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Gearhead

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Everything posted by Gearhead

  1. Gearhead
    I agree. Since a car has two lights, or even four, I guess it's no surprise that a bike has poor lighting. One thing about my VR headlight is that is has a sharp cutoff at the top of the beam which is OK except in corners. When leaned into a corner, the light just doesn't shine far enough around the bend, esp on LO. Jeremy
  2. Gearhead
    There are also other gages. Lots of guys here like Morgan Carbtune (I think that's the name). A set of Motion Pro mercury sticks is only 30 or 40 bucks. And some use a homemade tool made of a few dollars worth of tubing and gear oil. This method looks very accurate, but slightly less convenient. Jeremy
  3. Gearhead
    Carb sync is ALWAYS a recommended tuneup item - stock or not. Rejetting is unnecessary with stock airbox and pipes, or with minor pipe mods, but may be beneficial with major pipes mods. Rejetting would be necessary with any major airbox mods. So some searches here and there's stuff posted about how Denden got some more ponies from his engine, and a couple other guys, too. Jeremy
  4. Gearhead
    One thing I would add is be sure to put as many miles as possible on the bike before your trip. Did you say Massachussetts? Well, it's probably colder than...well, cold. But if you can get 1000 miles on the bike before the trip it will give you a chance to shake out any other bugs like gunk in the carbs waiting to break loose and plug something, etc... Regarding brake fluid, we tend to talk of the hygroscopic nature of brake fluid as a bad thing, but I'm not so sure that's true. I think it was engineered that way so any moisture that enters the system won't condense into drops or pockets that tend to corrode internal brake parts. I've heard that the newer, non-hygroscopic formulations are more prone to that. Jeremy
  5. Gearhead
    IMHO, backpressure is ALWAYS bad for engine performance. It represents power that you don't get at the wheel because it's used up pushing gasses out. That being said, it might cause the need for carb recalibration. The same can be said on the intake side - a restrictive airbox is never good for airflow and power production. However, many here can tell you that with stock jetting, this bike is very sensitive to airbox mods and won't run well. I'm sure some carb recalibration would remedy that, but would be a pain to perform. Jeremy
  6. Gearhead
    US spec 1st gen Ventures do not have a cat (dunno for sure about Canadian spec), but they do have a collector as already mentioned. He may have been referring to that. You need some sort of plumbing to get the 4 head pipes into the 2 mufflers, and that's where the Markspipes header-collector comes in. I've read posts from several members who have it and, correct me if I'm wrong, there was no trouble with the bike running well afterward. I just had another thought. There are some baffles inside the collector that tend to break loose and rattle. Several members here have removed the collector, cut it open, removed the baffles entirely, and welded the collector back up with good results. Jeremy
  7. Gearhead
    "...but the original red trailer with 12" tires is listed at 152 lbs dry weight,...I did not check on the 8" wheel trailer, as I personally feel it's not fit for highway travel, but I don't think there will be much difference in weight." The 8" tire model lists at 130 lb, meaning the tires would be 11 lb different in weight per tire. Not sure if that sounds reasonable, but if true, by the time you add a spare, the difference in weight just from switching tires between 8" and 12" is 33 lb. Regarding 8" hiway trailer tires, I've used them for years without mishap on a single MC hauling trailer (that I tow behind the car). I used the small tires with some trepidation (no prior experience with them at that point) because they allowed the tilt-bed trailer to sit lower. Height doesn't matter if I put a quad on it, but when loading something the size and weight of a Venture you want to keep the loading angle down! The tires are hiway rated, 590 lb each, so I went with it. It must have been about 10 years ago that I built that trailer and it's been great. I've hauled my 550 lb Virago and 600 lb quad all over the place, took my Venture 750 miles to Hume Lake in the Sierras, and my Dad hauled his Kawi Voyager on it. It's been behind a variety of cars from a Camry to a 3/4 ton Chevy. Not one problem, and I've gone Interstate speeds with it. I replaced the tires a year ago and this time got some 8-inchers that were slightly wider with a little higher load rating because the big bikes are pushing the load limit of the others. If they can haul an 800 lb bike on a 250 lb trailer, these tires are more than adequate for a 400 lb loaded MC cargo trailer. Some people just aren't comfortable with the "smallness" of these tires and it makes them feel better to run the bigger ones. That's OK, use what you like! Just know that the 8" are perfectly suited to the job and offer height and weight benefits. Jeremy
  8. Gearhead
    I've never heard anyone 'splain how this breather works. My Virago breaths through a simple tube from the crankcase cavity to the airbox, with a couple baffles to keep out excess oil. Why in the world do we need a "breather assy" that also houses coolant and oil? Jeremy
  9. Gearhead
    If your diaphragms are too far gone like mine were, new ones will hit you for about 60 bucks a pop x4. Check them out first though. I looked at one of mine, it was shot, the bike is 20 years old, so I ordered 4. When I went to do the replacement, I found that one had already been replaced. Jeremy
  10. Gearhead
    I'm a fan of JB weld for smaller repairs and had success with larger cans of marine epoxy (I already had it) on a large trunk repair like ReinyRooster's. I actually sandwiched what was left of the trunk material behind the backrest between two sheets of alum, epoxied and screwed in place. I drilled the whole assy for the backrest and little light / mirror. Strong like moose now! The PO did some repair of damage more like yours, Condor, which is holding up (although ugly but mostly out of sight). He used 'glass and polyester resin, which didn't adhere perfectly to the painted ABS, but is good enough so far. When I see a spider crack I like to stop-drill it. Find the very end of the crack (look VERY carefully) and drill a small hole, This ABS is definitely brittle and the mounting points are not adequately load-distributed. I think the stress on them is very high. I would guess that your trunk did not suffer a blow, but was repeatedly overloaded, perhaps ridden on rough roads while overloaded. Perhaps is has carried a passenger who leaned very heavily on the backrest; check carefully the plastic behind it as well. Jeremy
  11. Gearhead
    Thanks guys, for your suggestions. Some thoughts: The TCB brake thingy is interesting. Many bikers are using SS brake lines and other means to firm up the brake feel, and this thing intentionally puts some "squish" in the lever - don't quite know what to make of that. Engine bolts - haven't checked, will do so. Brakes binding - Interesting theory, but I don't think this is a brake problem because it shows up in other circumstances. I could be wrong. I do have a VERY SLIGHT pulsing when on the foot brake - not sure which rotor is the problem, but it's SO slight; I've had worse before. Bent rim - will inspect closely. Forks out of alignment - this one makes no sense to me, but I've read about it happening on BMW's. Mine appear to be parallel and the wheel travels smoothly with the springs removed, 2 to 6 thou isn't much... Squeeze, I did tighten the pinch bolts progressively with the wheel off the ground. I have replaced the fork oil with 10W, and it is equal, 50CC below spec with Prog springs. Head bearings and races looked OK but maybe there is a problem there. Frame crack - could be I guess. Axles OK. Front wheel lockup doesn't happen often, and it's hard to say; the wobble and partial wheel lockup occurred essentially together, although if I had to guess I'd say the partial lockup came slightly before. And the lockup wasn't sudden, like a problem with the brakes or gravel on the road, it was partial, gradual and controllable, simply a result of really clamping on the brakes. 2nd gen - nice bikes, really pretty, not in budget, like VR anyway! :-) New front tire really reduced the mid-speed version of the front wobble, but didn't totally cure it, and the tire is not that old or worn now. Head bearings could be tighter. My past experience has always been that they were best with low preload - just remove the slop and no tighter. So, it goes against my grain to crank down on ther. I have tried a couple different preloads with this bike, but could try tighter. Thanks again, will check these things out. Throw any more ideas at me! Jeremy
  12. Gearhead
    "I have been wondering about installing a relay on my 83 that would go around the Computer Monitoring System (CMS) ...." Randy, I did in fact do the jumper wire and the light was noticably brighter on the garage wall. 2 extra volts will do that for you. And that voltage drop is not just in the RLU, it's in the key switch, starter button, hi-lo beam switch, connectors, etc. I have numbers that I measured at various places in the circuit, but sorry Rocket, they are at home and I keep forgetting to look them up for you. But I'm pretty sure I measured about the same as you, which leads me to another point. Randy, your idea would require 2 relays - one each for hi and lo beam. The problem is that since neither beam is totally shut off by the RLU (see Rocket's numbers), the relays either buzz or won't shut off. IIRC, on LO, the 3 volts remaining in the HI line makes the relay buzz. On HI, the 10V left on the LO line won't let the relay turn off so both beams stay on. The only way I figured a relay could be successfully used and not trip the CMS was to use one relay just before the hi-lo switch. This would eliminate the voltage drop of the key switch, main fuse and start button, but the hi-lo switch and CMS / RLU would still be in the circuit. I forget how much voltage that would pick up at the light, maybe .5 to 1 volt. I just helped my Dad with some wiring on his Kawi Voyager. It already has a relay-activated headlight system, so the hi current doesn't have to go thru the key and both handlebar switches. Much better. Jeremy
  13. Gearhead
    Folks, There's been lots of dialog about front-end wobble, but I have a peculiar variant which happens under very hard braking. As in "I think I'm going to hit this car and die" hard braking. It happened to me in November on the Interstate when traffic came screeching to a halt and I obviously wasn't looking ahead very attentively, and then last night at maybe 60 mph somebody pulled out RIGHT in front of me. Thanks to God that I didn't hit anything either time, or fall over with the wobble. In both cases, while on the brakes hard, I think I felt the front tire partially lock, and the front wheel and handlebars went into a violent wobble that was very difficult to control despite my death-grip on the bars. Last night, being the second time, it occured to me as I was braking that the front end would go crazy. I want to be clear that this is NOT a whole-bike weave, but a front-end wobble; I've felt both in the past. A little history if you're interested. I got my 87 with 45,000 miles on it and a lot of deferred maintenance. It exhibited a strong tendency toward the wobble at mid-speeds (30-45), but ONLY if I removed my hands from the bars. Light hand pressure always damped it out. It also had a touch of the high-speed whole-bike weave. Over the last 1.5 years I've done the following: -New tires - 38psi F, 40psi R -Progressive fork springs and rear shock unit -Greased and checked rear swingarm and linkage -Inspected, cleaned, packed and adjusted steering head bearings. I've tried a couple different preloads from the factory light setting to something a little tighter - no difference. -Checked wheel bearings. -Installed Superbrace Through all this the whole-bike-weave has diminished; what remains is minimal, self-damping and I'm convinced it's normal in a full-dress bike. The wobble is mostly gone, with the single biggest factor being the new front tire (which has been the case in the past for me on other bikes). I can remove my hands at mid-speeds and it doesn't automatically start wobbling as before. However, even now it only takes the slightest provocation to start one. If I hit a little rock with the front wheel, or tap one of the grips with my hand, it will start. The braking wobble feels like the regular front-end wobble, but the big difference is that it wobbles with my hands tight on the bars which it normally won't do. The wobble has one other manifestation. When doing u-turn excercises (from the MSF experienced class), at low speed with the wheel at or near lock, I feel a bit of that wobble even though my hands are firmly on the bars. I am sure these are all related; different manifestations of the same condition: 1) Mid speeds in a straight line, hands off bars, slight bump in road or tap on handlebars. 2) Higher speeds, hard on brakes, straight line, death grip on bars. 3) Low-speeds, tight u-turn, hands firmly on bars. Anybody else had these experiences? How'd ya fix it? Jeremy
  14. Gearhead
    "Taking a quick look, zanotti motors is lowest, don't know about their service." I've been ordering from Zanotti for years. Their service has always been satisfactory - never any issues. Jeremy
  15. Gearhead
    Define reasonable I got the main diaphragms for about 55 each from either Ronayers.com or Zanotti Motors. Both have been very reliable dealers for me with good prices. By "air cutoff valve diaphragms", I assume you mean for the enrichener circuit? I didn't buy those, but they were about $28 each if memory serves. If I find those bad in my carbs I think I can disable the enrichener circuit which may result in a bit of popping on decel but should have no real negative effect. Jeremy
  16. Gearhead
    If you only have HI setting, you will likely be switching it on and off alot on cool-but-not-cold days. My Virago had HI-LO and the swich is near the HI-LO beam switch within easy reach of the left thumb, and it is nice as sometimes even with two positions I find myself switching between the two. I have seen a "doo-dad switch" in a bike catalog, which is just a switch housing that mounts to a handlebar. With the heat controller on the Venture's Show Chrome grips, I don't think I will be adjusting it as often, so hopefully it's fairing location won't be irritating. Jeremy
  17. Gearhead
    "Ok What if they wont stay open , The vents move to freely. Any ideas?....Fred" Dash vents - mine have been OK - a little loose, but generally stay where I put them. Fresh air shin vents - Mine were structurally OK but had been glued, shut or open I don't remember. I took them out and carefully cleaned the glue from the pivots with an exacto. Great, but then they were all loosey-goosey, which is why they were glued of course. I found some small e-clips in the hardware store that, when installed (sometimes more than one) on the pivot post where the linkage bar attaches to the center louver, added the required friction. Hot air vents - One was totally shot, bought a new one for 60 bucks or so. The other had been repaired from being too loose by the PO. There's gear mechanism on the rotating knob that was broken, so the PO cut a tab out of a oil or coolant bottle and screwed it on to engage the gear teeth. Works well enough. In the Tucson summer I remove the covers and tape a piece of under-hood insulation over the vents to prevent hot air seepage. Jeremy
  18. Gearhead
    I sent the same question to Odyssey that I asked here a few days ago. Here is their response: CCA is a very old standard and not a good reflection of power. CCA measures the battery after 30 seconds of crank at zero degrees. We at Odyssey don’t want the bike to start in 30 seconds; we want it to start immediately. The PC680MJ puts out 680 amps after 5 seconds which is 2 ½ to 3 times more power than any other battery on the market. We are the only battery company that uses pure lead technology. All other batteries use recycled lead. Using pure lead allows us to make much thinner grids which translates to more power. You will find other companies that fudge the numbers by testing at 32 degrees instead of 0, or by testing at 20 seconds instead of 30. We do recommend the MJ version for the Venture because we have found it be hotter with less circulation
  19. Gearhead
    Thanks, Squeeze. What's a coolant rig? Jeremy
  20. Gearhead
    In Tucson we get cold winter mornings (cold for riding, anyway) and hot summer days, so I'd like AC grips half the year! On my Virago, I installed Hot Grips with the switch mounted on the LH switch pod. The way the bat-handle sticks up, it's easy to bump it when I remove my hand from the grip for any reason, sometimes without noticing. It's pretty rude in the summer when it's already over 100 deg and the grips start getting hot! "I got a set of heated grips as well. Where did you guys mount the switch? Did you use the switch that came with the grips or did you get something different, and if so, what?" I noticed you ride a RSV. Mine is a VR so what I did won't help you much. Did you get the Show Chrome grips? I used the heat controller they supplied, mounted on the RH side of the fairing next to the CB. Your bike has a little leaner style in the fairing, so you'll have to find your own place. If you don't like the controller, you could use a double-throw toggle switch and a resistor like Hot Grips does. The resistor is for LO. But first, I'd connect the Show Chrome controller and use a meter to see if the grips are wired in parallel or series. Jeremy
  21. Gearhead
    Thanks for all your input. I will say, though, that the application chart on Odyssey's own website calls out the PC680MJ for the Venture Royale, FWIW. Jeremy
  22. Gearhead
    Thanks to all. Do I understand correctly, then, that the nose of the starter will slip right out of the engine case? I don't have to remove the LH case cover to expose the starter gears? I've found a slight weeping going on around one end of the plastic coolant elbow as well. I assume there's an o-ring in there. I should fix it while I'm in the area. Jeremy
  23. Gearhead
    Hi guys, My 87 is getting a little weak on starting, especially when hot. I've checked for voltage drop in the circuits (had that problem with other Yammy's) and it is normal. It's probably just a tiring battery, but I've had issues on my Virago with the starter and the one on the Venture looks similar. The Virago sometimes gets all plugged up in the brush / commutator area with brush dust and needs simply a good cleaning out. But it's realy easy to get the brush cap off on that bike because of it's location. Does the Venture have any common problems with the starter? Things that make it start operating weakly? What's involved in removing it? Do I have to go into the case cover to remove a snap ring or anything? Can I leave the starter in place and just get the brush cap off? Thanks, Jeremy
  24. Gearhead
    Happy New Year! I've got some questions about batteries. I'm sold on AGM technology, but why Odyssey in particular? I hear "more power" as a reason. But according to spec sheets (using the PC680 for the first gen as an example), there are other AGM batteries that have more. CCA - some have 300-350 range, Od. has 220. AH - others are rated at 22, Od. is 17. This makes sense because the Od. is actually a little smaller and lighter physically. So why go with Od. instead of the others? Are they more honest about their ratings and actually as powerful or more powerful than the others? Is it quality? Reliability? Life? I've known other brand AGM batteries to last 5-6 years in a bike or quad, which as you know is probably double the average for wet cell. Also, why does Od. specify the "MJ" version for the Venture when some other bikes call for the standard PC680? Does the batt compartment in the Venture get much hotter than others? Anybody got an opinion, rumor or lie they would like to share about this? Thanks, Jeremy
  25. Gearhead
    Hi guys, I got the Show Chrome heated grips installed on the Venture and they are nice! They heat up just about the same as the Hot Grips on the Virago do, which I was always pleased with. It's been cold here, so I haven't really tried the variable heat controller, just had them on HIGH. For $60, I'm pleased. Jeremy
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