phertwo

Well, I suppose its doing its job. Its definitely ticking.

When I turn the key I hear a few 'tick' sounds. I think that's coming from the carbs. Its either a several quick ticks or just 2~3 ticks that I hear.

Thanks Dave, Yes, I didn't think about the whole maintenance day and the board going quiet for a few days. The fuel pump is one item that I am suspect of. The bike has good enough roll on speed, but its hard for me to compare really since I just for this bike two months ago. The gentleman I bought it from did not seem to have taken the best of care of the scoot, but so it goes.. I'd say that the low rpm torque is not very good, but it seems to find its stride past 3500 to 4000rpm. Characteristic of the bike or a sign of a carb/fuel pump problem, I don't know. I would say that once the bike is warmed up, my idle speed is a little bit faster than the idle speed after start up. It seems to struggle a bit to keep idle after start up, and its 70F outside. Again, this doesn't really affect my ride, but it gives me a less than excited feeling to have a bike that has a lazy start-up. I might just do the fuel pump replacement since it seems pretty straight forward and inexpensive. At least I would feel better about not having to encounter a failed pump situation. And it would be one more thing on my list to check off.

Hi Everyone! I have a question regarding starting the RSTD. I previously had a V-Star 1100 and my normal cold start would be full-choke and depressing the start button for less than a second to one second. It would seem to catch rather quickly and fire up. However with my RSTD, normal cold start is full-choke and depressing the start button for 4-5 seconds. For the first 2~3 seconds or so I just hear the starter, and from 3~6 seconds I hear the engine quitely starting to catch on. For another second or two after releasing the start button the engine slowly spins (idle speed) until it suddenly fires up to a good full-choke rpm speed. Moreover, if I leave the bike for a half hour after an hour long ride, which I would consider the bike to be warm, I still have to go through the same routine. It will never just fire right up quickly. I do live in Canada, but the average temperature for the past while has been 60~70F. Does this sound like a problem/needs maintenance issue or is this Normal? I feel like i'm going to wear the starter out by holding it for that long. Background info: I ride my RSTD as much as I can (at least 4 days a week, minimum 2 hours per day) Replaced spark plugs Replaced fuel filter Ran a can of Seafoam Cleaned air filters Changed oil and oil filter Synchronized carbs Changed coolant Thanks!!

What is with the one with those people just hanging out in the intersection!? They look like a bunch of pigeons, oblivious to the world around them.

I got the Garmin Nuvi 550. Its not part of the Zumo motorcycle family, but its waterproof, shock and vibration resistant, and much cheaper. I think I paid around $250 for mine a little while back if I recall correctly. Its a decent unit with great battery life (4~5 hours). I use it in my cage, on my scoot and have used it for many hikes due to its good battery life. I even used it in the rainforest on a recent trip to St. Lucia. It works pretty well for me.

Yes I actually was on vacation for once! Sorry for the delay on the measurement - the original stock baffle measures 1.75" outside diameter and it looks exactly like the CAD drawing that I did of the stock muffler setup. Weep holes, I should have done some more homework. I haven't seen that mentioned in most of the mufflers Ive seen, but it will be an easy mod. Just two quick holes and I'm in business. Thanks tx2sturgis! Oh, CAD modeling is a royal pain to learn, but its a joy when you get going. Maybe I should make a model of the RSTD?. Never tried google sketch up, I'm a solidworks guy myself.

Opps! Sorry I will have to measure the original baffle. It has the same OD as the exhaust pipes that I made my baffles from, that I know. I just have to remember to do it what I get home.

Yes, I think that would work, but I did notice one thing about the stock baffle while I was giving the first test ride. I was noticing two different sounds being emitted. One was the very crisp, sharp and very loud sound coming from tail end of the muffler, and the other was a jack-hammering lower sound coming from the center of the muffler. Kind of reminded me of a generator thumping away. The crisp/sharp/loud sound got me worried about my ears and neighbors, and the jack-hammering sound was giving me a headache. Now I can only theorize what was causing the jack-hammering sound, and I may be completely wrong, but I believe it has to do with the stock baffle having that end cap on it (not a straight through design) and the exhaust pressure constantly being forced into it and creating a turbulent flow. With the straight through design I now only have one unified sound. I assume this is because it is more of a laminar flow, not perfect because of the washer though. Perhaps it would be useful to drill a hole in the original stock baffle to let some of the exhaust through. In essence, creating the same 'washer' restrictor effect. Although I am not sure about the % loss of fibreglass over a give period of run time, I don't believe it will be drastic with a straight through baffle design. But in any case, its better to have an easy to remove baffle. I definitely don't have to worry about getting fiberglass insulation as the company I work for makes the stuff.

Good idea! I may have to try this out in the future.

Thanks! I enjoy making CAD drawings. Loud pipes can be a great, but for the long haul they get kind-of old. Based on how simple and inexpensive it really is to make baffles, I don't think you can go wrong with a little bit of experimentation.

I'd like to try getting two of these perforated stainless steel tubes, 24" long, 1.75" OD (I think that's right the size) and put them into the fishtail mufflers with fibreglass insulation. It might sound more muted and muffled than my design due to the amount of holes. Also, there is no restrictor, as in the washer that I added to my design, to increase the backpressure and keep up the bike's overall performance. But experimentation is a great thing!! herehttp://www.baronscustom.com/images/products/20100301174841.jpg

Well I wasn't planning on it since this is such a low budget 'thingy' to make and install. Really its pretty easy to make for a few bucks and some time. The only thing that's needed is a welder, for my design anyway. But I betcha any money I could make a design that can be done easily without any welding. I have some ideas kicking around in my head.

Sound clips are now posted. Let me know what you think. Its probably not as awesome sounding as the bubs system (I haven't heard bub's before in person to know), but its a great low cost solution for toning it down a notch. You will notice some backfiring, but I am going to be working on resolving that once I get some free time - yes I have plugged the AIS.

***Sound Clips added at the bottom this post*** Hi Everyone! So I spent my time going through the many available exhaust options only to decide on a nice pair of fishtail mufflers. Yep, that's the look I want. I found the infamous youtube video of the Brazilian guy who put them on his RSTD. I thought, boy those sound really good! And wow they are totally affordable at $88.99 each. I figured that if I didn't like them its not much of a loss. So I whipped out my card again and made the purchase on JC Whitney. here. *** I had actually first made my order with Jireh Cycles, as the same mufflers are $59.95. here. However after a week of no order being shipped, I called them up to find out what was going on, politely. They told me that they are on back order, rudely. I asked when they might get them in stock? The guy actually told me "there's no way to know that, probably a while!" I told him that I would like to cancel my order immediately, politely. I won't be buying through them again. Well these awesome looking mufflers came in a week later (shipping to Canada takes a while getting through customs) and I couldn't wait to install them on my 05 RSTD. Literally I was trying to get through the garage door to the bike while opening the box with my keys, all at the same time. Is there any better feeling? I installed the new fishtails in about an hour or so and I was smiling! Oh it looks so good. But when I took off for the day, my smile quickly changed to a worried look. Geez, these are LOUD! I heard from previous posts that they where loud before, but I thought to myself that they probably aren't that bad. Well they are bad. Getting going in 1st is like a neighborhood wide alarm. I had to pass two cops on my way to the highway and the only way I felt comfortable getting by them was riding in 4th going 30km/h (19mph)!! Maybe I'm a wuss, but I ain't no fool. However, they did provide me with much enjoyment on the highway, bringing back my smile for a short-while. Honestly, sounds like a nascar. But I realized that most of the cars that were behind me were staying WELL back from me, probably out of annoyance, and my ears had started to go all fuzzy from the sharp sound. So I rode home and said, that was interesting, time to fix it! I was looking up all sorts of baffles online but I thought that they were mighty expensive for tubes of steel and I can definitely make something for nothing here! So I started the process by knocking out the existing baffle. There is one small tack weld holding the stock baffle in place. You can see it in the fishtail end of the muffler. I ground the weld down and I just took a long metal bar, inserted it into the inlet of the muffler until it rested on the back of the stock baffle and started hammering. Out they came. ***I didn't remember to take pictures during the building process because I was... in the groove... Next time... So instead, to help illustrate, I created some 3D cad models to help explain. Just click on the photos to see a zoomed up version with some helpful notes. http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/fishtail%20mufflers%20with%20custom%20made%20baffle/mufflerwitholdbaffle.jpg?t=1276018046 Then I measured up the old stock baffle to determine its outer diameter, 1.75". I then went to the local auto store and bough some exhaust tubing. The only stuff they had in stock was 18" long by 1.75" diameter with a tapered end. I bought three of them for a total of $10. I then drilled many many holes along the exhaust pipe (refer to pictures) and spent a good while cleaning the burrs out of the holes. From there I took a washer, welded on some support bars to them and welded that to the end of the tapered section of the exhaust tube. In the end I has some handsome looking full length, straight through baffles. http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/fishtail%20mufflers%20with%20custom%20made%20baffle/newbaffleassembly.jpg?t=1276018127 http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/fishtail%20mufflers%20with%20custom%20made%20baffle/newbafflesectionview.jpg?t=1276018177 Then, I slide the baffle half way into the muffler and began to pack in pieces of fibreglass insulation with a thin metal rod. I worked my way to filling most of the muffler with fibreglass before I slide the baffle right into its final position. I just put a tack weld in place to hold the baffle in, but you can definitely install a set screw to make it easier to remove in the future. I was lazy, so I "set it and forget it". http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/fishtail%20mufflers%20with%20custom%20made%20baffle/mufflerwithnewbaffle.jpg?t=1276018234 Installed the new muffler on to the headers and fired up the bike. Ahhh, perfect! The sound level is at a much more controlled level, lets say less than medium loud. I have no fear of firing my bike up in the morning and waking the neighborhood, no fear of passing a cop thinking I might get a ticket, no funny looks from pedestrians that hate being irritated by overly loud exhausts. The new baffles make the mufflers sound meaty, deeper, less harsh, and pleasant to the ears. I can drive it fairly quiet for the neighborhood sneak out, and can also get it pretty loud when you lay on it - best of both worlds. I am a very happy camper now. One other note for installing the muffler on the bike - I made my own brackets for holding the mufflers in place by using some scrap metal. I welded my bracket to the muffler near half way, and bolted it to the where the stock muffler is hung from. Now you don't necessarily need to do this as the mufflers seemed to hold on just fine with the clamp, but I would definitely recommend making some sort of bracket! These fishtails get much heavier with the new baffles and packing and I would have hated to see one of them get loose and go flying. I will take some audio recordings of the exhaust as it is now. I never took the recordings of the original. If you want to hear what that is like, just take off your stock mufflers and listen to what the headers sound like on there own. ***This is just an experimental baffle design, and I'm sure there is a better way/better design. But this design works quite well and I'm very happy with it. http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/retro%20tachometer/IMG_8547.jpg?t=1276018581 ...Sound Clips... These might take a moment to load, patience may be required. Start up and Idling Reving Drive By's Neighborhood Sneak-out Normal Acceleration Highway Acceleration

Tim, I sealed up all of the potential 'leak paths' with silicone during the installation. This would be the same approach for all the other folks that are using car tachometers. There are a few points where I applied the silicone to keep the water out. Around the rubber grommet where it fits into the cup, around the steel cable where it fits into the rubber grommet, around the tachometer where it fits into the cup. It seems to do the trick.

I got to admit, Ive been keeping my eye on this thread. It's my daily dose of drama and intrigue at the moment .

Thanks Thanks!! Ive added a night picture of the gauge lit up.

Nice ride! I'm diggin' the color.

Although, if I left on the spoon part of the laddle it would look completely opposite to professional!

Eagleeye, Silicone yes! I put it between the laddle and the speedo casing. It prevents scratching and any ticking noises caused by vibration. It doesn't move at all while idling or riding, so its perfect for mounting on the speedo casing in a non-destructive fully reversible way. Maybe I can take a video of it when I have a chance.

Thanks again, Goose, I was planning on buying one of those baron tach units: pretty small, pretty expensive and not the look I was going for. But something in the back of my head was telling me, you can probably find something different, maybe even have an excuse to pull out the MIG welder . I knew that I could buy a whole variety of different tachometers, and I was even looking at the one that you mentioned (with the temp display). But I wanted to go for a that retro look. Definitely more expense than other options available, but it has the look I was going for and comes in cheaper than the baron. I may even add the matching "Quad" cluster next time, with fuel display(redundant but more gauges couldn't hurt) , oil pressure, water temp and volts.

Let me know if I can help! If find this sort of stuff 'fun'.

Thanks! Yeah lilbeaver your right, its still is a bit pricey. For me, who was going to spend that money and more on a small motorcycle tach anyway, I figure I like the look and style of this one more. I always like the look of those classic car dash gauges. Maybe I should have got a big block cuda instead:happy-emoticon:.

Hi everyone! So I figured that I wanted to make my first post a good one, so here it is. Pics at the bottom. I had been looking into my options for a tachometer for quite sometime and was rather unimpressed with the steep price tag and the style of the available motorcycle tach's. So I did some internet hunting and found a company based out of Michigan that makes Retro style tachometers for classic and muscle cars. You can find them at Classic Instruments. I thought to myself, oh now wouldn't that look good on my RSTD. Before I knew it, I was whipping out my cards to make a purchase online. With a lots of humming and hawing about which model to get, I ended up getting the All American Nickel 3-3/8" Tachometer and the chrome cup insert. Total $198US. Took about 4 days to ship to Canada! Not bad eh~! http://www.classicinstruments.com/images/products/AN80SHC.JPGhttp://www.classicinstruments.com/images/Tach%20Cup.jpg Once I received my new purchase I went to work right away. However, I had to really think about where to mount it, how to mount it and how to get it to work. So in case if anyone is wondering, read on. First off, where to mount it. I have a Uniq Cycle Classic speakers system (long story, I have the system but I currently waiting for a replacement amp because the first one was faulty. Not happy with those guys.) that will occupy the left and right portions of the handle bar, so that was a no-go. I decided to mount it dead-center about the speedometer display because that would give me enough space to not interfere with the windshield. Second, how to mount it. I was stumped for a while on this one. One of the problems was the chrome cup insert was far too long. If I were to mount it, the tach would stick way out over the front of the speedometer unit. I noticed that the tach itself was quite a bit shorter than the cup, so I decided to cut the cup insert down. I cut about an inch or so from the opening. I also cut down the screws (the ones that you bolt on the wiring to) on the back of the tachometer to shorten it down some more. After the trimming work I had reduced the length on the tach enough for the front of the gauge to sit flush with the speedometer unit. I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out a way of fixing the tach to the top of my speedometer without having to drill holes or welding to the pretty speedo casing. So I took an old stainless steel stirring ladle from the kitchen and went to work bending it into shape. I apologize for not taking step-by-step photos of the process, I was just... lets say... in the groove. I ended up bending the ladle with a slight arc, following the curve of the speedo casing, and a sharp 'S' shaped bend at the end. I drilled a hole in at the end of the 'S' shape and easily mounted it to the one screw that holds the speedo casing in the front (if you stand right in front of your bike and look at the speedo casing, you will see the bolt). The ladle works perfectly because it has a slight curve to it already and it follows the curve on the speedo casing. I then took the cup insert and the ladle and welded them together. I would assume that you could use some kind of adhesive or jb-weld. But since I have a MIG that I am always trying to find uses to justify its purchase, it was quick work . It was a simple one bolt job from there to permanently but non-destructively fix the tach to my bike. Third, the wiring. Not fun trying to figure this one out on your own. I will just write down what was the winning combination. Then tachometer has a 4 position selection screw on the back for calibrating. 4 cylinder, 6 cylinder, 8 cylinder, 12PALT. Sorry V-Twin friends, this mod is only for us!. I basically ran a wire from the 'signal' terminal on the back of the tach to the ignition wiring. It runs with many of the wires that are located above the ignition coils. The one you want is the only wiring harness that is made up of just two wires, white and black. I hooked up the signal wire to the white wire, set the tach calibration to 12PALT and SUCCESS! For me, the 12PALT setting works. It does act a little funny at about 4000 rpm while accelerating, where the needle with suddenly retreat slightly and the advance forward. Now I know there are other ways to set up the tachometer. Classic instruments sells a multiple ignition coil adapter gadget, or there is this one that you can build yourself. I'm going to live with my setup because its totally livable in my books. I also wanted to have a nice clean look for the tachometer wiring, and didn't want any ugly wiring exposed. I tried to look for some nice 'chrome' plastic wire covering but couldn't find any. So I ended up going to the plumbing section at the local Canadian Tire and buying a 20" braided steel flexible hose. I cut off each of the screw ends and slipped the wiring through it (I bought a pack of trailer automotive wire while I was at crappy tire for the tach wiring). I slipped one end of the steel hose through the rubber grommet that is supplied with the tachometer and the other end of steel hose around the speedo unit and into the steering cover. From there you just wire up the tach + and - terminals to the auxiliary wiring harness that is located under the seat. I also jumped a wire from the + terminal to the 'light' terminal on the tach, which keeps the tach light on all the time. I will try to take some night-time pictures. From there I just bought a small tube of silicone caulking/adhesive and put it around the rubber grommet, braided steel hose, tachometer and cup, and between the bottom of the cup insert and the speedometer casing. The last one is important, it prevents the tach cup assembly from scratching the speedo casing, and it eliminates and noise from vibration. The tachometer unit does not interfere with the windshield in any way so it can be used with or without it. One thing that I did notice that when I went for a ride on a hot day, I got a bit of condensation on the inside of the gauge glass. I remedied that by drilling two holes on either side of the gauge just behind the glass. This should prevent the build up of condensation. It also allows you to use a can of compressed air to clean any condensation that may build up (and it works really well too!). All in all it was a successful modification. I am really happy with my cool retro tach, its easy to read (due to its large size) easy to see placement, and its lower price point. http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/retro%20tachometer/IMG_8552.jpg?t=1275937176 http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/retro%20tachometer/IMG_8554.jpg?t=1275937176 http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/retro%20tachometer/IMG_8553.jpg?t=1275937176 http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/retro%20tachometer/IMG_8545.jpg?t=1275937176 http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/retro%20tachometer/IMG_8547.jpg?t=1275937176 http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/phertwo/retro%20tachometer/IMG_8564.jpg?t=1276000546