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Bobby G

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Everything posted by Bobby G

  1. Bobby G
    The last few days, my '99 RSV has experienced a total loss of engine power within minutes of getting underway. No loss of electrical power, but the bike just literally "dies" for no apparent reason, and then starts right back up again. In both cases, after I fire it back up, it repeats the process - dies, starts up, goes for a minute and dies, then fires back up. Then, in both cases, after about 10 or 15 minutes of riding, everything seems fine. This happened about 2 weeks ago as well, but then not again until yesterday morning and again this morning. I took it to my mechanic today (the original owner as well) and he can't find anything definitive other then the rubber vacuum plugs below the carbs on both sides of the bike have a small age-related split in them, so they are getting replaced as soon as they come in (I ordered them from the dealer today). The service manager at the dealership has no idea why this is happening unless he tears the carbs apart, which ain't going to happen - at least not there. But he is calling the Yami Tech Center in the morning to describe the symptoms to see if they have any intel or ideas on this from their database of issues and will call me. So, anyone have any suggestions as to why this might be happening? Could it be ignition related and not a fuel issue? I will be taking it out in the morning to see if I can get it to repeat this issue. Thanks.
  2. Bobby G
    Got the lights on and the switch mounted right where you did, in that little hole that's plugged for an add-on 12v adapter just behind the seat on the left. Perfect place for it. Was easy once I figured out how not to electrocute myself! Did a fast and dirty installation that I'll clean up a little with quick disconnect's and a better waterproof switch down the road, but for now, it really looks great.
  3. Bobby G
    Thanks for posting this link. I'm getting one for my RSV and one for the wife's softail. She is thrilled to have a 12 volt port on her bike for her phone charger!
  4. Bobby G
    Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I'll be switch hunting over the next few days, and will post pics when I get everything up and running.
  5. Bobby G
    The wife bought me three 18" red LED light strips to mount on the RSV, which I'll probably mount under the tank rim so that they will light up the chrome in the engine area. Just not sure about what kind of on/off switch to get or the best place to mount it. Any suggestions?
  6. Bobby G
    Outstanding achievement on her part. My son will complete his initial 6 year stint in the Corps next week, and it seems like he just graduated from Parris Island yesterday! It was one of my proudest moments, knowing what these kids have to endure and learn while there. This training will benefit her for the rest of her life, no matter what else she ever does. Congratulations to her on this milestone in her life, and please tell her how much we appreciate her commitment and sacrifice. Semper fi!
  7. Bobby G
    Thanks for the very detailed instructions on this installation. After re-reading your post, I think I'd opt for the liquid BarSnake, even though it costs a few bucks more. Just pour it in and let it set for 4 hours!
  8. Bobby G
    There is a thread on here somewhere that has the correct wiring instructions for the DiamondR light bar, cause I followed it when I installed mine a few years ago, but I'll be danged if I can find it. Hopefully somebody smarter then me will be able to locate it and repost for you.
  9. Bobby G
    Interesting comments from this Dunlop tech. I did some asking around on this subject with some of the product managers and TSM guys I know with a few of the Japanese OEM's, and none of them could corroborate this assessment by your Dunlop guy. Admittedly, they did tell me that most OEM's that import tires from the U.S. tire manufacturers will specify a designation on the tires that are shipped with a new bike so that they can see if a tire has been replaced or if it is the tire that came with the new bike. Obviously this is for their protection in the event of a tire failure and a resulting liability suit. But as far as they know, there are no special compounds or different specs for OEM tires then for replacement tires. The cost of retooling, compound remix and overhead to do this makes the cost basis of the OEM tires less efficient, and would increase the overall cost of the bike. Adding a number code to a stock run of tires costs virtually nothing, so that's all they do. Again, this is coming from the guys who make the bikes, not the tires, so I guess you have to take it with a grain of salt. Maybe the whole process of manufacturing tires is so inexact, that there just isn't any consistency in how one tire will wear or perform, versus the tire that came off the line 5 minutes later or 5 minutes earlier! That wouldn't surprise me one bit.
  10. Bobby G
    Thanks Ruff. I watched a short video today on what they are and how they should be installed. Your diagram makes it even easier to figure out. I'll work on this later in the week. I appreciate the assist.
  11. Bobby G
    I'm getting that message, but I still don't know what a relay is, what it looks like, where you hook it up to, etc.
  12. Bobby G
    Glad it got resolved for you. I got two return calls about this, one from the rep in Canada to whom it was referred, and one from corporate from the VP customer relations in the US. Both sounded a little nervous that I was going to go viral on their a$$ if they didn't step up and do the right thing on this. It is a shame that sometimes it has to get to this, but these companies are so damn big, the policy manual has a tendency to take over where common sense and doing the right thing should otherwise prevail. The bigger the tree, the harder you have to shake it sometimes! Let's hope this replacement shock lasts you more than 30,000 miles!
  13. Bobby G
    I am an electrical system numbnutz. What is a "low current relay", what does it look like, and what do you connect it to to power the highway lights? I wired mine according to the Yamaha instructions, and have had no problems so far, and I run them all the time on low beam. The only mod I made was replacing the crappy plastic fuse link with a waterproof blade fuse link. This whole relay thing has me confused about how this should be wired up. Thanks.
  14. Bobby G
    Greg, I PM'd you on this. You should be hearing from Yami's Customer Relations Coordinator in Canada about this. I sent you her name and number if you need it. Let me know how this works out. Bobby
  15. Bobby G
    Greg, I'll contact my guy at Yami corporate in Cypress to see if he can give me a solid contact for you in Alberta to talk to about this. Whenever I've gone this route, they have been very accommodating. I'll get back to you as soon as I hear from him. Bobby
  16. Bobby G
    Ditto.....I paid $7 for a replacement filter at AutoZone, and did the relo as described so I can get to it anytime by just removing the seat. I can't imagine having to replace it but once every 20,000 miles or so, but it is so cheap and now so accessible, I change it every 2nd or 3rd oil change.
  17. Bobby G
    1. Don't listen to the Metzler haters until you talk to some independent tire dealers who carry all of the major brands, and see what they say. My experience with the ME880's on my '99 RSV is excellent. On my second set, and both sets have lasted over 15K (front and rear!), with no "chunking" or failure of any kind, and nobody is harder on tires then I am. 40 lbs in the front and 42 in the rear. I preferred the D404's on my VTX, and we are now running the E3's on the H-D Softail. Very happy with all of these combinations of bikes and tires. Maybe it's just me, but it seems that it's usually the Venom guys who will trash the ME880's as a bad tire. Not sure why, but everyone has their opinion. I've never run a Venom tire, so I have no opinion on them. If it ain't broke, I don't fix it. 2. Get the replacement stereo under your warranty. It's not worth screwing around trying to find a fix that may repeat itself down the road. 3. Ditto. As far as I know, all '99 and newer RSV's have the exact same stereo system in them right down to the wiring harness and tape deck. Good luck!
  18. Bobby G
    My '99 still has the stock shock, and is functioning just fine (knock wood!).
  19. Bobby G
    ....and I bet there's a little push button right next to it too that turns some lights on and off! Imagine that!!!! And the fuse for that little gizmo is likely not located behind either door #1, #2 or #3! It's probably in the fairing somewhere. That makes FOUR fuse locations!!!!!!
  20. Bobby G
    "Also I want to hook my lights up so they are on all the time whether I am using low or high beam. The official Yamaha instructions says" On all the time: Splice red power lead to red w/Yellow stripe lead (in natural nylon multi connector)" This is the easy part of the installation. I just did this about a month ago, so it is very fresh in my mind. That is the exact wire that you want to tap onto so that your highway lights stay on all the time, whether your low beam or high beam is on. Just slip a quick-connect on to it, and attach your wire harness that came with the light kit to the other side of the quick-connect. How you run the rest of the wiring to the switch is up to you, but I used the stock switch and drilled the little hole next to the 12v outlet like the instructions said, and it works fine. Since I leave these lights on all the time when I'm riding, I rarely touch that little push button switch anyway. My only deviation from the instructions was to replace the flimsy inline tube fuse and plastic holder with a much better inline blade fuse, and ran the wire between the hot lead and the fuse through the lower back side of the fairing to a nice secure spot just under the triple tree, so that the fuse is easily accessible without having to split the fairing should it blow and need replacing. That mod only requires about 18 or 20 inches of additional 14 gauge wire. Other than that, it was a fairly easy install on the wiring part.
  21. Bobby G
    The faster the worser..... Mine really starts to drop when I am cruising above 70 (which is 75 on the speedo). As stated, around town it's about 40 - 42. Cruising at 55, it's a pleasant 44 - 47 mpg under ideal conditions. Above 70 it drops to 35 if I'm lucky. FYI, I have always used 89 octane gas, since that's all that's been in it since it was new in '99.
  22. Bobby G
    According to my OEM contacts at Yamaha and Suzuki, their OEM tire suppliers (primarily Bridgestone and Dunlop) advise that unused new tires that exceed 4 years in storage should not be used by dealers for warranty replacement. That tells me that the tire manufacturers feel that a 4 year old (or older) tire would be "potentially" unsafe to ride on, regardless of where or how they are stored. I think that their legal and compliance folks probably had something to do with instituting this policy, and that a 5 year old tire is probably still OK to ride on, but my life is on the line here. As such, I will always hedge my bets and not install any tires that are older than 4 years from date of manufacturer, regardless of how much I can save by buying tires on "special". My tire store (Ken's M/C Tires in Woodstock GA) concurs, and does not stock, sell or install any tires that are dated older than 3 years.
  23. Bobby G
    Whatever you have on the back seat can be easily strapped down to the grab rails. If it's not a flat surfaced item like a duffel or suitcase, put a seat-sized flat surfaced piece of plywood or other material down first so as to not damage the seat bottom. Weight is not so much the issue as distribution of weight, so try to keep it centered as much as possible. Use ratchet straps instead of bungie cords, and crank it down good. If weather is a concern like it was for us, carry some 33 gal. trash liners with you to put your gear into before securing it on the bike, and some electric or packing tape to tape the loose bag seams and edges so they don't flap in the wind (which will drive you nuts after awhile!). I don't put but 10 to 15 lbs of anything on my rear trunk rack, usually a bag with my rain gear, second helmet, and things I might need to get to easily. (Remember, you won't have easy access to the tour pak.) I am going to install a trailer hitch soon so I can carry a small cooler on a hitch-mounted carry platform, which I already have. Someday I'm going to get a small pull-behind trailer, but the platform will get more use right now. Wish I had some pics for you from my two long rides this year. If I can find them, I'll post later.
  24. Bobby G
    Strike that comment about Victory. I was thinking about Polaris when I wrote this, and got a little confused......
  25. Bobby G
    Heading to Montreal today for the annual BRP world dealer meeting and festivities for the next 8 days. I'm especially looking forward to spending some time on a Can Am Roadster to see how it rides versus a traditional trike, as well as riding some of the new Victory models. The weather is supposed to be pretty good, so I think the rides will be nice. Wish I had the time to do a Venture road trip up there, but I'm stuck with Delta airlines instead. I'll let y'all know what I think of their new equipment. Au revois.....
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