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Renaissance Robot posted:Just changed my brake pads; how big a deal is it if I half-assed cleaning the pots? Fuckers didn't want to turn so I could only scrub the out facing side It doesn't matter at all, more important is not pushing them back by levering off of the rotor. Loads of people do it and it gives you brake shudder. Also cleaning the pins and squeal shims makes a big difference on a lot of bikes. Grease your brake lever pivot, you'll be amazed at the difference.
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Jul 3, 2019 21:29
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Is this the threat for technical questions? I haven't ridden my concourse much since last year and now it feels really weird at speed. As if there is a rut on the road and it tries to follow it. That turns into a slight wobble. The faster I go, the more it's pronounced. Tires are aired up and look great. Can it be anything else? Should I replace tires anyway? Thanks
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Jul 3, 2019 22:06
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How does it feel in turns? e/ if it feels unsteady while cornering I'd suspect shot wheel bearings. They're quick enough to check anyhow. Also are you sure you're keeping your arms loose? Could just be you're tensing up Renaissance Robot fucked around with this message at 22:50 on Jul 3, 2019 |
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Jul 3, 2019 22:42
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Slavvy posted:It doesn't matter at all, more important is not pushing them back by levering off of the rotor. Loads of people do it and it gives you brake shudder. Also cleaning the pins and squeal shims makes a big difference on a lot of bikes. Can you go into more detail into what not to do here? I've had brake shudder ever since I changed my pads and I'm not sure what I did wrong
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Jul 3, 2019 22:43
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Nitrox posted:Is this the threat for technical questions? I haven't ridden my concourse much since last year and now it feels really weird at speed. As if there is a rut on the road and it tries to follow it. That turns into a slight wobble. The faster I go, the more it's pronounced. Tires are aired up and look great. Can it be anything else? Should I replace tires anyway? Thanks The normal diagnosis is air pressure, but since you've checked that, perhaps flat worn tires or bad alignment?
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Jul 3, 2019 22:46
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Renaissance Robot posted:How does it feel in turns? I tense up after the fact, because it feels extremely uneasy. When you say wheel bearings, you mean center of the wheel or where frame meets front end? Either way, how do I check? I do have a center stand. Ola posted:The normal diagnosis is air pressure, but since you've checked that, perhaps flat worn tires or bad alignment? All of this sounds like a problem I can't fix before Friday anyway. Really wanted to take this bike on a 3 day trip.
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Jul 3, 2019 23:22
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bsamu posted:Can you go into more detail into what not to do here? I've had brake shudder ever since I changed my pads and I'm not sure what I did wrong If you pushed the pistons back using a screwdriver or whatever levering against the brake discs, your discs are now hosed. They are very thin and bend very, very easily. The only other thing that can cause a shudder is seized rotor buttons, you can clean them out with brake cleaner and rotate them somehow. I like outside circlip pliers gripping them through the hole in the middle. Nitrox posted:I tense up after the fact, because it feels extremely uneasy. When you say wheel bearings, you mean center of the wheel or where frame meets front end? Either way, how do I check? I do have a center stand. If the tyres are ok (post pics) my first thought is steering head bearings. Put the bike on the center stand, get an assistant to push down on the tail so the front wheel is in the air. Turn the bars gently side to side, what you're looking for is the steering sticking in one place, usually straight ahead. It'll feel like there's a notch or groove keeping it pointed straight. Then sit in front of the bike with the steering straight and wheel still in the air, grab the bottom of the forks and try pulling the whole front end fore and aft. There should be no clicking and movement, any looseness means the head bearings are loose or worn. If all that checks out, grab the wheel from the side, hands at 3 and 9 o'clock, and wiggle back and forth checking for movement relative to the axle. Do this for the back wheel as well. Any play here means the wheel bearings are shot. Wheel bearings fail very very rarely on street bikes while head bearings gently caress out all the time, but hosed tyres are much much more common so I'd make certain your problem isn't there first.
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Jul 4, 2019 01:44
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Slavvy posted:If you pushed the pistons back using a screwdriver or whatever levering against the brake discs, your discs are now hosed. They are very thin and bend very, very easily. The only other thing that can cause a shudder is seized rotor buttons, you can clean them out with brake cleaner and rotate them somehow. I like outside circlip pliers gripping them through the hole in the middle.
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Jul 4, 2019 02:11
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Nitrox posted:I tense up after the fact, because it feels extremely uneasy. When you say wheel bearings, you mean center of the wheel or where frame meets front end? Either way, how do I check? I do have a center stand. The rear wheel can be misaligned with the length of the bike. If it is, the bike kind of crabs sideways a few degrees and the steering response is different from one side to the other, which feels weird. Maybe not very likely in your case, but it should be easy to check on the swingarm markings. But you said Concours, so it's a shaft bike right? That's not it then. If the bearings check out per Slavvy's instructions, deflate and reinflate the tires. Might be some unbalanced air. 
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Jul 4, 2019 07:10
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How much time would you allot for a leisurely but not overly meandering and fairly direct ride from coast to coast in the US. Say roughly Virginia to California? Staying in hotels, not camping.
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Jul 4, 2019 17:45
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Finger Prince posted:How much time would you allot for a leisurely but not overly meandering and fairly direct ride from coast to coast in the US. Say roughly Virginia to California? Staying in hotels, not camping. That all depends on whether you are sticking to back roads or taking the highway. I've driven coast to coast in a car half a dozen times or so. Each time I drive around 8-10 hours a day and it takes 4 days (sometimes 4.5 days). If you were taking Route 66 or staying off the highway, I'd budget 5 or 6 days to make things comfortable. That's not to say you can't make it coast to coast in less time. I did it in 42 hours driving in 3 hour shifts with a friend one time but it was a very miserable experience.
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Jul 4, 2019 17:55
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Nostalgia4Ass posted:That all depends on whether you are sticking to back roads or taking the highway. I've driven coast to coast in a car half a dozen times or so. Each time I drive around 8-10 hours a day and it takes 4 days (sometimes 4.5 days). If you were taking Route 66 or staying off the highway, I'd budget 5 or 6 days to make things comfortable. It's all in pipe dream land at the moment, but I would think there'd be some amount of slab, especially through the corn states, but taking more interesting but still fairly direct state routes where the geology gets interesting. Just basing this on a purely on my work schedule, I could probably do 4 nights 5 days straight, but if that's too tight I might consider parking the bike halfway, flying back for my shift, and finishing it the following days off. I could maybe spend 3ish days getting to somewhere east of the rockies, then I'd have 4 nights to get from wherever that is to the west coast. That would be more than enough time I guess. I suppose what I'm wondering is if that 4 nights 5 days is feasible or would I regret setting that pace.
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Jul 4, 2019 18:36
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I made it from VA to CA in 6 days, including a stop to see friends and a day to repair my bike, 5 days is super doable, and I went pretty far south, backroads are pretty straight and fast through the middle of the country, well worth an extra few hours over dealing with traffic, much safer, if you're heading to SoCal check out my thread I took a pretty cool route, if you're going to the Bay Area you'll want to stay North more on a time crunch.
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Jul 4, 2019 21:44
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Unless you're very comfortable doing long distance rides already you need to budget more time for the same trip on a bike than in a car. They need more frequent fuel stops and you will tire more quickly riding than you do driving. Weather will have more of an effect on you as well. I've done two fly-and-rides that Google Maps stated should've been in the 9 hour ballpark or less, one from Philly to Cincinnati to pick up an FJR (8.5 hours according to Google) and the other from Greenville, SC to Cincy to pick up my GS (6.5 hours). The trip from Philly took 14 hours thanks to a giant rainstorm coming through Pennsylvania, the one from Greenville took 9.5 as I was riding at night and took longer stops than I was expecting because I caught myself nodding off. Slab rides are boring AF - plan a route that has some visual interest or at least some curves to it. Last note, if you are planning on making a trip to pick up that Hawk GT - they have a tiny peanut tank, not a lot of motor (you won't be doing 85 effortlessly on the slab), and no wind protection which you may want while you're riding through plains country or a storm. Great bikes, but I'd plan six days to a week to get coast-to-coast on one without wanting to kill myself halfway through. e: grammar Jazzzzz fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Jul 4, 2019 |
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Jul 4, 2019 21:48
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Jazzzzz posted:Unless you're very comfortable doing long distance rides already you need to budget more time for the same trip on a bike than in a car. They need more frequent fuel stops and you will tire more quickly riding than you do driving. Weather will have more of an effect on you as well. Thanks for that info, yeah that's what triggered the whole idea. I'd be up for it if I've got a buyer on the other side (and it's still for sale). Realistically I'd be looking at the first couple of weeks in September if I were to do it. The alternative is a one way relocation rental with eagle rider, but that's a bit less of an adventure. Sounds like splitting it up would probably be wise so that I don't get stuck unable to get back for work in time. Plus there's the whole title transfer and insurance thing which will require some research to see if it's even possible. Elviscat posted:I made it from VA to CA in 6 days, including a stop to see friends and a day to repair my bike, 5 days is super doable, and I went pretty far south, backroads are pretty straight and fast through the middle of the country, well worth an extra few hours over dealing with traffic, much safer, if you're heading to SoCal check out my thread I took a pretty cool route, if you're going to the Bay Area you'll want to stay North more on a time crunch. Thanks, I'll check your route. May end up going the other direction if I rent.
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Jul 4, 2019 23:51
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I've ridden a decent variety of bikes over the years, and the two times I've briefly ridden a Sportster, I've noticed a weird force resisting the handlebars from turning as I expect them to. This was on an 2013 XL1200 Custom I rode today for a few minutes. It's hard to describe, but I think this poster on hdforums is talking about the same thing:https://www.hdforums.com/forum/sportster-models/814007-difficult-steering-at-low-speeds.html posted:noticed that it is very difficult to initiate low speed turns. The bike feels as though it's resisting your attempt to turn it as you accelerate from a stop. It's not stiff but feels almost as though the geometry is off and tries to prevent the bars from easily turning at low speeds. It feels exactly the same whether you're turning left or right from a stop. A combination of lean angle, counter-steering and throttle achieves the desired results, but it just feels so odd It feels as though the bars are more narrow than they really are, and it takes more effort to turn than you think it should. To be honest it feels similar to the resistance you feel when turning a spinning gyroscope. Anyone know what I'm talking about? epswing fucked around with this message at 05:15 on Jul 5, 2019 |
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Jul 5, 2019 03:10
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It's a combination of Harley's crap legacy geometry and weight distribution, those are the only relevant differences between a Sportster and pretty much every other (presumably Japanese or European) bike you've ridden. Japanese bikes are built to long established best-practice compromise geometry/distribution and Harleys are just really far from that for patriotic bald eagle reasons aka character. See also: dynas having a hinge in the middle, Softails having bizarre pull-shock suspension, pro-squat swingarm geometry on some models. The sensation you're talking about is present on every non-bagger air cooled Harley I've ridden, irrespective of front wheel size, fork length, overall configuration. Touring models have the headstock sticking out on a 'neck' of sorts and seem to ride much more conventionally, I don't think this is coincidence. Another nugget: dynas are the only bike I'm aware of where adding speed/power necessitates making the fork longer, so front taller, to improve turn in and stability. Slavvy fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Jul 5, 2019 |
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Jul 5, 2019 03:23
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Slavvy posted:Have you fitted your 'updated' chain tensioner aka longer bolt so it doesn't cam chain rattle (as much) on cold starts? Ha, yeah, I did that at like 15k or so cause the rattle on startup was maddening. It's still maddening - I just put the earplugs in before I start it now. I might tear it down this weekend to check valves, re-align the cams, and do spark plugs / other 75k mile maintenance.
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Jul 5, 2019 04:46
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What are some good options for tiedown points on an '11 Ninja 250R? I don't have the handlebar slip-on tiedown straps. Will be trailering on a U-Haul trailer with the front wheel chock. Needless to say this is the first time I've tied down a motorcycle on a trailer, or anywhere for that matter. I've watched youtube videos so I have a GENERAL idea, but I don't know if there's anything I should stay away from on a 250R specifically. e: The manual doesn't seem to say anything on the matter.
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Jul 5, 2019 13:44
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Martytoof posted:What are some good options for tiedown points on an '11 Ninja 250R? I don't have the handlebar slip-on tiedown straps. Will be trailering on a U-Haul trailer with the front wheel chock. Can’t you just spend $10 on something like this and then use the handlebars up front and the swingarm and/or frame in the rear? E: don’t forget to get either ratchet straps that clip in or to zip tie the strap to the hook. Super cheap and easy insurance just in case you hit a huge bump. builds character fucked around with this message at 15:16 on Jul 5, 2019 |
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Jul 5, 2019 15:14
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Oh I actually do have soft loops I can use, I just meant I don’t have any of those handlebar specific loops (like the kind that are made to slip around your grips). If that works then I’m golden. My ratchets should fit that bill as well. I’ll look up how to soft tie handlebars then, and swingarm in the rear sounds like a likely spot. Thanks!
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Jul 5, 2019 15:27
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Martytoof posted:Oh I actually do have soft loops I can use, I just meant I don’t have any of those handlebar specific loops (like the kind that are made to slip around your grips). Canyon dancers? Not necessary, just pass your tie-down strap over the bottom brace of the triple clamp. I'm not a big fan of using the bars as a tie-down point, they can bend or rotate in their clamps if you hit a big enough bump. Realistically it shouldn't be an issue, but unless you can't get your strap through the triple and back out to your tie-down point without rubbing paint or breaking plastic there's no reason you HAVE to use the bars.
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Jul 5, 2019 18:40
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I don't think its of any consequence, but I've always wondered why the idle seems to shift a little on my Grom when I squeeze the front brake. Is the brake light enough of an electrical load that the engine "feels" it?
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Jul 6, 2019 23:23
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Re: Tying down I looped around lower triple and she made the trip home snug as a bug. Couldn't be happier. But also being my first time hauling a bike I was a nervous wreck 
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Jul 7, 2019 02:17
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eddiewalker posted:I don't think its of any consequence, but I've always wondered why the idle seems to shift a little on my Grom when I squeeze the front brake. Is the brake light enough of an electrical load that the engine "feels" it? You could maybe pop the brake lights out of the sockets in your driveway and see if it does it with them removed; that'll be your answer. I suspect yes; thing probably puts out like 0.1 hp at idle, 75 watts - a couple of 10-15 watt bulbs coming on absolutely could drag it a bit.
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Jul 7, 2019 05:28
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That is 100% a thing on small engines. LED's are literally cheap horsepower on anything like 150 or smaller for that reason.
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Jul 7, 2019 07:04
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Slavvy posted:That is 100% a thing on small engines. LED's are literally cheap horsepower on anything like 150 or smaller for that reason. "Yah bud I got a intake, slip on, and full LED conversion!"
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Jul 7, 2019 07:34
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Hoping you guys are more knowledgeable than me on this... I picked up Givi racks and V47 saddlebags for my Versys 650, and everything installed easily enough. However, it came with a bracket to shift the rear turn signals up and back, presumably to accommodate the actual bags. I disassembled my turn signal house and got it loose, but it doesn’t want to pull out any further to install it in the new bracket. I just need 6” of extra wiring, but I don’t think I have it (still need to take off the seat and check for any zip tied excess wiring loops). Everything has been pretty plug and play so far (haven’t gotten to the top box brake light yet), and I was hoping this would be too. Is this something where I’m going to have to snip the wiring and crimp on an extra few inches? It has a nice rubber harness and I hate to screw up the factory water proofing 
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Jul 7, 2019 23:03
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I mean you could just make an extra run of wire with plugs on each end to act as an extender. e/ unless I'm misunderstanding the problem? Where are you short of wire? Renaissance Robot fucked around with this message at 23:21 on Jul 7, 2019 |
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Jul 7, 2019 23:14
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OSU_Matthew posted:Hoping you guys are more knowledgeable than me on this... I picked up Givi racks and V47 saddlebags for my Versys 650, and everything installed easily enough. However, it came with a bracket to shift the rear turn signals up and back, presumably to accommodate the actual bags. I disassembled my turn signal house and got it loose, but it doesn’t want to pull out any further to install it in the new bracket. I just need 6” of extra wiring, but I don’t think I have it (still need to take off the seat and check for any zip tied excess wiring loops). No mention in the instructions? If there is no extra length of wire which you can connect to the stock bullet (or other) connectors, there's probably some excess wire under the seat as you say. Worst case do like RR says, get some wire and the appropriate connectors and splice it in, no problem, fully reversible.
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Jul 7, 2019 23:28
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OSU_Matthew posted:Hoping you guys are more knowledgeable than me on this... I picked up Givi racks and V47 saddlebags for my Versys 650, and everything installed easily enough. However, it came with a bracket to shift the rear turn signals up and back, presumably to accommodate the actual bags. I disassembled my turn signal house and got it loose, but it doesn’t want to pull out any further to install it in the new bracket. I just need 6” of extra wiring, but I don’t think I have it (still need to take off the seat and check for any zip tied excess wiring loops). This sounds similar to the install on my FZ1. The tail rack involved moving the rear turn-signals. The SWmotech kit came with some extra wires to use for the extra required length. I didn’t cut the existing wires but just bought matching connectors so I could just plug in the extension wire. I then wrapped it up like crazy in electrical tape. For the top box brake light, I just ran a new wire and tapped into the existing brake wire. Should be easy to find by tracing the existing wire or using a wirkend diagram. 
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Jul 8, 2019 12:37
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Renaissance Robot posted:I mean you could just make an extra run of wire with plugs on each end to act as an extender. Basically I have to shift the rear turn signals up and back with a bracket to accommodate the luggage, but there’s not enough slack in the wiring to do that and I hate cutting into nicely waterproofed factory wiring. Crayvex posted:This sounds similar to the install on my FZ1. The tail rack involved moving the rear turn-signals. The SWmotech kit came with some extra wires to use for the extra required length. I didn’t cut the existing wires but just bought matching connectors so I could just plug in the extension wire. I then wrapped it up like crazy in electrical tape. Awesome, thanks! I’ll just trace back to the first connector and see if I can find one to connect onto it then. I’ll poke through the manual and see if I can find a wiring diagram, looks like the bike already has some spare connectors and stuff, so I’ll just have to see what’s what. I am curious though, since you did the brake light kit for the top box, did you have to drill through the case to run the wiring? I’ll see if I can find some videos to watch, I’m just hesitant to start to making permanent modifications since the instructions are basically nonexistent. I’m assuming this is just something that I’ll have to figure it out.
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Jul 8, 2019 23:56
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OSU_Matthew posted:
It’s been a few years, but yes, I do remember doing some drilling on the top case. You’ll definitely need to do it if you want to install a back rest. It isn’t hard. There are plastic dimples inside the case to show you exactly where to drill. Don’t get your hopes up on the top case brake lights. They aren’t super great. https://youtu.be/VRwcPxtHjgM
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Jul 9, 2019 07:34
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Question on old Hondas in general and the 1978 Goldwing specifically: with the killswitch off, is the starter supposed to crank over? If so, why. Why would they do this. I keep going to start it with the killswitch off and it’s not good for it.
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Jul 10, 2019 00:23
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Revvik posted:Question on old Hondas in general and the 1978 Goldwing specifically: with the killswitch off, is the starter supposed to crank over? If so, why. Why would they do this. I keep going to start it with the killswitch off and it’s not good for it. Because disabling the starter circuit is  and it's much easier to just disable spark.Also most bikes of that era had no electric start so the wiring harness architecture wasn't quite up to speed yet. The starter is literally just replacing your leg; there's no kick start killswitch lockout so why would you have one for an electric leg?
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Jul 10, 2019 00:46
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To save the starter from the idiot on the seat cranking a killswitch’d bike over wondering what broke this time? I’m just going to have to relearn better habits.
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Jul 10, 2019 01:36
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Tire suggestions for drz400sm? Not ultra pricy like pr5 pls. Haven’t had a sumo so not sure what’s good.
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Jul 10, 2019 01:56
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Conti Attack SM
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Jul 10, 2019 02:08
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M42 posted:Tire suggestions for drz400sm? Not ultra pricy like pr5 pls. Haven’t had a sumo so not sure what’s good. rosso II for cheap, pilot power for gripp (they just call them plain ol pilot powers now for the 150 rear)
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Jul 10, 2019 02:16
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Jazzzzz posted:Conti Attack SM This. They crumble into dust on heavy bikes but my god do they stick on the tall bouncy kind.
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Jul 10, 2019 02:17
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