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20 days left of license suspension, might as well do the loving fork seals. When I tried this before, the problem was I couldn't get the upper leg out because I couldn't get the bolt at the bottom off. It's the one that holds the damper rod in place. This time I thought I'd give it a go with the forks in place. The triple tree keeps it clamped into place while the spring force provides some friction against the damper rod.  But, as the UJM chorus goes, the bolts are made of lukewarm butter and are rounded and hopeless to get out. Can I drill them out? Any other tips appreciated, going to crosspost this over at thegsresources to tap that hivemind as well. I'm a lonely wolf with leaking fork seals. 
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Jul 25, 2010 18:47
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So the temp gauge on my 07 ktm 690 are just bars that go from low to high. When I'm cruising around it sits right at the middle. If I get stuck idling at a stop light it goes up to 3/4 or so. If I'm riding hard or trail riding and going up hills it pretty muh goes goes even higer and sometimes to max. Is that normal? It worries me because there's no actual number just bars.
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Jul 25, 2010 18:47
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quote:Freedom rebellion style & cubicles Is it OK to laugh? I feel like laughing. Christoff posted:Is that normal? It worries me because there's no actual number just bars. You are fine, if you get to the very last bar and the fan is spinning away and it's not getting better, give the bike a break or get moving but I've never had it overheat. I have had it boil over and out from the top which had come a bit loose over time. SO make sure your cap is tight. FlerpNerpin fucked around with this message at 18:54 on Jul 25, 2010 |
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Jul 25, 2010 18:50
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Endless Mike posted:Unless Harley did something I don't know about, springer front ends are super old school design. Retuning isn't much more than "buy Power Commander with fuel map, plug in." The 1942 WLA. If German intelligence had seized the scientists responsible for this advanced spring technology, the war would have had a very different outcome indeed. 
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Jul 25, 2010 19:03
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Ola posted:20 days left of license suspension, might as well do the loving fork seals. You're gonna need some kind of impact to get that off. Which ones have you tried so far? Barring that, I just ebay new forks when poo poo like that happens, because you can spend hours getting soft metal bolts out and hours trying to put it back together, or you can just spend 40$ on forks from ebay and be done with it. (Not sure how cheap forks are going to be in your area though). Endless Mike posted:Unless Harley did something I don't know about, springer front ends are super old school design. Retuning isn't much more than "buy Power Commander with fuel map, plug in." Springer front ends are ancient tech. You're gonna need a shop with a dyno and a decent tech to properly tune a PC, although the stock maps are usually alright. Alastor posted:Let me rephrase. Not to be a dick about it or anything, but you need to start getting your info on bike tech from somewhere besides the harley dealership and marketing brochure. That springer front end is going to handle worse than even the basic cartridge fork front end that comes standard on harleys. And there's a point where you have to learn what you can and can't do...changing pipes and doing it properly is going to require shop time on a dyno, so be prepared to spend. Or you can have a go at it with a powercommander with the stock map. Alastor posted:What Doctor Zero said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlZ4ONTb9i0 holy crap did he write that himself? It could come straight from the teat of willie g
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Jul 25, 2010 19:24
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Z3n posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlZ4ONTb9i0 I'm so loving pumped up right now
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Jul 25, 2010 19:28
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Ola posted:But, as the UJM chorus goes, the bolts are made of lukewarm butter and are rounded and hopeless to get out. Could you drill a slit across the head, transforming it into a regular flat head screw? You should at least be able to fit an impact driver in the slit and get it out.
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Jul 25, 2010 19:35
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Z3n posted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izzlN2zC8PU
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Jul 25, 2010 19:38
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Z3n posted:You're gonna need some kind of impact to get that off. Which ones have you tried so far? Barring that, I just ebay new forks when poo poo like that happens, because you can spend hours getting soft metal bolts out and hours trying to put it back together, or you can just spend 40$ on forks from ebay and be done with it. (Not sure how cheap forks are going to be in your area though). New forks is not an option I'm afraid. Right now I'm closest to the Palin option of "drill baby drill", but not sure if this will actually separate the head from the bolt without drilling into the fork itself. When I drill holes I don't want to harm any of the area around. Either on my forks or in my life.
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Jul 25, 2010 19:42
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Can I put Valvoline SM rated 10-40 into my SM400? I just need to top it off. The manual says this: API........|JASO SF or SG | - SH or SJ | MA
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Jul 25, 2010 19:56
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Does it say energy conserving in the API bubble? The only concern is with energy conserving oils and wet clutches, besides that for topping off, oil is oil.
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Jul 25, 2010 19:58
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Here we go, the bolt in question is #27 on the parts fiche. Looks like I should be able to decapitate it with a drill bit slightly wider than the hex hole.
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Jul 25, 2010 19:59
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I'd try cutting a slot in it and breaking it loose with a hammer and punch that way. I don't know if yours is going to be threaded all the way through or not, it might be but I'm not entirely sure.
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Jul 25, 2010 20:01
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What if you drill into it with a drill that's slightly smaller than the bolt?
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Jul 25, 2010 20:02
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Hey guys, new rider, first bike, and some questions. I've had my 03 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 for about 3 months now. 1. I had a hell of a time getting the bike started today after riding for 15 minutes, stopping for lunch for about 20, and trying to start it again after. Choke out, bike in neutral, plenty of gas (and the valve was on, of course). I could hear the starter trying, but it just wouldn't turn the engine. This isn't the first time its happened, though this instance was the longest it took to finally start (3-4 minutes). It always starts right up in the morning. 2. Are the random popping noises coming out of my exhaust (presumably) while I'm compression-braking normal? I usually only hear them at sub-30mph speeds. On the highway I hear a much more normal sound while compression braking, with no pops. 3. Twice now while downshifting, once from 2 to 1, and once from 3 to 2, I guess the gears didn't engage fully and there was a startling grinding sound. If I remove pressure to the shifter with my foot the noise goes away, and if I then apply a more concentrated and firm pressure it downshifts fine. Is this something serious, or was I just being too gentle with the shifter without realizing it? I'm really enjoying motorcycling. My confidence levels and skill have improved tremendously since the MSF class and first few weeks of owning the bike in March and April. I started taking it on the highway for the first time to work just this week. I had been really nervous about it, but it wasn't hard at all. I've even passed people! I'm planning on taking my first real long trip next weekend, about 6 hours of riding each way. Anything I should check or do to the bike before then, keeping in mind it was last serviced in April and has about 1000 new miles on it since then?
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Jul 25, 2010 20:31
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Z3n posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlZ4ONTb9i0 I believe in huge markups on old technology I believe in the individuality of having the same bike as 200,000 other people I believe in wearing an aluminum foil "helmet" I believe in getting a bee in my sleeveless shirt I believe that I act like a normal human until I have 5 buddies with me I believe my tribal tat makes me an individual You better believe I have a magnaflow on my truck You better believe my trailer cost exceeds my bikes You better believe I have a loving moustache
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Jul 25, 2010 20:42
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Well, I'm committed to drilling now, at least on the left fork leg. Found a bit that is slightly smaller in diameter than the allen head, just need to charge the drill battery some more. Once it comes through it should allow to bolt to simply slide up along with the damper rod. Unless the hole in the fork is threaded, in which case I am so hosed.  The Bramble posted:Hey guys, new rider, first bike, and some questions. 1. With choke out, do you mean choke off? It should not require choke unless it's actually cold outside. If the engine has cooled down to ambient temps on a summer day it should start fine with normal fuelling. You say you hear the starter trying but not turning the engine...just to make sure, that would mean the starter going whiiiiirrrrrr like an electric drill without the chugga chugga chugga sounds of normal starting. If the starter is spinning the engine but the engine isn't firing, it could be a number of causes. Low battery can be one, but that usually means you don't eventually get it started. Next time it happens, try opening the gas cap and listen for a psssccht noise. That means the tank isn't vented properly and a vacuum inside it causes fuel starvation. Needs more details I think. 2. It's normal on a lot of bikes, with the throttle closed and at a relatively high rpm (albeit descending, like under engine braking) the mixture is very lean and a lean mix often causes slight backfiring. Also very common with aftermarket pipes, but can also be a symptom of clogged passages in the carbs. Or maybe your's is fuel injected, I don't know. 3. Your clutch might need a bit of adjustment, but since it only has happened twice I suspect it's the technique that requries adjustment.  Be firm on the lever.As for your long trip, check the condition of the tires (tread, age), lube the chain, check the oil and enjoy!
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Jul 25, 2010 20:49
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The Bramble posted:Hey guys, new rider, first bike, and some questions. I've had my 03 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 for about 3 months now. The Bramble posted:2. Are the random popping noises coming out of my exhaust (presumably) while I'm compression-braking normal? I usually only hear them at sub-30mph speeds. On the highway I hear a much more normal sound while compression braking, with no pops. The Bramble posted:3. Twice now while downshifting, once from 2 to 1, and once from 3 to 2, I guess the gears didn't engage fully and there was a startling grinding sound. If I remove pressure to the shifter with my foot the noise goes away, and if I then apply a more concentrated and firm pressure it downshifts fine. Is this something serious, or was I just being too gentle with the shifter without realizing it? The Bramble posted:I'm really enjoying motorcycling. My confidence levels and skill have improved tremendously since the MSF class and first few weeks of owning the bike in March and April. I started taking it on the highway for the first time to work just this week. I had been really nervous about it, but it wasn't hard at all. I've even passed people! I'm planning on taking my first real long trip next weekend, about 6 hours of riding each way. Anything I should check or do to the bike before then, keeping in mind it was last serviced in April and has about 1000 new miles on it since then? edit: Sup 'same advice buddy' Ola?  Also, why did your license get suspended?
Fantastipotamus fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Jul 25, 2010 |
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Jul 25, 2010 20:51
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Fantastipotamus posted:
CA hivemind represent Because I was speeding a bit.
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Jul 25, 2010 20:59
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Ola posted:20 days left of license suspension, might as well do the loving fork seals. Don't rush into drilling it, get a set of torx head drivers, hammer in the one thats a good tight fit and hit it with an impact driver. I had this exact problem on my bandit.
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Jul 25, 2010 21:10
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Z3n posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlZ4ONTb9i0 Another dumb question: I tore up an old grip getting it off. The throttle sleeve thing has flange things on each end, and the stock grip is molded to fit over them. The new grips don't have matching molds. Should I force the new ones over the stock sleeve, shave off the flange things, or find grips designed for this bike's throttle? Edit: I know any of those options will work, I'm wondering what most people's plan would be. Mr. Eric Praline fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Jul 25, 2010 |
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Jul 25, 2010 21:18
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echomadman posted:Don't rush into drilling it Wooops At least the right fork leg is still undrilled. The left one has a rather big hole in it now, but not all the way through yet as the battery ran out. But good tip on the torx, I'll go for that if drilling doesn't work. Bolts will have to be replaced anyway.
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Jul 25, 2010 21:18
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Ola posted:1. With choke out, do you mean choke off? It should not require choke unless it's actually cold outside.  when they said to use the choke "if the engine is cold" in the class, I thought that meant ambient temp. As in, cold compared to how hot it's gonna get after its been running a while. I just went out and tested it now that the engine was at ambient temperature. Choke off, it started immediately. Turn it off, choke on, and it wouldn't start, made the same noises it did in the parking lot (the whiiiir sound with a few chuggas that never 'catch'). I'd been using the choke since I got the bike working with that faulty assumption. I only just now looked at what my manual had to say about it, and sure enough, no choke if its warmer than 50 out...Not my first dumb newbie mistake, probably not the last! quote:2. It's normal on a lot of bikes, with the throttle closed and at a relatively high rpm (albeit descending, like under engine braking) the mixture is very lean and a lean mix often causes slight backfiring. Also very common with aftermarket pipes, but can also be a symptom of clogged passages in the carbs. Or maybe your's is fuel injected, I don't know. It has carbs. I just remembered now that a previous owner had drilled the baffles out of the stock pipes the bike uses. Anyway, I didn't think it was anything serious, thanks for confirming. Thanks a lot for the feedback guys. Learning about how motorcycles work is a goal of mine, but right now it's just an arcane machine that sometimes makes funnier noises than it usually does.
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Jul 25, 2010 21:22
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I'm doing a 2 week moto trip thru vietnam with a buddy in a couple months. I'm thinking it would be handy to have a motorcycle intercom thing like this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/2-x-Motorcycle-...27b35c2e79#shId I like this one because its cheap. Does anyone here have any experience with the offbrand ebay kit? I figure that it should be 'alright' as it likely shares the main components with name brand ones, and as long as it kinda works I'll be happy. We're gonna be riding through strange cities with bad traffic so I figure it would be handy if we got separated by lights or something.
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Jul 25, 2010 21:22
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Z3n posted:
"We believe the machine you sit on can tell the world exactly where you stand." I immediately thought of Clooney's chair scene in Burn After Reading.
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Jul 25, 2010 22:02
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Endless Mike posted:Unless Harley did something I don't know about, springer front ends are super old school design. Come on. Be fair. Old school design, but these aren't the same Springers that were running around in 1945 either. quote:Retuning isn't much more than "buy Power Commander with fuel map, plug in." If you say so. Currently I have a full warranty though, and like I said, I'm not up to speed on bike tech.
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Jul 25, 2010 23:13
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Yeah at least it seems to have a damper unit and not just a spring dampened by massive weight. But it's a pretty far cry from dual rate, fully adjustable cartridges. I'd hold out with the tune if I were you, see if you can find someone who has done it already and posted a dyno chart. If they haven't got a dyno jpeg, they will obviously claim it feels quicker as that is what everyone who has ever done anything to their exhaust or fuelling claims. Butt dynos detect poo poo. A lot of bikes of any marque get louder pipes and a new tune, mostly it just adds sound and removes lean backfiring but then again a lot of bikes has a weak mid range tune from the factory to pass emissions.
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Jul 25, 2010 23:28
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Ola posted:Yeah at least it seems to have a damper unit and not just a spring dampened by massive weight. But it's a pretty far cry from dual rate, fully adjustable cartridges. The dealer's going to do it for me for free. I might ask them for a dyno on the bike before/after. Would that suffice to show me the real difference?
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Jul 25, 2010 23:38
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Ola posted:Yeah at least it seems to have a damper unit and not just a spring dampened by massive weight. But it's a pretty far cry from dual rate, fully adjustable cartridges. Actually, the problem with the butt dyno is that it's easily spoofed. If you even out the flat spots in the rev range the bike "feels" slower because it doesn't hit as hard as it climbs out of the hole. My 929 felt faster because adding an aftermarket exhaust caused a huge leanspot at 4k which it would come out of at around 6k and lift the front wheel off the ground when it did. If the bike made power more smoothly, the front end would stay on the ground but it wouldn't be "OMG NOW IT WHEELIES LIKE KARAAZY!".
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Jul 25, 2010 23:44
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Alastor posted:The dealer's going to do it for me for free. If they do it, sweet! If not, hey it's free, why not go for it anyway?
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Jul 26, 2010 00:01
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IMO there are many aspects to the butt dyno. I leaned out my KLR on the needle and it felt much better, and while power MAY be slightly down overall, it also meant as it goes onto the main jet the rate of change of acceleration increases. 1. Position 2. Velocity (speed) 3. Acceleration (rate of change of speed; e.g., going from 25mph to 50mph in 5 seconds at partial throttle, or 25mph to 50mph in 3 seconds at full throttle) 4. Jerk (rate of change of acceleration; e.g., going from 5mph/s acceleration to 8.3mph/s in 2 seconds as you twist the throttle) So if you reduce partial throttle acceleration, you can actually produce a more interesting bike in that the rate of change of acceleration is increased MORE as you change throttle position. IANAM, I could be full of poo poo, but god drat if it isn't fun to try to explain something using the third derivative of position. MotoMind fucked around with this message at 00:09 on Jul 26, 2010 |
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Jul 26, 2010 00:06
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I don't have a very good butt dyno, but more of a butt nervous passenger. "Oh god what was that sound? Is it the valves? The chain? Probably nothing...did the steering just go abit loose? Or perhaps tight? I wonder how my air pressures are doing. Oh god maybe something is leaki..WHAT was THAT"
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Jul 26, 2010 00:11
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Ola posted:I don't have a very good butt dyno, but more of a butt nervous passenger. "Oh god what was that sound? Is it the valves? The chain? Probably nothing...did the steering just go abit loose? Or perhaps tight? I wonder how my air pressures are doing. Oh god maybe something is leaki..WHAT was THAT" Just add more fiber in your diet, it'll be fine.
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Jul 26, 2010 00:48
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The Bramble posted:Hey guys, new rider, first bike, and some questions. I've had my 03 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 for about 3 months now. Gothy? :p Long time no see, I just start riding too. 
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Jul 26, 2010 02:28
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 Ok, got the fork off and the remains of the bolt is not stuck to the bottom of it so the innards slide freely. But it stops, seemingly metal to metal when I try to pull the top out. The spring, damper rod and rebound spring is out.  Is it just a matter of applying rage and violence to pull the top out? Like the oil seal is the piece holding it back? Or am I smashing some of the remaining parts in the bottom against a lip at the top, ruining it in the process? edit: Don't actually have the damper rod out, it's the other tube that the spring seats to. Ola fucked around with this message at 10:44 on Jul 26, 2010 |
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Jul 26, 2010 10:08
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I've been having some issues with my 2006 EX-250. About 90% of the time, it starts fine and gets me to where I need to go without any issues. But occasionally for reasons I can't determine, the engine will just randomly stall within a block or so of leaving. Like I'll stop at a stop sign, clutch pulled in and watch the RPMs just gradually drop downward until nothing. I've managed to keep it running sometimes by noticing the engine dying and rolling the throttle open, which seems to "jump start" it back to life and it doesn't give me any issues after that. But other times it'll stall and I have a hell of a time getting it started again. The engine will be cranking but not turning over. I'll play with the choke and the throttle while hitting the starter and it just won't turn over. Then something magical will happen that I can't determine and it'll just start up again. It has only happened when I'm just heading out for the day, when the engine hasn't gotten hot. Today it happened while I was cruising in second gear; I just suddenly lost the engine. The oil pressure light was on and the engine was stalled as I was coasting. Anyone have any ideas? I bought it with 4300 miles, it's at 6,000 now. Since I've bought it, I've only synchronized the carbs and changed the plugs as far as internal maintenance. This problem has happened both before and after both of these services, the first occurence happening maybe at 4,600 miles. The PO said the valves were checked at the 500 mile service. I did have a very low-speed lowside at around 4400 miles (Ha! It's my first bike and I just screwed up while taking a sharp left turn) but as far as I can tell nothing was damaged that wasn't cosmetic.
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Jul 26, 2010 22:28
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Ninjas 250 are very sensitive, they're jetted super lean from factory. Are you varying the amount of choke you're using depending on the temperature? Also, you're contradicting yourself. When you thumb the starter, you should hear 2 things...the higher pitched whine of the starter and the sound of the engine turning over. Is it not starting? Or is it not turning over? And as long as the engine is cold you're likely going to need a bit of choke to keep it running.
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Jul 26, 2010 22:32
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Z3n posted:Ninjas 250 are very sensitive, they're jetted super lean from factory. Are you varying the amount of choke you're using depending on the temperature? I give it a bit of choke when starting if it's cold out. Enough to get it started, then I adjust it so it's idling at about 3,000 rpm before taking off. I shut off the choke after a few minutes ride when the engine temp has gone up a bit. Today, I didn't have the choke on at all. It's about 80 degrees out and the engine started up fine on its own and just idled fine at maybe 1,500rpm so I didn't bother adding any choke. Example from today: I pulled over when the engine stalled and hit the starter button. I heard the whine of the starter and nothing from the engine at all. I added a bunch of choke and hit the starter. Again, starter whine and no engine. I thought maybe I had flooded it (not for any particular reason other than the lack of engine response) so I opened the throttle while hitting the starter. Again, nothing from the engine. I played around with varying bits of choke and throttle while hitting the starter and eventually it just "got through" and the engine turned over. I'm not sure exactly what it was that did the trick, it seemed just random. This is more or less the problem every time it arises, today just required a bit more attempts than usual (a couple minutes on the side of the road at a stop sign)
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Jul 26, 2010 22:45
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So the engine is not turning over when you hit the starter? Or it's turning over but not actually firing and running on it's own?
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Jul 26, 2010 23:22
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The first one. The engine is not turning over when I hit the starter. Eventually though, something just suddenly works and it turns over, ignites, and runs fine on its own like nothing was wrong in the first place.
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Jul 26, 2010 23:50
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