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V7Goose
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Everything posted by V7Goose
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Since this looks like a real question instead of an attempt to stir up the issue, I'll give my thoughts. I do not think it is a stupid question at all. I agree that SeaFoam is quite expensive, and I, too, would love to have a functional but cheaper alternative. Unfortunately, I do not know of any. I have no way of knowing if straight naphtha is safe for a modern engine and fuel system, nor what concentration to use if it is safe. Do I THINK is is safe? - Maybe; I might even say probably. The fact that it is close to 50% of what is in SeaFoam certainly indicates it is not inherently harmful to modern materials. But I do not know if there is something about the actual chemical combination of naphtha and some of the other ingredients that actually make it a good choice. This is especially true since we can have absolutely no way of knowing exactly which "naphtha" is used in SeaFoam, no do we have any real idea of what their "pale oil" actually is. I would never recommend to my friends that they blindly experiment on an engine that means something to them if they are not fully prepared to pay for whatever results they might get. Personally, I would not put something like that in my bike - I am quite happy using the product that I know and trust - SeaFoam. Goose
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I saw absolutely nothing in his resume that would make me think he has any qualifications, or even basic knowledge needed, to make a fuel additive. Furthermore, his statement that naphtha is a "pretty specific ingredient" shows a lack of research or understanding of that solvent - naphtha is mostly a generic term, and buying naphtha from two different sources generally gets you two different specific products with similar characteristics. I was impressed, however, with his disclaimer at the very beginnig of the article: "Fixing an engine is certainly a lot more expensive than original Sea Foam, so be careful if you decide to do any experimentation on your engine." This at least makes him more honest, or at least a bit more knowledgeable, than some other people who have tried to recommend straight naphtha as a totally safe and functional equivalent of SeaFoam (it certainly is not the equivalent, and no information was ever presented to back up the claim it was safe for the engine). Goose
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Fork wind deflectors
V7Goose replied to Trimster's topic in Royal Star Venture Tech Talk ('99 - '13)
You do not need any special brackets - just go to Ace hardware and buy a couple of nylon screws and nuts, plus two black plastic spacers (to hide the white nylon screws). You use a nylon screw just to ensure it can never poke it's way through the bottom of the bumper and scratch the fork cover. Now pull the rubber bumper off the bracket and put the nylon screw in the hole and secure it with the nut. Slip the spacer over the screw and slide the bumper on the end of the screw (the bumper is hollow). All done, an it looks like it was designed that way. I could easily make a set of these for anyone who didn't want to do it themselves. All I would need is the measurement between the fork cover and the bottom of the bracket and $15 to cover parts and postage. The other option is to just buy the chrome brackets from DiamondR, which do not need the bumpers at all. Goose -
I have done a little testing on my bike, and it seems like cleaning the vent tube is problematic. I can confirm that you should be able to easily blow air through the vent tube into the tank, so if you cannot, that is confirmed as the problem. It appears there are two separate orifice holes in the vent tube, the one in the very end of the tube, plus another down on the surface of the tank. I used the wire from a cheese cutter (available for about $4 at most grocery stores) and could easily insert it through the end of the tube and down around the curve, but it is virtually impossible to find the little hole in the bottom of the tube where it passes into the tank. This means that you can forget about the idea of manually cleaning the vent if the problem is in that bottom hole. I think the spray carb cleaner, combined with a wire to verify the top hole is clear, is the only real option. I would start by using the wire to ensure the end hole is clear, then leave that wire in the hole and thread the red spray nozzle hose over it. This will do two things - it will make certain the spray tube is actually centered over the hole, and the wire will act as a "guide" to let a small amount of the cleaning solvent dribble down into the inside of the tube. I would hold the nozzle hose as tight as I could up against the end of the vent and give the can 5 or 10 short bursts, about a minute or so apart. These multiple bursts are intended to let a tiny bit of solvent dribble down the wire repeatedly, enough to finally cover the bottom of the vent tube and work on the obstruction in the bottom orifice. Then let it sit overnight. The next morning, I would repeat the spray numerous times to see if the can pressure can clear the blockage. If nothing else seems to work, bending the tube straight might allow the spring wire from the cheese cutter to be used to eventually poke through the bottom orifice (but make sure it is completely straight to improve the chances). You may have to fiddle with it for an hour or more, but chances are you could eventually do it. Goose
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Obviously the most likely thing that needs to be done is to clear the vent. There are a number of things I would do to check the vent, but on the road most of that is probably difficult (and it requires a compressor). One thing you can easily do is buy a can of spray carb cleaner at any auto parts store and use the red nozzle hose to try and clear the vent. If you hold it carefully on the vent hole you can get a decent seal, and the can pressure plus the solvent might clear things up for you. Goose
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Everything you describe is normal. The IC only works if one or both of the radios are on. If you do not want to hear the radio, just turn the volume all the way down. The IC has it's own volume setting. My wife and I find that anything between 10-12 on the IC is fine for the majority of situations. The IC works on the hot-mic principle, meaning that the mic is always on and the audio is simply mixed with whatever audio is already playing. This is different from VOX, or voice activated transmission, which keys the transmitter when the mic senses input. Goose
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I do not fear challenges, nor do I mind questions - that is how we test ideas. I do not use Moly 60 in any application, so I do not have personal experience with it. My knowledge of the issues comes from research, which is why I do not use it. I would not expect wheel bearings to be a major problem with moly - they just do not turn fast enough, nor are the tolerances very close - I imagine that application is maybe on the edge of what might be problematic. I would more expect to see bearing problems if a moly grease was used in bearings in an electric motor. For lubrication of wheel bearings, I personally select any of the greases specifically labeled as wheel bearing grease if I they are not in an enclosure with zerk fittings. For trailers with zerks, I use any standard lithium grease and Bearing Buddys (spring loaded caps that keep the grease pressed into the bearings). For boat trailers, I use a waterproof grease. As far as I am concerned, the best guideline to proper oils and greases is the manufacturer. Especially for a machine with a 5-year, unlimited mile warranty, it is in their best interest to specify what works best - not only to prevent expensive warranty claims, but to build a reputation of quality with the customer base. If the manufacturer does not specify a moly lube in a specific application, then the average joe is totally fooling themselves to imagine they know better. Goose
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I know I'm gonna step on more toes here, but the point of my posts is not to try and make friends. I hope I can get some people to do their own research and make informed decisions instead of just blindly swallowing whatever opinion is shouted the loudest. An awful lot of what I have seen in this thread (and others on the same subject) is just bad information. The vast majority of moly grease is 3-5% molybdenum, and this is absolutely sufficient is virtually all appropriate applications - if a higher concentration was needed, you would find LOTs of vendors selling high concentration moly grease. But you do not. You don't because any concentration over 5% is primarily snake oil. There may be a very few specific applications that really need 50%+ moly, but you can be danged sure that the manufacturer will ALWAYS make a point of specifying it when that is so! Now let's talk a little about how moly works and were it is needed. Molybdenum actually imbeds itself in the surface of the steal, and it continues to provide some lubricating features in situations where all the normal lubricant is completely washed or worn away. This is typically in dry joints on heavy equipment like earth-movers. As such, it is ideal for an application like the drive pins. It provides very little benefit in any application where the normal oil or grease is always present, such as inside a gear box or final drive, or in a joint with grease seals. Furthermore, the feature of molybdenum that makes it valuable in dry joints (that it imbeds itself in the surface of the steel) actually makes it DAMAGING in some applications. This is particularly true in a high speed bearing. Moly grease can cause galling to bearing surfaces where close tolerances and high speeds are typical. My personal opinion is that oil additives are generally a bad thing, in both engines and gear boxes. The commercial oils already have all the appropriate additives, including moly, in the best concentration for the intended use. If the makers of various oils were actually selling such crud that did not work properly without extra additives, they would quickly be exposed by their competitors and the many professional testing labs - but that just is not true. To use something like a moly grease as your own imagined idea of a good additive is just plain begging for damage and system failure. I use normal 5% moly grease in some very specific applications, such as the drive pins and drive shaft splines. I do NOT use it in any application where the grease is held in by seals, and I NEVER waste my money on something like Honda Moly 60 unless it is expressly called for by the manufacturer. I do not ask you to accept my thoughts on this, but to the extent they differ from your favorite pundits, I suggest you really should do some of your own research before you decide which way to go. Goose
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It is in the alternate parts list in the Tech Library. Goose
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Terry put the new clutch disks and upgrade spring in yesterday and the bike rode perfectly. Unfortunately, he thinks he forgot to remove the thin steel backing plate for the bottom wave washer, so he is planning on opening it up again today and pulling that out. Although he was a little concerned with trying to do this work in a parking lot, even after I walked him through the whole thing, he found it so extraordinarily simple that he has no concerns at all about taking it back apart. Just for the curious, when he got in there, he found the first couple of friction plates looked normal, but the ones near the bottom of the stack were completely destroyed - virtually no friction material left on them at all. The steel plates were somewhat discolored, but he did sand them lightly. Goose
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I talked to him this afternoon- parts were being sent overnight, but he had not received them yet. He should have them by now and is planning on doing the instal tomorrow - if he runs into any problems I will ride up there and help him out. Goose
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This is a very interesting, and strange, point. I checked the owner's manuals for both bikes, and they, too, show the Dunlop D404 as an approved replacement for the RSV, but not the RSTD. One can only speculate on what kind of weird idiocracy was going on inside of Yamahaha when they put this together! Goose
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As far as I am concerned, the Metzeller 880 is v=far and away the MOST DANGEROUS tire for use on any Royal Star! No other tire throws huge chunks of tread like they do, and no other vendor hates their customers like they do. It is your choice, but do a little research before you blindly make a decision. Goose
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The answer from Dunlop sounds like total BS to me. I have no way of knowing for a fact if their response is true or not, but like you said, it does not even remotely answer the question you asked. Here are the facts as I know them - the RSTD and RSV are virtually identical bikes (with the RSTD being slightly lighter due to smaller tank and lack of fairing and trunk). Yamaha fits both bikes with identical OEM tires, and they specify the same tires for replacement. So if Dunlop is saying (or trying to imply) that the retail D404 is correct fitment for the RSV but NOT for the RSTD, they are either fools or liars. Now for my personal opinion - the Dunlop D404 is an average tire, at best. It is not complete unmitigated crap like the Brickstone Excedra, but still not worth my money. If you are buying new tires, I personally suggest you go with either the Avon Venom or Dunlop E3. Goose
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Glad you got it going. You will have to keep an eye on that pump if the dealer will not change it on your word (he might, it you take it in and the pump is real hot). I do not know of too many ways to prove an intermittent pump - probably the best is to take the output hose off and run a hose to a big jar or can, then use a 12v jumper wire to start and stop the pump many times, looking for a time when it does not start until you tap on it (which would prove it is bad). Goose
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Brakes locked Up...Again
V7Goose replied to tcoop's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
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Unfortunately, I have no idea how anything you could have done with a spray bottle would have had any impact whatsoever on the way the engine runs. Did you make sure your gas was turned on? Motorcycles are specifically designed to tolerate just about any type of water or wind-driven spray anywhere it might get. In addition, I routinely use the spray nozzle on my hose to completely flush around the engine and up under the tank, and I have never had one hint of problem from that, which is undoubtedly 1,000 times more water than you could have gotten from a spray bottle. Water can cause old plug wires to arc, causing a misfire, but almost impossible for an 07 to have broken-down insulation on those wires yet. Make sure the plug caps are firmly on the plugs (this is a fairly common problem from careless maintenance when changing the plugs). For reference, the front coils are up under the tank - you can see the right one easily with the tank off (is is mounted on the right side of the backbone), but the left one is pretty much hidden, even though it is mounted just to the left and a bit lower.
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I suppose most will hate this, but a LIKE button?
V7Goose replied to myminpins's topic in Requests for Features
Personally I think it just takes up space in the thread unnecessarily. I'd dump it if it was just my choice. Goose -
Clutch fluid is completely isolated from the clutch plates. You could burn up the plates to bare metal and the fluid would not be affected at all. The only thing that makes brake/clutch fluid dark is absorbing moisture. Goose
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That is an excellent point - the key to what caused this mess certainly would seem to be tied in some way to the bike sitting for so long. I hadn't even been thinking along the lines of a plugged slave since he had ridden the last 4,000 miles or so without problem, but I better have him check the motion of the pressure plate before he pulls off the original spring. Thanx! Goose
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See this: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1705 Goose
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He told me on the phone that that is what he had been told. May or may not be accurate. But as far as I am concerned, it makes no difference. Not only is the oil change interval due, but since we have no valid ideas why an essentially new clutch will not engage at all, the smart thing to do is remove as many of the typical causes as we can. Goose
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Yes, he is going to change the oil - it is about due anyway, and I, too, wonder if his current oil caused the problem. But even with a trike, it is not a necessity to drain it. Very simple to position the bike sideways on a hill to imitate leaning on the sidestand (or simply jack up the right rear wheel). Goose
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I spoke with Terry and described the whole (incredibly easy) process for him. He is going to see if he can get the spring upgrade and new friction plates overnighted from either PCW Racing or Skydoc. If for some reason he cannot get the new parts quickly, I will ride up there on Wednesday and take care of it for him. Although it sat for two years before he got it, he has less than 5,000 total miles on the bike, so it seems REALLY strange that the clutch would have gone completely out so quickly. Ordinarily I do not recommend replacing all the friction plates, even with 50,000 miles on them, but in this case, I suggested that was the wisest move. We have no real understanding of why they are slipping so bad so soon, but since the clutch cannot even engage enough to move the bike in the parking lot, and he still has hundreds of miles to get home, spending the extra money on new friction plates now is probably good insurance. Goose
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I disagree with most of the issues raised here. If you follow the instructions of my original gauge post in the tech library and route the oil line up through the existing clamps on the frame down tube, it is both invisible and totally protected. As for the pressure line mounting port, it is quite protected by the exhaust pipe, water pump, engine case, and floorboard mount. Any accident that could possibly damage this connection would by definition need to leave major parts of the motorcycle and engine laying free on the road. As for leaking oil lines - improper installation can cause anything to leak. If it is done right, there is no risk whatsoever. Goose