MiCarl

To paraphrase Dingy, it's important. Might as well check the valve lash while you're looking for its home.

The air above the oil is also a spring. If the air space is larger the suspension is softer. It's supposed to be 409ml, not 400, and it may make a difference. For that matter, how much was in there before? Previous owner compensating for weak springs by using excess oil?

It's always running at maximum output. If the insulation breaks down it'll burn up. Nothing you can do about it.

If it is indeed 2 brush it really shouldn't be listed for the newer V-Max motorcycles. As near as I can recon the Mitsuba SM-229C is a 2 brush starter. The Mitsuba SM13279 is the 4 brush. THIS ONE is from the same seller at $99 and lists it as replacing both the SM-229C and the SM13279. It's more likely to be a 4 brush starter. Rare Electrical is the outfit I bought mine from, but they don't seem to currently list a V-Max starter. Might be worth giving them a call (866) 695-0363.

Me too. Large enough diameter to be very comfortable. Don't remember the model number, but it's the one that fits GoldWing.

Carl, If the carbs aren't working properly the butterflies will be too far open for the load and RPM. With the butterflies too far open more air gets in and the vacuum decreases. I'd have suggested this as the first thing but got the impression from the original post that the carbs had been cleaned. Sounds like everything else has been ruled out.

If you're going to do the steering bearings I suggest you go ahead and pop new ones in. You're already doing most of the labor so you might as well have new ones. As Snaggletooth explained, replacing the springs is a pretty minor job. Since you'll be tearing the front apart anyhow it'll add just minutes to the overall job. I'd replace the fork oil while at it, let them bleed out while you do the rest of the job.

My 89 has the flimsy fork brace. Never had a situation like you describe, even in heavy wind. Something isn't right. Another thought is to make sure the forks are tight in the tree and same height. These can be tricky. I had a friend/customer claimed her RSTC had severe head shake. Her husband had no problem and it rode like a dream for me. Passed all the tests I had you do. I repacked the head bearings using moly grease and she says it's fine now.

That does happen. Bottom line, the vacuum problem is because some cylinders aren't pulling their weight. Possible causes: - Way out of sync as Marcarl says. If you don't want to pull the carbs back off you can pull the slides out and airboxes off. Have a look down the throats (throttle closed) and the butterflies should at least look the same. If you can see any difference they are WAY off. - Carburetor mixtures off - Ignition problem (plugs, wires, igniter). Fuel fouled plugs may spark outside the engine but will no in the cylinder. New plugs is a cheap test. - Major mechanical problem (valves, rings etc.)

Some things are pretty easy to check on a 1st gen.... Put it on the center stand and load someone into the passenger seat to lift the front wheel off. Then the following: Spin the front tire. Look for any radial or lateral run out. If there is more than 2mm you've got a tire or mounting problem. Any roughness could be a wheel bearing problem or just brakes dragging a bit. Turn the bars lock to lock. Feel for any binding or roughness. Resistance should be steady across the range of movement without any slight catching. Problems here are head bearings. Grab the bottom of the fork legs. Pull/push forward/backward. You should feel no looseness. If you feel motion you've got a problem with the forks or head bearings. Grab the wheel and push/pull forward/backward feeling for any play. There should be none. If you found some play here and not in the earlier steps you've got a wheel bearing problem. Unload your passenger assistant. Check the rear tire and wheel bearings as you did the front. Feel for any play in the swing arm. Report your results back here.

Congratulations GAWildcat and hubby for benefiting from Dragonslayer's (temporary?) insanity.

RadioShack used to sell one, and might still. Just a few $$ One thing to think about, you want the socket to be in a dry location. They'll corrode fast if damp and powered.

AGM batteries are Lead-Acid batteries. The difference to a flooded lead acid battery is the acid is absorbed into a glass mat (Absorbed Glass Mat) rather than loose in the cell. Here is the wikipedia article on non-flooded batteries.

Open one of the float bowl drains. It's a Phillips screw. They drain through the black hoses sticking through the bracket just under the carbs. Let it bleed out. Then turn on the key and see if more fuel comes through. The fuel pump will only run for a few seconds without the engine running so you might have to cycle the key a few times. If you're not getting fuel you know it's plugged up somewhere. It's be very unusual to lose all four coils or all four plugs at once. Even the TCI (it's not a CDI ignition) has a functional unit for each cylinder so most failures there won't wipe them all out.

I had a similar problem on my 89. One of the headset wires was broken inside the rider cable on the motorcycle - right at the connector. I could make it come in and out by flexing the cable there. I ended up getting a replacement cable from Sierra Electronics. They sell them in pairs, it's way too long and you loose the attenuator on the control box above the clutch lever. I just wadded the extra length behind the air box and don't miss the attenuator. I eventually sold the extra one to someone else with this problem.

I checked the fiche today looking for a petcock screen. I was expecting to something with an oval cross section tall enough to cover the inlet tube. There was no such thing in the fiche. Can someone that has had a good fuel cock in hand confirm that there is a screen on it?

When gasoline is in a tank in the ground its temperature is generally cool. When you pump it into the motorcycle on a hot day the gasoline will warm up and expand. I believe that sleeve in the fill neck is to ensure an air pocket so the gasoline has room to expand without running out the vent. Is an extra pint of fuel worth messing with it?

There should be a filter screen on the inside of the petcock. What probably happened is you blew a bunch of crud out of it which is now sloshing around in the fuel tank. Eventually it'll probably plug up again. This isn't something you want to happen when you are down hill from home....... Also, it's possible that the inside of the tank is rusting which will be a continuing problem until it's sealed. If you remove the seat you can unbolt the fuel sender from the top of the tank. The opening is large enough you should be able to get a look at what's going on.

An air stream from your air gun will also break tough ones loose. VERY messy though, hold a rag over everything if you try this.

The way you do this is by rotating the bucket the opposite direction before inserting the tool. Then as the tool goes in it'll pull the slot back to where you need it.

You don't need a degree wheel to check valve lash, the angles aren't that critical. If you're not comfortable eyeballing them you can borrow a protractor from someone's school bag and mark the alternator rotor with a pencil at 70, 180 and 250 degrees (there is already a mark at 0). Working in order with cylinder 1 at TDC (0 degrees): 0 degrees - #1 180 degrees - #3 70 degrees - #2 250 degrees - #4

It's 1-3-2-4. There is a misprint where it is listed in Dingy's second figure. If you think about it, the only way it could be 1-3-4-2 would require a much more complicated crank and wider engine.

The existing tach is plenty accurate for judging idle speed.

The clutch can be rebuilt on the side stand, no problem. He goofed it up somehow.

So which one are you trying to use????? For the table, move the U-bolts up by the clamp. Get a pair of tie down extensions and loop them around the forks just above the lower tree. Walk the bike up on the lift. Have the warden tighten the wheel clamp and strap it down to the tie down extensions. Backward is the same, except the extensions wrap around the bag guards (on MKII).