camos

That's right, MkII have the bleeder at the stem but the MkI does not. Apparently there is a fitting, proportioning valve maybe, near the bottom of the stem where you can crack the connection to bleed the front brake line. I think Puc posted a pic of it somewhere in the massive number of posts on here. Should be able to find it by following the brake line tube. Might be a bit difficult to see since it is not out in the clear. Someone who has a MkI should be able to point you to it better than I can.

OK, so it's not free but it is certainly inexpensive. It doesn't cover everything but it covers enough so the average person can access medical services without taking out a mortgage. We in BC pay $75/month, compare that to the $600 slowrollwv mentioned. When the US healthcare was in the news, there were a number people interviewed who had to pay $2-4 k per month. Probably not average people but that does not happen here where we all pay the same. Our healthcare is a bargain, unlike the cost of goods coming into this country which really is a total rip off.

Just a guess on my part but I think it has something to do with border fees being added to the price before the store's markup is calculated. In any case, those mirrors are probably not made locally. You are right, it is a ridiculous situation. I often buy boots from LeatherUp.com for less than what they sell for on LeatherUp.ca. That's delivered after shipping and conversion are taken into consideration.

Haven't noticed a float in the right reservoir. Will have to see if I can find it next time I'm in there....if I can remember that is. It's about time I cleaned and flushed the clutch fluid so I'll check for the warning after emptying the reservoir.

The other day I discovered something that I never knew. The "brake" fluid warning light came on but both brake reservoirs were full. What was down was the clutch fluid reservoir. Topped it up and the light went off. Assuming it was not a coincidence, it appears the warning also includes the clutch fluid.

The carbs are simple and do not work like a 4 barrel. Above 3000 RPM is where these engines develop their horsepower so depending on which gear you were in at 45 mph you might get a burst or a bog. Another thing, when opening up the throttle the main jets cut in and pour in the gas. It's possible the pilot jets are not completely clear so could be limiting output at other than WOT. When cruising at 3-4 k the main jets are not, or very, open. At that speed, when the throttle is cracked open the bike should leap ahead. Sounds like the bike has not been ridden for a while so there could likely be some crud in the carbs that still needs to be worked out. Due to ethanol the carbs can get crudded up even when used regularly. Seafoam is good at cleaning that up. Every 3 months I like to put about 1/3 of a can in a half tank of gas, go for a short spin to get the treatment into the carbs then park it overnight. Then run it normally until it gets to the reserve. The combination of sitting/soaking and running seems to optimize the cleaning properties. Letting the treated gas work through the choke/enricher system is also a good idea so keeping it on longer than normal should keep that cleaned out as well.

Me too dunno, just retried it and got to eBay just fine. Hopefully Freebird is making some $$ off that stupid VigLink contraption.

Close enough, it does work as a general descriptor. Dinosaurs don't make up much if any of the underground petroleum reserves colloquially known as fossil fuels but they are fossils and since crude oil is made from the fossils of sea creatures it kind of fits. Who'da thunk Shell Oil actually meant something. Coal is a fossil fuel as well but it is made from vegetation and is considered to be younger than crude oil. Rotella is Shell's diesel oil line. Rotella-T was the "dino" version without modifiers while the others were designated Rotella-T? something. It appears the dino version has been renamed as Rotella-T4 to fit in with the rest of the products. Ain't history informative?

Why does this link take me to http://www.viglink.com/shop/merchants ?

I'm surprised that your summer weather is only a little different from ours. Ours usually tops out at about 80F with normal highs around 70-75. Due to higher humidity, it feels hotter. If the temps get into the 90's, and they occasionally have, people start dying. If we get any snow, people panic even though we actually get at least 3"-4" every year. This year we had two bouts of about 6" each and a few of days of 1"-2" which made it the hardest winter in 5 years. The last couple of weeks has been around 50-55 with the occasional day getting into the 60's. Some years the 50-60's last until June or July. People around here have coined the phrase Juneuary to describe that weather.

Right and don't forget to open the choke/enricher for a while to get Seafoam in that circuit too.

That's normal. Do what Marcarl suggested. Clean the pistons and the bores with Scotchbrite pads, cleaning around rather than in/out or up/down.

Wait until the summer and the gloat will be on the other side of your face.

I have a vague memory of something like you describe that happened with my Virago many, many years ago. The pad had worn unevenly so one side looked good but the side that could not be seen was worn down to the backing plate. Sounded like a crunch when coming to a complete stop which might be the sandy sound you mention. Best to take a close look at the pads and pistons just to be sure.

If there is no misalignment or improper installation of the caliper and wheel spacers, you may be hearing the sound of a stuck piston(s) that is not being sufficiently pressurized or released. If a piston does not release properly the pad will get glazed/hardened and will make a creaking sound when coming to a stop. Of course, just a guess on my part. Take the caliper off, remove the pads and squeeze the lever a bit. If all pistons do not move equally (approximately) then they will need to be cleaned to free them up. There is not much force available to release the pads.

While you are at it, don't ignore there instead of their, too instead of to, to instead of too, loose instead of lose. There are more but I don't want to overload you.

Huh!!! No they don't. Hopefully you told them to take a hike and went with a different company.

OK snyper.

I decided to start out with the higher weight oil just because during long, loaded rides or higher temps there is the likelihood of the oil heat up and thinning out. I have no idea what springs are in my 89. They look like OEM but I have been riding with no air pressure in the front and even before going to the 30wt hydraulic oil they were not bottoming out or having excessive dive. Will see what the summer brings to light. I found a container of 10wt fork oil in my shop so I'll try that in a couple of years. Then perhaps try the ATF/PS oil. As a side note, I put 20wt fork oil in my Virago a few years ago and it feels a little firmer than the VR does.

That is one of my pet peeves. When I get my vehicle insurance one of the questions asked is whether I am the only driver. I have never asked the purpose of that question but would assume it has some bearing on coverage of any accident. If I'm the only driver then it would seem a reasonable approach for the insurance company to allow public liability to cover all my vehicles for the same rate as just one. Then require storage insurance for the vehicles that are not being driven. Collision and comprehensive insurance would of course have to be negotiated for each individual vehicle since their values would most likely be different. Another peeve is that the rate is determined by the cubic capacity of the engine rather than the HP/weight ratio. We all know there are 750 cc engines that develop more power than our 1300 cc engines. There are 1000 cc engines that develop about twice the horse power of our engines in bikes that are around half the weight. That creates a greater risk of accident and should be taken into consideration when assigning insurance risks.

Yes, PS and ATF are hydraulic oils. The unfortunate thing is there is no standard for determining weight/viscosity so about the only thing that can be done is to read the MSD for each oil. According to the manual the VR's take 10wt fork oil.

It will be interesting to see how the lighter oil handles summer temps. I've been running the 32 wt all winter but my commute is short and the bike just barely gets warmed up. Will see how it works in the summer and on a longer trip although it rarely gets very hot here, 80F is about the highest. Did your research come up with any difference between ATF and PS fluid? When I was looking around on it I got the impression ATF was better than PS but could find no firm evidence.

If the side dash holes line up they are easy to repair using a homemade ABS/MEK putty. First cover the metal hole tab with cellophane tape, align the panel, squirt some MEK solvent on the area to be repaired then push the putty into place and tamp down to level with the back end of a drill bit that is large enough to fill the depression. It should setup in an hour or two but it won't be cured to full strength for close to a week. Once cured, drill the hole to match the tab hole. Start with a small diameter so you can correct any misalignment. I you miss by too much that small hole can be re-filled for another try. While filling the broken part the putty can be formed to match the edge of the panel. Preferably a bit proud so it can be trimmed with a sharp knife or chisel.

Good find. This one is garishly awesome.

Here is my two bits worth. Do empty and wipe out the reservoir first. There is no need to have the end of the tube submerged in the receiver container. The main thing to watch for is the tube goes up at least a 3 inches above the bleeder valve before turning down to the container. There will be a little draw back when releasing the lever between pumps which is where the squirt comes from and it can allow air back into the system. You will see the part of the tube that is before the bend will hold fluid and does create an air lock. The pic in the YouTube link is totally wrong for placement of the tube. Always put the cover on before continuing to pump because the squirt can make it through an almost full reservoir. There is no need to put the bellows in when putting the cover on. Watch the sight glass to prevent emptying the reservoir. When the level gets to the bottom, refill it. Somewhere around one reservoir fill should contain enough fluid to purge the system so when re-filling only top up to around the mid mark. This same procedure will work just as well when bleeding brakes. There is no need to close the bleeder valve between pumps as the small head of fluid will not allow air back into the system. There is also no need to waste money on speed bleeders or pumps on these very small systems. Easy-Peasy 10 minute job. Forgot to mention, pump fast, not slow. The faster the fluid moves through the system the more likely it will move any air through it. Pumping slowly just gives any trapped air time to float up.