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goddamnedtwisto posted:Gonna blow your mind and tell you my bike has 12.5k mile oil change intervals, and the oil looks fine when it comes out - the only real difference is the clutch is slightly less snatchy with fresh oil in and even that is a really marginal difference. I always notice the shifting getting notchy around 3k.
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Jun 29, 2015 22:58
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High Protein posted:I'm really surprised the bandit 1250 manual calls for ~4000 mile (6000km) oil changes, although they don't mention using synth oil. That seems like often for such an under stressed engine. Air/oil cooled engines seem to have markedly shorter intervals. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because of the difficulty in maintaining a good piston-bore clearance on an engine where the temperature is only semi regulated and consequently the oil gets a lot more blowby than a comparable liquid cooled engine. Also explains why air cooled engines in larger bikes are becoming obsolete; it's much more difficult to meet emissions standards.
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Jun 29, 2015 23:08
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clutchpuck posted:Most, yes. BMW switched their wasserboxer to a common sump recently after having separate gearbox and crankcase oils in the Rs forever. Most Harleys have 3 holes. I did say "modern"  monsterzero posted:Mind indeed blown. What is it? And does the manufacturer list it as 'Lifetime Lubricant,' like the car makes did with their 100k-mile ATF? Aprilia Shiver. Mind you it does take unicorn jizz oil (15w50 fully synth) so (apart from oil filer costs) the price over that period probably works out about the same.
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Jun 29, 2015 23:13
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goddamnedtwisto posted:I did say "modern" Right, modern in its contemporary form.
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Jun 29, 2015 23:18
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Z3n posted:I always notice the shifting getting notchy around 3k. Aprilia gearboxes are all pretty loving agricultural so it'd be hard to tell the difference, to be honest. Same with Ducati now I think about it. One oddity is it's actually slightly trickier to find neutral at a standstill on fresh oil, something that I'd normally associate with a dragging clutch, but it doesn't (noticeably) drag more on new oil.
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Jun 29, 2015 23:19
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goddamnedtwisto posted:Aprilia gearboxes are all pretty loving agricultural so it'd be hard to tell the difference, to be honest. Same with Ducati now I think about it. Yeah I'd have a hell of a time telling on the 999, but on the KTM it's pretty obvious.
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Jun 29, 2015 23:22
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What is the root of the American obsession with changing oil so often? Is it due to historical reasons becuase of poorly desgined/built engines, poo poo oil and fuel or just due to advertising?
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Jun 29, 2015 23:25
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Foxtrot_13 posted:What is the root of the American obsession with changing oil so often? Do Americans need a reason to consume? I oil change every thousand or so.  Never letting my engine blow again.
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Jun 29, 2015 23:27
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Foxtrot_13 posted:What is the root of the American obsession with changing oil so often? All of the above (which were at least universal) but particularly the last one. It must break the hearts of engineers who have refined the internal combustion engine to its current amazing level of sophistication to have people still treating them like they did in the land-yacht era.
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Jun 29, 2015 23:29
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goddamnedtwisto posted:All of the above (which were at least universal) but particularly the last one. It must break the hearts of engineers who have refined the internal combustion engine to its current amazing level of sophistication to have people still treating them like they did in the land-yacht era. Hey man, I give my precision-engineered Japaneses motorcycle the best $12/gal semi-truck oil I can find.  Edit: Except for my scooter. I burn $20/quart oil in that for some reason. 
monsterzero fucked around with this message at 23:53 on Jun 29, 2015 |
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Jun 29, 2015 23:37
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Boys who love boys
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Slavvy posted:Air/oil cooled engines seem to have markedly shorter intervals. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because of the difficulty in maintaining a good piston-bore clearance on an engine where the temperature is only semi regulated and consequently the oil gets a lot more blowby than a comparable liquid cooled engine. Also explains why air cooled engines in larger bikes are becoming obsolete; it's much more difficult to meet emissions standards. Sure but my much less refined, highly tuned (lol) engine has 5000 miles. Also the 1250 is water cooled. Anyway I do it by the book, synth oil is expensive and if the interval's good enough for people that go to the dealer for every service it's good enough for me.
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Jun 29, 2015 23:45
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Chichevache posted:I oil change every thousand or so. Keeping off those freeways too? Hahaha. How do you even blow up one of those precision Japanese engines in the least harsh running conditions possible?
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Jun 29, 2015 23:50
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Foxtrot_13 posted:What is the root of the American obsession with changing oil so often? 
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Jun 30, 2015 00:54
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clutchpuck posted:Keeping off those freeways too? Hahaha. How do you even blow up one of those precision Japanese engines in the least harsh running conditions possible? The running conditions weren't the least harsh possible, but I still don't know what went wrong. There was oil in the engine.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvUj2M-wRHQ
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Jun 30, 2015 01:00
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I've done I-5 tip to tip. Interstate riding is a gentle thing. Constant speed, not many gear changes, and good air pressure and flow across cooling components contribute to a happy engine.
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Jun 30, 2015 01:19
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High Protein posted:Sure but my much less refined, highly tuned (lol) engine has 5000 miles. Also the 1250 is water cooled. Didn't realise it was a 1250, can't explain that.
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Jun 30, 2015 01:30
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I ordered some parts and a service manual from the site https://www.gearhead.com and they took from last Wednesday morning until this afternoon to send them out. When I emailed them to find out what was wrong they never replied. In case it's not widely known that they are terrible, here's the verdict-- they are terrible.
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Jun 30, 2015 01:34
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goddamnedtwisto posted:Gonna blow your mind and tell you my bike has 12.5k mile oil change intervals, and the oil looks fine when it comes out - the only real difference is the clutch is slightly less snatchy with fresh oil in and even that is a really marginal difference. 12.5 thousand kilometers or 12.5 thousand miles? Or just 12.5 kilometers? 
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Jun 30, 2015 01:37
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clutchpuck posted:I've done I-5 tip to tip. Interstate riding is a gentle thing. Constant speed, not many gear changes, and good air pressure and flow across cooling components contribute to a happy engine. I know interstates are gentle. I also know the gradient on the Grapevine is a bit of a bitch. I still have my old engine, if you want to take a look at it you're welcome too.
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Jun 30, 2015 02:23
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Chichevache posted:The running conditions weren't the least harsh possible, but I still don't know what went wrong. There was oil in the engine. Fuckin' runaway tire @ 4:19!
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Jun 30, 2015 03:23
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Chris Knight posted:Fuckin' runaway tire @ 4:19! HAhahaha. I missed that because no way in hell am I watching a video of a drive I do ~30 times a year. Good eye. The Grapevine doesn't look too bad on video, but last time I drove through there during a storm I saw the aftermath of at least two fatal accidents and watched a pretty serious one happen.
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Jun 30, 2015 03:48
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I autopiloted my way through that on no sleep for the first time a few weeks ago, it wasn't too bad... especially compared to LA traffic through the twisty areas doing 85mph with lovely pavement and elevation change.
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Jun 30, 2015 05:02
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BlackMK4 posted:I autopiloted my way through that on no sleep for the first time a few weeks ago, it wasn't too bad... especially compared to LA traffic through the twisty areas doing 85mph with lovely pavement and elevation change. don't ask me why it freaks people out. My only problem with the DRZ was trying to go 85 uphill
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Jun 30, 2015 06:53
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HotCanadianChick posted:12.5 thousand kilometers or 12.5 thousand miles? 12.5 thousand miles. Which is, you know, what I wrote. Now the RS125 had 4 thousand kilometre service intervals (with an engine rebuild at 12,000).
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Jun 30, 2015 06:58
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goddamnedtwisto posted:Now the RS125 had 4 thousand kilometre service intervals (with an engine rebuild at 12,000). It's kind of cheating when those intervals don't involve changing the oil though. Hyoshit is meant to be oil every 4,000km and valve clearances at every oil change but you can safely ignore the poo poo out of that and nothing bad happens
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Jun 30, 2015 07:55
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Slavvy posted:It's kind of cheating when those intervals don't involve changing the oil though. It had oil in the gearbox, and that had to be changed then. No valve clearance check though, just replace the reed.
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Jun 30, 2015 09:43
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My StripleR runs full synth 15w50 as well I think and the service intervals are 10,000km. I was impressed with that. 12,500mi, though? Fark.
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Jun 30, 2015 16:06
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Can old spark plugs and dirty air filters affect mpg? I finally get my DRZ again this week after moving, and I really hope the lovely fuel economy is an easy fix that doesn't involve removing the carb or something like that.
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Jun 30, 2015 17:22
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Old plugs and dirty air filters harm performance, yes.
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Jun 30, 2015 17:57
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Dutymode posted:Can old spark plugs and dirty air filters affect mpg? I finally get my DRZ again this week after moving, and I really hope the lovely fuel economy is an easy fix that doesn't involve removing the carb or something like that. Dirty air filters, definitely. Harder to suck air through, richer mix, more gas. Old spark plugs, not really. For a spark plug to affect mileage, it will occasionally have to not ignite the charge. That would be very noticeable on a single. But on a triple or a four, changing spark plugs will always make the bike feel smoother for an hour or so. Once the placebo effect is over, you can change back to the other set and it will be smooth again for another hour.
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Jun 30, 2015 17:58
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Plugs wear out and lose the ability to spark as hot, so older plugs can certainly rob the engine of performance and efficiency.
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Jun 30, 2015 18:07
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EX250 Type R posted:Plugs wear out and lose the ability to spark as hot, so older plugs can certainly rob the engine of performance and efficiency. With the risk of this becoming one of those debates, I think spark plugs get the blame for way too many problems when the culprit is something else. Sure it can affect performance, but in most cases even awful looking plugs don't.
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Jun 30, 2015 19:12
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Really I think I'm going to end up pulling the carb and I'm looking for any possible out. I already think it's running super rich, it starts instantly cold, and the throttle is excessively touchy.
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Jun 30, 2015 19:18
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Dutymode posted:Really I think I'm going to end up pulling the carb and I'm looking for any possible out. I already think it's running super rich, it starts instantly cold, and the throttle is excessively touchy. Quick and simple test: Pull the air filter out, clean out bugs, grit etc from the housing, start it without the filter. If it runs differently, or if there are obvious mice in the air filter, problem found.
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Jun 30, 2015 19:21
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My one hope is that I had to transport it tipped over when I bought it, and the air filter got soaked in gas. I have a fresh one to toss in there.
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Jun 30, 2015 19:33
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Ola posted:With the risk of this becoming one of those debates, I think spark plugs get the blame for way too many problems when the culprit is something else. Sure it can affect performance, but in most cases even awful looking plugs don't. Real world experience with this leaves me decidedly undecided. Some engines seem to be super sensitive to worn plugs, others don't give a gently caress if the things are worn down to knubs.
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Jun 30, 2015 19:55
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Ola posted:With the risk of this becoming one of those debates, I think spark plugs get the blame for way too many problems when the culprit is something else. Sure it can affect performance, but in most cases even awful looking plugs don't.
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Jun 30, 2015 21:28
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Gillingham posted:They're really cheap and usually really easy to replace. When you don't know exactly what's wrong the lowest branch always looks the nicest. Yes exactly! See my post above regarding the one hour smoothness you get from changing plugs. I have done it several times, and it only solves my problem for one hour. This is, I believe, largely due to my mechanical placebo. But why not check and adjust before replacement? Slavvy posted:Real world experience with this leaves me decidedly undecided. Some engines seem to be super sensitive to worn plugs, others don't give a gently caress if the things are worn down to knubs. Could you give some examples? I have not encountered enough worn plugs across enough bikes to say how they all behave at various stages of wear. It is the nature of the plug to wear and it's the job of the serviceman to adjust the gap accordingly. Adjusting the gap is cheap and easy, and the gap is the most important quality of the plug's ability to make the correct spark. Not its color or the outside condition of its wires etc. Those are symptoms of other things, not causes. The internet tends to talks about replacement and upgrades to iridium and platinum and thicker wires and ultra boost super zap plug caps. I am not an Ohm's lawyer, but a lot of it seems like keyboard tap dancing about the quantum nature of the avocado instead of reading the guacamole recipe. If the center electrode wears down, you bend the bendy electrode to keep the gap correct. The correct gap is in every bike's manual and they don't specify spark plug brands (only which type) because it doesn't really matter. "Hot" and "cold" plugs refers to the heat load the plug has to endure, not the temperature of the spark, so if you bought the right type of plug wen the engine was fine, it's still the right plug when the engine is not fine. Ola posted:With the risk of this becoming one of those debates... I blame myself the most.
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Jun 30, 2015 23:18
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My VFR400 ran pretty poorly with plugs that were only slightly worn. I bought new ones before even looking at the old ones because that bike was a tremendous oval office to work on and I was doing a bunch of other stuff at the same time. Upon inspection, the old ones were only slightly worn. Replacing them made it run a lot better, but you're probably right in saying that adjusting the gap would've done the same thing. They were like $2 each so I didn't bother fooling around with the old ones. Worth noting that a lot of revvy bikes without iridiums tend to specify replacing the plugs every third oil change or thereabouts so you don't have much opportunity to regap anyway, unless you like getting balls-deep in the bike every time you change the oil or the bike is particularly easy to work on. FWIW with cars nowadays you never gap the plugs, they just get replaced every 30-45kkm and on most vehicles you can't tell the difference even if they're worn severely. Efi seems to take care of a lot of stuff that used to matter. Also worth mentioning that adjusting the gap is all fine and good but often the center electrode wears into a little dome shape so there's less area (I guess?) near the opposite electrode than there would be if it were still perfectly square. Slavvy fucked around with this message at 01:25 on Jul 1, 2015 |
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Jul 1, 2015 01:23
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Does anyone know if Speed Triple mirrors will fit on an old Japanese bike? It's a 10mm bolt, riiiiight? Also (relatedly) any suggestions on what else I could be looking at for decent replacements of the stock mirrors? I'm kind of trying to make the bike look a bit more modern (84 Honda VF1000), but so far the only ones that have jumped out (and seem to at least be available used on ebay) have been for the Speed Triple and the Ducati Monster.
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Jul 1, 2015 08:26
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