MiCarl

This morning I had an email from eBay advising me to change my password. Glad they finally got around to it.

I have two eBay accounts and my wife has one. What is disappointing is eBay didn't bother to notify us. Apparently it is legit though because when I logged on to change my passwords eBay recommended I change them because they'd been hacked.

I use a different brand GPS that has traffic, but I suspect the information source for all of them is the same. It seems to receive information about long term construction but nothing about traffic incidents. I turned off the functionality years ago because it caused more problems than it solved, especially on the motorcycle.

All turn signal switches have some method to cancel the signal. If yours won't press in or down it probably just needs to be returned to center.

One more suggestion for you: After you assemble the rack either eyeball the butterfly opening gaps or measure with a small wire. If you get them all close on the bench the vacuum syncing will go much smoother later.

If the fairing and bags are in decent shape they're likely worth quite a bit.

If it won't light starting fluid you've either got very low compression or an ignition problem. Fuel soaked spark plugs (from the carburetors flooding) won't light anything, although they may spark outside the engine.

What does that mean?? The carburetors likely need a complete overhaul. Float valves not closing. Carburetors need overhauled. The stock starter doesn't exactly spin it briskly, and it sounds like yours does. This might indicate low compression - I'd do a compression test before doing anything else.

This is why I switched to broadcast TV. It only takes me 3 minutes to figure out there is nothing to watch.

I think he was referring to the one at the back of the CB. You get to it by pulling the right top panel. The other end of the DIN cable goes to the amp - under the left top panel.

The griping about Fram filters applies to the spin on type, and I'm not sure it's justified. The cartridge you use for your Venture is a different animal all together.

I think you'll find that there is a broad range of them that will work. So long as the CMS sees any voltage on that lead it is happy. The purpose of the resistor is to make sure you don't run too much current through the CMS. You cannot hurt anything by going too high. When I did mine I pulled out my fingers and toes and calculate what the maximum current might flow through that resistor in the wire. Then I back tracked to calculate the resistance at 12V. Then I rounded up. I think I ended up at 10K, and it works fine.

I don't know about the NAPA part but the correct Fram filter is the CH6002. The Fram filter includes new o-rings for the bypass bolt and housing.

Whatever the reason, it's a rare day someone doesn't do that or turn left in front of me. Vigilance is your only defense. Some time when you're sitting at a red light in a car pay attention to cross traffic as it passes your A-pillar (the structural piece that separates your door from the windshield). You'll notice that a whole car can disappear behind it. How long do you think a motorcycle is invisible because of it?

That isn't a red connector. It's a probe that is inserted into the battery to sense the electrolyte level. It can only be used with a flooded type battery that has a seventh hole in the top to insert it into. If you use any other type of battery you need to bypass it or the CMS will constantly show a battery warning.

I've only seen two things cause this type of behavior: 1) The float needles are marginal so they seal sometimes, not others. 2) The twisting and turning to get the rack assembled and installed causes floats to get stuck in an unnatural position. You can tap the float bowls with the handle of a screwdriver while they fill, which is difficult to do on a Venture. You can also fill them until they start to flood then disconnect the fuel pump. Start the motorcycle and let it run for a few minutes before reconnecting the fuel pump. The engine vibration coupled with the falling fuel level often will shake them loose.

Yes, the one that attaches the brake line. It's a high spot and tends to trap air that doesn't bleed out.

If the slave is bad it will leak. Furthermore, even when leaking they generally work until you get air in the system. Bleed it at the banjo bolt. The way you do it is compress the lever, loosen the bolt, tighten the bolt then release the lever. Do it several times. Lots of rags and towels around the bolt to keep the brake fluid off the plastic. If you're sure all the air is out and it still doesn't work it'll likely be the master cylinder.

I use a National Cycle product called Rain Zip. I use it both on the windshield and helmet visor. Like many of the other tricks, it doesn't help much below about 40mph. At high speeds it sheds water nicely. I also put it on the inside of my windshield to help the drops fall off rather than cling there. Behind the windshield there just isn't enough air movement to clear the face shield. I either wipe it with my hand or pop my head up into the air flow. At speeds above 60 or so not much rain makes it to the face shield anyhow.

If you have the pressure unloaded it should tick. If you've disconnected the inlet too so it's got no fuel to pump it should be quite noisy.

There is a reason Spyder puts the pair of wheels on the front rather than the rear. Watch when you do a sharp turn in your car, or better yet watch a car chase in an old movie. The outside front corner tends to dive because the mass of the car is trying to go straight and the weight transfers to that wheel (just like it transfers to the front in hard braking). The anti-sway bar on the front of passenger vehicles is there to reduce the effect by pulling the inside front corner down. On a trike there is nothing on the outside of the front to counter that dive. Turn fast enough and it'll roll. Just like that car in the video. To roll a spyder or 4 wheel vehicle you'd have to be going quite a bit faster.

The trick on that o-ring is to stick it in place with a gob of grease. Doesn't hurt to unpackage it the day before so it can relax either.

I've got a friend with a Tour Deluxe. He'd like to put a 2nd gen passenger seat on it. Does anyone know if it will bolt right up? If not, what modifications are required? Does the rider seat need to be swapped out too?

If it really dropped in there it probably made it clear to the bottom. I'd turn the engine over by hand a few times to make sure it wasn't hung up in something where it could do damage. If it made it to the bottom it could probably lie there forever without causing any issues. Some motorcycles have open spaces behind the clutch cover where you can get into the oil pan with a magnet. It's been awhile since I was into a Venture so I'm not sure if there is room to fish for a shim or not. Someone who has recently been into the clutch/shift segment might be able to give some input.

There are places that spin balance motorcycle tires (most of them, at least big shops and dealers). But there is no advantage, at least if there is nothing in them when it is done. Car and truck tires are wide enough that differences of balance across the wheel cause torsional effects. High speed dynamic balancing balances both sides of the wheel to reduce that, improving ride and tire life. Motorcycle tires are narrow and get a static balance, even on a spin machine. I can easily balance a motorcycle tire within 5 grams (the smallest weight I can buy) on a rig that is essentially an axle on a set of bearings. The only one I ever had come back was because the tire had an actual flat spot, not out of balance. I can see where if the ride on was already in the tire and you were trying to balance it my method wouldn't work. High speed spinning might be necessary to distribute the liquid evenly around the tire. Having said that, a static balance like I use doesn't require them to be turned at all. I don't know what this hand turning is about........