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Seaking

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Everything posted by Seaking

  1. Seaking
    Unfortunately we're kinda stuck with what is available in this area.. we're lucky to have any choice at all.. ergh.. I'll have to stick with the Yami Dino oil for now until I find something better and readily available.. however, bouncing from one brand to another to a diff type isn't doing me any favours.. :/ Gaskets? I'm not sure how to use the material stuff you're using but the $20 gasket works for me.. I'm the older school of opening a plastic bag kinda guy Cheers M8
  2. Seaking
    No, that is not what is being taught, that's what *I* did.. there is a difference.. I'd never been able to crank this bike around a sharp slow corner like that before and was working hard at it.. too hard.. and burnt my clutch.. and no, not around the half way mark to red line lol.. even I'm not that abusive.. It was an expensive learning process to get to where I can handle the bike now.. but for what i can do with my bike now, I'd have to say it was worth the price.. not the aggravation mind you.. After installing the new clutch and changing out the oil, I went back to try the course again and was able to redo the excises with much more ease and less revs on the engine.. the proper way, so to speak.. just a lot of practice.. Cheers M8
  3. Seaking
    What's the long term prognosis? Do they tend to eat down the discs prematurely?
  4. Seaking
    I have these on my Midnight now.. mounted down on the engine guard. I placed them there to provide a wider visual light foot print to oncoming traffic. During the daytime they really don't stand out much.. however, cloudy days, overcast and dusk into night is where these literally shine.. ouch.. and from such a super wide angle. I don't think they will light the road way ahead of you but the way I have mine installed is that they cast a bright light on my front wheel making the bike super visible from the side, and a bright blob in front and around the front end of the bike. Your OEM highway lights typically light better way ahead of these.. but these catch more attention from cagers a lot better OEM highway lights.. next nice night we have around here I'll do up some pics and clips to show what they do.. Combine those with the HID lights from the same company and wow..
  5. Seaking
    See, that's odd how it wore unevenly on yours but evenly on mine.. but all previous OEM pads were uneven.. strange.. "knock on wood" it remains the same. Have you noticed above normal wear on your discs by using the Double H pads?
  6. Seaking
    You mean it's not "This Side Up" arrow? lol.. just kidding!!
  7. Seaking
    I just changed out my rear brake disc this morning.. the previous 2 owners had gone metal on metal on the pads a few times, mostly because the inner pad wears out twice as fast as the outter one and yes, *I* even got caught like that on a road trip. I checked my pads and thought I had tons left.. but the inner pad wore out and I too found myself metal on metal on the inner rear disc. wow.. Bummer. Every time I had changed pads, I found the inner one tons thinner than the outside one.. Many of you had observed the same thing here. When I bought the bike, it was 2 years old, 20,000 miles on it and the rear disc was quite worn.. but wasn't something I really took notice of, the mechs told me "meh, seen worse but it's OK".. So I replaced the rear brake disc because it needed to be and mostly because I found a new one at a price you simply couldn't sneeze at.. I also replaced all the pads with the Double H Sintered pads from EBC. Last summer, when I replaced the rear pads, I did so with Double H Sintered pads.. I asked the shop to keep the pads for me for later examination. What was surprising is that there is no way to tell which was the inner and which was the outer pad, after 15 to 20,000 miles on them.. And I'm a heavy rear brake user because of the courses I do and the style of riding I do.. Well.. how about that.. And the pads were not even half used up yet.. But they were the same equal thickness.. Hmm how about that??? To me this is interesting. There is enough pad left to have finished off the summer on them easily.. What I will be monitoring this summer is how much brake disc material gets eaten up by the Double H pads. Someone had mentioned to me that you will sacrifice premature wear of the disc for using those pads. But you also get better braking (wow, I found that out on the way home today!) I have my shop note book of what and when I've done anything to the bike so I'll be able to keep a better record as to how much wear and tear is offered on the disc because of these pads. Based on what I observed on the first set of pads off this bike, I think I made the right choice.. However, your mileage and opinion may differ.. I'm not saying this is the absolute best route to take but it seems right to me based on what I saw and experienced.. I'll let you know if this worked out or not later this summer.. Field reports and such etc
  8. Seaking
    I hear ya M8.. After what I just went through and after hearing back from John at PCW, I will be going back to Dino oil, YamaLube after this.. Its readily available and actually priced lower than the Rotella.. I have nothing more than anecdotal evidence why I, personally won't be using Rotella again.. this is not to say there is anything bad about it.. but I can't feel right about using it again after what happened.. Other products I will lay in as 'suspect' but offer nothing more than anecdotal evidence is MotorKote treatment I added last fall.. The bike's exhaust started smelling funny after using it and it's around that time that the bike started feeling slightly but barely noticeable wonky.. Now with new clutch parts, new dino oil and such, it's like a whole new bike. We all have our reasons to use what we use.. I'm going back to basics.. Dino oil, YamaLube.. I ride a lot and change oil a lot and it's the most readily available oil at a decent price, and it's the one recommended by the bike's manufacturer.. But we'll see how this summer goes and how long I make this clutch last
  9. Seaking
    Sticking with the "one" oil is tricking in this weird town.. Even though there are two Yamaha dealers, they don't keep enough stock of anything.. Seems the Kawi oil might be the steady stuff.. they even run out of yamalube etc.. sigh.. I'm surprised they don't have to order that in from Japan every time you need to do an oil change..
  10. Seaking
    Now you know why I travel alone.. (that and the fact the missus HATES my mistress I typically have the 3 trunks full, a bag on the back rack and another on the rear seat.. Some road trips takes us through the rain snow and hail.. so you have to pack for everything.. sigh... But this year, leaving around the 17th May, I'm going light.. if I freeze.. OH WELL.. lol.. well Ok.. maybe not.. Cheers
  11. Seaking
    What's a lot of fun is that we all have our preferences and hear a lot of anecdotal stories about this and that oil, what works, what doesn't etc etc.. Honestly I don't know.. I can't see the Kawi oil causing problems anymore than I would point the finger at the expensive Amsoil or the Rotella.. I most likely severely abused the hell out of the clutch because I ride my bike too hard.. At the end of the summer I will be pulling the clutch apart again and inspecting the plates (give them a blast as well) and see how things are then.. its all speculation really.. I doubt the PCW spring plate had anything to do with it.. BUT, just silly curiousite.. you know how when the bike is on it's side stand and you remove the clutch cover, very little oil comes out.. it's a wet clutch.. I am not sure how it all works an all but when the bike is up right, I'm assuming the engine oil level floods that area to lub the discs for normal operation.. On the Advanced Rider Course, the bike is leaning hard in those maneuvers, so when I'm doing a lot of LEFT turns (say in the iron cross exercise) would that leave the clutch high and dry of oil for too long a period of time thus over heating the clutch? I don't know if it's a splash and spray system but those who took that type of course know how much the bike leans in those runs.. and you could be doing it for a long time.. Any thoughts to that one?
  12. Seaking
    I have huge hands and the fuel filter is in a nasty tight little space.. If I remember correctly, you take your left side cover off, unbolt the fuel pump, (blur memory) look head of the battery, there is a panel to remove.. I shove my hands in a far as I can get and man handle it out of the spot, change the filter and shove it back in. What helps for me is that I used to be a helicopter mechanic and used to do a lot of 'blind' work where you couldn't not see what your hands were doing because Sikorsky thought it would be a funny joke to suspend a component by a string and build a helo around it.. much like what yamaha did with the fuel filter. What also helps a lot is to shut off your fuel valve and disconnect the hose to drain the fuel line a bit.. When you manage to pull the fuel filter up out of the hole they put it in, you should enough free play to change the hoses.. (Caution, clean the hoses before pulling them off otherwise you risk contaminating your fuel system).. Once you've done it once.. it's not as bad as having done it the first time.. lol.. My friends get me to change their filters because I am not shy about it and prefer to go through the hassles of changing their filters than to go pick them up on the side the road with a clogged one..
  13. Seaking
    As one of those unlucky to discover his bike's previous owners never change fuel filters on his 2006 Midnight, I religiously change mine each year now. I had such a clogged filter last summer that it caused a lot of strange symptoms and most likely caused the premature failure of the fuel pump.. It's a nasty job to change it.. but not as nasty as what I went through last summer..! Change your filter once a year.. at least change it at some time or another
  14. Seaking
    Don't get me wrong, they are a neat idea and all.. But I do find it funny having to use such a bag when you have a large touring bike with lots of cargo space =) (as he tucks his waterproof duffel bag away on the passenger seat on road trips
  15. Seaking
    Hmm now why does that sound familiar?? Sound like fuel making it there but no ignition.. Chat it up with Goose, he'll help point you in the right direction..
  16. Seaking
    When I was 'wetting' the parts in oil, I used up the rest of the Rotella and put in a bit of the Kawasaki oil in.. wow, what a difference in colour.. Rotella was much darker than the Kawi oil.. which made me hesitate putting in Rotella back in.. no worries since it's no longer available on the shelves around here (or easily found?!) Hence why gone back to the Kawi However, a lot of the lads here use the Rotella and swear by it.. But after this, I would think I may keep away from it.. seems too coincidental for my tastes.. Might be great for the engine but not when up against an abused clutch.. I sent the photo and details to PCW, should hear back within a few weeks..
  17. Seaking
    I'll see what they have to say / recommend etc.. Cheers
  18. Seaking
    I wonder if it's NOT a switch per se (akin to the shut off lean switch).. then perhaps its that when you hit a bump, the load on the drive train is removed just for a moment and the system senses the off-load and switches itself off.. I know when I try to use cruise in heavy gusting winds it will switch off when the wind pressure drops quickly (doesn't happen often but enough to notice that happening..) Interesting.
  19. Seaking
    The PCW clutch spring is just a spring plate, heavier duty than the yammy one.. And their instructions for swapping out the half plates are clear enough, and I even had buddy at PCW confirm over the phone as to what and how I was doing it so I am very very confident it was properly installed.. Hard riding? Yes, I should think I ride the girl hard.. with over 20,000 miles and doing a lot of slow course maneuvers while I'm teach motorcycle safety courses, and slow city streets and such, I typically drop the hammer on the bike etc.. The clutch is hauling 900 lbs of bike and erhm ahh... a portly gentleman on top of that, it's a heck of a load to yank up the road.. I do ride the clutch a lot in slow speed turns and such.. As far as "oils" go.. Hmmm I'm wondering.. Every oil in the bike has been proper MC oil, none of that auto safe for bikes stuff.. Except for the last oil change which was the Shell Rotella.. but to be honest, the bike started to feel 'odd' even before that I should think.. Remember my saying about the 5th gear on the highway feeling odd and now it's super? There is no longer any buzz in the mirrors.. which to me says my clutch was chattering before it finally burnt out. Apart from the Yamaha oil, I've had one session of AMSOIL (expensive), two changes of Kawasaki 10W40 Synthetic and then the Rotella and now again with the Kawasaki 10W40 Synthetic (great price on it).. I plan to change my oil one more time before heading off on the big road trip down through the USA next month.. This will be something I'll be keeping an eye on for the next little while..
  20. Seaking
    You mean there actually *IS* such a thing on this bike? Dayum.. no wonder I can't keep CC engaged on the back roads around here... Bumps bumps and more bumps.. Well how about that!?
  21. Seaking
    wow, I now know what a burnt clutch looks like.. and its not a pretty sight.. If you recall I burnt out the clutch while on an advanced rider course the other weekend and ended up with so little clutch travel that it made riding the bike difficult trying to 'ride the clutch' in everyday slow maneuvers.. This was a PCW clutch mod I had installed last July, and probably have over 20,000 miles on it? (I did over 33,500 miles on the bike last summer alone, not bad for someone up in the great white north!) I pulled the clutch apart tonight and did an oil change at the same time as a precaution. The friction plates were smoothed out and the steel plates were BLACK!! with a tinge of blue here and there.. ouch.. no wonder!! In installed new friction and steel plates.. I didn't cross hatch sand the steel plates thinking that this would wear down the friction pads prematurely.. I dunno.. I have to go back tomorrow and whack smack dopey idiot at the parts counter for ordering the wrong Clutch Cover Gasket, which I paid extra for expedited delivery.. I reused the old, which is something you should never do! but you know how it is.. when you're geographically located exactly 2 weeks away from any source of Yamaha parts, you have to do what you have to do.. Perhaps Earl's parts will arrive sooner.. Regardless, someone tomorrow is gonna get an earful. However, with the new clutch installed, new oil in the bike, I have tons of clutch lever travel and a HUGE friction zone again! Better than that micro 1/4 inch play I had before. And the bike rides a lot smoother now, wow, impressive.. I'm guessing I did something to that clutch late last fall because as I was riding it since March this year, there was a weird shudder whenever in 5th on the highway.. now it's really GONE and the mirrors are glass smooth.. wow.Must have been the clutch shuddering.. And when I did the course it was all it could take and died.. odd.. Wondering if any of the several oils I tried might have contributed to it.. ? Anyway.. fun is fun as what it is.. I think the photo shows how black the steel disks are.. they start as bright brushed aluminum colour, but wow, from dark brown to black..
  22. Seaking
    Computer? On the 2nd Gen? I dunno.. I've been riding quite a lot now and haven't noticed anything amiss with it.. Plug and play.. Just be sure you don't any any modifiers on your lighting system, like modulators or such..
  23. Seaking
    Unfortunately that would not be the case in this situation as installing a new radio on the bike eliminates that possibility.. if there was water in the controller as you suggest then the 2nd radio would not have worked either.. But good guess.. Cheers Anyone know the number of whom I should call for Yamaha USA?
  24. Seaking
    Thanks for the additional info.. there's a dealership in Newport Maine who did my shock for me, having set things up over the phone etc.. I'll be calling them up and hopefully could do a non-shop time swap with them whereas I pull my own radio out and hand it to them.. only took 12 mins to swap them out the bike today.. quick.. I was surprised.. But it's that scaling warranty you alluded to that might be the show stopper.. Well this would certainly explain why my radio was getting static on the back roads.. like I lost 1/2 the range on my antennas.. Hmm Thanks again!
  25. Seaking
    yeah, I'm in Canada so it's finding the right dealership in the USA along I95 who can do this for me.. Most likely they'd have to order the radio in from Japan, like any and every frikken part I've had to order this past week lol.. I can't see a Canadian dealer about this because my bike is a US bike.. Oh well. But yeah, touch base with your guy see if there is something that can be done to do this at low cost.. Cheers
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