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I love Harbor Freight, but have learned to stay away from most of their hand tools. Pittsburgh and Quinn are two of their bottom of the barrel lines that pop up in their stores. I have a Quinn socket set for light use, but over time I've picked up individual Husky sockets for the most common sizes on my bike, and that's what my ratchets all are. It makes a huge difference. Husky seems like a solid mid-tier option for cosplaying wrenchers like myself. Harbor Freight is great for disposables and knick-knacks though!
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Apr 10, 2023 16:08
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I've got a set of 1/2 inch impact sockets from HF some years ago. Those are pretty nice and have never given me the impression they are poorly made. Most of my sockets are remnants of the Craftsman kit I got as a wee young fella right before I got married. Good name then, dog poo poo now.
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Apr 10, 2023 16:25
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I just looked into the 12mm socket I was using and I saw that the corners were getting deformed. Looks like I'm off to buy a new socket set and penetrating oil. I already ordered a new drain plug, so I'll reattempt when that gets in. Speaking of, does a magnetic drain plug actually do anything? I ordered oem but saw magnetic bolts were about the same price.
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Apr 10, 2023 19:28
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Some bikes have them stock, imo they don't really 'do' anything that the oil filter doesn't do far better and with more than just steel They have more value in things like final drives and primary drives where there's no filter or pump circulation and the important parts are all steel.
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Apr 10, 2023 19:44
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I find the sparkling oil much more soothing to look at than the concentrated wear evidence at the end of a magnetic drain plug, but that's just me.
TotalLossBrain fucked around with this message at 21:33 on Apr 10, 2023 |
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Apr 10, 2023 19:47
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My KTM (lol) has two magnetic drain areas that are separate from the two oil filters and oil plug. Didn't find anything during the last oil change so idk, but the bike only has 4k miles.
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Apr 10, 2023 21:24
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Rusty posted:My KTM (lol) has two magnetic drain areas that are separate from the two oil filters and oil plug. Didn't find anything during the last oil change so idk, but the bike only has 4k miles. 1. Give it time 2. Usually it's flakes of brass caught in the mesh screens + several grams of alloy dust in the oil
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Apr 10, 2023 21:59
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Slavvy posted:1. Give it time
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Apr 10, 2023 22:02
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Apr 10, 2023 22:40
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My god. It's full of engine shavings The magnetic drain plugs can be pretty low quality too, careful with cheaper ones. I have one on my Ninja 400 and it's very soft metal on which the edges of the head is starting to deform a little from use, I've been keeping an eye on it and will probably put the stock back on once it looks really iffy.
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Apr 10, 2023 23:09
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They are notoriously weak magnets and I don’t really know why Give me a neodymium oil plug magnet thats so strong it causes horsepower loss from the crankshaft having to rotate away from it.
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Apr 11, 2023 01:56
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Got the bike home from my parents today, new tires, fluids changed, and nice and clean. Foglight kit was an absolute pain that I bought, definitely shouldn't have gotten this model but ended up being fine in the long run. Wanted it because I did, could be worse but its nice having a bit more light for when I drive at night in the backroads. My camera however is poo poo lately and the pics defintely didnt come out well for some reason. The corbin seat was SO SO worth it. It was miles better then the stock oem seat comfort wise already, and instead of feeling sore and feeling my pelvis after an hour I was absolutely fine and didnt have any discomfort at all. Hugely worth it, I cant express how awful the OEM seat is on the bike which is mindboggling when you compare it to how a goldwing seat is stock.    So the foglights kit is aftermarket, and (instead of being the one I thought I bought which was a 3 type) is a 2 led light kit with DTR lights that are amber, then a togglable fog light that ends up being perfect and not obnoxious at night. Since its basically a stripped down goldwing it was a simple install, wiring was all present, the main problem was my dumbass and the poor instructions. Ended up being fine at least. The only thing that we didnt do was mess with the wiring to have the lights flash in time with the turn signal, because unlike the stock goldwing the Valkyrie doesn't have the same turn signal setup and lacks easy connectors to splice into. And I didn't care enough to bother because it didn't matter at all to me. was it worth it? honestly I feel it was, alot of the difficulty was because I got an aftermarket kit that ended up with terrible instructions and missing a set of screws. If I could go back I would have gotten a different kit for sure but it ended up being absolutely fine.
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Apr 11, 2023 04:29
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I had to rent a uhaul truck to take some equipment down to chicago today. When I returned, I found myself in a predicament, namely that my car, my bikes, and the uhaul were all in the same place and I had to return the truck. Small bikes to the rescue. I just loaded up the RV90 in the back of the truck, drove to the uhaul depot, unloaded it and rode back to work. Everyone go buy a small bike
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Apr 11, 2023 18:56
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it's almost spring, and I totally tore apart the RZ350 I bought last year. In the past month I have: 1. Replaced all the radiator hoses 2. Replaced a plastic Y pipe with a brass one with a temperature sensor port, and wired in the sensor 3. 3D printed and replaced my throttle cables 2-1 adaptor 4. Bought some expensive-rear end reproduction tail light bulb sockets and put new LED blinky lights 5. Replaced broken old turn signals with new LED signals 6. Removed the ZX6R front end and welded mounting lugs onto the top clamp and bottom clamp for the OEM dash bracket (lucky ebay find) 7. Drilled and tapped some new mounting holes for the above 8. Greased the steering and re-assembled the whole situation 9. Mounted a new LED headlight and refurbed/mounted the old gauge cluster EDIT: forgot to say I got the suspension rebuilt and machined new spacers for the linkage to replace washer stacks. Rear shock was blown, front end was very dirty. Thats where it's at. To finish wiring I need too: 1. Finish replacing the yamaha keyswitch with the ZX6R keyswitch by using an automotive relay to reverse the "off" logic of the switch 2. Remember how I got the front turn signals working during my bench test and make that happen again by building a few custom cables 3. Use my new fabric sleeves and spiral wrap to pretty it up and stuff it all back into the new headlight When that's done I'm replacing the petcock with an OEM ebay find, modifying it to remove the vacuum switch, and remounting the body work that requires petcock alignment Then I can ride it twice a year and remember road riding sucks compared to dirtbiking. shacked up with Brenda fucked around with this message at 17:09 on Apr 12, 2023 |
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Apr 12, 2023 17:05
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I think i'm not cut out for this maintenance thing. I took another run at an oil change. I got a new socket for the drain bolt and some penetrating oil. After a few tugs, it came out. Drained the oil into a pan. That much went smoothly. I then took off the oil filter cover and replaced the filter. I used a torque wrench to put the cover back on, but I managed to snap one of the bolts that holds the cover to the engine. I think I didn't have it threaded in there properly. All the other bolts went in fine, and I tightened them in a crisscross pattern. It's a fairly light torque setting, 12nm, so I used my bicycle's torque wrench so this was right in the middle of its range. I torqued the drain plug too and that was ok. Started the bike. The drain plug was solid but oil was seeping from around the filter cover. I guess I'll have to get the bike towed to see if my mechanic can rescue the bolt. Apparently its a fairly common problem on this bike and other people recommend just tightening those bolts by feel: https://www.cbr250.net/threads/oil-filter-cover-bolt-snapped%E2%80%BD.69561/ More than anything, I'm mad at myself for catastrophically messing up such a common task and turning it into a really expensive fix.
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Apr 15, 2023 23:17
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Let this be a lesson to anyone reading: a torque wrench is a crutch and will not save you from yourself. In that situation I am almost certain that what happened is you didn't shove the cover hard against the case to compress the spring and instead tried to do it by winding the screws in, instant crossthread that turns into a disaster when you're expecting the tool to do the job for you. It sucks but poo poo happens, this is how you learn, getting that bolt out shouldn't be a major (it is made of cheese and should drill easily) and you'll have to pay for a helicoil at most if the threads get damaged. In future you do these work the smallest 1/4" ratchet you have and by feel.
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Apr 15, 2023 23:34
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I did pretty much the exact same thing when I changed my oil filter. I just did it by feel and it seemed fine, but I am paranoid and was heading to the track in a couple days, didn't want oil seeping out, so I thought I'd just double check it with a torque wrench set to 10lb-ft. I guess the bolts were only meant for like 8 and I could tell it didn't feel right. Luckily I could back it out before it snapped, but it was nearly there. Going forward I think the only thing I'm going to bother torquing are axels, pinch bolts, and anything with a sealing washer. Maybe also my caliper. I don't think I did last time, and it seems OK, but maybe a good idea.
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Apr 16, 2023 02:20
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Yeah my worst oil change involved dumping an entire crankcase of fresh oil because I'd tightened the lower filter cap bolt so hard that it sheared off, I didn't realize this, started the bike up and there it spewed all over the landlord's driveway (because I'd also taken the oil pan away before starting it). Learned a couple things that day.
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Apr 16, 2023 04:46
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Started disassembling the SV650s's brakes because the lever feel is all hosed up and notchy, to the point that only if i really have to, i'll ride it to a shop to get it done. Still plenty of power but essentially impossible to modulate smoothly. Ran into a wall immediately because my circlip pliers don't fit inside of the brake pump's recess. gently caress. And of course on saturdays and sundays the specialist tool shop that has a whole assortment of circlip pliers is closed. Idk how i managed to do the FZR's circlip because that one seems 100% identical. Then again, that circlip flew away, never to be seen again. I'll probably discover when i do get proper pliers, that the pumpy bits are still in tip top shape and it was the brake cylinders that are acting up. But the system's 24 year old, i'm just gonna replace all rubber bits i guess, since afaik it has never been done and i've never been actually enthousiastic about the brake feel. Always been very meh, though some say that's completely normal for SVs.
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Apr 16, 2023 09:46
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Did you at least try greasing the lever first
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Apr 16, 2023 09:55
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Yes definitely grease the lever first, but I am also rebuilding my '02 SV's master cylinder for the same reason. Wouldn't surprise me if the plunger is indeed just sticky after 20 years. E: You can definitely get that circlip out with whatever pliers you have. Just try swearing at it more.
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Apr 16, 2023 13:45
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T Zero posted:I think i'm not cut out for this maintenance thing. we all are stupid welcome to being human, I put one of my front brake pads back on backwards because I was tired and rushing, and it was my first time doing this bikes brakes. Didnt realize it flipped around. Realized it when I was wondering why I sounded like grinding metal hitting the fronts. Fixed that asap (and new pads because I wasnt risking that)
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Apr 16, 2023 14:27
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moxieman posted:Yes definitely grease the lever first, but I am also rebuilding my '02 SV's master cylinder for the same reason. Wouldn't surprise me if the plunger is indeed just sticky after 20 years. Didn't stop and think of greasing the pivot point, will do it when reassembling. But the guy who maintained it back when i lived up north who gave it a brake fluid flush, already told me that sooner or later i'll run into issues again judging by the amount of crap coming out of it and it'll have to be opened up and cleaned out. And lookie here, here are the issues. It might just be the calipers, though. All notchy feel disappeared when i drained the fluid. But if i am gonna replace rubber bits, i'm gonna do all of them.
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Apr 16, 2023 16:19
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all the electrics on my CL350 randomly died so i get to spend today digging around in it with a multimeter. blaaaaaaaaa hopefully it's just a bad ground or minor short
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Apr 16, 2023 17:55
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Electrics are the worst because it's the only problem where you can know the cause and still have to hunt.
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Apr 16, 2023 18:33
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Well it took the entire goddamn day to discover the problem, which was some combination of something wrong in the gauge illumination and a bad fuse. This fuse:  Looks fine, doesn't it? I thought so too, so I didn't look at it very closely, and it even tested fine all day long until I bumped it just right and suddenly it had 300 ohms of resistance. Bloop  I took that stupid glass fuse holder out and replaced it with a blade style one. Also pulled out all the wiring having to do with the gauge illumination so I can dig through it at the bench and find the short or whatever. With those two changes, the bike is back to running great except for having no lights in the gauges. 
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Apr 17, 2023 17:04
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Sagebrush posted:I took that stupid glass fuse holder out and replaced it with a blade style one. This is the way for all glass fuses
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Apr 17, 2023 18:19
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Beve Stuscemi posted:They are notoriously weak magnets and I don’t really know why 
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Apr 17, 2023 18:25
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Sagebrush posted:Well it took the entire goddamn day to discover the problem, which was some combination of something wrong in the gauge illumination and a bad fuse. Holy cow what kinda amperage is that rated to, I've never seen a glass fuse with a fusing element that wide. Maybe sand filled ones, but not pure glass ones.
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Apr 17, 2023 19:48
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20A. It's probably the original one from 1971 e: it is also possible that this was once a sand-filled fuse, but after the cap got loose all the sand vibrated out 
Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 03:28 on Apr 18, 2023 |
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Apr 17, 2023 20:44
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Don’t you love it when two problems combine to make diagnosis impossible? Today I switched from new EBC clutch springs (15% stiffer than stock!) back to OEM Honda springs. I no longer need to fully death-clench to sit at a light, and I can easily clutch up with one finger, so I doubt that “15%” number. Not sure what to do with my left hand’s new super-strength, it’ll probably fade in time though.
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Apr 18, 2023 18:50
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Ulf posted:Don’t you love it when two problems combine to make diagnosis impossible? Utilize it to give yourself the best handy you'll ever get, then cry at how your life has gone and soon you'll lose that feeling.
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Apr 18, 2023 23:57
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UCS Hellmaker posted:Utilize it to give yourself the best handy you'll ever get, then cry at how your life has gone and soon you'll lose that feeling.
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Apr 19, 2023 01:07
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Ran a SAE connector to the tail of both bikes, jury rigged a corresponding port into the bottom of my backpack. Just need to amazon a SAE to 12v USB socket so I can charge my phone while riding.
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Apr 19, 2023 11:28
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I always keep my phone in my jacket so that if I ever crash, god forbid, I can call for help.
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Apr 19, 2023 19:43
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SEKCobra posted:I always keep my phone in my jacket so that if I ever crash, god forbid, I can call for help. Yep, my thinking is similar. I have a decently powerful USB charger on a relay so that it only runs when the fuel pump does. It lives under the seat right now and does nothing at all so I plan on running a cable (on order again cause the last one couldn't fast charge) to the handlebar where the sacrificial old junker phone sits for maps. It will also charge a powerbank under the seat which will then charge the jacket pocket actual phone-phone at night when I hopefully go moto-camping for well over 1000km next weekend. We'll see how it goes. Last time I had my mind set on this trip the weather was abysmal and I stayed at home.
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Apr 19, 2023 20:04
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I’ve got cell on my watch so moderately less concerned with that I suppose, but it’s a good consideration.
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Apr 19, 2023 23:59
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  Master cylinder of the SV650s. I've seen much worse, but the crud was definitely slowly building up. Upon opening, some brake fluid with black bits of crud oozed out onto the counter of the tool shop where i got some new, actually good circlip pliers. I wanted to try them so i know for sure if they fit or not. With those pliers it popped open in seconds. With the universal(ly bad) chinese ones i already had, it took me half an hour for the FZR's brake. Cost me 20 euro but so worth it. No idea yet if this was the cause of the lovely brake feel (i'm not gonna waste brake fluid and try them out with the not-yet-done calipers) but a good cleaning out definitely was a good plan. E: holy compression artifacts, Batman! LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 15:49 on Apr 20, 2023 |
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Apr 20, 2023 15:46
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I found some NOS Race Tech emulators from circa 1995 for $50, and today I put them onto my circa 1995 CB750. The construction and tuning of these old emulators was different than today's, but luckily between the laserwriter graphs and printouts from Race Tech and old usenet archives I was able to piece something together. Along the way I realized that when I rebuilt my forks 4 years ago I made a lot of mistakes: progressive springs were upside down (supposedly changes the oil behavior with the extra displacement), I had way too much preload, and the oil in there was lighter than it should have been. Impossible to tell how much improvement I'm getting from the emulators vs just fixing those things. I took it on a quick test ride on an expansion-jointed road and the sharp shocks are a lot more muted. The fork dive is also lessened which I expected (though wasn't necessarily seeking; I kinda like brake dive  ). Overall A+ would do again.As a gift enjoy these bold old graphics: 
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Apr 20, 2023 23:11
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Brake dive is cool and good and a bike with none is basically unrideable at any kind of pace. This was discovered in the horrible 80's, the key is to have a good compromise between no dive vs smashing into the stops as soon as you touch the brake. Just to fill you with doubt: the sae weight numbers on fork oil mean next to nothing and one brand's 5w is another's 10w. There are centistoke cross reference charts you can look at if you're doing something where that matters (you aren't). Those stickers are rad.
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Apr 21, 2023 00:04
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