BlueSky

Nice to see those First Gens!

Compression will not be affected by the carbs not seated properly. To get a good compression reading, the throttle has to be open when checked. If the carbs are off the bike, the compression can be tested accurately. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-8Pc-Spark-Plug-Cylinder-Compression-Tester-Test-Kit-Professional-Gas-Engine-/332155770002?_trksid=p2385738.m2548.l4275

For what it's worth, there is a member of the Kawasaki forum who rides a Yamaha FJR1300 bought new and the last I heard it had over 90k miles on it. Anyway, he's anal about maintenance and gets the oil lab tested to make sure how long it can be used. He said the Rotella oil didn't last very long in his bike. He uses Valvoline synthetic.

Remove the plug. Put it back into the spark plug cap and ground the body of the plug against the engine with the engine running. You should see a spark at the spark plug gap. If you have spark, it might be worthwhile to do a compression test on the engine. To do so, remove all plugs and hold the throttle open when checking the compression. A good compression test number will assure you that there is no mechanical problem.

Glad she is okay! And thanks for posting this. It's a good reminder for all of us to be careful out there. Trajedy can occur at any moment.

Looks like you are okay with that tire according to the sidewall. Just made me wonder after looking up the Challenger. Surely wouldn't want anything bad happen to our National Treasures, Puc, Tippy, and Tweeksis!

That Kenda surely does look like a beefy tire. Report back on how it performs and wears.

Is windows 10 worse than Google for mining data?

[quote=BTW I've been told that once you use a synthetic don't go back to a dino oil. Not sure why exactly but thought I'd mention it. Lots of old mechanics tales about "synthetic" oil vs dino. You can mix and match whatever meets the spec and be okay. Switch back and forth if you want and it's okay.

Any brand oil that states on the bottle that it meets JASO MA spec for motorcycles. Your choice for the brand.

There are a lot more dreamers than I thought. If Yamaha puts a 1700cc V4 in this new touring bike, everybody will pay attention. The bike magazine editors will go nuts over it. It will be in the class of the 1800cc flat 6 Goldwing or the 1600cc I6 BMW! If they put a V-twin in it, most riders and bike mag editors will yawn and won't be excited. How successful has the Kawasaki Voyager been? Yawn. I'm sure it's a nice bike but what about it is outstanding? The price maybe compared to a Hardley?

An infrared thermometer is a great tool to have for measuring exhaust pipe temperatures. Also, unscrew the spark plug caps and check for corrosion of the copper wire core. If corroded clip 1/2" or 3/4" off the wire and screw back into the cap. ngk.com has new caps for these bikes that have 5k ohms resistance (about $2.60each)versus the 9k ohms resistance of the OE caps.

I really like the looks of that BMW by the way. It appears to have a wide comfy seat and enough rake in the front end to track on the highway really well. A big thumbs up from me!

One of these is really handy. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dr-Meter-IR-20-Non-contact-Digital-Laser-Infrared-Thermometer-50-C-to-550-C-Memory-Function/187896573?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=2762&adid=22222222227077798679&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=190053550968&wl4=pla-294783571614&wl5=9010080&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=113126187&wl11=online&wl12=187896573&wl13=&veh=sem

I was getting excited until I checked and found out that Markel motorcycle ins is not available in my state, NC.

So you're saying it doesn't have an oxygen sensor to determine how to adjust the fuel flow, just a pre-determined fuel mix. I'm sure there is a vacuum sensor feeding the brain.

Seems to me that with FI the engine fuel mix would be adjusted for different altitudes. There is no avoiding the thinner air issue, unless you have forced induction.

We should do a poll and see how many members are realists and think it will be a V-twin and how many are dreamers and think it will be a V4:stickpoke:

Which bike?

I checked the mcmaster links but I didn't see any JIS impact bits.

Actually, the JIS screwdriver from Kawasaki tool kit I was using on my Kawasaki carbs was found to be lacking. If I applied too much pressure the bit would sink too far into the handle. It was designed to interchange the flat blade and "phillips" head bits. I did use my impact driver on a couple carburetor screws and it worked fine but I'm sure the JIS bits will do a better job.

I looked on the web for some 5/16" (8mm) shank impact driver JIS bits to fit my very old Sears impact driver and found some at vesseltools.com. I ordered a set of JIS bits and a set of JIS screwdrivers. A little pricey but at least they had what I was looking for. Supposed to be a 2 day delivery. My wife ordered some Hozan JIS screwdrivers from ebay or Amazon for a Christmas present and the least expensive vendor of the brand was in Japan and after ordering they told of a couple months delivery time. They never arrived and she did get a refund around March.

Bacon! Yummmm! I can't think of anything that tastes better than bacon.

Not that much difference. If the ethanol is 10%, it can't affect the mileage significantly.