camos

Mama Yamaha does it again. Thanks Jeff.

If your Straight Talk phone is unlocked you can buy a SIM at 7-11 Speakout for $10 Cdn and purchase time for it separately. Minimum $25 for 100 minutes. The talk time is relatively expensive at $.25/min but the time is good for a year and unused time can be rolled over to another year by a minimum purchase of $25. Speakout uses the Rogers Network which is a major provider and Canada wide.

Even though he misspelled it, I think perhaps he meant we are colourful. Since we are on the subject, I have often wondered about the term African American and Latin American and all the other permutations available. Seems to me those terms are racist or at least some kind of "ist". What is wrong with just using American? Everyone is from somewhere else at some point in their history including the aboriginals. Regretfully, the PC boneheads are starting to talk that way here in Canada as well. You either is or you isn't. I don't like conditional citizenship which smacks of racism, or at least prejudice although somewhat hidden. Seriously, can someone justify this usage? Am I the only one who thinks this way.

Last week I pulled the forks to re-pack the head bearings and install some gaiters and did not find it necessary to remove any of the fairing. The pinch bolts for the lower triple tree clamp are just clear when the steering is hard over. The upper clamp bolts are a little bit painful to get at with a 1/4" ratchet and 12 mm socket. As FF said, removing the little grills is all that is necessary. Smaller hands would be useful here but I managed with my mudhooks. I have a question for those who have recently pulled the forks from the air lines. There is a pin on the right collar that must be aligned with a "groove" on the triple clamp but I could not find one on the left collar. Did I miss it somehow? Doesn't make sense to me for there to be only one.

I had an almost new rear tire plugged once. The plug was applied from the inside and then they applied a patch over it. This will only work if the damage is not in or near the sidewall. Never had a problem with it and put 8 to 10 thousand on the tire before replacing it.

I recently replaced the fork oil in my 89 with commonly available AW32 Hydraulic Oil. It feels quite firm yet very close to whatever was in there before. Sadly, I don't know what the previously used oil was. In two years I will change the oil again and will probably try the Valvoline ATF that has recently been mentioned. A one person comparison process can be a bit lengthy.

That's only cuz you talk a lot. Takin over from Yammer.

Well, 2nd Gens may be harder on tires than 1st Gens but if you are getting only 20,000 km (12,500 miles) on your Avons then finding a different tire would be advisable.

That stuff is just another version of solvent welding. Here is a link to some anecdotal usage of my favourite solvent repair method MEK and ABS. Why pay extra for someone to bottle MEK and a bit of filler then name it and sell it for a 1000% profit.

I understand that we can all experiment with the various brands to find one that we like. Being able to tap into other peoples experience is valuable. That is what makes VR.org such a great place. Your friend and those on the other site you mentioned seem to have had an interest in finding a reasonable replacement for fork oil, more so than members here. What they have learned should be a very helpful starting point for us.

I think it is safe to say all the plastic is ABS, probably excluding turn signal lenses and for sure the dash panels, fairing, side covers, saddlebags and trunk are ABS. Do a search, there are a lot of threads on repairing plastic.

For some reason I am now getting a PM announcing that someone has replied to or quoted a post of mine. That seems to be a lot on the excessive side.

What I was hoping for was that your friend would have found what brand was 10wt for example.

There are a lot of different ways to repair plastic successfully. This thread describes how I do it and there are a few suggestions from others. A search for plastic repair will get you more than enough information to make you completely confused as to which way you should go.

Didn't I just say that? Hmmm... does that mean you are agreeing with me? Huh... well I never....

If it is now necessary to click to use the quick reply form why not just do away with it and go straight to advanced? In any case, I've never been able to understand the value of the quick reply form which seems kinda pointless.

I'm sure what you say is correct but I have always used the MU90B16 and find the handling perfectly fine. I like the deeper tread because it means longer wear and more miles. You can certainly choose what you think is best for your bike. Perhaps comparing the specs with the OEM tires might help you make your decision.

ATF was MC factory approved for use in forks during the 60's and 70's, possibly into the 80's. Probably until some bright marketing entrepreneur "invented" fork oil that could be priced to squeeze twice the profit from the motorcycle cult. As there is no weight standard for ATF it appears that different brands have different weights, at least that is the best info I could find. Also, fork oil has no weight standard across brands which results in a variation between one brand's 10 W and another brand's 10 W. I recently replaced the fork oil in my 89 with common AW32 hydraulic oil. Hydraulic oil does have a weight standard across brands. It feels to be the same as whatever brand of fork oil was in the forks when I purchased it a few years ago. As far as I have seen, the heaviest weight fork oil is 20. I put 20 W in my Virago to try to reduce the dive which it did but was a bit too firm. When I did the forks on my 90 I put in 15 W fork oil. Unfortunately the 90 is not operational so I cannot compare the two. Fork oil is hydraulic oil, as is ATF the difference being a possible variation in additives. What is important is the components of the oil do not attack the seals, does not foam and the viscosity is consistent. It would be good to find a brand of ATF that people are happy with.

There is a difference in width but there is also a difference in tread depth which relates to wear limits. Both the MU90B16 and the MT90B16 rears fit a 3" rim but the MU90B16 has a wider profile. The wider one probably puts more rubber on the road and fits just fine. It is the one that I have been using. Dunlop used to list two version for the front that also had a difference in tread depth but they seem to have dropped the deeper one. Dunlop seems to be trying to fix something that isn't broke.

Looks like the American Elite is a bit smaller than the Elite 3 otherwise close enough to the same. The Elite 3 comes in two flavours, the MU90B16 - rear one has a deeper tread while the MT90B16 is the same as the American Elite. http://www.dunlopmotorcycletires.com/tire-line/elite-3/ http://www.dunlopmotorcycletires.com/tire-line/american-elite/ I'm pretty sure Dunlop used to provide a front with the deeper tread as well but now they don't list it. I hate marketing ploys like offering a smaller box of cereal for the same price as what they used to carry in a larger size.

It's on it's way by pokey mail.

If the shop you got a quote from was a dealership then get another quote from an independent shop. I just got a front tire mounted and balanced for $28 which was up $3 from the last time they did the job. This is with just the tire and wheel. If removing the wheel is required then a higher cost would be justified. Regarding the Shinko Tourmaster, I've never read any negative comments about that tire. It seems like an excellent choice. It will get fewer miles on it than the E 3 but it is less expensive. For myself, I think the E 3 is a more economical choice when factoring in the initial cost and the cost of mounting compared to getting 20,000 miles on the Venture. I'm at 25,000 miles on my Virago with E 3's and it looks to be about 2/3 done. What can I say, I'm a fan.

@ Bob and Puc: Thanks for the feedback, it looks like about 1/2" out is safe for the pistons. Yesterday I made up a clamp tool which works quite well. It is 2"x4"x1/8" flatbar with 1/4"x2" bolts. Perhaps 3/16" might have been a better choice. Cleaned the pistons and went for a ride this morning. They are still sticking so will try again today.

Are you comparing apples with oranges? A set of Elite 3 tires for a gen 1 are somewhat expensive at about $140 each but they really lose out to $32 each, if that's correct. http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/34979/i/Dunlop-Elite-3-Touring-Bias-Ply-Rear-Tire.aspx?WT.ac=SLIsearch http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/16438/i/dunlop-elite-3-front-tire?suggest=1&term=Elite%20III%20front Going by the many anecdotal comments regarding tire models and mileage it is difficult to assess what is actually true. In general, I have found more people getting high mileage from Elite 3's and low mileage from every other brand not counting Avons and Mettzlers which are not worth buying because they were defective for years if not still. Elite 3's are the superior choice because they get excellent mileage and don't fall apart. The dual compound construction gives long wear on the highways and excellent adhesion in the corners. The tread pattern is probably not so important unless you intend to go off road. I ride in the rain a lot and have never felt the least bit apprehensive when using Elite 3's. Vendors I have used that have given me good service are Motorcycle Superstore, Dennis Kirk, Rocky Mountain Power Sports and across the border, Canada's Motorcycle. I shop for the best price at a recommended vendor. It never hurts to also include independent local vendors in your shopping list. Many will match online prices to a degree. Not so much success with dealers though.

I have never disassembled a caliper but I know a number of you have. How long are the pistons or how far out can the pistons be moved before they are in danger of popping out?