dna9656

I have shared similar experiences...Screw drivers (last resort) "water pump" (grooved joint pliers) oil filter pliers (http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=oil+filter+pliers) these work pretty well on bikes and the 4 wheel vehicles until of course you run into the filter installed by Magilla Gorilla. I like the strap model used with a ratchet and (most of the time) an extension. Using the extension allows the strap to go around the base of the filter the base won't collapse under the squeezing like the "can" area where the filter media is located. It's similar to this wrench (http://www.harborfreight.com/3-34-in-oil-filter-swivel-handle-wrench-68963.html) but has no handle. Your 3/8" extension fits into the 3/8" drive hole, it your ratchet to the extension and then you slide the tool to the base of the filter and turn your ratchet counter clock-wise. This has worked well for me most times; I have had to wrap tape around some filters but not many. The tool comes in 2 sizes, one fits the PF-35/ P-8 (3 3/4" dia. class) and the other fits the 3980 Class (approx 3" dia.). If you do a lot of different vehicles you'll want all these in your arsenal; trust me....

Isn't THAT a literal rev limiter? A Non-Powered Edition? You know a "Mark One"? The "Common Sense" model?

I think a hole drilled in one end to connect a beaded chain would be excellent! The plate could then be recovered (picked up) while securely sitting on the bike and stored in the left hand pouch that's snapped to the faring or stored in the rider's pocket. When you're parking you just play out the plate and chain to the ground, use your foot to place it and gently let the side stand down on the plate.

For the Tech side of this I would contact Dingy (Gary); A helluva nice guy that (I'm sure) will do all he can to help you get squared away. Through a 3rd party (here on the forum) he called me at home, we spoke... so have faith.... The disk I received from Gary had lots of tech stuff on it. So get a hold of him, he's the Ignitech GURU!!!!

Cost for install was ZERO the unit was $285 with the optional programing cord. Gary provided everything needed for an install using OEM ignition coils. As you know the OEM coils are fired through the OEM TCI wire harness. If you have your own Coil Over Plugs (COPs) you have to figure out how to connect them. Near as I can think it through using the OEM harness to connect to the COPs isn't ideal because the leads to the coils will be coming out of the harness way up front and the COPs are just forward of center. So there are 2 ways to do this: Extend the OEM leads back to the COPs on the engine or splice into the coil output on the Ignitec THEN to the engine. I am reluctant to cut up my Ignitec, but..... I know running extended leads from the OEM harness is (electrically) OK but less than ideal as all leads (but esp. Ignition leads) should only be as long as is necessary. I have Honda COPs with their harness, it came from E=bay with the male half of a 6 pin connector, I wrote the vender inquiring about getting the other half of the plug but I'm pretty sure he won't because that would screw up the saleability of the harness. I have a VR harness I bought from a guy with a bunch of other spare parts, there is a 6 pin connector on it (both sides too!) I could use but I'd like a NEW connector just because. Radio shack has them but of course not my local stores as they are in hiatus right now. Connectors are available on the Internet from all the usual sources. The weather pack ones are bought one piece at a time so the shell of the connector is $3.40 for ONE HALF of the connector, the sexy little 3 ribbed real is another $$$ as are the pins, then you got to order the other half of the connector ......so I'm looking for one like on our bike(s) or a Molex plug. I'm looking for input from the forum on this. In the mean time I'm using the OEM coils and harness to fire the plugs. When full of the grease used in automotive lighting they are as WX proof as a weather pack connector. One cost was incurred. $0.88 plus tax at Wal Mart for distilled water. Having have a maintenance free batteries in my cars for so long I have neglected to check my bike's battery, I thought I might have to removed the battery to get to the OEM TCI. I didn't and Gary didn't say it had to be done in the Ignitec's instructions, just me reading (something I do often) more into the process than I had too. Anyway the electrolyte was way down in the battery, I guess it might be charging at too high a rate but it's been over a year since I looked at the battery....So I added some distilled water to the battery. I'm thinking that battery's days are numbered, when it does go I'm going to check out the charging rate to see if there is an issue and fix it if nessesary and get one of those new fangled batteries.

Well I got it installed, it started, I rode around the area here (I live in a little "H" shaped 'hood with all dead ends but the way in and out) Pretty easy to install so if you are considering getting one (I would and did) don't hesitate.

There are Kits that come close but so far as I know this isn't a cigar your ever going to find. This guy (http://www.carbparts.com/mikuni.html) seems to be in one of many that may be able to help you with some parts but he says that Yamaha has propriety stuff in the carb Mikuni build to Yamaha specs. Mikuni doesn't make the parts for anyone but Mother Yamaha I'm sure it;s in their contract... As much (ridicules) money as Yamaha charges for carb parts you'd think they would have every part available....

I have read to never add brake fluid to make up for brake pad wear for the very reason that there will be too much fluid in the system when it's time to change the pads. Could it be the designers felt that if the fluid level is low enough to cause concern then it's time to change the pads? So far as contaminated fluid residing only in the caliper and getting pushed up to the master cylinder when pushing the cup back in to the caliper I donno.... you can't compress a fluid, first law of hydraulics...the fluid forms a column of force (confined by the hose/pipe) and pushes the cup out applying force to the brake pads, how would the fluid get stirred up when (essentially) the actual amount of travel the fluid takes is very small? Now if you got air in the system the bubbles certainly could cause the fluid to mix up with it self, carry contaminates to the rest of the system yes? So this opening the bleeder while you pry the cup back into the caliper, that could be tricky as you have to keep a bleeder hose under control while having the bleeder wrench in place simultaneously prying on the brake pads, a good trick or a 3 handed job...As difficult as it is to bleed the system on the early (unmodified) bikes (my only experience) I don't know if I'd want to risk sucking the air in this way versus just bleeding the brakes (with the bleeder hose under control) after the new pads are installed. I guess it boils down to your skills/equipment, having some help, or some sort of bleeding machine that applies brakes for you while you tend to the activities at the caliper. I know a lot of us are pretyy slick at this stuff and some of us are less so, and that's why we're all here! To share and learn!

All this seems like a good reason to go to fuel injection but that's way too expensive! There was a post on e bay for a aluminum intake/adapter to replace all the carbs with one from our friends at Volkswagen....how it ties in to the TCI is past my understanding...it was $500 for the intake manifold and the carb... I think....the post seems to be gone now...

"it's not that hard to find specific articles in the Read Only Technical Libraries" that's true Sometimes the info isn't in the tech lib.....I have searched (using the seach engine) and get articles that contain the searched for words; but that doesn't usually (in my exp.) get you what you're looking for.

I'm still not interested in a Harley Clone, I got a Road Star, V-twin, air cooled with a belt drive. It's not the droid I'm looking for; It's for sale if you want it. It makes my face itch. It doesn't corner worth a damn; YEAH I know, it's not supposed to. So far as I am concerned if the new bike was a re-issue of the 1200s or the 1300 CC bikes (with some minor changes) I would be pleased. The changes I would like to see are a better grade plastic for the fairings, side panels, saddle bags and travel trunk. I would also make the saddle bags bigger. I would scrap the cassette player and put a media receiver in there, add a GPS. The CB could be optional. Intercom isn't nessesary with today's blue tooth helmets. I would like to see an increase in the frame's strength, leave the seat alone and lower the bike. I'd like a V-max V-4, fuel injected, water cooled engine in 1600 CC to 1800 CC. I'd like to to see a popular tire size used as well. I would be VERY interested ina bike on those lines. I would take a smaller V-Max engine but no less than 1300 CC, I want 6 speeds regardless. Anti lock brakes? I donno, Air bags? I donno. A tall windshield, yes. Factory foot pegs? Hell yes!

On cars it's recommended to replace the brake fluid every 2 or 3 years. So that would be flushing and bleeding. Best to do that BEFORE you install the new pads as it can be messy and you don't want brake fluid on your pads. On to tips: Get a tool (like a PLASTIC pry bar) and push the caliper cups back in by gently prying between the rotor and the old brake pad. You can also do this with a threaded "C" clamp after the caliper is off the fork, use a paint stir stick (or something like that) between the contact point of the clamp and caliper to avoid marring the caliper with the "C" clamp. Don't force the cup in too far or you'll send too much brake fluid back up to the reservoir. You need to make just enough room for the new, thicker pads to slip around the rotors. After you have everything tightened down according to Specifications and BEFORE you ride apply the brakes several times to be sure the calipers are full of brake fluid.

Check http://www.banggood.com Think of harbor freight while you shop.; some stuff is cool, some stuff is crap.

Skydoc told me how to clean the carbs w/o diassembly. Get some aerosol carb clean; lots of it. WalMart has it for about$1.00. Drain the gas out using the bowel drains, there are drain valves near the drain hoses. Open the (now empty) bowel drains (you may want to wrap some tape around the straw so you get a seal) insert the red sprayer straw into the drain hose and squirt the cleaner in there untill it comes out of the drain hose. Let it sit. Come back later and drain. So it's just like shampoo, apply, wash, rinse and repeat, only this time you stop before you run out of shampoo! I did this 5 or 6 times per carb. The floats came unstuck and the carbs work we;; except for the plugged pilot valves. Those I'll to when I have the kits on hand. He has it all written out in the tips for1st gens I think....check it out; there are lots of good things in there you will benefit from.

The same or similar kits are on E-bay for $30.00 to $40.00. This guy: http://www.ebay.com/itm/4x-86-07-VMA...d3f59a&vxp=mtr is asking $83.00 AND SHIPPING of $4.00? WOW. I called this outfit: http://www.carbparts.com/mikuni.html. The MAN Jeff told me how I could check my pilot jets, I don't need any new gaskets, he also told me to check the BIG diaphragms (mine are ok) and said he'd fill any order I wanted to place but there was no sense in buying stuff I didn't need so he's NOT is a hurry to get your money; he wants to sell you what you NEED. Although he told me this morning if I wanted to send him my carbs they would trouble shoot them for me and tell me what's wrong. I can't begin to imagine what that would cost; I do not have pockets that are that deep but some folks do. So I am going to take the carbs off this weekend, I don't know if I can take the bowls off without separating the carbs out of the assembly but we'll see. If you take your carb assembly apart you HAVE TO RE-ASSEMBLE them on a FLAT surface so the bottoms of the carbs are all in the same plane (Geometrically speaking) so they all are properly placed in space to connect to the manifolds and boots above and below. This bit of wisdom is from Peder here on the forum. He's a carbutreator guru. He sync'ed my carbs for me...very knowledgeable guy!

If you get the wear you're looking for and YOU are happy no one can ask for a better deal. YOUR happiness is paramount, not what others think. BUT having said that getting the tools to do your own tire changing is a good investment that will pay for it self in NO TIME!

Got a Picture?

I have learned that you (USUALLY) get what you pay for. I'm putting $ away until I have enough to get the good stuff... Always remember if you buy cheap you usually buy twice...you have to replace the items you got for cheap... Having said that I know if you shop smart enough you can find some killer deals; but remember Murphy says no matter how long you shop or how long you wait (till the price drops) just as soon as you buy some one has it for less some where else.

You know; sometimes things get said JUST RIGHT and this is one of those times! AMEN Sailor!

At my local Yamaha Dealer the crush washer was $2.00 each! So yeah get them someplace else! If the threads in the engine are striped have no fear, once you get any/all (how do you know? well that's what filters are for I guess) pieces of metal from the striped threads that might be inside OUT of there... go to NAPA or most any A/P store and get the universal drain plug that is a screw/rubber sleeve/washer kid of a thing. It's inserted into the drain hole and when the the screw is tightened the tube is drawn towards the head of the screw and forms a ball inside the crank case. The screw's head turns against 2 washers (so to speak) there is a metal washer directly under the screw head and a sort of rubber washer (it's directly against the crank case) under it; and it forms a seal against the outside of the case. So the screw creates a binding action making a good seal. They don't leak in my experience.

Technically this is the 85 but the 83 looked just the same. I Had this: http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk195/dna9656/th_IMG_0252.jpg This is the 83/84. I did this: http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk195/dna9656/th_IMG_0254.jpg The circuits are named on the other side of the fuse block. The value of the respective fuses are labeled here, the 15 amp fuse on the left a spare pushed into a spare circuit location. It now holds a 3 amp fuse for the heated seat. It all fits where the original fuse panel was.

I know the more sticky the tire, the faster it wears. Cops run Goodyear Eagles because they are sticky. usually long wear and sticky don't go hand in hand...

I tried to do my front bearings, couldn't find anything much in the manual about left or right first; got LOTS of help from Marcarl! Great GUY!!! I whacked it a few times and didn't move a thing. To preserve the peace here at home I followed the wife's advice and took it to the man. When I tried the rear bearings the needle bearing was SO FROZEN (corroded) to the wheel I COULD not get it out, I thinned the outer cage, heated it up, no joy. Lucky I got spare wheels...to that to the man too. $20.00 to install, I took the wheel to the shop. Worth every nickle. You might make a contribution to 1st. Gen tech library....The phot below shows what greeted me in the rear wheel, note that 43 or 4 balls in the bearing are not there...the rust, the lack of grease. I'm half ashamed to post the pic; I'm not one to let things like checking the lube out on a vehicle I buy slip on by (arg arg arg) but I sure missed the boat on this one. <!--url{0}-->[/img]</p><p> </p><p> Here <a href=http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk195/dna9656/th_IMG_0416.jpg' alt='th_IMG_0416.jpg'>

There was a pretty cool universal mount on ebay.

I searched searched last year for the Commander 2s in 1st gen size.... no dice not made. So I bought the Bridgestones. I typed in "Michelin" in the search box and there they were! I see only the rear tire (standard size) listed for out 1st gens....in the Comm 2 line but they show the front in the Pilot line. Ahh you went to the 130 size....cool! I wasn't that brave....