Question Thread: Apply throttle directly to forehead

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Cycle Asylum > Question Thread: Apply throttle directly to forehead

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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

i'd be concerned but i'm not sure how much. the wrong kind of fluid could eat the seals in the brake system couldn't it? and if so then the brakes would probably just be gone. however if that's true, you're probably gonna see it leaking brake fluid somewhere before it all blows out, so you might get some warning. i think.

# ¿ Oct 10, 2008 23:18

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 09:09

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

i dunno if it's true of the new BMWs but i learned a few days ago that the old GS models, early 90s, had tubeless spoked rims. they did this by extending the rim a little beyond the tire bead and attaching the spokes there, so the spokes are not under the tire. very clever.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2008 22:11

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

kcer posted:

It's almost like turning on a switch. There's such a small movement between applying the clutch and taking it off. Maybe it needs an oil change, maybe the plates are worn?

worn plates would have the opposite effect. i had the same problem when i got a new clutch plate for my antique, the old plate had springs in it and the new one was solid so it engaged a lot more stiffly. i just had to get used to it. dunno if there's anything you can do about yours.

# ¿ Oct 16, 2008 11:40

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Nerobro posted:

I'd put dollars to doughnuts that a electric motor rebuilding shop would redo your stator for less than the cost of materials to do it yourself.

i dunno if mine was a special case but an electric shop wanted like $600 to rewind the rotor and field coils on my bmw generator.

greg_graffin posted:

I'm probably just being stupid here but I still don't understand why the bikes we were using in the BRC (250 Nighthawks) would pull themselves from a stop using only the clutch but my bike won't. Couldn't I just turn the idle speed up to compensate for this?

I understand that the bike won't pull away with the rear brake engaged, it's that it doesn't even feel like it's pulling.

i dunno if the MSF bikes you rode were different, but the ones we had would, yes, move slightly with clutch slipping and no throttle, but they would just barely barely move. like you could tiptoe push the bike faster. no bike or car for that matter is designed to go anywhere using clutch alone. you always use throttle at the same time.

# ¿ Oct 17, 2008 04:50

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

asphalt only loses like 20% of its friction when wet.

# ¿ Oct 17, 2008 18:22

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

yeah that's clutch not transmission. if you're lucky the controls are just out of adjustment. worst case, you need new clutch plates, but if you have a japanese bike, that's not much of a big deal either.

# ¿ Oct 25, 2008 23:54

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Zenaida posted:

Interesting. So why is it so desirable to be able to slip the clutch on a bike (Either on the track or the street) vs. a car?

less torque so you have to rev higher and slip the clutch more to get going from a stop. i think.

# ¿ Nov 6, 2008 20:25

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

QnoisX posted:

Well you don't have to move your hand to hit the kill switch, just flick your finger.

yeah the idea is that whenever the engine is running, you don't want to have to take your hands off the bars.

# ¿ Nov 10, 2008 01:38

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

unless it's a buell, in which case it's on all the time, and is so loud you can't hear approaching fire trucks.

# ¿ Dec 15, 2008 18:02

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

2A is a bit powerful for a bike battery so don't leave it charging for too long. (couple hours?)

# ¿ Dec 18, 2008 21:07

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Phat_Albert posted:

I've heard mixed reviews about the POR-15 rust removal kit.

is that the same as the tank coating kit? i've never heard mixed reviews about that, they're all positive. i've used it twice.

# ¿ Dec 21, 2008 23:52

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

yeah, wd40 won't do it but penetrating oil should help, and if you don't have an impact gun, look for one of these at a local auto shop. any kind of an impact driver will work wonders.

# ¿ Jan 31, 2009 12:31

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

i thought they were designed to balance center mass so you could tripod it on either wheel? that's how i saw it work on an 80s R100GS anyway. (this one)

my 1955 rests on the front wheel.

# ¿ Feb 15, 2009 13:48

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

it might dissolve any bad stuff in there, but that doesn't mean it'll actually get it out of the carb. there are a lot of tiny little holes for fuel and air and little pockets and bowls and pipes and whatnot, and just pouring solvents into it might just temporarily loosen it up. if you've got the carbs off the bike already, i'd go ahead and take them apart.

# ¿ Feb 17, 2009 07:59

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Jack the Smack posted:

I've heard this statement a billion times but never had anything close to that happening after a couple years of riding. Do you guys live in areas with terrible drivers or something?

it nearly killed at least one goon. wish i could remember his name.

# ¿ Feb 19, 2009 08:45

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Jack the Smack posted:

I think it's my loud pipes then that keep me safe, cause on the bikes I've ridding I've installed or they come with loud rear end exhaust.

this is a pretty clever troll because all of his previous posts were just on the edge of stupid, but plausible, thus establishing a high functioning idiot track record, but then he throws this one out which on its own would be an obvious troll but in context it's kinda hard to tell.

# ¿ Feb 19, 2009 15:19

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

depending on the bike, however, some batteries can be a real hassle to get at.

# ¿ Feb 19, 2009 23:56

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

there's a safety reason to use the kill switch. when the engine is running, it's always better to have your hands on the handlebars. that's why they teach you to use it in the MSF class. i would just ignore that manual. the worst thing that could happen is the switch could wear out, and parts for those things aren't expensive or hard to find.

# ¿ Feb 20, 2009 07:23

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

60kph? that's not too bad. if you've got enough time to react, you've got enough to swerve or brake i would think. cover the brake, maybe slow down a little in case. swerving may or may not help in this case, there's not many places to go.

Ola posted:

Preventing it is obviously better, you did good by noticing how the situation could turn bad rapidly.

+1 to this. i think an awful lot of bike crashes, though not the biker's fault, could be prevented with just a little more situational awareness.

quote:

Practice emergency braking and avoidance swerving often (gradually! and in a safe place to do so),

my MSF teacher said he'd often practice a swerve when entering an open parking lot. it looks silly, but it's probably a good idea. a swerve feels funny if you're not used to it, and it's good to get comfortable with them.

# ¿ Feb 23, 2009 13:21

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

that bike is already a gwyneth paltrow, how much thinner can she get?

# ¿ Feb 25, 2009 05:05

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

so i got an old virago that sits way too low or something. it doesn't lean left when on the kickstand and is nearly impossible to lift onto the centerstand. it was not lowered on purpose. it sat in a garage for a long long time. what's this mean, bad fork springs, bad shock? not just bad seals i would assume.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2009 15:41

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Phat_Albert posted:

If its all sacked out like that it could mean a few things. One, the springs are so insanely fatigued that they dont hold the bike up, which is probably unlikely. Two, the springs are broken or cut, which is more likely. Or three, the bike sat with something heavy on it forever, and the shocks corroded or somehow jammed with the bike squashed down.

i had the forks apart and the springs weren't broken. i fiddled with the preload adjustments, which is just an air valve thing, it didn't seem to do anything. the shocks do move, they just don't rebound nearly as far as they ought to. springs must just be fatigued, then? i should see if there's a manual that says what their specs are.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2009 19:26

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

EvilCrayon posted:

Did anybody get sore wrists from riding the first couple of days? It's like snowboarding for the first time of the season. Where you're sore all over, except it's just my left wrist.

when i first did rode (i also had a bent handlebar) i did something to my throttle wrist so painful i couldn't really ride for a couple weeks.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2009 06:49

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

he t-boned a soccer mom at highway speed or something. he's been the subject of a number of threads now i think.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2009 11:38

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

anyone know what kind of poo poo i should use to re-glue a vinyl seat cover to the edge of a seat pan? the italians never heard of rivets i guess.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2009 04:54

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Phat_Albert posted:

Honestly I'd drill the leather and pan and rivet it anyway. You can get black rivets.

Or are you going the authenticity route?

i thought about that, but this is my motoguzzi, which is a rare bike even among motoguzzis, and parts are so hard to find i think it would be unwise to put holes in an otherwise good major component like a seat pan.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2009 19:54

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Ratzinc posted:

My friend had a thought, would it be possible to install a rotary engine sideways in a motorcyle, thus using the engine's rotation like a gyroscope to achieve a super nimble and impossible to tip over bike? Or is this just a stupid idea, period?

this is uninformed hearsay but i thought i read somewhere that normal i4 race bikes already had a degree of gyroscopic effect just from the crankshaft, (mounted on the same axis a rotary rotor would be in your idea) and that it was actually a problem for handling rather than a benefit.

Handiklap posted:

What are everyone's thoughts on the Guzzi Breva? I've got my eye on one and a local dealer has a couple (including a review demo with 600m), so I'm probably going to go check it out today. I'm only 5'6" 150, but a 31" seat and 400lbs doesn't sound too bad. Any nightmares I can look forward to with a shaft drive?

my impression from reading guzzi forums after i got my older one is that even the new ones are not all that reliable. i guess if you have a dealer near you and can pay the costs you're ok but if you didn't then it can be a chore to get parts and service done on them, because they're such a small niche brand.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2009 19:11

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Handiklap posted:

Guzzi

here we go i just found a better answer

Only registered members can see post attachments!

# ¿ Mar 14, 2009 20:42

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Christoff posted:

What all will I need? I have a ratchet set, allen wrenches, phillips/flat heats, etc.

I'm guess I'll need a torque wrench and spark plug gapper. Anything else?

that and some pliers will cover all the basics.

ok now, everyone here with a 70s bike or any other bike with a gas cap of the two spring-bladed screw-on type needs to go measure their filler hole/cap and if the inner (smallest) diameter is 1.5" then tell me the make and model. chop chop. cause i'm not paying $40 for a goddamn italian gas cap. i won't be italy's bitch anymore.

# ¿ Mar 15, 2009 05:02

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

8ender posted:

I just checked my 77' KZ650 and 66' YDS3 and both are too large. Sorry

some more searching revealed a '60s honda dream 150 gas cap has an ID of 1.5". found a used one on ebay. i just screwed italy out of $35. take that, benito.

# ¿ Mar 15, 2009 21:55

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

i dunno if you can tell from the photo but this fork seal is kinda greasy on the top and isn't aligned properly and i don't feel much dampening effect when i bounce my weight on it like i do with the other fork. is this the kinda thing that need replacing or could it be fixed by fiddling around with it and realigning it?

# ¿ Mar 17, 2009 07:04

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

goku chewbacca posted:

I remember Rev. Dr. MP Lester working on something, so I hope he can chime in on this.

i did.

quote:

Always on would be better, which is why I'm trying to avoid the obvious push-to-talk FRS/GMRS radio or cell phone.

i dunno, i made a gmrs radio set for inter-bike communication, not intra-bike. a wired always-on system would electronically be a lot simpler, but you'd be draining a lot more power so you might not want batteries. you just need mics amps and speakers. i couldn't tell you how to build that though.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2009 11:23

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Christoff posted:

So if I'm leaving for 4-5 months at a time should I get non-op or keep the bike registered? I assume just leave it on the kick stand, or? What all else is included in storing a bike in a garage long-term?

summer time? just disconnect the battery. winter? put some fuel stabilizer in the tank too.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2009 12:21

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

KidDynamite posted:

Also how many miles is reasonable to cover in a day?

do a test day on some similar local roads to find out. i did before my first long trip.

# ¿ Apr 23, 2009 04:01

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

sirbeefalot posted:

� Finally, and I doubt anyone can actually help me on this one, my left wrist keeps getting sore after riding for ~20 minutes or more. Obviously just cruising doesn't have this effect, only when I'm stopping and going, clutching often. I clutch with all four fingers, and the clutch is not that stiff or anything. When not on the clutch, my hand is knuckles up, wrist pretty much parallel to the ground. Could there be something I should adjust (either in my procedure or on the bike)? It was killing me all the way from Santa Monica back to Hollywood the other day, and that really killed the buzz I had from riding Mulholland Highway earlier.

your handlebar isn't bent is it? when i got my first bike the throttle side was bent back a bit and combining that with the death grip of a new rider screwed up my right wrist so bad i could barely move it for days.

# ¿ May 2, 2009 11:21

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

anyone know if it's possible to weld a crack in an alloy rim? or is that asking for a highside

# ¿ May 6, 2009 20:59

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Bukanza posted:

You think a Nighthawk 750 would be overkill for a first bike? It's hard to pin down exact HP figures, but it seems to be in the 70-ish range, plus it sounds like the size of the bike would fit my height.

70 is borderline. not necessarily bad.

# ¿ May 7, 2009 01:44

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Z3n posted:

Or you could just take the exhaust to a muffler shop and have them weld a patch on it, probably wouldn't cost you much of anything.

i've done this on my antique cause each header is $150. seemed to work.

# ¿ May 8, 2009 17:52

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Gnaghi posted:

I am going to the DMV tomorrow to register my new bike (pics coming soon). What is the deal with trading bikes when it comes to registration? Can I just write trade under sale price?

in my state the DMV gets around this by taxing you based on the NADA value on your vehicle if it's higher than your sale price.

# ¿ May 16, 2009 03:30

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 09:09

Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester: Oct 3, 2000

Gnaghi posted:

Man that's bs. Californa (capital of government bs) I'm guessing?

vermont. every other law is really lax though. concealed carry with no permit, no emissions checks, etc.

# ¿ May 16, 2009 17:41

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Cycle Asylum > Question Thread: Apply throttle directly to forehead

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