MiCarl

Skydoc_17 on this site sells a complete clutch upgrade kit. A must have if you're going to pull a trailer, especially if you ride 2-up. It includes a full replacement for the half friction disk, a heavy duty spring and gasket. Hardest part of the job is scraping the old gasket off. Don't even need to drain the oil.

Looks to me like they bobbed a V-Star 950, which does make it look a bit like a Sportster. I'm not impressed.

In spec is in spec.

I think what you'd like might depend a lot on your helmet. We use the bottom end J&M in our full face helmets and are very happy with them. I don't know whether its cousin in a half helmet would work well or not. BTW, helmet type will effect your decision. Most full face headsets won't work in a half or 3/4, and the ones for a half or 3/4 typically won't work in a full face. One thing I will say about the low end J&M for full face: The microphone is large. I've installed ours in four different helmets and finding a spot in the chin bar thick enough to bury them can be a challenge. That's especially true in the better helmets that have vents running through the chin bar.

Which is why anti-seize is a good idea on them. A few more years and they'd likely have just broken off.

My concern was that someone might mistake it for a problem with the clutch and pass on a perfectly good motorcycle thinking the clutch was bad. Or worse, buy an annoying one thinking it could be corrected by a clutch rebuild.

I don't know the torque spec for sure, but can tell you that the spec for a 6mm bolt into aluminum is typically 7.2 ft-lbs. In other words, just snug. They are good candidates for anti-seize compound too.

The whine is not from the clutch. It's from the primary gear set. Yamaha uses a straight cut gear, which is strong but tends to be noisy. Most Yamaha street motorcycles use a similar gear and they whine too. I've heard it in other Japanese motorcycles as well. It's not a concern unless you find it bothersome. It's not an indication of a problem with the motorcycle. Changing the oil or clutch basket (the driven gear is attached to the clutch basket) might mitigate the problem but I wouldn't plunk down cash for one I found annoying in the hope that I could mitigate it. My 89 is audible at about 3Krpm. It does not matter what gear, or even neutral. It's there coasting, accelerating or at constant speed. Gear noise that only occurs under load or coasting is likely to be helical gears in the drive line and that definitely indicates a problem.

FWIW my 89 had brand new specification compression pressure at 89,000 miles. The maintenance record on it is dubious. I wouldn't let the mileage worry me much. Oftentimes it seems that ones that are ridden are better maintained than the ones that just sit in a garage.

This winter I had the ruts the pads wore into my rear caliper welded up. To do that I split the halves so the heat wouldn't ruin the o-rings between them. In my case the o-rings were in good condition and I was able to re-use them. The way I got all the pistons out was to put a block between one pair and clamp back one of the remaining pistons. I then used air to push the free piston out. To ease the piston out I use a stack of cardboard sheets cut from a corrugated box. Push the piston up against the stack, remove one sheet, repeat. Wrap a rag around the caliper when applying air so parts and brake fluid don't fly everywhere. Once I had one piston out I reinstalled it without seals. I moved the clamp and block around to do the same to the other three pistons. Once the seals are out the pistons will drop right out of the caliper. This takes A LOT of air volume because they leak pretty severely without seals. If you don't need them all out for cleaning then you can reinstall the first one with the new seals and work your way around to the others. Since you're not leaking lots of air you can get by with a smaller compressor. ** Looking back I see you split your caliper. You'll need to reassemble it to get the pistons out by my method. I'm not sure there is any other way to do it without damaging the pistons. BTW, the book says they should be replaced if removed. I didn't replace mine and wouldn't hesitate to reuse if they're not pitted or scratched where the seals run. They'll be in poor condition near the pads, but the seals don't run there.

For that kind of money she better cook too! I sent him a cashier's check for $500K. Told him to send me back anything left over after shipping to Nigeria.

Best $50 you'll ever spend. Before you install it have a peek at the brushes. No point pulling it out again in June to replace the brushes. dingy, I think the primary reason we're discussing V-Max starters is the eBay seller many of us used sells them for about $30 less than the RSV starter. I suspect the only difference is the color.

My 89 would crank like that too. Then when it got good and hot and I'd stop for fuel it would barely turn to start back up. Sometimes it'd kick off, others I'd need to let it cool, jump or push start it. With the V-Max starter it'll crank like your video when it's well heat soaked.

Several of us have used this one: eBay listing There is a whole topic that got into this upgrade: Starter topic While the listing doesn't say so, this is indeed a 4 brush starter. Painted black though, if that matters to you.

In The States you can get a hand impact for $10-$20. Does a great job on most screws. Generally doesn't bugger the head because you're pounding in on it so the bit seats tight. Gotta make sure the other side of the cover is protected so you're not beating it against the floor or something. The screws in the cover are secured with loc-tite, not unusual to break them. A bit of heat will let you remove the remnants with pliers, if there is anything to grab.

This method will help guide loose parts into the crankcase. Do it on the center stand. You'll only lose a cup or two of oil anyhow.

I thought the main reason for police motorcycles was maneuverability and the small size. Even the meter maid trikes were narrow. I see a Spyder as having most of the disadvantages of a motorcycle (exposed to the elements, not much room for gear, forget transporting a prisoner, etc.) with none of the advantages.

I think it looks great. 1200 is only the MKIs though. What about us MKII folks with 1300 engines? Might be able to substitute something like "V4" to cover both.

While you're in there........ Pull the drain valve out, clean out the bore and install a new o-ring. You're going to have to soon anyhow.

Don, occasionally I'm looking for an application not offered through my hosting provider. I've managed to search and find free applications written in PHP/MySQL and even HTML that I can install directly. Not sure if you've tried that, but there may be a simple database app out there that you could take advantage of.

It's been awhile since I was into an RSV but it might come stock with a dual rate spring. A dual rate spring looks like two springs put together end to end. One end will have close coil spacing and the other will be widely spaced. It also functions like two springs - soft for part of its travel then abruptly becomes firm for the remainder. The rationale for a dual rate spring is it gives a soft ride until you hit large bumps or brake hard and then stiffens up to control front end dive. A progressive spring has the coil spacing vary continuously across its length. One end will have close spacing and the other wide like a dual rate spring, but there is not a sudden transition. In this type of spring, the stiffness PROGRESSIVELY increases from soft to firm rather than the sudden transition of the dual rate. The progressive spring takes the rationale for the dual rate spring to the next level, instead of the abrupt change it stiffens up gradually giving better control.

Normally I'd think lean off idle, but if it waits until warm it's probably going very rich. Either way, you might have to have a look at/in carburetors.

Yep. Rotor is one real powerful magnet. If it even got close it's stuck to it somewhere.

It's not a pressure measure, the indicator is supposed to come on if the oil level in the pan is low. There is a float switch in the pan that grounds the circuit when the level is low. Hard acceleration causes the oil to slosh to the rear of the pan and may trip the indicator. Possibly the sender is acting up. Also, a break in the insulation on the lead could cause it to ground intermittently to the engine or frame. I suppose it's also possible the CMS is acting up.

Seals from K&L supply work fine. Their part number is 15-2598. You should be able to get a pair of them for under $20. I hate All Balls seals. Very difficult to install. I guess they don't leak though...... I think dust seals need to come from Yamaha. Heck I just searched for you. K&L seals on Amazon [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Fork-Oil-Seal-40x52x8-9-5m/dp/B0055DQ524]Fork Oil Seal:ars 40x52x8/9.5m : Amazon.com : Automotive@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41B4OwHnXKL.@@AMEPARAM@@41B4OwHnXKL[/ame]