7 lakes

I'm so sorry for your loss. My Dad passed a few years ago and I think of him every day.

One of the reasons that those Philips are always stripping is that they're not Philips head screws. They're JIS, Japanese Industrial Standard. What I've read is that the Philips head was designed for Henry Ford, it sped up the assembly line because the Philips is designed to cam out when the proper torque is reached without buggering up the head of the screw and leaving sharp edges that caught on skin and clothing. Before the days of precise driver clutches and electronic torque wrenches this allowed fast assembly without leaving damage behind. The JIS tips are cut straight, not curved like a Philips, they are designed to lock in and not cam out, for this reason JIS drivers are even better with Philips screws than a Philips driver. Get yourself a set of Vessel JIS drivers and you'll wonder where they've been all your life. I don't know how many times I've removed carb and case cover screws that someone stripped with a Philips driver, by doing nothing more than using the right screwdriver. Here's a youtube (not mine) video that does a good job explaining it. Amazon has sets and individual drivers, and you can get them other places on the web. Vessel makes an impact driver that looks and is sized like a regular driver, too, not 3 pounds of awkward fat stubby steel. If you work on Japanese bikes you need these, they will pay for themselves in money saved replacing fasteners. (see there, gave ya somethin' to tell the missus ...) Tim

Yep, what he said. I've dealt some in collectables and luvmy40 is right on, find an auction house with toy experience. And remember that it's not an appraisal unless a licensed appraiser does it, otherwise it's a guess. A good one maybe, but still a guess. If you're looking to maximize the value of the collection you need an actual appraisal, which is the only thing a serious collector will pay attention to. As a certified appraiser I'm a little biased of course ...

I have a real nice one available, PM me. Tim

Yeah, what he said. Definitely tire lube is the way to go. Also, residue from dishwashing detergent and other mild solvents encourages corrosion of aluminum over time, so not a good idea to use for anything without rinsing thoroughly, which you can't do inside your tire. I use Tru-Flate; ( https://www.amazon.com/Plews-Edelmann-Tru-Flate-12-095-Concentrated/dp/B000CIUOMY ) its a tub of gel that for demounting you mix a glob with water to make a super slick mixture you swab on after breaking the bead, and for mounting, you dip a couple of fingers in the sticky goo and smear it on the bead and the rim like a thin coating of grease. Tire goes on slick and easy and no moisture inside the tire to interfere with balancing beads. It also contains a corrosion inhibitor. Best stuff I've ever used. I always clean the rim well, mount and seat the tire, then break the bead and pour in the beads. Then, the tire is so slick still that a little air and the bead pops right back into place without any effort and you're ready to bolt it on. By the time you've buttoned the bike up the lube will be dry enough that you don't need to worry about slippage. Tim

+1 on the Plastex, good stuff. I've fixed fairing cracks from the rear without repainting and left just a hairline in the paint that you had to look hard to see. It's a real repair, you're not just gluing it together.

Both those monstrosities are just a waste of Yamaha parts, in my opinion. Yechh.

Left hand drill bit. Usually firm pressure and a jerky trigger on the drill, and the bit will catch and unscrew it. Works better than an easy out most of the time.

I still have a nice one if anyone wants it before I blast it, paint it, and put it on ebay.

Steamer is right, you need to service the internals, a caliper and master rebuild are both indicated here. The only way that you can bottom out the lever like that is if the master is bypassing internally, meaning that it is on borrowed time.

I disagree. You'd get at least 101 answers.

Brakes dont just suddenly need to be bled, you need to service the internals, rebuild the caliper and either rebuild or replace the master cylinder. You told us in your first post that the system had failed, bleeding wont fix whatever caused that.

Was he referring to horse riding or bike riding? My doc only told me take it easy for a few days to make sure that there was no hidden bleeding at the entry site.

Those are nice bikes, strong engines and a well balanced package. Because of the cruiser seating position, which tends to put more pressure on the tailbone than the standard version of those bikes, the seats had better and more foam and weren't too bad. I would expect that this old man would need to get off and stretch my legs before the seat drove me off. Hope you have many happy miles on it!

You can also use clear plastic from blister packs, from about anything you buy nowadays.

I like to say that I knew I was marrying Miss Right, I just didn't know her first name was Always. Just kidding hon ...

Glad to hear you caught it, I can relate. I went for a treadmill test and left with a double bypass. I was literally 30 seconds into the test when they made me lie down, started calling doctors and wouldn't let me go home, checked me in and I had the surgery 2 days later. I really lucked out, had blocked arteries but no heart damage and now after changing what I eat I'm fine and dont even need meds. Doc said it was a congenital issue and they had been partially blocked since I was a kid. And I second the advice about the angiogram, they aren't exactly fun but they really aren't a big deal. The worst thing is having to lie flat on your back for a while afterward, but still way less annoying than a heart attack.

Cool, glad you got them all squared away.

Hey Doug, I'd love to hear what Brakecrafters has to say about why that one piston was so hard to get in.

I would read those codes as "Replace me"

Hmm. I've run Shinkos for years, never had any complaints. Why would you not trust them at high speeds?

Condor and Sailor, I'll be thinking good thoughts for you both. I had a double bypass in 2009, a stint a year later and a total of four angioplasties, dont recommend it for the entertainment value but now I feel great and don't worry about my heart. PM me if you want to talk to someone who's been through that wringer.

I had a double bypass in 2009 and a stint a year later, and a total of four angioplasties. Not something I'd recommend for the entertainment value but you sure feel better when it's over. I now feel great and don't worry about my heart. I'll be thinking good thoughts for you, PM me if you want to talk to someone who's been through that wringer.

Be real careful if you use a pick not to damage the seal. I've used feeler gauges to shoehorn stubborn seals, kind of like using a tire bar to mount a tire, put the feeler gauge between the seal and the caliper, apply pressure on the caliper while circling it with the feeler gauge and work the seal around the piston. Same motion as cleaning fork seals. Just don't damage the seal. If you decide to try this , take the sharp corners off the edges off the gauge with 400 grit paper.

Doug, are you sure the groove the seal sits in is absolutely clean? The seals are a very tight fit because they're not just seals, they stretch when the brake is applied and draw the piston back when it's released, they are the most highly functioning component in the system and are tight. Any crud or corrosion in the seal groove can take up what little clearance they have.