Du-Rron

Fav is Weller Antique. But, getting hard to find.

Yeah... I still use mine every now and then, cause I have some music on tape that I don't have in any other format. If my bike had an 8-track on it, I may just be able to dig up something to play on it as well.

Back in the good old days, and since I worked at the Airport, I got the Zook registered as a 172 and got the AV GAS ONLY stickers for it.

Replace the 4 year old battery then get back to us.

I like things the way they are. If the site changes, then I will adapt and change with it, and I will still like the site. I think that instead of me being stuck with this site, that this site is stuck with me. Don't do facebook, so don't care what happens there.

Cool! Cool! Cool!

One last word on oil since I do not know what you have available to you. The best oil to use is one certified to JASO *MA* level and says so on the outside of the container. This means that it is good to use in wet clutches like ours. It can have this certification and be either mineral or synthetic.

Well uhhhh..... now that you put it that way....

Stratoliner Delux, plenty of 2014's left over at dealerships. FJR1300, CTX1300?????

Does this help?

I am going to go with what everybody else is saying that 45mph to 5th gear is way too slow. Try hitting 60mph before shifting into 5th and let us know if the noise is still there.

Also, pull all sparkplugs and either put in gear and rotate back tire by hand, or use starter, to make sure you are not hydrolocked.

Maybe the noise is always there, you just don't hear it till the engine gets quitter in 5th gear. Change out the diff oil for starters.

Dang Puc, that was great!!! You are the master! (must be something in my eye.... sniff, sniff)

You want some whistle and whirr.... check out the Honda CTX1300 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl0CQrqdOpI

push in while you twist counterclockwise.

The manufacturer prints the manual for the average mechanic. Going by the book assures that each bearing will be tightened to their standard by the use of a torque wrench. This method takes a couple of hours because you have to remove the fairing. Then guys come along with a "better than average" skillset and develop shortcuts to save time, that trades on their skills to do the job correctly. In developing that "shortcut" the person thinks..."what is the minimum I have to move or get out of the way to get the job done". I dunno what skillset someone has when I answer a question, I just give them the best info I have, on jobs I have done, while trying to type and keep pizza off the keyboard. By the book... the top clamp bolts are loosened (then clamp taken off then blah blah blah) in order not to have the top clamp act as a spring under pressure when the stem nut is tightened down. Freebirds published shortcut method does not loosen the bolts. My modified method loosens the bolts, and more closely aligns with the factory method, because I know that triple clamp should be at least .002" lower than when I started due to the bearing tightening down and the stem coming up. I want the top clamp free to move during the process and I will tighten the top fork clamp bolts down last. This additional step to the published shortcut takes less than a minute ( once you have a cut wrench to fit) to loosen the four bolts and assures upon reassembly that your bearing tightening will last due to the top clamp now sitting on the top adjuster lock nut. Interestingly enough, the book tells you to loosen the bolts, but never tells you to tighten them back up during reassembly. Even the manufacturer can get a published process wrong I guess

Cut a wrench down to fit between fairing and top triple clamp bolts. . Loosen top 4 triple clamp bolts. Then turn handlebars full left with bike on the ground and loosen stem nut. It is tight at about 92 ftlbs I think.

Bert, put 40psi (cold) in that front tire. Can't tighten adjuster nuts without loosing top nut. I also loosen top 4 triple clamp bolts when adjusting as well.

I use a two-foot cheater and tighten it down till the threads screech. Cutting torch is required for removal.

40MPG and driving like a BOH??? The only way I can get 40MPG is to turn off the engine, with a tailwind, going downhill.

My tires are round... kinda