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Remy Marathe posted:My favorite is when I honk at someone in front of me, only to realize they're waiting for a pedestrian. You'd think I'd learn. "n-no no, that's my 'good job thanks for waiting' honk!"
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Feb 2, 2024 03:23
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 08:51 |
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That’s when you use a very particular motorcycling hand signal, slapping your helmet in the universal “it’s me, I’m the dumbass” sign.
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Feb 2, 2024 04:29
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 How to tell this tourer has been ridden solo mostly.
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Feb 3, 2024 00:12
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Help me decipher something, gang. I'm trying to remove this nut:  The service manual suggests a tool, but the tool is easily replicated with a spark plug socket and a long 6mm allen bit.  I'm interpreting the instructions as "hold the outer socket in place with a wrench and use the inner allen bit to unscrew the "post". Does this sound right? The nut is obviously very seized so while I've been dousing it with pb blaster and heat it hasn't done much moving and I'm at the point where I'm starting to second guess whether I'm supposed to actually hold the inner shaft in place and unscrew the outer. Even though that's not what the directions seem to say. I'm calling it a night. Got so much done on the bike that I'm happy calling it for today, and the rest of my cables should be here early next week so I'm good to start wrapping it back up.
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Feb 3, 2024 04:39
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Unless BMW are doing something hosed up and insane (load bearing unless), you want to turn the nut. The hex part is the ball joint shaft which will be fused to the triple clamp with friction, you'll never turn it.
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Feb 3, 2024 04:43
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Ok that makes sense. I think blindly interpreting this without a little critical thought is on me because now that you said that it seems incredibly obvious. I'll give it a shot tomorrow. e: Yeah, looking at reference photos of the actual ball joint underneath I think you're 100% right. Not my proudest moment, but I'm really glad I decided to ask rather than just like.. trying to turn it harder. some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 05:09 on Feb 3, 2024 |
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Feb 3, 2024 04:49
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If you have a rattle gun I'd try that first, the nut looks pretty fused and you risk rounding off the hex and putting yourself in a world of strife
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Feb 3, 2024 05:32
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Yeah, I'll give an impact a try as well, if for no reason than to see if I can break some of the rust fusing.
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Feb 3, 2024 05:55
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I bought an impact gun and it made life so much easier. Also some extra hex keys that i cut off so i can stick them into a socket. Janky as gently caress and not at all meant for the maximum torque output that the impact gun can deliver, but it made it possible to get loose things that i literally couldn't get loose with a hex key and an extension tube twice already. Just don't hover over the thing, in cases something lets go and gets flung away at the speed of sound. There are actually purpose made things available:  But for one job i needed a longer one that could reach into the FZR's fork leg, and for the other job - it wasn't in stock in the size i need (half inch to 6 and 8mm) they're quite hard to actually buy here in those sizes, often coming with quarter inch drive which would require me to find a half inch to quarter inch adapter and god knows if *that* will be impact rated and blahblahblah... It's not often that those smaller hex bolts are seized *that* badly. LimaBiker fucked around with this message at 11:50 on Feb 3, 2024 |
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Feb 3, 2024 11:31
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Impact was really useful when I was monkeying with the wheels on the DRZ. Till then I think most things were fairly light, even on that crusty bike. On this one I’ve been really lucky that I haven’t had the need to pull it out till now. But I also haven’t done the final drive stuff so I bet I’ll find those bolts stubborn as well. I’m trying to guess why that middle alan collar is there at all at this point, and I have to assume that it’s to give you some leverage when you’re torquing down the nut? 
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Feb 3, 2024 16:46
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Yes it's exactly like a ball joint on a car, without some way of holding the middle piece it'll just spin instead of tightening.
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Feb 3, 2024 19:44
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In the end I had to use the equivalent of two breaker bars. A long pipe over the handle of the ratchet holding the middle allen bit, and another on the outer.Replacement done, but I’m ready to just start buttoningt he bike back together now. I think I’m over my “winter project” phase and ready to not think about this until it’s spring.
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Feb 3, 2024 23:35
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One of my side covers fell off my Bonneville a while back and I replaced them both. One with a number plate I still haven’t put anything on and the other with a black side cover from BAAK. I’d like to replace the “Bonneville T120” lettering on the plain side and get a number on that plate. The most obvious, economic solution is to get some vinyl lettering cut but I’m having a bit of a hard time finding a place that does what I want thanks to SEO optimization and the absolute ton of places doing custom stickers. Anyone have any good experiences with a place that will do a vinyl cutout (not a solid block) in a specific color? I’ve bought similar lettering before, but it was a pre-printed, plain black Star Trek ship registry number and not custom lettering I supplied. Sans goon recommendation I’m leaning towards calling local car vinyl wrap places and seeing if one of them can make it for me. Eventually I’d like to pay someone to paint something spiffy on the number plate but I’m tired of looking at the plain plate while I figure out what I want and look for someone to do it.
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Feb 4, 2024 19:27
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Need to replace a cracking fuel line. Is Tygon F-4040-A a legit replacement? The only real specs I'm aware of are 1/4 ID x 3/8 OD and fuel-capable.
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Feb 12, 2024 00:19
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I don’t know what that specific model number is, but Tygon is probably the biggest name in fuel line. As long as you size it right it should be fine.
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Feb 12, 2024 03:41
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Make sure to use far too large a hose clamp and route it in a roundabout way, rubbing against several sharp edges
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Feb 12, 2024 04:54
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Hey man I bought five feet and I intend not to waste any
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Feb 12, 2024 04:57
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Well that doesn’t SOUND like a good idea, but who am I to argue?Beve Stuscemi posted:I don’t know what that specific model number is, but Tygon is probably the biggest name in fuel line. As long as you size it right it should be fine. Thanks!
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Feb 12, 2024 04:58
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Hello motogoons. Anyone have a recommendation on a battery charger/maintainer? I've got an old no-name maintainer I'd like to replace, it's only 750ma and despite rotating it among my 3 (sadly unridden) motos and it typically indicating each was charged it turned out to be lying. I know I'm due for replacing a couple batteries anyway - 4+ years old, and largely unridden in the last 1-2 years - but want to get a better charger to better keep those batteries once I get them. I'll probably see if my old maintainer does a better job left hooked up to a brand-new battery; maybe it just can't recover them at all. Do I need to care about desulfation? Battery Tender, the old standard, does not advertise it, while brands like Noco and BatteryMinder do. The Noco chargers look the most appealing on price/feature but they use a proprietary connector rather than SAE. X-connect-to-SAE adapters are surprisingly expensive, and I don't want to replace three SAE pigtails I already have with x-connect ones if I can avoid it.
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Feb 12, 2024 19:16
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Everyone I know uses Optimate chargers.
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Feb 12, 2024 19:37
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I used a battery tender for the longest time but I'm not sure what happened, either it crapped out or my yuasa battery died because one day I noticed it wasn't green but blinking red and it never turned green again and my battery wouldn't charge up again. I even tried charging it with a standard charger and no luck. I bought a noco after that.
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Feb 12, 2024 19:42
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I have an optimate 3 iirc. I have abused my battery and the optimate has brought it back to life multiple times.
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Feb 12, 2024 19:51
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I have Optimate, Noco, and Battery Tender brand chargers. The Optimate has brought a couple of deeply discharged batteries back from the brink that the Battery Tender one wouldn't touch. The Noco I bought specifically for cars b/c of the higher amp output (faster charging), only bought that brand b/c there was a deal running on it. Optimate and Noco are both expensive, both work well, but the Optimate models use standard SAE plugs, and like other folks I can vouch for its ability to desulfate/rescue "dead" batteries.
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Feb 12, 2024 23:02
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I've got a bunch of batter tender juniors and they've never given me any trouble
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Feb 13, 2024 01:50
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opengl posted:I've got a bunch of batter tender juniors and they've never given me any trouble Same, a Battery Tender Jr has carried my bikes through many Canadian winters.
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Feb 13, 2024 02:21
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I've had the same tender JR for about 18 years now, back from my Jetski days. I didn't use it much at all 2013-2020, but it still works great. The KX250's LiFePo battery has its own dedicated charger though.
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Feb 13, 2024 02:25
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Regular battery tender for lead acid, Ctek 56-926 for 12V LFP.
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Feb 13, 2024 03:31
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Thanks for the suggestions. I ended up going with an Optimate, the potential bad battery recovery is appealing - I think at least one of mine is in bad shape and if it buys me a little time before replacing the battery it’ll have been worth the extra cost. We’ll see!
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Feb 13, 2024 04:07
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epswing posted:Same, a Battery Tender Jr has carried my bikes through many Canadian winters. I cheaped out my first year and bought some DeWalt knockoff and it died halfway through the winter. Replaced with one of the small Optimates and it’s been bulletproof. I have a Tender Jr for the other bike and I think either is a good choice for longevity, anecdotally speaking.
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Feb 13, 2024 13:50
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At over 8K miles, the rear tire on my Bonneville is finally starting to show some squaring. Came stock with Michelin Road Classics and I’ve been super happy with them. Very predictable grip, held up to me doing road trips and gravel and everything else with my fat rear end and whatever poo poo I hauled with me. I also know the Road 6 is great, but I’m inclined to keep on keeping on with these since I had such a good experience with the first set of tires. I’ll have them assess the front tire when I do my 10K/1 year service but I may be able to pull off 2 rear to 1 front. Or it’ll at least be a bit before it needs to be replaced, too. Any big reason I should consider the Road 6 or similar? Y’all know tires a lot better than I probably ever will so I really appreciate your perspective.
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Feb 14, 2024 19:13
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I wish I got that kind of life out of my tires, I change my rear at 6k miles when they square completely flat. Might be because my bike is a heavy pig when loaded for road tripping, which is where most of my miles come from. The Road 5/6 is known to behave really well on wet asphalt, but I also see new MRCs listed as having rain improvements so they may have the same rubber now. You’d be coming from a bias-ply tire to a radial so I’d expect your tire to get lighter but lose a bit of the off-road capability you’re leaning on (do you deflate your tires for gravel riding?). If you like the tires keep getting the same thing. Plus if those are the tires your bike came with from factory, it’s not uncommon to find they’re a lower tier than the ones you get as replacements.
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Feb 14, 2024 21:55
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I haven’t aired down previously because it’s usually impulsive, short trips. I should in the future, though.
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Feb 14, 2024 23:34
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I'm at 7800 miles on my T32 rear now. I think I have another 1k-2k, maybe
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Feb 14, 2024 23:47
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Geekboy posted:I haven’t aired down previously because it’s usually impulsive, short trips. I should in the future, though. Imo if you're doing fine as you are, airing down likely isn't worth the hassle and will just increase wear/decrease safety on the pavement ride back to the air pump.
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Feb 14, 2024 23:55
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I’ve got a ‘97 Nighthawk 750 with damper forks, coming up on 70k miles and the seals are getting sloppy again (I last did the seals 50k miles ago). Should I just do the seals or should I spend another $40 and change all the bushings too? I can guess the answer is yes, but I don’t expect much from this suspension anyway, will it really matter?
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Feb 18, 2024 20:17
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The most thorough answer is to take them apart and look at the bushings but if that's a bigger pain than just buying new ones, buy new ones.
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Feb 18, 2024 21:05
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It’s already coming fully apart anyway if I’m changing the seals. Bought the parts, I’ll do the work whenever the weather turns nice. I like working on the forks themselves but sure get sketched out propping up the headless bike for a day or two. Maybe I’ll finally get one of those front stands that holds up the bike by the lower triple or whatever.
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Feb 18, 2024 23:31
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I had a much needed partial knee replacement since my post asking for big brain thoughts on the free KTM 250SXF, so long time for an update, BUT: It was very clearly a clogged jet in the cam bridge starving one cam journal of oil. I pulled it all apart and took the oil pumps out this time and cleaned it all out again. Runs great now. I've had cams seize before in racing a sub 10-hr ktm and it's super hard to understand what's going on. What a weird problem, but the dirtbike forums spotted it right away. It's easy to confirm too - you just pop the spark plug out and hit the flywheel with your uggadugga gun (or use the e-start if you have one) with the valve cover off and you can see the jets shoot oil on the cam journals (or not). The history of this bike is it came with the top end off and very hosed up - I was going to hang it via steel cable over the drop-in to my hero section as art. I couldn't help myself and found the bottom end was fine. I do a lot of engineering consulting work for a nationally recognized provider of dirtbike motor builds that everyone knows but I won't dox, and they had an R&D head for this old 2008 gathering dust on the shelf - they gave it to me with a piston for free. The fact that I didn't get all the goobers out of the oil system isn't a huge surprise to me especially since I didn't take out the oil pumps. Coolest part is now I have this super beefed out 2008 bike with a crazy race head. Too bad the suspension is lunched. I'll do that next.
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Feb 23, 2024 14:34
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Aw man that's excellent!
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Feb 23, 2024 16:41
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Thoughts on Metzeler Roadtec Z8 Interact or a good alternative? I need to fit 120/70-17 front and 160/60-18 rear but honestly I don't keep up with tires enough to know good from meh from bad. Open to good alternatives. I'd love to not break the bank but obviously these are what are keeping me glued to the road so I'm not going to sort by lowest price and just mash the BUY button.
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Mar 7, 2024 12:52
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