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Normally, when it runs then dies, the battery WAS just fine, but the alternator failed. Jump-start the bike with the battery disconnected. If the bike dies when you remove the jumper cables, then the alternator is shot, and you'll have to fix that. Unfortunately, motorcycle alternators are in a bunch of different places and pieces (rotor, stator, voltage regulator), so it's not a one-part swap.
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May 6, 2011 01:06
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Megabuttes posted:I was browsing Progressive for insurance quotes for an SV650 and it seems the difference between an SV650 and a SV650SF is like 300 dollars despite them being the same bike, except the SF variant having some fairing. Absolutely. The cash value of the fairings alone double the insured value, so the policy price goes up. Conversely, if you strip all the fairings off, talk to your insurance and get your policy changed because they don't have to cover that stuff for replacement anymore.
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May 6, 2011 03:49
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Ribsauce posted:I think I need to fab something for the pipe, I googled some but am unsure the best way to do this? find a local welder maybe? I found a piece of metal and bent it by hand. You can go to any major construction supply store and get pieces of aluminum flashing. Easy enough to bend by hand, or over a curb. I had to do the same thing, I have my luggage strapped around my muffler right now. It's a carbon slipon; it never gets hotter than "pretty warm to the touch." I just made a shield with some of that aluminum tape around the front where one of the buckles gets close to a metal piece of the exhaust pipe.
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May 10, 2011 03:52
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This Bandit 1200 is my daily driver now. I work construction, and park on construction sites. Where I'm working now has a lot of very sandy areas and lots of soft dirt. The bandit is not a dirt bike. It's not even a supermoto. It's got Z-rated grippy Pilots on it. Should I worry about roostertails? How scared should I be about dumping the thing? The pegs are pretty far back, so I can't get what I consider a decent riding-in-the-dirt stance, and the luggage full of tools on the tail doesn't help any. TL;DR: Suggestions for offroading Bandit 1200 with luggage?
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May 19, 2011 03:05
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BlackMK4 posted:Stick with the rear brake and don't go quick enough to need to countersteer. That said, 3rd gear rolling burnouts are fun. This. Phat_Albert posted:Its a matter of finding the right speed, not so fast that you tank slap it off road, but not so slow that it just wallows and tips. Also as mentioned, stand up on the pegs. My bandit 12 has seen some time offroad and its totally manageable despite its size. Meant fun times at work, good roostertail, and not worrying about laying the thing down. I like keeping the throttle steady and using the back brake to control wheel speed. 3rd gear out of the power band makes it possible.
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May 20, 2011 00:56
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So I had the rear fairing off today. The rear fairing is big and ugly and rounded and I don't like it. The reason it's so huge and stuff is to protect some big canister on the right side and the ECU on the left side. I can move the ECU to someplace better pretty easily, but what is this canister? I know it's something to do with vacuum, as there's a "vacuum hose routing diagram" label next to it, and it's got vacuum check valves and whatnot. If it's emissions control, I'll dump it. If it improves mileage, I'll keep it.
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May 23, 2011 05:30
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Is it normal for a motorcycle clutch to not fully disengage? When I rev the engine in 1st with the clutch in, I can feel that the bike wants to move a little. I don't think I could get to any speed, but I do feel some drag. Up on the center stand, clutch in, idle throttle makes the rear wheel move. Do I bleed the clutch? Adjust clutch lever throw? Accept it as normal?
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May 28, 2011 07:42
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Gnaghi posted:Thanks, that might help. I don't have anything for circular measurements, but I might be able to look it up. There are tons of specs in the manual. You could also measure from the axle to the road (axle height) and multiply by 2*pi (6.28).
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Jun 1, 2011 03:15
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I have this bandit 1200. 5k RPM in 5th is 75.6MPH, which is the speed limit around here. Never mind that's 90mph on the dial. If I do this mythical "-1 +2" will that wreck my mileage? I'm getting about 45-50mpg right now, and that suits me fine. Note: mileage dropped down to about 43 when I went WOT for a bit to see where that would get me. At 7k rpm, passing 140 indicated, my GPS vibrated and turned itself off, and I hit powerband. The speedo stops at 170 indicated, and I'm only at 10.5k and accelerating.
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Jun 2, 2011 22:51
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I did chain tension last weekend and had some issues. I adjusted the tension while the chain was hot like some suggested. I got caught in the rain so didn't lube the chain at that time. When I went back out, the chain was cold, and so tight I thought I'd locked a brake. I readjusted the tension to be within spec while cold. Now, after riding in this heat, the chain seems pretty floppy. Is this normal? Is the chain worn out? 15k miles, and I think it's the original chain. I'm gonna pimp Bel Ray chain lube. Nice and white so you can see where it's stuck. When the chain isn't white anymore, you know it's time to clean it. $9/can.
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Jul 8, 2011 20:51
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Checked the chain tension. It's even over the whole length of the chain, but now reasonably slack even when cold. Should I retension it? Is it time for new tensioning bolt jamnuts? Loc-tite? Antiseize? Also, why is it that aftermarket exhausts make it impossible to change the oil filter? argh.
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Jul 10, 2011 23:32
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KARMA! posted:Why the hell would you use loctite on something that's meant to be adjusted all the time? There are different versions of loctite. Some is "need a torch to remove" and some are "it'd be nice if this thing didn't wiggle any." I was aiming towards the second one. Could wonky chain tension be caused by jamnuts wandering around, and if so, how do I fix that? Nylon locknut replacement? It's fairly obvious that the jamnuts that are on there aren't OEM, as they're both different sizes, head profiles, and materials.
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Jul 11, 2011 01:20
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Ok, yet another chain tension problem, or perhaps the same one. I rode the bike last week. Thursday, the chain was sloppy loose. I went out of town for 3 days, came back, chain is super tight; less than 1" of play. What is going on here? Is the chain worn out? Temps have been high, but the thing gets looser and looser as the week goes on, then tightens back up on its own?
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Jul 18, 2011 02:43
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Bondematt posted:Have you checked your chain at many different points and determined the tightest/loosest spot? Do that first. As far as I can tell, there is no "loosest spot." I have a brand new harbor freight torque wrench, so I'm guessing it's reasonably close. It's a castellated nut with cotter pin. In the Navy, with castle nuts, you were to tighten to torque, then move to the next closest pin spot. That puts the torque here about 1/18 (1/3 of a flat) tighter. Is that right? I don't know about swingarm angle. I keep it on the sidestand. I'll go measure that. The manual says just do it on the sidestand, not centerstand.
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Jul 18, 2011 23:55
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slidebite posted:To those of you that have sold a bike to a stranger: Every time I've bought, the ad specified that I had to bring my own gear, current insurance on a vehicle, and have a motorcycle endorsement. Other ads have specified cash in hand before test rides. Either or both of these should be sufficient, I'd think.
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Jul 19, 2011 01:08
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Marv Hushman posted:HINT: Keep an eye on K-Mart--they have the worst inventory management on the planet, they stock Craftsman due to their affiliation with Sears, and no one goes to K-Mart to buy tools. Hence, there is always a pile of last year's tools marked down significantly to make way for this year's. Because no one wants a 2010 hammer. Yes! Their closeout bin is wonderful. I got 3 sets of Craftsman taps and dies for common sizes for $1 each. Now, when a bolt comes out a little mangled from some rusted-on nut, run it through the die, and it's factory.
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Jul 29, 2011 16:35
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I need a 110-link chain soonish. I'm seeing a bunch of 112- and 120- link chains. Can I buy one of those and pull a pin out? Also, the service manual has a misprint and doesn't list the chain pitch. I think it's a 530, but how can I tell for sure? The part number from the manual is RK GB50MFOZ1. I'm seeing a bunch of GB520 and GB530, but no "GB50." How do the chain manufacturers compare? Is RK noticeably better? I also see DID, Chainmaster, Renthal (who has a kit with sprockets, too), EK, and BikeMaster.
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Jul 29, 2011 20:53
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Chain/sprocket replacement time questions megapost! I'm seeing an "RK Chain & Sprocket Kit-GB530GXW 112, 530, 15/45" for $218 on bike bandit. JT Aluminum Sprockets, I think. I can get a front and rear Renthal steel sprockets and a 110-link DID 530VM for $238. I really want life, as this is a daily commuter, and I'm about to be going 85 miles each way every day. I'm over at gearingcommander.com looking at stuff. What's all this noise about differing sprocket ratios to prime numbers vs chain links? 15/45 with 110-links looks all nicely divisible and stuff. I want to lengthen the gearing a bit anyway, and was hoping to go to 16/45 or 16/46, which turns into a 111-link chain which is prime-number city. I'm getting an open 112-link chain, so cutting one off for optimum wear is no problem (except for $2/link in the trash). Does any of this garbage matter? Will I really notice any life difference? Also, I'm going to go 100% chainsaw bar oil on the new chain. The recommended BelRay aerosol chain wax leaves sticky, flaky, powdery flingoff that's really hard to clean.
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Aug 4, 2011 02:04
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xd posted:Just use some 80-90w gear oil from the auto parts store. If you wipe the chain afterwards it doesn't get everywhere and it's enough to keep the rust at bay. I hear you. But bar oil is slightly cheaper, and more specifically designed for this job, right? I understand I can go even cheaper and just use crankcase oil, which is less specifically designed for this job, especially the synthetic motorcycle oil. Also why does EVERY site say "110-link" or "112-link" when they mean pins? This is craziness, but probably has something to do with how chains are made that I'm slow to understand.
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Aug 4, 2011 11:33
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Jabs posted:gentle heat to soften it up, and then buff it to a high shine? Yup. Hair dryer over a paper towel works best. If you're really buffing for shine, hair dryer over a coffee filter.
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Aug 12, 2011 01:45
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Ziploc posted:It was probably left like that for 30-60 minutes. They only taught us about RES ON and OFF at the MSF. So I figured if it wasn't on ON or RES I was fine. Read the big WARNING in the manual about PRI and then ran to check. Sure enough. Was in PRI. This annoys the piss out of me on my 2002 GSF1200 Bandit. Is there an acceptable drop-in petcock that has ON OFF RES for these things? Also, is there a way to get a manual without sending $60 to Suzuki?
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Aug 17, 2011 09:20
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slidebite posted:So, I just bought a thing. Ratchet straps from the handlebars to the top of the bed, in front. I'm sure you can find a way to route the strap so it doesn't hit the fairing or mirrors or anything. You can also put a towel down to prevent chafing. Really lean on the front end to compress the shock as much as possible. Do this and the back end can be left unsecured, or just a bit of a tiedown to keep it from flopping around in big bumps. Try to keep the bike upright and centered in the bed, and everything should be golden.
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Aug 25, 2011 19:29
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slidebite posted:"Not load bearing", which sounds a little odd since I'm certain you can compress the suspsion without damaging anything via the bars. You will be 100% fine. Absolutely fine. If the bike falls out of the back or a handlebar breaks off, call me up. If you can do an endo and stand on the bars, then compressing the shock with your bodyweight via the bars is fine. I've tied many a bike to many a truck. My friend even trusted me with his brand-new 999 and a single ratchet strap in the back of a u-haul trailer. I wrapped the bars, and went to the side rails, higher than the bed of that truck, and that was it. Single strap, the bike didn't move a single inch after over a thousand miles of completely asstastic roads. Put as many straps on it as you want. If you compress the rear shock as well, you've got the weight of the bike, plus the springs, plus the super grip of the rear tire making sure the bike doesn't move laterally. Add that to all the same stuff up front, and you could roll the truck without the bike coming out or shifting. (not quite, but pretty close)
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Aug 27, 2011 21:37
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Just so I'm not being stupid: the starter solenoid is the starter relay, right? On cars, the solenoid is the coil assembly inside the starter itself that drives the plunger out to contact the flywheel. Is this not how motorcycle starters work? For my actual question: Carbs. Wtf. I'm trying to rejet for 5000ft altitude from a CA-spec bike. It's got an aftermarket exhaust and "the airbox mod," a 2" circle cut into the airbox for sufficient flow. As I understand it, going up in altitude means leaning out the mixture, and putting on an aftermarket can means richening the mixture, and opening the intake means richening. I took off the tank, opened the airbox, cleaned it out well, cleaned the air filter, and inspected, but did not touch, any of the carbs. Now I'm getting backfires when I start, and massive popping on decel, some of it sounds like it may be backfiring through the intake. What have I done, and where should I go? Is it too rich right now?
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Sep 1, 2011 19:50
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Dial M for MURDER posted:So I replaced the starter on my 2001 Ninja 250, hoping that would solve the problem of it not starting, but I was wrong. Even with the new starter (used from ebay)I don't get anything when I push the starter button. Not a clicking or anything. Just like last time if I touch the contacts with a screwdriver it starts right up. I suppose it's possible I got a bad starter, but somehow I think it's something else. I have a couple theories what do you guys think. Sounds like your starter circuit is bad. The switch doesn't actually make the bike start, it just completes a path to a relay, which completes the path to the starter. Jumping the relay bypasses the control part of the circuit, so you know it's not the starter. It wasn't the starter before, either. Check your wiring diagram. Every piece that's not the starter, battery, or the wires between those is suspect. This includes the starter switch, any interlock switches (clutch, neutral, kickstand, etc), and the starter relay. It also includes any connectors and wires, including ground connections.
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Sep 14, 2011 17:11
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Dial M for MURDER posted:Ok I'll start checking things when I get home tonight. The fuse looks ok to me. When I touch both contacts of the starter solenoid with the voltmeter it seems like I was getting 12.5v or so, if I thumb the start should I expect to see it jump? Look at this picture. Note there are two complete circuits. One goes from the battery, (fuse) solenoid, starter, ground. This one is fine. There's another. Battery, (fuse) switches, solenoid coil, ground. This one is messed up. Put the black lead of your multimeter solidly against a frame ground. Check for voltage at both sides of all switches. If you never get voltage anywhere on any switch, you've got bad wiring or fuse.
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Sep 14, 2011 20:15
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Ok, so I deleted the PAIR the other weekend on my '02 Bandit 1200. There are four metal tubes that had hoses connected to the PAIR valve. Two of those tubes broke off. Like, I found them rattling around in front of the engine, around the exhausts. I know I need blank-off plates now, but can/should I ride the thing with holes in the front of the exhausts? It's making strange noises now, sounds like valve noise, but it could just be exhaust gasses coming straight out of the front of the engine. How sturdy to blank-off plates need to be? I've got some 1/16" steel plate. Is that good enough to cut and drill? The stuff in there now is about 1/4" aluminum.
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Sep 24, 2011 18:03
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Gnaghi posted:Maybe I'm missing something here, but the manual for getting to TDC to check the valves makes no sense to me. The crank has two lines on it for lining it up, one with 1 and 4 and the other with 2 and 3. The manual shows and states to line up pistons 1 and 4, which is the same line, yet then states to only measure half the valves with piston 1 at TDC and the other half with piston 4 at TDC, but according to the crank 1 and 4 are at TDC at the same time and thus can measure all of them at one position. What gives? When you're checking valves, the cam lobes can't be touching anything. You may have to turn a full revolution to get to TDC on the other cylinder, but at the end of the compression cycle, instead of in the exhaust/intake cycle. Four-stroke means you can be at TDC twice and have the valves at different spots both times.
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Oct 9, 2011 21:14
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Gnaghi posted:Ah ok, makes sense. The manual makes it sound more complicated then "turn until TDC with the lobes out of the way". Yeah. My manual shows the lobe positions as well as the camshaft positions, along with a note saying "valve must not be touching anything when checking clearance." Now if I could only get the valve cover off without removing the carb rack. This motor is just too large for this frame.
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Oct 9, 2011 22:25
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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.
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Nov 7, 2011 21:12
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New chain and sprockets. Went from 15/45 -> 16/46. Gearingcommander says -.3" on the new chain. I had a full inch of play (the axle would move forward about an inch in the slot) on the old one, and I can't get the axle in now. Am I sucking?
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Nov 11, 2011 19:01
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Z3n posted:You'll know when it's lugging though, it sounds like poo poo and will grumble and make bad noises and not accelerate cleanly. Usually lugging occurs on a car when you let it drop below idle speed, which isn't very typical on a bike. I actually removed the adjusters entirely. The axle will not fit. I guess I'll just run this chain on one of the old sprockets until it loosens up, then put the new rear on. I'll get a 112-link next time. In funner news, the rear cover stud just barely doesn't clear the sprocket teeth. The sprocket is steel, the case aluminum. It'll "self-clearance" in a bit.
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Nov 11, 2011 21:58
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AncientTV posted:While tuning with an A/F sensor, does the bike need to be under load? I feel like the answer is yes, but I can't think of a reason why it should be Maybe I'm being really oblivious here, but why can't I get an $11 oxygen sensor from autozone, cut a nipple in the exhaust pipe, and tune with a voltmeter? 0.2V = lean, 0.8V = rich, 0.45V=spot on. Do I really need one of those $145 wideband meters?
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Dec 4, 2011 05:18
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Ziploc posted:But, won't the headlight get burnt out if I do that? Those headlights don't expect to have high/low on at the same time do they? My bike current will run both high and low with the high switch on. I know my car's 7 inch H4 doesn't use high/low at the same time. (If I hold the switch just right it does though. I'm looking at my '02 bandit 1200 wiring diagram, and there's an unused pin on the headlight dimmer switch that I'm pretty sure is on when the high beam is off. The low beam is on all the time through that dimmer. Check the white wire coming out of that hi/lo switch, and see if it's on when the switch is in lo, and off when the switch is in hi. if so, connect the yellow/white wire to that pin instead, and your're golden. Edit: I've been following this wire around for a bit, and yeah, It's possible, if your harness is the same as mine. There's one splice you remove, then connect that wire over to the white in the dimmer switch. It can be done. If you find me your precise wiring diagram, I can tell you what needs to be done. babyeatingpsychopath fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Dec 14, 2011 |
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Dec 14, 2011 02:25
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Z3n posted:Just get a wrench around the back of it to hold the square nut. Which at one point was tack-welded on to the frame, but isn't now, but should be again.
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Dec 22, 2011 01:40
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Hughmoris posted:I'm in need of a bit of help. This week my old car blew its head gasket, so I am now motorcycle only. New problem is, motorcycle doesn't want to regularly start. Whack the starter with a broomhandle. It's sticking in the cold. If this makes it start, get a new starter. Hey, it works on Car Talk, it can work here, right? Do motorcycle starters work like car starters? Solenoid that jams the starting gear out into the flywheel path? babyeatingpsychopath fucked around with this message at 04:12 on Dec 22, 2011 |
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Dec 22, 2011 04:02
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For mounting stuff to handlebars, I'm a huge fan of 3/4 EMT conduit straps. 3/4 EMT is 7/8" OD, so they're perfect. Go over to electrical and look at all the wonderful things you can make. My Contour mount is currently a 3/4 Minerallac strap with a 1/4-20x1.25, nylon locknut, and a normal nut to back against the Contour to lock it in place. I'm an electrician, so this was all free, but it's probably less that $5 at a big box hardware store. If you want to go crazy, you could probably build a trapeze out of unistrut straps and strut. Double the price and get it coated in rubberized plastic impervious to chemicals. Double it again and get it in stainless. Still less than $20 for a mount.
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Jan 4, 2012 01:59
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I noticed some oil on my front tire yesterday, and checked it out today. Right fork is leaking. I used a business card to clean out the fork seal and got out a bunch of fine sand. I'm going to keep checking it for leaking, but is the next step fork seal replacement? Do I need to do anything as far as checking the oil level?
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Jan 8, 2012 21:23
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Ziploc posted:
Sweet. Good job. The forums guy was right. It is flyback, and you need a flyback diode. Get one rated for > 12V (40v would be best) and hook it up like in the diagram.
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Jan 31, 2012 08:33
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Z3n posted:I've heard you can get automotive paints in a spray can from some professional paint places...that's what I'd try. Colorite is really good but also stupid expensive, and not worth it unless you're trying to match a stock color. I've talked with a few auto body specialists and one guy who specializes in rebuilding motorcycles. Rattle-can=no good. Your best bet is to get a gun from harbor freight, generic color, and a good automotive topcoat. Rent the compressor from autozone, home depot, etc, then build a paint booth from a wardrobe box from u-haul. The color is not so important, but the topcoat is. Apparently, most rattle-can topcoats aren't gasoline-safe, but don't say so. $12/can stuff probably is, but still no guarantees. The harbor freight gun isn't super awesome, but it's good enough to learn on and do a couple of tanks. Buy a gallon of paint thinner while you're at harbor freight; it'll help you get your hand waving technique down. A pint of paint (usually the smallest order) will do two tanks, or a tank, a frame, and some bits.
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Feb 17, 2012 02:07
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