Venturous Randy

Years ago, I had a problem with the metal part of the clutch line getting clogged up as this the lowest point in the fluid system. It got harder and harder to pull in the clutch lever and it caused some drag, if I remember correctly. I pulled the line off and cleaned the sludge out of it and it fixed my problem. RandyA

I suspect the drag occurred because when you installed the rotor covers you moved the forks farther apart the amount of the thickness of the covers. This moved the inside pads closer to the rotor and it started rubbing. When you pushed the pistons in and pressed the brakes again, you moved them to a new set point. What causes the pistons and pads to retract away from the rotor it the design of the O-rings. The cross section of the o-ring is square and when the piston moves forward, the inside edge of the o-ring moves with the piston and when the fluid pressure is released, the o-ring pulls the piston back slightly. This is the way all calipers, whether on a car or bike are designed. If the pads are in a slot that allows them to move in and out easily, they will float between the piston and the caliper until the piston is moved in and they press on the caliper. RandyA

We could see about the weekend of the 23/24 if it would get the most people. I don't usually suggest that late as some have kids starting school. Again, this is your rally and suggestions are very welcome. I would love to see a good turnout since it has been two years and this is also an area that is somewhat central for the eastern part of the country. It is also some of the greatest riding in the eastern part of the country. RandyA

For your information, January was the 4th warmest on record.......for the world. For most of the world, most temps were above normal, it is just that we have had these continuous dips in the jet stream here in the US pulling down the artic cold. Our temp was about 68 today, but we may have about an inch of snow by in the morning. We have been lucky here in NE TN this year as most of the ice and snow has either went north or south of us. RandyA

OK, folks, it is time to talk about Asheville. Linda and I took a cage ride Friday and Saturday and stayed in Pigeon Forge, went to Gatlinburg and across the mountain to Cherokee and then on to Asheville. The main reason we went to Asheville was to go by the KOA campground and talk to them. I threw out the dates of August 7/10 and 14/17 and was told both weekends do not have anything scheduled and they would be glad to hold either weekend open and have a block of campsites down by the pond. They also have many cabins available. So, at this time I want to see how much interest there is in having an Asheville event on either of these two weekends or if there is enough interest, we can consider another weekend. When I say weekend, many of the folks show up on Wednesday and leave on Sunday. Then, some just come for the weekend. We also stopped at Okie Dokie BBQ Restaurant and our meal was delicious. When we drove across Clingman's Dome, there was still snow in places and the Blue Ridge Parkway was closed between Cherokee and Asheville, but we had an absolutely beautiful trip and this is one of the things that makes this rally so good, the amount of beautiful rides are so many that you could spend weeks exploring. As has been said before, the Asheville rally is real laid back and we don't do a lot of scheduling. It is mostly come and have fun and visit and ride and eat. And there is plenty of all to go around. I would really appreciate it if I could get some feel for who wants to come and please indicate a weekend that works best. Thanks, RandyA

Yammers going back to work. He just could not stand the pressures of retirement. RandyA

One of our members, Ed Teixeira got his letter in the Response section of Rider Mag that I got today. Cool beans!! RandyA

First, your speedo runs off your front wheel. I did this on my 1st gen years ago and it is off 1 mph at 70 mph according to my GPS. The way I did it was to determine how far it is off in distance from being right (and in your case we will say it is 1/4 inch too much counter clockwise). I then removed the speedo and lifted the needle over the stop pin. I moved the needle several times and let it come back to the natural point it would stop. Once I was comfortable with that point, I marked it on the face. I then gently pulled the needle off with some curved needle nose pliers and repositioned the needle back on the pin the distance I first measured it being off( and in your case to be moved 1/4 inch clockwise). Again, I moved the needle and let it go back to its natural resting place to determine if it was where I wanted it. Once I was comfortable with where it was, I gently pecked the needle tighter. I then placed the needle on the correct side of the stop pin. As MiCarl said, this is a good time to lube your speedo, especially the bearing in the bottom on the inside where the cable sticks in from the outside. You can use light oil, or as I have always done, some light grease that will migrate downward around the bearing as it is turning. I think I used a long thin screwdriver, with a dab of grease on the tip. Anyway, this procedure worked good for me and if you have anymore questions, just ask. RandyA

Back to hybrids. Virginia has been trying to pass a tax on electric and hybrids of $64 a year. This is because they are buying less gas and therefore paying less taxes to use the same roads. I think the Governor just shot it down, but what do you think? RandyA

I got my diaphragms from Canada from the thread from the top of the page in the sticky. They have worked very well. But when I click on that link, it will not come up. Will it come up for anyone else? RandyA

Those pipes look like they would be hard on your ankles. RandyA

If the section width is 7.9 inches wide, that seems a little wide to me. Go measure the rear tire on your bike and if it is much less than this, the CT will probably rub on the driveshaft tube. RandyA

In looking at it, it's basically a parts bike that appears to have been sitting out in the weather for a long time. I would like to have it, but that is a long trip to pick up a bike in that condition even if it was cheap. Do you have any idea what he would have to have for it to let it go? RandyA

I have the same problem on my 83 and I have yet to change anything, all stock(yeah, I know). If mine sits for a while, I have to bleed my left front brake and it will take several pumps on the foot lever and I will be getting bubbles. When I bleed mine, I will loosen the bleeder valve slightly and use my finger as a check valve and pump quickly, so it pushes air through the system pretty quick. Once I don't see bubbles, I will do the routine bleeding where you pump several times with the valve closed and then open the bleed valve. One trick I found that works good for me is I found a turkey baster plastic tube will screw into the rear brake reservoir and it makes it a lot easier to keep it full of brake fluid while bleeding. I just make sure that it is not over full when I am done and I also always keep an 8mm wrench on the bike if I feel the brakes are dragging. RandyA

The coupling on the MKII's and 2nd gens are not lubricated because of the level of the oil, but from the oil coming off of the ring gear as it rotates. It pushes oil into the slot going to the coupling. If you pack the coupling with the moly grease, it will probably prevent the oil from circulating around the coupling/shaft splines, but obviously it will be well lubricated. When the driveshaft's with a seal is inserted into the u-joint first, the seal will still go into the coupling because the length of the driveshaft takes up all the space when the final drive is installed. When I put the V-max final drive on my 83, I had to go to the MKII driveshaft with a seal. I put the driveshaft into the u-joint first and then into the coupling and then snugged the housing down. I then pulled it back out with the driveshaft stuck in the final drive and the seal was bottomed as far as it would go. As far as putting the driveshaft into the coupling, I take Vise Grips and clamp down on the coupling splines just snug enough to be able to hold up the u-joint end of the shaft. I stick the shaft into the tube and tilt it down and stick it into the u-joint. As I lift the end of the shaft up and twist it slightly, it will easily slide into the u-joint. Like I said, if it takes more than 10 seconds, you are not doing it right, or you need practice. I then put the final drive on while putting the shaft into the coupling and snug the nuts down evenly and then tighten them and it is good to go. RandyA

If you have an 86 up 1st gen or any 2nd gen, there is no use greasing the end of the driveshaft that goes into the final drive. This end of the driveshaft is lubricated by the flow of oil from the final drive. If you put grease on it, it will get washed off by the flow of oil and that grease becomes part of the oil. On the MKI's, 83 thru 85, the splines on both ends need to be greased on both ends. As far as putting the driveshaft back into the u-joint, if it takes you more than 10 seconds, you are not doing it right. Yes, Hucklecatt, that is the driveshaft. RandyA

What year/style? RandyA

Speaking of Florida drivers, get them up in the mountains and they are like a fish out of water. They drive like every curve needs a stop sign before they can go around it. It frustrates me real bad when on the Blue Ridge Parkway and they are going 30 mph and they will not pull over at the many overlooks and let the traffic go by. RandyA

I don't know why Mazda never put the V-6 in the Miata. They are a bit tight for a small block Chevy, but you can put a small block Ford engine in them. That would have been more of a "man's" car to me. When I put a 350 Chevy in my 240Z back in 79, it was like Datsun had designed the car for a V-8. It was a little tight in some places, but still fit. I put 156,000 miles on that car with a 350 and later a 327. RandyA

To me, this the first day of spring. When racing starts, I know that we are real close to having some warm weather. In fact, it is supposed to be in the low 60's today. But, we will have to deal with this cold wave coming south as the week goes on. Obviously, one of the unique things about today's race is the return on the #3 car. I think if it was going to happen, this is probably the best way it could be done. I used to be a big fan of Nascar and would usually schedule my weekends around it. Now, I don't even go to Bristol and I live within 20 miles of that track. Bristol just got too big with 165,000 fans. RandyA

Hope you have a great one David and many more!!! RandyA

Speaking of plugs, with the bike cold, start the bike up and let it run for 20 seconds or so and touch each pipe and see if they are all warm. These bikes will run on 3 or even 2 cylinders and you may have a bad spark plug. RandyA

Very interesting. RandyA http://www.wimp.com/wolvesrivers/

Took care of it.

Went for a ride today here in NE TN and it was 77 degrees and beautiful. I was down to about one bar in gas and I put about a half can of Seafoam in and let it idle and then sit for a while. I took it for a ride, cranking it on a bit and then filled it up with no ethanol gas. After riding for a while, I did a couple of 1st gear pulls up to about 8,000 rpm's and it was hang on for dear life with the V-Max final drive. Sorry about hi-jacking your thread, but I just couldn't help it. RandyA