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skydoc_17

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  1. skydoc_17
    Hi Mike, I see we live in the same neck of the woods! Howdy neighbor! Because I own older bikes (2 First Gens. 1 86' Honda) I have seen first hand the ravages of old brake fluid and coolant on the older bikes. Not owning a Second Gen. myself, it's hard for me to say for certain, but I can say this, IMHO I think the cooling systems on the Yamaha V4 motorcycles are marginal at best, and I personally change the coolant in all three of my bikes every year. (remember, 20+ years old) I do work on a number of bikes both old and new and have more than once seen dealer preped bikes with all sorts of troubles. For my own peace of mind, I would change the fluids in any new bike bike I owned at a 2 year interval...MAX. I mean we are talking about a $9.00 jug of anti-freeze and a $6.00 bottle of brake fluid here! Plus, there is the "warm and fuzzy" factor I speak of often. At this point I know exactly when it was changed, the quality of the materials, and I have set a "Base Line" for future maintenance. I also keep a separate notebook for all three bikes with the repairs, up-grades and maintenance. This way, I can go back, at any time, and see if I have a problem developing, or see if I can "extend" a maintenance on each bike. To me, $15.00 seems like cheap insurance for such a large investment! Heck, stop over some time and we can do the deal in my shop, have lunch, go for a ride, and see if we can put a few more miles on that baby! Just my thoughts, for what they are worth. Earl
  2. skydoc_17
    I personally would not pay a stealer to change fluids on any of my bikes. With that being said, I think that maintenance items like coolant, brake fluid and brake pads are excellent opportunities for a motorcycle owner to "get their feet wet" on. In my younger days, learning how to protect painted surfaces from coolant and brake fluid helped me develop the patience skills needed to do more complicated maintenance on my motorcycles as time went on. Plus, I get a certain satisfaction from performing the more tedious maintenance chores on my scoots and now find them relaxing. Lastly, there is the cost savings, which during these tough times is always a benefit. Earl
  3. skydoc_17

    squeeze

    skydoc_17 replied to mraf's topic in Watering Hole

    My friend Lutz, Both Jean and I are glad to hear that you and your family are OK! As some of you may know, Jean works at Target, and is the manager of the Electronics Dept. there. These shooter games are rated by age, and when she sells one, she must put the age and Drivers License Number of the person buying it in the cash register. On several occasions, she has had a young adult, usually a male "flip out" when they are told that they are not old enough to buy the game. More than once, security has had to remove the person from the store. Plus a few times the parent of the "child" has come to the store the next day and thrown their own "tantrum" in the store as well. Makes you wonder... Earl and Jean
  4. skydoc_17
    Obviously Mr. Moredock has forgotten what it is to be young...AT HEART! Perhaps we could send him a useless Second Gen. cassette player for him to listen to his favorite excerpts of his memoirs on. We could send it collectively from VR.ORG to him. He definitely likes the sound of his own voice! :crackup: I left a comment, for what it was worth. Earl
  5. skydoc_17
    Thank You for the Caliper, Bob! It is greatly appreciated! Earl
  6. skydoc_17
    Thanks Guys, for all the help! I feel like a duck outta' water! OK, here is my list of stupid questions! 1- Is the CMS in the dash unit? (don't laugh, this is REALLY humbling!) 2- If it is, my Neutral LCD (Big "N" on dash) blinks "N" then dissapears 3- Does anyone know or have pics of the pins to solder? (Someone had a great pic of the Air Ride Controller, and I was able to do that repair myself...WHOOO HOOO!) 4- Because the starter solenoid recently went bad, I was jumping across the two main terminals to start the bike (before the replacment) did I do some damage during that time? Finally, When you electrical types reach the point of frustration, is it better to slice across the wrist..or up and down?!?! Thanks guys, Earl
  7. skydoc_17
    Hey Jeff, First off I wanted to say "Bravo" to you for not letting them push you around! I HATE it when a Stealer tries to rip me off! Second, I wanted to ask a question, Can this lube be used on say, a wheel bearing or other high friction area? Was just wondering. Earl
  8. skydoc_17
    Hey Bob, I sure could use that caliper for my 86'VR! I have decided NOT to do the R1/R6 upgrade on the 86'. I would be willing to cover the shipping! Or perhaps I have something you need. Would you PM me and we can talk? Earl
  9. skydoc_17
    Boy, If it makes you guys feel any better, I have taken a section of wiring harness and have been flogging myself, chanting "electricity is my friend, electricity is my friend, Now, here is what I know and have done so far, 1- Contact Cleaner in ignition switch...twice 2- Contact cleaner in Starter Button...twice 3- Contact Cleaner in HI/LO switch ...twice 4- Ohmed Light Bulb...Good 5- Using tester, there was 12.8 volts on "Hot" side of fuse 6- Ohmed fuse...good 7- With Ignition Switch on, 2.2 volts to LO beam circuit at plug, 1.2 volts to HI beam circuit at plug. 8- Visual Inspection of plug, Looks in very good condition, plug housing not melted at all, wires look excellent, 9- Ohmed Negative leg of plug to groung...Good Other than the flogging, what else should I do to track this problem down now? I would be grateful for any help, Earl
  10. skydoc_17
    Hey Dave, While working for Lockheed-Martin I was required to have a security sticker and parking permit. I purchased a rectangular chrome plate found at any Harley shop that is used to mount your state's safety inspection sticker on. The original idea was to mount the Inspection Sticker on the plate instead of on the front fork tube. The chrome plate can be mounted (bolted) in various places on your motorcycle, the stickers are stuck to the plate and then when they need to be removed, a little WD-40 or Goo Off and some elbow grease and you are ready for next year's stickers! Hope this helps, Earl
  11. skydoc_17
    Hey Scott, I'm tellin' you brother, as far as I was concerned it didn't get any better than that! When they say that "men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus" they wern't kiddin'! Earl
  12. skydoc_17
    Best Buy Entering Motorcycle Biz: Report Ashland, Ore. — Best Buy may begin selling motorcycles at five West Coast stores this spring. According to a report in Greentech Media, the CE chain will carry a $12,000 electric motorcycle in select West Coast stores starting in May, with Geek Squad workers possibly providing repair services in empty car A/V installation bays. Best Buy may begin carrying the $12,000 Enertia battery-powered motorcycle in May. The bike, called Enertia, was developed by Brammo, an Oregon business that Best Buy’s venture capital arm invested in last year.The 7-year-old company said it designs and manufactures sustainable specialty vehicles and "performance products for the next generation of transportation." CEO Craig Bramscher told attendees at the Pacific Crest Clean Technology Conference last week in San Francisco that Geek Squad agents will perform "level one" repairs on the bikes’ brakes, tires and electronics components, Greentech said. The latter include a built-in Web server, open-platform software applications and possible add-ons like onboard cameras that could download images to travel blogs. "What we're selling is a lot closer to consumer electronics than to transportation," Bramscher said. The Enertia uses six lithium-phosphate battery modules that take about three hours to charge using a standard electrical outlet. The bike is highway legal with a 45-mile range and a maximum speed of 53 miles per hour, and the company is working on a two-seater model with a range of about 100 miles and a cruising speed of 75 miles per hour that may also be sold through Best Buy, Bramscher said.
  13. skydoc_17
    Boy Guys and Gals, I could really use some help on this one! I am an IDIOT when it comes to electric problems! I had the 86'VR in the garage to replace the starter solenoid and after the work, the headlight will not come on when I turn on the key. No low beam or high beam. So far I have checked the fuse (good) and sprayed contact cleaner in the ignition switch with no good results. PLEASE help me!!! Earl
  14. skydoc_17

    E15

    skydoc_17 replied to gibvel's topic in Watering Hole

    In an effort to look at this question more on the technical side as opposed to the political side I believe that a few of our fellow brothers are already having problems with the E10 in regards to the needle valves in the carbs. Hear is a recent thread: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?threadid=32873 I think from a technical standpoint I may, in the future be offering a set of needle valves for our 1300 motors in delrin or some other "super Plastic" to combat the corrosion problem inherent to the E10/E15. If you don't think that aluminum and water don't mix, look at the bottom of your uncoated aluminum storm door after a few years!!! Just my thoughts, Earl
  15. skydoc_17
    Nothing to stop him now.....Except Termites! Earl
  16. skydoc_17
    Hey George, Being a Chevy man myself, the only thing I have heard about the braking problem and the fix is that on the 2009 models they started Zinc plating the rotors and calipers. In the case of the rotors, what happens to the rotor after the brake pads wear thru the zinc plating? This remains to be seen. I have heard of people purchasing aftermarket rotors that are zinc plated and putting them on the 2005 to 2008 models, but these rotors are in the $235.00 a piece range! The other fix I have heard about is to install the Calipers from the 2500/3500 HD model on the 1500 for better braking. This mod is not cheep! But does do a fine job of solving the braking problem on the 1500's. Obviously these calipers are expensive and hard to find used, so you would be buying new from Chevrolet, Yea Right! Sorry for the bad news. Earl
  17. skydoc_17
    I don't get to tell this one around my house to often...or I get swatted by Jean! Had a day ride planned with myself and Jean on our Honda V65 Magna, another friend with a V65 Magna, our good friend with a Harley who was very boastful and the nephew of the other V65 owner with his new to him Kawasaki 750 "crotch rocket". We were headed thru town to begin a ride thru the mountains around State College Pa. (very nice riding area). As the group went from stoplight to stoplight thru town, the Harley and Kawi Crotch rocket were in front, side by side and would rev it up at every light, I just knew it was a matter of time before they would "drop the hammer". When we came to the light at the center of town, sure enough, the light turned green, and the Harley dropped the hammer , and the kid on the Kawi stalled his bike and dropped it at the light! Well, not wanting to listen to our boastful friend with the Harley tell the tale of how he bested a "Jap Bike" at our next "refreshment" stop, I swung MY V65 Magna around the grounded Kawi and proceeded to wind the tach up to the 10 grand red line on the bike. What I had forgotten about was the fact that Jean was on the back, lookie-looing around at the light and had NO IDEA at all that we would be breaking the sound barrier in the very near future! When I hit second gear, Jean flew back against the sissy bar (thank God it was there!), and the front end of the bike lifted up into one of the scariest wheelies I have ever performed in my entire life! I slipped third gear, on one wheel, and caught the Harley half way thru third, still on one wheel, and proceeded to shift to forth, Jean regained her composure, and the front wheel returned to the pavement. At this time, I ran thru the last two gears, and the Harley pretty much "ate my dust". As soon as I got to the light, Jean slapped the back of my helmet, just to remind me that she was there, and I better not do that again...EVER! When our Harley buddy finally caught up with Jean and I at the next light, he yelled over, It's bad enough that you "blew my doors off" but did you have to ride by me on one wheel as well!!! Well, needless to say, I had to buy the first round of refreshments when we finally stopped...even though I beat that Harley! :rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf: Who wodda' thought! Earl and Jean
  18. skydoc_17
    Since I started the thread about using the Ebay Carb. Diaphragms, I have fielded more than a few questions about the Merits of the replacement of the rubber diaphragm portion of the Diaphragm/Slider assembly versus replacing the entire Diaphragm/Slider assembly. I am by no means a Carburetor "Guru" but I would like to share what I have noticed after replacing ten or so sets of Diaphragm/Slider assemblies on four different types of motorcycles. Of the ten sets I have replaced, there were two occasions where the entire Diaphragm/Slider assembly, on a single Carb. had to be replaced and in both cases, it was due to the fact that the outside diameter of the slider had been damaged by what looked to me to be something that had passed thru the Air Filter and lodged between the Slider and the Carb. Bore. In both cases, the foreign material that had lodged between the slider and the Carb. bore had put scratches in the outside diameter of the slider. The result was that even with a new Diaphragm rubber the slider would not "Float" properly inside the Carb. Body Bore, and allow that one Carb. to work properly. After having this happen twice, I started to examine the sliders very carefully, and if they were scored or scratched, I would order an entire Diaphragm/Slider assembly for that ONE Carb. ONLY. So out of the 40+ Carb. Diaphragms I have replaced to this point in time I actually only have replaced 3 entire assemblies. All ten bikes ran well after the Diaphragm replacement, weather it was just the Diaphragm rubber that was replaced or if it was a combination of Diaphragm rubbers and Diaphragm/Slider assemblies. I think the bottom line here is cost, It's either $60.00 for all four Carbs. with the rubbers only or it's $450.00 with the stock Yamaha Diaphragm/Slider assemblies or $240.00 with the aftermarket Diaphragm/Slider assemblies. As far as the extra time and skill involved with replacing just the Carb. Diaphragm rubbers, If you can get the side panels off your bike without breaking the pins off you will be able to replace the rubbers on the sliders in about ten minutes additional time. To me it took more time to remove the seat, False tank cover, and side panels than it did to remove the sliders and replace the Diaphragm rubbers. I hope I have clarified this question a bit for you, and as always, It is YOUR BIKE and only YOU can decide what makes YOU feel "warm and fuzzy" about any repair you do to it. Just my thoughts, for what they're worth, on this subject. Earl P.S. Just in case you didn't catch this thread the first time: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32052 E.
  19. skydoc_17
    Hey Bob, Try calling Chris at Flatout Motorsports, his number is 765-342-6335. I am sure he will be able to help you. Earl
  20. skydoc_17
    Welcome Iride, to the VentureRider.Org. site! It appears to me that you are not afraid to tackle some of the basic maintenance tasks on your new scoot, I like that! I think after taking the time to wrench on your bike it makes that ride later all that much better. If you would take a moment to fill in some of your personal information in your profile, It would be my pleasure to call you by name, and I always enjoy looking at the other member's pics of their VR's. Thanks for posting, Earl
  21. skydoc_17
    Hey David, What a great write-up! I have always been somewhat of a good "Monkey" when it comes to repairing things, If I can see someone do the repair just one time, I am good to go! This is the next best thing, I will be able to save this thread, and refer back to it in the future when I have a similar problem and draw from your wisdom. Thanks for taking the time to share this information with us. Earl
  22. skydoc_17
    I think George has named just about every variable that could have affected that tire. I did want to mention that the only Elite II I ever saw separate was from a parts bike I purchased a few years ago that had a flat tire when I went to pick it up. Even though the tire had plenty of tread, it started to separate in the area where it sat flat, I replaced it and never looked back! So should you! Earl
  23. skydoc_17
    Just this Saturday, I had a visit from an old friend of mine from the Buffalo NY area and he rode his 1988 VR down. So there we were, my 86'VR with stock exhausts, my buddy's 88'VR with the Mac aftermarket exhausts, and my 87'VR with the Jardine aftermarket exhausts. So I figure why not have a "Sonic Drag Race" and here's how it went...In my honest opinion. We started all three bikes, held them at 2000 RPM's, then 4000 RPM's and then did a quick blip of the throttle pretty close to red line. My 86'VR with stock exhaust was the quietest by far, and you really don't hear a "throaty" sound at all until you get to the 4000 RPM range and above, no problem hearing the radio with these exhausts! Next was my buddy's 88'VR with the Mac exhausts, If you were just talking about noise level, I would say that the Mac's were 15% louder but the tonal quality was 500% better, the bike actually sounds like it should go as fast as it looks. At the 4000 RPM range, the radio needed to be adjusted up to the next dot on the radio control panel to achieve the same sound quality. Lastly was my 87'VR with the Jardine exhausts, General noise level was at 20% louder than stock at or near idle. At the 4000 RPM range the bike virtually starts to "Roar" it reminded me of "dropping the hammer" on a small block Chevy in my earlier days. IMHO the tonal quality is 1000% better than stock but it is LOUDER! It required a two dot adjustment on the radio in the 4000 RPM range and during the red line blip, lets just say you better hope you know the song that was playing on the radio cause you'll be singing accapella for a moment or two until the RPM's come back down! At this point I wanted to inject a personal note, when my buddy and I and Jean were standing next to the 87'VR and revved the RPM's to 4000, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as did all who were near the bike, and my buddy just said...WOW! That being said, I have worked in factories for more than 40 years and don't have the best hearing in the world. If you have worked in a Library all your life the Mac's might be too loud for you and the Jardine's are Definitely going to be too loud for you. But as it is in my case, if you don't mind stopping from time to time to pick the bugs from your teeth because of the "Goofy Grin" you have had on your face for the last hundred miles or so while riding in the 3500 to 4500 RPM "sweet spot" of the Jardines, then brother these are the exhausts for you! If on the other hand, you want to be able to here the cymbal solo on that new Beethoven cassette you just bought then you might want to stick with the stock exhausts! Oh yea, Jean says the exhausts on the 87'VR are " *****in' ", But she can't hear to well either! That's my 2 cents on the subject, Earl
  24. skydoc_17
    Hey Bob, Try Flatout Motorsports, and send an email to Chris and tell him you are a VentureRider.Org member. He has always done me right. Their prices are the best I have found on OEM parts. Here's the link: http://www.flatoutmotorcycles.com/ Is this for your RSV? I tried to find that part number that you listed, but could not. Could you give us a little more info? Earl
  25. skydoc_17
    Now Dan, As much as I eat, you would do better to have the Stealer install them! I sure wish we lived a bit closer, In no time at all, we would have BOTH our bikes in a BOX!!! :rotfl::rotfl: Earl and Jean
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