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Jim Silly-Balls posted:Shinkos and Maxxis tires (which are I believe the same parent company) are great if you're not on something making a ton of power. I have ran the Maxxis Promaxx tires on all of my vintage street bikes and they never disappoint. I have a friend who had an RS250 with shinkos and he found them pretty deadly in the rain; my SV makes roughly the same power but with V-twin torque(tm) so I dunno. Has to be better than a mostly-bald, 3-year-old diablo strada I guess.
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Dec 23, 2012 20:14
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I admit, I don't know how batteries work. They're basically containers of magic that make things light up and move. I let my DL650's battery die completely, no lights when I turn the key. I've hooked it up to a battery tender, which I should have done in the first place. Have I done irreparable damage to the battery? When the battery tender puts the magic back in, will the battery will work like new?
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Dec 23, 2012 21:34
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That seems to work on car batteries, if they're not too old, but I've never successfully revived a motorbike battery. In my experience, when they die they're dead for good. Maybe someone else knows more than me about this.
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Dec 23, 2012 21:55
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epalm posted:Have I done irreparable damage to the battery? #1: probably #2: doubtful, but it may be good enough. You've done the only thing you could do. Charge it up and see if you got lucky.
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Dec 23, 2012 22:10
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Does anyone know how to switch over the units used on the sv650 instruments? I know you can switch between miles and km on the odometer, mine for some reason has the odo in KM but the temp gauge in farenheit. How would I switch it to celsius?
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Dec 23, 2012 22:15
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Sagebrush posted:Then again, I know that some states refer to it as a motorcycle "endorsement", as though it's only a special condition on your main license, like air brakes or whatever. Maybe Texas is one of those. Oregon is definitely one of those. I have a class C license, and under the endorsements section on my license, it has 'M' for my motorcycle endorsement. (same place I'd had air brakes, combination vehicles, and double-triple trailer endorsements on the class A learner's permit I had for a while)
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Dec 23, 2012 22:21
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epalm posted:I admit, I don't know how batteries work. They're basically containers of magic that make things light up and move. Completely discharging the battery does degrade it, because it causes sulphur (from the acid electrolyte) to build up on the plates. Some good trickle chargers can use high-power pulses to break up the sulphur and drop it back into solution (on non-sealed batteries that would normally also mean you'd need to top up with water too). Just normal chargers won't do it, but the battery should still be usable - just not as good - if you've only let it discharge the once and not left it discharged for ages.
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Dec 23, 2012 23:19
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goddamnedtwisto posted:it causes sulphur (from the acid electrolyte) to build up on the plates. Some good trickle chargers can use high-power pulses to break up the sulphur Lead sulfate, actually.  There should be no elemental sulfur in your battery unless there's something extraordinarily wrong.
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Dec 23, 2012 23:24
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Sagebrush posted:There should be no elemental sulfur in your battery unless there's something extraordinarily wrong. Where do you think farts on the road filter down to?
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Dec 24, 2012 00:06
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That's hydrogen sulfide. If you're farting elemental sulfur, you should probably consult a doctor or circus sideshow at the earliest opportunity.
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Dec 24, 2012 00:11
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Slavvy posted:Does anyone know how to switch over the units used on the sv650 instruments? I know you can switch between miles and km on the odometer, mine for some reason has the odo in KM but the temp gauge in farenheit. How would I switch it to celsius?
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Dec 24, 2012 01:39
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IIRC internal to the battery there's a sort of grid for the anode end. If you let your battery drain down beyond a certain point it starts eating up this grid. This is permanent damage and if you do enough the battery will no longer hold charge. So don't do that. This is even hazier in my memory but I seem to remember your problems with sulfides come more from outgassing the hydrogen, which is more an issue when you drain the battery too fast, not necessarily too far. But even if that's right it may only apply to open-cell lead-acid batteries the size of refrigerators and not your rinky-dink Yuasa. Basically don't run a bike battery down, it bad
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Dec 24, 2012 02:23
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The two guys who took care of my bike before me have done a heck of a job keeping the appearance of it looking really clean. About the only spot on the bike that really stands out are the spokes, but even for those you gotta get close to start seeing the caked on dirt (or maybe it's rust, I'll need to get a better look). I'm not clear on what to do to maintain this clean a look. Managed to clean up my garage so now I have a big chunk of space to work in. Just took a damp cloth all over the bike and that got rid of most of the crap my last few rides put on it. Is there some sort of soap I should be using? I imagine there's a chrome polish stuff I can pick up and rub on. The method of choice for my car is to take it through a car wash, so I have very little in the way of cleaning supplies. It's really going to suck when I drop/scuff up this beast. 
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Dec 24, 2012 02:52
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This stuff http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Honda-Spray-Cleaner-Polish/dp/B004FSEJZA I use it with old undershirts. It works miracles. Depending on the wheels you may want to use a wheel brush and for the hard to scrub spots use old toothbrushes (good for chain cleaning, too.)
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Dec 24, 2012 03:27
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A car battery, if discharged to below 9 volts in 65 degree weather and left for more than a few hours, will never charge up past, best case, 85% of its previous capacity. Hotter weather, deeper discharges, longer sitting time, or multiple cycles of flattening will wear the battery on an almost exponential rate. Source: friend is a grad student at U of I researching new battery types and designs.
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Dec 24, 2012 04:17
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I haven't touched my bike in a great while and my battery is low. It's a bitch to get at though. Can I connect my recharger to something other than directly to the battery without ill effects?
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Dec 25, 2012 10:58
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KARMA! posted:I haven't touched my bike in a great while and my battery is low. It's a bitch to get at though. Can I connect my recharger to something other than directly to the battery without ill effects? 1) attach heavy duty steel cable to each tyre's valve stem 2) erect large conducive metal mast 3) attach cable and await lightning storm 4) cackle maniacally 5) check deductible But seriously, what you can do is pick up a battery tender with a remote charging lead. This is basically a couple of ring connectors that you bolt onto the battery terminals, a fuse in-line and then wired to a socket usu. with a waterproof cover that you can route to under the seat or otherwise out of the rear subframe. The tender/trickle charger then simply clips on and keeps the battery charged. Google optimate - other brands are available. If you don't have a garage, you probably just want to suck it up and remove the battery if you aren't. Planning to ride for a while. Keep it in your house on a charger. Also may defeat joyriders if it's an older bike.
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Dec 25, 2012 12:29
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KARMA! posted:I haven't touched my bike in a great while and my battery is low. It's a bitch to get at though. Can I connect my recharger to something other than directly to the battery without ill effects? If you can reach the starter solenoid any easier you can clamp it to the hot lead on there.
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Dec 25, 2012 14:41
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Saga posted:1) attach heavy duty steel cable to each tyre's valve stem I have an optimate! When I bought my bike the garage had a lead installed, but it doesn't work. not surprisingly since the drat shop keeled over a week after I bought my jalopy. I would be up for making the existing lead work but the official by-the-book method of getting at the battery is by removal of the rear shock. Not really keen on that since that would probably destroy several important fasteners that haven't been touched since the reagan administration. obso posted:If you can reach the starter solenoid any easier you can clamp it to the hot lead on there. I'll look in to that one!  thanks.
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Dec 25, 2012 21:23
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KARMA! posted:
I didn't even know Jaguar made motorcycles!
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Dec 25, 2012 21:40
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Saga posted:I didn't even know Jaguar made motorcycles! 
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Dec 25, 2012 23:36
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The turn signals on my bike are pretty janky, last time I saw them working (this morning) I clocked it at about a 10-12 second delay between signaling and the signal actually coming on. Front indicators don't seem to be working now, rear seem OK. Bike has been dropped a number of times by the PO and signals have been repaired by him (rear signals are from a different bike IIRC, they stick out more and are an improvement over the stock ones). It's a '96 Honda XLR250... how bad is it going to be to try and fix this on my own? Have only basic knowledge of electric-stuff, although I do teach at a technical high school and they've almost certainly got a multimeter I can borrow.
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Dec 26, 2012 10:27
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Pompous Rhombus posted:The turn signals on my bike are pretty janky, last time I saw them working (this morning) I clocked it at about a 10-12 second delay between signaling and the signal actually coming on. Front indicators don't seem to be working now, rear seem OK. Bike has been dropped a number of times by the PO and signals have been repaired by him (rear signals are from a different bike IIRC, they stick out more and are an improvement over the stock ones). It's a '96 Honda XLR250... how bad is it going to be to try and fix this on my own? Have only basic knowledge of electric-stuff, although I do teach at a technical high school and they've almost certainly got a multimeter I can borrow. sounds like it could be a sticky relay. Find a parts manual and wiring diagram for the bike to work out which one is the signalling relay and either swap it or replace it and see how that goes.
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Dec 26, 2012 11:41
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Saga posted:I didn't even know Jaguar made motorcycles! On certain older BMWs you were supposed to unbolt and pivot the entire subframe (to which the shocks and rear fender and seat and rear lights were attached) to remove the battery.
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Dec 26, 2012 14:18
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That sounds like BMW is great at ensuring their mechanic's job security.
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Dec 26, 2012 16:28
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I have been trying to learn more about motorcycles and I get confused by all the different types. The DMV says that a scooter is anything below 150cc or 100cc (can't remember which), but other people say that the cycle is categorized by its look and not its engine power. So my first question is, are the bikes pictured below a "standard/naked bike"? If not what is this style of bike?   It says it has 1040cc, I know that the 150cc scooters I looked at go up to 80mph. Is "cc" directly related to speed?
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Dec 26, 2012 19:35
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CCs are just a volumetric measurement of engine displacement. CC is short for cubic centimeter. 1000cc is equal to 1 liter. It's the same thing as how car engines are typically measured in liters, just a smaller unit of measure because bike engines are smaller. And just like in cars, a bigger engine (more ccs) doesn't necessarily mean that the engine has more power or that the bike is faster, but there does tend to be a correlation. There's a lot more factors than just pure engine size to consider. My 650cc sport(y) bike is quite a lot quicker than many 1000cc+ cruisers. A scooter is not defined by its engine size (even though that's how the DMV defines it), but by the body style, riding position, and controls. You can have a 100cc "motorcycle" just the same as you could have a 500cc "scooter". Those pictures of bikes look like old standards converted to cafe racers. Both are very far from stock. Guinness fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Dec 26, 2012 |
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Dec 26, 2012 19:58
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Those are both highly modified (vintage) motorcycles. The first one is a cafe racer, and the second one is somewhere between a cafe racer and a bobber. Both started out as a "standard" motorcycle, though -- at the time they were manufactured there was no such thing as a "naked" bike really. "Naked" is a new term that basically means "a bike that doesn't have plastic fairings all over it". To be as accurate as possible, a "scooter" is defined as a motorcycle with a step-through design where you put your feet flat on a floorboard in front of you instead of straddling it like a horse. Most scooters also have the engine mounted on the rear wheel, instead of in the middle of the frame. Llittle city Scooters are usually <150cc but you'll see some "maxi-scooters" that go to 800cc and more. "cc" is the volume of the engine cylinders in cubic centimeters. More volume generally means more power, though there are a lot of other factors at play. Lots of places have different license classes based on engine displacement, where there are fewer restrictions on smaller engines. Generally, (and again there is a LOT of variation, so only read this as a general guideline) mopeds: <50cc scooters: 50-200cc small commuter bikes, dirt bikes: 125-500cc sport bikes and large commuters: 400-1200cc cruisers (harleys): 650-1800cc+ Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 20:08 on Dec 26, 2012 |
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Dec 26, 2012 19:59
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I could use some assistance on diagnosing a carb issue. The bike is a 2007 TW200. When I got it the bike had been sitting for a bit and wouldnt idle well. It would stumble and eventually stall. I tore the carb apart and cleaned everything with carb cleaner and compressed air. I replaced the float bowl gasket and the fuel valve. After re-installing the bike idles cleanly but it will hang if you rev the bike up and close the throttle. The RPMs just hang at whatever they were when you closed the throttle. If you leave it in gear and let the clutch out you can "drag" the rpms back down to normal idle. I checked the throttle cable and throttle body and they are both closing correctly. I took the carb apart again and found that I had damaged the pilot screw o-ring when I reinstalled it. I ordered a new one and replaced that too. The problem still exists. So Ive taken it apart for the third time and have ordered a new pilot jet and needle. The needle had a small notch on it that I could feel when I moved my fingernail over it. I thought that it was maybe getting hung up on the needle guide. Ill install those when they get here in a few days. But is there anything else I missed? I checked for leaks on the intake but couldn't find anything. This is my first time re-building a carb and Im running out of ideas, and parts to replace.
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Dec 26, 2012 20:17
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Kastivich posted:I could use some assistance on diagnosing a carb issue. The bike is a 2007 TW200. When I got it the bike had been sitting for a bit and wouldnt idle well. It would stumble and eventually stall. I tore the carb apart and cleaned everything with carb cleaner and compressed air. I replaced the float bowl gasket and the fuel valve. After re-installing the bike idles cleanly but it will hang if you rev the bike up and close the throttle. The RPMs just hang at whatever they were when you closed the throttle. If you leave it in gear and let the clutch out you can "drag" the rpms back down to normal idle. I checked the throttle cable and throttle body and they are both closing correctly. Hanging idle means you are lean. It can also mean a sticky throttle cable or slide, but if you can drag the rpms down in gear, I am favoring a lean condition. Not sure what sort of carbs on your bike, but scour the intakes for leaks and cracks and then make sure the jetting is right. Generally, the carb jetting is divided into circuits that correspond to throttle position (not RPM or MPH). Pilot is the idle to 1/4 throttle, needle setting is 1/4 to 3/4 and main jet is 3/4 to WoT. The circuits do overlap though, so finding the jet problem can be . . . tricky. It also depends on whether your carbs are CV (constant velocity) or mechanical slides. On a 2007, I wager you have CV carbs, but new bikes frighten and confuse me. CV carbs jet from the mains down (i.e., you have to get the main jet right before moving to the next circuit down). Older carbs (like mine) jet from pilot up. If you didn't find any intake leaks, what is your air filter like? If it is not oiled, that could let too much air into the mix. Have you made any changes to the exhaust or air filters (pods)? Those require re-jetting also, and can cause lean conditions otherwise. Edit: also, did you check and/or adjust the float height? Leaving the floats too high (so they are low in the bowls) will make you lean. And vice-versa. Float height can significantly affect the AFM and does so throughout the circuits. Tamir Lenk fucked around with this message at 20:58 on Dec 26, 2012 |
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Dec 26, 2012 20:56
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Tamir Lenk posted:Hanging idle means you are lean. It can also mean a sticky throttle cable or slide, but if you can drag the rpms down in gear, I am favoring a lean condition. Not sure what sort of carbs on your bike, but scour the intakes for leaks and cracks and then make sure the jetting is right. Generally, the carb jetting is divided into circuits that correspond to throttle position (not RPM or MPH). Pilot is the idle to 1/4 throttle, needle setting is 1/4 to 3/4 and main jet is 3/4 to WoT. The circuits do overlap though, so finding the jet problem can be . . . tricky. Its a CV carb I believe. I ordered a new main jet as well. Im going to try the standard size for non-california bike since everything I read online says the CA versions run very lean from the factory. Intake and exhaust are both stock. I cleaned and oiled the air filter when I had the rest of the bike torn apart for cleaning/inspection. I also cleaned the spark arrester but it wasnt bad to begin with. Ill check the float height when I reinstall them. Unfortunately the previous owner stripped the float screw that would allow me to check it with the carb still attached to the bike.
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Dec 26, 2012 21:23
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Make sure the intake rubbers are all sealing well and not cracked. That would cause a lean condition.
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Dec 26, 2012 21:24
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A moped by definition has pedals and can be used as a (heavy) regular bicycle. The DMV in most places makes a distinction between bikes < 50cc in engine displacement that do not require a motorcycle license or endorsement. This does not make them 'scooters', although most are.
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Dec 26, 2012 21:56
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Snowdens Secret posted:A moped by definition has pedals and can be used as a (heavy) regular bicycle. Yeah, it depends on the DMV/state. IIRC, California requires it to have pedals to be considered a moped (and not require a separate license), whereas Florida says anything under 50cc you're good to go. Japan is likewise the same way, I had a 50cc "moped" that didn't really fit into what I understood "moped" or "scooter" to mean in English: it was essentially a scaled-down motorcycle (footpegs and not a step-through, gas tank up top, manual transmission with a clutch, no pedals as an alternate power source or anything). Both within the USA and abroad it seems like most of the time, a regular driver's license includes a moped/50cc endorsement. I've been helping a few foreigners do their license conversions here in Japan... for Americans (the only major country who has to take it), you can dodge the practical test if you only want to convert the moped endorsement of your foreign license. It's pretty much a crapshoot if that's an option, depends on what your official translation comes back saying. One guy from Virginia wasn't able to do it because Virginia doesn't even require a driver's license for 50cc, just be 16 years old and have a photo ID. The whole reason we have to do the practical test and nobody else does is related to having 50 different states with 50 different DMVs, woo federalism. I'm sure this is like Traffic Law 101, but I was thinking: if a 16 year old from Virginia with a state photo ID rode into say, DC (assuming DC required a license, too lazy to look it up), would they be breaking the law? I know states are supposed to recognize each other's licenses, but in this case there's no license involved. Pompous Rhombus fucked around with this message at 23:58 on Dec 26, 2012 |
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Dec 26, 2012 23:54
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Snowdens Secret posted:A moped by definition has pedals and can be used as a (heavy) regular bicycle. In the UK (and I think across Europe) we dropped that definition years ago, and "moped" is any powered two-wheeler of under 50cc displacement and limited to 30mph that is not a a mobility scooter or similarly license-exempt vehicle. Although they have slight less-stringent licensing regulations the type is pretty much dead in the UK because purchase, insurance etc costs are basically the same as for a 125 and anyone riding a vehicle restricted to 30 mph is going to be an interesting ornament on the front of a taxi within minutes of turning a wheel.
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Dec 27, 2012 00:42
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I was going to sperg about how it literally means "motor + pedal" but googling basically indicates that a bunch of people who didn't know better have been interchangeably using 'moped', 'scooter' and basically small motorcycle enough and long enough that the terms are more or less meaningless. Thus I concede the point.
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Dec 27, 2012 03:02
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Snowdens Secret posted:I was going to sperg about how it literally means "motor + pedal" but googling basically indicates that a bunch of people who didn't know better have been interchangeably using 'moped', 'scooter' and basically small motorcycle enough and long enough that the terms are more or less meaningless. Thus I concede the point. I'm on your side, I've said that to people IRL before and screw the modern definition...
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Dec 27, 2012 07:29
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2013 is going to be a busy riding season for me... I'm taking two weeks in June to ride to San Antonio to go to ROT Rally in Austin with some friends who live there. Then in November, I'm going to check out the Rocky Point Rally in Puerto Penasco on the northern edge of Gulf of California. I know most of you guys are too good for a rally, but has anybody done Rocky Point? OR! Has anybody rode in that area? Trying to figure out if it's better to cross the border from Lukeville or San Luis. Any advice on that?
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Dec 27, 2012 22:07
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goddamnedtwisto posted:In the UK (and I think across Europe) we dropped that definition years ago, and "moped" is any powered two-wheeler of under 50cc displacement and limited to 30mph that is not a a mobility scooter or similarly license-exempt vehicle. In New Mexico, if it's not powered by internal combustion and limited to 30mph or less, then it's not a vehicle at all. Electric scooters are legally pedestrians. You can get a DUI on a bicycle, but not on an electric scooter (or go-kart or riding lawnmower). That's just Drunk in Public.
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Dec 28, 2012 04:07
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Slavvy posted:Does anyone know how to switch over the units used on the sv650 instruments? I know you can switch between miles and km on the odometer, mine for some reason has the odo in KM but the temp gauge in farenheit. How would I switch it to celsius? My '03 manual only mentions being able to toggle between miles and km, but nothing about switching units of the temp gauge. 
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Dec 28, 2012 06:11
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