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greg_in_london

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Everything posted by greg_in_london

  1. greg_in_london
    Not as overseas as you are !
  2. greg_in_london
    They seem pretty desperate for features to report - Gee whizz ! does it have an 18Ahr battery ! Is that a great upgrade ???
  3. greg_in_london
    You'll have to give me a shout next time you're about. The best local food is Indian, with lots of choice and very reasonably priced.
  4. greg_in_london
    I knew about the flags, but not the link to Google maps. I want to see if it links up my postcode or just shows London. I'm not sure whether to make the link more accurate, or keep some privacy ??? [EDIT: I changed my address on my profile to add the postcode, but it still just shows 'London' on the map. Maybe it takes time to update ??] [EDIT AGAIN - @ Mark - doesn't work for me, maybe it's only for North America :-( ] [better than double posting.... it updated, you can see my estate.]
  5. greg_in_london
    I tried to avoid commenting on the quality of braking systems, but... This is not true. (I mean, not accurate - I don't mean your'e not being honest ;-))The reduction valve reduces the pressure to the front left brake disc. This is needed because you have less feel with your foot. The proportioning valve reduces the pressure to the back brake once are slowing down. Having to combine your insensitive foot with braking from your hand means you have little control over braking force on the front, so it is fortunate that the system is not very powerful. In the UK, the braking system was one of the things the press slated when they were knew, including locking up wheels in the wet when trying to get some braking. I forget the exact wording, but Yamaha said that the braking system was to try and make the system idiot-proof. hang on - just checked and found it: http://labs.trunkful.com/vrmanuals/8385servicemanual.pdf page 130 (I added the underlining.) If you like the standard system and it is adequate for your needs - probably big wide open freeways - then good, if it suits you. It is not very sophisticated though, and if you want more powerful brakes, that's the way to go. I would always remove the proportioning valve myself - that just makes it an ORDINARY back brake, the same as any other bike of the period (except harleys, which I understand have almost negligible braking, so much so that some people remove one of the brakes and don't notice much difference??? Are they insane ???) and not particularly grabby. Delinking the brakes was another upgrade for me. Putting SS hoses on is just maintenance - it is cheaper and better than rubber, which must be suspect by now. I hear that some modern bikes have linked brakes (and ABS, so the lack of feel and control matters less), but the VR system really put me off the idea.
  6. greg_in_london
    Just curious - were the specs for DOT 4 and DOT5.1 synthetic not available ? I know a lot of you still use DOT3 over there, but over here the higher spec of DOT 4 (and synthetic variations of 5/5.1) mean no-one bothers stocking it (or looking for it).
  7. greg_in_london
    I won't say that the standard front master cylinder can't cope with two calipers, because I haven't tried it on a Venture. I have tried it on other bikes, though, and a 1/2" / 13mm master cyclinder has never shifted enough fluid to operate two calipers effectively, not without the lever getting too close to the bar. The Venture operates an anti dive as well. If people have had good luck with the standard master cylinder, that is worth knowing. I waited until I had a larger bore one, off an XV or Virago maybe, I can't be sure, it was in a breaker's basket. It says the size underneath, 14mm or 5/8" and was made to bolt to bars at the right angle and it has done well for me. Back to the original question though, is it possible that air leaked back in at that reducing valve thing near the headstock ?
  8. greg_in_london
    What info do you need to delink the brakes ? The length of the left hose will be almost exactly the same as the length of the right one. If it's not stainless already, change both and use a 5/8" master cylinder (standard is 1/2"). I'm thinking back several years - after I delinked the brakes I removed the proportioning valve and then reconnected an additional line for the sidecar brake. You may find that you need a shorter banjo bolt (for a single, not a double connection) for the back and also a longer one for the front (for two brake lines not one) and can then just switch them round, but if your new front master cylinder has a different thread (ie off a kawasaki or something) then you'll just need to buy new ones. Hope that helps.
  9. greg_in_london
    Odd - it's not a problem I've come across. (I delinked mine years ago ..) As a wild stab in the dark, there must be a leak. If it was in the calipers or at their joints, it would be below the reservoir and more likely to siphon fluid out. That suggests to me that air is leaking in, somewhere in the run up to the headstock. A damaged union joint at that silly restrictor valve by the coils possibly ? That's where I'd start looking anyway. Is there anything that would show up a brake fluid leak I wonder ? Talc ? One of those liquids that change colour near a gas leak ? It should at least be weeping under pressure if the hole lets air in. Did you undo the brake hoses from that junction at the time ?
  10. greg_in_london
    I must admit that I never understood why people prefer to use an airline rather than pumping the pistons with brake fluid. They might be stiff and not return properly, but they usually move. Well they have done so far. I made up a tool from two thick (4-5mm) steel strips with D10mm holes at each end so I can put 10mm stud through and put nuts on, so I can use it as a clamp to hold the piston or if necessary press it back in. Then I hold one piston and pump the other out far enough to clean it (toothbrush and brake fluid is enough if corrosion is not too bad) and lubricate (red rubber grease). Usually pumping the piston out and pressing it back a few times is enough to get it moving freely, but you can pump the piston out if you need to - to change the seals or to polish or replace the piston.
  11. greg_in_london
    He was on the roof - it said so in the question !!!
  12. greg_in_london
    Have a look at some of the write-ups about stripping the carbs before you do it - there is a separate casting for the jet blocks which you will want to remove to clean throughly. While it is apart you will want to change the o-rings around the emulsion tube and the rubber bungs at the bottom of the jet block. You'll get away with re-using the gaskets unless you are very unlucky. For the diaphragms we have a good source and you can do those with the carbs on the bike. The issue on these is clogged drillings, not sediment, if that helps. About the brakes - they're a special adaptation for the American market. The front (one disc) and back brakes are linked, with a widget that reduces the braking to the back as you decelerate (so you don't lock it up) and a reducing valve near the headstock so the front doesn't bite too hard. The front lever operates one disc so you don't have any confidence in it and leave plenty of stopping room. You improve the brakes in all the usual ways - stainless steel hoses, new pads, bleed the system, new fluid and then it's a matter of choice. If you're happy to control your own brakes, you can remove the proprtioning valve and connect the back brake banjo directly to the master cylinder. If you want to separate the front and back, put a 14mm/5/8" master cylinder on to the bars and re-route the pipes accordingly. You'll need a shorter banjo bolt for the back master cylinder of course as it will have one less union connection [if you disconnect the front brake from it]. I don't think I would remove the reducing valve to the front if it is still operated from the back, though. That's the only bit that actually makes sense. Having said that, some people seem to like the linked system.
  13. greg_in_london
    Is there any advantage to these over the high intensity discharge unit, apart from flipping hi/low beam more smoothly ? Do they also use less electricity for more light ? I'm really happy with my HI-D setup, but am not so sure of whether I'd have space on other bikes (XJ550, XTZ660).
  14. greg_in_london
    If I could get the parts economically I'd be very interested. The only tyre getting 4K on the back I've had was a Continental Tour and that's not available any more. The worst I had was a kenda that only managed 1K. I do have quite a heavy sidecar and often pull a big trailer, but I don't travel at high speeds like that. 60-65mph maximum. I'm running an Avon Venom atm.
  15. greg_in_london
    I don't think you would have any problem with that, although someone with LEDs will confirm that. If you decide to do something that DOES use more spark-juice, then you can power them through a relay, which is how I power my sidecar and trailer lights. I run the power through a relay and splice into brake light and indicator wiring to switch them. LED lights I would lay money that you don't need that though and that the warning system won't throw up an error message on the dash.
  16. greg_in_london
    Back to the original post. You rubber bungs are absolutely essential. Without them you are bypassing the main jet and providing unmetered fuel directly to the emulsion tubes. The effect is the same as if the main jet had unscrewed and fallen off. Without pulling out the diagram I can't visualise the effects of the second bung, but I think you will be messing up the emulsion tube's function. It doesn't really matter though - those bungs are available and not terribly expensive - you need to take the carbs apart and replace them. There are different jets recommended for different models/markets. I'd put the carbs back together without leaving any parts out and then see if you want to make any adjustments, rather than thinking about jet sizes at this stage. [EDIT - I just re-read the post and realised that you did re-use those plugs - hopefully they were a tight fit. You might check that the previous owner didn't switch two jets - I never tried this myself, but apparently two of the carb jets - the main and one other have the same thread and can be swapped accidentally. Sounds like a basic mistake though, as otherwise it would not affect all carbs and it would run, but badly on some pots.]
  17. greg_in_london
    One thing that is easy to check, but unlikely to be the issue, is just to check that you have sufficient fuel in the carbs - that one of the drain screws was not partially left undone or something (a leaky hose would not cause this, unlike on my Tenere :-( ). When you turn the ignition on you may hear the fuel pump topping up the carbs, click, click, click. It stops after a few seconds or when the carbs are full, whichever comes first (unlike the Tenere which cannot do this - the 'pump' is vacuum operated ???). If you think the fuel level is insufficient and you turn the kill switch off and on again, it will pump for a few seconds more. I mention this because the motor will spin more easily with a weak (or petrol free !) mixture than a very rich one and you said you had had to use choke when you had not needed it before. And yours is spinning easily. Mine doesn't, but I have a new starter from Sky_Doc to try out.... Or it could be blocked jets, but this is easy to check. How long has it been a problem for anyway ? I'd be tempted to see if the issue just goes away. I had a similar problem with our SAAB diesel - it had been working fine, then just did not want to start. Turns out if just did not like the modern high performance diesel I had tried out and as soon as I put cheap stuff in it was fine again.
  18. greg_in_london
    I just ordered one of those syphon pump oil extractors for the car so I can just drop a hose down the dipstick hole, draw the oil out and top it up. I normally just drain it out the bottom, but it has plastic covers underneath and I'd have to start taking them off randomly and I'd been putting it off. This way I won't even get my hands dirty and I can choose the oil that I use.
  19. greg_in_london
    I caught myself much worse than that, fortunately on a smaller bike. The steering lock was a separate item on the bottom yoke. I had been fixing some parcels to the back of the bike and fiddling generally, then had to do a very tight turn in a confined space before pulling away, surrounded by people in a market. I did the u-turn in about 10-12' of space and then accelerated away, only to find that the handlebars would not straighten and the bike kept going left while I went straight on.... No serious damage, but yes, lesson learnt (I hope...)
  20. greg_in_london
    Can't you see the effect of your headlights on cars ??? If you're following a car at a reasonable distance, then every now and then you should see the reflective number plate light up as you hit bumps (do you have reflective number plates over there ?) When you're closer, you should see the cut-off line of the dip beam across the boot of the car. If the interior of the car is all lit up, or you can see the wing mirrors getting lit, then your headlight is too high. As was said above, an easy check is to face a wall 30-40 m away in the dark and ensure that the light reaches the bottom of the wall, but does not come very far up it - certainly lower than the headlamp. That way you know it is pointing down. If you're concerned, use the measurements above, but you should be able to check for yourself if you're loaded more than usual by the effect of the light on the road and vehicles ahead.
  21. greg_in_london
    In the UK, for a 'speed bleeder' we have a short length of tube with a valve. There are pressurised systems available, but they seem very expensive for what they are - and the idea of having a spare reservoir cap for each to add a valve to seems unrealistic. I've found getting a large syringe can be a useful aid - either to push fluid back up from the brake end, or to act as a reservoir for the expelled fluid. It works particularly well then fluid has been drained out of the system.
  22. greg_in_london
    All of the above are good advice, but what you described also sounded like corroded battery terminals - they conduct some elctricity, but not enough to turn the starter, so whatever contact there is is burnt out when the higher current flows. Loosening or tightening the bolts can refresh the conncetion as the terminal moves slightly. Next time you're trying it, just make sure the terminals are clean/not oxidised and tighten securely (not to strip !) and do the same with any other terminals that you can get to. I've resolved a few breakdowns in the past through this very simple solution, although if the battery is dead it obviously can't help.
  23. greg_in_london
    DOT5.1 is an upgrade on DOT3 and 4. Some people are not bothering to list the difference between DOT5 and 5.1 anymore and I am sure I have seen bottles which just say DOT5 and that it is compatible with other fluids. If someone actually sourced DOT5, silicone based fluid and swapped it all out, then they made a choice that everybody else would disagree with and I'd look twice at buying from such an 'enthusiast'. I'd say it is more likely that he used widely available glycol based 5.1 and can't quite understand what it is that you are asking.
  24. greg_in_london
    'Cold enough to freeze the knockers off a brass monkey', shortened to plain 'brassy' I always understood to be a local cockney phrase. Posh people had relatively ornate door knockers - whether lion, monkey or 'green man' shaped, cast in bronze with a knocker on a loop going through the mouth. It was a simple double entendre as the effects of cold weather were well known to east end Victorian gentlemen and knickers was (is) a euphemism for a gentleman's hows-yer-father's. taters - or potatos is another word for cold - as in potato mould.
  25. greg_in_london
    So they're rooting up the lawn ??
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