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GaryZ

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Everything posted by GaryZ

  1. GaryZ
    When I wind her up through the gears I am getting an oil warning light. Several others have said this is normal for the VR. What say you? Squid? Dingy? Others?
  2. GaryZ
    I have been riding my VR around without the fairing for the last couple of months. This means I have no over-flow tank and she spits out a little water each time I shut her down. When low on water she will run right up to red and then drop to normal (mid-gauge). In traffic she will cycle to red line and back to mid-gauge. Shortly after the cycling, she boils over. I would check your coolant level in the radiator and top off the overflow tank before changing the thermostat.
  3. GaryZ
    I'm back from lunch and I think it's faster with the fresh paint . . .
  4. GaryZ
    My Beast is painted and re-assembled . . . .Finally! Paint Color = Machine Gray with clear coat Gloss Black Painted = windshield trim, mirrors, radiator trim "Tire Shine" on dash panels and other black plastic The saddlebags and top box are still in primer. I hope to get them painted soon. I think I will go for a lunch ride . . .
  5. GaryZ
    I would like to know how it handles . . . The four rear wheels must really stabilize the thing. It probably scoots down an on-ramp with authority!
  6. GaryZ
    My saddlebag repairs are with fiberglass. Bought the resin and hardener at O'Reilly's Auto Parts, already had the glass. I roughed the plastic with 150 sand paper, drilled a small hole at the end of each crack and cut a piece of glass for the inside. On the outside I mixed chopped-up glass into the resin and applied sparingly. I used the fiberglass and repaired a broken tab on my main fairing. Similar procedure as above. After the 'glass has cured I used an orbital sander to take down the extra material. My repairs seem to be working . . .
  7. GaryZ
    Thanks! I just found this same info in my owner's manual. The knob is missing because of the passenger floor-boards. My bike has been on "reserve" as long as I have owned it and who knows how long before that. I got the fuel gauge working a few months ago and I have figured out when the second-to-last bar goes off leaving only one bar, I have burned 3.5 gallons of the 5.3 gallon tank. Now I know I have 2 gallons left with the petcock in "reserve". I'll leave it on "reserve".
  8. GaryZ
    I tend to agree. I kinda like the "look". I really like the engine in plain sight in all its glory. The "rat bike" look is popular in some areas and mine looks ratty with wires hanging out. The Rich Urban Bikers (RUBs) really stare! However, I have a design goal to make it look more up-to-date and somewhat custom. Most of the painting is done. The main fairing is giving me trouble. Large areas are hard to paint with rattle cans and the weather has be very hot until this week.
  9. GaryZ
    Thanks Dano. Mine was turned all the way CCW. Can I assume that . . . CCW is ON Center is RESERVE CW is OFF
  10. GaryZ
    OK, I rode almost 200 miles today carrying an 11 year old girl passenger. Gas mileage calculated as 38.5 mpg. I think this is very good for my Beast! Can anyone tell me the positions on my 1985 VR petcock? I want it to stay in the "reserve" position and I do not know where that is . . .
  11. GaryZ
    I have decided that the electronic ignition systems are sensitive to low battery voltage and will throw a weak spark if the battery cannot maintain at least 9-10V while cranking the engine. I reached this conclusion after chasing a hard-start problem on each of my bikes. In both cases the problem was ultimately solved with a new battery and clean battery contacts. Is your bike cranking slowly during the test that you described? Slow cranking could be a low or bad battery. You might want to try your test again with a car battery jumped to your bike.
  12. GaryZ
    This is one of the reasons that I modified my VR and de-linked the brakes. The other reason is now I can ride down my daughter's steep, gravel drive using the rear brake without worrying the front wheel will wash-out.
  13. GaryZ
    The latest change in my carbs; Vmax needles! They are significantly thicker at the pointed end and in the middle vs the stock ones that I took out. I have a .5mm spacer on each needle. The Beast runs very, very good through the middle and I have pulled 9,000 RPM in second gear. Idle circuit wants to continue to be difficult: 3.5 turns out on low-speed screws. Starts easily without any choke (ambient temperature in my garage is 90F). I add a little choke to obtain a 1500rpm idle when cold. After warm up the idle seems to be OK. Maybe wanders a bit. Deceleration produces light "pops" through the exhaust. Around town MPG is between 30 and 34 (typical Vmax is given as 32 - 39). I need to take a ride on the highway and check MPGs.
  14. GaryZ
    OK, here's my top box in glorious primer grey!
  15. GaryZ
    No Vboost . . . and no money to do a dyno What adapters?
  16. GaryZ
    I have been playing around with the carb set-up on my VentureMax (1300 engine with Vmax cams and springs). The latest experiment is Vmax needles and .5mm spacers. I have not rode it much with this set-up yet; Needs a little choke for cold starting Idle appears to be lean (surges slightly at idle and pops during deceleration) Pulls smooth and strong from 1500 rpm in second Pulled a little "crisper" from 1500 rpm with stock needles Pulls strong from 3,000 rpm (any gear) Ran it up to 9,000 rpm in second and it wanted to keep going!
  17. GaryZ
    My daughter used to ride with me like that. She quit riding when she got to be a teenager. My grand-daughter took her place a few years later. Now she is a teen and no longer rides. Enjoy it while you can . . .
  18. GaryZ
    No, that is not my actual license plate number I figure no one needs to have their license plate number all over the internet . . .
  19. GaryZ
    Thanks for your suggestions. I have tried Goo Gone, but, not leaving it to soak as you described. A few minutes ago I tried some very powerful paint stripper. Brushed it on and wiped off after only around 30 seconds. It looks like leaving it on for about a minute might work something like your Goo Gone method without damaging the plastic. I do not intend to put the rear bumper and reflector back on and someone has already offered to buy the reflector! GaryZ
  20. GaryZ
    It's time for an update on my Beast: Bodywork progress is slow. Between the 100 degree daytime temperatures :scorched:and the lack of success getting factory pin-striping off, not much forward movement has occurred in the past couple of weeks. Anyone have a sure-fire way to get these stinking decals/pinstripes off , please let me know. I have peeled off the top layer using a pro heat gun. The problem is the adhesive left behind. It gums up sandpaper, gasoline will not budge the stuff, and a grinder takes off too much material. I decided to make changes that will make the bike look more post 2000 and not look like 1985. I am removing or modifying a lot stuff. At this time my color choice is gun-metal gray. I had already removed the front fender bumper and mud-flap. I like a "smoother" look and next removed rear fender mud flap. Then I bobbed the rear fender. The picture below shows how the rear of the bike is developing. You can also see how I am painting the aluminum seals around the saddlebags. I have also removed the bumper and reflector off of the top box and filled 17 holes with fiberglass! Thanks for looking in on my Beast. More to come . . .
  21. GaryZ
    I operate my VR about the same as has been said by the others. To put a little perspective on it, I run my Ninja about 1,000 rpm higher to keep it happy.
  22. GaryZ
    +1 This is what I usually do . . . Although I will say that I have not had any lights fail to change when on my VR
  23. GaryZ
    I use Tire Shine on all my plastic parts. Works great! It's probably the same Teflon stuff that you are using . . .
  24. GaryZ
    I have plugged a number of car and motorcycle tires in the last 20 years. Standard rope plug with lots of rubber cement. None of these plugs have leaked or came out. My ZX11D Ninja picked up a nail in the new rear tire after only 100 miles. I plugged it and road it for the next 2 years. I took it off last week (wore out @ 5,000 miles) and put on a new rear tire. Did I limit my speed to 75mph riding a sportbike? Heck no.
  25. GaryZ
    My friend was a hydraulics troop in the Air Force and he said the same thing. I plan on letting him assemble the hose from the Front master cylinder to the splitter.
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