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GaryZ

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Everything posted by GaryZ

  1. GaryZ
    These hoses are shorter than the originals. Remember; the originals ran from the left caliper to a fitting above the steering head, and the other hose ran from the right caliper all the way to the front brake handle. I connected one of the old hoses to the brake caliper, routed it to the splitter and marked it with a piece of tape. I then took it off, measured it and added a couple of inches (to be safe). They ended up a little too long. Two hoses were about $88 with local tax included.
  2. GaryZ
    I found a small company in Oklahoma City that makes brake lines to-order. Small, one man operation. Good guy, too. http://www.oklahomaspecialityhose.com/ I gave him the length needed and selected the end-type. They were done the same day.
  3. GaryZ
    A friend of mine had a similar incident on a stretch of brand new asphalt. Ridin' along fine and the rear wheel started coming around. He slid into the guard rail. Fortunately he was not hurt and the bike had only minor damage. He told a neighbor (a city cop) about the incident and the guy says there were a dozen accidents, including two bikes, on that same stretch of new road. The unofficial reason was the asphalt "sealer" was not properly cured when they opened the lanes to traffic on a hot summer day. The city and the construction company will not admit to anything, of course. My point is . . . Be very careful on new asphalt!
  4. GaryZ
    Yes, this is common. When you turn the engine off the coolant is no longer circulating through the radiator and cooling. In fact, the hot engine is heating the coolant enough to trip the fan switch. The fan quickly cools down the coolant near the fan switch and the fan turns off. Many cars and motorcycles will briefly run their cooling fans in this way, even with the ignition switch off.
  5. GaryZ
    Not at all safetycrat! This is good info and I have already pasted it into my collection. Thanks!
  6. GaryZ
    I agree completely. However, in a minute there will be a bunch of safetycrats jumping on this!
  7. GaryZ
    The last time I tried to use foam grips they would get very uncomfortable in the summer, bare hands, after extended riding. They would make my hands burn. Anyone have experience with these "Grip Puppies" in the summer heat?
  8. GaryZ
    Thank you for this . . . I am presently assembling a tire changing set-up to do my own motorcycle tires and this seems like an excellent idea.
  9. GaryZ
    My VR stock windshield is too good for summertime in Oklahoma. I get very little air on my face. I have been riding the beast "naked" since the engine went back in and the air flow over the dash panel is very smooth and strikes me about the chin (same as my ZX11). I want to try a very short windshield and need someone's old one to cut down. Anybody have an old Gen 1 windshield?
  10. GaryZ
    This is a good tech article to save . . .
  11. GaryZ

    Air bag?

    GaryZ replied to tsigwing's topic in General Tech Talk

    Interesting idea. An air bag is actually an air spring. How would you add a shock absorber for damping?
  12. GaryZ
    I helped a fellow biker with this exact problem last weekend. The master cylinder was almost empty and as I added some fluid you could clearly see how old and contaminated the existing fluid was. We bled fluid using the old-school method of a rubber line from the bleed valve submerged into a jar. Pump fluid through the system, add more before sucking air, pump fluid through the system. Keep this up until clear fluid is coming out. Fixed. BTW: I am sure it has been said here before, however, good preventative maintenance is to change your clutch and brake fluid about every two years.
  13. GaryZ
    Have you checked the carb slides/diaphragms? A CV carb with a sticky slide or leaking diaphragm will start and idle, but will not run much over 3-4k RPM. The slides need to open to allow more air and fuel for the throttle demand. You can take off the air cleaner cover and see the down the carb throats to the slides. They should all move at the same time and the same amount as you wick the throttle.
  14. GaryZ
    +1 Ace Hardware has a bunch of stainless nuts, bolts, screws, and washers in metric.
  15. GaryZ
    What are you asking for it?
  16. GaryZ
    Updates: I really, really like the Progressive fork springs! I removed one of the shims from the carbs last night. Now I have one shim at 0.8mm on each needle. The Beast idles excellent and I am very pleased with the way it's running/starting. It is running so good that the clutch wants to slip a little under hard acceleration and above 5500 rpm. I think the clutch may be glazed from sitting for a few years. I will probably pull the disks, lightly sand them, soak them in new oil, and reinstall. A local Maaco has quoted me $650 for paint and clear coat (I will do all of the prep work). I want to paint the beast a dark gray metallic.
  17. GaryZ
    That is exactly what I found in my forks and in the Progressive box! Thanks for the pics. I reused the washers . . . one on top of the spring and one on top of the spacer.
  18. GaryZ
    I put the Progressive Springs in today. A short run around the area, with no air in the forks, and I am wondering why I waited so long to put them in . . . The beast just keeps getting better! BTW: The springs that came out are compound springs, like Progressive, and about 3 inches shorter. Very strange. Are these the stock springs?
  19. GaryZ
    Attached is a very good DIY for aiming headlights
  20. GaryZ
    That's very nice of you to be so concerned. Maybe you should not ride motorcycles, after all, they are not very safe.
  21. GaryZ
    I should have said MKI and MKII and I will do an edit
  22. GaryZ
    This is how I de-linked my Gen 1 brakes (probably applies to MKI & MKII): I found a front brake coupler that almost fit the mount holes on the lower triple tree (Kawasaki GPZ1100). These holes were used to mount a plastic holder - pic 3. The mount holes needed to be slightly enlarged and longer screws added. A local shop made two braided brake lines for about $42 each. I also bought a handful of aluminum crush washers from him. I reused the original rubber hose for the left front caliper to route the front brake master to the coupler. This hose will be replaced with another braided line soon. It is too long and seems to be making the brakes a little spongy. At first I couldn't get any brakes when the lines were connected and fluid was added. I pumped fluid through the system from the top with the master and pulled fluid from the bottom with a neighbor's brake vacuum tool. A note from this forum suggested strapping the front brake handle overnight and that worked. I now had a little bit of brake action. I bled the system again and strapped it for about 36 hours. The front brakes were working, but, the brake handle would touch the throttle grip without an impressive amount of braking. This is when I found the plunger adjuster. Inside the front brake handle is a screw with locking nut. It adjusts the stroke of the master. I set it almost all the way in. I can now pull emergency stopping with two fingers on the brake handle and not pinch the other two fingers on the throttle. I am very pleased with the way the brakes now work on my VR.
  23. GaryZ
    Gary, I have some Vmax carb stuff and a few other carb tune sheets. If these don't seem to help, I might be interested in your library. I have been hot rodding around testing the set up for the past two days. A fill-up revealed 24mpg. Not real good, but, it could be from the hot rodding BTW; You were way too modest about what Vmax parts in a Venture can do to the fun factor . . . My VentureMax ROCKS
  24. GaryZ
    That would be cool . . .
  25. GaryZ
    OK all, I have the beast on the road (without plastic - see pic). I love the de-linked brakes, but, I will probably replace the long rubber hose (master-to-coupler) with a braided line to firm the front brakes up a little. The 1300 engine with Vmax cams and springs is a real hoot. The power is impressive! I need to do some fine-tuning on the carbs. They are from my 1200 and all I have done is to add 1.6mm spacers on the needles. It starts easy and runs good. The idle seems to wander a bit and I have not checked the mpg. Next - PAINT
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