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Ok, update; Got Dad to help me out today and fully bled the system, took it for a ride and it heated up to the end of normal again, so we took the thermo out and Dad is of the opinion it's rooted - it was stuck open when we pulled it out and we had to force it to close, so we left it out put it all back together, filled it up again and took it for a ride and it got to about 2/3 through normal and it sat there, warmed up a little when slowed down (1 needle width) but went back to where it was once I was back on open road. Going to order a new Thermo tomorrow when the bike shops are open, hopefully that'll fix it, Dad thinks if that doesn't work I might have to get the radiators checked and cleaned. When we flushed the system there was a bit of crap that came out, but not much, Dad didn't think there was enough crap in there to make much of an issue.
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May 26, 2013 07:59
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All of mine (ive owned like 4 of the drat things over the years) always sit dead center in the temp gauge when its hot. Is that what you mean when you say 2/3rds of the way through normal? The thermo is there to help it warm up quicker to pass emissions. ..shouldn't be an issue if it's stuck open.
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May 26, 2013 10:22
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Nah, it's about here, where the white line is. Goes up about another needle or two width through town (40km/hish): e: Taking the thermo out did make a difference, it would get to the red after about 7-8 minutes previously (during the day, at night it would sit at the white line regardless), now it'll just get to that line and just hang out there. Shimrod fucked around with this message at 10:40 on May 26, 2013 |
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May 26, 2013 10:37
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Hrm. I guess maybe it was restricting flow or something? Very strange. Does the fan ever come on?
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May 26, 2013 16:24
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1998 Honda Valkyrie The rubber piece on my rear turn signal broke.  I have the part, but I'm trying to dissesemble to put it in. I pulled the light assembly apart, but the wires are hard connected. Is there a crimped connection on the inside I need to remove to get the wires out and through the new grommet thing? How much of this thing do I need to take apart? Should I just just and solder the wires?
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May 26, 2013 17:56
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Ron Jeremy posted:1998 Honda Valkyrie If it's anything like my bikes, you just order a new assembly off of eBay or Amazon, uncrimp the wires under the rear fender, pull the old assembly off, and put the new assembly in. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Honda+Valkyrie+rear+turn+signal&_sacat=0&_from=R40
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May 26, 2013 18:40
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Safety Dance posted:If it's anything like my bikes, you just order a new assembly off of eBay or Amazon, uncrimp the wires under the rear fender, pull the old assembly off, and put the new assembly in. Well don't I feel stupid. I spent $25 on the rubber piece when I could have gotten the whole assembly for not much more... E: Getting at it from under the fender seemed to be the key. Pulled the whole assy off and got at the crimped connections. Pulled em through and installed the new part. Thanks for the tip! Proust Malone fucked around with this message at 20:01 on May 26, 2013 |
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May 26, 2013 18:57
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So my SV channeled it's inner KTM the other day and decided to liberate the shifter peg. Having to futz with the selector arm to shift is annoying as poo poo, and I'd like to get another ASAP. Are they largely universal? If so, to the point that I could just find someone parting out some bike on CL and swap it on? Otherwise I'm looking at having to ship it.
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May 26, 2013 21:49
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Shimrod posted:Nah, it's about here, where the white line is. Goes up about another needle or two width through town (40km/hish): Have a good look at your radiator itself. Check that it isn't blocked or overly dirty, that the fins aren't bent/damaged/missing. Check that the cap neck isn't damaged somehow, preventing the cap from holding pressure. Look at the cap itself and make sure it's in decent condition. And as z3n said, make sure the fan operates. Do this by riding the bike until it's warm, then parking it with the engine idling. The fan should come on after a couple of minutes if everything else is reasonably normal.
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May 26, 2013 21:56
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Ordered the gear for the garage door, will report back in a week or so with results. Also, I did lube up the garage tracks with some silicon spray when I moved in 3+ years ago, I'm sure it is well past time to do it again. Motorcycle related... I looked at my bikes today, that is all 
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May 27, 2013 00:07
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Z3n posted:Hrm. I guess maybe it was restricting flow or something? Very strange. Does the fan ever come on? Slavvy posted:Have a good look at your radiator itself. Check that it isn't blocked or overly dirty, that the fins aren't bent/damaged/missing. Check that the cap neck isn't damaged somehow, preventing the cap from holding pressure. Look at the cap itself and make sure it's in decent condition. And as z3n said, make sure the fan operates. Do this by riding the bike until it's warm, then parking it with the engine idling. The fan should come on after a couple of minutes if everything else is reasonably normal. Fan comes on, Dad was thinking it's something to do with flow as well.
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May 27, 2013 03:14
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This is not a mechanical question which this thread seems to be mostly about, but I need an opinion from American bikers: In terms of temperatures, how late is too late in the year to ride a motorcycle from LA to NYC? This would be a pleasure riding/camping trip taking about a month, not a get-to-NYC-as-fast-as-possible ride. So it's really more about the latest time of year that I can arrive in NYC. Long story short, I live in Melbourne and work for a British company and have a chance to possibly transfer to London later in the year. I have some cash saved up and the opportunity to take a few months off in between the transfer, and would love to fly to LA, buy a bike, ride it to New York, sell it, and fly on to London. The thing is that Australia doesn't really have seasons, which means that I forget other countries have time limits about when you can do things. I know that at a certain point of the year, riding a motorcycle across the US just isn't feasible. The one-month ride mud map that I've worked out in my head basically involves California, the deserts of the south-west, the South, and then up either the coast or the Appalachians to NYC. If I account for one week in LA buying a bike, four weeks riding across the country, and one week in NYC selling the bike, I think the latest I can arrive in NYC is mid-October, which means the latest I can arrive in LA is early September. Am I underestimating or overestimating how cold autumn is in the north-east? (The reason this is important is that my boss is asking me questions about exactly when I want to transfer etc.)
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May 27, 2013 07:58
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Not sure about the rest of the idea but selling a bike quickly in NYC in October would require taking a pretty low price, unless you can somehow set up a buyer in advance.
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May 27, 2013 08:03
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What would be the proper way to negotiate a cattle guard that some maniac placed just beyond the midpoint of a sweeping 180 degree corner? I had a split second to decide and opted to snap the bike upright and make a hard stop after crossing the grate. MSF really didn't cover hitting cattle guards during hard cornering 
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May 27, 2013 08:10
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Get as upright as you can, pray for the best would be the best bet I think, that's a pretty poo poo place to have a cattle grid. Also don't outride your vision, etc etc.
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May 27, 2013 08:17
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If it's dry and your bike handles well, just stand it up a little bit then get it back over. There's a cattle grid on the exit of one of my favourite roundabouts - a 90-degree left-hander taken at about 60 and accelerating - and it doesn't actually affect the bike much at all in the dry. If anything the only real problem is that it unsettles the front a little bit because of the undulations, like hitting tarmac ripples or something. (In the wet all bets are off of course - wet metal is slippery as gently caress, and you're better off just taking the corner slow - don't forget the possibility of wet leaves or other debris on the grid affecting grip even in the dry) BTW if you had enough time and space to stop after the grid you had more than enough time to get the bike back over into the curve, although you probably realised that afterwards anyway.
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May 27, 2013 08:27
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freebooter posted:This is not a mechanical question which this thread seems to be mostly about, but I need an opinion from American bikers: Your timings seem about right, you don't want to leave it much past mid October in the north east if you want to avoid the risk of random snow. You could probably push that to end of October/beginning of November without too much worry, but I wouldn't stray too far into November. Actually end of October should be great for the North East as the trees will all be changing colour.
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May 27, 2013 10:45
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AncientTV posted:So my SV channeled it's inner KTM the other day and decided to liberate the shifter peg. Having to futz with the selector arm to shift is annoying as poo poo, and I'd like to get another ASAP. Are they largely universal? If so, to the point that I could just find someone parting out some bike on CL and swap it on? Otherwise I'm looking at having to ship it. For the sv650, the gen 1 and 2003 gen 2 use the same shifter assembly. 2004+ gen 2 use another shifter. I believe the naked and s use the same part. For the gen 1 and k3, you might also be able to source the part from pre 2000 gsxr and tl1000 according to this part fiche here: http://www.partzilla.com/parts/detail/suzuki/SP-25600-33E00.html Looks like 2004+ you might be able to pick from a newer hayabusa http://www.partzilla.com/parts/detail/suzuki/SP-25600-33E00.html Or you can ghetto fix it like I did by drilling out a hole where the peg used to be, thread an M8 bolt in, and locktite two nuts on the end to clamp onto the lever arm. You'll need to grind down one of the nuts a bit since it'll tend to get caught against the shift linkage rod when you're trying to shift sometimes. I'd only do this while you're waiting to source another gear shifter though.
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May 27, 2013 13:08
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Ponies ate my Bagel posted:Is there a good source for MC batteries? The C14 I'm going to pick up has the original battery and it seems to be failing. I've got enough going on that I don't want to risk it on a cross country trip. I know this is older, but when you replace it take a mental note or even a photo of the cable routing, especially the ground cables. It's a little tight in the battery box and it won't fit quite right unless you route it pretty much exactly the same.
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May 27, 2013 14:17
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yergacheffe posted:For the sv650, the gen 1 and 2003 gen 2 use the same shifter assembly. 2004+ gen 2 use another shifter. I believe the naked and s use the same part. For the gen 1 and k3, you might also be able to source the part from pre 2000 gsxr and tl1000 according to this part fiche here: This is what I've found as well, and I've already got a ghetto bolt set up. Thanks for the second opinion!
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May 27, 2013 17:53
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Question regarding getting a bike ready to store for 4 odd months. Should I change the oil? Some people I spoke to recommended it however I have also had people tell me not to change the oil until the bike is run in, which it isn't yet. Probably doesn't matter to much but I figured it's better to ask.
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May 27, 2013 20:14
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so I found the bastard nail that has been causing the slow leak in my rear tire... right in the meatiest part of the center of the tread. I don't have a problem plugging this one, as it looks like it went straight in and isn't that big. Trouble is, I'm going away for a week and most likely won't be able to take care of it until next thursday at the earliest, by which time the tire should be fully flat. Should I be worried about permanent deformation or damage from the bike sitting on a flat tire for a few days? Should I attempt to put like 50psi into it and hope it only drops to 10-15 by the time I get back? Not bother?
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May 27, 2013 20:30
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Linedance posted:so I found the bastard nail that has been causing the slow leak in my rear tire... right in the meatiest part of the center of the tread. I don't have a problem plugging this one, as it looks like it went straight in and isn't that big. Trouble is, I'm going away for a week and most likely won't be able to take care of it until next thursday at the earliest, by which time the tire should be fully flat. Should I be worried about permanent deformation or damage from the bike sitting on a flat tire for a few days? Should I attempt to put like 50psi into it and hope it only drops to 10-15 by the time I get back? Not bother? Can you prop it up somehow? Center stand, pit stand, piece of wood. Ola fucked around with this message at 22:22 on May 27, 2013 |
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May 27, 2013 22:14
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I apologize for not looking through the 530+ pages to see if this question has been addressed: I have found a Bandit 1200 and an sv1000s of comparable years and price. What are general opinions about these two bikes?
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May 28, 2013 00:32
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Both great bikes. The SV is a sport bike in regards to its seating position, while the B12 is a sport standard. The SV was only in production for a few years (03-07 I believe) and didn't sell all that much, so finding spares for it would be harder than for the B12. Both have gobs of torque. I can't really think of many other defining differences, but I've also never ridden either.
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May 28, 2013 00:36
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AncientTV posted:Both great bikes. The SV is a sport bike in regards to its seating position, while the B12 is a sport standard. The SV was only in production for a few years (03-07 I believe) and didn't sell all that much, so finding spares for it would be harder than for the B12. Both have gobs of torque. The SV has adjustable suspension, not sure about the bandit on that front. Also the naked Sv1000 and the bandit have comparable riding positions. The bandit is quite a bit heavier. The SV is injected vs the bandit carbed. I'd take an SV but it really depends what you want; the bandit is certainly the more relaxed ride of the two, with a monumental and smooth I4, while the SV has a really sweet V-twin. If you've never ridden a bike as big as either, I'd take the SV because of the weight advantage and it's somewhat more forgiving. I'd take a bandit if you plan on carrying passengers (SV pillions are garbage IMO). Bandit also has a center stand, I guess?
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May 28, 2013 00:41
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Bandits have way more options for silly upgrades, get better highway mileage (Mine gets 47-50 somehow. I honestly have no idea.), and have pretty well documented service histories. Valve adjustments are a joke (with practice I think I could get down to ~30 minutes, hour tops for a full adjustment) every 12k miles, it runs on 15w40 Rotella diesel oil which is like $12 per gallon, needs a cam chain and manual chain tensioner to replace the automatic one at 50k but other than that they seem pretty much unkillable. Racetech springs and a different shock make all the differences in the world with handling and stock calipers and rotors feel pretty drat good with better pads and stainless lines. Also, the bike doesn't care what speed or RPM or in space on a moon mountain or whether you're two-up because it's gonna go forward as fast as you want it to. I'm really, really, really happy with mine and I know people are always like "you'll want something else!!" but nope, I can't see myself owning any other sport tourer, ever. It's also the reason the good ones rarely pop up for sale. Sure, I'll own other types of bikes, but I'm pretty much a Luddite and fancy gizmos and lights and gadgets don't impress me as much as a deafening, buzzing, bee-infested mountain lion wheelie machine.
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May 28, 2013 02:11
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So, found out the issue (hopefully that's the only one) ... the water pump in my bike works great, except it's the wrong one and doesn't match up the connections inside the gearbox. ... Flushed the radiator and engine cooling areas though, got a bit of crap out of the engine, radiator was a bit dirty but flowing pretty well. Hopefully I can have this all behind me by the end of tomorrow!
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May 28, 2013 07:23
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Ola posted:Can you prop it up somehow? Center stand, pit stand, piece of wood. No center or pit stand, and the trouble with the piece of wood trick is that while I understand how it works in theory, I'm not sure how to apply it in this circumstance: 
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May 28, 2013 08:27
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Got a jack or something you could put under the engine? Engine crane you could wrap a strap around and through the tail frame?
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May 28, 2013 09:40
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Linedance posted:No center or pit stand, and the trouble with the piece of wood trick is that while I understand how it works in theory, I'm not sure how to apply it in this circumstance: The Achilles' heel of single sided swingarms has been found. Alternative solution, plug the hole with a dab of glue, a chewing gum or whatever. Since it won't be moving it doesn't have to be very solid.
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May 28, 2013 10:06
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Ola posted:The Achilles' heel of single sided swingarms has been found. Alternative solution, plug the hole with a dab of glue, a chewing gum or whatever. Since it won't be moving it doesn't have to be very solid. Of course! Macgyver it! Why didn't I think of that?
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May 28, 2013 12:49
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Linedance posted:Your timings seem about right, you don't want to leave it much past mid October in the north east if you want to avoid the risk of random snow. You could probably push that to end of October/beginning of November without too much worry, but I wouldn't stray too far into November. Actually end of October should be great for the North East as the trees will all be changing colour. Alright, cool. Snow is obviously something I want to avoid, but so are temperatures that are so freezing it's just not enjoyable to ride. Which for me would be, I don't know, maybe anything below 50 farenheit in daytime? I guess I can always rug up though. Snowdens Secret posted:Not sure about the rest of the idea but selling a bike quickly in NYC in October would require taking a pretty low price, unless you can somehow set up a buyer in advance. There's a whole bunch of factors like that I need to consider as well, I just wanted to check temperatures first because that affects the timescales. I can basically only do this trip if I get a London job offer by August. The biggest worry I have, after time of the year, is whether it's even possible for someone on a tourist visa to legally purchase a motorcycle in California. From what I can see, if it is possible, it's a gigantic bureaucratic red tape hassle.
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May 28, 2013 13:09
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freebooter posted:Alright, cool. Snow is obviously something I want to avoid, but so are temperatures that are so freezing it's just not enjoyable to ride. Which for me would be, I don't know, maybe anything below 50 farenheit in daytime? I guess I can always rug up though. I'm sure you could buy a motorcycle, especially anything used off of craigslist or what not. Insurance is easy, as long as you have a license and money, they'll insure you. But licensing is probably the your biggest hurdle. Many states do give you 30 days to transfer the title and register the bike in your name, so I guess you could risk it without registering. But as mentioned to the guy driving from NY to Iowa or whatever, it might be tough to tell a cop "I just bought it and am driving it home... 1200 miles away" I really hope you can manage it though, because it would be awesome. I know of several guys who have done this in SE Asian countries, but then again in those areas trouble goes away with the wave of a $50
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May 28, 2013 15:04
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The easiest way would probably be to have someone like me buy a bike, go through it and get it road worthy, and then sign over the title to you. You can get an insurance policy pretty easily, so you just ride it, insured and holding the signed off title. If the cops pull you over, you show them the signed title and current registration, say you're on a trip across the US and will be selling the bike when it's done. They probably wont hassle you, especially considering that plates go with the bike in CA, so you'll have valid plates. When you're ready to sell in NY, you just have the prospective buyer complete the rest of the CA title, and you're good to go. ( as long as NY doesn't require a notary with title transfers )
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May 28, 2013 15:53
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My bike fell over this morning. I didn't make sure the kickstand was set/stable before walking away from it, and it just fell over onto its side.  It's an 06 Honda Reflex...the plastic on the side is scratched up a bit...it was pristine before this. Are there any products I can buy to rub in to the plastic or anything to help it look better? Not that it's a huge deal...but if there's anything to make it look just a little better that would be nice.
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May 28, 2013 16:13
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What pants do y'all recommend for a newbie rider? I've been looking at kevlar jeans but the Rhoks are the only ones I really like the look of.
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May 28, 2013 22:01
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Start with some real protection, dude/dudette! http://i.imgur.com/bmghEO4.jpg
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May 29, 2013 00:17
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Nidhg00670000 posted:Start with some real protection, dude/dudette! If riding with that dude, you GOTTA have protection.
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May 29, 2013 02:40
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Alright, so lets play a fun fun game of "Diagnose the problem". Backstory: I've got a 92 kawasaki 550 Zephyr, a 4-cylinder cruiser starter bike. I hurt my foot laying it down about a month later and essentially didn't ride it for 2 years. Cue now. I dug the bike out, fired it up, changed the oil, and rode it around the block and town 3-4 times on the old gas (why oh why didn't I change the gas). Things went fine, it ran a little rough, but I put in some carb cleaner and figured it'd be OK as long as things kept running. On the ride where it broke down, I go about 8 miles at 40-50mph speeds and start climbing a prolonged hill. I had been giving it gas and struggling up the hill, so I downshifted a few times, and it just got worse and worse til I completely stalled out. After pulling over, the bike starts and idles with the choke wide open, but giving it any gas stalls the bike completely. I study the internet/Haynes manual, decide my primary fuel jets are probably clogged, and breakdown the carbs to clean it. I spray a ton of Gunk carb solvent, soak the bowls/jets using hot water and lemon juice, compressed air dry everything, and check the float heights. After the carb reinstall things apparently work fine again, the bike starts and throttles and rides fine after I put in fresh, high octane gas. I then research building a magnometer to sync the carbs, warm up the engine on a ~15min ride until I don't need the choke open, and take it home to check the carb synchronization. The magnometer fluid immediately drained to the Carb #2 area, but as I work the engine starts slowing and requiring the choke again and eventually unable to keep it running or get it to turn over. I drained the carb bowls and replaced the vacuum caps/hoses, which lets me restart thing the bike, but its now in the same state as it was when I broke down, where applying throttle stalls the engine entirely. Can wildly un-synchronized carburetors cause this? When I emptied the bowls #2 had more fuel in it than the others, which makes sense due to its vacuum imbalance, but I have trouble believing synchronization alone is the problem. Should I be looking more into the bowl floats or jets maybe? The Werle fucked around with this message at 03:43 on May 29, 2013 |
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May 29, 2013 02:42
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