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dynodon

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Everything posted by dynodon

  1. dynodon
    Probably won't make much difference. The 8" tires are so small and light that even if out of balance quite a bit, you probably won't ever feel it. Probably can just let them rotate on the axle. and see if they spin and stop at the same place every time, that is the heavy spot, put a tiny stick on weight opposite (at the top) and see if the tire spins and goes random. Probably as good as you will need. Nothing to buy unless your bearings drag so much the tire won't roll free, in which case, remove the wheel, repack and re-adjust the bearings. Most trailer bearings can have a tiny bit of free play, not like cars where they need a pre-load.
  2. dynodon
    All oils today have detergents in them, unless you seek out the rare oils for much older engines or special applications that don't call for them. But any regular oil, or synthetic will have detergents. The leak thing came from when Synthetics were brand new on the market in WWII or thereabouts, and they were some of the first oils with detergents. the old leather and real rubber seals of the day leaked a lot, but if the engine was really crudded up with gunk from the lousy regular oils, it helped a little. Use ANY oil...synthetic or regular with detergents and you had lots of leaks. so that is the back story. About breaking in? Another old "mechanics" tale. If it was true that engines would not break in with synthetic, then your Porsche, Corvette, BMW etc etc would be having lots of problems. About the truck getting better mileage with regular oil? Well, MPG numbers can be all over the place. Many reasons for mileage to go up and down, but there is no way MPG with the right Amsoil for the engine went down enough to measure, chances are it did go up, but you had some other thing working....different path, different roads, different gas, something. Amsoil or a quality synthetic will get better MPG than regular oils every time, but it is very hard to measure. Sometimes you get what you expect. by 1k your engine is "broken in" really, and switching to synthetic was not the reason for any MPG drop, especially after 20,000 more miles! Something else was going on, and since you were told that it had to do with the synthetic, you expected a result from your effort to flush and use regular oil. So you drove (without even being aware of it) to get the result. That is why gas line magnets, and tiny fans in the intake "work". People spend money on them and WANT them to work. But I do wonder just in case, did you use the exact same weight of oil in the one truck for both synthetic and regular? Some people think they can run 50 weight synthetic where they would use 30 regular oil. That is wrong thinking. Just something to think about.
  3. dynodon
    Dropped my 04 Goldwing the first week I had it, trying to turn around on a street. Went down on the kickstand side. It was in gear, so I shut the engine off. Checked that I was OK, then turned the handlebars like shown in the video. I am a heavy guy, 6'. I have two artificial hips and don't work out. I got my handholds, and worked my butt down against the seat. Helps on a Goldwing that the crash bars hold it about 40 degree angle. the secret is to not try so much to lift, but to just push BACK with your butt and legs. Use your hands to steady things and just keep pushing with your legs. GEtting your butt low is good, but just making sure you are pushing rather than lifting is the secret. This is the first time I used this method, and it worked like a charm. Now I did have some adrenalin going, but I got it up, and was very careful not to go over center. Turning around to get in position to put down the kickstand was the hardest thing for me, but I got it done. It all happened so quick that a guy that saw me go down didn't have time to fully stop and ask if I needed help. Had it on the kickstand and was getting ready to get back on. Oh, andyes, there were about 20 skinny people on bicycles that rode by kind of chuckling as I was getting back on. Glad I could help make their day! Only damage was a little skinned spot on the bottom of my pegs, and had to loosen the one and reposition it. A little bump on my shin from scraping it on the back rest as I got off. The method works.
  4. dynodon
    Good news. Went into the garage to try taking it apart and doing the dry out reseal, and decided to just try taking it out and putting it back in. Must have been a magic method because everything is back. Even my pre-sets were still there. May still take it apart soon just to see what is what with the seals. Thanks everyone for the help. Should not be needing the replacement part. (crossed fingers).
  5. dynodon
    Thanks for the hints about drying it out etc. I will give that a try. I got a PM about a unit that was available, I will try the fix mentioned and if that doesn't work, and you still have the unit for sale, we can talk, thanks for the offer. About the 2006, if still under warranty, of course take in the entire bike though, and have it fixed. If you remove something, they might blame you for the problem! They will need the bike to check things out anyway.
  6. dynodon
    This spring, the radio started losing station memory or messing up on the stations. But I was able to re-set them and things were OK. Then I rode an hour in the rain last Saturday. Dried the bike out over several days and went for a ride yesterday and now there is only one station...on all channels, and I can't use the seek, channel up/down or even change from FM to AM and back. The intercom and CB work perfect. Anyone dealt with this, and does anyone have a nice working radio section including the cassette they would be willing to sell? I want my tunes...luckily the one station is my favorite, but it has lousy reach.
  7. dynodon
    All good advice...I would add that if you are having trouble balancing at stops, consider reshaping the saddle or getting one that will lower you and maybe narrow the front part. I have an '86 VR, which is a lot like the Gen 2 bike you have in construction if not looks. I found that the two bikes ride a LOT alike, but the Gen 1 is a bit sportier due to lower weight mainly from the lower gas tank. But I found the Gen 2 very easy to ride. Make sure your tires are good, consider the changes mentioned, the EIII Dunlops I put on my '86 really helped the handling, but they took a little getting used to. Make sure your suspension is set right, experiment with it a little. And of course practice. Find a big empty lot and just turn turn and then turn some more. Learn to look where you want to go and practice that every turn on every mile. You may even want to find some other Gen 2 riders in your area and ask them to ride your bike to make sure it is behaving the way it is supposed to. I just got a '04 GoldWing. It drove funny, and by asking around, I found it had a problem, most likely with tight head bearings. Hope to have it back and riding normal today. You may have a problem that is causing you to feel unsteady that isn't your fault. Ride someone else's bike if you can get that permission. If you can't find someone on this site then check out STAR Touring for a chapter in your area. http://www.startouring.org
  8. dynodon
    Ugh...Hello? Where is the wind protection, the sound system, the A/C, the cruise, and all the luggage. How am I going to carry all my "stuff" and I can feel the nerves in my back hurting just looking at the picture! (joke!) Very cool looking, but not for me to ride.
  9. dynodon
    Can you just read the temperature before you put in a temp to alert you at? If so, I would just make sure the pressures are correct, then ride the bike and watch the temperature and see how high it goes. If you are on a hot day, then set the temp about 10 degrees above that? I would think you would want it at least 10 more than a hot normal ride. To do any real damage, I would think it would be WAY higher than that so unless it false alarms too much at 10 degrees, you should be OK.
  10. dynodon
    I forget now, maybe someone will remember better than me, but either on this list or the Venturers list, someone sells a Gen 1 light mount that replaces the horns and has a place for the horns. The bracket works like a charm, the lights are down low so they work well, and they look good. I just wired mine to the battery and put a switch on the dash somewhere. Spend the money on decent lights, the new LED ones seem great, and maybe they won't have bulbs that burn out from the vibration. But cheap lights have no control over the beam. My first set of cheap Wal Mart lights lit up everything INCLUDING the mirror side of the mirrors! They would light up the underside of trees near the road, the ditch, my face and everything but the lane in front of me. Bought a better set and they work great and look better.
  11. dynodon
    I got that same unit the 265T for my bike and we use it in the cars too. I didn't need all the bling, but wanted the traffic feature. If I was to do it again, I might look at a live weather radar feature, not even sure it is offered. Waterproof? Well, that is nice, but when it rains, I just remove mine (RAM mount makes that easy) and put it in the trunk since you won't be able to see the screen anyway. So far in light rain, mine has been just fine. For the cheap price on many of these in rebuilts etc, most people I know just buy the cheapest one they can find for the features they want, and if it breaks or floods out in a year, you buy a new one for what it might cost to upgrade the maps in a more expensive one. You come out with the latest maps and a new unit under warranty. So far my 265T has been just fine with the bike/car use. I like it a lot more than a Tom Tom I bought for another car.
  12. dynodon
    There was an editorial in Automobile magazine this last month. China has had an explosion of privately owned vehicles, and as the writer put it: "Imagine an entire country filled with nothing but teenage or new drivers with near zero experience!" Kind of makes driving in Chicago, Detroit, LA or NY seem like a piece of cake!
  13. dynodon
    I didn't think the strawberry patch idea was bad, why not keep it for those that may be single, have no kids etc. I thought it was great to have an alternative to make sure anyone could play. So I vote keep the strawberry patch idea!
  14. dynodon
    How about you, your bike and your son? Bonus points for a grandson or granddaughter also?
  15. dynodon
    not sure you got enough crane there to pick up the bike, but the picture looks A-OK to me!' So what is next?
  16. dynodon
    With those little tires you probably will feel some heat on any trip, even in cool weather. Bigger wheels should be at most lukewarm to the touch, even on a hot day (ambient temp or just a bit more). Really watch how much weight you put in that trailer with those little wheels/tires. The setup could overheat quickly and pop the tire or seize a b earing. Either one could wreck you. I make a habit of any time I trailer and stop, the first thing I do is walk around the rig and touch all the tires tread and sidewall, and then the bearings. If anything is too hot to touch, I am alerted to a possible problem. You will see pro truck drivers do this along with whacking the tires with a heavy tire iron/stick/hammer to check for one going down. Also check the hitch to make sure it isn't coming loose and the chains/light wires are OK. Do the bike (or the car/truck if not biking) tires too, give them a touch, and soon you will be very familiar with how things should be so when they start to go wrong, you will catch it quicker.
  17. dynodon
    Aluminum rims will corrode...any aluminum will eventually corrode. The rims on my 300C Chrysler are aluminum and have a plastic cap over 98% of the wheel. Only the edge where the weights attach are exposed, and it has a hard plastic coating that the weights break and then water gets in every place where wheel weights go. In 5 years the edges of my wheels were black with corrosion. I took a scraper and scraped off the loose plastic and sanded down the edges. Will have to do this each year. As for Ride-on, it coats the inside of the tread area and a little ways up the sidewall, but that is it. It won't get to the rim or the valve stem.
  18. dynodon
    A good wash mitt and a mild soapy solution works when the dirt is such that a quick wipe with a good detail spray won't work. Don't use detail spray on anything real dirty, but it is great for quick clean ups. For bugs anywhere, rinse with a stream of water to try to get the hard bits off. Lightly rub with a soft towel and shake out or don't use it again. If not using a soapy water mix (and Liquid Ivory is way better than most "car or bike wash" stuff, it won't hurt anything, and gets oil/crud off better than most car wash soaps. never believe you can wash and wax in one step, just won't work. An air blower is ok for drying but it can force water in places where it would not normally get, so just be logical about using those. Wax all paint to protect it and you can even use wax on the windshield. It works a lot like Rain-x only not so hard to make streak free. Go easy with high pressure car washes or even those sprayers you can buy for home. Easy to take paint off some wheels, and damage other surfaces. Better to use a wash mitt. Soft cotton towels to dry work well on something as small as a motorcycle. A good synthetic shammy is good to use and finish with a cotton towel.
  19. dynodon
    I only got to test ride a Gen 2 for about 10 miles last year at an event, but I found it to ride a lot like my '86 VR. The gen 1 does have cruise or was that an option on some versions? May be something wrong on your Gen 1 because the ride should be pretty good. I just bought an '04 Gold Wing, and so far, I think my Gen I rides better, but I am still working on suspension settings and tire pressures on the new bike. Any change of bike is going to take more than a few days to get used to the new setup. Give it some time, most people I know that have the Gen 2 love them. I would have gone for one but I didn't want a bike that looked like a Harley. Prefer the Gen 1 or "gold wing" style instead. A 2000 millennium edition, those are special. If I got an RSV, that is the one I would want. I think one of the things Yamaha is messing up on is paint. Paint is fairly easy and cheap, so why not offer more than 2 or 3 colors?
  20. dynodon
    Finally got around to getting a picture of the new to me 2004 Wing and the 2008 matching Bushtec trailer it came with. My wife normally prefers to ride her own '98 Shadow Ace Tour, but agreed to come along for this ride to visit friends for a meeting of our STAR Touring chapter (Star482.com). Hard to tell, but the bike came with matching Aria helmets with headsets along with luggage, cooler kit, and a lot more. Oh, always nice to have the neighbors garbage in the picture!
  21. dynodon
    Bob, Hope you took my ribbing right back as in fun, I intended it that way too! I have enjoyed the back and forth and always get a grin from it! Looking for cranes so we can give you a new target.
  22. dynodon
    I'll second Wingstuff.com. They have a great service dept for headsets and helmets etc. I won a Shark Evoline, and sent it to Wingstuff for the headset. Did a great job and less money than J&P.
  23. dynodon
    I have no doubt that the earbuds are a big improvement, but I will mention (not for the first time) that noise reducing earplugs improve the sound of helmet speakers. I use Musicians ear plugs from Hearos (just google them) for about $5 a set, and they reduce the overall noise level, and since they stick out close to the outside edge of the ear, they are very close to the headset speakers and get full fidelity and clear sound from the speakers. you can turn up the speakers which usually helps with their signal to noise ratio, and makes them sound better in the bass region. I find it much easier to understand CB and my music is closer to high-fi. At least worth trying if you don't want to mess with the ear buds or they don't work well for you.
  24. dynodon
    Oh Bob, I was going to ding you for not being in the picture (EDIT: I wrote all this before reading farther in Bob's note about the trick of using the clutch cover reflection) , but then I thought....Bob is tricky, I better look that picture over closely or he will never let me forget missing something, and yep, there you are in the reflection on the engine cover. *(anyone here a GWRRA member? If so, this scavenger hunt is almost as devious and hard as "find Wingy" in their magazine ads!). So Bob wins and we are out looking for construction cranes. Would a Blue Heron crane making a nest count? Nah, me neither.
  25. dynodon
    OK, being married to a lady that loves horses I have THE solution to my overfilled bike. A syringe meant for adminstering medicine to horses. NOt one with a needle, but meant to shoot paste and liquids into the mouth, down the throat. I was cussing at my bike one time when I overfilled it slightly, and NO WAY am I taking the plug out or opening up the filter case!. Stopped in the barn and there on a shelf were several of these things for giving medicine. I asked for an old one and found that some clear vinyl hose I had fit right over the end. I can now suction up oil (or brake fluid or anti-freeze) or anything else that needs a little taken out, and make it neat and clean. Also accurate to the tenth or less of an ounce. Need to add oil to that rear diff? suction some oil into the syringe, add the tube and push it in, neat and clean without taking off the bags! You can get them at any farm supply store, or stop by an equine vet and I be they would be happy to recycle a few of them for free. Only negative is the rubber plunger doesn't like oil a lot, but I am still on my first one about 4 years later, and I just work it in and out a few times before using it. Trust me, get one or more of these and you will thank me (or more correctly, my wife!).
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