Jump to content

V7Goose

Supporting Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    3,588

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by V7Goose

  1. V7Goose
    Yes, I am still very happy with the wrap-on grips I made - they work flawlessly. I have no experience with the type of heaters that mount inside the bar ends, but I don't think I would try them. They would have to be very high wattage to overcome the heat-sink affect of the metal bars, and then you still have the problem of the throttle grip being insulated from the metal bar with a nylon sleeve, so the heating effects would not be the same. A simple google search will instantly produce many, many links to grip heater kits. Here is one: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Sports-Parts-Grip-Heater-SM-12474/dp/B003CKI4FI/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1321882913&sr=8-12]Amazon.com: Sports Parts Grip Heater SM-12474: Automotive@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VOsmCiMHL.@@AMEPARAM@@41VOsmCiMHL[/ame] Goose
  2. V7Goose
    There is a lot of work that seems daunting the first time you face it, but it really isn't very hard. See my tech article in the tech library, and plan about four hours. It can be done much quicker than that, but I wouldn't count on it the first time. Goose
  3. V7Goose
    No noticeable difference in power, but about a10% improvement in fuel economy. Goose
  4. V7Goose
    The floats on ALL 2nd gens are set VERY high from the factory, so his measurement does not surprise me. In fact, that is the typical measurement on an untouched carburetor when the needle plunger is not compressed (and .34 is the correct setting from the shop manual). But is is always good to remind someone to verify the needle plunger is not depressed when checking/setting the floats. Goose
  5. V7Goose
    You just push down on the tab with anything small, such as a small screwdriver, allen wrench, or even a pencil tip. If you bend it too far, use the small end of a tiny allen wrench to pull it back up. When bending the tab, be sure to hold the float UP off the needle so you do not put any pressure on the valve while pressing on the tab. Goose
  6. V7Goose
    There should not be any confusion - All the hard plastic on the 2nd gens is ABS plastic, even the chromed pieces on the fairing. The letters "ABS" are molded into the inner surface of every piece. I believe that all the plastic on the 1st gens are also ABS, but I cannot say that with certainty. So long as the breaks are clean and not missing any pieces, ALL of the ABS plastic on these bikes can be easily repaired with perfect, permanent results with nothing more than the universal or ABS specific pipe cement. This applies to the chrome windshield strip too. Goose
  7. V7Goose
    This needs correction/clarification. You CANNOT use PVC pipe cement for a proper repair of ABS plastic. Plastic pipe cement comes in three different types - PVC specific, ABS specific, and the universal PVC, CPVC and ABS stuff. If it does not say ABS on the can or tube, do NOT use it for ABS. Goose
  8. V7Goose
    Never ever ever ever ever replace an existing fuse or circuit breaker in ANY house or vehicle with a larger fuse. This is NEVER safe. Goose
  9. V7Goose
    I see this problem once in a while on older bikes - one or more of the choke plungers gets gummed up and stuck. Easy to fix - just get a spray can of Gumout brand carb cleaner, pull he choke knob out as far as it will go, then spray each of the brass plungers liberally. Now work the choke back and forth, then spray them again. Should clear it all up. Goose
  10. V7Goose
    This is an interesting old thread, and I post this reply only to close the questions for someone who is looking at the whole thing and trying to analyze the problem. I maintained from the beginning that this was grossly abnormal wear, but I could not tell why. I speculated that the most likely cause was fork or frame damage. But the actual cause is very evident in pictures 5 and 6 of the original post! Picture 5 of 7 shows the left sidewall. In this picture, the tire looks under-inflated, but that could easily be an artifact of the camera. However, if you look closely at the part of the tire right against the rim, you will see nothing but smooth rubber; this shows the tire is NOT BEADED UP CORRECTLY ON THAT SIDE! In contrast, picture 6 of 7 shows the right sidewall, and here you can see the normal ridge on the tire that is specifically molded into almost all tires to allow you to see that the bead has fully seated and is evenly seated all the way around. Maybe that ridge is just hidden by the light in picture 5, but I don't think so. So the bottom line is that the left side of the tire, at least at the point of that photo, was tucked further into the rim than the right side. This would dramatically change the curvature of that side of the tire, and thus have a big affect on the lean angle and wear points for left hand turns. It probably also affected the contact patch on even straight ahead riding. Wish I had noticed this back when the OP was looking for help, then he could have verified for us if it was a beading problem or just a trick of photography. Goose BTW - an improperly beaded tire is actually pretty common, maybe not all the way around, but at least at some point along the rim. Folks who have had me help them change tires have seen how much effort we sometimes have to use to finally get the whole bead seated correctly. I strongly urge EVERYONE to carefully inspect the bead ridge on every new tire they have mounted!
  11. V7Goose
    I hope you are not running the engine with the fin covers off - if so, STOP. The covers are needed to hold in the rubber water jacket drain plugs - without them you will blow the plugs right out as soon as the cooling system builds up some pressure. Goose
  12. V7Goose

    Awesome bike

    V7Goose replied to ACE50's topic in Watering Hole

    Yes, they do. And if you haven't hit it yet, you are still riding it in a fairly timid way. The rev limiter hits at a paltry 6.500 RPM. You can easily hit the rev limiter in 1st, but it happens so fast it does not really stand out. You need to find a freeway on-ramp or something similar where you can hit it fast and hard. Nail the throttle wide open in 2nd until you feel the bike falter, then up-shift and nail it again. Chances are you won't be able to hit it in third unless you are willing to push it - you won't reach the rev limiter there until 96 MPH. Forget looking for the rev limiter in 4th or 5th - it ain't gonna happen! Goose
  13. V7Goose
    Yes, the fuel does evaporate, but refilling the float bowls regularly is one of the worst things you can do, just slightly better than starting th e engine without riding the bike. Think about it this way - every time a liquid evaporates, it leaves behind some solids and residue. Once it has completely evaporated, it cannot get any worse. But if you continually add more liquid to the same bowl, you get another layer of solids left behind each time. This is exactly how they harvest sea salt. Just prepare the bike well, then park it and forget it until you are ready to ride it for at least 30 miles. The ONLY thing you need to do during that intervening months is make sure the battery stays charged. Goose
  14. V7Goose
    Doing an oil change before you store the bike provides almost zero benefit UNLESS you ride the bike a minimum of 30 miles after the oil change, at least one time, and especially the last ride before parking it. To get the benefit of the fresh oil and reduced acids, you must get the fresh oil fully circulated through the engine, and to prevent the addition of new damaging condensation, you MUST get the oil up to a high enough temperature to flash off the condensation that you get from every single cold start. You will not do this unless you use the engine under load for at least 30 minutes - longer is better. I repeat, idling the engine for much longer than you are typically willing to wait will NOT fully heat up the oil. You must ride the bike to put the engine under load and create the heat. Goose
  15. V7Goose
    You might also want to verify you are not getting a flashing self test error code from the fuel gauge. When you first turn the key on, all of the fuel gauge segments will come on in the usual "bulb" test, just like most of the idiot lights. After they go out, if there is anything wrong with the fuel sending unit, you should get a error code for a short while. If the thermistor is bad, the one segment on the left side of the gauge should flash eight times, rest, then repeat for three cycles. If the sending unit is bad (unlikely, since you said the gauge works normally), then the single right segment of the gauge will flash the error code. Goose
  16. V7Goose
    I have never had to diagnose this circuit before, but here is what I can glean from the shop manual and schematic. It seems that the low fuel warning light is triggered by the thermistor inside the sending unit - probably increases temperature when the gas gets low enough to not cool it. This actually makes sense with the fact that the low fuel light starts very dim and gets brighter as you get further into reserve. I can find no indication of how the reserve fuel trip meter gets triggered on unless the increased current flow through the thermistor provides some feedback through the sending unit. If this is true, then the problem is probably just a burned out low fuel indicator bulb. Here are two tests to try. Unplug the sending unit next to the ignition switch and check for +12V on the Green/White wire coming from the bike harness with the key ON (anything between 10-12V is fine). If you do not have that voltage, replace the low fuel light in the dash. If you do have power to the Green/White wire, then check resistance on the sender unit plug between the Green/Red wire and the black wire - that is the thermistor, and it should be just over 1Kohm. Goose
  17. V7Goose
    Stock suspension links are drab green color and have a number stamped on them starting with 4XY. DiamondR links are silver with no stamped markings. Home made links are usually just straight metal pieces instead of the stock dogbone shape, and I suspect most people paint them black. Another way to tell easily if you have ever compared a bike with and without them is to simply look at the right side of the rear wheel from 10'-20' away while the bike is on the sidestand. With stock suspension, you can see the brake disk below the mufler, but not the disk mounting bolts. With Leveling Links installed, you can easily see one or two of the disk mounting bolts below the muffler. And on a related note, if your rear brake caliper is below the swingarm, your bike has been LOWERED - the normal position for the rear brake caliper is above the swingarm. Goose
  18. V7Goose
    This is just an FYI Caution for anyone replacing suspension links on these bikes. The stock bolts have very THIN nuts and the bolts are easily damaged. The thin nuts and fine threads make it quite easy to cross-thread them, and since they are self locking nuts, you cannot really tell that there is a problem until it is too late. I strongly suggest you be very careful starting the nuts, then use a torque wrench to tighten them to the correct specification. And now a little story just to illustrate the point. I have made and installed links for quite a few Royal Stars and never had a problem with the bolts. But then I started seeing posts on the forum from a number of folks who were having problems, and DiamondR started shipping new bolts and nuts with their links to prevent the problem. Because I had not experienced the problem myself after doing quite a few bikes, I really could not understand it. But then someone brought their bike over with a new set of DiamondR links to install. I told him that I did not really think the replacement bolts were needed, and I preferred to just use the original bolts that Yamaha installed. Although I cannot explain the reason why Yamaha sources these bolts with fine threads and very thin locking nuts, I do tend to give a manufacturer the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they have a valid reason for their decisions. Anyway, you can just imagine how surprised I was (and a bit embarrassed) when we proceeded to cross-thread one of the factory bolts and destroy it! I was very glad that DiamondR had shipped new bolts with the links. I still prefer to use the factory bolts. But now I fully understand how sensitive those thin nuts are to getting started wrong, so I give them extra care. Goose
  19. V7Goose
    They raise the rear of the bike 1". The seat will be a bit higher, but probably only 1/2" or so. You will notice it at first, but not for long. You will also notice that the bike leans over farther on the side stand. Goose
  20. V7Goose
    OK, I just checked the shop manual, and the section on the self test is quite unclear, so I made some checks on my own bike. Here are some simple tests to help you isolate the problem. When you just disconnect the sender plug on the front of the tank, the fuel gauge should flash all bars after the initial set when you turn on the key. Using a volt meter, check the voltage from the Green/White wire (female pin) to ground with the key on. It should be 10-12 volts, depending on the current battery charge. Remember that with the key on but engine not running, the voltage will be pulled down quite a bit by the lights, so less than 12 volts is not an issue. Now use an ohmmeter to check the resistance on the tank plug between the Green wire and black wire - with a full tank it should be around 8 ohms. I do not know what it will read empty, but there should definitely be some continuity. If it is completely open, the sender is bad. Next, check the resistance between the Green/Red wire and black wire - it should read around 1.2 Kohms. If there is no continuity, then the thermistor is bad. Goose
  21. V7Goose
    It would seem unlikely that your fuel sensor is bad. The fuel gauge on the RSV never blinks in normal use. There IS a self test circuit on the bike that uses the fuel gauge to blink out an error code. I suggest you check the shop manual for that. If you do not already have it, you can find a free download for it in the tech library. Goose
  22. V7Goose
    Although the condition is generally normal, it can be aggravated by slight air in the fluid or very old fluid. You did not say how long it has been since the last change, but it needs to be done every two years. Even if it is relatively fresh, I'd suggest you change it now just to maybe flush out any minor air bubbles might be in there. You are not really all that far away from DFW - you are always welcome to ride that bike up here and we can check it all over and do whatever general maintenance you need. Goose
  23. V7Goose
    No, do not be concerned unless the jump is significant enough to move the bike more than an inch or so. A little stiction in a wet clutch after sitting is quite normal. If you want to avoid it, just start it in gear with the clutch in. Of course, with the RSV you must have the side stand up to do this. Goose
  24. V7Goose
    Welcome to the site Tim. If you want to learn a bit about the bike, just grab some beer and bring it over. I'll go over it with you and fill you in on all the stuff a new owner should know. Goose
  25. V7Goose
    You won't need a new fuse if you use 10 gauge wire. 10 gauge can handle 100 amps up to a 10' run, and 200 amps up to a 3' run. If you want to make the wires a little easier to mess with, a 14 gauge feed will handle 40 amps up to a 7' run and still allow longer secondary 20 amp runs up to 15'. I only mention the secondary run because I have a mental block about using a smaller gauge feed wire to the fuse block than any of the secondary run sizes. Technically there would be no problem powering the fuse block with a 3' 14 AWG feed, then running secondary 13A 15' circuit which would require a 10 AWG wire, but I can't do it. I just feel better if the feed line is at least as big as the maximum secondary line. Here is an easy chart to help you choose wire sizes - it doesn't tell the whole story but it is plenty good enough for what you are doing: http://www.tessco.com/yts/industry/products/itm/automotive/get_wired.html The missing part is that wire size selection is done for both safety (heat) and voltage drop (resistance, which causes heat). That chart completely covers the safety issue, but does not talk about the circuits where you want to keep the voltage drop to 3%. When in doubt, it is always great to use the next larger size wire for any circuit, just do not ever use a smaller size than called for. This is probably overkill, but finally, a comment on AWG (American Wire Gauge) vs SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) wire sizes - look at the marking on the insulation to know which one you have - SAE wires are up to 12% smaller than AWG in the same gauge, so consider going to the next larger size if you are near the amp or length limits of a specific circuit. That chart I linked to above does not say if it is for AWG or SAE wires, so for safety, best to assume it is AWG. Goose
×
×
  • Create New...