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greg_in_london

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Everything posted by greg_in_london

  1. greg_in_london
    Your mileage may vary as they say, but that's not my experience. Non-controversial comment is to say to look at the ends of your silencers - mine are black and running rich. Less so now than before, but it certainly does not run lean. If it did, we might get good mpg. As it is, I've boosted my sidecar & trailer mileage to 35mpg (imperial) from 30. I don't think the needle mod has made it lean, though. Obviously, undoing the needle mod is a 20 minute change to check it's not the problem, so is worth doing for the sake of peace of mind, but could be worth switching back for the sake of saving a few cents, although your petrol is so cheap you don't know how fortunate (profligate - oops - slipped there) you are. If you DO have to pull the carbs apart, check the rubber bungs in the jet blocks AND the o-ring around the nozzle (that the needle slides in). If you wonder if this is worth checking, pull the air box off and start the engine and decide if you can see petrol flowing out around the needle - if you can it's not atomising and not working as per design. My first thought on reading your post was that it sounded as if your problems started when you filled the tank and that you may have had some dodgy petrol. Draining the tank is a pia, so just run it and see if it gets better...
  2. greg_in_london
    Even on my first gen, I'm not sure my clutch could deal with that... [EDIT: not loaded anyway.]
  3. greg_in_london
    Well my initial thought was that you have a short-circuit in the wiring somehwere between the flasher/switch and the bulb. I don't know why it affects both left and right, unless you have a short in the switch itself, but most switch relays work on heating up with about 4 amps going through them (45-50W) until they click off, then cooling down until it switches on again. If you get a short, the current is much higher and it heats up more quickly. On some relays it will cycle so quickly that it sounds like a buzz click-click-click-click etc. Normally it would only affect the side with the short though. If you by-passed the relay then if that was the problem, the lights would come on and stay on. Unless there is something in the flasher cancelling system that complicates things. If the fuse doesn't blow, then you're back to replacing the relay. $91 for a relay ? I know sometimes they try and charge more, bit >OUCH
  4. greg_in_london
    Other questions just to check while you're scratching your head that just could nave been overlooked by someone not familiar with a Venture: The two rubber bungs - are they both still in the bottom of each jet block ? Did you or the mechanic remove the jet block, because just MAYBE the o-ring around the nozzle might have broken and been removed. (This is unlikely though as I'd expect the bike to run, albeit rich). Did you manage to blow out any/all the jets with pressurised air ? Dislodged scudge could block a jet. (Although again blocking one or two is more likely.) The pilot screws HAVE been wound back out to 2 3/4 turns out (or whatever is specified for your model) haven't they ? Mine will run without the airbox, although it is harder to start and doesn't tickover. Until the carbs are balanced, though, you'll really be struggling. Especially if it is running weak, it will want a while to warm up before you stand even half a chance of balancing the carbs with the chole off.
  5. greg_in_london
    Sounds like you need a first gen to have enough power. My fuel mileage was never that great solo, but putting a sidecar on it made very little difference and neither did pulling a ridiculously large trailer, but doing some mods from this sight and getting on very close terms with the carbs had me up to 35mpg (imperial) on our 2,000 European tour this summer. I couldn't use top speed because of the trailer, but when I left it behind and hit the autobahns a couple of times it really did fly, even though I didn't get to go past about 85mph. How that applies to 2nd gens I don't know, though.
  6. greg_in_london
    Hour and a half labour to take the back wheel out and reinstall it - I don't think so... Except removing the right hand silencer can be a pain with the original gasket/sleeve - you can't just wiggle it, else you might break the collector box junction... Removing the front wheel is a few minutes: 4x 14mm to remove the brake calipers, remove the cotterpin and undo wheel spindle. Loosen the two 12mm pinch bolts and remove the spindle and wheel. And curse when you realise you need brake new pads too.. No headaches there, although you'll need a stand under the front of the bike to make sure it stays sitting on the centrestand. Replacing everything should be no problem unless you are hamfisted and take a couple of attempts lining up the brake pads/wheel spindle/speedo drive. The back is only more of a pain because getting the wheel out is tight. You need to either put the centrestand on a block, a ramp, or be ready to lean the bike over to take out and/or reinstall the wheel. Other than that, it's rh pannier (key), rh silencer (14mm bolt & allen key pinch screw), rear caliper (2x 14mm bolt), pannier rail (2x 12mm bolt), rear wheel spindle and pinch bolt and it comes out. More than five minutes, but not 45 minutes for a good mechanic. I'm sure that somewhere on the site are the Yamaha service bulletins which should say what time they reckon for a standard job such as this. Whether you'd spend more time looking than it would take to do the job though... I'm lucky in that I have a reasonably priced local place where they have tools for you to remove the wheel yourself if you wish. Charge for them to do it is about £10. They'd fall about laughing if you suggested 1 1/2 hrs for a rear tyre.
  7. greg_in_london
    Hopefully we're all big enough to put up with a few comments. The OP was thinking whether to raise something that his morals/scruples/safety views made him feel was important with the club he rides with and thought he'd get a few suggestions first. That sounds fine to me - although some have said forcibly the things that might be said when you raise these things in person.
  8. greg_in_london
    Name of Restaurant Indian Veg Bhel Poori Street Address Chapel Market City London Country United Kingdom Website (Optional) http://www.londontown.com/LondonInformation/Restaurant/Indian_Vegetarian_Bhel_Poori_House/e5a8/ Kind of Food? (Mexican, Chinese, etc.) Vegetarian Indian food - fresh and cheap Quality of Food Great Quality of Service Average Biker Friendly? (Parking, Trusted Location, Etc.) Yes Alcohol Served? Yes Additional Comments Not somewhere to spend the evening, but a great place to stop on the way out (or coming back again, or for lunch). It no longer has a menu as such, but simply serves up an extensive hot buffet from which you can eat as much as you like for £3.95, which in London is an excellent price. The food is freshly made, with ingredients largely from the fruit and veg market in the street outside, and full of flavour, which means it keeps meat eaters like me as happy as the stodge-eating vegetarians !! Parking is in the street outside and is no problem in the evenings. During the day I stick the bike up a side turning next to it. [EDIT]June 2016 - the cost is about £6 now, but it's still well worth a visit.[/EDIT]
  9. greg_in_london
    Hmmmm ... Could be a one-off and the front tyre has outlasted three rear tyres, but..... I was going to the tyre shop anyway - one of the trailer tyres was worn out and I'd rather have it in the garage ready to go than waiting for me to work on it - and happened to look at the front tyre. In the groove where the tread pattern cuts across the tyre in several places I saw cracking, some of it down to the carcass. I've some pictures below. The tyre place has ordered me in another tyre and we'll send this one back to Continental to see what answer we get. I know I work it hard, but it's within the design limits and the manufacture stamp is 0308, which means it's only 2 1/2 years old and has been used through three Summers, doing at least 8-9,000 miles, maybe a few more.
  10. greg_in_london
    Hmmm .. I think it depends a bit on where you're going. I haven't organised any runs for quite some time, but if I was organising a run to somewhere that didn't sell alcohol - bike museum, local attraction, bike meet, demonstration or whatever, then there'd be no need to stop off and get a drink anywhere (maybe until we returned !), but if we were going somewhere that had a bar - maybe a village country fair, a music event or seaside pub, then to say that 'no-one was allowed to drink' would not have been accepted by anybody - I'd have been riding home alone ! It's probably a bit of an age thing as well - we all (well some of us) started riding before drinking and driving legislation had much of an impact and see some of the effects as negative - reducing social interaction outside the home. Other people just see it as a safety issue, rather than something to balance the pros and cons of. Personally I don't mind a drink with lunch, but I'm just as happy to find a decent cafe on a run and some are traditional bike meets anyway. The people that I watch out for on a run are a hazard whether with a drink or not though ! Mind you, in the UK, we don't do that 'staggered riding' thing and everyone has to watch out for everybody else anyway, so maybe the practical issues are different.
  11. greg_in_london
    Sorry - I misread the post - I thought you were talking about trying to take the connectors out of the block connectors. The switches I'd take apart, rather than just squirting cleaner at them, unless I was being really lazy / in a hurry.
  12. greg_in_london
    I have heard that WD40 damages the insulation on wires too and seldom use it for that reason. There are other products that dispel moisture and allegedly coat and insulate wires that presumably at least do no damage. As to dismantling the connector block - it MIGHT be possible if you have the right tools, but I know I don't have them and don't know where to get them. Without specialist tools, at best it would be difficult to dismatle and rebuild the blocks and the chances of doing damage would be far higher than using squirty stuff. Just disconnecting and reconnecting the blocks will let the spade connector blades clean off some oxidation, but using contact cleaner will do a better job. there are special greases that will protect the connections and exclude water, but being a cheapskate and forgetting where I left it anyway, I use vaseline. [Yes - I have destroyed those blocks trying to dismantle and re-use them, but you may be more skillful than I.]
  13. greg_in_london
    Maybe we should revive a couple of old threrads that were keeping tabs on different people's fuel consumption if we have more accurate information. For what it's worth, I have finally raised mine from 30 to 35mpg (imperial), which while others say they get more, is quite an improvement.
  14. greg_in_london
    Yes, Yamaha call it a metering valve and if you know what they mean, that's great, but it is a restrictor, a throttle in the brake feed line, so that if you stamp on the back brake you're less likely to initially lock the front wheel. If you're keeping the linked brakes then I reckon you need it (and you've kept it.) The proportioning valve is a second contraption (I think you know this, but re-reading the thread I think it has become confusing) which detects when you are slowing down and is meant to reduce the pressure to the back brake (or stop you braking more) to make rear wheel lock-up less likely. Without it, the idea must be that during heavy braking, when you ease off the back brake, you'd be easing off the front as well without it. I think I've said before how much I don't like the system. My back brake felt useless (even after cleaning the caliper, SS hoses and HF pads) until I junked the proportioning valve, but I carry quite a bit of weight and often have to cope with traffic.
  15. greg_in_london
    I think the first few posters misread your post - you need longer fingers. Try laying them on the bench and hitting the knuckles with a hammer to break the join, then stretching them as they set. If you are a pianist though, you will not be able to play for while. If you don't fancy that, er ... Well I always found theproblem was the other way round, and I did get an improvement when I turned the actuating pin - the bar between the barrel in the lever and the plunger in the master cylinder - could be reversed. This moved the bite point away from the bar (although it did finish off the seals in the master cylinder...) and it might be worth checking that yours is the right way around. Other than that, as levers wear they do put slack into the system, so the bite point moves back. You might just try swapping your new-ish level for a worn out one, or (and it pains me to say this) open out the pivot hole with a small file.
  16. greg_in_london
    I thought that maybe I was being a bit opinionated, so I had a bit of a search to find a relevant reference. It wasn't as easy as I thought - maybe sidecar fitment is just not as high on manufacturer's agendas as once it was I suppose, but I did find this: This came from http://www.race-uscra.com/sidecars.html It might be interesting to hear anyone else's ideas...
  17. greg_in_london
    Mount it backwards - that's what the tyre manufacturers say. It's to do with the tyre construction and how the bands lay over each other. It's unlikely that it will fail, but the last thing you want is the tyre construction unravelling because the loading is the wrong way (rear tyres do their work accelerating, the front does it when braking).
  18. greg_in_london
    I've had an American breaker recommended to me that will send me one for £70-80: pinwall_cycle_parts I think I'll get one sent over and do the Earth conversion on it, unless I do the earth conversion on mine and find it makes a big difference first...
  19. greg_in_london
    That valve behind the bottom yoke is a restrictor valve to reduce the brake pressure to the front when you stamp on the back brake, supposedly to stop you from locking the front wheel in an emergency stop. Personally I recommend getting a 5/8" front master cylinder, delinking the brakes and removing that proprtioning valve, but that's my choice. Some people seem to like the linked system. (I want to be able to stop !)
  20. greg_in_london
    Well I managed to get to Stuttgart and it was good to meet Squeeze. We didn't get a chance to go for that Schnitzel - that will have to wait until next time, but we did pull the old starter clutch out and find the engaging surface was ridged and the roller housing had cracked. His replacement is a fine piec of engineering and I have no problems with that now. I'll still have to do the earth upgrade, or get a mk11 starter motor and do the earth on that to get as-new performance, but I'll know that I'll be fixing parts that won't fail again. Thanks again, Squeeze.
  21. greg_in_london
    Well 2,500 miles on and back from a three and a bit week tour, I'm still very happy with the conversion. Whether I bother rewiring the reserve lighting unit is a question for the distant future.
  22. greg_in_london
    I use a Continental Tour 120/90H18 on the front of my first gen and sidecar and it lasts really well. It is not brilliant in the wet as the compound leans towards comfort and long life, rather than wet weather grip, but it has not caused me any problems. I suspect that I load mine more than you do, but it is outlasting rear tyres 4-5 times.
  23. greg_in_london
    Well yeah I suppose there's a problem with that - you have to count how many positions you've turned the switch to know which setting it's on and as you know, there's only three types of Venture owners - there's the ones that can count and then there's the ones that can't count. For second gen owners there's just no hope. Besides,the speed we pass you all at, it looks like you're brken down anyway...
  24. greg_in_london
    I posted about the quick and dirty by-pass I did on the other thread on this, but 400 miles in it's working fine and looking good.
  25. greg_in_london
    Well a few people have said that it does happen and it does with mine too, although I'm fairly sure that there should be a grommet or collar or something around the screw that holds the back down (under the lockable flap). I've never bothered doing much about mine, though, because when I'm travelling I put a small backpack on the tank as a tank bag, with a cargo net over the top and friction mat (like you can put in the sliding doors in tool boxes) underneath. When I don't have the bag, I still have the cargo net and anti-slide sheet as it is just so handy when you get used to it. Mp3 player, bottle of water, sunglasses, newspaper, cuddly toy - whatever you need. It also means that the dummy tank cover is not an issue - indeed, when I mislaid the keys at a ferry terminal once (they'd fallen inside the fairing) I was able to lift the cover and htwire the bike to be able to get home safely, so it was kind of an advantage !
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