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V7Goose

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  1. V7Goose
    You will notice that the stock bike has a single main fuse between the battery and the fuse block also. There are two reasons for this design. First, if there is a fault in the fuse block or a feed wire to it becomes chafed and shorted, having another fuse closer to the battery provides some additional protection (although the risk of that problem is very small). Second, there is the question of the Total possible current draw by all circuits and the size of the wire feeding the block. The main fuse is 30 amps. Each sub-circuit needs to have the wires sufficiently large enough to safely handle the total current allowed by the individual fuse in the circuit, and the feed wire to the block needs to be large enough to handle the maximum total combined current from all sub-circuits. For example, if there is one 20A fuse, four 10A fuses, and three 5A fuses, then the total possible current draw would be 75 amps, which would require a welding cable to feed the fuse block. The reality is that it is almost impossible for all the sub-circuits to be drawing max current at any one point in time, so the design calls for a more reasonable wire size to support the EXPECTED total current draw, but then that smaller wire must be protected by the appropriate size fuse. That is the real reason why there is a main fuse. Goose
  2. V7Goose
    Just because a solvent melts a particular plastic does not make it just as good as another. Some have different effects that actually weaken the plastic. Most modern nail polish removers are not acetone, and because it is specifically designed to be safer around skin and to NOT flash off as fast as acetone, it is a very bad choice for plastic repair. And even tho acetone does work fairly well on ABS, it is not the best choice. If you are going to try and roll your own repairs instead of using a branded kit, the best ABS solvent is MEK. Personally, I just stick with the ABS pipe compound because I can get it at any hardware store, I know it is specifically intended for ABS, and it has performed phenomenally for me. Goose
  3. V7Goose
    First, you cannot use ABS Pipe compound as a filler alone. You can use ABS powder or shavings as a filler, but you will need to make sure it is a very thick paste so most of it is the plastic and not the solvent. But with a thick paste, make sure you use a bit of solvent on the other pieces so the paste will combine with the existing plastic too. If you are making a repair with pipe compound, you need to have tight fitting pieces with no parts missing, and you do NOT want to bevel or groove the break in any way. The pipe compound is a solvent and not a glue at all - it performs a weld of the two pieces by melting them and allowing the plastic to mix - exactly like a metal weld from heat. The two most important parts of that repair process are the close fit of the two parts so the surface can mix together and the requirement to be certain that ALL of the solvent has flashed off before the part is put into use. This means letting it sit in a warm place a MINIMUM of about four hours. Other important points are that the pipe solvent MUST be fresh, and it is good to kind of wiggle the two pieces together a bit when first joined to aid in mixing the melted plastic. Virtually all the ABS repairs I do are with the pipe compound, and I have never had a single one fail (that I know of). An epoxy repair is different. The right kind of epoxy will also melt a bit of the plastic, but not much, and the epoxy is also a filler. If I was using an epoxy, I would first make certain it was the right stuff for ABS (either by label or trying a test glue of two pieces of scrap ABS and trying to break them apart. Proper ABS epoxy will NEVER break free of the surface of a piece of ABS because the epoxy bonds with the plastic from the melting. With epoxy, I would slightly groove one side of a break to provide a greater surface area for the epoxy to bond with the crack. Goose
  4. V7Goose
    Without trying to denigrate all those who sing doom and gloom about the slow speed handling of the RSV, I just do not agree at all. Yes, out of the box with stock suspension and horrible Brickstone tires it is definitely bad below 10 MPH, but in my opinion, a slightly raised rear, good tires and proper air pressure in both tires and suspension totally resolves all of the problems. The reduction in rake and trail from the changed suspension is critical to the proper handling, as is fitting proper tires that work well with the new configuration. Proper tires and pressure with stock suspension will make significant improvements, but you cannot get it right without the slight reduction in trail. Personally, I do not often use the rear brake at all while moving, even in the parking lot. I notice zero problems with stopping or starting with the front wheel turned. In fact, with my garage oriented to the side of my driveway, every single departure and return has me starting and stopping with the front wheel turned. So to anyone who does not already have personal experience with this machine in different configurations, please realize that not everyone agrees that it handles poorly. But I do agree 100% that this bike is very heavy and it is foolish to try and hold it if you let it lean too far to the side while it is stopped. Just let it settle down on the crash guards - they work fantastically and will prevent all damage. Goose
  5. V7Goose
    The specified oil for the RSV rear is GL4, but if you search the owner's manual carefully enough, you will find that they do state GL5 is also acceptable. It is hard to find, but it is in there (at least it is in the 2005 manual). Goose
  6. V7Goose
    Everyone is different. Personally, I feel that the RSV is absolutely the most comfortable touring bike I have ever ridden, and I have been riding touring bikes since the late 60s. I am 6'5", and the only modifications I have made to the ride on the RSV is to add leveling links to raise the rear by 1", and I made a bead seat cover. The raised rear greatly improves the low speed handling of the bike and fit my long legs better. The bead seat cover alone extended my straight-through comfort range from about 500 miles to 1,500 miles (single stretch, no stops except for gas). My wife did not ride bikes before we got married about 10 years ago, so she does not have a lot to compare it with, but she totally amazes me when we on on trips. We have been all over the US and into Canada on our 05 RSV, and not one single time have I ever heard her say she was tired or had a sore butt. Our average travel day varies from a low of about 350 miles when just poking around in new areas to 750 miles when trying to make time and reach a specific destination. The last trip to Canada we were on a schedule and did three straight 700 mile days to get there. A couple of years ago in mid December we were leaving Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to head home in Texas. We had no intention of making it anything other than a normal ride, but as the day wore on and I kept asking her when she wanted to stop for the night, she only replied that she was good and happy to ride as long as I wanted. So I kept riding. We ended up covering 1,370 miles straight through, and the ONLY time she even got off the seat was for two meals. She blew my mind by not even wanting to dismount to walk around and rub her but at gas stops! Not only does she find the RSV extraordinarily comfortable, but she regularly sleeps behind be on long rides. From my own observations, she seems to actually find the RSV more comfortable on really long trips than she does our 2007 Jaguar XJ8. Goose
  7. V7Goose
    Yes, 4 quarts is way too much. Even 3.9 is too much. You must go by the site glass when the bike is held straight up. If any air bubble is showing above the oil in the glass, your level is fine, but if it is above the top of the glass, you will blow more oil out the crankcase breather. As for the tubes, two of them are drains for the air plenums above the carbs (the oil is coming from the drain on the left side), one is the coolant overflow, and one is the tank vent. The carb vents are routed forward in front of the air intakes, not below the bike. Goose
  8. V7Goose
    Well, I can't make heads or tails out of what you said it was doing vs what it is doing now. I know you said you took the carbs out and cleaned them, but the symptoms you described are absolutely classic for plugged up pilot circuits., and dirty carbs in general. I have fixed this over and over again on Ventures that have been left to sit and rot. Good luck sorting it out. Goose
  9. V7Goose
    I do not understand your point - why do you think someone should not have the right to express their own opinion? Personally, I think everyone should buy the color of vehicle that they prefer, but I do not buy black vehicles because they are ugly. And I have a right to say that, even though somebody else may think they are beautiful. I ask again that everyone read the different opinions that are expressed (if they are so inclined), and feel free to accept or reject those opinions as you wish. But do not try to tell the other person that they do not have the right to express that opinion. Goose
  10. V7Goose
    That is great that you were able to cure the popping and afterfires so easily - very happy for you. Just goes to show that you were lucky that some bozo in the bike's past life had not disconnected the AIS - it was telling you that something was wrong with your bike, so you fixed it. Without that early warning, who knows how long you would have been riding it thinking that everything was fine while it could have been so much more smooth and efficient. Anyway, your source for all things headset and helmet related should start with Sierra Electronics. They have great prices and excellent service. They even sell the popular helmets with the headsets already installed at no extra cost. I am personally impressed with the Nolan N103 with the J&M headsets, but make sure you actually try on any helmet you are considering in a shop before you order on-line. The Nolan N103 in particular has much less chin room and a bit less forehead space than some other brands of modular helmets. I do not know what brand of headsets and cords you already have, or if you want to try and use any of them to save a bit of money (the cords are NOT cheap). J&M headsets are the most common, and they are high quality. But be aware that J&M has changed the shape of the connectors on the short cords several times over the years, so be very careful to look closely at what you have and what you are looking to buy before you assume they will fit. If you are not trying to re-use anything, then make sure you take a look at Edset headsets too - many people are very impressed with them, and I think their cords have a lifetime warranty. Unfortunately, I do not think Sierra caries that brand, so you will have to look them up separately. Goose
  11. V7Goose
    I wish the PC Police would just go away. This thread has liberally mixed three different subjects, none of which deserve to be lumped together. Subject one - it may be insensitive to post personal opinion about safety gear when the main subject is that someone is hurt. I think that point by the OP was well understood by all. I will not comment further on it except to say that I do not believe anybody was deliberately being insensitive. Subject two - We have the legal right to wear what protective gear we personally desire, within the bounds of the laws where we ride. I do not see anyone disagreeing with this, so there would seem to be no basis for individuals to get upset about it. Subject three - People have opinions about the use of safety gear, and not everyone shares the same opinion. Some of those who do not want to wear it seem to get very angry if someone else expresses a different opinion. I'm sorry folks, but personal opinion is a part of life, as is our right to express it. If you do not like the opinion expressed by someone else, so what? Why does it make you angry? Lighten up people; live your own life, and let others live theirs! Goose
  12. V7Goose
    I think spring clips on these vacuum caps are still needed. This engine seems particularly susceptible to vacuum leaks on these caps when the rubber gets old and hard - new smaller spring clips to match the generic vacuum caps is a very minor expense and well worth it in my opinion. Goose BTW - even these generic vacuum caps begin to crack and leak at two years, just like the stock caps to, so do not neglect to replace them as needed.
  13. V7Goose
    The problem is not your AIS valve - that statement from your mechanic is simply a copout. The AIS valve is an extremely simple device and very easy to test, and it is NOT a typical failure point. Most likely, your problem is nothing more than a simple vacuum leak or a poor spark, either from a high-resistance plug cap or old/defective spark plug, or maybe even a simple carb sync or partially plugged pilot jets. Of course I have no way of knowing exactly what is working and not working on your bike from just reading a couple of posts on the internet, but the odds are WAY in my favor to say that the problem is a real issue with your bike and not a defective AIS valve. Generally, this problem is easy to find and fix, but not always. And too many people are just not interested in doing it right. If you are happy just hiding the symptoms instead of fixing your bike, well, that is your prerogative - after all, it is your bike. I just do not think you should fool yourself into believing that there is not a real problem that you just do not care to fix. Please do not misunderstand - I know that you were simply taking the advice of a mechanic you trusted. But I am telling you that you need to look a bit further now - perhaps that trust is misplaced. Your mechanic may be very knowlegeable about a lot of things, but he is not doing you any favors on this specific problem. Goose
  14. V7Goose
    Your bike has something wrong with it. You have not fixed it at all. By disabling the passive AIS system you have gained nothing at all except to tell your bike to quit telling you that something needs to be repaired. Goose
  15. V7Goose
    Decel popping is caused by anything that upsets the full clean burn of the available fuel, combined with available oxygen in the exhaust pipe. On today's engines, which are designed to run on the ragged edge of too lean, this typically means something causing a too lean mixture or fresh air in the header pipe when it should not be there. Once somebody starts modifying a machine, then all bets are off. These bikes almost never benefit at all from rejetting, even when changing the exhaust. I know that there are still some people who still feel they just have to do that, even when it is pointless, but we generally assume the bike has stock jets simply because they are so rarely changed on the 2nd gens. Goose
  16. V7Goose
    Just go to any auto parts store and buy a package of 5.5 mm vacuum caps for a fraction of the price. Goose
  17. V7Goose
    Nothing is needed for our bike but a tool that reads vacuum, some restrictor to reduce fluctuation (the gauge set comes with them) and the tube to slip on the vacuum port nipples. The gauge sets come with threaded metal tubes that are used to screw into the vacuum ports of many bikes that do not have a permanent nipple in place. We do not use those. Goose
  18. V7Goose
    Other posters have already hit the main points - I'm just agreeing here: If the bike is going to sit more than 1 month, the battery needs attention - either keep it on a tender that is specifically rated for an AGM battery (not all of them are - if you do not have the paperwork, better look the model number up on the web to find out), or periodically charge it. This is true no matter if the battery is in the bike or in the house. Be sure to treat the fuel with a good stabilizer, RIDE it for at least 30 minutes to ensure all the fuel in the carbs is treated fuel and the oil has reached full operating temperature, park the bike with a very full tank of gas, shut off the petcock, and forget it. It is actually a good idea to run the carbs dry before leaving it, but not too important. A fresh oil change before this last run is always a good idea to reduce the acids that are always in used oil. And that oil change does not do much good unless you run the engine long enough to completely flush all the oil galleries and bathe all the internal parts in the new clean oil. But then we are right back up the the need to run it long enough to get the oil up to full operating temperature. Also note that the fuel WILL evaporate out of the carbs within a week or two, leaving behind deposits. This happens every time you stop you bike, and it is why you hear the fuel pump click after it has been sitting for only a day or two. But once it is gone, it's gone, and no matter how long it sits, the carbs will not get any worse. But every time you fill up the carbs again, you just allow more fuel to evaporate and more deposits to build up. The fuel left in the tank, lines, and pump will continue to degrade and eventually move more crud into the carbs when the engine is next used, but there is no reason to add to the problem by having lots of gas evaporate over time instead of just the one time. Even treated gas will break down, just slower. As T.J. said above, once you park it, DO NOT start the engine until you are going to actually ride the bike for more than 30 minutes. Combustion creates water, and water not only causes rust, it combines with the combustion byproducts to create acids - both of which are very bad for the engine. When a cold engine is started, water vapor condenses VERY fast on the inside of all the cold metal parts, especially the engine case and the exhaust system. The only way you get rid of this water is from heat, and letting it sit and idle on a cold day, even for 30 minutes, just will not do it. Even after the coolant temp has reached 200 degrees, the engine oil has a long way to go to get hot enough to start flashing off the moisture. You must actually ride the bike to burn more gas and make the engine work harder to create enough heat on a winter day to get there. So just to try and emphasize the point one more time, although there are lots and lots of people who always advise that the engine should be started every week or so and let idle for 10 or 15 minutes, this is very bad advice. Do not start the bike unless you are going to ride the bike for at LEAST 30 minutes, and hour is much better. Goose
  19. V7Goose
    Early 2007 models had a problem with improperly torqued heads - there was a reacall, but if they weren't caught soon enough to re-torque before the coolant leak started, they required replacement of the head gaskets. Goose
  20. V7Goose
    By the way - best way to test the vacuum port is to just remove the cap or vacuum hose and spray the port with a little starting spray. If the port is open and cylinder firing, the speed will definitely pick up. Your friend can do this test himself very easily. Goose
  21. V7Goose
    I agree with you 100% - always worth a try. And I wasn't even trying to suggest that you personally needed the reminder - just thinking about all the various readers on this site and how often we recommend Seafoam or other gas additive for carb problems. Sometimes we get to thinking it can do it all, and it just cannot. Glad his bike is running better. Goose
  22. V7Goose
    Everybody needs to remember that no fuel additive can clean the carb jets/passages unless the fuel is actually running through them. In other words, a partially plugged jet can be cleaned this way, but one that is completely plugged cannot. This is because the jet orifices do not actually sit submerged in fuel, so just putting cleaner in the float bowl is about as effective as putting it in a bowl on the floor under the engine. I had a guy in here this weekend with an 08 for a valve adjustment, and I always take that opportunity to clean the carbs and check float adjustment. He regularly uses Seafoam, and at 35,000 miles, his float bowls were some of the cleanest I have seen. But he had one pilot jet that had gotten completely plugged sometime in the past, and it just stayed that way. He had no idea - the bike was running quite well (as these always will, even is one cylinder is completely shut off). But he seemed to be pretty impressed with the difference on his 500 mile ride home. Goose
  23. V7Goose
    Your carbs are plugged up very badly. The butterfly valves are being held so far open to try and get enough fuel to idle that there is no restriction on the intake. To make matters worse, the diaphragms may be damaged too, so that even opening the throttle is not getting enough slide movement. That does not explain why you are only seeing zero on two carbs, since all four should have the butterflys just as far open, but it is at least a place to start. Could also be a problem with the carb linkage - maybe it has been really badly misadjusted so that the left bank is being held way too far open? Best way to check that is take off the air intake so you can see down through all four carbs at once (I do not even know if that is possible on a 1st gen). If you can do that, manually pull up the slide to see the butterfly valve below it and see if they are all closed. If the carbs are clean and properly adjusted, the butterfly valves should have such a small crack in them that they look closed at idle. Also look to see if they all four open at the same time with the throttle. While you are in there with the tops of the carbs open, you can hold a piece of paper up to each carb top to see if it is really sucking air. Maybe you got a dead mouse jammed up against the intake valve? Of course, a REALLY BAD intake leak would do the same thing, but you should be able to easily find that with starting spray. Lastly, what about the possibility that the vacuum port is simply plugged? These things have a very tiny hole in them - try putting a hose on it and sucking through it. Goose
  24. V7Goose
    In my opinion, the four-gauge set is far and away the best tool available for this job. Up to about 6 months ago they were still available from several sources for under $50. But I just checked my old sources and all have raised the price. The one that was the lowest seems to be totally gone! the best price I found today was $56.50 + $12.50 on Amazon: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Carburetor-Synchronizer-carb-Gauge-cylinder/dp/B004MSJ7E6]Amazon.com: Carburetor Synchronizer carb sync Gauge 4 cylinder bike: Automotive@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41G43GKBZcL.@@AMEPARAM@@41G43GKBZcL[/ame] As for the other tools, I think the one with mercury is excellent, but can be touchy, easy to break or loose the mercury. The one with metal rods is just junk. The one with blue liquid is absolute total unmitigated crap, worth a LOT less than 1 cent. If someone tries to give you one, it's kinda like they are stealing $100 from you the first time you try to use it! Goose
  25. V7Goose
    B-12 is considerably more harsh than Seafoam. It may be a good cleaner (I do not know for sure), but it is absolutely not the same as Seafoam. Just one item on the label will illustrate that - Seafoam is recommended for diesel engines, B-12 cannot be used in them. Personally, I would try B-12 at the label recommended dose if I was going to run the full tank through in one day, but I would not put it in there and let it sit for several days/weeks to use up the tank in casual riding - I just do not trust it around the internal rubber parts. Goose
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