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Ziploc posted:Wiring gurus, a bit of tutelage please. I'm guessing you have four wires you're dealing with? Hot and ground for low beam, and hot and ground for high beam? If so, its easy. Both of the grounds go to the ground contact of the single light. High beam hot goes to high beam contact, and low beam hot goes to low beam contact. I'd double check with a wiring diagram to make sure that makes sense first, but thats my guess.
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Dec 14, 2011 01:06
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Olde Weird Tip posted:If so, its easy. Both of the grounds go to the ground contact of the single light. High beam hot goes to high beam contact, and low beam hot goes to low beam contact. But, won't the headlight get burnt out if I do that? Those headlights don't expect to have high/low on at the same time do they? My bike current will run both high and low with the high switch on. I know my car's 7 inch H4 doesn't use high/low at the same time. (If I hold the switch just right it does though.  )I could have sworn I read that.
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Dec 14, 2011 02:11
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Ziploc posted:But, won't the headlight get burnt out if I do that? Those headlights don't expect to have high/low on at the same time do they? My bike current will run both high and low with the high switch on. I know my car's 7 inch H4 doesn't use high/low at the same time. (If I hold the switch just right it does though. I'm looking at my '02 bandit 1200 wiring diagram, and there's an unused pin on the headlight dimmer switch that I'm pretty sure is on when the high beam is off. The low beam is on all the time through that dimmer. Check the white wire coming out of that hi/lo switch, and see if it's on when the switch is in lo, and off when the switch is in hi. if so, connect the yellow/white wire to that pin instead, and your're golden. Edit: I've been following this wire around for a bit, and yeah, It's possible, if your harness is the same as mine. There's one splice you remove, then connect that wire over to the white in the dimmer switch. It can be done. If you find me your precise wiring diagram, I can tell you what needs to be done. babyeatingpsychopath fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Dec 14, 2011 |
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Dec 14, 2011 02:25
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Geirskogul posted:To be fair, if you're on a bike that allows you to hold the clutch in for more than 5 seconds without welding the throwout rod to the bearing, then that's what you should be doing at lights, in case someone doesn't see you stopped at the light and comes up barreling from behind. Lets you pull away quickly. This is a thing? How common is this?
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Dec 14, 2011 05:38
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stevobob posted:This is a thing? How common is this? It's not. His bike sucks. It's like worrying about the need for lead additives on a modern car.
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Dec 14, 2011 05:48
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Z3n posted:It's not. His bike sucks. No, I said that because it's one of those old wive's tales (old dude tales?) that hurrley riders swap stories about while getting drunk and arguing about earls and the like. Not even my lovely bike has that problem (and I don't really think any bike does, I would hope). I have had a clutch cable snap while I was holding it in at a light, but that was on a Honda Hawk, and the cable was probably original.
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Dec 14, 2011 06:00
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Geirskogul posted:No, I said that because it's one of those old wive's tales (old dude tales?) that hurrley riders swap stories about while getting drunk and arguing about earls and the like. Not even my lovely bike has that problem (and I don't really think any bike does, I would hope). I have had a clutch cable snap while I was holding it in at a light, but that was on a Honda Hawk, and the cable was probably original. Clearly I haven't been spending enough time with hurrley riders. I'll take my lumps here for that choice. 
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Dec 14, 2011 06:16
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There's a difference between a Harley rider and a hurrley rider. It usually involves 150 pounds, a beer belly, 8-12" of beard, and a pissed-off crying eagle tattoo. Also, I am from Idaho, a statement in and of itself that should explain where I am coming from with this described demographic. People will come up to me as I'm putting my helmet and gloves on to leave, and go, "Is that some sort of Harley?" "Nope." "So, it's one of those dirty Jap bikes?" "Nope, and also, that's racist." "So... it's a Harley, then?" Repeat ad infinitum, or at least until I kickstart it (wherein the confusion of a "kickstart" adds to their already sizeable "if it's not Japanese or a Harley, what is it?" quandry and they usually just walk away). Do not confuse my tale for smugness. I know my bike is lovely, and I know I've done everything in my power to make it even uglier than when it started. I can also appreciate a good bike, whatever brand, but :Idaho: makes it very difficult.
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Dec 14, 2011 06:35
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Geirskogul posted:There's a difference between a Harley rider and a hurrley rider. It usually involves 150 pounds, a beer belly, 8-12" of beard, and a pissed-off crying eagle tattoo. Also, I am from Idaho, a statement in and of itself that should explain where I am coming from with this described demographic. That sounds...painful. You should start telling them it's an Indian. Bonus points if you do it while pointing to the brand on the tank.
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Dec 14, 2011 06:43
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Is all reflective wheel tape created equal? I do almost half my riding at night, and I imagine being slightly more noticeable wouldn't hurt.
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Dec 14, 2011 14:39
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Loucks posted:Is all reflective wheel tape created equal? I do almost half my riding at night, and I imagine being slightly more noticeable wouldn't hurt. Pretty much. Be sure to get one with an applicator (you can make yourself one with an old credit card, but meh) otherwise it is going to look like absolute poo poo.
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Dec 14, 2011 15:33
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KARMA! posted:Pretty much. Be sure to get one with an applicator (you can make yourself one with an old credit card, but meh) otherwise it is going to look like absolute poo poo. I couldn't figure out how to use the applicator so put mine on with my thumb and a lot of effing and blinding. It does infact look poo poo.
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Dec 14, 2011 17:54
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It seems like you can get it in different widths, so if you're getting it as a nightime reflector you probably want it as wide as your wheel has room for. You might want one of those super-visible colors like day-glo hi-viz green or orange but that's up to your style tolerance.
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Dec 14, 2011 20:55
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_Dav posted:I couldn't figure out how to use the applicator so put mine on with my thumb and a lot of effing and blinding. It does infact look poo poo. I can also confirm this.
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Dec 14, 2011 21:42
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Reflective tape on everything! (Ignore the "eyes up" sticker - I needed to darken the super bright LED indicators for a day)  My first helmet. I've gotten a better one (well, a flip up) since, but I used this one for about 1.5 years.  Here, you can see I've got reflective tape around the headlight, around the triangle toolboxes/battery case, and just a little bit on the tips of the crash bars (because I had like four inches of tape left over).  I admit that, in hindsight, the helmet was a bit daft (I mean, the helmet has lights in it already), but I'm more of a paranoid rider when it comes to visibility. My riding buddy tells me that the reflective tape works quite well in increasing visibility at night in his headlight, and that's good enough for me to justify the $6 I spent on it. Well, except for choosing a dark green bike to start with - that's a bit daft, too. In other news, if anyone's in N. Idaho I've got a free Windjammer SS that maybe I can
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Dec 14, 2011 21:45
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_Dav posted:I couldn't figure out how to use the applicator so put mine on with my thumb and a lot of effing and blinding. It does infact look poo poo. Yeah, because the tape doesn't come pre-curved you'll always end up with a lopsided hexagon. Lame. The part where the ends meet isn't super perfect, but hardly noticable from ~3 feet away.  Geirskogul posted:My first helmet. I've gotten a better one (well, a flip up) since, but I used this one for about 1.5 years. This is .. AWESOME. gently caress, gotta remember this for my next helmet, the current one's too janky to spend even a single dollar on it.
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Dec 14, 2011 23:22
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My rim tape was applied by hand and looks great. That said, it was pre-curved so it sounds like that makes the difference. Those helmet pics reminded me that I meant to buy some black Scotchlite tape and put it on any black part of my helmet, tracing the designs and cutting the tape to match so you can't tell at all during the day. I still need to do that.
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Dec 15, 2011 00:27
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Z3n posted:Sure, what bike is it? Awesome video, and perfect description. Also found out during clutch adjustment was that my clutch cable was a nut hair away from snapping, which probably contributed to my clutch not completely disengaging and not allowing a smooth shift. Now that the cable is adjusted and to spec, I'm running like a dream again.
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Dec 15, 2011 13:17
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I walked outside to find my bike on its side today. The black mark on the cover at the front tire shows where the car hit it. Upon inspection, there wasn't any real aesthetic damage and no fluid leakage, so engine-wise I think its okay. I am a little concerned about the front tire though. If a car hit the front tire with enough force to knock the bike over, I'm worried about the alignment/condition of the front wheel. Do any of you have pointers for what I should look for to determine if the front wheel has been damaged or is out of alignment?
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Dec 15, 2011 16:11
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AhhYes posted:Do any of you have pointers for what I should look for to determine if the front wheel has been damaged or is out of alignment? Jack up the front. Spin the wheel. Look at the wheel. That's the first thing I'd do, anyway. It's highly likely that nothing has happened when you think about the forces the wheel+forks normally have to contend with when you're riding it.
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Dec 15, 2011 17:37
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Thanks, that's a good call. It looked like they hit it just hard enough to leave a mark on the cover and knock it over, so hopefully you're right that there wasn't enough force to do any damage, but I'm still nervous about it. That was the first time I've seen that bike on its side. I didn't like it. Edit: One other quick question: anything else I should look for after having the bike lay on its side for what could have been several hours? I just want to be sure I cover all my bases before hopping on it again. AhhYes fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Dec 15, 2011 |
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Dec 15, 2011 20:41
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AhhYes posted:Edit: One other quick question: anything else I should look for after having the bike lay on its side for what could have been several hours? I just want to be sure I cover all my bases before hopping on it again. Apart from fluid leakage, not really. Check the gas and brake fluid. It may be a bit hard to start the first time, but there should be no damage. I guess if oil leaked into the cylinders it could be a bit smoky for a couple of minutes, but it shouldn't do any harm.
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Dec 15, 2011 21:24
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My brakes have been squeaking a lot lately. On the front, it's when I'm applying light pressure. The rear is intermittent. I had the bike on the center stand and was rotating the rear wheel and realized it squeaks at a certain point in the rotation without even applying the brake. There's plenty of pad left on both front and the rear, and there's nothing that's happened that might have warped the discs. What's with the squeaking? I'm a bit concerned about it happening on the rear even without applying any pressure. Could the rear wheel be slightly off alignment? It's been removed once before when I had to replace the tire.
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Dec 16, 2011 18:20
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Before I plonk down the money, Are there any alternative products/companies that offer a 7inch universal headlight like Aztec8? Like so: http://www.aztec8.com/catalog/i209.html Note that his headlights don't have parking lights anymore. Which I'm fine with. There isn't much information on the headlight itself. I hope it performs well enough for me to ride safely and confidently at night.
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Dec 16, 2011 20:35
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I have a black Aztec8, it has a parking bulb, as does the chrome one you linked. You can see the grey thing poking out of the housing just right of the cable. It's cheap, but it's low quality. Spent a lot of time with silicone eliminating an infuriating buzz. Then there's a bit of corrosion, poor fit, crumbling rubber caps, not so good beam etc. Also the mounting brackets are poo poo and I needed to get some universal ones the next year. Best alternative would be to troll eBay for a round one in good shape off whatever bike and use some universal fork clamp to hook it up with. The less design features it has, the easier it is to fit. In fact, having ripped on my current headlight I might take a look on eBay myself...
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Dec 16, 2011 20:56
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Pope Mobile posted:My brakes have been squeaking a lot lately. On the front, it's when I'm applying light pressure. The rear is intermittent. I'm not great with brakes (pre-disclaimer), but you're meant to apply copper grease to certain parts when changing brake pads to stop squeaking. It's also potentially just brake dust buildup, I used to take my old pads out a smack them around a little to release some dust. I really wouldn't worry about it.
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Dec 16, 2011 21:01
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Ola posted:I have a black Aztec8, it has a parking bulb, as does the chrome one you linked. You can see the grey thing poking out of the housing just right of the cable. I have the OEM mounting brackets. But people are charging almost 100$ more for what Aztec8 offers. Mind you that is for an OEM item. I emailed him about the parking light, he says the batch of headlights he's selling now don't have them.
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Dec 16, 2011 21:07
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Oh allright. I was thinking used headlights off older bikes. Anything round can be made to fit anything with forks and there are thousands of various housings on eBay. Just do a search for "Yamaha headlight", "Suzuki headlight" etc until you find something. Here's a slightly ugly one for $25. Perhaps not that, but you get the idea. You might need to swap some internals to make H4 bulbs fit, shouldn't be a problem. Pope Mobile, I don't think your brakes are warped. There's no pumping in the lever when you apply them right? Check your discs for uneven edges. Perhaps remove pads (label them so they go back in the same spot and orientation, clean out the dust and apply some copper grease to the back of the pad (as _Dav says) when you put it back in. A plumber wrench and some cardboard/thin wood pieces helps pushing the pistons in to make it easier to refit, take care to not push the lever/pedal down while they're out and take EXTRA caution to pump the brakes up to pressure after refit. I NEVER remember to do this, but somehow Darwin fails to catch up with me.
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Dec 16, 2011 21:17
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Ola posted:Oh allright. I was thinking used headlights off older bikes. Anything round can be made to fit anything with forks and there are thousands of various housings on eBay. Just do a search for "Yamaha headlight", "Suzuki headlight" etc until you find something. I wish I could find a motorcycle headlight bucket that would accept 7inch car headlights. Then I could slap in some decent Sylvanias or get a Hella H4 housing from the millions of people selling it. I hate guessing and getting stuck with a crappy bulb housing. EDIT. Specifically H6024 size or something. Which is about 7 inches. Then I could pick and choose my bulb/glass/reflector. Ziploc fucked around with this message at 21:54 on Dec 16, 2011 |
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Dec 16, 2011 21:41
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Doesn't...almost every UJM or Brit-style bike use a 7" bucket? I mean, I know my Enfield does, and I use a Sylvania 6024 Silverstar sealed beam in it. My friend's Hawk 400TII and his CM250 also have standard 7" buckets, and we have two 6024's sitting in the garage waiting to be mounted this spring. Are most modern bikes a weird size like 6" or something? Or are they too shallow for a sealed beam?
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Dec 16, 2011 22:51
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Ziploc posted:I wish I could find a motorcycle headlight bucket that would accept 7inch car headlights. Then I could slap in some decent Sylvanias or get a Hella H4 housing from the millions of people selling it. This is what I did on my Bandit. The lens accepts all manner of H4's. Not sure how the bucket would do with a complete automotive lens. http://www.maximum-suzuki.com/forums/index.php?topic=69162.msg756918#msg756918 Any reason you want the automotive lens rather than the Bosch or Autopal lens and a nice bulb? E: Since I've done this on a bandit, I'd get a 7" motorcycle bucket, get a lens from Autopal (http://stores.ebay.com/Autopal-Lights), and stick whatever bulb you want in it. The automotive lenses probably dont have the alignment tabs that the motorcycle ones do, at least I wouldn't think they would. Beve Stuscemi fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Dec 16, 2011 |
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Dec 16, 2011 23:22
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Man if I could do metalwork and had some spare cubes in the timespace continuum I'd cook up some awesome universal headlights and sell them. What are other universal bike products that are either 1) expensive OEM or 2) tacky Chinese poo poo?
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Dec 16, 2011 23:24
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Ola posted:Man if I could do metalwork and had some spare cubes in the timespace continuum I'd cook up some awesome universal headlights and sell them. What are other universal bike products that are either 1) expensive OEM or 2) tacky Chinese poo poo? Rearsets. If you could make actual adjustable rearsets for cheap it would be like a license to print money. Especially for vintage bikes. There are so many guys who want rearsets for old bikes.
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Dec 16, 2011 23:27
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Honestly, judging by how most of the buckets listed on eBay don't include a ring, or anything to hold a sealed beam (or 6024 style reflector) in there, I thought it was all proprietary. Seems like that's not the case. I'm clearly not done my researching. Olde Weird Tip Great thread at M-S. Got me to register, then got me all pumped over this project again. Thanks! Ziploc fucked around with this message at 23:49 on Dec 16, 2011 |
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Dec 16, 2011 23:43
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Olde Weird Tip posted:Rearsets. If you could make actual adjustable rearsets for cheap it would be like a license to print money. Especially for vintage bikes. There are so many guys who want rearsets for old bikes. It's insanely easy to fabricate any seat bottom in glass- or carbon-fiber.
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Dec 17, 2011 13:11
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Rearsets not rear seats
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Dec 17, 2011 19:30
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Rearsets made out of glass fiber seems like a good idea!
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Dec 17, 2011 19:57
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Snowdens Secret posted:Rearsets not rear seats Haha, I didn't even make the connection between my post and his. 
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Dec 17, 2011 23:37
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Hehe. Actually, I can make rearsets in kevlar too  I'd probably just TIG them up in aluminum though.
Sir Cornelius fucked around with this message at 14:58 on Dec 18, 2011 |
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Dec 18, 2011 14:54
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Ziploc posted:Olde Weird Tip Great thread at M-S. Got me to register, then got me all pumped over this project again. Thanks! Awesome! Keep us updated on it, if the world needs more of anything, it's naked bikes!!
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Dec 18, 2011 18:36
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