|
My Ninja 636 has been taken down by a weird battery issue. My battery has been somehow draining itself. Four weeks ago (beginning of Oct), I came to the bike one morning after riding it for a few hours the night before. It refused to start - just gave off a buzzing noise. I furiously hoped it wasn't the regulator since I had just replaced the one in my 2000 SV650. I bought a new battery and installed it (that was a pain in the arse, had to take off a lot of parts to get to the battery). The bike started up right away. I didn't ride it much after that (cold weather makes me stick with my more comfortable SV650) - I rode it around 10 times since the new battery -- about a hour each time. Then yesterday I took the Ninja out for the first time in a week since it was 60 degrees, riding it to school and a bit later rode it around the city, and back to school and then home - a total of 2 hours. I came home for 30 minutes then came out to move the bike a few blocks away to my private carport. The bike refused to start, doing the same buzzing noise again. Now it's stranded in front of my townhouse. What could this be? With the R/R bad in the SV650, it took 2-3 days for the battery to drain itself. I remember when I replaced the battery in the 636, there was an extra black terminal wire connector attached to the battery. I couldn't tell where it was coming from (somewhere in the tail I think). The bike has a Power Commander, could be that?
|
| # ? Nov 3, 2011 16:30 |
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2013 12:54 |
|
|
the walkin dude posted:The bike has a Power Commander, could be that? Maybe. Here's what I would do: Disconnect the negative cable and put a test light between the battery and the lead. If it the light illuminates a bit you've got a short which could discharge the battery. Start unplugging poo poo/fuses until the light goes out then you've at least found the circuit. If not, you've got an off key draw from something.
|
| # ? Nov 3, 2011 16:46 |
|
|
Also, check charging voltage. quote:I am in withdrawal... Best option is eBay, or model specific forums. Your mechanic should be able to make one good set out of your current set + an ebay carb.
|
| # ? Nov 3, 2011 17:34 |
|
|
nsaP posted:Got myself a smartphone, anyone here have recommendations for mounts? It'll go on a FZ6 so my first thought was a bar mount but I haven't really looked into it. I bought a waterproof 'Arkon' mount from ebay for 18$ and then a BurnsMoto USB power port for 25$. A generic 12v 30a automotive relay for ~5$ and another few bucks for random wiring, heat shrink etc and its a pretty good set up. The Arkon mount is OK quality wise. I was surprised. Its well mounted and won't fall off or move around even at 120+ mph on a mostly naked bike (on the track of course..), fairly solidly made (zippers feel cheap but work ok so far) and 'mostly' waterproof. I say mostly because after riding through a storm for 5 hours it did get wet inside. Nothing a plastic baggie over it wouldn't fix. I have an LG G2x and its a little big for the mount but works fine for GPS or music once you set it up. Hard to unlock the screen when its in the mount due to placement of button, may not be an issue on other phones. If you have a physically smaller phone then it would work great. You can work the touchscreen through the case too if you take your gloves off (or sew conductive thread into the finger tips). The burnsmoto usb power port is great construction wise. With the cap on its waterproof. I wired it up using the relay switched by the license plate light so it won't drain my battery in case I leave something plugged in. I also used an SAE connector on the end so I can unplug that and put on a trickle charger instead. I do have one issue with the set up which is that my phone will overheat occasionally especially if the case is zipped up all the way or its charging. I haven't played around with it that much to figure out why, but when it happened it was hot (texas summer) and the phone is in direct sunlight. It didn't seem to happen at night as much. I was able to do a 3 day trip and kept the phone alive using the charger and used it to play music through bluetooth for 2 of those days. My actual experience with using it for GPS has not been that positive. Fine for around town (but then I usually know where I'm going) and when I need it in the country I usually don't have fast enough data connection to make it useful. That might just be t-mobile though, AT&T seems to have far better coverage judging from my friends phones. If I was going into truly remote areas I would buy a dedicated GPS unit with maps pre-loaded.
|
| # ? Nov 3, 2011 18:51 |
|
|
Quite A Tool posted:I'll be taking my F2, so no offroad unfortunately. I'll be heading out to Tortilla Flat tomorrow morning, I'm super excited. Aside from looping around the 303 and my daily commute, this will be the first long ride I've taken on it! Just wanted to post a quick followup. Just got back and went all the way up to where the pavement ends and came back. If I wasn't for some reason totally sold on motorcycling, I most certainly am now. I don't think I've ever felt quite so connected to a vehicle on some twisty roads as I did today, and it was glorious.
|
| # ? Nov 4, 2011 00:20 |
|
|
Speaking of iPhones and good rides, there are any number of apps you can download which will show you all the good rides in the area, highlight them on Google Maps etc. It probably goes without saying, but I had an iPhone for about 4 months before it occurred to me.
|
| # ? Nov 5, 2011 07:47 |
|
|
Is there any reason not to use standard car antifreeze on a bike? (08 Aprilia Tuono). I have to refill today and I'd appreciate some advice, thanks.
|
| # ? Nov 5, 2011 15:48 |
|
|
From the research I did a couple weeks ago while replacing the water pump's mechanical seal, some anti-freeze has silica in it that can wear down seals/the engine. Normal Prestone doesn't. That's what I used. I'm guessing my seal was leaking because the PO didn't know this.
|
| # ? Nov 5, 2011 16:42 |
|
|
Is there such as thing as a decent inch pounds torque wrench that isn't $2-300? The cap bolts for the cams on my 636 are 8 inch-pounds and every 30-230 in-lb torque wrench I come across is either $20 crap that reviewers say is completely inaccurate or super expensive snap-on/matco/mac.
|
| # ? Nov 5, 2011 17:17 |
|
|
The plastic adjustment handle on it feels a bit cheap, but I've been using a Craftsman Microtork for a year or so without any problems. I believe you can pick them up for $70ish.
|
| # ? Nov 5, 2011 17:21 |
|
|
Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. Some of the reviews don't sound too good but those reviewers also seem to be torquing down lugnuts and flywheels with it. 
|
| # ? Nov 5, 2011 17:37 |
|
|
Gnaghi posted:Is there such as thing as a decent inch pounds torque wrench that isn't $2-300? The cap bolts for the cams on my 636 are 8 inch-pounds and every 30-230 in-lb torque wrench I come across is either $20 crap that reviewers say is completely inaccurate or super expensive snap-on/matco/mac. I think you mean 8 foot pounds? The thing that's important about cam caps isn't perfectly being on the spec, it's that they're consistent across the caps to put even pressure on the cams. I have a cheap one from amazon and I pair it with careful application, and not blindly torquing until the bolt pull out. Ie, check that it'll click on a big bolt, like your axle, before you try and torque down the cam caps.
|
| # ? Nov 5, 2011 18:00 |
|
|
Gnaghi posted:Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. Some of the reviews don't sound too good but those reviewers also seem to be torquing down lugnuts and flywheels with it. Exactly, I was surprised at the reviews when I looked it up before posting. I probably wouldn't trust it at the tippy-top of it's range, but my larger wrench can handle those values.
|
| # ? Nov 5, 2011 18:08 |
|
|
Z3n posted:I think you mean 8 foot pounds? The thing that's important about cam caps isn't perfectly being on the spec, it's that they're consistent across the caps to put even pressure on the cams. Yeah 8ft-lbs, 104 in-lbs. The first one I saw was this one on amazon, but it was a little too cheap. I'm actually gonna see if I can get my mechanic friend to lend me his snap-on one. He might not though, pro mechanics are pretty touchy about lending their tools. AncientTV posted:Exactly, I was surprised at the reviews when I looked it up before posting. I probably wouldn't trust it at the tippy-top of it's range, but my larger wrench can handle those values. Well I think you're not supposed to use a torque wrench at either end of it's specs, like 20% and some say you're only supposed to use it within a specific middle range, although that seems a bit over the top if you don't want to end up owning every torque wrench made. I have a larger 10-150 ft-lbs wrench too.
|
| # ? Nov 5, 2011 18:14 |
|
|
Gnaghi posted:Yeah 8ft-lbs, 104 in-lbs. The first one I saw was this one on amazon, but it was a little too cheap. I'm actually gonna see if I can get my mechanic friend to lend me his snap-on one. He might not though, pro mechanics are pretty touchy about lending their tools. That's the one I use. You can test it by hanging weights off the end of it, iirc a poster in the tools thread in AI tested a bunch of cheap ones and they were within 4% or so. Which is good enough for me. The variation between 95 and 105 inch pounds wont cause failure.
|
| # ? Nov 5, 2011 18:49 |
|
|
Actually after reading through the tools thread I scored a Proto 6061 on ebay for $55. It seems like used high-end tools on Ebay is the way to go.
|
| # ? Nov 5, 2011 20:15 |
|
|
Hey guys; in a little bit of a panic right now. I've just decided to clean my motorbike - a 2007 ZX10R. While I was cleaning the tank, I could hear a draining noise, so, like an idiot, I kept spraying. I think there may be a small amount of water in the tank (yes, the cap was on). I've noticed a little pipe at the base of the fairing down by the exhaust, and I am kind of hoping that might just be for this reason. Any ideas? e: Thank God, just opened the cap, and there the connecting pipe there for that very reason. Phew. fingerling fucked around with this message at Nov 6, 2011 around 00:28 |
| # ? Nov 6, 2011 00:25 |
|
|
nsaP posted:Got myself a smartphone, anyone here have recommendations for mounts? It'll go on a FZ6 so my first thought was a bar mount but I haven't really looked into it. There's a lot of solutions out there, and unfortunately I've tried most of them. In my experience it's hard to beat the mounts from RAM: http://www.ram-mount.com/
|
| # ? Nov 6, 2011 10:24 |
|
|
Is it really essential to change the oil, to have fresh oil, as part of winterizing your motorcycle? I was planning to change the oil on my Ninja this March/April, after I tucked it into storage at the start of next month.
|
| # ? Nov 6, 2011 23:02 |
|
|
Nope.
|
| # ? Nov 6, 2011 23:45 |
|
|
the walkin dude posted:Is it really essential to change the oil, to have fresh oil, as part of winterizing your motorcycle? I was planning to change the oil on my Ninja this March/April, after I tucked it into storage at the start of next month. Nope. Just be sure there's no moisture in the oil, like the kind that can accumulate with multiple short trips where the oil never really heats up all the way. Before you store it, I'd take it out for a nice cruise.
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 00:26 |
|
|
With the mildly cold winter coming up in Phoenix here, do you folks think I'd have any problem running Rotella 15w40 in my F2 rather than 10w40? I'm a little nervous using non motorcycle specific oil, but almost everything I've read says it's fine. Also, it appears the full synthetic T6 only comes in 5w40? Is that actually what I'm supposed to be looking at?
Quite A Tool fucked around with this message at Nov 7, 2011 around 00:50 |
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 00:45 |
|
|
_Dav posted:I have a RAM mount for my ancient GPS, works great. Ancient GPS works great too, as it's got a resistive rather than capacitive screen meaning you can actually use with gloves on (Nuvi 200). Waterproofing is achieved with ziplock bags and elastic bands NitroSpazzz posted:Seconding RAM mounts, also look into a blue tooth setup for your helmet if you can. Makes it so nice. Ride with good ear plugs in but still have music and be able to hear the GPS directions. Thanks for the tip, RAM seems to have a good rep. Might get the bluetooth if it's not too pricey, but I won't need GPS directions. I know where I'm going around where I live for the most part, it's more for when I get lost out in the country, and on that note: GanjamonII posted:I bought a waterproof 'Arkon' mount from ebay for 18$ and then a BurnsMoto USB power port for 25$. A generic 12v 30a automotive relay for ~5$ and another few bucks for random wiring, heat shrink etc and its a pretty good set up. I'll check that stuff out as I am a cheap, but if something is quality and does it's purpose well I don't mind spending bucks. I'm a bit worried about overheating too but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. On the GPS though, thanks for noting that. I kind of assumed that phone GPS would work the same as the GPS units, it never dawned on me that for the google maps apps etc. they'd just load the bits of maps as they needed them and nothing else. As I'm sure 3g gets spotty out there it could be a problem, but I noticed that it'll cache a certain amount of map on and around a path you plot. Also, it seemed like just looking around certain areas would cache a bit. Anyway, I'll have to get out in the middle of nowhere and see what it's like, but for my purposes if I can even get enough signal to load a bit of the maps, that's all I need. I have a decent sense of direction but I've missed turns before when out for a day ride, and have coasted into town on fumes before (after eyeing what farms look like they might be friendly to selling a guy on a bike a gallon of gas, killing the motor downhills, etc. good times.). I've found too that you're able to buy GPS apps for my phone that will come with the map, but they come at a size of 1.4 gigs or so, a big ouch on an 8gig phone with 6 free from the start. A possibility if coverage in the boonies is spotty, I'll probably find that out tomorrow or Tuesday as it's supposed to be in the 60s! Great November weather. Sir Cornelius posted:There's a lot of solutions out there, and unfortunately I've tried most of them. In my experience it's hard to beat the mounts from RAM: http://www.ram-mount.com/ Well that settles that then, I'll have to see which kind fits me. freebooter posted:Speaking of iPhones and good rides, there are any number of apps you can download which will show you all the good rides in the area, highlight them on Google Maps etc. It probably goes without saying, but I had an iPhone for about 4 months before it occurred to me. I don't know of any apps, but there are multiple sites that do this kind of thing and you can do the legwork yourself to plug them into a map or gps or something like that. I would link to them, but just google “motorcycle roads” and like the top 4 or 5 are probably the sites I'd link to. http://lmgtfy.com/?q=motorcycle+roads Edit: actually a quick search of the app store has a few pay ones, read the description tho as one seems to be solely for NZ and AUS ha. Also a free one, called "Greatest Road Motorcycle Rider GPS Road Finder"...nice engrish, maybe it'll be good. Edit: I'll just keep editing, lol. Played with the free one a bit, it's not bad at all. It had most of the good ones around here in it, and I already added two pretty easily. Give that one a go. nsaP fucked around with this message at Nov 7, 2011 around 03:08 |
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 02:42 |
|
|
Quite A Tool posted:With the mildly cold winter coming up in Phoenix here, do you folks think I'd have any problem running Rotella 15w40 in my F2 rather than 10w40? I'm a little nervous using non motorcycle specific oil, but almost everything I've read says it's fine. Also, it appears the full synthetic T6 only comes in 5w40? Is that actually what I'm supposed to be looking at? You're fine with either or, and the weight isn't a big deal.
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 05:05 |
|
|
Phoenix. Winter.   Dude you're going to be fine with any oil you put in that thing. t6 is outstanding oil for the money by the way.
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 05:24 |
|
|
That's like asking for recommendations for Hawaii winter riding  Though I have to pack my wet gear a lot more this time of the year.Not looking forward to next year though, about to head back to Korea and I'm going to pack the bike this time. It'll be the first time riding anything bigger than a scooter there and the first time I'll be facing a real winter since I've started riding.
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 05:47 |
|
|
In my travels next week i'll be checking out an old honda xbr500. It looks well looked after, but has 51,000 miles on the clock. It's a four stroke engine and the sheer possibility of having a top / bottom rebuild on the cards does not sit well with me financially. I guess my question is, how often are rebuilds typically required on a road bike? is 51k too much to even consider?
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 07:00 |
|
|
Cut me some slack here, I'm from VT so I'm used to over-preparing for winter with this sort of stuff, god. I went ahead and picked up a gallon of the T6, significantly cheaper than the other options which is nice.
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 08:45 |
|
|
Marching Powder posted:In my travels next week i'll be checking out an old honda xbr500. It looks well looked after, but has 51,000 miles on the clock. It's a four stroke engine and the sheer possibility of having a top / bottom rebuild on the cards does not sit well with me financially. I guess my question is, how often are rebuilds typically required on a road bike? is 51k too much to even consider? I've seen CB400's that needed rebuilding at 25k, but I've also seen a couple XS650's that were fine at 90k (Yamaha club meet). That being said, I'd buy any bike at 50k with the full intention that it's going to need, at least, new valves (or valve job, if you can find a place that still does those), rings (with a 50% chance of boring up .020), chains (drive, primary/starter, and timing, along with all applicable tensioners), and a 30% chance of needing crank work/bearings. Carb work is always applicable at any mileage on any used bike. You also have to consider that single-cylinder motorcycles, especially a big 500, have to deal with a lot more vibration than many other types. They also have the tendency to eat rings, score bores, and wreak havoc on the (usually 3) crank bearings more often than other, more balanced, engine configurations. My Enfield has a scheduled ring replacement in the manual at 15-20k, and since the Enfield is about one third the quality of the worst Honda, I'd put the Honda at 50-70k, though others more knowledgeable will probably correct me on the subject, and that's okay. If I end up having to not do one of those things, then I consider that a bonus. That being said, the XBR500, or the GB500, are my dream motorcycles. I have small dreams, but I still love the poo poo out of the things. Geirskogul fucked around with this message at Nov 7, 2011 around 08:59 |
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 08:56 |
|
|
Quite A Tool posted:Cut me some slack here, I'm from VT so I'm used to over-preparing for winter with this sort of stuff, god. Just gotta give you poo poo, considering this is what I'll be seeing for the next 4.5 months!  (miss that bike so much  )
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 14:26 |
|
|
I'm in the process of changing my handlebars to clipons but I've discovered that the front brake line needs adjusting. The angle of the brake line from the master cylinder is wrong so I need to loosen it off and adjust it. 2 things:
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 16:41 |
|
|
Forty Two posted:I'm in the process of changing my handlebars to clipons but I've discovered that the front brake line needs adjusting. The angle of the brake line from the master cylinder is wrong so I need to loosen it off and adjust it. You can carefully slacken the bolt to adjust it, but it'll probably move when you try and tighten it. I'd recommend getting a friend, get them to gently squeeze the lever, while you crack the bolt and hold it in the right position as you tighten it down. That way if you overdo it, you'll just force some fluid out, and you have a hand to hold the line in the right orientation. Also, yes, you should change the fluid.
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 19:23 |
|
|
For all you people that are giving us desert riders a hard time, note this: I can ride in the sun 350 days a year, with no moisture on the ground. Oil weight range is a big concern where it can be 20F at 6AM, and 70F at noon. I ride to and from work in those conditions, and it's nice to not have some sluggish, finicky beast in the morning because the oil's too heavy in the cold. I found some castrol 5w50 on the shelf at Pep Boys; that's what I'm using while I ride EVERY DAY this winter.
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 20:12 |
|
|
needknees posted:Just gotta give you poo poo, considering this is what I'll be seeing for the next 4.5 months! Riding a literbike in winter is just 
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 21:06 |
|
|
Z3n posted:You can carefully slacken the bolt to adjust it, but it'll probably move when you try and tighten it. I'd recommend getting a friend, get them to gently squeeze the lever, while you crack the bolt and hold it in the right position as you tighten it down. That way if you overdo it, you'll just force some fluid out, and you have a hand to hold the line in the right orientation. Ok that's pretty much what I'd imagined I'd have to do, thanks!
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 21:14 |
|
|
Geirskogul posted:I've seen CB400's that needed rebuilding at 25k, but I've also seen a couple XS650's that were fine at 90k (Yamaha club meet). Just like to thank you for this mate, definitely some food for thought.
|
| # ? Nov 7, 2011 22:35 |
|
|
babyeatingpsychopath posted:For all you people that are giving us desert riders a hard time, note this: I can ride in the sun 350 days a year, with no moisture on the ground. 350 days, 0 turns
|
| # ? Nov 8, 2011 05:51 |
|
|
nsaP posted:350 days, 0 turns I ride year round because I don't have a car. Unless there's appreciable snow on the ground, but thankfully it usually melts by the afternoon where I live. You just take the turns very slowly, and equip frame sliders/crash bars. Of course, I'm crazy, so there's that.
|
| # ? Nov 8, 2011 18:48 |
|
|
So, I'll be damned if I'm gonna pay $100 for motorcycle lock that is nothing more than a glorified chain. (New York Lock). http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref...&qid=1320807871 Does anyone have a link to 10' of plastic or rubber coated chain? I just want to chain my bike to my car tire / lamp post at night, so the standard 5' bike lock length won't cut it.
|
| # ? Nov 9, 2011 03:09 |
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2013 12:54 |
|
|
CombatMedic posted:So, I'll be damned if I'm gonna pay $100 for motorcycle lock that is nothing more than a glorified chain. (New York Lock). Almax has som pretty good (and expensive) chains in 2.5m/8.2'. That's about the longest chains I've seen: http://www.almax-security-chains.co...ries-IV/c-1-70/
|
| # ? Nov 9, 2011 13:00 |
|
