videoarizona

Annie, I have to put you on the spot....asking for names to go with faces, please... david

That is correct. My XM is sitting on that connector. Leaving me the Aux connector by the cassette to use....if I ever need it.

Easy answer, with no ignition noise, the audio will be clear as a bell. You are right....grounding or wiring. See you when you get back...be safe

Have to say, John, you've come up with a good one. Unless the aux input cable coming into the amp is bad....oh...there is a connector between the two. Dam....just remembered. The aux jack by the cassette door wire runs about 6 inches or so to a female connector that is the wire from the amp. The connector is located about midway between the two. Did you see that and check it? Regardless...see you when you revisit this after your trip. Have a good one and be safe! My pinkie is touching the aux connector that goes from the amp to the aux plug by cassette.

Update: Did go out for another breakfast run to the border with the RSV yesterday. Started instantly, cold with full choke. Warmed up then idled fine. Ran nicely down the freeway at 75mph. After breakfast, chicken friend steak and eggs this time, she started first time, no throttle, no choke. So I think I have the carb balance spot on. Mileage still low as the gauge dropped quickly on run back. With about 120 miles on odo, the gauge shows 3 bars. For me, that's about 1 bar shy of normal. My RSV hits 2 bars and and within a few miles, I have to switch to reserve. I used to go between 180 and 200 on a tank....assuming both highway and secondary road speeds with reasonable wind. I check mileage at every fill up. So next up, I'll pull air cleaners and plugs and check them. It's time anyway...been a year on both.

LOL! Who knows what the weather Gods have in store for us! Officially, the monsoon is from mid June to end of September. https://www.tripsavvy.com/arizona-monsoon-facts-2683732 But we have had serious flooding rains in December and April as well. So who really knows!

More thoughts: 1: Make sure the audio amp ground is good. IE, take it off, use a wire brush to clean both the wire contact and the frame area, put back together. 2: Using an ohm meter, check to see if the signal ground is also the chassis ground. On the OHM setting, put the meter leads on a good known chassis ground, then use like a spare mini plug without wires, or one with a broken off wire (headphones) and check for resistance between the chassis ground and the shield ground...usually the part of the plug closest to the wire end (3rd contact area closest to wire). Do so with the system off. The tip and ring are for left/right signal. Today, and since the beginning of transistorized circuits, some manufacturers tie the signal and chassis grounds together....while others "float" the signal grounds. The latter solution isn't really kosher but works well for the most part. On Motorcycles, where ignition systems/wires run very close to audio, this really isn't a good idea. However, due to circuit design on the amps, etc., you probably shouldn't try to tie the systems together as damage may occur. We simply have no idea how the amp is designed...and no schematics so we could check it out. If we could, the solution could be simple. Most noise on an unbalanced audio input...ie...the aux circuit on the RSV...is coming/traveling along the shield of the cable and not being grounded before it enters the amp system. The problem is how to stop the noise or at least lower the noise floor so the signal is loud enough to be heard without the noise being a bother. Cranking your GPS volume up would work if you could do that. You added a choke to the power of the GPS, so we know that's not the whole problem. If you have an adapter system that adds the GPS signal to the 5 pin cable, then the noise problem is within the adapter as the 5 pin system seems to be pretty well built/routed/shielded. Within the adapter is going to be the circuit that mates the two signals and supposedly does so with the proper impedance (level matching) as well as filters the audio from the GPS AND is a grounded/shielded box to protect from stray RF from getting into the adapter circuit board. That's as far as I can go for now. Awaiting your responses. david

John, From your description, you've been through about everything I would check for. Questions: 1: Is the GPS connected through the aux circuit? 2: cuts in and out? Power or signal? 3: Choke in power wire. Good. But. Did you also look into the signal wire? The aux circuit is an unbalanced circuit, so it will pass ignition noise on through the circuit. Thought: Did you look into re-routing some of the wires or wrapping them with aluminum foil or a metal mesh that you can ground>

No, had an appointment in Tucson this morning early. Will try to get out tomorrow am before the weather hits. We are in our "monsoon" season. Ie, IF the weather pattern is just right, we get rain. So far, after the past 4 weeks of record breaking heat, we have had rain more often than not. Kinda nice actually. Of course, the humidity peaks for a few hours reminding me I could never live in the South! At least I dry up in the July mornings (sometimes) and it's cool enough to open doors in the early am!

Known issue on that year bike. Search forum...lots of choices.

I bought one for my wife and youngest kidlet. Also gave one to a friend for a present. He ended up using his. It worked! Guess that's the best thing you can say about a product. Check the charge and charge it up once in a while. I keep one in my truck and one goes in the saddlebag of whichever bike I take on a trip. That and a tire pump with a plug kit are most important. IMHO... That one you linked to looks good and price is about right. Did you check Costco or Sam's Club to see what they might have?

Sync'd the carbs after I got back from the breakfast run. Used way to much gas for the little trip down and back....

> Makes one wonder why this part would go bad. Not much to it, I gather... I can see after 20 plus years the gas would destroy the unit, but not after 10 or 12 years. Wonder if I can simply replace the little thermistor? Probably not more than few bux to buy one.[/color]

Same problem with my 05. I'll do the test to confirm the sending unit isn't working for the light side of the unit. If that's the case, I'll do the same...just go without. Maybe someday I'll find a unit cheap enough to make it worth my while to replace it. In the meantime, I almost always stop for gas before 2 hours is up...as butt doesn't like sitting that long!

Understand, Jeff. I'm concerned about where the clearances are on the valves. Maybe I shouldn't be as scoot has only 60K miles and supposedly had valves gone through once already. RE: cowpuc...yea....right on this one too. Shame, cause I think he would really like the riding down here...

Clive, Video reaffirmed that you need to break out the rotten plastic and clean the rim. Good to know. Thanks

After a nice 67 mile breakfast run, came home and synced the carbs on the RSV.

Appreciate the positive thinking, Clive! Once I get the parts in, I'll whistle while I work. And take notes and pictures and really take my time!! Grins. What started all this is the PO last year gave me a bag of shims and said he had just done the valves. That was 15K miles ago. And my gas mileage has dropped. Went from 42 at 75 to 38 at 75. I know that was because I corrected the speedo so now my speedo and odo are much closer to accurate, the mpg's will go down. But from 38 to 35.....nope that's something else. This morning's run to the border and back gave me 68 miles ... almost 1/3rd tank. That's not right for this scoot. I usually get about 75 miles on 2 or 3 bars depending upon wind. BTW, I've never seen the red fuel light...I always stumble first and have to switch to reserve before any light comes on. Yes bulb is good. Plugs (iridiums) are less than a year old, slightly used vacuum port plugs so they should be good, everything else looks good. Do need an oil change....but I doubt that's worth poor mpg's. This mornings ride: 1st pic is breakfast at a diner near the border. 2nd pic is another one of those roads to nowhere. You can't CTFW to far on these roads as they stop....nothing in front but desert. I like this area (Rio Rico) a lot. The clouds throw nice mottled light on the hills behind me. They get a lot of rain down here for Arizona. So it's always a bit cooler. If cowpuc ever came down this far, I doubt he would move back up North. Geesh...I just hijacked my own thread....

Beautiful day after a few nights of rain! Prayers Up!

Wish there was someone around here who was about to do theirs. I'd like to see how it goes. But I think @KIC is good on his. At least he hasn't mentioned doing any valve work. We only talked about our oil leaks....getting together to tear in to those. Plus, I volunteered to help him replace the shock again. We have a donor bike and the rear shock seems pretty good. I'll look on youtube and see if there is a video that shows what I need. Thanks, gentlemen...

Dion, Yea...maybe. I can try that. Thanks. Other than taking a Dremel to it, I'm not sure what else to try. It won't pry out....

I've given some thought to tool kits. Have come to the conclusion you can't prepare for every contingency. So what I carry, is the standard tool kit that came with the bike, air pump with gauge, emergency battery charger (lithium), socket set, 12volt inflator. If I'm on a long trip in middle of nowhere, then more tools. On local freeways, less tools. Right saddlebag is relegated to tools. Room left over goes to sneakers/liners, etc.. Most important things are credit card, insurance card and friends phone #'s along the way. In AZ, we also carry extra water, snack food and an emergency raincover/reflector/first aid kit. I don't carry tire changing...probably couldn't handle that anyway at my tender age!! I don't carry spare stators, tires, etc.. I do tend to trust my scoots maybe a bit to much.

Thanks Jeff. So a little twist backwards is ok. Good to know.

I'm thinking of checking my valves on the 05. I've read through the procedure and other than the 3 hours it will probably take me to get down to where I can see and get to the valve covers, I'm ok with doing this. BUT, there seems to be a discrepancy with the procedure to insert/remove the tool. The posts I read said rotate the engine enough(counterclockwise) to get the valve tool to the proper position to remove the shim but go no farther as you can break the tool or the motor! Here's the question, if you can't go to far or you will break something, how the heck do you get the tool out? You are not supposed to go backwards (clockwise) or you might damage something inside, and if you keep going counterclockwise you might break the tool or the motor? Sorry, but my logic is out the window on this one. What am I missing? How does the tool come out so you can do the next set of valves?????

OK...got a chance to go out to work on the 89 this morning. Went to try and get the old sight glass out of the spare clutch MC that I took off a parts bike that @KIC and I picked up from a generous couple who own a VR Trike. They donated their parts bike to us for our use. The glass/plastic(?) crunched out in pieces, yea it was that far gone. But is this all there is? Is there a ring or something holding it in? Or just glued? I did order the replacement kit @Prairiehammer posted a while back and some crystal lenses that were posted as working as well (just in case). TIA