours reporting you or whatever, but gently caress them.
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Aug 18, 2011 15:11
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After rebuilding my 96 XJ600 for 7 months, the day arrived to take the battery off the trickle charger and start her back up. So I take said fully charged battery and reconnected it to the bike. When I tried to start her up, I got the whine sound like the engine was trying to turn over, but it wouldn't engage. After that, I tried jumping it using my friends Scion xD, but that didn't work either. When I'd press the ignition, I got the whine at first, then a bunch of rapid fire clicks, but it still wouldn't start. At the tail end of trying to jump it, the whining happened less and less, and then the rapid fire clicks stopped altogether. Now when I press the ignition, I get a single click, but nothing happens. All the electronics on the bike work, and the battery is fully charged so I can't figure out what it could be preventing me from starting her up. Any suggestions? Thanks!
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Aug 18, 2011 17:41
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So I replaced the 30 year old turn signals, which worked intermittently, on my bike with a set of cheapos, and have hit a snag, they don't blink, just turn on. I checked the resistance and each light registers about 1.5 ohms, I can't seem to get a read on any of the old lights, they read wildly from 10 ohms to 10 million ohms, never settling on a reading for more than a second. It doesn't help that electricity is basically black magic to me. How do I check the relay? Is it likely a lack of proper resistance? Should I get some inline resistors from radio shack, and if so, how do I figure out the proper ones to get? Would a new flasher relay be a better bet, and what stats would I be looking for on that?
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Aug 18, 2011 22:02
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My motorcycle insurance for both the ninja and the husky dropped to $200 for 12 months, so I'm thinking of getting comprehensive if it's not too expensive. What's a good deductible? I know a high one will keep the costs down, but both my bikes are old and not worth a whole lot, so I wouldn't want to shell out a grand should something unexpected happen. My main concern is theft.
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Aug 18, 2011 22:08
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Gnaghi posted:My motorcycle insurance for both the ninja and the husky dropped to $200 for 12 months, so I'm thinking of getting comprehensive if it's not too expensive. What's a good deductible? I know a high one will keep the costs down, but both my bikes are old and not worth a whole lot, so I wouldn't want to shell out a grand should something unexpected happen. My main concern is theft. I'd go with a 500 deductible. It sucks when you have to pay it, but generally won't keep you from paying rent.
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Aug 18, 2011 22:13
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Can I use the conventional Castrol GTX oil in my Ninja 636, or do I gotta go for motorcycle oil?
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Aug 18, 2011 22:30
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I use RotellaT in my zx6r.
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Aug 18, 2011 22:32
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Ari, can you bump start it? Walking, any non energy conserving oil is fine. Trollop, did you replace them with led ones?
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Aug 18, 2011 22:36
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Advanced Autoparts has a deal where 5 quarts of Castrol GTX oil plus a Purolator oil filter is $18. Schweet deal, I got that for the gf's Honda Fit, but is it viable for the 636? That's what I'm wondering. A google search shows much dispute over Castrol GTX.
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Aug 18, 2011 22:36
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That's not really that great of a deal, Walmart and Advance Auto carry RotellaT for $13 a gallon (I use it too). ari.gato posted:I'd go with a 500 deductible. It sucks when you have to pay it, but generally won't keep you from paying rent. With $500 I would pay an extra $124 a year, so going from $200 to $324. With $250 it would be $336. That's doesn't seem bad at all, considering how raped I'm getting by car insurance.
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Aug 18, 2011 22:43
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Z3n posted:Ari, can you bump start it? No, I specifically avoided LED turn signals cause I knew it would mean a new relay or resistors, and possibly other headaches. Of course, in hindsight...
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Aug 18, 2011 22:45
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I had the same issue on my 77 Honda and it turned out to be that I used the wrong bulbs. Despite LOOKING identical the replacements ones weren't the right type. I still have an extra loud turn signal relay that I never ended up needing due to me seeing the problem before I started hacking into the wiring. Edit: oh you replaced the entire turn signal assembly. I bet of you reconnect the old ones they will blink fine...
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Aug 18, 2011 23:48
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Gnaghi posted:That's not really that great of a deal, Walmart and Advance Auto carry RotellaT for $13 a gallon (I use it too). Rotella T or Rotella T6? T6 is around 20-22 a gallon.
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Aug 18, 2011 23:57
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Z3n posted:Ari, can you bump start it? Tried, but no. My battery had died twice since I owned the bike. I actually had it off the bike and not charging for a few months while I was rebuilding. I think when I hooked it up to a charger and it fully charged, I got all excited; but it might have just been registering a surface charge and the battery had gone bad anyways. I probably couldn't jump start it cause my friend's car is a scion and I probably wasn't getting a good ground off her battery. So I bought a new Yuasa battery and it's charging right now. Hopefully that's the issue. If not, time to track down a solenoid.
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Aug 19, 2011 00:06
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PestiferousTrollop posted:No, I specifically avoided LED turn signals cause I knew it would mean a new relay or resistors, and possibly other headaches. Of course, in hindsight... Do they have running lights integrated? Ari, you can manually jump the starter with a rubber handled tool...just bridge the 2 big connectors on the starter solenoid. Be prepared for sparks.
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Aug 19, 2011 00:09
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Crayvex posted:I had the same issue on my 77 Honda and it turned out to be that I used the wrong bulbs. Despite LOOKING identical the replacements ones weren't the right type. I still have an extra loud turn signal relay that I never ended up needing due to me seeing the problem before I started hacking into the wiring. This was it, identical appearing bulbs but different resistance, dunno why I didn't check the actual bulb's resistance first. Also, I would have stayed with OEM but they were a bit more expensive, and the old ones were suffering from corrosion which caused them to lose their ground occasionally when I went over bumps, it was annoying and I couldn't get them straightened out after a couple dissections and clean-ups. Z3n posted:Do they have running lights integrated? Nope, but obviously I got it now, thanks guys.
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Aug 19, 2011 00:18
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Z3n posted:Do they have running lights integrated? If this new batt don't do it, I'll give that a shot for sure. Thanks Conan!
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Aug 19, 2011 00:27
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JP Money posted:Rotella T or Rotella T6? T6 is around 20-22 a gallon. What's the difference between the two, anyway?
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Aug 19, 2011 01:27
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Rotella T is their cheapest oil at 12.99 a gallon, which is popular iirc cause it has no friction modifiers (good for clutches), is JASO rated for use in bikes and doesn't have to be ordered since enough stores carry it. Rotella T6 is their top of the line full synthetic. Advance auto carries this too, but it's twice the price of regular T and usually riders just spring for AMSoil, Belray, AGIP or one of the other "order online" oils for that kinda money.
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Aug 19, 2011 01:45
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I'm sure it has been asked before but I need a bike lock. I'm parking my bike overnight in Chicago(retardededededed) and want to buy at least a little piece of mind. I'm looking at something sub $100, my bike is only a 2006 SV650S, so I'd be sad, but not devastated if it was stolen. Also, my buddy has a proximity alarm on his GIXXXXXER and I'm not looking to go that crazy. TheFonz fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Aug 19, 2011 |
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Aug 19, 2011 01:56
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sirbeefalot posted:What's the difference between the two, anyway? The T6 has replaced the T as far as I know. Works great for me - I've used it in my F4i and the DRZ and I like it. At 25 or less a gallon I can deal with supermoto oil change intervals as well. I'm tempted to blackstone it after about 1000-1500 miles and see how it's doing. As far the T6, they say it's up to JASO MA standards and ok for motorcycles but it doesn't have the actual stamp meaning they paid to certify it AFAIK. Works for me so far. I can't personally justify Amsoil / Royal Purple level pricing. A local fellow rider swears up and down that Amsoil is all anyone should run even if costs 2 times as much as Rotella since you can "run it 2 times longer". He claims to send blackstone oil samples after every change to monitor things. Personally I'll stick with shorter changes / cheaper prices of still pretty drat good oil. Amsoil sells on their site for 11 bucks a quart. Like I said I'd rather spend half as much and change it twice as often than to trust an oil to really last twice as long. I really hate to start an oil debate though. Just pick which way you prefer and make sure it's changed at least as often as the factory recommends and you should be fine.
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Aug 19, 2011 02:01
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PestiferousTrollop posted:This was it, identical appearing bulbs but different resistance, dunno why I didn't check the actual bulb's resistance first. So that explains it! Electricity is magic to me too. Resistance is futile and confusing. 
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Aug 19, 2011 03:13
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Z3n posted:Ari, you can manually jump the starter with a rubber handled tool...just bridge the 2 big connectors on the starter solenoid. Be prepared for sparks. So I'm going to say it's safe to assume my solenoid went out. I bought a brand new Yuasa battery this afternoon and set it up. Hooked it to my charger and when it was completely charged, took to my bike to start up. Turned the key and all the lights and gauges lit up. I pressed the ignition and just got a single *CLICK* When I tried to bridge the starter solenoid, I got no sparks, but I could feel the solenoid clicking (or trying to) through the screwdriver.
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Aug 19, 2011 03:51
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ari.gato posted:So I'm going to say it's safe to assume my solenoid went out. That's weird failure mode. If you jump the 2 big terminals (one should be attached to the fat cable that comes from the battery, and other the fat cable should go to the starter), you should get a nice spark show, because you're bypassing the solenoid entirely. The solenoid is an electromagnet that pulls a piece of thick metal to bridge those 2 contacts, so the status of the solenoid should have no effect on that. Sounds like something else is going on. Unless, of course, you're bridging the solenoid connectors, not the actual large terminals (you might have to remove a rubber cover to get to them).
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Aug 19, 2011 04:51
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JP Money posted:As far the T6, they say it's up to JASO MA standards and ok for motorcycles but it doesn't have the actual stamp meaning they paid to certify it AFAIK.
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Aug 19, 2011 04:53
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Endless Mike posted:The bottle says it meets all the requirements and such. It's what I use since currently since I got a few gallons back when that three for the price of one after rebate deal was running. Whoops, that should say "Didn't pay to get it certified". Basically I think it would pass all the test fine but they don't wanna pay for the certification and jack the price up.
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Aug 19, 2011 05:44
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Armyman25 posted:The new springs and shocks improved the bike immensely. It corners more confidently, and doesn't squat as much when I accelerate, meaning the power feels like it's getting to the ground better. It also doesn't dive as much when I brake. Nice job! It's a nice looking bike too. The riding position is just cafe racer really. Modern sportsbikes of course have tanks designed to support you. Definitely no point in keeping the Hyde bars on there for the road if they're uncomfortable. They will help you get weight on the front tyre, but it's not really a track day bike, is it?
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Aug 19, 2011 17:08
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Does anyone know where I can get my bike (DRZ Supermoto) exhaust decibels measured? The city I live in just enacted a "92DB at idle, 96 at speed" maximum law, with fines from $500-$1000 if I break that. I have a Yoshimura RS-3 with the insert in, but I also have a big bore kit and upgraded carb.. So I have no idea where I'm at. Do the apps for the iphone work accurately enough?
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Aug 19, 2011 19:43
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MrZig posted:Do the apps for the iphone work accurately enough? Coming from an android phone, most apps tend to read somewhere between a little high and what-are-you-thinking high, even a couple of the non-free ones. edit: When I had to check mine, I just went to one of the fancy home theater sound system stores in my city and borrowed one of theirs to use in the parking lot. Most places may not have one, but call around and see what you can find.
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Aug 19, 2011 20:19
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MrZig posted:Does anyone know where I can get my bike (DRZ Supermoto) exhaust decibels measured? Might stop by a police station and ask them to measure it.
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Aug 19, 2011 20:38
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thylacine posted:Might stop by a police station and ask them to measure it. I see it going something like this. quote:Hey, can you guys measure my exhaust to see if its quiet enough? The home theatre idea sounds good to me.
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Aug 19, 2011 21:17
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Another possibly stupid electrical question ahead. I installed a new tail light unit, which once again came with a different bulb from original, however the problem remains the same with either a 12v 23/8w bulb(1157 and original bulb) or a 12v 23/3w bulb. Basically, the running light function of the tail light works fine, but when brake is applied it only brightens the most negligible amount. I also got a replacement 1157 LED bulb, but it won't even light up. I've checked all the connections and switches, they seem to be fine.
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Aug 19, 2011 22:38
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I'm sure this has been discussed before, but what lube should I use for my chain (on a 2008 SV650)? Any particularly good youtube videos/writeups for the process? I got my first bike a couple of weeks ago and am just starting to do maintenance on it. Thanks!
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Aug 19, 2011 23:47
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Some use sprays like DuPont's Teflon lube (you can find it at Lowe's too), some use gear oil (any auto parts store, the ~1qt bottles with pointy spouts). Pros/Cons? Teflon or other dry lube + Quicker application (in my experience) + Longer intervals between applications + Cleaner for the rest of the bike - More expensive - Chain needs to be cleaned more often than gear oil Gear Oil + Stupid cheap, one bottle will last you years. + Less cleaning of the chain (if at all), dirt tends to just fling off with excess oil + More frequent application means more time looking at the underside of your bike, finding possible issues etc. - More frequent application - In my experience, it led to a much dirtier bike around the chain area from flinging excess.
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Aug 20, 2011 16:34
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I've been using Belray chain wax but recently found this, which seems to work just as well while going on clear. Belray left my bikes looking like they had white chains. I still use wd-40 and a grunge brush to clean before applying the wax.
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Aug 20, 2011 16:52
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