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Slavvy posted:Grease your brake lever pivot, you'll be amazed at the difference.
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Aug 4, 2019 06:18
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Is the bike EFI or carbed? If it's carbed then the leak is after your vacuum-operated petcock. If it's EFI then the leak is on the high pressure side of your fuel pump. That's why it doesn't leak unless the engine is running. Guessing you have a hole in a fuel line, or a bad seal on your float valve / stuck float (if carbed).
Ulf fucked around with this message at 17:24 on Sep 11, 2019 |
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Sep 11, 2019 17:19
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I set a date and goal of one year / 10k miles. Then I spent a year riding all over Colorado. Then when the year was up I bought my next bike. Then I spent half a year kinda missing the 250. Man that thing was light and flicked so easy.
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Oct 8, 2019 14:25
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Slavvy posted:Why they then also have a side stand switch anyway is a loving mystery. I'm sure that making the clutch switch ignore neutral is to save a meter of loom wiring, since you can probably put it inline w/ the starter switch and don't need to route through the neutral sensor. EDIT: This was a good excuse to really read a wiring diagram for the first time!  A sv650 has a simple SPST clutch switch directly between the positive battery terminal and a leg of the starter relay: http://cycles.evanfell.com/2013/01/suzuki-sv650-wiring-diagram/ whereas my CB has a similar SPST but also involves a two-diode three-legged thing (labeled "Clutch Diode") with the center pole going to the grounded neutral switch / "Ignition Control Module" / sidestand switch, another leg going to the neutral lamp, and a third leg going to the starter relay. I can't tell whether this means that a burned out neutral lamp means my starter won't work. Overall I see why Suzuki keeps it simpler. EDIT2: I have convinced myself that a burned out lamp won't kill my starter, and instead the "Clutch Diode" is badly named and is serving dual function as "Clutch and Lamp Complexifier Module". EDIT3: I need to figure out where this thing exists on my bike so I can short it out in an emergency. Ulf fucked around with this message at 00:39 on Jan 21, 2020 |
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Jan 21, 2020 00:10
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Surprisingly a lot of gas pumps in Nebraska seem to have an ethanol-free option. I say surprisingly because Nebraska has a good claim for being corn capital of the world. Here in my end of Denver I know where to get ethanol-free but it’s probably in less than 1% of stations.
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Mar 23, 2020 23:50
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AlexanderCA posted:Thx, ordered the cheap stuff. Manual calls for SE/SF because 1994 heh, so this SL stuff should be good enough If I understand correctly.
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Apr 21, 2020 02:59
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I've always done my own work on cars, bikes, and motorbikes, with the exception of tires which I've always taken in to a shop. Tires are a pain in the rear end for me the 1-2 times a year I have to do it, because I either have to borrow a car, or I haul the tires on a bicycle trailer which is a 3-hour ordeal. Looking at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAKIuSjPXxA this seems like something I might be able to do myself with irons. Is this reasonable as a DIY thing or am I going to hate life if I try? One complication is that I don't have an air compressor, can you seat a bead with a gas station compressor or do you need something with a bigger reservoir?
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Apr 30, 2020 02:44
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With bicycles you can flip the whole bike upside down and rest it on the saddle and handlebars. So I recommend trying that. EDIT: If you are in Denver you can borrow my Pitbulls
Ulf fucked around with this message at 22:34 on May 15, 2020 |
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May 15, 2020 22:30
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I just use paper because I don't want greasy keyboards. There's a clipboard up on the garage wall for each of my vehicles. I tell myself that the next owner will want and appreciate this, but they always shrug when I give it to them. In reality it's most useful for my own looking back, like "what was that oil that made the shifting feel kinda notchy?" and "which sparkplug was the one that looked slightly richer the last time I pulled them?"
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May 27, 2020 15:48
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Gorson posted:Good luck with that, even without Covid and riots going on they still wait a week to ship anything. I like to think they have one 70 year old guy in the warehouse who fills orders and gently caress you if you think he's gonna rush out parts because in his day it took 6-8 weeks. Is there anyone this is not true for? I had the same experience with PartZilla, even for “in stock” items. Now I just use my dealer parts counter because they can use the money and will still get things as fast or faster.
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Jun 5, 2020 19:27
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MomJeans420 posted:Successfully got the gixxer started
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Jun 9, 2020 19:57
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I think you’re joking but elderly Japanese busybodies will literally shame you for bad recycling hygiene. In the US we do single-stream recycling, meaning we separate our garbage into “Recyclables” and “Other”. By comparison check out the array of choices you are met with when you throw something away in Japan: https://soranews24.com/2014/05/15/recycling-in-japan-or-reasons-to-get-it-right-and-avoid-eternal-shame/
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Sep 20, 2020 21:46
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Should I swap over to 520 the next time I do my chain?  Or will they keep making 525 sprockets and chains for dadbikes like mine?
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Sep 23, 2020 04:54
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It’s the chain size. Not a big deal because you can always change out the sprockets and chain together, I just didn’t want to be stuck buying a new rear sprocket unexpectedly or something. I always thought the whole number was pitch (distance between teeth), but it turns out that only the initial “5” is the pitch and that 20/25/30 are the width. This means you can mix and match in one direction if you need to (wider chain w/ narrower sprocket). If you’re used to bicycles like me then this similar to 8, 9, 10, 11 speed chains.
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Sep 23, 2020 05:52
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Before you replace the battery check first that the terminals are clean and solidly connected.
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Oct 2, 2020 10:41
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Time for a Motorcycle Mystery. I have a '97 Nighthawk 750, and recently I bolted some highway pegs to the frame so I could stretch out occasionally on long rides. In the middle of nowhere Nevada I gave it a try and found a weird problem: when I put my feet on the forward pegs the engine starts to stumble. This is 100% repeatable, happens at altitudes 2,000ft through 6,000ft (at least). Happens in warm and cold weather. I don't think it happens at speeds lower than 55mph. It doesn't seem to happen unless I've got both legs forward. It seems to get a little better if I bow my legs way out, but so far I haven't nailed down the pattern perfectly. I can't reproduce the stumble by just nailing the throttle at the same speed. The bike otherwise happily goes 100+ mph. My first thought (in the first 30 seconds of panicky experimentation) was that my legs were somehow acting as a sail and causing a huge amount of drag. That doesn't seem to add up, and the next handwavy theory is that my different posture is causing some kind of negative pressure airflow issue into the airbox (stock airbox, under the seat). I also figure that this position puts my legs against the air-cooled engine, but it doesn't seem like a cooling problem would have such immediate effect. Last idea I've got is some electrical issue (somehow?) by completing a circuit (with my rubber-soled leather boots? Or maybe the legs against the engine?). Any ideas?
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Oct 25, 2020 04:55
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I hate checking my tire pressures by hand. It's an annoying task that takes some contortion in a tight spot in my garage. I do a bad job keeping on top of it and usually just check with my thumb. Are aftermarket TPMS (either internal or external, something like bluetooth to a phone app) worth looking into?
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Aug 14, 2021 04:12
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Thanks everyone. Was kind of getting that sense from the lack of options on mainstream sites.Russian Bear posted:Are you using something like this to check? No, using something better than that, it’s an oil filled dial gauge with a 90deg fitting. The problem isn’t the gauge clearance it’s the getting my body down next to the bike. I should just pull the bike out of the garage before suiting up I guess, it’s just a hassle.
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Aug 14, 2021 17:47
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My CB750 will get its oil up to 140C after an hour and a half of summer city traffic, that’s usually where I pull over and let it cool. Maybe I’m just babying the thing.
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Aug 16, 2021 18:37
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Slavvy posted:You are, that won't hurt it if you're using good oil that's changed frequently. Oil temps can get scary looking without hurting anything. quote:Getting the bike moving is the best and safest thing to do. I said “pull over and let it cool” but more realistically it’s usually “shut off the engine for the longer red lights” and “curse the traffic around me for existing”.
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Aug 17, 2021 01:45
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I'm gonna be bicycle guy again:Sheldon Brown posted:In France, exposed brake cables remained popular longer than elsewhere, because French cyclists sometimes like to transport baguettes home from the boulangerie by resting them crosswise across the brake hoods. The cables help hold the loaves in position.  Presumably a Voxan would have some solution for this.
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Sep 7, 2021 23:58
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Don't take off the grime, that's known as patina and gives your old Honda value!
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Oct 18, 2021 20:48
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:justride:
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Nov 3, 2021 21:52
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What is: how to keep a dad occupied over the winter. Edit: och, the worst snipe.
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Nov 15, 2021 07:05
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Easier to look up the specs on your charging system instead. But if someone were holding a gun to your head I guess the way would be to put the multimeter into current (amps) mode, cut / interrupt your charging circuit to put your meter inline, add a large accessory draw (or run your battery down first), then ride around at decent revs to see what your amps top out at? Then multiply by 12 for watts. this is when Slavvy shows up, calls me an idiot, and tells me how to get wattage out of a charging system using a Fluke, some paracord, and three sticks of wintergreen gum Edit: I think to answer what you’re actually asking, which is whether your charging system has spare capacity, add an accessory and keep checking the voltage of your battery to see if it can keep it topped up.
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Apr 12, 2022 17:21
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Phy posted:What's a cheap oil with a JASO MA/MA2 rating? Is T4 the cheapest or is there a crap grade bike oil? (And if you look close you’ll usually find MA or MA2 listed on it anyway. I get the sense that it’s an easy cert to pick up if you’re not springing for the anti-friction additives. At least that’s my experience with picking up cheapo oil in convenience stores in middle-of-nowhere USA)
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May 13, 2022 17:07
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I own a 4 carb motorcycle where only the caps on the outermost (most visible) two carbs are plated (shiny). Motorcycle companies are cheapskates and will absolutely skip out on $3 of steel bracing.
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Jun 8, 2022 00:32
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A MIRACLE posted:Every bike should have a center stand I think my CBR250R was a Thai bike. Everything on it was very cheap (but in a good way; dropping the thing meant less than $50 for a new lever and new indicator). I had it for 10,000 miles and IIRC nothing ever failed on it.
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Jul 9, 2022 02:49
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I fill my trash bike with 85 octane.  Not much chance of detonation when you live at 2km altitude and 20% of your oxygen is missing I guess.
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Aug 12, 2022 23:50
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This reminds me of the time my friend who “knows motorcycles” was looking at the CB750 I’d bought and told me the radiator on it was waaay too small. https://www.ebay.com/itm/373956007714
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Sep 2, 2022 19:40
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Had a weird one today. Started my ride and had an impulse to flip my petcock to RES and back, since it had probably been a year since I’d moved the thing. It was a little sticky budging from ON through OFF, I took a look, and saw fuel splashed across the carbs. I headed back home while I still had fuel in the bowls, stopped the engine, and commenced to jiggling. I couldn’t get anything to spill out again no matter what I tried. The petcock turns smoothly now. I checked the fuel line to see if I’d knocked it loose and it seems tight. The petcock itself wasn’t as tight on the tank as it could have been, so I tightened its collar back up. Other than that I’m wondering if the petcock itself could have momentarily leaked out its mechanism or something, then sealed back up. Guess I need to look into how it’s put together. My petcock also has a fuel strainer on its bottom, I’ll probably open that soon and check its o-ring. 
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Mar 31, 2023 03:10
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Yep, that all adds up. I’ll get the rubber bits for a rebuild.
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Mar 31, 2023 04:15
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Changing out the steering bearings on my bike has fixed so much about it that I have been floating on air the last few rides. It just feels like all the vagueness is gone. I’m trying to chase that high and now I’m eyeing some gold valve emulators. Do you think they’ll have any effect? Or is it a waste putting them into a bike that’s admittedly not worth it (but which I’m pretty sure I’m going to ride for another 40,000 miles at least). The bike is a 1997 CB750, which is a bored-out refresh of the 1985 CB650SC. Think of right-side-up Showa forks from that era and you’ve pretty much nailed it. I mostly tour on the thing, and I’m looking for a better ride on bumpy country roads and feeling safer in turns.
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Apr 3, 2023 01:23
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Slavvy posted:I don't know what your financial situation is so I can't say if it's 'worth' it but they would absolutely make a huge difference and will also make you acutely aware of how garbage the shocks are. Edit: rear shocks are already replaced assuming that’s what you mean. Ulf fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Apr 3, 2023 |
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Apr 3, 2023 03:09
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I took my CB750 out for a ride yesterday, first ride since a 800 mile trip last weekend. After half an hour of shopping the bike wouldn’t start again, starter would spin the engine but it wouldn’t catch until I really laid on the thing feeding it starter and half throttle for ten seconds. Once it started it ran fine. I went to my second errand, went shopping another two hours, and same thing. It starts fine when cold, and if it’s been less than five minutes since the last run. Battery was 100% topped off (been on a tender since I’ve been electrolyzing with it all week, and it cranks happily for a long time). Bike has no fuel pump, and the carbs were serviced a month ago (I don’t think it is fuel; it just doesn’t act like it’s starved). Air filter is freshly cleaned and oiled. The bike does not have points, it has DC CDI ignition and a pulse generator (I haven’t worked on these and don’t totally know what they mean/do but can guess). I’m assuming it’s the coils; they’re probably original with 60k miles and 30 years on them. The coils sit right above the air-cooled engine so I imagine the 100C-140C engine temp that I usually run at wears on them. The primary coil resistance was 10% higher than spec, and secondary coil+plugwires were 20% and 30% higher than spec. I’ve got new coils and wires coming Monday but if that’s not it can anyone think of backup plans I should try? Edit: the plugs have only 12k miles but I’ll change them at the same time while I’m there. Ulf fucked around with this message at 20:39 on May 7, 2023 |
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May 7, 2023 19:53
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The engine was at 60C so I didn’t choke at all. Or maybe I did when getting desperate towards the end but I had 1/3 or 1/2 throttle going at the same time so it hardly matters. (The bike has CV carbs and the choke has little/no effect outside of the idle range as far as I can tell).
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May 7, 2023 20:38
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Great, I’ll give that a shot tomorrow. Still going to change coils first since they’re so old anyway, even if they’re not the problem it’ll be good to have a second pair handy. Yeah, the carbs would make sense since I did them so recently, though I have to wonder what I did wrong to an entire rack of four carbs to cause this. (I did change all four float needles, so that feels likeliest to me. Maybe they’re not right or not sealing right?) Edit: since this is so repeatable I can also test by switching my petcock to “off” Ulf fucked around with this message at 21:19 on May 7, 2023 |
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May 7, 2023 21:10
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Makes sense. I’ll confirm by turning the petcock off and seeing if that works around the problem. I don’t think it’s the pilot jet since I didn’t remove or change them (I left the carbs racked and you can’t even turn the pilot without removing a rack rail or the screw caps, since they interfere by design). Wrong float needles lines up nicely to explain it. Good to know about bad coils’ behavior while the engine is running, that convinces me and I’ll leave them alone. I’d gotten the idea for googling for symptoms and a lot of lists laid out a scenario where the heat of the engine would temporarily knock them out. Edit: oh wait, I have a vacuum petcock. Hmm. I’ll check the spark tomorrow and that’ll tell me if it’s fuel or spark at least. Ulf fucked around with this message at 03:18 on May 8, 2023 |
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May 7, 2023 21:29
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I think other than 3-4 well known ones like the head pat, you need to pre-arrange with riders that you ride with. Like if you’re on a long ride together, you’ll want to pre-arrange something for “stupid loving Sena stopped working”. Something that’s never in that chart linked above and which I find useful is smacking my helmet once on the side to say “oops I’m an idiot” when I screw up in a benign way. Like if I realize I left my signal on and some car was held up passing me. At least the cars seem to get a kick out of it.
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May 21, 2023 17:34
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On bicycles we use a product called a “boot” (or literally a folded dollar bill in a pinch) to cover a hole in a tire from something the size of a screw, otherwise the tube will just burst through it due to running at 100+ psi. Is there nothing like this on a motorcycle? I’ve never run tubed tires on a motorbike.
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Jun 2, 2023 21:24
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