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NLAlston

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Everything posted by NLAlston

  1. NLAlston
    Yeah, I have another problem that I don't know how to surmount. For the last few days I had been noticing how increasingly problematic my bike's starting has been. It had begun to take longer & longer to get it started, with each attempt. Today, I went out to start my bike - and it wouldn't. I mean, it acted as if it wanted to, but it wouldn't start. The Volt-meter would read at the "12" position, with just the key turned to "On". When the 'Start' button is pressed, that needle would dip to the line right at the 'yellow'. For the first few days of having this new battery, there was a much stronger voltage reading for it. But that is not the case now, though, and I wonder if there is something depleting the battery's power. Would the 'Stator' have any possible connection with this situation? If not, please share your thoughts on what "I" might be able to do to find out what's going on.
  2. NLAlston
    Thanks Rocket - I will definitely try that. The other thing is that I also now get a loud 'pop' when I get up to cruising around 65mph, or so. It happened twice today, and only for a single time each at each event. But when it happened it kinda scared me , as it was SO loud. 'don't know what it was due to, but it causative of something - and I need to find out why. We'll see what happens after I have given some very loving attention to my bike.
  3. NLAlston
    Well...I learned that the window was ok, and that I could read the fluid level. That window is about 3/4 of the way full, and (if I have gotten an accurate coloring reading of what's in there) the oil is VERY dark. In fact, it looks black, through the window. Sometime tomorrow, methinks that I will expend the effort of draining & replacing the oil. Depending on the cost factor, I would like to flush ALL of the fluids, and replace all filters as well. But I feel that I should, first, try to zero in on why my bike is sounding like it is now. I took a ride, a little while earlier, to get myself a pair of swimming trunks, and decided to hit a place further out -to give myself a little more riding time. The last few days, I had been noticing how the engine seemed to sound a little differently. At first, I thought that I was imagining things. But I wasn't. The best way to describe what I am hearing is to say that it sounds like a muffler going bad. But the sound seems to be coming directly from within the engine, and the bikes operation doesn't seem to be what it was. My 'Red Stallion' now sounds like it's struggling to get where I'm trying to take it. I don't know what it is, but I am afraid to take it too far away from home, now. And that's a total bummer, because I really like to put some miles under me when I am on the bike. But again, my bike is 24yrs old - and I guess that these type of issues should be considered par for the course.
  4. NLAlston
    Gibvl, I thank you too.
  5. NLAlston
    Thanks Robert. I just may take you up on that, in the event that I do not fare too well with my efforts on getting those screws out.
  6. NLAlston
    No problem, buddy. It's really nothing at all. I was just expressing the events on my attempt to make it out your way, the other day .
  7. NLAlston
    Hey Brad, I sit on the bike (when it is on the center stand) and give it a push forward. I also just got off the phone, not long ago, with 'Rocket'. We had a nice little talk, and I found him to be a REALLY NICE individual. He called me, and we talked for about twenty minutes, or so. During the conversation he did share something, with me, about the procedure for getting the bike on the center stand. I had been doing things right - except for pulling backward on the bar, instead of lifting 'up' on it. I would venture to say that I should fare a great deal better when I try it out, tomorrow. Thanks
  8. NLAlston
    Thanks Robert. This is very helpful info, as I just posted about having GREAT difficulty (what with my back problem) getting the bike up on its center stand. By the way, did you get my PM ?
  9. NLAlston
    Guys...I thank you much. I will most definitely have to employ the help of someone else, to view the level. My does indeed have a center stand, but I have a lower back condition, which makes putting the bike on that stand extremely problematic for me. Of the number of times that I have attempted it, success was realized just once. Even then, it kinda got to my back, a little bit. But at least I now know where it is, now, and only hope that its level can be viewed much better than that of the brake fluid reservoirs resting above the handlebar grips. The screws are stripped, on the left-hand container, and I will have to find some way to get them out. Checking the fluid levels in those, will entail removal of the cover - which wouldn't be too bad, being that they are readily accessible. The engine oil fill-level would be another matter, though, because that lower window would be all that I would have to make reference to. Once I find it in the service manual, I would be better armed as to how to (maybe) check the level - somewhere - with a 'dip stick', and also info on how to go about adding/changing oil. Thanks again, my friends.
  10. NLAlston
    ......how to check the engine oil level, in my '83 VR. I had heard, somewhere, that there was a little window where the level of the engine oil could be viewed. I have looked all over the sides of my bike, but could find nothing of the sort. I have also been moving back & forth through the downloaded service manual but, alas, there was nothing to be found. Even a search through the PDF reader failed to pull anything up (though I am sure that it must be in there, somewhere). I really need to know how to check the engine oil level, and would appreciate someone outlaying the blueprint for me - OR, directing me to the page where I could find what I am looking for, in the service manual. Advanced thanks.
  11. NLAlston
    Thanks Mike. I really like what you had done, and can see that some retrofitting will indeed be warranted. But I guess that I kinda knew that anyway . Answer this for me, though: What did you have to do for the wiring harness? I mean, is it at all possible that your newly installed player's connector matched up with the receiving connector in your bike? If so, that would be very nice - and the rest of what would be needed shouldn't pose too much of a challenge for me. There is a West Marine outlet not more than five minutes from where I live. After dropping off my bike, tomorrow morning, I think that I will pay them a visit, to see what they might have to offer me. I know that you said you're using your Ipod in conjunction with an FM Modulator, but I would like to get one with an AUX jack. I would not be able to embed the player, just as you have done, because my Ipod would have to be tethered. But I'll see what their prices are looking like. It could very well be that purchasing an FM Modulator for a player without an AUX jack, might be a little cheaper - or just about the same - for buying just the player with that incorporated jack. I don't know...but tomorrow will tell . Thanks much.
  12. NLAlston
    No...it doesn't have a CB. I would sure love to have a CD/player unit in there, but (as one poster mentioned) there might have to be some consideration, needing to be rendered, to possible problems resulting from a CD playing in the 'vertical' position. It might be worth it, though, to have such a unit installed just for the capability of playing/recharging my Ipod. If I can find one to properly fit the housing - I'll buy it. As it is, right now, I worry that there might be a lot of electrical & physical retrofitting to get a setup working for me. I will definitely look into it, though.
  13. NLAlston
    I went to Harbor Freight, the other day, and picked up a Torque Wrench for work on my bike. The one I bought is a 1/2" drive - 20-150ft lb unit. If memory serves me correct, the torque for spark plugs is 12.5ft lb (or somewhere around that). I will make doubly sure, before I attempt to do any actual work, but I do know that their torque requirements are below the minimum range of what I bought. I will need to get another, but will have to go elsewhere - as I believe that HF only had the range-type that I bought. I would appreciate some info on just what I would need, in a torque wrench, which would serve all torquing requirements for my '83 VR.
  14. NLAlston
    Thanks BH, It turned out that the cassette player does work. I just came back from Walmart with one of those cassette adapter units, and found that it did work - to a degree, anyway. Though the radio's output could be better, I have to say that it was miles ahead of what was offered from the adapter (connected to my Ipod). Not only was the sound greatly decreased, but with a whole lot of static. On top of this was the offensiveness of a very audible 'popping' sound, which could be heard at about 10-12 second intervals. I know that I would not be able to bear these things, so the adapter will be going back. On a whim, I tried the cassette tape again, and - this time - it worked in the deck. I didn't expect the sound output to be any different; I just wanted to see if it would work. Looks like it will have to be 104.1FM for me .
  15. NLAlston
    SilvrT, If I do wind up with a repaint (and that's a BIG 'IF', due to financial constraints) it will definitely have to be a project of my own doing, and will use the spray bombs that you've suggested. My compressor is a small pancake unit, which is good for powering my nail guns - but not sufficient enough for such as a spray unit. Then, too, there are other issues such as not having the proper breathing equipment, or appropriate space for doing the job as it 'should' be done. If this is repainting is indeed effectuated, it will have to be done - a piece at a time - in my small basement shop. With so much to dismantle, though, I worry some about not remembering how to get everything back together again . My bike has to go back into the shop, tomorrow, for some things that need attention. I had already known of another visit, there, for the purpose of having the carb readjusted, after the recent rebuild. But there is also a leak, which has manifested itself, emanating from the two braided hoses at the bottom of the radiator. If no other issues (particularly major ones) crop up for the rest of the riding season, I will prepare the bike for painting. Though I really don't like the main color of my bike, I think that I could live with it - providing that the entire bike was this color. But the trunk & saddlebags being a different color, from the body of the bike, has grown to be an eye-sore to me. So, maybe next season, I'll be (God willing) riding about with a 'new looking' bike . Thanks.
  16. NLAlston
    A lot of helpful information on this matter, and I really do appreciate it. But I have come away from it all a little daunted, and have decided that it might be best for me to just continue riding my bike like it is. I mean, it isn't if I am trying to make a fashion statement . I, as already stated earlier, am not too sure of my bike. I bought it used, and it is old. There could be some 'sprouting' issues that my little money might serve a more meaningful, and more practical purpose. If I am able to continue riding, without event, then that money could be saved toward a new bike. You'll have to forgive me, but I honestly didn't know that a paint job on a bike would command such out-of-pocket expense. We live and we learn . And a very heartfelt thanks to each & every one of you.
  17. NLAlston
    Well, I just recently returned from Walmart, with a BelkinII FM Transmitter (they had no dedicated ones for the Ipod), and found that it just wasn't going to work out for me. Not only did there seem to be a problem with the trasmitter, itself, but it so happened that my radio now refuses to allow for an elevating OR lowering of the stations. I was (up until just today) able to stick a toothpick or pin into the increment/decrement wells for station changes - but no more. It is stuck on 104.1, which isn't bad at all. But I would sure love to be able to listen to some Lite Jazz, or other Easy Listening music. I wonder if I should try to find one of those cassette adapters. I know that I can't get a cassette to 'play', but maybe it doesn't have to - in order for the adapter to work. What I know about these type of things could be stored in a thimble , and I am thinking if it is possible that such an adapter would receive power just by sitting in that cradle. ??????
  18. NLAlston
    Thanks. Someone, here, mentioned that there were twenty-some-odd parts to be dismantled, for a paint job. It doesn't look like near that many, but maybe he was referring to all necessary parts to be removed - in order to get the required parts, for painting, off.
  19. NLAlston
    RedRider & BoardHead...Thanks guys. You just may have saved me some money & time, here. My niece had said that she'd look for her cassette adapter unit that she had misplaced. I didn't think that this would work, because I figured that the cassette player had to be in good working order first - and it is not. I am about to go to Walmart - right now - and get one of those FM transmitters. THANKS A HEAP!!!
  20. NLAlston
    You know, if I 'had it like that' I wouldn't mind shelling out the $700 (or so) smackaroos for a solid color repainting of my bike - providing, of course, that I had confidence IN my 'Red Stallion'. The fact of the matter is that I don't. Some issues are beginning to exhibit themselves which, thus far, haven't been TOO bad on me. If the movement keeps going in this direction, though, there could be something which might translate into a BIG TICKET repair job. I would LOVE to have my bike looking real nice, with a fresh, professional paint job done on it. But, under these circumstances, the cheapest way (for me, anyway) is the best way. One day, though .
  21. NLAlston
    Dray...thank you. I liked this (http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=DUAL_MXD_55_CD_Receiver&cname=Marine-Stereos&r=view&i=75692&aID=18N) as the price wasn't bad, at all, and I am now just trying to gain some info (before ordering) as to what would be involved in integrating the unit with my bike (any modifications to the chassis and/or wiring harness, etc.) before making an order. It isn't MP3 capable (disk-wise), but it does come with a hookup for an external player, such as my Ipod.
  22. NLAlston
    Initially, I didn't think that music was going to be such a big part of my riding (my previous bike had no such ability), but I now wish to better what I have on my '83 VR. It came with the radio/cassette deck, but the latter doesn't function at all. The radio does play, but only on certain stations. Changing between those few stations means pulling over, somewhere, and using a pin to depress within the well where the buttons used to reside. Even then, it is somewhat of a trying situation because the LED panel is with broken visuals, and also very dimly lit. I do have a 30gig Ipod that I would LOVE to use with it, but my unit is a little before such technological gadgetry , which means that it doesn't have the required connecting port. I have wondered, though, if there were some way to 'rig' a hookup for my Ipod, with what my '83 has. Providing that there is no possibility for the above, the next best thing would be a CD player capable of reading MP3 files. I have heard mention of 'marine grade' devices, and wonder how much more they would hit the pocket, over & above their conventional counterparts. Also, what else might I need to 'securely' install a CD player into the same well as the cassette player? Advanced thanks.
  23. NLAlston
    700 bucks? Good googla-moogla. 'and with the parts already stripped off? That seems downright criminal . Such a cost, for that, is truly a prohibitive amount, for me, which means that I will now HAVE to try to do it myself. Being somewhat of a woodworker I do have some experience with the technique of spray painting, so methinks that I shouldn't do too bad of a job with it. The one problem would be within not having a heated garage, and this would translate into my having to undergo such an endeavor during an 'in season' time. Another problem for me would be within disassembly of the parts to be painted. The only part that I can see which would raise a big problem for me, is removing the fairing's cover. Is there anything, in these parts, which explains/illustrates the procedure for doing so?
  24. NLAlston
    Randy, Thanks for that bit of information, and I am sure that it will likely prove to be very helpful to me. Now, I am going to have to find out how to get the seat off . I just went through a losing battle with that issue (yesterday) when my battery died. The dealership supplied me with a new one, and asked if I knew how to get to the battery. I replied in the affirmative, since someone had just recently informed me that the battery was under the seat. Well, after giving up on the attempts to remove it, I called the dealership back, and they told me that I had been given erroneous information. Fed with the 'right' info, I was able to move along in good fashion. The owner's manual, for the bike, didn't seem to have anything in there regarding the seat removal procedure (unless I, again, flew right over the info that I'd hoped to find), so I'll look through the tech libraries to see if something is in there. I don't wish to damage anything via a trial & error method.
  25. NLAlston
    I know that many of you had elected to do your own paint jobs, on your VR's, and I wish that I could do the same. I, however, do not have a heated garage and (during the off-season) I would really like to have my bike repainted. First off, I don't really like this 'off-pinkish & red (trunk & saddlebags) paint, and would like to have it painted black, with maybe some silver accents. To be honest, just having it painted a solid black would be fine. At some point, later on, I could probably do the accents myself. But I wondered if anyone here knew of a good place (somewhere near Amherst, NY) where I might be able to check out. Also a price for same, providing that information is also known. Thanks.
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