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My multimeter isn't rated for 15,000 volts and it takes about half a second to respond to any change, so I might fry the multimeter and don't think I'd get a lot of useful data from doing so in the first place. The shock isn't *that* bad anyway. It's enough to make your muscles twitch and feels like you're snapping a rubber band in your hand, but it's nothing like the time a kid in high school physics passed me a pair of metal tongs that he had cleverly wired directly into the electrical outlet. Keep the current on one side of your body so it doesn't cross through your heart and I imagine there are no lasting effects.
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Feb 20, 2013 01:35
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Noticed some pulsing in my brakes today on a fairly quick stop and was able to repeat it with hard braking a few times on the way home, trying to figure out what would be causing it. 99 SV so no ABS, OEM equivalent rotors replaced last spring (still in spec), EBC Sintered Double-H Brake Pads also replaced last spring and have plenty of material left. Fluid was changed about three months ago. Thinking it might just be pad deposits or something so I may try to drag the brakes a bit tomorrow morning if it isn't raining and see if it clears up. Any other ideas?
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Feb 20, 2013 01:46
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Generally I think you just judge spark by how it looks when you ground the plug against the block. You should see a nice bright spark. Not sure why you'd use a voltmeter to check the timing. That's what a timing light is for.
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Feb 20, 2013 03:24
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n8r posted:Generally I think you just judge spark by how it looks when you ground the plug against the block. You should see a nice bright spark. Not sure why you'd use a voltmeter to check the timing. That's what a timing light is for. I didn't mean the timing, I just meant, use something else to check that it's zapping stuff other than your hand.
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Feb 20, 2013 03:36
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Shimrod posted:Couldn't you poke it with a multimeter rather than shocking yourself multiple times? As amusing as the image is I can't imagine its overly fun / healthy...
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Feb 20, 2013 11:06
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Shimrod posted:I didn't mean the timing, I just meant, use something else to check that it's zapping stuff other than your hand. Pretty sure that's what n8r means. No need to juice your hand when checking for spark. Just ground a plug against the head and see what the spark looks like. I've heard of people using a multi-meter (set for Ohms not voltage) instead of a static timing light to set ignition. Not sure why though. Maybe they prefer a granular reading of resistance instead of the binary light on/off?
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Feb 20, 2013 17:57
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You can use a test light / voltmeter to check timing at the points if you want. You'd just turn the motor until the light turns on and check it against the marks on the rotor. The manual for the RD contains all sorts of testing stuff for the ignition system. I'd imagine most manuals from that era contain similar stuff. With any bike that has a points based ignition system it's worthwhile to make sure you're making a nice clean spark that is firing at the proper time.
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Feb 20, 2013 18:44
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Well slap my rear end and call me Sally... As horribly "one weird old trick that really works" as this was, I must admit it does actually work: removing a rusty bolt by melting candle wax. My key was really sticking in my EX500 gas-cap, and ADV rider has a spergy but admittedly very useful tutorial on the stimulating subject of gas-cap maintenance. Accordingly I started disassembling mine, but then I got to the two long-thin bolts that hold the lock assembly together, and face directly down into the tank. The tutorial warned that those get really corroded and you absolutely don't want to strip them. With all due caution, I took a phillips to the bolts, got nothing. Tried the rubber band trick, tried an impact driver, nothing. I hosed it down with Liquid Wrench, rapped it sharply for a few minutes with a rod, and left it overnight, and the next day one of them came out with no hassle but the other remained. I tried heating it, I tried freezing it, I whaled on it forever with an impact driver, nothing. In my searches for ideas before I just drill the drat thing out, blogs and forums mentioned the old shade-tree mechanic's trick of heating a bolt with a propane torch, then jamming a piece of candle against it and letting capillary action wick the wax into the threads. I was quite skeptical; if lube can't make it, how can wax? I don't have a propane torch, but I have a gas stove and reckless disregard for personal safety, so after a few seconds of heat I jam a birthday candle against the bolt, oily wax runoff flows around it. I take a phillips to the bolt, get nothing... but as I wiggle the phillips to seat it in the cross, the bolt turns ever so slightly clockwise. I carefully jimmy it back those 10 degrees left, then a little right, then a little left, and then it came right out. Does wax actually get down in the threads? Check my photos (with lovely macro, sorry, but you get the idea):   It's hard to see in the top pic, but the wax got all the way down to the bottom of the screw, and the threading in the middle of the bolt is full of wax. I scraped it out just to be sure, but it's definitely the wax, and the non-waxed bolt looks nothing like this one, so it's not just the lube or what have you. EDIT: in the second pic you can see the hole the bolt fit into is all waxed up just from the wicking, and the bolt goes really easy back into that hole now. I'm now sold on the concept, and have all the more reason to get a solderer/torch in case I have to do this on less hand-holdable parts in the future. Hope this is of interest to other novices like me, because I seriously must've spent 30-45 minutes on this one bolt over the course of a few nights. That's my contribution to the page, and I have a quick question: what is the term for the wee rubbery vacuum nipples that go on the top of my petcock (one for ON, one for RSV)? It's a vacuum-actuated petcock, so that's what I assume these are. The ones on mine are pretty old and grungy, and I assume it'd be good to replace them but I can't find these anywhere, and OEM parts sellers don't sell them separate from the main petcock body. Any idea what this is called and where I can find more of them? And the RSV one came loose, so any advice on what gasoline-resistant adhesive to glue it back in would be great:  
TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 06:11 on Feb 21, 2013 |
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Feb 21, 2013 04:49
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Candle wax  I always have a little butane torch, and now I will always have a pack of birthday candles in my toolbox. I hope I get the chance to be smug at somebody in the future with them.
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Feb 21, 2013 05:44
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Looks like go time for the first bike is coming up within the next few weeks, possibly even by the end of this one  . So, I have a question for CA people: am I ok to do the first ride back home without insurance? Do I have to have insurance before transferring all the poo poo at the dmv? Incidentally, what's everyone got for theirs?
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Feb 21, 2013 07:32
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M42 posted:Looks like go time for the first bike is coming up within the next few weeks, possibly even by the end of this one I'm not sure how it works in CA, but the way I handle it is: 1) buy the bike (or car), get the registration (and other necessary documents) from the owner. Leave it where it is 2) take registration and stuff to the DMV, change it over to my name 3) take registration to insurance agent and take out a policy 4) once the policy's effective (over here, pretty much immediately), go pick up the vehicle and drive/ride it home I *could* legally ride without insurance, but my employer gives me an extra load of poo poo about all things driving-related, so I always play it as conservatively as possible. To be honest, I'd probably do the same thing even if I didn't have them hassling me. I bought a new car this week from out of the prefecture and it needs to be physically at the DMV to have the VIN checked (not an issue for in-prefecture ownership transfers), but luckily I've got a friend who's OK to drive with no insurance, so he's nice enough to handle that for me.
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Feb 21, 2013 07:41
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I think if you already have insurance on one motorcycle and you purchase another one you may be covered for a very brief period of time (like, 5 days) under the existing plan. Depends on your specific policy of course. I don't think there is a DMV/police grace period for uninsured riding just because you bought the motorcycle that day, no. e: Pompous Rhombus has the right idea, I think. Just get the keys and registration documents and stuff and ask if you can leave it with the seller for another day. All the big companies can have a policy effective almost instantly as long as you don't have DUIs and poo poo. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 07:46 on Feb 21, 2013 |
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Feb 21, 2013 07:42
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When I swapped bikes I just called up my agent before the swap and they sent me a temporary card for it until everything was transferred over and set up. I'd have to check my policy but I think it covers anything I'd buy for a short period anyway but I can't remember. If this goes through you should have taken me up on that bet 
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Feb 21, 2013 07:43
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nsaP posted:If this goes through you should have taken me up on that bet Haha, I didn't cause I knew I was getting one soon - it would have been unfair. This is my first vehicle, so it looks like I'll ask to leave it with the guy for the night. Thanks!
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Feb 21, 2013 07:47
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M42 posted:Looks like go time for the first bike is coming up within the next few weeks, possibly even by the end of this one Here in California you need proof of insurance to register it unless you're doing a non-op, if I remember right. I also don't see how you couldn't have it for the first ride, if a cop pulled you over I don't see them buying it. I've got Geico because I love that loving Gecko. I've got the lowest coverage plus Uninsured motorist on my 650 Ninja and I think it's right around 20/month. I've got my car through them as well so I might have a discount there? The only insurance company i've had bad tidings with(On motorcycles, they're amazing on cars) is Farmers insurance. Called them for a quote and they wanted $530 A MONTH for full coverage. Called Allstate and it was a fifth of the price.
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Feb 21, 2013 07:49
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M42 posted:Haha, I didn't cause I knew I was getting one soon - it would have been unfair. Call the insurance company BEFORE you buy so you don't get surprised by a sky-high rate. You need to factor insurance into the 'cost' of the bike. When you're going to go get it, call the insurance guys again. They'll turn on your policy and email you your card. Print it out and take it with you. (You'll need to have the VIN from the seller for this, so ask them for it ahead of time.) Don't ride without insurance. If you end up not buying, cancelling the policy is trivial. You have a window after you buy before it must be registered in your name and some states make you physically bring the bike to the DMV when you register it so they can verify the VIN.
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Feb 21, 2013 08:05
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You can literally call your insurance guys while at the title place and have them insure you and fax the info over so you can get registration, I just recently bought and sold a car and had that happen both times.
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Feb 21, 2013 08:12
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Can't you guys get riders policies? Like, they insure you and not the bike? I'm insured, fully comp, for any bike I hop on under 1000cc, regardless of whether I own it or not.
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Feb 21, 2013 10:04
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In the USA those are almost 100% a scam. You see them advertised on late-night television along with Girls Gone Wild, bail bondsman, and "no credit check" title loan commercials.
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Feb 21, 2013 10:30
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drat, I feel bad for you guys. I can just buy bikes like Pogs all day. Even better the registration process just requires the PO to hand you the reg certificate with the tear off transfer section at the bottom signed. You fill out your name, address and signature and drop it into the reg office (keeping the upper section as a temporary) and they just post you a new cert. Done. No fees, no queues.
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Feb 21, 2013 10:38
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Yeah, in the US there are "non-owner" insurance policies, but those only cover vehicles you do not own, like rentals or cars that are already covered by another policy. So, they're supplemental-only policies. But you'll see them advertised a lot in the mentioned time slots, and poor and/or misinformed people will buy them. Joke is on them when they get pulled over for whatever reason, though (as told to me by a cop friend). Also, if you do a Google search for "non-owner policy," besides Geico's rental insurance entry, 99% of the sites listed look like they were designed with Dreamweaver or even FrontPage.
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Feb 21, 2013 10:54
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In my experience, as long as you have a VIN number, you can get insurance set up on a vehicle. I've done this in CA as well as TX. I just called them up, gave them the VIN, chose my coverage and they emailed me an insurance card right there. I've never had to prove to them that the title is in my name or registered to me in any way.
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Feb 21, 2013 16:03
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Yeah, last time I just told the agent I need it insured to get it registered and boom, done. If you don't get it registered though they'll send you a nasty letter and cancel the insurance 
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Feb 21, 2013 16:31
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I used progressives smartphone app and bought a policy 5 minutes after signing the pink slip on the VFR. All you need is the VIN for that.
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Feb 21, 2013 17:05
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Just live in Washington where insurance isn't required on motorcycles 
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Feb 21, 2013 18:57
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ReelBigLizard posted:Can't you guys get riders policies? Like, they insure you and not the bike? I'm insured, fully comp, for any bike I hop on under 1000cc, regardless of whether I own it or not. No, not really. This is probably because of our unbelievable lack of limitations on the kind of bike someone can ride. Where you're from, the insurance company can pretty much guarantee that if you're riding a bike of a specific displacement legally, you have a certain amount of training and experience. Here, a 17-year-old with a week of motorcycle experience could be legally riding anything from a 50cc scooter to an R1, so selling insurance without knowing the vehicle just wouldn't work.
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Feb 21, 2013 19:16
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Do you have any kind of insurance right now? State Farm covers me for up to 10 days after the purchase of a new motorcycle at the same rates as my highest existing policy, so I don't have to dick around with anything. I Just buy the bike, take the title to AAA, have them reg it for me, give the info to my insurance guy, and I'm good to go.
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Feb 21, 2013 19:41
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ReelBigLizard posted:Can't you guys get riders policies? Like, they insure you and not the bike? I'm insured, fully comp, for any bike I hop on under 1000cc, regardless of whether I own it or not. I wish. That would make a lot of sense for me. Even if it's just a liability policy that follows me around. Seems silly that if a fully-insured friend and I want to swap bikes for a few miles, we're not covered. Vern Fonk, the local high risk agency, is marketing a broad form policy for their auto insurance... but it's aimed at - and priced for - high risk policyholders.
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Feb 21, 2013 20:11
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Pope Mobile posted:Just live in Washington where insurance isn't required on motorcycles Yeah, but if you're in an accident the state can immediately demand 25k in bail/surety. And if you cross state lines, you absolutely need it, because all border states to Washington require insurance, and the state exemption does not carry over to other jurisdictions. My policy is like $13/month anyway. I used to live in Lewiston, ID - a border city across the river from Clarkston, WA. On slow days, Idaho cops would park at the bridges and pull over drat near every motorcyclist with bullshit reasons to check and cite for lack of insurance, and Washington cops would park on their side and pull over every motorcyclist without a helmet (WA has a helmet law, at least Asotin County does, and ID does not). To tell the truth, I'm glad they cite the WA bikers without insurance, because Idaho has enough uninsured motorists driving around drunk enough as-is without other states trying to help 
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Feb 21, 2013 20:25
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Sagebrush posted:No, not really. This is probably because of our unbelievable lack of limitations on the kind of bike someone can ride. Where you're from, the insurance company can pretty much guarantee that if you're riding a bike of a specific displacement legally, you have a certain amount of training and experience. Here, a 17-year-old with a week of motorcycle experience could be legally riding anything from a 50cc scooter to an R1, so selling insurance without knowing the vehicle just wouldn't work. Actually if you're over 17 you can ride anything you want here too, as long as you put L plates on it while you learn  Getting an unlimited fully comp riders policy at 17 probably costs more than a bike though; at 25 years old it was over £600 a year for my <750cc policy.
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Feb 21, 2013 21:33
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Why anyone would willingly choose not to even have liability insurance is beyond me. Does everyone in the state just have thousands upon thousands of dollars stored up in case of accidents?
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Feb 21, 2013 21:53
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No, they just have the indefatigable American belief that "it won't happen to me, and I really need that money for a new iPhone anyway." Medical bills are the #1 cause of bankruptcy in the USA.
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Feb 21, 2013 21:57
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Sagebrush posted:No, they just have the indefatigable American belief that "it won't happen to me, and I really need that money for a new iPhone anyway." Medical bills are the #1 cause of bankruptcy in the USA. If we're going to get into this discussion, most of those medical bankruptcies are people who have insurance. This isn't really the place for that tho.
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Feb 21, 2013 22:13
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I don't have any kind of vehicle insurance. Bf's got fancy-rear end federal worker discounted geico insurance though, so it looks like I'll be adding the bike onto that plan. I'll probably be doing higher than default bodily injury + under/uninsured motorist options. It'll still be cheaper than anything I can get through AAA/state farm/allstate/whatever else. (one of those was like, $400 a month  )
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Feb 21, 2013 22:16
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M42 posted:I don't have any kind of vehicle insurance. Bf's got fancy-rear end federal worker discounted geico insurance though, so it looks like I'll be adding the bike onto that plan. I'll probably be doing higher than default bodily injury + under/uninsured motorist options. It'll still be cheaper than anything I can get through AAA/state farm/allstate/whatever else. (one of those was like, $400 a month On a motorcycle? For liability only with minimum limits you're looking at maybe 150-200 bucks a year for even sportbikes. I think my DRZ was like 80 bucks a year.... My R6 would've been like 160 I think. It's practically nothing. It doesn't cover you if you personally mess up but it certainly covers your rear end if you plant your bike in someone else's door or something. Hell even Comp + Liability on my R6 was like 55 bucks a month I think @ 24. For 400 a month they better come out and polish the bike and provide a blowjob every week. No way that's worth it. Especially on a used bike. M42 where are you from again? I apologize if I missed it earlier.
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Feb 21, 2013 22:27
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JP Money posted:Why anyone would willingly choose not to even have liability insurance is beyond me. Does everyone in the state just have thousands upon thousands of dollars stored up in case of accidents? I think the thought is, "How much damage could I cause without killing myself?"
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Feb 21, 2013 22:30
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JP Money posted:On a motorcycle? For liability only with minimum limits you're looking at maybe 150-200 bucks a year for even sportbikes. I think my DRZ was like 80 bucks a year.... My R6 would've been like 160 I think. It's practically nothing. Again I must chime in that I'm 29, and LIABILITY INSURANCE ONLY is ~$2000/yr for my V-Strom 650. 
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Feb 21, 2013 22:30
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^^^^^^^  Love that racket. Three of the four places I tried refused to provide me insurance at all, no liability or damage or personal injury or anything, because my little reasonable vintage commuter bike was "too old". So I had to go with the only company that would do it, based in Quebec, and welp if you don't like their prices you can get historic plates and restrict your riding to 1000km a year or go get hosed.Insurance cost depends extremely heavily on your specific circumstances and where you're located. In Canada as a new rider I was paying 1800 dollars a year for nothing but liability on a 40-year-old 350. If you can find someone to insure you on a supersport up there, you'll pay at least twice as much, and it doesn't go down a whole lot with age or experience. Fifteen hundred a year for a middle-aged accountant to insure his R1200 is totally normal. On the other hand, I now pay 220 dollars a year in San Francisco for liability + extensive personal medical coverage (you should probably boost that as high as you can go, if you can afford it) but no coverage for bike repairs cause eh for me it's a toy and I do the work myself anyway. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 22:38 on Feb 21, 2013 |
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Feb 21, 2013 22:35
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Jesus christ Canada. I have 500k liability (way above minimum), $50 deductible comprehensive, and un/underinsured motorist on my 650R for about $350/yr. Opted out of collision since it would have been like $650/yr. And even at those rates I kind of feel like I'm getting ripped off a little bit. I'm in WA where motorcycle insurance isn't even required.
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Feb 21, 2013 22:37
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epalm posted:Again I must chime in that I'm 29, and LIABILITY INSURANCE ONLY is ~$2000/yr for my V-Strom 650. I actually have 0 idea how insurance works in Canada in relation to healthcare costs and such. Can you explain briefly what's the rationale for such high prices?
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Feb 21, 2013 22:38
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