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Freebird

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Everything posted by Freebird

  1. Freebird
    Well I wasn't sure how to answer, now or before. I answered what it had always gotten before I started seeing it drop. I am working on finding the problem and plan to get it back where it was.
  2. Freebird
    Thanks...that is about what I had always gotten until it went south about a year ago. Just gotta figure out why.
  3. Freebird
    Thanks Pegscraper, I did find the info on that at the Dyna website. I'll do the tests tomorrow.
  4. Freebird
    I have the Dyna. If what I've done so far doesn't work, I'm actually thinking about trying the stock one again. I had the Dyna on for about a year before this problem showed up though so unless the Dyna has gone bad, it shouldn't be the problem. I don't have the manual for it. I'll check their website and see if it tells me how to read the LEDs. I hate to go back to the stock module.
  5. Freebird
    I stand corrected on this issue. On my trip to Vogel, I was riding with Midrsv and his GPS confirmed that my odometer is VERY CLOSE to accurate now with the Speedohealer. So, the error does affect both the speedometer and the odometer and the Speedohealer corrects both. The bad news is that anybody who is figuring gas mileage from the odometer is not getting as high mileage as they thing.
  6. Freebird
    I always got much better than that. Now PART of the problem is that I never got as good as I thought due to the speedometer error. I've now corrected that error with the Speedohealer. Nobody here that isn't taking into consideration the speedo error is getting the mileage that they think they are. Even with that though, it is not nearly as good as it was.
  7. Freebird
    Well folks, I had hoped to give you a good report on the VMAX rear after my trip to Vogel but I can't give you a complete report yet. My gas mileage is TERRIBLE. BUT...it was TERRIBLE before installing the VMAX rear. I don't know what has happened but something has really changed over the past few months. I actually noticed it almost a year ago but just haven't really gotten around to trying to track down the problem. I was sure reminded on the trip to Ft. Collins and that was before I installed the new rear end. About the best mileage I got on the way to Colorado was 30 MPG and usually it was in the 20s. Same thing on this trip to Vogel. I was getting a max of about 25 MPG, very similar to the Colorado trip with the stock rear. So...I'm trying to find the problem and will report back on this when I can. I installed new Iridium plugs about 2 years ago but have only ridden maybe 12,000 miles since doing so. I'm pretty sure that they were still OK but I went ahead and installed new plugs today. Not Iridiums this time, just standard NGK Platinum plugs to see if it helps any. I also pulled the K&N Filters to check them. They did not look dirty at all. For now, I put the stock filters back in. About the last thing I did before my mileage went down was to install the K&N filters. I honestly don't think that had anything to do with it either but I'm just trying to go backwards with anything that I have done. I also feel that it's just not running as well as it should. Just a bit of roughness at most speeds. I ran a can of Seafoam through it before going to Colorado and another can on the way to Colorado, didn't seem to help. I checked all the coils with my new Motion Pro coil tester and they all seem to be firing properly. Raining like crazy here now but hopefully I'll get an evening to test it again before I have to leave for Minnesota on Sunday. I'll let you know just as soon as I know. As for the rear end, I love it. The bike truly does perform better, even with the engine not quiet running right. Power band is now right where it should be. Very nice. Don
  8. Freebird
    I think there is some validity to this line of thought but let me give you one example. After the trip to Colorado, my rear Michelin Commander was pretty well shot. It may have made it a while longer but I didn't want to chance it on the Vogel trip. It turned out though that a friend and member here gave me the rear wheel and tire off his bike. He had it left over after his trike conversion. So, I found myself with a new rear Bridgestone. I had forgotten how awful the Bridgestone tires were until I headed to Vogel with this one. These have to be the worse tires on the market for our bikes. This thing just HOWLS if you get off dead center even a little bit. For example, you get a little cross wind or something where the bike is not running straight up. My hope was to wear this one out and by then the front would probably need replacing and I could do the set. I am leaning toward staying with the Michelin but haven't ruled out trying the Avons that everybody seems to like. I seriously doubt now though that I will wait that long. I may try to tolerate the Bridgestone the rest of this summer but that will be the most. Come spring, I will have a new rear tire. Probably go with another Michelin and then maybe after I wear it out, it will be time for a complete set and I can try the Avon then.
  9. Freebird
    Mine are on the right side, sitting on the bike. There are five round connectors maybe 3/4" diameter. 4 will have something plugged into them, there is one that will just have a cap on it. Here is a picture for you.
  10. Freebird
    I honestly can't say. I never asked. I will try to find out. Leaving tomorrow for the Dragon Rally at Vogel so it will be my first true test of this setup. I'm looking forward to it.
  11. Freebird
    It's inside the fairing. You have to remove the front of the fairing to get to it.
  12. Freebird
    I don't think that any of the actual headsets use a push to talk button. That is a feature of the bikes. The Venture uses push to talk ONLY for the CB. The intercom is always hot. Some have complained of wind noise but not everybody. There is a solution. I have installed a mic mute on my bike and like it very much. It allows you to toggle the microphone on and off. Don
  13. Freebird
    Where would you plug it in though? There is a connector inside the fairing that a CD changer would plug into but it's a different type connector. That one looks like a small din type connector to plug into a control head that is made to utilize it.
  14. Freebird
    This was sent to me by one of our members. Not bad. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6IFb7gn8Dw]YouTube - A day out in Devon[/ame]
  15. Freebird
    Thanks but I looked at it yesterday and then forgot to respond. That article is actually already in the tech library.
  16. Freebird
    Several here, including me, have installed the Speedohealer. Works great and easy to install. http://www.speedohealer.com/eng/intro.htm
  17. Freebird
    I think that's the ONLY place to get them. You are lucky though, they are the best folks to deal with.
  18. Freebird
    Calibrating it is pretty easy. Just find a highway with mileage markers, set your speed at 60 MPH and time how long it takes to make it a mile. Actually, I timed it over a mile and then at about 3 miles also just to double check. Now, I'm going to have to take a different opinion on the odometers. I never checked mine before adding the Speedohealer but based upon my readings now, I'm going to have to say that it is NOT off like the speedometer is. My speedo is now dead on but the odometer is off a bit. If I check it against the mile markers, I find that each time I pass a mile marker, my odometer doesn't click to the next digit yet....so it's actually showing fewer miles than I'm actually going. This leads me to the conclusion that it was probably pretty close before I corrected the speedometer.
  19. Freebird
    You are doing 93. The speedometer reads faster than you are actually going.
  20. Freebird
    I don't have a picture but I can tell you that you do not have to remove the gas tank or the carbs. You access them from the opposite side of the bike from the carbs that you are adjusting. Take a flashlight and shine it across to the other side. The mixture screws are capped with small brass caps, probably slightly smaller than a pencil eraser and they have a small hole in the center. You do not have to drill them out. Using a long screwdriver, gently pry them sideways and they will pop off. That being said, you do realize that they have nothing to do with syching the carbs. They are only used for adjusting the air/fuel mixture. Synching the carbs is easy and there are instructions in the tech library. Messing with the air mixture screws is a different animal completely. You either have to REALLY know what you are doing and you really need either a gas analyzer or at least a color tune tool to set them properly. Some folks can do a decent job by ear by listening to the RPMS and etc. and maybe you are one of those people. If you don't know anything about them though, I wouldn't mess with them. If you DO mess with them, turn them in first and carefully count the number of turns that they are out. When you turn them in, do NOT try to overtighten them as the needles and/or seats could be damaged if you tighten them down too much. If you count the turns before you start, you can at least put them back where they were. Most people who have messed with them will tell you that the mixture is set too lean from the factory. That is caused by EPA regulations. Usually a quarter to half a turn out is all that is needed to richen them up sufficiently. One more word to the wise. The caps can be a bit difficult to get back on but if your bike is under warranty, you really need to put them back. If you have a warranty issue and they see that the caps have been removed, they really frown on that. I say that from experience.
  21. Freebird
    Well folks, I finally got a bit of time and nice weather to do a little riding this weekend. I actually got up early this morning and took advantage of some nice cool temperatures and really enjoyed it. So, I will now give you my opinion on this brake modification. I think it is well worth the little effort and money that it requires. I had to play with the adjustment a bit. Rick is running the proportioning valve at two turns out but he has also changed his rear calipers. I have found that with the stock calipers, one turn out is a much better setting. One turn out limits the flow to the caliper more than the two turns that Rick is using. I find that the brakes are now much less sensitive but still PLENTY of stopping power. Even at only one turn out, it is still possible to lock up the rear tire but nowhere near as likely as before adding the proportioning valve. I have reached the conclusion that this modification is not only worth doing but from a safety standpoint, almost should be a requirement. It is possible that in a panic situation, this modification could make the difference as to whether or not you lock up and go down or come to a safe and controlled stop.
  22. Freebird
    George, That was a great explanation for a first gen but we are talking about the second gen. It already has separate antennas and therefore no duplexer.
  23. Freebird
    Yep...that looks exactly like what you were asking for. Let us know how it works out.
  24. Freebird
    It is very easy to go ahead and hook up the back speakers also if you get a 4 channel amp like I did. To be honest though, I think it's a waste of time. The truth is, probably 95% of the sound that you hear is from the front speakers. On the RSV, the rear speakers are wired to one channel anyway so you are not getting stereo from them. You have to run another pair of wires if you want to do it properly. After thinking about it, I decided to heck with it and just hooked the front speakers to the amp. I don't know if there are any small inline amps for MP3 players or not, haven't really looked. Sorry.
  25. Freebird
    The Marshall mod will not help at all with AM reception. The PL259 is a coaxial type connector for CB antennas, nothing to do with your AM/FM antenna. I never listen to AM so can't tell you how well mine picks up but I do know that it can be hard to improve. I would go to a local radio shack or someplace similar and see if they have an AM signal booster. I know that there are some available and would bet that Radio Shack has them. You could replace the antenna but it likely won't help a lot. If you decide to try, it would be easy to do. Simply remove the old antenna and replace it with one that will fit through the hole on the bracket. I don't remember for sure but don't think the antenna cable unplugs from the stock antenna, if I remember correctly, it is soldered in. I may be wrong though. If it is, just cut it off close to where it goes into the bottom of the antenna. You will probably be able to get enough slack to install a new male connector on the end and just plug it in.
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