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Snaggletooth

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Everything posted by Snaggletooth

  1. Snaggletooth
    That was worth the wait! Very cute!
  2. Snaggletooth
    Ah man, don't let it get ya down. To me it's part of the enjoyment of owning an older bike. I get a few months of down time here every year when the snow sets in and I kill a lot of time tearing the old girl down just to clean it and check it over. Most that stuff is just if ya want to. Except the Progressives. Those are a MUST DO! You'll know why right away if you need them when you hit the brakes and the forks bottom out. Best change you can do for the suspension. Saddlebum is dead on with that issue. Sometime the simple stuff can send you chasing ghosts. Over the years the levers wear and the switches don't line up right anymore. Same thing on mine. I was ok up to about 40 MPH then the cruise would kick off. The connections with levers was the problem. Just the wind against the levers was enough to knock it out. Mike
  3. Snaggletooth
    Sadly most the decent carb cleaners that we used to get are no longer on the market. EPA considered them too caustic. Either the product was diluted down for the market or removed from the product line. Nuttin' is as good as it used to be........except SeaFoam.
  4. Snaggletooth
    uh oh...........Somebodies been cruisin' ebay again. It it getting a bit crazy I agree. Some pretty insane listings. Mike
  5. Snaggletooth
    NAPA has a spray on gasket softener that made quick work out of the gaskets on my '84. They also have a spray on stripper that does very well. BUT...... watch that stripper! It also removes the clear coat on the cases real quick. Not all bad if you're planning on polishing. If not..... make plans! Mike
  6. Snaggletooth
    And this is how it all starts............. "Ok, forks seals, As long as I'm in there I might as well do the progressive springs. Good.....need a heavier fork brace. Oh look! Better replace the brake lines with SS ones. Ah heck! The R1 calipers will bolt on to these forks. Cool. Might as well clean up those lowers and polish them while it's torn down. Dang! The streering head feels a lil odd. Better replace the stem bearings. Ah heck! These tires are 10 years old! Better mount up new shoes! Now bleed the brakes and I'm golden.......... Maybe I should delink? Now for the back end!" And the games begin!
  7. Snaggletooth
    Thanks Brian............. Line forms to the left of friesman!
  8. Snaggletooth
    $50.00 each to do a stripped body sounds about right. I've checked around here and it seems to be normal. I've got 4 bodies I want to have done this winter and redo the carbs on the bike. I've looked at the HF units and the small one is way to small. The largest one will not cover the entire body ( I took one with me when I looked at them) so it's would be a dip and flip to get it done completely. Probably work? ...... sure. Just a lil more time involved. How durable is the HF unit? No idea. But for under $85.00, depending on coupons or sale prices, I'll probably give it a shot. Better than $200.00 and waiting for them to get to them. And who is doing all the hard part? Not them. Mike
  9. Snaggletooth
    Sumtin like dat.... Way back when I was a young fella in my first place I had a friend with two red dobbies. Man those dogs could raise heck when upset. We got them down in the basement studio one day and ran the mics on them. Got a nice tape of two very unfriendly sounding dogs. You could almost hear the drool hitting the walls. Hooked up a mercury switch (see, I told ya it was long time ago) on the storm door and to a power relay that kicked on a reel to reel deck. (another old hint) Anybody that grabbed that storm door uninvited got a amplified blast of the "Hounds of Hell". It was quite entertaining to watch. But the cat saw no humor in it all. It got the point where I thought I was going to have to put the litter box and the food bowl on top of the book cases. For about 6 weeks I never saw the cat set a paw on the floor. Just jump from one thing to the next. Nervous lil critter. Mike
  10. Snaggletooth
    I'm no safe expert but I think any tampering with accessing the inside might cause issues with the fire rating. How about some of those stick-on, battery rated LED like you might use in a closet or storage area? They offer a lot of light and a pretty decent battery life. But that's just me. Simple and frugal. Ok.....cheap.
  11. Snaggletooth
    The miles are not going to be an issue. It has a long life ahead of it if it has be maintained and ridden on a regular basis. You can expect 200K miles out of the motor. Of course check all eletrical systems and functions. Steering and suspension. Look for rust in the tank. Look at the body work and check for cracks, missing mouting tabs and damage. It's all ABS plastic and will be subject to being a bit more stiff than is was on '89. Easy to repair the damage if it's minor and tabs can be rebuilt. Most of us have done many of those types repairs. We love epoxy here. Just remember that eBay is going to be your best place to find many parts that you might need. But, many parts are still available through Yammy or parts houses. Some have been discontinued. But after making these bikes for almost 3 decades there is still a fair supply out there and most years share the same parts. Hope you plan to do your own wrench work. Most shops don't want to work on them. They say too old. But that is why this site does so well. A lot of good info here and some knows these bikes inside out. If the price is right and the bike looks pretty much intact and undamaged, I'd go of it. We know every improvement you will ever want to make, don't we guys??? :rotf: Good luck Mike Opps......saw you had another post active.
  12. Snaggletooth
    My in-laws had some problems in their area and went with ADT years ago. Full boat, all entry doors, all windows, motion detectors in main rooms and the other odds and ends. And of course those famous stickers for the windows. Didn't help a bit. Most the break-ins in that area were smash & grabs. By the time the security company caught the intrusion and made their call to the house and notified the police it was over. Damage was done and they were gone. They were broken into about a dozen times with the system. Three times while they were home in bed. I got a call from ADT one night (I was their backup, 4 miles away) at 2:00 AM and ran over there. Back door had been kicked in. I called ADT and shut down the alarm. I waited another 45 minutes for the LEO's to arrived. Not real effective IMHO! When they looked for something better, as stated, they would have had to change the entire system. I went a different direction with my place after my neighborhood started having problems. It's self installed and not monitored but seems to be an effective deterent. I installed switches at entry doors and garage door that set off a siren. A 132 db siren. I installed wireless cameras with night vision at the outside of the garage and one inside. Two cameras in the house, one pointing towards each entry door. One camara inside the front window pointing at the front porch. With the infrared lights on the cameras they are quite noticable at night. The cameras are tied into a VCR to record when I'm gone or I can check the cameras from my room. Someday I'll convert to a digital system I can monitor by remote. I've got a few nice vids of people I didn't know in my driveway and porch a few times in the middle of the night and when they noticed the cameras they were gone. Had one attempt to open my garage but when the siren fired off all I got was a blur running from the driveway. Not fancy, not expensive, but damn! It's loud! That seems to do the trick. The neighbors don't care much for the noise but they all came out and checked their cars when it went off. So in my opinion, NOISE and being seen walking out with the Mossberg in my hand is the best deterent. If they think I have video of them, all the better. You got a dog? A big noisy, hungry dog? Even better. Mike
  13. Snaggletooth
    OH NO!!!! Da lil red X is back!!!
  14. Snaggletooth
    Chain mail and chromed steel. Yes!!!
  15. Snaggletooth
    I suppose there might be a lil bit of cool factor IF you rode in on something like this.
  16. Snaggletooth
    That is great news. :clap2: I know being back on home turf will be a huge plus for ya. Just stick with the advice my friend. The Docs and Roses. Mike
  17. Snaggletooth
    Yep, The bikes are addictive. This site is addictive. The inmates ...er, members here are addictive. At least we leave the cell door unlocked. Glad your'e enjoying the site and the bike. Now ya got all winter to get it the way you want it. Mike
  18. Snaggletooth
    So my ex-mother-in-law still has a license..........amazing.
  19. Snaggletooth
    Nope, you're fine with that. Now for dumb questions....... you did remove the second cover to the rear of the stator cover first right? That one have to come off first. Just checkin'. Mike
  20. Snaggletooth
    If you just nicked the wire and I assume it was outside of where the wires come through the stator housing, I would clean the wires well with alcohol or Acetone and then coat the wires with Liquid Electrical Tape and let it cure. Cheap fix. And durable. As long as you are already in there a coat of Black High Heat Silicone on the rubber plug and wires where it fits into the case will help prevent any seeps through the plug. The OEM wires had a woven cover on them and a prime place to seep oil. Heck, most of us goop the daylights out of that plug when we upgrade to a new stator to prevent leakage. Let us know how it works out. Mike
  21. Snaggletooth
    Speed is your culprit here for sure, but you can get a bit better than 32. Pushing the bike on the big road fully loaded I can drop to low 40's. Getting agressive with the throttle anywhere will take me down to 36 or lower at times. My personal best for a long, easy ride going through 3 tanks of gas on the backroads in the 60-65 MPH range gave me 48 MPG. So many things can effect your MPG. Speed, head winds, load, air filter and carb adjustments. Even the size of the wind screen will have some effect. I'd start with looking into the carb adjustments and condition. Most likely improvement will probably be there. Even a carb sync. Mike
  22. Snaggletooth
    Amen to that! There isn't enough room to list all my "Do'h!" moments. Before I ended up here I had plenty of them. Still have them..... but with the experience and knowledge shared by the members here there have been a lot less of them. Every day is learning experience ya know. Some are cheaper than others.
  23. Snaggletooth
    That did it! Deborah......you are my new poster gal to set an example for some of my female friends to get their acts together and get saddled up. Mike
  24. Snaggletooth
    What's holding the cover is the magnets affect of the rotor magnets pulling on the stator. It will come off with some pulling but keep it a staight as possible and watch your fingers. It will bite. Going back on it will snap back to because of the magnetic pull. Make sure the new gasket is secured in place with a bit of silicone to hold it while mounting the cover. Mike
  25. Snaggletooth
    What? Wait a minute...... A gal on a Valk? May be hope for the world after all....... Good to see you with the group and welcome aboard! Mike
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