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camos

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Everything posted by camos

  1. camos
    The spaces between the lobes on the armature can become gobbed up and create dead spots. Along with new brushes cleaning the slots can rejuvenate many starters.
  2. camos
    I have not gotten into the wiring system on my Venture very much yet but on my Virago the factory ground from the neg terminal is to the engine only. Connecting copper to aluminum is a source of corrosion so that connection needs lots of maintenance to prevent it from degrading. The engine connections to the frame are something that would rarely, if ever, be cleaned up. Many Virago owners have found that adding a second ground from the neg terminal to the frame makes things work better.
  3. camos
    There is a test of various oils on the Amsoil site that might be of interest. These tests have been done on Royal Purple Max-Cycle and Valvoline 4-stroke among others.
  4. camos
    As I recall, it was a datsun and a search on datsun found this thread: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=29405&highlight=datsun
  5. camos

    Relay??

    camos replied to Yammer Dan's topic in Watering Hole

    Boy I can just imagine the confusion that Smart Switch could cause me while driving down a dark country road. Does the switch need to be flipped 2 times or three times to get the right combo? Damn, can't remember. Seems kinda dark, must have been just one flip. Well perhaps it won't be that difficult but two $6 switches versus one $42 switch... hmmmm.... Thanks for the info, always good to know what is available.
  6. camos
    Good info. First would have cleaned the battery terminals then checked the ground to the block. Now I have the magical third check.
  7. camos

    Relay??

    camos replied to Yammer Dan's topic in Watering Hole

    Thanks for the explanation of 87a. Looks like one way or the other two relays are needed to make two sets of lights work properly with the Hi/Lo beams.
  8. camos

    Relay??

    camos replied to Yammer Dan's topic in Watering Hole

    What does 87a do? I have fog lights on my Virago wired through a switched relay as you also described. On the VR there are driving lights but I'd like to add fog lights switced to work with the Hi/Lo beams. If the Hi beam powers the relay for the Hi beam driving light combo, what powers the relay for the Lo beam fog light combo?
  9. camos
    Your mods increased the air flow resulting in a slightly lean condition which causes the popping. To fix it you will need to richen up the fuel delivery.
  10. camos
    Have you checked for an oil weep/leak from the bottom of the oil filtre cover? The bottom bolt has an o-ring on it that does on occasion get lost/forgotten. Pulling the bottom bolt out can also abrade the o-ring so it does not work very well after a few/many filtre changes. The level should be no higher than about 1/8 inch down from the top of the window, any higher and oil will get burned off. If the oil level is in the middle of the window the oil level sensor (not pressure) light will tend to come on quite often when cold, when going up a steep hill and even during strong acceleration.
  11. camos
    Seems to me the Smart car is a step up or perhaps sideways from a trike. Kinda like a motorcycle with 4 wheels that can keeps you out of the rain. They should be driven with as much care as one would ride a motorcycle. Also an alternative when it is too slippery to ride the bike. Took one for a test drive a couple of months ago. I don't know if it has been changed with the gas version for the US but the diesel version for Canada has an evil electronic manumatic transmission which has a 1 or 2 second delay when throttling up from a stop. My Mary Jean really wanted one until she drove it. I think it is something that one could work around or get used to. Whatever the pluses and minuses, the Smart cars do have a "cuteness factor" that I find very appealing.
  12. camos
    Seems like the classic poor ground connection from the battery, neg passes voltage but not much amperage. Might help knowing 750 what. If it is a Virago then they are well known for gobbing up the ground connection at the engine. Lots of people recommend putting a second ground from the battery to the frame. Leaving any bike for 5-6 months outside is bound to get corroded connections.
  13. camos
    I've been thinking of doing the same to my 90 Venture. Did a search for bikini side covers but none of the posts found contained any pix. If you can find them, it would be nice to see what you did. Thanks
  14. camos
    I have heard, although not yet sorted it out for myself yet, with the newish blended gasoline many now have, reading the plug ceramic insulator is no longer accurate due to it being mostly white indicating a lean condition when in fact it is not lean. Apparently it is often necessary now to read the rim of the plug body depending on the gas mix that is being used.
  15. camos
    I'm new to this site so I've been cruising through some older threads that catch my attention. Pulling a plug after a normal ride won't tell you very much about how the engine is running other than at idle. If you really want to get an accurate plug reading you need to do a chop test at idle speed (OK that's easy), midrange (3000 or so) and WOT (5000 +). Essentially testing each fuel needle/jet range. A chop test is accomplished by running at the desired RPM for a few minutes ( 10 or 15) then pull the clutch and flip the kill switch coasting to a stop. Let the engine cool down a bit before pulling the plugs. Having 4 sets of plugs here is a good thing. Label teach set and take them home to compare to a plug chart that can be found on the Internet. There are quite a few charts littered about but here is one that I happened to have bookmarked: http://www.dansmc.com/Spark_Plugs/Spark_Plugs_catalog.html Any time you re-jet or shim the plugs should be read to determine proper flow rates in the fuel systems. This may not be very scientific but it's cheaper than dyno testing.
  16. camos
    When you find SeaFoam, make sure you get the gas treatment not the tranny treatment. The two kinda look the same but different if you can guess what I mean. Don't follow the instructions which are focused mostly on maintenance. Instead, put in 1/2 the can to a full tank of gas, run it out, put the other half in, fill up and run that out. Doesn't have to be done in one day but should not be left to sit for a month. If the bike hasn't been ridden for a while (Shed Queen) don't be too concerned about a lot of white smoke to begin with as that will clear up. When it comes to trouble shooting/fixing it is my policy to always do the easy stuff first.
  17. camos
    Have you tried oiling the cables and the actuator mechanism? Initially try WD 40 up the cable from the carb end and unless the actuator is really gunked up some WD 40 might clean it up enough too. The effects of WD 40 don't last very long so apply a better grade of oil or lube. Good maintenance procedure is to oil all cables once a year using 30w engine oil.
  18. camos
    I haven't done a search of the forum yet but I have some floorboards that I want to mount forward of the stock footpeg position and of course move the controls forward to match. Anyone know of any threads on this mod?
  19. camos
    About 3/4 of the way up the site glass is where the oil level should be on a Virago. In fact if you can still see the level line in the upper part of the window that still OK and is probably the best place to keep it. The light will rarely come on at that level. If you start the engine while on the centre stand and look in the window you won't see any oil at all. That's normal too. When checking the oil level always wait at least 5 min, even 10 minutes for the oil to drain sown from the engine or you might just over fill it.
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