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Aargh posted:Soooo, paddock stands, are they a one size fits all approach or should I be looking for some Orange approved models? Rear wheel only. Most are adjustable to fit nearly all bikes.
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Feb 9, 2012 02:38
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Z3n posted:Most are adjustable to fit nearly all bikes. Sweet. I'll pick one up on the weekend. Haven't cleaned or oiled my chain in too long
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Feb 9, 2012 02:55
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Ziploc posted:Can someone ID this pillion peg please? My bike has miss matched pillion pegs for some dumb reason (probably cause it fell over, not surprised) and I like the style of this one, which is not original. But I have no idea how to get a matching one for the other (right) side. Resurrecting from last page. Looks like any number of passenger pegs honestly. You could probably make a lot of them fit or just purchase OEM / replacement aftermarket ones for your bike.
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Feb 9, 2012 05:50
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Being a new bike owner/rider... I haven't quite figured something out. I want to go running around a public trail. Obviously I can't run in motorcycling gear. So I ride to the trail in gear, then change into my running clothes. Sure, I can bring a backpack and stuff my riding gear in there, but that still leaves me wide open to theft. So, what does one do when there is a uniform change required and no where to leave stuff safely?
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Feb 10, 2012 02:55
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Chain around the frame through the jacket arm, pant leg, and helmet. Boots in backpack you take with you. Not sure how else you could do the boots.
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Feb 10, 2012 02:58
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I have locking panniers (that use a padlock and hasp, not a built-in lock). Though I admit my helmet is still unprotected, really need to get a helmet lock.
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Feb 10, 2012 03:26
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Wanted to know if CA is in agreement with me and every other rider I've talked to about this: I teach in Japan, and made the extremely unfortunate mistake of telling my employer I was getting a license. According to both my contract and the orientation packet I got from them before I came, there should be no problem with this, but they made up an on-the-spot rule that I couldn't get a license* because it's too dangerous. Apparently another foreign teacher (in a car) got in an accident and was seriously hurt a few years ago, and they don't want to deal with liability issues or something. There's another foreign teacher at my Board of Education who got a 50cc scooter his second year (without telling them, and never had a problem) and they initially suggested that, but when I decided to take them up on their offer they moved the goalposts and told me I had to wait until my second year too, in order to "get used to Japanese roads" (from my lovely undersized bicycle, I guess), which are apparently "so dangerous". While I have a healthy fear and respect for the roads here like I would anywhere, I learned how to ride in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, and Japanese roads are not that dangerous. At that point I gave up reasoning with them, got my scooter license on the sly, and picked up a 50cc on Yahoo Auctions. My actual schools are fine with me riding and it's unlikely they'd mention it to the Board of Education, but for now I only ride on the weekends just to be safe. The thing is, the scooter feels a lot more dangerous than any other bike I've ridden. By law, I'm limited to the far lefthand side of the road, and a (theoretical) max speed of 30kph. I'm getting constantly passed by cars, having to dodge or go through sand, gravel, etc that accumulates on side of the road, and getting over to make right turns is basically praying that a car sees my turn signal, takes pity on me, and slows down so I can get over. I can no longer speed up to avoid danger, which kinda freaks me out. My Board of Education have proven themselves impervious to facts or sources of information that contradict their opinions, but I'm going to have our representative bring up their policy and how nonsensical it is at the big sit-down meeting they have in May, and wanted to give her the biggest factbomb I could to drop in their laps. Am I totally off base on this, or does a regular bike that can ride with traffic offer comparable if not greater safety than an underpowered moped limited to the far side of the road? *I've been riding small (125cc) bikes on and off in Southeast Asia since I was 19, and would have gotten my US license before I came if I'd had enough time (Japan requires possession of any foreign license for 3 months prior to your date of entry for an International Driver's Permit to be valid, I wasn't given 3 months notice). I'd never gotten a license back home due to a combination of having a car already, getting nagged by my parents (lived in my hometown, saw them regularly), and a general sense of ennui at Florida roads. Riding does carry risk, and at the time I judged it not worth it. Being in Japan I've got a whole new country to explore, the roads are infinitely more interesting than back home, and riding would be my primary transportation. CombatMedic posted:Being a new bike owner/rider... I haven't quite figured something out. Grab one of those metal net things that backpackers use to secure their packs in dodgy hostels, fill it with your stuff, and lock that to the bike. fake edit: like this Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 12:55 on Feb 13, 2012 |
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Feb 13, 2012 12:52
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Geirskogul posted:I have locking panniers (that use a padlock and hasp, not a built-in lock). Though I admit my helmet is still unprotected, really need to get a helmet lock. Can you not lock it under your seat? Basically every bike I've ever seen lets you remove the seat and there's a hook thing on each side that you can put the D things on the helmet over to 'lock' it in there. Of course, all they have to do is cut the chin strap to get it, but it's pretty pointless then unless they actually feel like repairing it. Still better than nothing :/ @Pompous Rhombus I'd just go ahead and get the license - is there really anything they can/would do seeing how it's not actually work related? As long as you don't actively go out to get yourself killed (which I assume you're not planning on doing anyway) I don't really see an issue with it. It's basically them hating on motorcycles like a gf/parent. Sounds safer to upgrade to something more powerful anyway.
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Feb 13, 2012 13:28
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By "every bike you've seen" do you mean "Hondas"? Because that's really what I've seen stock helmet-locks on the most. In fact, I don't recall ever seeing a stock helmet lock on any other bike, but I've only ridden a few Hondas, Yamahas, a Kawasaki DS, a vintage Suzuki, and a Ninja 250 or two. I also don't see them on Harleys, but those don't count. By no means do I have comprehensive riding experience across brands. My Enfield and Triumph(-like object) have bolted-down seats, and no accessories of any kind. But, like the mentioned Harleys, they don't count.
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Feb 13, 2012 13:51
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Wanted to know if CA is in agreement with me and every other rider I've talked to about this: This smells of classic Japanese xenophobia, but I digress. The safety thing is just a yardstick the board has used to keep you in line. It has nothing to do with actual bike safety. I hope you realize this? Pompous Rhombus posted:Am I totally off base on this, or does a regular bike that can ride with traffic offer comparable if not greater safety than an underpowered moped limited to the far side of the road? When you ride faster, you will fall to harder to the ground. However, faster also means being able to get away from dangerous situations before they involve you. I have no hard data that would corroborate this insight with traffic statistics or lab tests however. Traffic plays a huge role too. Do they expect a scooter at the far side of the road and react appropriately? With motorcycles in traffic? are they comparable? Etc.
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Feb 13, 2012 14:34
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Geirskogul posted:By "every bike you've seen" do you mean "Hondas"? Because that's really what I've seen stock helmet-locks on the most. In fact, I don't recall ever seeing a stock helmet lock on any other bike, but I've only ridden a few Hondas, Yamahas, a Kawasaki DS, a vintage Suzuki, and a Ninja 250 or two. I also don't see them on Harleys, but those don't count. By no means do I have comprehensive riding experience across brands. My yamaha tdm has one and my father's suzuki intuder too.
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Feb 13, 2012 14:36
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Most bikes I've seen have some sort of helmet lock mechanism. Some you have to pop the seat to do. My Ulysses has one under the seat pan near the passenger peg.
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Feb 13, 2012 19:03
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Geirskogul posted:By "every bike you've seen" do you mean "Hondas"? Because that's really what I've seen stock helmet-locks on the most. In fact, I don't recall ever seeing a stock helmet lock on any other bike, My Nighthawk had one, and my Kawasaki Zephyr has one. My Yamaha Maxim did not. So, YMMV. Handy though.
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Feb 13, 2012 20:37
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Repair question here: I have a 99 Shadow VT600CD and it has started occasionally shooting air back out the intake/filter when the engine's not up to operating temp and in 1st or 2nd. I'm relatively sure this means one or more valve seals are shot and need to be replaced, but I'd like to know a few things before I start, rather than wrenching on it semi-blindly(have the FSM for it, just no experience doing this particular work): 1. Should I go ahead and drop on a full set of new valve seals for the bike rather than just replacing whichever ones are bad? 2. Are there any common traps that somebody new to doing this could fall into? For example I really don't want to accidentally drop a valve down into the cylinder and then have to take half of the engine apart to retrieve it, or accidentally score something on the head and necessitate a very expensive re-machining of some small but crucial part of the engine. Tangent to this, anybody have recommendations for tire cleaning/shining products that don't ruin your grip(or maybe even improve it some)? I moved to Fort Worth in August and the dust here has made everything look gross. I'd like to make my bike nice and shiny again for when riding season is back, but I know not to use anything car-oriented for the wheels as it tends to harden tires up bad. The roads here are dangerous enough(30-year-old cement grooved parallel to the direction of travel with added bonus of years of fine polishing from the clay and limestone-based dust that is ubiquitous here. Even car tires break free doing a u-turn at more than 8 mph) and I'd rather retain or improve my grip if possible while still having nice shiny tires.
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Feb 13, 2012 21:28
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Ninja 250 and 500 had helmet locks as well. Most bikes do from what I've seen, even my buddy's 30 year old CX.
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Feb 13, 2012 21:31
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Kilersquirrel posted:Repair question here: For common pitfalls: secure your timing chain if it has to be undone. You don't want to have to fish it out, it sucks.
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Feb 13, 2012 22:06
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Kilersquirrel posted:Repair question here: That sounds like a jetting/carbs clog issue, not valve seals. How many miles on the bike? There are no cleaning products for tires that wont compromise grip. You could carefully clean up the sidewalls but...it's just gonna get dirty again.
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Feb 13, 2012 22:24
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Geirskogul posted:By "every bike you've seen" do you mean "Hondas"? Because that's really what I've seen stock helmet-locks on the most. In fact, I don't recall ever seeing a stock helmet lock on any other bike, but I've only ridden a few Hondas, Yamahas, a Kawasaki DS, a vintage Suzuki, and a Ninja 250 or two. I also don't see them on Harleys, but those don't count. By no means do I have comprehensive riding experience across brands. My Suzuki Bandit has a helmet lock. I don't have to take off to use it either. The lock operates both the helmet lock, and the unlock depending on which way you turn.
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Feb 13, 2012 22:24
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Also, an easy way of keeping the valves from falling down the cylinder is to thread in one end of a long rope into the spark plug hole to keep the engine from turning and to press up against the valves. It makes changing things like stem seals much easier. Though I don't understand how stem seals leads to air popping back into the intake...
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Feb 13, 2012 22:25
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My 50cc scooter has a helmet lock, pretty sure it's stock.Shimrod posted:@Pompous Rhombus KARMA! posted:This smells of classic Japanese xenophobia, but I digress. Yeah, it's total bullshit. There actually is some additional liability for the employer in Japan if you get whacked on your way to work (they have to pay worker's comp), so right off the bat I offered not to when they asked if I wanted to ride to work, but they rejected that too. It's basically "well, something could happen, and that could create some inconvenience for us, so better to make a blanket ban  ". I'd heard of similar situations elsewhere in Japan before I came, but when I looked at my contract before I signed it, it said I only had to ask them for permission if I'm riding to a work-related function that's not a regular school visit, so I assumed I was in the clear. I (politely) called them on that when I ran out of more indirect options, and my supervisor told me point blank that it was in the "unwritten contract". It's been really frustrating because I turned down a higher-paying job back home in large part because the pay cut was worth having a chance to explore Japan on my own, and getting screwed over on that has really rubbed me the wrong way. Other than my Board of Education basically everything else here is peachy, they're essentially the source of 100% of my First World Problems. The problem with going against their wishes is that we're on year-to-year contracts, and I'm currently up for renewal (more or less automatic, unless you really piss them off or there are budget cuts). I should find out if I've been reappointed in a few weeks, after which point I can pretty much do whatever, since it's really difficult and expensive to fire/replace us. Although I'm not planning on it, I'd like the option to do another year after that, but it doesn't matter enough to me to give up on riding. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Feb 13, 2012 |
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Feb 13, 2012 23:11
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My GS500 had a helmet lock, we'll it was more a tab of metal that was covered by the seat so you take the sear off, hang the helmet and lock the seat back on. I've looked for similar on the KTM but can't find anything.
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Feb 13, 2012 23:27
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I need reassurance that the FZ6 clunks like a bitch when dropping into first (whether at a stop or moving). Sometimes it's rather loud and forceful I just get all 
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Feb 14, 2012 00:10
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It's the clutch plates (un)sticking. Edit: Wait, didn't read while moving. Apparently that's normal too. Bondematt fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Feb 14, 2012 |
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Feb 14, 2012 00:15
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Are there bikes that don't clunk like a bitch going into first, I think is the better question.
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Feb 14, 2012 00:16
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Now that I think about it, my V-Star 250 and SV did it. Guess it just wasn't as jarring or loud.
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Feb 14, 2012 00:18
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Pope Mobile posted:Now that I think about it, my V-Star 250 and SV did it. Guess it just wasn't as jarring or loud. Feed it some revs if you're rolling and it'll smooth the transition.
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Feb 14, 2012 00:33
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Z3n posted:That sounds like a jetting/carbs clog issue, not valve seals. How many miles on the bike? Upwards of 16K on the bike. I'm relatively sure the jetting and carb is not clogged, as I had an issue with it being clogged before(single carb feeds both cylinders on this model) and did a full-on, back-to-shiny cleaning of it. Took everything apart, soaked metal in carb cleaner and used naphtha and wood toothpicks to get anything stubborn out of corners and passageways. Plastic-coated screwdriver to get the jets out too, I checked them very carefully for scratches when reassembling and didn't find any. After I reassembled and started using it again, it worked perfectly. The issue didn't pop up until after I had readjusted the air screw on the carbs for winter and way overdid it for a little while. I actually went and leaned it way far out after I realized how badly I had over-enriched it and the problem didn't go away with a drastic decrease in fuel being delivered, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't just unburned fuel somehow getting new oxygen and igniting on one of the wasted sparks. That's what leads me to believe that something is messed up in the area of a valve, there's only so many ways out of an engine cylinder and the fact that it's basically burping out back through the air filter means the gas is being compressed immediately prior to the failure event. I *think* it's a valve seal because of the heat factor, as the engine heats up the material ought to be swelling up some due to heat expansion and correcting the problem, but a cold engine and seal may have some kind of small crack or worn spot that's letting these spurts of air shoot back out every so often. If anybody's run into this or thinks it's something else, feel free to chip in. I'm not married to the idea of it being a bad seal and if you've got a good educated guess I'm all ears. Kilersquirrel fucked around with this message at 03:24 on Feb 14, 2012 |
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Feb 14, 2012 03:20
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It's highly unlikely that it is a valve seal issue. It's much more likely that it's a fueling issue, as a valve seal issue would be constant and wouldn't come and go. It'd also be more obvious at high rpm and high load situations, where the valve seal compromise would have a much greater effect on performance. If it only happens when the bike is cold, then chances are its a problem relating to fueling, because engines need to be much more rich when cold, so it sound like you might have overdone it with your a/f screw adjustment. Also, if you bottomed it hard you mushroomed tue needle at the tip and need to replace it. The guy who taught me how to wrench always says: "If it was working before you fixed it, check the last thing you fixed". His advice is rarely wrong. Take the a/f screw back to factory, use the choke when it's cold, and see where that goes.
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Feb 14, 2012 05:27
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Geirskogul posted:By "every bike you've seen" do you mean "Hondas"? Because that's really what I've seen stock helmet-locks on the most. In fact, I don't recall ever seeing a stock helmet lock on any other bike, but I've only ridden a few Hondas, Yamahas, a Kawasaki DS, a vintage Suzuki, and a Ninja 250 or two. I also don't see them on Harleys, but those don't count. By no means do I have comprehensive riding experience across brands. Nah, I mean pretty much every bike that I've seen, even my little brothers dirt bike has one.
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Feb 14, 2012 06:13
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I have to ask, if it's a fueling issue why would air be forcefully ejected back through the filter at me? I'm planning on doing exactly what you said but I just am missing a piece of the puzzle mentally as to why improper fuel/air ratio would cause this. The engine runs fine and it doesn't happen every single cycle, just every so often and generally under acceleration when in 1st and 2nd and not fully up to temp. There's no sputtering/coughing/chugging/etc, it's just a quick burst of compressed gasses every so often and that's it. Was my "excess gas somehow finding oxygen and reigniting on the wasted spark" idea a much closer explanation to what the truth probably is? Regarding the mushrooming I really don't *think* I mushroomed it; when I took the carb apart and cleaned it I was extremely careful in putting it back in gently and then backing it out. But, who knows, it might just be extremely soft metal on that screw and I mushroomed it in spite of my efforts. The bike has and does always fire up great, that's never been a problem aside from when it's below 40 and I've ridden it. That's originally why I had enriched it, so I didn't have to ride around with my choke pulled all the way out(the bike is real bitchy when the temp is <40, the cooling system works a little too well) but I for sure did not bottom the screw out when richening it up as I didn't tighten it all the way down. In case I was unclear(which is pretty likely as I'm kind of a crappy writer) on the screw situation, it went from factory > taken apart/cleaned/reassembled back to factory > richened (problem develops after running rich for a while) > leaned way out (problem still persisted) > put back fairly close to factory(problem still occurring and has increased in frequency, screw is within 1/8 turn of factory). I will go re-evaluate the carb and screw as suggested and check back in afterwards with results, and photos if you like. Shame about the tire shine stuff, thank you for the quick response on that one.
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Feb 14, 2012 06:39
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Has anyone here installed a throttle stop on their motorcycle? Any pointers? Rather than doing something stupid like buying a moped I'm thinking I could just stop my WR250R to 30-50% throttle opening. Rear sprocket is huge so the gearing and high RPM will compensate for loss of peak power. Why? I'm bored and like the challenge of riding gutless motorcycles. Forces you to carry speed through the turns, get on the throttle early, and all that.
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Feb 14, 2012 06:50
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Improper mixture means inconsistent combustion which means back/after firing. Basically bike engines aren't quite as refined as car engines or otherwise, which is why you get crappy behavior when the bike is cold. MotoMind posted:Has anyone here installed a throttle stop on their motorcycle? Any pointers? Rather than doing something stupid like buying a moped I'm thinking I could just stop my WR250R to 30-50% throttle opening. Rear sprocket is huge so the gearing and high RPM will compensate for loss of peak power. Why? I'm bored and like the challenge of riding gutless motorcycles. Forces you to carry speed through the turns, get on the throttle early, and all that. Make an adjustable one with a screw! 
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Feb 14, 2012 06:53
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Shimrod posted:Nah, I mean pretty much every bike that I've seen, even my little brothers dirt bike has one. Triumphs don't have them and if you ask a Triumph shop or riderboard how to get one they'll think you're crazy. I just carry my helmet around.
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Feb 14, 2012 15:55
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MotoMind posted:Has anyone here installed a throttle stop on their motorcycle? Any pointers? Rather than doing something stupid like buying a moped I'm thinking I could just stop my WR250R to 30-50% throttle opening. Rear sprocket is huge so the gearing and high RPM will compensate for loss of peak power. Why? I'm bored and like the challenge of riding gutless motorcycles. Forces you to carry speed through the turns, get on the throttle early, and all that.
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Feb 14, 2012 16:28
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What is the CA consensus on wearing earbuds while riding? I really like to do it, but I've had several people chastise me for it. I feel like they're no more dangerous than earplugs, and maybe even less so, since I can still hear the traffic with the earbuds, whereas earplugs basically eliminate all sound.
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Feb 14, 2012 16:37
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Makes little difference as long as you set your volume levels before starting the ride and leave them there. If you feel you need to raise the volume level, don't, and go get better sound isolating earbuds.
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Feb 14, 2012 17:16
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MotoMind posted:Has anyone here installed a throttle stop on their motorcycle? Any pointers? Rather than doing something stupid like buying a moped I'm thinking I could just stop my WR250R to 30-50% throttle opening. Rear sprocket is huge so the gearing and high RPM will compensate for loss of peak power. Why? I'm bored and like the challenge of riding gutless motorcycles. Forces you to carry speed through the turns, get on the throttle early, and all that. Sure why not. Didn't the WR250F have a throttle stop in them to get them to pass emissions or some poo poo? Is this what you're considering putting back on?
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Feb 14, 2012 17:20
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Z3n posted:Feed it some revs if you're rolling and it'll smooth the transition. Yeah, I noticed that if I take it to about 6k it's a lot smoother out of first.
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Feb 14, 2012 18:51
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n8r posted:Sure why not. Didn't the WR250F have a throttle stop in them to get them to pass emissions or some poo poo? Is this what you're considering putting back on? The R is a dual sport model, I'm wondering how the design works on these throttle stops.
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Feb 14, 2012 19:23
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MotoMind posted:The R is a dual sport model, I'm wondering how the design works on these throttle stops. I am sure they all use the same poo poo, I bet you can find one on ebay for cheap. Finding one that hasn't been ground down might be sorta tough.
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Feb 14, 2012 21:23
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