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Gnaghi posted:Thanks, I knew the guy who once said stoppies are more fun then wheelies would have good advice (they are pretty fun). I was more comfortable with stoppies than wheelies for about a year, then I spent a good amount of time doing wheelies and now I prefer wheelies. But both are fun, just take your time learning how to do it. It was probably a year before I could comfortably hang stoppies at speed, and a supermoto really helps the progression.
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Mar 25, 2012 21:32
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We've all done stupid things on public roads. We probably shouldn't have done so. We can't take that back, but we shouldn't encourage new riders to make the same stupid and possibly fatal mistakes. That said, stoppies are all fun and giggles. Fastest way to change direction if you manage to twist it 
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Mar 25, 2012 21:45
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Sir Cornelius posted:We've all done stupid things on public roads. We probably shouldn't have done so. We can't take that back, but we shouldn't encourage new riders to make the same stupid and possibly fatal mistakes. Wheelies are stoppies are just like speed...only a problem if you do it in the wrong places. Pick your spots well and have your fun
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Mar 25, 2012 21:56
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I checked my spark plugs and, to me, they look like they've got normal wear. I replaced them last year with iridiums when I replaced the right coil pack. Here they are: Left cylinder  Right cylinder  Here's the rest of the pics I took. They're both sparking and both cylinders are running.
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Mar 25, 2012 23:43
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I replaced the coolant and oil on my 2002 R6 yesterday. After that was done, I took the tank off to see how hard it would be to sync the carbs. I think I found the vacuum hoses and adjustment screws. My problem is that I can't figure out how I would even get to the screws to adjust them. Anyone have any experience doing this on a carbed R6?
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Mar 26, 2012 13:53
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Crayvex posted:I replaced the coolant and oil on my 2002 R6 yesterday. After that was done, I took the tank off to see how hard it would be to sync the carbs. I think I found the vacuum hoses and adjustment screws. My problem is that I can't figure out how I would even get to the screws to adjust them. Anyone have any experience doing this on a carbed R6? Just thank your Gods that an R6 isn's a CBX. Finger bits usually works pretty well (with a minimum of knuckle-bleeding). 
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Mar 26, 2012 15:07
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Sir Cornelius posted:Just thank your Gods that an R6 isn's a CBX.
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Mar 26, 2012 15:13
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Crayvex posted:How would I use these? The adjustments are under the carbs. No they're not. The synchronization screws are the 3 spring-loaded screws between each carburetor. What you've got at the bottom is probably the idle mixture screws. Been a while since I've wrenched an R6.
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Mar 26, 2012 15:43
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Right, I can peak through the gaps between the carbs and I can see yellow spring Philips head screws that I assume are the sync screws. It looks like I need a super long skinny screwdriver to get at them.
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Mar 26, 2012 15:50
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Crayvex posted:Right, I can peak through the gaps between the carbs and I can see yellow spring Philips head screws that I assume are the sync screws. It looks like I need a super long skinny screwdriver to get at them. That's right. You found them. With a little bit of ¡ 
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Mar 26, 2012 16:16
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Crayvex posted:Right, I can peak through the gaps between the carbs and I can see yellow spring Philips head screws that I assume are the sync screws. It looks like I need a super long skinny screwdriver to get at them. Adopt a small chinese child with really tiny hands to reach up and grab them. Hell tiny hands is half the reason I'm with my wife... 
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Mar 26, 2012 17:05
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When I bought the Carbtune, I also picked up a tool just for that. It's a long screwdriver with an additional length of pipe with a socket in one end, lever in the other. Basically two coaxial tools, one for undoing the locknut and the other for turning the sync screw. Works really well, would have been a nightmare without.
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Mar 26, 2012 19:42
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http://www.compacc.com/p/Hypercharger-Air-Cleaners Does anyone know whether I will see marked improvement using something like this?
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Mar 26, 2012 19:57
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adomorn posted:http://www.compacc.com/p/Hypercharger-Air-Cleaners Lots more women with mullets will fawn over you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRcy2QPahgQ Yeeaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
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Mar 26, 2012 20:42
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adomorn posted:http://www.compacc.com/p/Hypercharger-Air-Cleaners It has a big-rear end skull on it, that's at least +20hp right there.
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Mar 26, 2012 20:49
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KozmoNaut posted:It has a big-rear end skull on it, that's at least +20hp right there. I don't see any spikes though, it NEEDS spikes! I rarely go for any "performance" filters or anything of that sort. The farthest I'll go is a K&N or Uni washable filter. Most of the stuff they claim is all hype, if you were to strap your bike to a dyno, run it make the change and run it again I doubt you'd see any real difference.
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Mar 26, 2012 21:02
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adomorn posted:http://www.compacc.com/p/Hypercharger-Air-Cleaners Leave it stock and stick the 2-300 in your summer moto travel budget. Being on a busted bike a thousand miles from nowhere is the worst, especially if it's because some plastic Kuryakyn doohickie that looked like metal in the catalog decided to eject somewhere west of Reno. Many here can testify of the zero sum game known as Stage 1 mods.
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Mar 27, 2012 00:22
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Marv Hushman posted:Leave it stock and stick the 2-300 in your summer moto travel budget. Being on a busted bike a thousand miles from nowhere is the worst, especially if it's because some plastic Kuryakyn doohickie that looked like metal in the catalog decided to eject somewhere west of Reno. Turbo and NOS or bust baby!
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Mar 27, 2012 00:41
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I'm considering purchasing a Buell Blast in near-new condition for cheap as a first bike for someone else. Its tire size seems to cut out a lot of options on radials, any tips on a decent make/model tire in 100/80-16 front & 120/80-16 rear? edit: \/\/\/ Thank you for the tip, I just bought a new tube actually
FormatAmerica fucked around with this message at 03:59 on Mar 27, 2012 |
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Mar 27, 2012 02:59
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FormatAmerica posted:I'm considering purchasing a Buell Blast in near-new condition for cheap as a first bike for someone else. I don't know about tires for the buell, but my recommendation is to threadlock the poo poo out of every single bolt on that bike. They are notorious for rattling poo poo off, up to and including the entire exhaust on the freeway. You're pre-ride check needs to include checking as many fasteners as you can.
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Mar 27, 2012 03:53
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FormatAmerica posted:I'm considering purchasing a Buell Blast in near-new condition for cheap a first bike for someone else. Ponies ate my Bagel posted:I don't know about tires for the buell, but my recommendation is to threadlock the poo poo out of every single bolt on that bike. They are notorious for rattling poo poo off, up to and including the entire exhaust on the freeway. Your pre-ride check needs to include checking as many fasteners as you can. I've never heard of any situation like this and after 10 years and 5k of my own miles on mine in the past year, nothing like this has ever happened to me. The blast doesn't vibrate as much as people make it out to. I have never once thought "God drat, I wish this thing would calm down!" And I've been in the seat for 200 mile rides multiple times. astrollinthepork fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Mar 27, 2012 |
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Mar 27, 2012 04:14
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astrollinthepork posted:I've never heard of any situation like this and after 10 years and 5k of my own miles on mine in the past year, nothing like this has ever happened to me. The blast doesn't vibrate as much as people make it out to. I have never once thought "God drat, I wish this thing would calm down!" And I've been in the seat for 200 mile rides multiple times. http://badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/20164/647879.html?1315167423 http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/20164/563247.html?1297402514 http://www.sportbikes.ws/archive/index.php/t-82956.html I can't find the specific write up with the one the exhaust fell off of, but it's around. It had pictures as well. There are issues with the blast, I'm not putting it down but denying that and recommending it is a bad move. Take the safe route and if you get a blast red/blue loctite the poo poo out of it. The first year model had MAJOR issues with grenading engines as well.
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Mar 27, 2012 06:33
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FormatAmerica posted:I'm considering purchasing a Buell Blast in near-new condition for cheap as a first bike for someone else. From what I've heard and experienced riding a few the blast is not a very good bike. You would be better off with a ninja 250 or something. They vibrate like crazy and weird tire size as you mentioned.
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Mar 27, 2012 13:02
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I hate to echo the Blast hate that we've got in this forum, but they seriously are loathsome. The bigass single cylinder vibrates so badly my eyes would unfocus, it had a tendency to chug and try to stall unless you ride the hell out of the clutch for low speed maneuvers, it shifts like a truck, and it doesn't even have a tach. My single non-complaint is that it was very responsive at mid-speed quick turns, but no more than my friend's XJ600 from 10 years earlier. Unless the price is really, really good, look elsewhere.
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Mar 27, 2012 16:25
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A friend of mine went through 3 exhaust manifolds on her Blast in about 60,000 miles - all of them cracked and broken due to vibration. When she asked why it kept breaking or if anything could be done to prevent it, the harley dealership told her that the bikes weren't really intended to be ridden that much anyway and there was nothing they could do about it.
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Mar 27, 2012 16:31
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drat, those are some crazy Blast stories! Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Still haven't heard back from the owner, but it's a '02 with almost no miles on it that's just been sitting for years, supposedly. Like new condition + good/great price makes it a consideration, but I would rather find a suitable Ninja 250 like several of you suggested.
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Mar 27, 2012 20:32
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A buddy of mine recently dropped my bike while I was trying to teach him to ride and broke the left hand mirror and bent the clutch lever, so I'm replacing those parts and taking it as an opportunity to catch up on some (much needed) maintenance. Unfortunately I know gently caress-all about engines or how to maintain them, so I had a few questions: My Clymer manual recommends SAE 90 gear oil to lube my chain, but I don't have that- what I do have is lithium grease. Is it a bad idea to use that for any lubrication around the engine? My petcock doesn't have an "off" position- it only has "on" "prime" and "reserve." What position should I turn it to to keep the flow of gas out of the engine if I need to disconnect something? I bought the bike in June and I'm the third owner. It's a 2004 model. Should I be replacing things like the brake fluid and coolant or just topping them off? Also, at some point soon I need to clean/rebuild the carbs. What kind of tools and parts do I need for this? I mentioned it to my dad and he said something about me needing to buy a new set of seals. I realize I should probably just take my bike to a competent mechanic and have them look it over, but I'd really rather do it myself and learn a little bit more about maintaining the bike on my own.
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Mar 27, 2012 20:47
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My KLR650 has two gigantic pelican cases as luggage, and I love them to death. However, it's a pain to take them off for passenger use, and then put them back on for commuting (I carry a big Timbuktu bag, and I hate wearing it over my hi-viz jacket). Are there any good solutions beyond "grow a pair"?
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Mar 27, 2012 20:49
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My new tires arrived today. The date codes are TAL2911 and PEL5111. If I'm reading that right, it means that they were manufactured in the 29th and 51st week of 2011, respectively -- July 20~ and December 22~. Right? What do TAL and PEL mean?
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Mar 27, 2012 21:10
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Safety Dance posted:My KLR650 has two gigantic pelican cases as luggage, and I love them to death. However, it's a pain to take them off for passenger use, and then put them back on for commuting (I carry a big Timbuktu bag, and I hate wearing it over my hi-viz jacket). Are there any good solutions beyond "grow a pair"? Tilt them down slightly for ankle room and shift them backwards?
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Mar 27, 2012 21:48
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ProfessorYesNo posted:Is it a bad idea to use that for any lubrication around the engine? Gear oil is cheap as chips, if you spend a bit more you get dedicated chain lube in a spray can. Until then, lithium grease won't hurt your chain. ProfessorYesNo posted:
"On". On that and reserve, fuel flows when there is vacuum, i.e. the engine is running. On prime it flows all the time. ProfessorYesNo posted:
If you plan on doing your own maintenance and you're not sure when it was done last, these are great places to start. Check the levels according to your manual, if they are ok you can leave it until you're ready to bleed the brakes or flush the coolant. Make sure you've read the manual, googled instructions and bought tools before then. ProfessorYesNo posted:
You can get rebuild kits with gaskets etc but you shouldn't need to replace parts when just cleaning. You might be unlucky and ruin a gasket or o-ring when working on it of course. Only basic tools needed, check manual for how it's done. ProfessorYesNo posted:
This is a great decision and will make you a better and more wealthy bike owner. If you don't go too crazy on the tools... Start small and work one step at a time, ask a zillion questions on here. Good luck!
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Mar 27, 2012 22:44
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ProfessorYesNo posted:My Clymer manual recommends SAE 90 gear oil to lube my chain, but I don't have that- what I do have is lithium grease. Is it a bad idea to use that for any lubrication around the engine? When using any kind of oil, lubing is kind of a misnomer. You're actually washing to keep dirt off it through wiping an oily rag along it. SEA 90 is recommended because it's nice and thick and won't fling off as easily as something like regular old 10w40. Some even use vegetable oil, but I'm not that green. Also it is really light. There are other ways to lube your chain: there's chainwax and spray. Both of those do grease up the chain. But knowing that keeping the chain clean contributes to a very long life span anyway you could argue that literally lubing the chain up adds very little. But if you have it laying around, eh. Why not. tl:dr: use 10w40 on a rag and clean off crap from the entire chain. PS don't ever let the engine run "to save time" because you will lose your fingers. ProfessorYesNo posted:My petcock doesn't have an "off" position- it only has "on" "prime" and "reserve." What position should I turn it to to keep the flow of gas out of the engine if I need to disconnect something? There's a shut off valve at the base of the tank if you ever need to remove the tank. When you're not running the engine, through the magic of vacuum no fuel will be passed through when your petcock is set to "on" or "reserve". Set it to one of those and you're golden. "Prime" is only used if you need to quickly fill your float bowls when the engine's not running. ProfessorYesNo posted:I bought the bike in June and I'm the third owner. It's a 2004 model. Should I be replacing things like the brake fluid and coolant or just topping them off? Don't top off brake fluid. If it's amber coloured or too low, flush the entire system. Be careful though, that poo poo's nasty for anything resembling paint. Also air bubbles. ProfessorYesNo posted:Also, at some point soon I need to clean/rebuild the carbs. What kind of tools and parts do I need for this? I mentioned it to my dad and he said something about me needing to buy a new set of seals. Don't gently caress with your carbs if you don't have a good mechanical reason. That said, this forum is full of people cleaning carbs if you're really interested.
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Mar 27, 2012 23:02
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My ignition switch has three settings. Two of them are OFF and RUN, which do what you would expect. The third one is an unguarded position (you can take the key out) that doesn't turn on the ignition, but does turn on the rear light at low brightness. What situation is that useful for? I'm trying to think of a reason that you would want to park your bike and leave it there with the taillight on while taking the keys with you, and the only one I can come up with is "peeing in the forest on the side of the road at night". But that can't be it...right?
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Mar 27, 2012 23:14
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Sagebrush posted:My ignition switch has three settings. Two of them are OFF and RUN, which do what you would expect. The third one is an unguarded position (you can take the key out) that doesn't turn on the ignition, but does turn on the rear light at low brightness. Breaking down on the side of the highway for one. I'd flip it on remove the key and hop the guardrail to stay away from moving traffic. I've had to do that before to run and get gas down a hill at night and wanted people to be able to see it.
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Mar 27, 2012 23:20
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Sagebrush posted:My ignition switch has three settings. Two of them are OFF and RUN, which do what you would expect. The third one is an unguarded position (you can take the key out) that doesn't turn on the ignition, but does turn on the rear light at low brightness. Parking on the side of the street.
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Mar 27, 2012 23:24
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invision posted:Parking on the side of the street. How long does the battery last doing that, though? That seems like it could be a problem... [e] well, a 5W taillight drawing from a fully-charged 12Ah battery would last 29 hours to total depletion. So I suppose it's doable for an evening out on the town.
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Mar 27, 2012 23:34
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Sagebrush posted:How long does the battery last doing that, though? That seems like it could be a problem... About 6 hours on the bikes I've had it on (and forgotten about) until there's not enough juice to start. I want to remove the lead from the ignition switch so I never turn it on, since I've nearly killed the thing four or five times now since "lock" and "park" are so close together.
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Mar 28, 2012 03:24
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Sagebrush posted:How long does the battery last doing that, though? That seems like it could be a problem... It would run out faster if your park light bulb worked. 
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Mar 28, 2012 06:36
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I usually park in gear, so roll up and kick the stand down to stop the engine and whatnot. Is this bad? What is the difference between stopping the bike by key compared to kickstand shutoff switch or kill switch? I guess carbed bikes and those without fuel pumps and complex ECUs are different, mines a 2012 Triumph Speed Triple.
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Mar 28, 2012 14:27
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:There are issues with the blast, I'm not putting it down but denying that and recommending it is a bad move. Take the safe route and if you get a blast red/blue loctite the poo poo out of it. Doesn't this go for any big single, though? The exhaust bolts on my KLR tried to work themselves off as well, and that was a pretty awesome bike otherwise. Is the Blast exceptionally vibey, even for a big single, or is it more the combination of the other lousy dynamics that gets it so much loathing?
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Mar 28, 2012 17:35
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