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greg_in_london

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Everything posted by greg_in_london

  1. greg_in_london
    I found the story in question, it's at: http://snopes.com/photos/politics/chicken.asp It was updated a few days ago and refutes the above comments. I couldn't see any reference to there having been pressure to remove the sign. To me the original quoted email looked like mud slinging as there were no references beyond a link to snopes. Comments like 'Then it has been learned that...' really need a reference and can't stand by themselves, not when it's making comments about individuals. Declaration of interest: I quite like snopes and discovered it through this site.
  2. greg_in_london
    Many pad manufacturers specify higher friction pads for the front than the back. You wouldn't notice on most bikes as the pads would be different shapes, but on our first gens they are interchangeable. High friction pads will wear more quickly than low friction pads. If you're happy with checking more often, you can safely use the HF pads on the back too. If you've serviced your brakes and are not happy with them still, then removing some of the restrictors will give you more braking power, but as standard the metering valve will reduce the front left hand brake pressure when you use the (linked to it) back brake. [ - or to be clear - you will only have pressure when you put your foot on the pedal, but the metering valve will slow how quickly it 'cmes on' on the front.] Once you're slowing down the proportioning valve reduces pressure to the back, so it can't lock up. Your braking style could easily lead to one wearing out before the other, even with everything working properly.
  3. greg_in_london
    I must admit that I have found the border of what is considered 'political' in America difficult to ascertain. I have made posts on what to me is a curious cultural difference that other members have found worth PM-ing me about and thn seen the thread deleted. Was it because of me or because of something that was posted afterwards ?? I suspect the latter, but am aware that senses of humour over here and over there, as well as perspectives on life in general, seem to be somewhat different. I wouldn't expect the moderators to spend time explaining their reasoning to me, even though I would be interested in their perspective. Life is way too short to worry about about why a thread has disappeared, but if I was causing a 'problem', I would not be surprised if someone gently (or not so gently) pointed this out. Further discussion could be by PM. So, keeping it all in perspective, thanks to all the moderators for their efforts. Whether it applied to me or not, I've read the warning, as requested.
  4. greg_in_london
    I just wondered how many people with sidecars on their Ventures have fitted leading links. My steering has been mostly light enough on my outfit with a double adult sidecar has been easy enough, even with a big trailer in tow, but on very long tours it's tiring and I'm not getting any younger. I've had leading links on other outfits and it makes for a much easier ride, as well as lighter steering, but at the expense of a handlebar heavier wobble at THAT speed. You don't get anything for nothing, but who else has kept with the standard forks and who has gone with links ?
  5. greg_in_london
    Your tagline doesn't say which venture you've got, but on mine access would be easy, so with the tip of a screwdriver or a centre punch and a hammer you would be able to tap it out. Alternatively a drill through the middle would probably make it wind out (heading into the mudguard gap) - you'd then have to pull it off the end of the drill bit before withdrawing it - or release the bit and push that through too. Is yours less easily accessible than this ? Was the seat bolt overtightened or very badly corroded ?
  6. greg_in_london
    We didn't have any fun at work today - just a post on the school intranet setting out more work with yet another new initiative (I've deleted the staff & student surnames): New PSHE scheme http://forum.benshammanor.com/phpBB3/styles/prosilver/imageset/icon_post_target.gifby Rxxxxxxx on Wed Apr 01, 2009 8:32 am My apologies for the short notice but in my role as PSHE subject leader I have just been notified about an important new initiative to give pupils a greater say in the running of their schools. I have decided to post this into the chat area so that staff can give feedback as appropriate before the scheme comes into operation. Schools are now expected to identify pupils to act as " Head of Year". These pupils will work closely with their adult counterparts. The relevant adult MUST consult with the nominated pupil before enacting any decisons regarding detentions, homework setting, putting children on report etc. It is expected that meetings will be set up during non-contact time for this consultation to take place. The following children have been nominated; "Pupil Head of Year 7" - Grant xxxxxx "Pupil Head of Year 8" - Danielle xxxxxx "Pupil Head of Year 9" - Elijah xxxxxxx "Pupil Head of Year 10" - Megan xxxxxxx "Pupil Head of Year 11" - Xenos xxxxxxx Schools are also expected to nominate pupils to act as counterparts to Senior Management. These children MUST be consulted and their approval sought before any managerial decisions regarding the day to day running of the school are enacted. "Pupil Headteacher" - Sean xxxxx "Pupil Deputy Head" - Treslin xxxxx "Pupil Assistant Headteacher" - Osman xxxxxxx Your feedback is welcomed but please note that we expected to bring this scheme into effect from today's date. Rob
  7. greg_in_london
    Don't know what to say - I've nver seen it and would not expect to see it unless there was some spectacularly bad quality control or coil assistors were used to overload the springs which point loaded the coils at specific points. Compression springs should close all the way until there is no space between the windings. If you do this, the springs will weaken, butthey should not break. I'm intrigued now - were these Japanese bikes that had broken springs in the clutch ? Standard springs ????
  8. greg_in_london
    Do you mean the float height as measured with the carbs apart is too high or the fuel level is too high ? The float can easily touch the casting, making it impossible to make the float height less. I think you mean the float level, though, so I don't know the answer.
  9. greg_in_london
    ????????????????? Springs can't snap through over compression - doesn't happen. They can weaken if they get compressed more than about 85-90% That being said, if the extra preload makes a difference, it will also result in a heavier clutch at the handlebar. I've bought the oil without the friction modifiers to see if it stops my clutch slipping, but I've been slack (or busy at work) and haven't tried it yet.
  10. greg_in_london
    Nahh... Sorry, don't like it. And when that has a cover hooked up to that puny rollbar it would surely act as an airbrake. And the sidecar is on the wrong side.
  11. greg_in_london
    I have two (plus some Davida dial gauges which I don't count). I have a MotionPro mercury set of gauges - I had been looking out for mercury gauges which I believe are most accurate. They are shorter than the Morgan mercury gauges I had access to years ago, but are still fairly easy to use, although as CMIK says, if you over-rev, the short height means the mercury sometimes reaches the top or bottom limit and you then have to fiddle to get the air bubbles out. Condensation can also mean that there is a tiny inaccuracy. Overall, though, I'm very pleased. The Morgan Carbtune with the stainless steel sliders is a very good, robust system which you can keep packed away, but will always be ready to use when you get them out. Very easy to use and much, much better than dial gauges. I do think that the mercury may be slightly more accurate, though. That's the choice, absolute accuracy or ease of use. They're both good buys. I have no experience of the Pro-Motion mercury free gauges - if it's not mercury in them, then how would they get the same accuracy without the fluid bouncing up and down like mad ? Someone who has them will have to explain exactly how they work.
  12. greg_in_london
    Well I'm not so sure -I looked in my mirror and could see no dipstick - maybe you could take a look ??
  13. greg_in_london
    I'm afraid that a stock second gen would be able to pull away from my 1983 VR - but only because I have a double adult sidecar bolted on... Stick 150kg deadweight on the RSV and I'd smoke it !
  14. greg_in_london
    The other end of the HT lead goes into the HT (ignition) coil. You have four of them and they are all inside the fairing, but if your hands are not too big you should be able to reach them stretching up near the fork legs. From memory the leads push in, but there are knurled plastic screw in bits around them that tighten up on a rubber bung to keep them tight. If you can't get at them, then you may have to remove the battery box to get access from above. It's quite do-able, though.
  15. greg_in_london
    I agree and disagree - you can get the bearings out with a hammer and drift easily enough - the damage to the bearing will be negligible and can fit it to another wheel. But - why bother - it will obviously second hand, already part worn,the seals on it may be compromised. To makeit worth keeping to on the shelf as a REAL cheapskate, you'd want to pull the seal off, clean it out and pack with fresh grease before refitting the seal (yes, I've done it in the past, you can tell..) But now we have Ebay and cheap suppliers rather than bearing suppliers that may sting you for full price rather than the 70% discount they give to friends. I can't remember if the bearings are 6302 or 6203, but these give an idea of how cheap they can be (although Yam OEM is abou $18!) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/6302-2RS-WM1-RUBBER-SEALED-BEARING-15-X-42-X-13mm_W0QQitemZ400035618014QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Motorcycle_Parts?hash=item400035618014&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318 or http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/6203-2RS-WM1-17mm-BRANDED-BEARING-17x40x12RUBBER-SEALED_W0QQitemZ400034955404QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Motorcycle_Parts?hash=item400034955404&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318 So to summarise: I reckon you can save them, but it still isn't worth it. In fact I've just bought four of each to keep on the shelf ! [£11.16 for eight bearings and I think I was overcharged on postage - that's incredibly cheap. I'd offer to say how they are, but I might not use them for a year or two and then hopefully it will be years before I know how long they last, so feedback will be pointless. They do do SKF and other brands, though.]
  16. greg_in_london
    Only one I could find ended 4th March ???
  17. greg_in_london
    What - have a motorcycle and don't ride through the traffic - I really can't understand that. I suppose you don'y have the same level of traffic over there (or practically anywhere) as here. I worked for several years as a motorcycle courier in London and have commuted through the traffic on a bike since before I left school - and on a push-bike before that as soon as I went to secondary school. In London I'd suspect anyone sitting in traffic was from out of town, a very newbie learner or a car driver on two wheels. When you have a hundred miles between traffic lights instead of a hundred yards I can understand that your attitude might be different. Now we can drive in bus lanes here (well some of them) I find myself overtaking traffic on the inside - well weird - and you have to keep an eye for people turning left, but it's less stress. A word on being in France - manners are very different and you need to be ready to adjust. In England (what we consider) polite apologies are a lubricant to movement of lots of people on crowded streets. In France - well - they're not English and don't understand cricket. Whenever we can we get over to the 24hr motorcycle race at LeMans - a massive party of up to 100,000 bikers with beer flowing everywhere. If someone bumps into you or pushes past, don't expect an apology. It's not intended as rudeness, it's just different. We've always found the bikers there friendly and generous and welcoming - even the ones saying they don't like the english while sharing their home-made calvados or absinthe (!!!) We have a good time and don't expect anyone to be different - if we wanted Englishness we'd go to Brands Hatch. Mind you, we have the bagpipes with us which is great for breaking down barriers.
  18. greg_in_london
    I really like the sound of the BigCrank AGM battery, although I'm not convinced that they haven't confused the specs for the ETX18L and ETX20L http://www.bigcrank.com/motorcyclebatteries.mv?c=yamaha-xv12-venture-royale-battery As soon as anyone has received one and confirmed that they are the real McCoy I'llorder one, although postage over the pond might not be cheap. $74.95 does sound like it might be lower spec, but might be worth the risk, especially if it is the right size.
  19. greg_in_london
    Hmmm... while I can't say that it WOULDN'T help - cleaning out SOME of the jets, if you squirted enough to fill the flat bowl, you would be closing the float and so not penetrating the bit you want to clean - unless it is grit that is holding the float valve open (which would affect all carbs and mean the filter had been removed). Fuel levels shouldn't change much by themselves, but a quarter of a century is a lot of time for little vibrations to make pesky adjustments. I'd make the fuel level check first (it is part of the prescribed Yamaha maintenance schedule, after all...), but it would be a handy time to part drain and refill with seafoam if you wanted to. I presume you'd only treat the suspect one, or the bike wouldn't start again...
  20. greg_in_london
    Are you sure you wouldn't be better off ridind the 83 and breaking the 85 ? Or is only the engine for sale ?
  21. greg_in_london
    Before you take the carbs apart, check the float height - or rather check the float/fuel level. You can get an approximate idea of this by putting your bike on the centrestand and connecting a piece of clear battery overflow tube (use the end without those little slashes in :-) ) to the black pipe at the bottom of the carb. Hold the clear pipe up the side of the carb/diaphragm cover (half way up the side is a casting mark) and loosen the drain screw (a combined flathead/crosshead screw - don't use the flathead mixture screw by mistake). Fuel will flow into the pipe and find a level hopefully about half an inch below the casting mark I mentioned above. Ideally you would run the engine to be accurate here. Do this for each carburettor - if the flooding carb has a higher level than the others, then Bob's your mother's aunt (note for Americans: 'That's your problem then'). Yamaha changed the specified fuel level slightly for different models, so I can't be more precise - you'll need to check your manual, and if you do that, you may want to get the right tool, or at least use a glass tube fitted into petrol pipe. For troubleshooting, however, the above should be okay. On a warning note, possibly because faffing with flexible pipe it's difficult to be precise, I'd recommend doing the test a couple of times on different days - it only takes ten minutes and reduces errors ('measure twice, cut once' etc) ************************************************** If the above shows nothing, consider buying new needle nozzle o-rings and maybe the gasket for the jet block. If the nozzle o-ring has perished, I understand that you can get extra petrol escaping from the needle/nozzle area. In the jet block itself, black rubber bungs prevent short circuiting of the main jet circuit. You'll have to check these if you take the carbs apart. I'm not sure if they're available, but I'm sure someone will have found a cheaper alternative, in which case, do you have any spare ?????
  22. greg_in_london
    What Squeeze said, check the starter motor switch isn't sticking - mine can stick half way - enough to disconnect the headlight, but not enough to spin the starter motor. (It's not the contacts, it's whether it comes back out smoothly.)
  23. greg_in_london
    Ditto - message was : 'PayPal is great, unfortunately we’ve had such a demand for those diaphragms that we’re out of stock for now. We will be re-stocked in 3-4 weeks, please try again then. Andrew' Grrrrrrr..... Maybe they didn't believe you when you said how many members we have ???
  24. greg_in_london
    Thanks - I've mailed my query too - I just ned to find out what postage to the UK will be.
  25. greg_in_london
    In order of preference, assuming that the hole is caused by a spike of some sort, causing a round hole less than 1/4" diameter, not a stanley knife blade or similar causing a cut of 1cm or more - that would compromise the strength of the tyre (in which case, I might use a tube and some sort of barrier to protect the tube from the lip just to get me somewhere to change the tyre). Harvey-tech style repair - essentially a mushroom shaped insert (maybe more like a cylinder valve) where the stem is pulled from the inside out and the top is vulcanised to the inside of the tyre. Plug from the outside - quick and dirty, but works. The worst that can happen is that it goes down again (almost invariably slowly, if it does at all). The carcase will not come apart because you've checked that it was a small perforation, not a large gash Use an inner tube. Some used to say that this was the only repair (except for radial tyres), but experience has shown differently. People started asking why the above repairs were recommended across Europe but not in the UK !! When I worked doing roadside tyre repairs years ago, we reckoned that what we called 'secondary tyre wall damage' was the greatest problem. That's where people have ridden for a distance with flat tyres. When most bikes used inner tubes, the chafing caused a ring of abraded rubber inside the tyre walls that rubbed away at the tube. I suppose it must also weaken the tyre, damage the balance and worsen the handling, but I've never heard of a tyre actually failing as a result. I've never persisted with repairs outside the main tread area, though - the argument is that the way tyres deform in use would work the plug out. Can't say if that's true or not as I haven't done it. I also don't know what you mean by 'a patch'. If you mean something like a tube patch on the inside, it sounds like a second best choice to a plug which is more hassle, but that's me guessing. Having said all that, if you ride your bike for leisure and worrying about this detracts from your enjoyment, replacing the tyre will be money well spent. Safety wise it mostly depends on the amount of damage the puncture did. When a tyre lever (or something similar, whatever it was) went through my sidewall years, that certainly needed replacing straightaway !
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