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It's about time to synchronize my carbs. I've been thinking about constructing my own synchronization gauge using the method described here. Basically, instead of measuring the vacuum with mercury you attach both ends of a long tube to either carb's vacuum port and then make sure the fluid isn't moving back and forth between them. This is attractive because I cringe at paying $100 for a single-purpose tool that could be done with something much cheaper. Generally, is this method bone-headed? And second, how/where do I get the vacuum port adapters so I can attach the tubes to my vacuum ports?
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Oct 19, 2008 23:14
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Z3n posted:Those work, but can be a bit of a pita because if you're not careful you can suck the mercury into your bike. One of the reasons I would rather use the cheapo method is that you can use whatever fluid you want. The article linked mentions using automatic transmission fluid, which shouldn't damage anything should it get sucked into the engine. Z3n posted:Typically, you buy hose that can just slip over the brass fittings on your vaccum ports. My vacuum ports are just threaded holes. This picture shows the vacuum ports. This picture shows the vacuum ports with some sort of adapter installed. I want to know where I can obtain this adapter. My bike is my only mode of transportation so I can't really disassemble it to find out what type of object should be inserted. Is it a standard thing common to most/all bikes or what?
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Oct 20, 2008 16:15
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Z3n posted:My bikes have always had brass fittings in the intake boots themselves. I've never seen a setup like that. I'd imagine that you could find any sort of threaded fitting, though, and make something work. Harley? It's a Honda Shadow. After looking around a bit it seems that there are essentially two types of threaded adapters, a 5mm and a 6mm. The 5mm seems to be the most common and the one that is most likely on my bike. I've found a few online that sell for about $4 apiece. With shipping it makes each one expensive so I'm going to go to Home Depot and see if I can find anything that will work. Wish me luck! And thanks for the input.
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Oct 20, 2008 18:04
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GriszledMelkaba posted:Has anyone looked into using an amtrak service for travelling with a motorcycle without the bother of huffing it long distance on your own wheels and squaring off the tires? I want to go to LA from Seattle and imagine that amtrak would be able to do this but haven't seen anything on their website about it. There are bike shipping services. Most of them use trucks from what I gather. Also, not so cheap. I paid $700 each way when I went from Atlanta to Sacramento for an internship.
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Nov 21, 2008 16:16
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QnoisX posted:Anyone ever had their license plate fall off? I lost one of my plate bolts somewhere. I rode around with the license plate hanging straight down from the remaining one for who knows how long. It was probably like that for several weeks before I noticed.
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Nov 23, 2008 05:19
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AhhYes posted:I figured better to ask on the internet than find out while on the bike that I'd made a huge mistake. The most intelligent thing you can do in this situation is be able to admit you've made a mistake when you have and be willing to turn around and go home before it becomes really dangerous. And get yourself up to highway speeds/the maximum speed you'll attain somewhere that you can slow down again quickly if you need to. I successfully carried a yardstick home from the hardware store once. (Give me a medal for badassery!)
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Dec 9, 2008 03:44
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Compared the grips, they both have identical interior diameters. So the clerk sold me the wrong kind of grips? Not totally sure about this as I am also a n00b when it comes to grips. I have a 2001 Honda Shadow and I just bought and installed some heated grips. They are 3rd party parts I got from the Honda dealer. They are both the same size. My bars are actually larger on the throttle side than the clutch side. So the plastic throttle sleeve is actually the same outer diameter as the bars on the clutch side. What I'm saying is that it may be that you got the wrong size grips, but it isn't necessarily true that they should be different sizes. Measuring is your friend. They were also hard as gently caress to get on. The clutch side still isn't on all the way. I've been working it up a few millimeters every time that I ride. There's only about a 1 inch gap at this point. Good luck!
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Feb 10, 2009 18:27
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Captain Apollo posted:Battery stuff. DO NOT unscrew both posts before removing the wires. The procedure is 1) Unscrew and remove the ground wire. Make sure the ground wire isn't going to slide back into contact with the ground terminal of the battery. 2) Unscrew and remove the power wire. 3) Remove battery without touching the terminals. When the ground wire is connected to the ground terminal there are 12 volts and about 100 amps waiting to fry anything that connects the positive terminal to the frame of the bike. This could be across your hand, the screwdriver, or a path all the way from your knee to your hand. That last one would be pretty lovely.
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Feb 19, 2009 18:54
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Where do you even get 90w gear oil? The only thing I can find is 80w-90 and 85w-140 gear oil. Also, do you have any problems with oil flinging everywhere? I've been using the paraffin-base no-fling chain wax but it is pretty expensive compared to gear oil.
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Feb 24, 2009 20:53
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Bad Munki posted:What you see there is all we currently know about the bike: http://desmoines.craigslist.org/mcy/1062529414.html He says he's put full synthetic oil in there. I've heard other people on the forum say that this is not good for the clutch. I'm sure someone else will comment on it here. I think all you'd really have to do is switch it out with the regular stuff. Also he says he always filled it with high octane fuel. Are these bikes meant for high octane fuel? I don't remember seeing anything in the manual about it. The Honda website says 9.6:1 compression ratio. Is that high enough to require high octane fuel?
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Mar 6, 2009 18:01
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That's what I thought. I have an '01 Shadow and the my PO said he used high-octane fuel. I never thought it was necessary and it has run fine for 3 years on regular.
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Mar 6, 2009 18:08
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Alright guys, I'm thinking it's time to clean my carbs. I have an '01 Honda Shadow 750. It has Keihin carbs. I synchronized the carbs in late October and the bike is already running rough again. It's got about 24k miles and I don't think they've ever been cleaned before. 1st question: How often do carbs need to be cleaned? 2nd question: I plan on purchasing carb cleaner, a brass brush, and more screw drivers than I've already got (I have quite a few already). Do I need to purchase new gaskets or can I reuse the ones on there? Anything else I need to buy to be prepared? (I have several types of needle nose pliers.) 3rd question: I understand that carb cleaner should not touch any of the rubber stuff. Any other warnings I should be aware of? 4th question: Given that this is the first cleaning for this carb, and my first time doing this, how far apart should I take it? For instance, in nerobro's carb cleaning thread he didn't remove the float. (removing jets, needles, etc.) I'm a little nervous about this, but I guess if I screw it up enough I can always get someone to drive me to the dealer where the big $$$ vacuum will do its deed. I'm planning on taking pictures and posting a thread if anyone is interested. Otherwise the pictures will be for helping me put it back together correctly. I have a camera that has macro and super-macro mode, so hopefully they won't be ultra-blurry.
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Mar 10, 2009 04:47
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n8r posted:What makes you think it's the carb specifically? Have you ever changed the plugs or checked valve clearances? I just had the valve clearances recalibrated a year ago, so I doubt that's it. I will check the plugs again before I go digging into the carbs though. Also, after synching the carbs in October it ran like a dream. It seems to me that if the synch point has changed so drastically after so little time then there might be crud in there gumming the works up. Is it normal to need to resynch after one winter?
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Mar 10, 2009 14:14
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MrZig posted:Where would I find vacuum adapters (like this: http://www.z1enterprises.com/products01/Vacuum-Carb-Sync-Adapter-6mm.aspx) to fit on the cylinder head of my GS? I looked around a bit where I live, not as much as I should have, and didn't find anything. I bought mine from https://www.bikebandit.com because I was ordering some other stuff at the same time.
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Mar 27, 2009 14:17
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The ones he linked are 6mm. The ones that fit my Honda Shadow are 5mm and that is what I bought.
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Mar 27, 2009 17:02
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Watommi posted:too much oil? Another issue I've heard about with wet sump engines is that the crank thrusting in and out of the oil will cause it to foam. Foamy oil is less capable of lubricating properly. Generally you can see the foam at the top of the sight glass.
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Apr 1, 2009 13:54
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echomadman posted:as soon as you start the engine it'd fountain out immediately. In addition to that the exhaust gets hot enough to vaporize any water that gets in there anyway.
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Apr 29, 2009 19:23
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tayl0r posted:Lame =( I've got a 2001 Shadow 750 ACE. The chain slack should be between 3/4 to 1 3/8 inches. Seems that 1" is right in the middle, anywhere close to that is good. Also, make sure you use the tightest point in the chain to measure the slack, chains don't wear evenly all the way around and the measurement can vary a bit.
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May 14, 2009 17:15
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Krakkles posted:Nope. No smog (yet), no safety inspections. What states do have these safety inspections? (Please don't say New York)
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May 15, 2009 21:07
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BronYrAur posted:I have 1988 suzuki katana for starters. It was in bad need of an oil change so that was my project for today. After assembling all the tools I needed I went to work. Now it took a while and some trickery to get the drain bolt out - this was not a good sign. Drained all the oil and went to put the bolt back in and it doesn't go it. I can tighten it with my fingers then when I try to wrench it it must jump threads and gets loose again. I can't seem to get the bolt back in. The bolt itself looks to be in fine condition so this makes me think the oil pan is having problem. My question is do I have any options/how screwed am I? I'm thinking of taking the bike to a dealership to get looked at but I can't exactly afford that and I don't have a truck to take it in. I have so much experience with this due to Ford's wonderful decision to put an aluminum oil pan in my car. There are several options, the one that will work for you is this: they sell rubber plugs that have a screw through the middle. You tighten the screw and it squeezes the plug until it seals your oil drain hole. I think I have a few left over. I will look for them. I found them in an auto parts store in California somewhere. It's made by a company that has a whole line of things like that. I remember the packaging being yellow with black letters. If you can't find that another option is boating supply stores. What you want is weep hole plugs I believe. That type doesn't have a screw, it's more of a toggle switch. The final option is retapping the hole. If you can get a good straight angle into the hole you can do it with the pan on the bike, otherwise you will likely have to remove the engine to get to it... good luck!
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May 24, 2009 06:15
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bobula posted:Find a place that will put a helicoil in for you. It's cheap (like $35 max, I'd think) and it replaces the threads with a steel coil in the original size so you don't have to mess around with different thread size BS. I had a helicoil put in my car. It only held until the next oil change. After that they said another one wouldn't work. I'm not sure if that was specifically something wrong with my car, but it's worth a shot.
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May 24, 2009 16:10
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BronYrAur posted:That first one sounds perfect. I am trying a new bolt first, it's cheap and who knows is my thinking. But if you have any more information on these plug/screw things it would be much appreciated. First of all, be careful with trying the bolts. Every time the bolt jumps the threads you are wearing a little bit more of the threads away. I've looked everywhere and I can't find my old plugs; my car died two years ago and I think I might have given them to the guy I sold it to. With rubber plugs there are three options. One has an expandable end that slips through the hole and then catches on the inside of the pan. These suck, they don't seal all that well and they can never be removed. The next type is like a but plug. I've never tried this kind before. The other type is the one I mentioned above with the screw through the middle, that's what I had and they worked great. I can't seem to find anybody that sells them online, but they do exist. Call around to all the local auto parts stores and tell them you've got a stripped oil pan bolt and ask if they have rubber replacement plugs. They'll know what you're talking about, this is a common occurrence.
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May 24, 2009 16:27
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BronYrAur posted:Well I just struck out at all the local auto parts stores. The best they could come up with is an 'oversized bolt'. Any opinions on that route? I had problems getting any of the self-tapping/oversized bolts to go in because I couldn't get a straight line on my threads, you may have better luck. If you can't find any rubber plugs then you don't really have much choice. Just make sure you have a good straight line on it and push really hard with the drill. Where do you live? Maybe some helpful goon with an engine hoist could help you get the pan off to be re-tapped at a machine shop.
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May 24, 2009 19:50
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I'm all knowledgeable about stripped threads because I'm an idiot. As another example of my idiocy I managed to remove a part of my air filter housing that isn't supposed to be removed. There was this stretchy rubbery stuff that was sealing the connection between these two pieces. Anyone know of something I could get to replace that seal? It looked spray on but could be a liquid or gel of some form.
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May 24, 2009 20:42
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Z3n posted:Honestly, probably not. But I'd recommend that you pull the carbs and learn to clean them, they won't bite and it'll be a lot cheaper than taking it to a shop. I just did this and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. The most annoying part was getting them in and out of the bike. It doesn't require any specialty tools or anything. If you've got a few sockets, box ends, and screwdrivers you can do it. Reserve a weekend (or several weeknights) and go to town. I found having a power drill to be really helpful as well.
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May 26, 2009 19:38
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Doctor Zero posted:And also, the Interceptor has been billed as more of a Sport touring capable bike in recent years. I just can't imagine keeping my knees in that position for 500 miles. I would be hobbling for at least an hour afterwards.
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Jun 11, 2009 20:23
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dietcokefiend posted:Bikes are small enough that you could have a leak up top near a hose that finds a crack or groove to take a path to a new location. I have had exactly this happen to me. See a fluid, think it's oil because it is coming out near the case, realize it's coolant, flip-out, find that it's coming from a hose that is about a foot away from where it was collecting/dripping.
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Jul 15, 2009 16:21
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TheFonz posted:No, I have to make sure the gauge is correct off the first cyl. Calibrating the gauge, and I'm doing it right, I just am wondering if short hoses could cause this effect? The fluid should not be rising higher than the level of the measuring lines. If it is then there is a problem. Hose length will not change how far the fluid moves in response to a vacuum. Edit: The above only applies to a vacuum measuring tool. If you have a differential vacuum tool then things are different.
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Jul 22, 2009 21:17
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shaitan posted:Coolant is low. You need to make sure you are checking the coolant under the appropriate conditions. Look in your service manual to figure that out. Mine says the engine needs to be both warm and running and the bike should be level, not leaned over on the side stand.
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Aug 15, 2009 20:47
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sirbeefalot posted:I've got a goofy rear end swirl right up front, but the top is all straight when its that short. The padding squashes the hair down in spots, leaving me with these little ridges that you can't really see, but you can feel them if you run your hand over them. My hair is pretty much the same way; even with a buzz cut I have indentations where the pads grab my head.
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Aug 30, 2009 06:16
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NitroSpazzz posted:I want something louder than a stock car horn. I'm thinking semi volume if possible...I want the idiot in the car with loud pipes and a cranked stereo on his cell phone eating breakfast and reading the newspaper at 80mph inching into my lane to poo poo himself when I hit the horn. I've always dreamed of this. I've looked around on the internet before and found "120 dB" horns, but I've never gone ahead and gotten one because I was worried about powering the thing. They use an air-compressor to create the noise. I found this one for $30: http://www.superiorhorns.com/viking-horns/air-horns/compact-dual-trumpet-air-horn.html, it's only 110 dB though. 
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Oct 4, 2009 14:32
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Also, how old is the cable? Maybe it has stretched out?
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Dec 7, 2009 16:31
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Endless Mike posted:Isn't that bad for the transmission, too, since the chain/belt/shaft is still turning it? It says specifically to remove the chain on that page. It also says belt/shaft drive are good for 55-65 mph. Not sure I believe that one.
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Dec 21, 2009 22:12
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Watommi posted:When I ride for longer than, say, 45 minutes, I get back pain. Definitely try out new bars. And definitely try to adjust your general posture, it will really make you feel better about yourself and healthier overall. And for all those people with minor back pains and problems, do this:  I know it looks crazy, and it feels weird at first, but I credit this exercise with preventing me from suffering the fate of my entire family when it comes to back pain. Also, it really helped reduce fatigue on long rides.
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Jan 28, 2010 17:05
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TheCosmicMuffet posted:where the passenger seat would be on a angry little dwarf. I'm really having fun imagining an angry little dwarf with a passenger seat strapped to his back.
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Jan 29, 2010 16:46
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When I got a ticket in Texas and took the driving school it didn't raise my rates at all. And that was when I was 18. 
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Feb 9, 2010 17:48
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Tipped posted:So something odd is happening with the beemer. When I ride in the cold the turn signal kill switch stops working. Every other button works on the bike. I'm having a very similar problem with my Shadow. I think it's a problem with the turn signal switch itself. Not sure how similar the setup is to your beemer though. I haven't found the time to pull open the switch yet, so I can't really say exactly what the problem is.
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Mar 5, 2010 04:02
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Jabs posted:he was in New York working on the new Smurfs Movie (Quentin Tarantino as Brainy Smurf - sounds promising!). WTF? Are you serious about this?
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Apr 20, 2010 13:56
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Being an enormous moron, I've neglected to inspect my valve clearance for 1.5 times the recommended interval (recommended is 8k and it's been 13k). Would out-of-spec valves cause reduced gas mileage and power? Also, where's a good place to get some feeler gauges? I have a feeling the big boxers aren't going to have something that specific.
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Apr 24, 2010 14:08
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Hughmoris posted:Anyone have tips for loosening the chain tension? I've found that rolling the bike back and forth several times after changing the adjustment bolts is effective for getting the axle to shift positions. Of course my bike weighs 550 pounds.
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May 14, 2010 14:09
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