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Yes, kickstart springs do break sometimes.
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Nov 3, 2008 08:37
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TheFonz posted:How do I store carburetors? I took the two off my RD while I decide how to build it and they are going to sit for about 6 months unused. What steps can I take to make sure they weather the winter fine? VM Carburators are quite happy to be stored dry. You don't even need to really protect them. You may consider a plastic bag to keep bugs out. CV carbs need a little more care so their diaprhams don't dry out, but that takes years, not weeks. As for the gas tank. There's nothing better at keeping the inside of a gas tank fresh, than gasoline vapor. If that's out of the question, Fog the inside of the tank with WD-40 and swish it around. Cap the tank, and consider it fine for the winter. If that doesn't suit you ;-) swish the inside of your gas tank with oil.
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Nov 6, 2008 10:20
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TheFonz posted:How dangerous is it to sand and paint with gas vapors in the tank? I like my gas tanks not kaboomed. Perfectly safe. Gasoline is much harder to make kaboom than people think. A tank completely full of vapor will not explode. Period. No o2, no boom. Also you're not generating sparks when you're sanding. Now when you're painting... your paint is flammable.... I'd worry more about the potential flamethrower you're holding rather than any gasoline vapors in the tank.
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Nov 6, 2008 19:16
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Zenaida posted:So you're saying GP bikes have dry clutches? Do racers put dry clutches on bikes that had wet clutches originally? Yes. Sometimes they do. The early GSX-R750R's had dry clutches, while the normal GSX-R750's had wet clutches. There are conversion kits for lots of bikes too. Dry clutches have the singular advantage of not being bathed in oil. That means you're not blowing horsepower slinging oil off the clutch. That's also their disadvantage. Oil bathed clutches wear less. They stay cooler. They are quieter. They have one less oil seal to worry about. Wet clutches rule. :-) Edit: I forgot one last thing about dry clutches. By not being oily, they can be smaller. Smaller clutches have less rotating weight. Less rotating weight means faster acceleration. Nerobro fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Nov 6, 2008 |
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Nov 6, 2008 20:01
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Z3n posted:I've seen GSX-R1100s with dry clutches. I don't think it shows gain for most racers, though. Why replace it with a dry clutch when you could put a slipper on there instead? 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?
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Nov 6, 2008 20:32
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shaitan posted:What should you do during a lowslide? Hug the tank with your legs and let go with your hands until you hit the ground then let go of your legs? Should you just relax and let everything go? Really, you won't have time to think about this. IF you do have time, just relax.
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Nov 10, 2008 02:48
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Bugdrvr posted:What kind of issues (if any) would I run into by running a rear shock upside down? Modern shocks are pressurized. That means they leak a little, instead of get air bubbles inside of them. You can run them upside down without any problems. To mount a GSXR shock on a 83-86 550 you need to run it upside down. Skreemer has done that for a couple years now.
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Nov 11, 2008 03:00
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It's the exact same as repairing a dent on a car. Depending on the dent, it can be pulled. If you're not fond of bondo, that's what will need to happen, and it will still need body filler afterwords. The tone of the post makes me think you dropped a friends bike. What's the story here. If that's the case, it's best to let the pros handle it. A new tank is $3-500, but you can double check that on www.bikebandit.com Let that be your guide when you get quotes for the bodywork.
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Nov 12, 2008 13:17
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Leaves are my worst enemy. I can competently ride my bike in snow. I can even handle some ice. Leaves? They are the devil. To the point I have chosen not to ride the last week or so due to so much leaf matter on the streets.
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Nov 12, 2008 19:08
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Lord Zuthulu posted:Cut out some cardboard in the shape you want then cover it with some fiberglass cloth and slather on the resin. Never tried this, just talking out of my rear end, but fiberglass repair kits are cheap from hardware stores. Actually this is a fair answer. Fiberglass is fun stuff to play with. :-) If you're really smart, you'll find someone with good covers, and ask to take molds. That is one of my projects this winter for my GS550. Left side GS550 covers are super rare. AS for the 2 stroke stuff.. whatever site covers your particular bike. Or here.
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Nov 14, 2008 19:34
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Phat_Albert posted:Anyone know how to rewind a 6v stator to make it 12V? Is this even possible? ya know... you ask like "I" won't be the one to respond. Yes, it's possible. Easy even. You just put twice as many turns on the stator. You'll need to go with smaller gauge wire, and we'll need to take a guess as to what will be correct on that. FluffGrenade posted:How does one go about making a mold? Do I get a bunch of clay and shove the cover into it?
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Nov 14, 2008 21:08
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it's really that easy. I don't think you'll get any more wattage out of the system, but you'll get the higher voltage.
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Nov 14, 2008 23:42
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Sounds to me like you may just need a new battery.
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Nov 16, 2008 02:29
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Spartak posted:How do people handle switching to reserve while in motion? Quite honestly this has never been a problem for me. However I do think It was one of the things I practiced in my head before I had a motorcycle. It was something that worried me. You can always practice moving the switch while the bike is in motion. If you switch to reserve when you don't need to, it doesn't affect the bike at all. So do it at will. I can't recommend Z3n's method, because if you screw up, you're really screwed. At least if you can't figure out switching the petcock on the roll, you're just stranded on the side of the road, instead of "I ain't getting to a gas station" Though, yes, you should always be aware of your odometer reading, and your theoretical range. When a bike is running out of gas, you do get quite a bit of warning. I get 5-10 miles on every one of my bikes. when the fuel level gets really low, fuel pressure drops. This means float levels drop. So the bike runs a little lean. And it gives lean signals. On my 1980, each carb runs out of fuel separately, so i get lots of "this is your last chance" warnings too. I know you're running a twin, so when one cylinder goes dry your power drops off 70% or more. Blah blah blah, lots of words. What this comes down to is it sounds like you're not comfortable enough on your bike yet. Nothing should cause you to be making GBS threads bricks. It may be time to consider spending less time in traffic, and more time getting comfortable with the bike. If you're running around in traffic, you should be comfortable enough to take a hand off the bars. Checking your petcock position shouldn't be a panic thing. Even if you don't know where it is. To use the "dollar" analogy. It sounds like you're spending your whole dollar riding the bike, not leaving enough change to deal with new stuff. That's worrying.
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Nov 16, 2008 13:25
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Z3n posted:If I were riding a bike with no idiot lights, then yeah, I'd probably leave it on. *snip* The CB200 I can pop the tank and look in, same with the dirtbikes, so I'd just eyeball it there. Z3n posted:I must be paranoid, because I keep track of that stuff. Simkin posted:That's kinda what I was hoping. It's far too much fun to have different bikes to ride every once in a while to leave them sitting unloved in a corner for the winter. Z3n posted:Normal, and yes, a new gasket is in order. You could probably carefully patch it up with a small amount of RTV if you're lazy. But if it will get you going again.. sometimes it's worth using it. If you do an install right, RTV is not needed. When you get your new gasket. Rub grease on it before you install it. That will ensure you can remove it if you need to. I know people using the same cardboard valve cover gasket for the last 20 years with that trick. :-)
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Nov 17, 2008 04:33
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Foam? Rip those off. Buy new grips. Foam = pain. Foam = dirty hands. Foam = cramped hands. Go buy some gel, or standard grips. As long as they're sticky, you'll like them. Buying parts from the dealer is a good plan. Alternatively bikebandit is a good choice.
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Nov 17, 2008 05:28
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LOLLERZ posted:I found a dirt bike on Craigslist, no title, "lost" key. Asked for the VIN and he said it's 9C6CG043110005988, which doesn't appear to be stolen in anything online. Or is it not really a dirtbike. Is it an enduro?
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Nov 18, 2008 19:09
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LOLLERZ posted:Oh ok. Gnaghi posted:What is the consensus on oil changes in the winter? My manual says every 5000 miles overall but I've heard that if you ride in cold weather it should be changed sooner, as soon as 1500 miles in some cases?
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Nov 18, 2008 21:33
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Anyone have a recommended set of gel or standard 7/8" grips, say <$50 which rock?
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Nov 19, 2008 19:04
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goku chewbacca posted:Anybody tried driving a heavy bike up and down stairs? I'd like to get my '78 GS1000 into my basement under its own power without breaking the stairs. Handle bars scrapes and wall damage are a non issue. Any thoughts about wood stairs supporting a 500lb+ bike? This is something I've done several times. First off... No. You won't get it up under it's own power. The stairs aren't wide enough, and with the engine running, you will get roasted. Also the exhaust will be a problem. And fuel issues. You want the bike drained of gas before you even think about bringing it inside. I have a photo essay of how to do this... I've done it several times with GS550's. I'll post that tonight. It's only about 1/3 as hard as you're making it out to be. But there are lots of things you should know first. Keep in mind that three people is 600lbs. Stairs can handle 500lbs without blinking. DO NOT DO THIS until we go through the lessons Skreemer and i learned. TapTheForwardAssist posted:EDIT: All their graphics helmets are uber-lame. Is there any good AI thread or article in adding your own graphics with reflective paint (ignoring resale value)? Can I just get some high-viz reflective paint and have a friend cover a black helmet in white Arabic calligraphy? Helmets have no resale value. Paint them however you like. I recomend stickers though. 3m retroreflective tape lets you do some neat stuff. Also, more expensive helmets aren't any safer. They just tend to do the "nice" things better. That is, they tend to be more quiet, visors fit better, they often have washable liners. And you can be assured long term parts support. Nerobro fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Nov 19, 2008 |
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Nov 19, 2008 21:10
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dietcokefiend posted:Build a ramp and use lots of rope for going down and up. Pretensioning the front brake might also help out a lot going down. It will still move but the bikes weight will be less on the ropes or your arms.
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Nov 20, 2008 03:03
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goku chewbacca posted:*basement bike* Getting the bike down, is the easy part. But it still needs three people. Really you have two options. Going down, so long as you have no quams about hurting your bike, you can just walk the bike to the stairs, and walk it over the edge. Your exhaust pipes will touch down. If you have the stock pipes, the GS will actually balance on them. You'll need your friends to help you with this, as if you don't keep control of the bike it will go careening down the stairs. That's ungood. Once you have the bike tipped over the top of the stairs, the front brake will hold the bike, and you can walk the bike down using the front brake. ... Providing you can get around the bike to do that. Definitely have friends on hand. When we did it, I was in front of the bike, and Skreemer and Terminal Err, were holding the bike back with a rope through the rear shock mounts. Once the bike was tipped over the first step, and slid down till the back tire reached the top of the first step, it worked out just fine. Now if you LIKE your bike. You'll either strap the bike to a peice of plywood and put the bike into the basement the same way as you'll get it out, or remove the exhaust and know you'll have to retouch the paint under the frame tubes. So here's your materials.  What you see there is a sheet of 4x8 plywood ripped to 1" narrower than a door frame. You see four tiedown straps. And a length of soft rope. Now in the following picutres, you'll see the bike switch from a 1983 to a 1980 GS550E a couple times. Skreemer and I both moved our bikes out the same night. Starting off, here's the Preped plywood. We used two 1" diameter holes at the "front" and I put 1/2" holes at the edges near the front and back to tie down the bike.  Here's the completed sled. With the rope strung, and the tie down straps in place. We used one tiedown strap to each handlebar, one over the rear tire, and one tiedown strap going from the front edge of the sled, to a peg to handle the rearward loading. That load is right at the upper limit of the tiedown straps, so I'd recomend using two straps from the front of the sled to the back, just to be safe. It is important that the rope goes UNDER the sled. That stops the edge of hte sled catching the treads.  To get the bikes through the door, we had to remove the door.  This is the view from the top.  Here's the rig ready to go. With Skreemers bike on board. The front to back strap is on the other side of the sled.  And here's hte view from the top, with my bike on the sled. Those ropes are the key.  Here's our tow vehicle. Yes, we used a Saturn Vue to haul the bikes out on this occasion. At a later date we've done it with two able bodied people. This time we were also hauling two complete bikes out of the basement.  Up he goes. As the bike goes up, keep care, and pay close attention to headroom. Once the bike crests the top of the stairs, it's going to tip quickly.  Skreemer guiding my 80 up the stairs as I very slowly tow the sled up with the Vue.  I didn't get any shots of unloading the bike from the sled. But here's the aftermath. The sled would fit through the doors, however, with the tiedown straps on the sled, it wouldn't fit through the door.  The sled works both ways. We've used it to move bikes missing forks and other bits into the basement. Oh yes, those black marks on the carpet, are from sliding the exhaust along the carpet on the way into the basement... Yeah, don't do that. Nerobro fucked around with this message at 04:13 on Nov 20, 2008 |
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Nov 20, 2008 03:55
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is your sidestand down? IIRC kawasaki's have neutral cutout switches. As long as the sidestand is down (or the bike think's it is down) the bike will not run in gear. Pick the sidestand up, and try it again.
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Nov 21, 2008 19:50
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You can find bar end mirrors. There are also riser blocks for the stock mirror stalks.
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Nov 23, 2008 00:31
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Um... if you needed full choke to start. It wasn't rich. Colder air is denser, making the lean condition worse. This starting problem began with a weak battery, and now is a dead battery. Jump start the bike. Despite being lean, it should still start. Rebuilding carbs rarely makes them leaner, it will only make them richer. Which you seem to indicate you need. Now, DO NOT take the individual carbs off the rails, do NOT touch the sync adjuster screws. it just leads to pain.
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Nov 24, 2008 01:15
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relaxzguy posted:I have a battery charger, I tried to start it with a fully charged, room temperature battery. No dice. I can't push start it either, which I used to be able to do before without a problem.*snip* There are multiple circuits in a bike carburator. it's entirely possable that your bike is rich on the needles and or top end, and the pilot circuits could be wildly lean. Clean your mixture screws and pilot jets.
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Nov 24, 2008 02:59
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relaxzguy posted:Thanks a lot for your help. I've got a bucket of parts dip, but I'd have to take everything apart pretty thoroughly for that. After that I guess I would have to sync them and adjust the mixture screws? Is that worth the thorough cleaning? I asked the previous owner if they'd ever been cleaned and he said that they probably hadn't. If I clean everything out and put it back together, then take it to a shop to get them synced and tuned, does anyone have an idea how much that would cost for a 4 carb bike? That does not mean you can't throughly clean the carbs. It's not like a holly hwere there's a million hidden passages that just will never get clean. Actually, you know what? This has come up three times in the last day. I'll post an article tomorrow on how to clean motorcycle carburators. Do not dip them. You will regret it. The spray cleaner is very, very good at this. But you can't just "aim and pray" you need to clean the parts that need cleaning. If you have the dip, that can be useful, just don't dip the carb bodies. The needles, main jet, needle jet, pilot screw, pilot jet... those can all be tossed in the basket and let soak. I'll make the tutorial tomorrow. :-)
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Nov 24, 2008 05:03
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I made promises, here's that thread. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3017242 It will be edited in the future to add a few more useful pictures.
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Nov 24, 2008 16:36
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dietcokefiend posted:What is the opinion on installing a hid kit on a motorcycle? It's a wildly bad idea. most "HID" kits are just bright looking, they are not actually bight. Here's what you need to do. Go buy some high power H4 builbs. They are "normally" 50/55w or 50/60w. You can get 65/100w bulbs. That's what I do. And.. old bulbs are dimmer. You can also install a headlight relay, which runs power directly from the battery to the lights, instead of going through the handlebar controls.
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Nov 26, 2008 06:27
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The answer is still no. I've never seen a housing that can't handle the 100w bulbs. Any HID kit that fits in the existing housing won't have the same light pattern. They only end up making you anoying to other drivers. It's safer to be invisable, than to piss off people.
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Nov 26, 2008 06:45
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You're focusing to much on displacement. The honda 250's are pretty weak. The kawasaki EX250 makes more than 30hp. If you manage to find a 2 stroke 250, you're talking anything from 40-60hp. Displacement lies. Your first bike should be something between 30 and 70hp. There's lots of motorcycles in that range. I'm not so fond of the honda 250 twins. They're only about 16 horsepower. There's a lot of fun to be had on one, but it's not enough for a first bike. If you need another way of looking at it, you need a bike that will easily do 90mph. If a bike's top speed is more than 120mph, it's time to think about choosing a different bike. The CB450 is a fair choice. I wasn't that fond of the one I rode, but there's a lot of reasons behind that. :-)
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Nov 29, 2008 10:30
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Slimy Hog posted:Thanks, I will try to get a hold of the top speed info on the bikes I'm looking at. You can always run your options by us if you are unsure. Since the early 70's, just about anything that's available is a useful bike. What have you found lately? What's your budget? If you have $2-3k, you more or less have your pick of bikes.
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Nov 29, 2008 10:47
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When was the last time you lubed your chain?
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Nov 29, 2008 21:16
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Your carbs need to be cleaned. Likely the previous owner turned up the idle speed to cover the carb issue. Otherwise you have an intake leak. Neither is difficult to fix. It is NOT your throttle cable. REplacing your kill switch will cost you $30. I recomend doing so. It's not vital, but if your throttle cable does get stuck. Or something else prevents your butterflys from closing, you will be having an exceedingly bad day without a kill switch. Yes the clutch will disengage the motor, no, it doesn't stop the motor. If the throttle is stuck open, and you use the clutch to stop the bike, you motor will over rev and either break some valves, or break other major components.
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Nov 29, 2008 21:21
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you said high idle, not "doens't idle well" so an intake leak is quite unlikely. However, to fix one, you find out where it is (by spraying something flammable after the carb, but before the head..) and see which side causes the rpms to go up. the flamable material causes the mixture to become more correct, so the rpms go up. Once you've determined which side the leak is from, you replace the parts that are leaking. You said it won't run without choke. I still bet it's a clogged pilot circuit. Cleaning the carbs is free. Buying new intake boots and clamps is a $30-70 dollar procedure. Even if I'm wrong, cleaning the carbs is a good idea.
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Nov 29, 2008 22:34
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No, it's nothing to be concerned about. It's just the reality of modern engines having to comply to emissions.
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Dec 2, 2008 21:02
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it's just fine. you don't need the full octane rating unless you're running full throttle.
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Dec 3, 2008 05:11
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Experience tells me.. if you can get by without a dynojet kit. DO SO. Their kits ruin many of the advantages of a good carb (which you have..) to make their kits easy to build for new models
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Dec 3, 2008 20:53
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n8r posted:Trust me I'm a cheap bastard but after my research it was clear that a real jet kit was the way to go.
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Dec 4, 2008 01:51
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| # ¿ May 16, 2024 10:12 |
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it's apt to burn out hte packing in your exhaust. Otherwise? it just looks cool
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Dec 4, 2008 02:08
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