ablumny

Im on a roll this week with solving some bike problems;have one more When sitting on the bike, the right rear exhaust pipe is warm when the others are way too hot to touch. The exhaust gas on that same side out of the muffler is cool, the other side is warm. Normal or things to start looking at? Thx in advance as always!

Backed off the steering head nut/bearing and PROBLEM SOLVED! Thanks for the tip... Warning to all....you CAN over tighten the thing using the cheat method ... Now who want to come help clean andsync my carbs?

Yep, this problem existed befo I did the tire. I was hoping the cupped tire was the bg issue. I'll back off the head bearing a bit. Thx. I'll advise the results

I feels like I'm riding on a marble. The bike sways side to side when riding straight. Very unstable feeling. Best way I can describe it. Front tire is good and inflated properly I had the bike on a lift, can't detect any irregular movement in the rim or front end assembly Did the side to side handlebar test, and did use the cheat method to tighten the bearings once. Changed New back tire after the old one was cupped but that didn't help. New rear shock I can't detect any fork issues, no leaks, doesn't dive or bounce badly. Is it possile to over tighten the head bearing and experience this type of symptom? I'm lost! I called two yamaha dealers on Long Island, 2 months before I can bring it in! Any thoughts are appreciated. I need a new mechanic on Long Island too! Thx team

Again, agree my own laziness caused my problem. Aside from wrecking the tire, it's not safe. Everyone's right, check your pressure before every ride. Tire pressure monitor is on order to solve my problem. .....but now I have another one that requires a new thread! Front end issues

I can factually say what not to do with a Dunlop E3 (or any )new rear tire...... ..... Don't be lazy like me, not constantly checking and run it under inflated. I destroyed a perfectly good E3 in under 3000 miles by doing so! Bad cupping cause by under inflation. It's such a pain to get under there though....I'm investing in a tire pressure monitor. 40# for me all the time now...

Completely agree. Thx

This will be my second E3 on this bike. If it lasts as short a life as my first ill move on to something else!

Changed the rear tire today. It had 5k miles on it and was 2.5yrs old. Threads looked ok but as I already knew there was bad cupping. Under inflation maybe??? Such a pain to get my carcass down there to check. Ride quality is noticeably better now.....

So I call motorcycle superstore to see if they'd credit me the diff between their price and Dennis Kirk. I argue that DK has the tire for $130 compared to their $170 pricing. They won't budge and suggest I return the tire. Crazy but now it's about customer service vs the $30 difference. I get the rma # and proceed to reorder from Dennis Kirk only to find out the $130 tire I was looking at wasn't the right size! A visit to six online resellers shows the lowest price is around $158 and not worth going thru the return. MV85HB-15. Well that was fun.. Thx again for the feedback..

Son of a........ I'm usually better at competitive online shopping! Now I have to decide if its worth returning the one I bought and save $35....... Thx for the replies!

July 2010 I buy a pair of Dunlop E3's from Motorcycle Superstore. The rear was $130. Not many miles on it but cupping issues. Today I order another rear, $170! Crazy right !

Yes, agree and I'm not in dire straights to sell. I've taken all the advice here and reviewed the places suggested. I'm still convinced at 7500 it's a deal, if I wind up anywhere north of 7k I'd be happy but time will tell. I've got a local friend of a friend thinking 6500, if I get desperate ....... Thx Andrew

Hmmm getting up there but not close enough yet! I forget to mention a new Works rear shock and K&N filters ! I think ill be listing for $7500. I don't believe the kbb #s are reflective of reality but the mileage is low, lots of the right upgrades, it's a Midnight so you know it's already better . I paid $10k for it 3 years ago when it had 9k miles on it. interesting depreciation Thx for the great advice.

Thank you all. You've mostly confirmed where I was thinking, wind up near $7k. I wasn't thinking about selling on the forum, nice idea but $5k is too low I also agree that the value of add ons is subjective and I personally don't like a lot of chrome bling stuff. Most of my mods were functional versus for show. Maybe the price will go up when include all my 2x and 3x riding jackets, gloves rain gear! Anyway, great feedback. Thanks again. When I list it, I'll post a link!

Hi folks. I'm going to put up my 03 Midnight for sale shortly. Ive gotten loads of great advice here and given some back, thank you. Im not riding it enough or far enough! Ive scoured auction sites, KBB and forums but am struggling to price it right. I am asking for advice on the right price and all is appreciated ! Andrew 15k miles Clearview Tall Windscreen with vent Handlebar risers Kuryakyn wide footrests Trunk spoiler with led light bar Sirius Satellite radio on ram mount Garmin Streetpilot GPS on ram mount Audio mixer for satellite radio and GPS Driver backrest Replaced cassette with volt, temp, oil gauges Dunlop E3's, one season Harley Roadking mufflers installed Stock mufflers included Clean and maintained, everything works of course

Come to Long Island and ill sell you my 03 Midnight with 20k miles for that price or so

Nut behind the wheel is loose? Totally! What a week, pressu valve on boiler pops, floods basement. Clean that up, fix problem , 4 days later, cesspool backs up, floods basement...finished basement! Now I need two new cesspools. Seems like the original 40yo block construction cesspools have had it. Anyway.... Got the bike back on the jack. I never focused on the chrome nut. My bad, very bad as the nut was loose. I decided to pinch down the two lock nuts a bit more after doing the handle bar test again, then cranked down the chrome nut. Went for a test ride, definite difference , however still squirrelly in a lean. Back on the jack, change focus to back end. It appears the back tire has some kind of cupping issue. What a mess. https://picasaweb.google.com/116811512302801092027/VentureStuff#5788838455555081122 https://picasaweb.google.com/116811512302801092027/VentureStuff#5788838424749479906 https://picasaweb.google.com/116811512302801092027/VentureStuff#5788838481891241810 I think this tire was made 48th week of 2009? Too long for dunlop to warrant? Thanks for all the advice. I think the rear tire needs to be replaced and I'll pay attention to the head bearings ...

I havethe Clymer manual. https://picasaweb.google.com/116811512302801092027/VentureStuff#5787072008259027042 I see the stack up now. playboy,your description makes sense but The cheat method doesnt allow for removal of the lock washer with the tab then. I'll look around the forum again on the subject. Thx

Hmmm. The top nut should be tight against the bottom, makes sense but mine is not. I don't see how this is possible as the tab or strap as I described it seems to prevent independent movement of each nut. Went for a longer ride. In the beginning, I'd swear it was better, at the end, felt like it was sloppy again. I'll look at the nuts again.

Had the bike on a jack all day, checking everything over again. - few month old rear Works shock is still mounted properly and both bolts still tight. Not leaking, no issues. Links are properly installed still. - jump up and down on the seat, no unexpected rear bounce or noises. - seat is tight - couldn't do much with the rear end suspension other then spinning the tire, pushing the rear end left and right, up and down looking for obvious loose parts, clicks, noises. Nothing. - Front wheel rotates fine, doesn't have any abnormal movement. - front tire is evenly worn, no cupping, no visual issues. Spun it as fast as possible, looked for abnormal surface run out, nada - both tires holding the same psi from last weekends check - grabbed the front wheel, lifted up and down looking for movement in the head bearing, nope. - tossed the handlebars to one side, did get an unexpected bouncy back this time. Tossed them to the other side, kinda the same but harder to say with all then cables and hoses preventing complete steering lock. So I decide that the steering head bearing might need to be tightened. I've done this before using a "cheat" method I read about here. I take a small headlong punch and tap the bottom nut. I go just more then a 1/4 turn. The is to side bounce test is much better. I don't understand the top nut. I thought it was used to lock down the bottom nut. However there are small "straps" (thing with the dot on it in the picture below) that span one nut to the other. They seem to be able to be prayed away and the top nut rotates kind of freely, being held in position and inline with the bottom nut by this "strap". Anyway, I run 45# in the rear, 40#in the front, no air in the front shock. Out for a ride and there is noticeable improvement. I'll take a longer ride tomorrow to see for sure. So I point to the steering head bearings. Not sure how long my cheat fix will last. Anyone know what that top/bottom. It is all about? https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K56CNIhHFcEGZFWJkknABdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink Thx Andrew

Thanks everyone. I am also fixated on proper tire maintenance, cars and bike, bike more sofor obvious reasons. I'm a big boy so I keep the front at 36-38# and the rear at 45. I check before every ride other then short trips. Yea, I thought about checking that rear shock install and while I'm looking back there, check what I can related to suspension. I'll recheck front components again this weekend. I'll have updated facts afterwards. Thx again.

Thanks for the reply.ive reviewed all the standard tests to draw the conclusions I listed. Have a carbon one liftsdapter , great product , I keep tire pressure constant and these Dunlop e3's are a year old with no abnormal signs of wear. I have a small hand pump made for the task, each shock has zero psi however when I tested. I've done no maintenance on the front end, ever. Ill put it back on the lift tomorrow. I know there's a prob there somewhere ..... Thx

Hi riders! My 03 2nd gen is giving me trouble. The front end is a mess. It feels sloppy and unsettling all the time. In a lean, the front end is wobbly. I put it on a lift, grabbed the front wheel, don't feel any head bearing clicking. I don't get any bounce back when I send the bars to one side or the other. The tire is perfect, no cupping, the wheel is rotating as it should be. Back on the ground, and facing down hill, I let it roll a bit, hit the front brake and I can feel a click. I don't feel the forks bounce unusually. I have a new Works rear shock which is fine. I've got 21k on it. Never did either the bearings of fork work. Anyone want to come to long island and help replace it all ? Any ideas.

Great site for New England riding. Great find...thx!