twigg
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Everything posted by twigg
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They are all top-heavy It may be correct that some are worse than others, but once the bike is moving they are all easy to manage. When I first rode the VR it felt like riding a pig, compared to a lighter, sports tourer. Within a few miles that feeling went away and it now fits like a glove. I have absolutely no doubt that a Gold Wing, or BMW K1200LT (another maligned as top-heavy) would be just as easy to handle. The VRs, by the way, are complete rubbish a low-speeds. Weedy forks and the lack of a decent fork brace do not help. You get used to it, and learn to "drive" round slow speed turns .... Like I said, you compensate and it's fine. ps ... I'll just add ... When I go riding I have an Auxilliary Tank with 4-Gallons plus a water cooler with 1 Gallon above the rear passenger seat. In theory it would upset the purists AND the handling ... In practise it makes not a blind bit of difference. It's not a sports bike. If I wanted a sports bike I would buy one ... otoh, it can and does cover a lot of ground, decently quickly
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If you buy a complete kit .. with motor and radio, then yes, the receiver is included. However .... Most planes come with just the airframe, maybe with a gas tank installed and you buy the motor and radio gear separately. When you buy the radio kit it will have the appropriate receiver and maybe four servos too. The servos are all different qualities and types, but they work with any radio. If you bought a complete kit and later upgraded the radio, you would only need to change the receiver in the plane, the servos already installed should work with the new radio. If you can afford a good 7-Channel radio then it will be a long time before you need another ... and eBay, and probably Craigslist is full of secondhand radios. Usual "caveat emptor" applies.
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If it's not losing fluid then an internal seal has gone, as you suspect, in either the master or slave cylinders. Never done that job, but I would be looking at rebuilding both, especially if the cost is reasonable. The job is done then and you can ride worry-free.
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Of all the flavours, IE7 is the most buggy, least reliable. If you can upgrade then do so today. Many can't because IT departments at work won't. Firefox is not without it's faults either, although many can be traced back to badly behaved add-ons or extensions ... can be a memory hog too. (I generally use Firefox, but I have trimmed it quite a bit). Chrome is fast but lacking features. It doesn't hurt to try several browsers to see which you like the best. For me it's Firefox, but I do believe that Internet Explorer now has far fewer issues that in the past.
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Both of my motorcycles were effectively "other peoples trash". Both are now more than capable of 1000 mile days. I like yer attitude Jeff.
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I got mine from HID Country, and have been very happy with it. There are things that need emphasising .... When you convert to HID you NEED a separate Headlight ON/OFF switch, as Jeff and others said. Without it you are going to find yourself without lights from time to time when you start the engine. Second point .... If you intend using the standard Dip/High Beam switch (and why wouldn't you?), you have to remove the Reserve Lighting Unit. It sucks anyway, and is best gone. If you do not do this the Unit will think that your High Beam has failed and will send voltage to the low. That will bugger up the actuator in the bulb in short time. Oh, and the beam will not move correctly either. Feed the new unit through a relay, and have the relay actuated via a switch ... Job done. Next ... Do not be tempted by high "k" value bulbs. The higher (bluer) the light, the less light is actually reaching the road, however cool it looks. Stick with 4300 to 5000k temps. They are the closest to the stock light spectrum, and they are also the least likely to attract the attention of passing Police Cruisers, the contents of which may want a "chat" about the legality of your handiwork. If you can afford it ..... Projectors, built into the existing housing are the best of all. They are either expensive, or require you to fabricate stuff. This is a well worthwhile project but it's not for anyone unhappy about fitting a relay. It would be a great MD project. The results on my VR were spectacular, and still not good enough to spot many hazards. For that even more light is needed, and a pair of HID Driving Lamps is in my bike's future. If you want a hefty increase on stock without the electrical work, then the suggestion of the Silverstar Ultra was an excellent idea. ps ... Missed a point:) The Computer will think that your headlight has failed and will have a permenant, annoying warning. This can be overcome by jumpering the coil inside the CMU ... instructions are available on this site. This does mean that you will not have a headlight failure warning, but if it's dark you are likely to know that anyway
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The best bit about the disagreements and the simple genuine differences is that when folk find this thread later, there is someone for everyone. Rarely is there just one solution to a problem, so the debate informs more people than simple agreement about everything.
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Mostly they rarely get "destroyed". However, every flight ends either in a landing, or a crash. The amount of damage that happens is variable, but most times is little more than broken bits of airframe. In an entry-level trainer that won't cost an arm and a leg to fix. Most of your investment is in the radio in your hands, the electronics, servos, motor etc in the plane, and the support gear. Usually, that lot survives a crash. Put the rest down to training costs
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Ya know what. I have a teddy bear on my rear rack. It is a small grey elephant called "Maddie". It was given to me by my youngest daughter who wanted her favourite Webkins teddy to go with Dad when he rides all those miles. I would rather make room for Maddie than for any number of "Screaming Vulture" or whatever shiny toy folk think makes their bikes better, or louder, or whatever. "Would I swap my VR for a Gold Wing?" Well no one has ever made me an offer, so I don't know. I like my VR, but a well sorted mid-nineties Gold Wing would make a heck of a Rally Bike (and they do), so I'd give it some thought. Most of the criticisms of "top heavy" or "poor handling" are a bit like the old canard that 1st Gens are faster than 2nd Gens; good for a laugh but of zero practical value. All 800lb+ bikes are top heavy, and they all cruise down the road, at grossly illegal speeds, with no problems at all. In the end you buy the machine that suits you, and it's an individual choice that is a blend of fit, price, prejudice, availability, suitability. Then, whatever you bought, you simply go out and make it work for you. When I rally I find that I can finish better placed than folk riding any number of bikes, from brand new FJRs and BMWs, and right across the spectrum ... and none of that makes either me or the bike I am riding better than them or the choice they made. And Maddie comes too!
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Agree with all of that Jeff ... but ... The guy I responded to was having to go to all sorts of lengths to deal with a landlord who he doesn't want to upset. Motorcycle batteries are small, discharge frighteningly quickly and are least likely to be checked just when they need it the most. That is, when it is 0F outside and there is a foot of snow on the ground. So I was simply suggesting that rather than go to expensive alternatives, just take the battery off and bring it indoors ... problem solved and no expensive solar chargers to worry about. If you install your battery with a couple of pieces of strapping under it, it will lift out in a minute :: shrug :: Folk will do what suits them, it just seemed that one easy and obvious solution hadn't been mentioned is all.
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Take the battery off the bike and stick it on a tender indoors. They don't like freezing either ... It will kill a battery.
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That is exactly what Land Rover do between the body and chassis. They also add something like PTFE between panels where steel and aluminum might come into contact.
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Tachometer Testing
twigg replied to twigg's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
Okay ... Tach is now working After poking around the back, checking voltages, and the old "bang the TV on the top to fix it" technique, it sprang into life. That tells me that something is loose (or sticking). I shall pull it to check. For the record, with a working Tach: Black Wire: Continuity to ground Brown Wire: 12V (Engine OFF, Ignition ON Grey Wire: 12V (Engine OFF, Ignition ON) If I get to drop by Autozone I'll pick up a lamp flash tester and check that Grey Wire with the engine running. Thanks for the help guys -
That's impressive! Shouldn't that cruise ship in one of the photos be on it's side?
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Tachometer Testing
twigg replied to twigg's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
I got that Gary, thanks. Here is what I think you guys are saying .... Ignition ON, engine not running ... Grey should read battery voltage. Engine Running the grey is interrupted to ground once per rev (When cyl #2 fires). In this case, a test light between Grey wire and battery +ve should flash when the wire goes to ground. Right? -
Which is a very nice trip from Ontario
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I wish sites like that had been around when I was trying to learn to fly. I was a member of a great club in southern England, it was around 1995. I had both a Kyosho Concept and a Hirobo Shuttle, both 30 size, and an Apex computer radio. Never got much past basic circuits, and even they were more than a bit shaky Still ... Loved every minute of it
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Tachometer Testing
twigg replied to twigg's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
Withe the engine OFF and the ignition ON, the pin leaving the TCI is showing battery voltage. Same voltage is indicating where the Grey wire connects to the back of the Tach. Yes, I would think that a test light would "flicker" as that contact switches to ground once per revolution. It's beginning to look like the tach itself is the problem. -
Tachometer Testing
twigg replied to twigg's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
Thanks Gary ... I will go check as it's all in bits right now so it's easy. -
After a series of ignition issues I have most of them resolved. New plugs, plug caps and wires have made all the difference. I also removed and split the TCI. The diodes are in perfect condition so I left them alone. I re-flowed the solder in the pin headers and put it back together. The bike fires up, runs just fine right up to the red line. Before I did this I was having an issue of cylinder #2 not firing, and the tach behaving a little strangely. Cylinder #2 would quit, and the tach with it (sometimes). Now it's all back together the four cylinders are all playing nicely but the tachometer is dead. This may simply be a dead tachometer. What I was wondering is whether or not there is any way of testing the ouput on the grey wire from the TCI (tach signal). Is there anywhere else I should be looking too? Thanks
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Look at the side pieces directly below the rear half of the seat. There is a hole for a socket wrench on each side ... The seat bolts are in there.
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Let me tell you a story ... This, btw, wasn't me ... A guy I knew set up his heli with the usual 7 degrees positive pitch, and 3 degrees negative on the throttle mix channel. What he didn't know is that when playing with the controller he had reversed the collective channel. So he gets all set up and tried to fly it. However much throttle he applied the thing refused to take off. What he hadn't noticed, or realised the implications of, was that the heli was "squatting" down a bit. So, wondering what the hell the problem was he shut the throttle and the helicopter suddenly leapt 30 feet into the air. Pleased at this he open the throttle to keep it there, and the heli then proceed to drive itself hard into the ground. A beginners mistake that cost a lot of money to repair Without the negative pitch the cost would have been considerably less
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Join a local club and ask them to set up the heli as a trainer ... they will be pleased to help. If you have to do it yourself be extremely conservative on the throttle/collective curve and dial out ALL negative pitch. To get it off the ground and learn to hover you need to be able to fly it at about 5 feet, or the ground effect will be horrible, and negative pitch will cause you to destroy a few booms while learning (Don't ask me how I know).
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Usually manufacturers quote max hp at the crank. A dyno run measures hp at the rear wheel. 97 at the crank and 75 at the rear wheel sounds about right.
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So the only thing clear in this thread is that no one Insurance Company fits all. Personally, I have 100/300/100 Liability on the VR, with State Farm for $60 per year. Suits me. Progressive wanted $150 for the same coverage. Lower actually, they wanted that for State minimum). The one I would suggest you check out, if you use them, is Geico. They went through a phase of limiting motorcycling policies to 500 miles per day maximum. Funny how they have never tried that on car drivers.