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twigg

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Everything posted by twigg

  1. twigg
    If you could add one tool, or piece of equipment to your shop, what would it be. Add a second choice too if you like In my case I would like a motorcycle lift. I am way past the point where kneeling on the floor is fun. Please feel free to link this thread to anyone who might consider you at Christmas and Birthday
  2. twigg
    Those German engineers have had some very good ideas over the years. That was one of them
  3. twigg
    Looking through the windshield is okay, if that's your thing, but threre are very real problems with it. They are plastic, so they scratch and age ... it really doesn't matter how careful you are, looking through plastic isn't brilliant. They are not optically clear, whatever the manufacturers say and they give a distorted view. None of that matters very much, until you really need it to matter, when it's too late. They are compromised by dust, rain is a nightmare and they keep off so much wind that you roast in summer. Cutting a screen to the point where it gives the maximum benefits while reducing the disadvantages to a minimum makes sense for most folk ... even if not most folk here, I dunno. Clearview make an excellent screen, with a very large vent ... but it's not cheap. I have never really suffered much in the way of buffeting with a well set up screen, except in strong cross winds, where the bigger screen actually hurts not helps. The normal wind you experience is just part of the reason for riding. The VR, by the way, has about the quickest detaching windshield I ever saw. It must take at least 40 seconds to remove it
  4. twigg
    In most cases it's just a matter of setting the windshield up correctly. The top of the windshield should be roughly at nose height. To get it right: Get the bike on a level surface and place an object on the ground, fifty feet in front of the bike. Sit one the bike in your regular riding position. The correct screen height is where the top of the screen, your eyes, and the thing on the ground are all in a line. Mark the screen and cut it, or have it cut, at that height. This is the screen height that gives you the best of both worlds. It provides near 100% protection from wind, rain and insects because the airflow lifts that stuff up and will strike your helmet at forehead height, with most going right over you .... That is, you will be able to ride with your visor up and have no wind in your eyes; yet you can also see straight over the top of the shield for the clearest view. For me, for example, at six foot ... The ideal screen height is between 19 and 20 inches from the bottom of the screen to the top. The stock VR screen is 22 inches, with the tall screen coming in at 25 1/2 inches. Both are too tall and force me to look through plastic at the road. There is nothing good about that. Fortunately, cutting screens is very easy. You buy clothes that fit ... why settle for a screen that only comes in a couple of sizes.
  5. twigg
    If it's made of ABS then yes, it will. For mending cracks you need an applicator, or the stuff will run everywhere. They sell small plastic bottles with thin, needle-like, tips. They are used for applying the solvent to acrylic when making fishtanks. One of those (web search) would be very useful. If you want to know what kind of plastic you have ... or at least id MEK will weld it, then just put a drop on a hidden surface and see if it dissolves it. If it does, you are good to go. When you are repairing a crack or split tape the pieces together and run a thin bead of the chemical on the reverse side. Capillary action draws the fluid into the crack, and that's all you need to do. The tape will prevent the stuff damaging the face and it only needs a few minutes to set up. A plastic syringe with a #25 needle will work well too. Unlike other methods where you are trying to reinforce a glued joint, like with adding glass-fiber, etc ... this method literally makes good the original piece. Bear in mind that the original piece broke So you might want, in many cases, to strengthen it. Do this by adding ABS and using the solvent to bond it. If you have a missing tab .... Get some modeling clay and make a mould from a good tab. Grind up some ABS (A plumbing fitting or some sheet stock). You can do this by grinding, filing or simply collecting hacksaw shavings. When you have enough, add a few drops of solvent and make a paste. Push the paste into the mould you made and leave it to set. Finish shaping the new part then use more solvent to glue it in place of the missing tab.
  6. twigg
    Let me rephrase that ... People who ride without crash helmets would be breaking very good laws in most States and countries. Laws put there to protect people who lack good decision making skills, from themselves. I know some donMt like that. Tough. I don't like subsidising your health care or providing benefits for the family you leave behind when you smear yourself across the road. Wear a crash helmet. One day, your wife, kids, grandbabies might just thank you for it.
  7. twigg
    There is no discussion to be had about crash helmets. If you ride without one you are stupid ... End. Wind preference is simply a preference.
  8. twigg
    That's what I did! I hadn't anticipated just how fast that stuff could squirt out
  9. twigg

    Did You Know?

    twigg replied to KarlS's topic in Jokes and Humor

    The "Brass Monkey" explanation was a: held by me for a long time and b: disproven quite a while ago. It's a cute explanation but it isn't true Mainly for the reasons above, but also because the relative differences in expansion coefficients are far too small to cause this to happen.
  10. twigg
    Yes ... repairing ABS is very easy. Go to Home Depot and buy 1Qt of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (It's by the paint thinners) Next pop into your local plastics supplier and pay a couple of bucks for some offcuts of ABS sheet. Cut the sheet into the sizes you need to patch the hole, and use the MEK to "glue it". Grind up some of the ABS, mix it to a paste with MEK and use that to fill the gaps. Wear nitrile gloves and work quickly. This is a complete repair for ABS ... works beautifully on fairings and will be, at minimum, as strong as new. MEK is evil ... do not get it anywhere you don't want it, and don't spend money on Plastex.
  11. twigg
    "Odd" is the kindest description. High beams should only ever be used when there is no on-coming traffic, even in daylight. I know some use them in daylight, but if they get a ticket then they will just have to pay it. High beams, especially some of the better bulbs, can dazzle or distract other motorists and they shouldn't be used ... There are better ways. With that in mind, then it really shouldn't matter how many lamps you have up front with your High Beam ... There is no one around to see it By the way, it's not hard to make an argument that "anything" you add is auxiliary to whatever the manufacturers put there in the first place.
  12. twigg
    The magnets don't scratch if .... You keep them clean. Mine have been great. Additional fixings are great for peace of mind, but completely unnecessary in practise. Those bags do not move even on sports bikes doing over 100.
  13. twigg
    Release ALL the air pressure, if you have CLASS, unless you want a mouthful of old fork oil. Don't ask me how I know this
  14. twigg
    Tyres and pressures, any add-ons or accessories that may be recently added .... Other than that you are looking at bearings. Wheel bearings, swing arm or steering head. They are about the only things that can cause a symptom like that. Oh ... a broken frame could do it too ... say if a weld had failed.
  15. twigg
    They are the Walmart brand, and there is little wrong with them for a basic lead/acid battery at a good price. As was said above ... leaving it out to freeze was probably the cause of it failing.
  16. twigg
    I use mine for weighing eggs before they go in the incubator. They are also very useful for weighing carburetor floats to balance them all and check if any are leaking.
  17. twigg
    I'll help you all I can to set it up correctly. But I will not help you defeat all the safety switches. You have a fault on the bike, possibly more than one, and using logic, and a decent multimeter you can easily trace and fix it. The Service Manual is available free, and it has flowcharts for every switch.
  18. twigg
    Beat me to it
  19. twigg
    Thanks
  20. twigg
    I don't think any fell into the engine or cooling system, but it's soft, crumbly plastic, so there will be little harm done if it did.
  21. twigg
    What on earth are you talking about?
  22. twigg
    The parts fiche has the same part number for all years (not really suprising as I think the front fairings are essentially the same). Can you measure your screen from the very bottom to top in the center, and I can compare it to mine?
  23. twigg
    Okay .... The rear pedal should be fairly firm, and not actually move very far. The front lever should be the same. You should not be able to pull it back to the bars. Assuming you are not losing fluid, then you are perfectly describing a brake system with lots of air in the lines. The other possibility is master cylinder seals that are leaking and letting fluid back past them when you apply the brakes. Bleed out the air first, if that doesn't fix it you will need two master cylinder repair kits.
  24. twigg
    Eye level is exactly where I want my screen to end .... Hmmm ... will the screens from the '86 and '83 fit each other?
  25. twigg
    Definite "idiot" here.
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