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GaryZ

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Everything posted by GaryZ

  1. GaryZ
    My other bike is a 'crotch rocket'. I would like to point out that the bike is not at fault. The rider is. The majority of riders on sport bikes are very young and, frankly, dumb. I believe these types of stories are more accurately stated as 'a bunch of young guys on crotch rockets'. BTW, the same can be said about Harley riders. Most Harley riders are older and slower. The bike is not at fault.
  2. GaryZ
    I have not actually done the swap, however, I think it should work fine.
  3. GaryZ
    OK gentlemen, I'm going to stir the pot . . . I have been riding a very long time and owned a lot of bikes and cars. I have never used synthetic oil and decided to try it in my VR last year. The poor thing immediately started leaking around the wire seals (left side) and using a half quart every three tanks of gas. I changed back to 'dino' oil a few weeks ago. The Beast no longer leaves spots on the garage floor and oil usage is 1/3rd or less from last year. My experience is probably because of the age of the bike, or not. Anyway, I will not use synthetic oil for any of my vehicles. The cost vs benefit is simply not worth it. This is my opinion and is offered as information to the great folks on this forum.
  4. GaryZ
    I am 250 lbs and carry moderate weight in the bags and trunk all the time. I have filled my forks with 10awg fork oil at 6" from the top with the leg collapsed. I have enough spacer to require about an 1/8th inch compression to start the top caps. Simply sitting on the Beast will sag the forks an inch. A hand-full of front brake and bouncing the front will sag 2.5" (plastic tie-wrap around the fork leg used to make these measurements). The ride is perfect; the front soaks up the bumps and have never bottomed. I will add about 6 psi of air when carrying a passenger and/or getting frisky in the curves. I think your weight would use the same set-up and almost no compression when putting on the top caps (less spring pre-load).
  5. GaryZ
    Swap spark plugs around to see if the 'dead' cylinder changes location. Run the bike around the block and check the temperature of the head-pipes. I use a temperature gun from Harbor Freight. If the pipes all seem to be close to the same temperature, the problem could be a clogged low-speed circuit. I successfully shot carb cleaner directly into the low-speed circuit by removing the adjuster screw and spraying straight into the jet. Add about 6 ounces of Sea Foam to the tank and run the bike long enough to get it into the carbs. Let sit for 24 hours and re-check.
  6. GaryZ
    My beast did the exact same thing sitting in my driveway. I turned the handlebars and everything went dark. A little troubleshooting and I found the large red wire that goes from the ignition switch to the fuse panel had come off the back of the ignition switch! I was able to solder it back on and I have not had any issues since . . .
  7. GaryZ
    Looks like a darn good job!
  8. GaryZ
    It's always sad to hear someone has gone down. Please get well fast and get back on that pony as soon as possible!
  9. GaryZ
    I vaguely remember that connector when I pulled the emissions canister off of the Beast. You can buy the canister for $1,000, or I will give it away to any member of the forum . . .
  10. GaryZ
    I agree with Andy
  11. GaryZ
    I had an Elite II on the front and rear when I bought my VR. They had good tread and I just rode it. However, each time I would change lanes on the interstate (there is a joint between lanes) the bike would do a jump/jerk that was frankly frightening. Because of a previous experience I suspected the tires. I replaced the rear first and the problem was gone. I figure the tires were old enough that they were getting hard.
  12. GaryZ
    I installed my TCI today and took the Beast for a short ride. My TCI is supposed to have the Vmax curve to compliment my engine configuration. The engine seems to run smoother with more power available from 2k to 4k. The 'sweet spot' seems to have gone up in RPM! I have posted a few pictures of the install. I fabricated a plate to mount the TCI and act as a heat shield. The MAP sensor is mounted next to the TCI (left). I will be replacing my clutch this weekend and then a little hot rodding . . .
  13. GaryZ
    I have a friend that sells music CD's and ships them USPS. He has been shipping identical single CD packages for the past two years at the post office where we both have PO Boxes. The cost varies from a low of $.98 to a high of $1.92. Whenever he has questioned the price he gets the same answer; "That's the price". When he has asked to speak to the supervisor, everyone gets testy.
  14. GaryZ
    Less than 30MPG is unusual for a 1st Gen. Mid-40s seems to be more typical with some guys getting 50. My Beast is running no less than 30 around town and 34+ on the highway, and a best of 42 carrying a passenger to Kerrville, TX at speed. This seems to be more typical of a Vmax. Oh wait, I have Vmax cams! Anyway, there may be something to the comment about better MPG at higher RPM. I plan on experimenting this summer.
  15. GaryZ
    Since we're telling stories: Riding my new 1971 Honda CL350 home from my mother's house I had to go south across the Golden Gate Bridge. Rolled onto the bridge with 'small car warnings' flashing. Crosswind from right-to-left . . . Very Interesting!
  16. GaryZ
    It contradicts the 'experts' in that link, but, my VR is far better in the wind versus my Ninja. The Ninja seems to react much, much more to side winds. I feel the additional 250lbs of the VR have something to do with this . . .
  17. GaryZ
    Floats too high will cause it to 'blubber' at idle and smell very rich. Out-of-sync carbs are possible. If we assume the carbs are OK, start by checking the timing advance. A timing light aimed through the timing port at idle and look for timing to change as RPM increases.
  18. GaryZ
    Rode a couple of hundred miles yesterday. Parked the Beast in the garage and closed the door. An hour later went in to check and still have gas smell, just not as bad.
  19. GaryZ
    I did some reading about tuning CV carbs yesterday. Each of the articles seems to follow a similar pattern for stock bikes; When wanted or needed the wide open throttle is adjusted by altering the height of the main jet needle (jet kit or spacers). Idle is set using the low-speed screw. And the middle takes care of itself. On modified bikes there is an excellent discussion on the rich/lean symptoms for the three carb circuits. No one suggested sync'g the carbs above idle. Just sayin' . . .
  20. GaryZ
    Look in Dan's bags for a siphon hose . . .
  21. GaryZ
  22. GaryZ
    OK gents, I found another place where fuel was drip-dripping. It seems the drain plugs on the two left cylinders are weeping. I was able to remove the air box and get a 10mm ratchet box-end in there and tighten both plugs. I certainly hope this is the end of my gas smell in the garage! BTW: I have developed a system for installing the breather hose on the air box. I bought a long-reach pair of needle-nose pliers. They allow me to grab the breather hose, lower the air box, and work the hose on. The pliers also make it a snap putting on the smaller hose.
  23. GaryZ
    Generally if a battery drops below 9V when cranking the starter, the battery is bad (will not hold a load). However, check the cells to see if they are full. If not, fill them and do another slow charge. It might refresh the poor thing . . .
  24. GaryZ
    I have bunny rabbits living under my shed . . . They are diabolical enough to steal gas from my motorcycle and sell it to the neighbors!
  25. GaryZ
    Every bike that I have sync'd carbs has done that same thing . . .
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