camos

Got the rear wheel off and replaced the tire. Now I'm trying to sort out how to go about repacking the bearings and drive fingers. The left bearing which I think is the needle bearing one feels a bit rough and the right one feels good. Read in the tech library that a needle fitting on a grease gun can be used to inject grease into the left bearing. Is there a better way to do this? Seems replacing the bearings is quite difficult and is apparently quite often not necessary. Other than saying they should be greased every tire change I have not found any info on these drive fingers. Looking at the wheel it appears the 6 Allan bolts on the rotor side are what keeps the fingers in place. So by removing those bolts, the fingers can be removed from the left side. Is that right? If Honda Moly-60 is not available here I read JET-LUBE MP-50, available from Acklands, is quite good.

I ride in the rain very often and have to say no matter what you try it pretty much sux. As has been said, being able to look over the windshield is a must particularly in low light and wet conditions. Keeping the windshield clean definitely helps but when it is wet the reality is you won't have good visibility through it. I have found that it is not necessary to completely close the helmet visor while riding in the rain. I use the visor kind of like the bill of a ball cap, just pull it down to just above your sight line. This works quite well to keep light rain out of your eyes. With it a notch lower when the rain is heavier you would be looking through the lower inch of the visor but can tilt your head back a bit when better visibility is required. Most of my riding is commuting to work so I don't have the option of seeking shelter to wait out the rain. That seems to be the most sensible course of action to take when on a trip.

Very timely post, I just got my new rear tire mounted and intended to grease the rear wheel splines before re-installing the wheel. So now it appears that it is not just the splines that need doing but the fingers too. Not sure exactly what the fingers are though. Is there a How-To in the tech section? Found a reference to moly grease and high tech substitutes at ( http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Shaft.html#Grease )which might be of interest. I seem to recall reading that the Honda 60 moly was normally available through the Honda car dealerships. Anyone know if that is right? Just to throw a wrench into the works, I just found this posted in a forum thread that is discussing moly paste versus moly grease. The thread is here: http://cx500forum.com/forum/technical-help-forum/18104-honda-moly-60-paste-vs-loctite-moly-65-paste-2.html Excerpt:

Oh??? Well I think it is just stupid. If the plugs were set on an angle (as they are on my Virago) they would be no muss no fuss simple to re-n-re. Futzing around with standard sockets that won't fit and having to force it under/through the heat shield or messing with that stress inducing socket/wrench combo that comes with the tool kit. What were they thinking? ( Yamaha ) I haven't done it yet but I think I will cut off half of the OEM socket and have it welded to a 1/4 inch drive extension of the correct height.

As I recall it is more like an hour each. It's the stupidest setup I can think of.

Don't take my word as gospel but I'm sure multiple strands carry amperage better than solid core and solid core is more prone to vibration cracking than stranded wire is. Also, I recall reading that a wire kit for a V-8 can be had for less than one for a V-4. Haven't looked into it yet but that job is on the list after rebuilding the exhaust and replacing the rear tire. You can be the Guinea pig aka R&R guru. Pretty sure I read the info on this forum so there is most likely someone on here that actually knows what he is talking about. Gary perhaps?

Hah!!! That was my first thought but since you already said it, I'm going to x 2 it.

Reservations have already been made.

Well, it wasn't SAE but that was just a desperation move anyway. Turns out it was probably a 12 mm with rounded corners. Not brass either. There was just enough room to get about one inch of a hacksaw blade on the clamp so I cut it off. This was on the right side, the left side had no room to get the blade on it but I remembered I had a Dremel and was able to use the cutoff attachment to cut that one. The bolt on the left side needed an Allan Key which was stripped out. Hopefully those clamps are still available from Yamaha. So the mufflers are now off. The inside edges are very rusty looking but no holes that I could find. Got my fingers crossed on them still being serviceable. Had a look for the collector bolts but didn't find them. That was enough for me so I quit for the night, actually, until next weekend. Sure hope I can get the exhaust repaired before Venture West happens. Even though I had to cut off the clamps the suggestions were very much appreciated. As you are all aware, moral support is invaluable. Thank you all.

I tried 12 mm but it seems to be too big. Actually tried 11 mm too. Just occurred to me that I did not think to try fitting an SAE socket. Think I'll go out and try every socket in my toolbox. Thanks for the response Gary. This is so frustrating that I'm currently thinking dynamite might be the best long term solution.

You are right there, pretty sure I have not met him. Wasn't implying other pokes were not justified, just this one. Everyone is worthy of a hug, don't cha think?

The collector needs welding but I can't get a socket on the muffler clamp bolt. Not sure exactly what size it is and can't see what the problem is. It does not look like there is enough room to get in to cut the bolt but knowing the correct socket size might be helpful. Help!!

Sorry if you felt the poke was justified, personally, I don't think it was. As for it being an old thread... so what? The info you posted is still relevant and useful to those who are near Hamilton. The info I posted may also be of interest to anyone who is not near a retailer offering Deka's for a reasonable price. Hard for me to shield you from that unjustified poke. Perhaps Marcarl will send you a to make up for it. Here is a rendition of your favourite riff to cheer you up.

Yes it is but the thread came up when I was posting about SaskBattery and I thought why not add to it instead of creating a new one. Not sure if it was a good idea or not. The info I posted is most likely only of value to a Canuck anyway. Deka's around here were about $160+ and getting one from across the border almost doubled the US selling price. We are at such a disadvantage.

Check out http://saskbattery.com/ecommerce_435.htm. I got one from them a couple of months ago. Posted the info on here but no one seemed interested. OOps already said this. Should read the whole thread before opening my yap.... Oh well.

Have you tried logging out of the site then clear the browser cache? Do have the browser set to remember your login automatically?

As far as I know the rear brake shoes on my Virago have never been changed so they are probably nothing special, whatever comes stock. EBC does not make an HH sintered shoe so Aramid or Kevlar seem to be the only options. Decided to go with Vesrah VB-230 Organic Brake Shoes which are the Aramid ones. Don't know anything about the Vesra brand but they say they are for racing so should perform well enough for my commuting use. Thanks to all who responded and helped me make my decision.

I don't recall if the EBC shoes I found were HH, seems to me they were only described as organic. I too have EBC organic HH pads on my 1st gen and have been very happy with how they work. Don't recall ever hearing anything about how well Kevlar brakes work. Thanks Squidley, gotta take a closer look at what is available.

It will soon be time to replace the rear brake shoes on my Virago. Anyone have an opinion, yay or nay, between organic and kevlar shoes?

Just received my new Teknic HiViz jacket from RevZilla.com and really like it. Never bought from RevZilla or heard anything about them before so thought I would bring this online retailer to your attention. The Freeway jacket is on clearance sale right now for US$159 which is about half price in the USA and way less than in Canada where I found it online for regular price CDN$429. They only have size 48 and 50 left. Those sizes don't seem to be used much so to give you an idea what they are about, I am 6' 3", 210 lb with a 40" waist I previously was wearing a Teknic jacket size 52 which was overly large. The jacket I purchased was 50 with a nice loose fit. Another reviewer of the jacket, who is about the same size as I am, purchased a size 48 and reported that it fit well. In my opinion the size 48 would also have been a good fit for me but more on the snug side. RevZilla has a promo video of the jacket so if anyone is interested in a warm waterproof jacket, they should check it out here.

Nice method of folding the chaps but isn't it a better idea to just wear them? I don't get the value of using the folded chaps as a pillow while riding. I bet you will never get them back on while crashing.

The pads are packaged in pairs so you will need 3 of them.

I'm pretty sure it is BYOBs.

Thought I would mention: Just made my reservation at Motel 6 and the rate is $59.39 + tax for Thursday but goes up to $62.99 + tax for Friday and Saturday. Gonna have to work some overtime.

I know this is an old thread but it came up when I started to create a new thread so.... I ordered a Deka ETX18L AGM battery from saskbattery.com just before Christmas and it arrived at my post box just before or just after New Years Day. Not sure when exactly cuz it never got checked. Anyway, the cost was CDN$109.50 + $5.48 tax with no shipping cost. Seems that about US$95 + $50 from US retailer shipping to US address is around the norm so the price I paid would seem to be quite good for us Canucks. As an added bonus the Deka ETX18L just happens to be the model that also fits my 96 Virago 1100. Ain't it grand when something just falls into place for no good reason.