BigBear
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Everything posted by BigBear
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Well...it wasn't as bad as I made it out to be! Here are the three steps: 1) Pull the electrical socket off (I used a long set of needle-nosed pliers). 2) Removed the black rubber boot that surrounds the back of the bulb and the back of the headlight assembly. 3) Used the needle-nosed pliers to slide the spring to the left, then up. That allows one to pull the old bulb (again...I used the long needle-nosed pliers, holding one of the electrical spades). I then used the needle-nosed pliers to put the new bulb in (no, Goose...I didn't touch the glass portion of the bulb ). Assembled in reverse order...good as new!
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I'm attempting to remove and replace the headlight bulb without cracking the fairing (at the suggestion of the experts here!) Before I break something, I thought I would get a little help/explanation on removing the bulb from the experts. I've attached some photos showing the back of the bulb. Question is...how do I remove the bulb? There was some discussion on a "spring clip" that holds the bulb in place. Is the tab with "top" written on it the spring clip? Do I simply push it forward (up) away from the wiring receptacle? Can someone fill in the blanks for me? Any other hints/tips/tricks would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
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Thank you, sir!
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Headlight low-beam burned out, and I would like to replace with the SilverStar Ultra. Anyone got the part number for the SilverStar Ultra bulb for an 08 Venture? Do places like AutoZone or Advance Discount Auto carry them? Thanks in advance!
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Thanks Goose! I was unaware that there are FOUR grooves that run across the entire surface of tire....and that the TWI would also be present in those grooves. The TWI I was looking at where on the outer edge of the tire tread...not towards the center as you've indicated....hence my comment about "useless TWI". I still had PLENTY of tread out on the edge of the tire near the TWI!!! About the only maintenance I have not learned "how" to do from this site is "how to mount and balanace" my own tires. Any good sites out there that do a decent job of walking a beginner through all of the steps for replacing my own tires? I'm an engineer, so I always try to do a "root cause" analysis on failures...to better understand what caused the failure. Thanks for your assistance!
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When the shop put that tire on, they told me they annotated the mileage...but they must have used disappearing ink!!! The tire was put on mid-June 2010...I'm guessing it had around 14,000 miles on it...but that's just a guess. The tech that removed this bad tire said that the previous installed used a BUNCH of weight to get the tire balanced (he showed me a combination of stick on and crimp-on weights... I don't remember how much). When he installed the new tire, he used three small stick-on weights (considerable LESS that what he took off). BTW...the wife and I where in your neighborhood last Tuesday (riding route 97 to Charlotte NC), and got caught in the DOWNPOUR and LIGHT SHOW late in the afternoon.
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Here are some photos of the Avon Venom tire that "wore out". The cords show in three places on one-half of the tire. I'm looking for some feedback on the following (so don't hold back ): 1) The tread wear indicators(TWI) on these tires are essentially WORTHLESS. How do you use the TWI? They are on the outer edge of the tire...where the cords are showing, the TWI looks almost new! 2) How do you gauge tire wear on these tires? Seems like tracking mileage is the most "popular" method. 3) It almost looks like the tire was over-inflated?? I usually keep the rear tire at 38 psi...but...prior to leaving for Charlotte (pulling a trailer) I bumped up the pressure to 42 psi. 4) If the tire is at 42 psi, and the ambient air temperature is +94-98 degrees, what happens to the pressure in the tire? Common sense says that the tire pressure could/should expand 2-8 psi. That means that the tire pressure could be as high as 50 psi.
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David; Are you using Mapsource to create the routes? You "should" be able to use Mapsource to transfer the routes to the GPS. HTH Walt
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Lesson learned!!! Great advice...thanks Steve!
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Thanks Skydoc_17!!!
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That's exactly what we saw.... Left early yesterday (Monday) tire looked fine...400 miles later...we see cord. Tire still holding air...but Star roadside assistance will tow the bike to the dealer tomorrow to have the tire replaced. We are just thankful we did NOT have a blowout.... Not much to do here in Statesboro......
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Thanks for the data.. Sounds like the Yamaha and Honda dealers don;t stock that size (150/90 B15) but could have a tire in Statesboro tomorrow (Tues) around lunchtime. They could have an Avon Venom in by noon tomorrow as well...so I'm gonna wait for the Venom! As far as the pre-flight: 1) We've put about 400 miles on the bike yesterday...temps in the mid-upper 90s most of the ride 2) I don't "believe" there is a problem with the bike...and how would know or check for that? The bike tracks fine. I put these tires on approx 12 months ago, and have right around 14k miles on them. 3) Checked the tire pressure and tread before we left (usually check for FOD and tread once a week)...didn't see any wear bars... We loaded the bike & trailer this morning, getting ready to head out. This is when we discovered the spot on the center of the tread where the cord is showing.
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We're in-route to Charlotte, NC (currently stuck in Statesboro, GA). Got Avon Venoms front and rear. The rear tire (Avon venom) is starting to show cord...need to get a tire TODAY! Dealerships are not open yet so I don;t know what tires are readily available today. I'm not sure if I can get a Venom today...but...is it safe to put a mismatched tire (whatever brand is available that fits) on the rear today, then change out the tire when I get home???? Is that "unsafe"?
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I was thinking about a Wing myself. I went to the dealership, sat on one, got the whole "dealership experience"...and really liked the bike. BUT....I'm 6'3 and just could not get my legs/feet comfortable enough to warrant buying one. While seated, my feet and knees kept hitting the engine/cowling, and it seemed like the foot controls where more "under" my body...and I felt cramped. If I could: 1) raise the seat an inch or two ( would have to raise both seats so wife's view wouldn;t change) 2) or lower the controls an inch or two 3) or move the seat BACK an inch or two 4) or move the engine/cowling forward an inch or two I would buy one... Just my 1/2 cent worth!
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Lary - the one you purchased was my SECOND choice! But I'm really sold on the PCM material...it works VERY WELL!... "the INTERNET will never catch on".......LOL! Enjoy the vest!
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Most doctors indicate that Pediolyte is for children under 12....but not folks that ACT like they are 12!
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Excellent article on rehydration: http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0138.htm You'll see that Gatorade and the like are a little better than water....but water alone, isn;t enough. Although some resources indicating putting a pinch or two of salt in Gatorade yields better benefits than "plain old Gatorade". Salt seems to be a magic ingredient! Interesting read! Walt
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As I was researching a cooling vest...the thinkg I kept hearing about the vests that require you to get them WET to activate the evaporative cooling effect was that after one or two uses, they start to STINK (mildewy type of smell). The CoolVest works by drawing body heat away from the body using RPCM (renewable phase change material). The key with this product is that it maintains a constant 59 degrees....independent of the humidity. I wear an UnderArmour shirt under the Coolvest, and I wear the vest under my MotoPort Mesh kevlar riding gear. From their site: "RPCM® Cool Vests are unique in that they are the first PCM products for cooling the body ever produced that are completely harmless to people, animals, and the environment. “Nobody else can honestly say that,” said Booska. Glacier Tek’s RPCM® CoolVest maintains a dry, comfortable 59°F temperature for up to 2 1/2 hours in high temperature environments. The unique and patent pending RPCM™ CoolVest, a body cooling garment produced exclusively by Glacier Tek, Inc. uses a renewable, agriculturally-based phase change material (RPCM) that outperforms traditional hydrocarbon-based PCM’s." At the end of the day, I'm try to keep my body's core COOL, and not smell like a dirty sweat sock! If you ride in the heat of the day...YOU NEED SOME TYPE OF COOLING vest!!!! And no....I don't get a kick-back on their product...but if you ARE in the Rockledge, FL area, I'll let you try mine so you can get a real feel for how the vest works!
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After research, debating, researching and more debating, I finally bought cooling vests for the wife and I. I bought the CoolVests from: http://www.glaciertek.com/ A little pricey...but... We put the vests on under our riding gear and went for a 4 hour ride during the heat of the day in Florida. Gotta say...I am impressed! Even when stopped at stoplights we stayed pretty cool. The vests stayed "charged" for the entire ride. We put the PCM (Phase Change Material) in a cooler put in some water, put in some ice, and in about 20 minutes they were frozen solid....ready for another ride! Now...we are ready for our roadtrip to Charlotte & the Smokey Mountains!
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Today...I noticed that the windshield on my 08 RSV was a little "loose". So I pulled the top fairing screws and removed the chrome trim. Now I can see why the windshield was loose! Missing 2 screws COMPLETLY and 3 screws just about ready to fall out. The screw that mounts in the hole in thw windshield is one of the screws that is MIA. Closed inspection reveals that screw hole in the fairing is completely broken off. (insert swear word here). Since it looks like the screws may have fallen inside the fairing, I decide to crack the fairing to look for the screws. The GOOD...I found one of the screws. The BAD??? The crossmember that the windshield screws actually attach to is held in place by a frickin' TIE WRAP! The bolt holes that SHOULD be used for mounting the windshield crossmember are rusty...which means that the two flange bolts where never installed. Worse yet, where the windshield crossmembers connects to the inner fairing, those are completely broken off as well. AND...two of the tabs on the Chrome Trim are broken.... The dealer I bought the bike from went out of business several months ago, and the dealer I'm currently has already replaced the turnk lid and left lower fairing due to cracks and broken pieces. He's gonna have a stroke..cause now he will have to replace the entire fairing (both inner and outer). Has anyone else encountered these types of issues? I know that the bike is still under warranty, but I'm pretty sure the dealer is going to question how these things got broken. Do you think these "failures" are due to Yamaha "engineering" or the fault of the 16-year old mechanic making $8 bucks an hour to uncrate and assemble these bikes at the dealership?? Me...I'm on the fence!
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Dingy - No insult taken....but can you really put them in backwards? Great suggestion - Chamfering the edges of the pads is my next attempt! BTW: I sprayed the backs of the pads with CRC "disc Brake Quiet" prior to assembly? Rod - When you say clean the pistons, do mean the outside of the piston or the top of the piston that seats to the BACK () of the pad? If these tricks don't work, I'll just turn up the tunes! Thanks for the inputs guys!
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I just replaced my brakes (F&R) with EBC Sintered HH pads. I cleaned both front rotors with brake cleaner and install the pads. After 200 miles, the brakes didn't seem to "grab" enough...brake lever is solid (didn;t monkey with the brake fluid). Took them off, cleaned the rotors and brake pads with brake cleaner...get much better braking capacity, but now I get almost a metal-on-metal sound when I apply the front brakes. Any ideas or thoughts? I've seen folks here have sanded thier rotors and scuffed up their pads with sandpaper. That scraping sound is getting annoying...
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Checking Front Brakes
BigBear replied to GlennTuc's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
I just replaced my brakes (F&R) with the Splintered HH pads. I cleaned both front rotors with brake cleaner and install the pads. After 200 miles, the brakes don't seem to "grab" enough...brake lever is solid (didn;t monkey with the brake fluid). Took them off, cleaned the rotors and brake pads with brake cleaner...get much better braking capacity, but now I get almost a metal-on-metal sound when I apply the front brakes. Any ideas or thoughts? I've seen folks here have sanded thier rotors and scuffed up their pads with sandpaper. I just don't like that scraping sound... -
7/16 Friday 210 miles on the BlueRidge Parkway
BigBear replied to First_N_Last's topic in Watering Hole
That is one GOOD-LOOKIN' scoot you got there! -
7/16 Friday 210 miles on the BlueRidge Parkway
BigBear replied to First_N_Last's topic in Watering Hole
I'll be making a similar run from Charlotte (via 74 -> 64 -> 191 -> BRP -> 74) headed to Robbinsville NC area on 29 July, then on through Delohnega, GA southbound on 30 July.