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Gray Ghost

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Everything posted by Gray Ghost

  1. Gray Ghost
    Wish we could be there Jeff.
  2. Gray Ghost
    Welcome home.
  3. Gray Ghost
    A search on google will return a lot more sites than snopes that say this isn't so. Some even have photos of a local newspaper that tells an entirely different story. A site called Discover Washington agrees with snopes. A couple of links: http://www.discoverwashingtonstate.com/the-tree-bike-fact-or-fiction/ http://www.mortythedog.com/2011/07/vashon-island-bicycle-in-tree-mystery.html Newspaper article from 1993: http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19931117&slug=1732351
  4. Gray Ghost
    To determine the year from a 17 digit VIN, the tenth character denotes the year. System started in 1980, with "A" denoting the year, alpha characters were used through 2000 (Y), skipping the characters I, O, Q, U, Z. In 2001 through 2009, numbers were used, except 0. So 2001 would have 1, 2009, 9. In 2010 the system starts back with alpha characters. Harley also puts model, engine size, and assembly plant in the VIN as well. Kawasaki probably does, but I don't have a cheat sheet on them. BTW, 1997 is "V"
  5. Gray Ghost
    The wife and I are retired military. All the time we lived in Georgia we had to pay state income tax on our retired pay.
  6. Gray Ghost
    Sierra electronics sells a replacement for a fairly reasonable cost.
  7. Gray Ghost
    I am going to MMI in Orlando. My classmates ride all different types of bikes and for the most part we enjoy kidding each other. Those who are sane realize that all the brands have strengths and weaknesses, but there are some here who don't just drink the brand kool aid, they bathe in it. I think the best example is my current instructor (I am in a Harley phase). We were going over the layout of their service manuals the other day and he was bragging about how they were the best layout of any of the brands. He had been a Yamaha instructor at one time and thought that their manuals were written at too high a level. But Harley was awesome. The manuals are written for a year and family, i.e. 2012 Touring, so you have to make sure that you are following the right steps for your specific model. Then he pointed out to make sure and have the parts manual available, so you can look up the exploded diagram to help make sense of what you are being told to do. He also showed us how you can look up the part number and then go to a table in the back of the manual and find the actual dimensions of the fastener. I didn't have the heart to tell him that Yamaha has the exploded diagram right there in the service manual, and that the fastener sizes are built into the part number itself. I think this will be a long 24 weeks.
  8. Gray Ghost
    There are a couple of stator checks you can make. Unplug the connector from the rectifier/regulator. Call the three white wires 1, 2, and 3. Check resistance (key off) between 1 - 2, 1-3, and 2 - 3. Yamaha specs say the readings should be 0.279 - 0.341 ohms on the three tests. The voltage at those points (still unplugged but with the engine running) should be between 15 - 100 volts AC. That is a generic standard. You can check the rectifier by resistance checks at the R/R (key off). There are 6 terminals on the case. If the three that mate up with the white wires of the plug are at the bottom, the one that mates with the red is at the upper left. The ground wire is at the upper right. If you have a meter with a diode funtion, check between each of the three stator connectors and the R, then between each of the three stator connectors and the B. For the forward bias, you should get readings of 0.3 - 0.8 volts DC. In the reverse bias it should read OL. So if you don't have 6 readings of OL and six between 0.3 - 0.8 volts DC, you have a rectifier problem.
  9. Gray Ghost
    Just a few weeks ago I was riding a road south of Kissimmee that had about 30 curves all rated at 15 mph in a three mile stretch. I might have pushed the speed a bit on them, but the park rangers were all over the entrance road so I behaved myself.
  10. Gray Ghost
    You are gonna love the San Antonio area. OK, the traffic is crappy, but the outlying areas are dynamite for riding.
  11. Gray Ghost
    Good news! Happy for you.
  12. Gray Ghost
    It is never, IMHO, a good idea to say never, especially in the bike market. I loved my 05, had it set up just like I wanted it and planned on many a mile after retirement with her. And then some inattentive driver (for lack of better words I can still use on this forum) totaled her. I am satisfied with my 07 and don't have any plans to get a different one, but I really hope that Yamaha has something like it should it become necessary for me to shop for another bike.
  13. Gray Ghost

    New Home

    Gray Ghost replied to BradT's topic in Picture Folder

    Nice house. I know Boomer said that the living room was OK, but your bikes should really have their own room.
  14. Gray Ghost
    You might try contacting http://www.sierra-mc.com/default.asp. I have had good luck with them before.
  15. Gray Ghost
    I noticed one post mentioned DOT 5. DOT 5 is not compatible with any of the others. There is a DOT 5.5 that is compatible with 3 or 4. The higher the number, the higher the boiling point.
  16. Gray Ghost
    So you're the reason traffic has been so crappy here. Hope you are enjoying.
  17. Gray Ghost
    Hope all goes well with her.
  18. Gray Ghost
    And once you have spent all your money, it's off you go!
  19. Gray Ghost
    The following are my opinions on the situation: O-Rings. You are having a problem with things because something was not sealed up correctly. If it were me, I would replace both O-Rings, no matter what they look like. A couple of bucks is cheap compared to the cost of the hub failure. Bearings and Oil Seal. If you had to physically remove any of these, I would replace them as well. You can't always tell when one of these has sustained some damage. Lithium Soap Grease vs Moly. The schoolbook answer is that you always use whatever Yamaha recommends, preferably using a Yamaha brand. However, Moly is a good lubricant and is widely used by folks who put a lot of miles on their bikes. If I was doing the job on my bike, I would use moly. While you are already in the area, I would lube everything I could. Better to do it while you have things already torn apart then to have to tear it apart to to do over at some point.
  20. Gray Ghost
    Page 6-12 is part of the rear wheel and brake disc section. That was the part that was in most of your posted photos.
  21. Gray Ghost
    Page 6-12 is the page in the manual.
  22. Gray Ghost
    Guns, I don't remember which one of the LED setups I used. I have changed over to their LEDs on an 05 and 07 RSV. I did have to trim the boards a wee bit to get them to fit the buckets correctly. That was the only hitch I ran across. I agree that their customer service is excellent, and I love the way the LEDs brighten up both ends of the bike. Forgot to add that I did the trim using my dremel with a grinding wheel and trimmed all around the edges. Took it slow and it fits very well now.
  23. Gray Ghost
    As far as we are concerned down here, Jacksonville is too far north.
  24. Gray Ghost
    Phoneman, it is sure pretty up there. But NORTH OF THE FROSTLINE.
  25. Gray Ghost
    We have a JMCB-2003 on Elizabeth's Kawasaki so we can talk on rides. It started acting up on us recently and I contacted their customer service for some help to pinpoint the issue. John Lazzeroni sent me several emails detailing test steps that isolated the problem to the unit itself. He could have told me that it was time for a new one (it was out of warranty), but he had me send it in and they repaired it for less than half what a new one would have cost. They also shipped promptly to get it back to us. While the unit was being repaired we were back using a handheld and throat mike. We had forgotten how frustrating that was. If you are trying to communicate with a bike without the built-in CB, you should give the J&M a look.
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