Jump to content

JoeKanuck

Expired Membership
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    98

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by JoeKanuck

  1. JoeKanuck
    Parking isn't an option since I am on the road. As it turns out, I did use job weld. The first slider I fixed is still working perfectly. I do have a hairline crack in one near the diaphragm but that is covered by the slider reassembly. I will be replacing the sliders but I am confident my repairs will hold long enough. Bob...a basic check of the sliders is easy. Take off the air filter and you can look down the carbon throats and see the sliders. Start the bike and you can see the sliders move when you blip the throttle. All 4 should move and be most noticeable at low rpm. Be warned that your bike will probably run like scrap with the filter out.
  2. JoeKanuck
    So I just get done an 800 km ride from alberta into bc. The bike is running good but not great...it feels a bit low in power. Yesterday I decide to take off the aircleaner and have a look at how things are working. It turns out, one of the slides isn't moving. I take the diaphragms out and one has come completely apart. This is the second carbon this has happened on so I take all the diaphragms out and a third inevitable is loose as well. It is an easy fix to glue them back together. Now, it runs like it should. Check those darned slides, folks.
  3. JoeKanuck
    I had the same thing happen to me but thank goodness I wasn't on the road yet and I have fog lights to get me home. Turned out to the the starter switch. I bought some cheapo LED driving lights which will become my daytime running lights and should provide enough light to keep me from hitting anything nasty if my headlight drops out. I will be putting my headlight on a separate switch and relay.
  4. JoeKanuck
    I don't know the whole story but the previous owner of my bike said he had the fan changed, so it seems they do occasionally fail. I imagine you could find an aftermarket fan that would fit the bill.
  5. JoeKanuck
    What kind of bad crack was Yamaha smoking when they decided to use needle bearings in the rear wheel...?
  6. JoeKanuck
    So the other day, my headlight refuses to come on after the bike starts. It has happened before, but it has always resolved itself. This time...nothing. Good thing I have fog lights. So I start taking things apart. I thought it might be the HID light I just installed but a standard H4 refused to light as well. Long story shorter; it was the starter switch. It was refusing to return all the way after use. There is a tiny gap between the spot where the light turns off and the starter lights. It was stuck in that spot. It would start but wouldn't light the lights. A little lube and all is well.
  7. JoeKanuck
    Speed bleeders seem to have been used with some success. http://www.speedbleeder.com/
  8. JoeKanuck
    This thread got me paranoid again since I have a low almost growl when I decelerate...it goes away when I add some gas. It's not all that loud but I can hear it. I recently had my rear end apart...I didn't take the wheel apart but there was plenty of grease in there...though I cleaned it up and added more. The pumpkin is full of clean synthetic oil...the splines on both ends are greased and both splined shafts are whole...no breaks and very little play. Last night I checked my axle...there is no side to side play and the axle easily turns when the nut and pinch bolt are loosened. I think I'm not going to worry about it anymore. That's one problem with reading threads like this...it makes me paranoid. I guess I'll just keep my eye on it. If I detect any play...then it's time to worry.
  9. JoeKanuck
    Those breakers look awesome. Nice job. Now to find a plane to dissect...
  10. JoeKanuck
    I just installed the brace on my bike. It hasn't been magically turned into a crotch rocket but it is noticeably more secure and planted. A very good mod.
  11. JoeKanuck
    It's best to run the ballast directly from the battery through a relay and run the relay via the headlight connector. HID ballasts work best off of a constant power supply. Make sure all connections are clean. When I did mine, I found that I had many corroded connections that I had to clean before I got everything working right. Those same poor connections also will effect the stock headlight quality and reliability. The connections on my bike, like the rest of it, are 25 years old. It's not surprising that I've had to reseat most of my connections, including fuses. A separate switch to run the HID headlight is also not a bad idea.
  12. JoeKanuck
    I got the fork brace in and it installed easily after loosening the axle a bit. I was surprised how flimsy the stock brace is. It looks thick enough from the top but it is half as thick as it appears. There is a definite improvement in control. The random handlebar shaking has been eliminated. If I was silly enough to take my hands off of the bars, it used to shake like a dog shedding water. It also used to give a bit of a shimmy when going over cracks, uneven payment and such. So far, it has been steady as a rock. It hasn't turned into a Ninja or anything but it does seem much more sure and secure on the road. A very good mod...well worth the relatively small price.
  13. JoeKanuck
    My reserve lighting unit(s) are my fog lights. They don't light down the road a long way but they push out more than enough light for me to drive safely at night at legal speeds.
  14. JoeKanuck
    Too many retailers have forgotten or just don't seem to realise that regardless of what is in their shop, they sell one product; SERVICE. Service is not always what sells something in the first place but it is what sells the second something...and the third something...and the something to the friend of the customer. A simple Hello, or nod or other such acknowledgment when you walk in is often enough. "I'll be with you in a minute after I've taken care of my current customer", will make waiting in a line tolerable. Good service can be little more than common, (or not so common), courtesy but it can make a world of difference to a customer...or window shopper who may have a friend that could be a customer. Service costs very little but can net you big rewards...people will even pay more for it. Why do so many businesses find it such a hard lesson to learn...?
  15. JoeKanuck
    Why not just use a standard 5 buck 12v relay? http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRysGNfT13MYAE6IY6W0BoiGucrGcUoNnk9Tjo7FQSb_6UoU-E&t=1&usg=__iJKvJHAE8qyRSQFZqQwVomfiTzc= The middle post is normally closed on the average auto relay. It's certainly easy enough to change the terminals so it would fit.
  16. JoeKanuck
    It's an idea...perhaps it was a rumble reducing sonic dampener. Sometimes I think I would be better off if I just ignored the noises. Except for the dry upper splines, I didn't find a single thing wrong with the back end of the bike when I took it apart...even the lower shock mounts were nicely greased. Since I don't recall the noise from before I worked on the bike, I can only assume that I slightly mis aligned something upon reassembly. If I did, it only seems to be making some noise and it certainly isn't causing any binding or grabbing. If only I could ride with both hands over my ears while I go, "LALALALALALALALA...CAN'T HEAR YOU...LALALALALALALALALALA..."
  17. JoeKanuck
    When I had the pumpkin off for servicing, I checked everything I could think of, including the splines on both ends of the drive shaft, and the splines where the shaft engages on both ends. I pulled the shaft out of the pumpkin and the nut was still holding the drive shaft receiver to the pumpkin pinion shaft. All seemed tight with minimal slack. I greased the crap out anything I could reach and there were no spare parts when I put it back together. The wheel moves very freely without binding, (or side to side freeplay), when turning the wheel by hand in either direction. Basically, I've looked at everything I could think to check and everything looks top notch. After riding it around for a bit today, I've decided to just ride the damned thing and see what happens. The noise on decel really isn't that loud...my bro didn't notice it when he took my bike for a ride. If it gets louder, I'll check it again. In the meantime, I plan on doing more riding and less tinkering. I'm starting to think that I've gotten a wee bit too paranoid from reading too many horror stories. Time to relax and ride the damned thing before winter hits.
  18. JoeKanuck
    Well, after servicing my bike, I've run across a potential issue. When I pulled the drive shaft out of the swingarm to check the upper splines, a coil of metal was wrapped around it. Looked like the coils that spin out of steel when it is drilled. I had a look up the drive shaft tunnel and all looked well...no leaks and everything in place...as far as I could tell. After all was back together, it seemed to be running just as it should...until the rumble started. The description is somewhat typical of what has been described before; quiet with power on, a low rumble on deceleration, somewhat quieter with the clutch in. Being the paranoid type...I'm going to have to discover what the hell this noise is. What I've done so far is slip the swingarm boot back to look at the yoke. The bolt is in place so that shaft isn't broken. There is no detectable in or out play in the output shaft. There is very little rotational play in the mesh with the drive gear, (as gauged by slowly turning the shaft and listening for the tiny click when the gears touch). Total slack in the drive system with the bike in first is about 2 inches, measured at the wheel. With the bike in neutral on the center stand, the rear wheel spins easily, without resistance or binding. When I roll the wheel forward by handd, (which dynamically puts the same forces on the system as deceleration), I can feel a slight rumble which feels like gears meshing somewhat roughly. It smooths out when rolling the wheel backwards. With a stethoscope, I pinned down that the rumble is coming from the pumpkin, not the middle shaft. So now I'm going to try a few things. Tonight I will loosen the 4 nuts holding the pumpkin to the swingarm and see if there is enough movement to realign the shaft a bit. If that fails, I will remove the pumpkin completely to check for play. (When I had the pumpkin off to service the rear end, I pulled the shaft out of the pumpkin. The seal came with the shaft, completely intact so it was reusable. The input shaft stayed with the pumpkin indicating that the shaft was also intact.) I'll basically have a good poke around and see what's what. I'm hoping for an easy fix but am prepared for tears and pouting. Attached are some pics of a strange bit of metal I found wound around the shaft when I pulled it from the swingarm. I have no idea where it's from....I'll have a better look when I'm in there again...unless it fixes itself then it will have to wait until the snow blows.
  19. JoeKanuck
    After taking off the mufflers to work on the rear end of my bike, I noticed that there was a lot of crap rattling around in my pipes. Unfortunately, I hadn't had a chance to use my brand new Makita recip saw and the batteries were charged...sooooo...the fat ends were soon off the mufflers. There were various pipes and baffles creating a mess so I bashed away at the inside until the loose bits saw the error of their ways and fell out. I welded the ends back on, covered the rather ugly welds and rust holes with muffler tape and aluminum duct tape, (for that custom crinkly, yet shiny finish), and bolted them back on. They are slightly louder and deeper. They definitely sound better but for the effort and less than 10 buck price tag, you can't beat the results.
  20. JoeKanuck
    It definitely ain't purty yet, but I was saving the grinding, finishing and painting for when I finally got the thing right where I want it...which is where it now is.
  21. JoeKanuck
    There were lots of things I like about my Venture...the brake pedal is, (or rather was), not one of them...so I decided to change it. The original was too high and too far back. It seemed to me that it would be much easier to use if it was in front of the footboard instead of above it. This was all a lofty concept until I got too close to a chop saw and a welder. I cut the pedal from above the hub. Then I welded a length of steel below the hub and welded what remained of my pedal to that. The brake pedal arm is now about twice as long so to keep the stroke at the footpad about the same, I drilled a hole above the original which connects the pedal to the master cylinder lever. I also chopped the footpad off of the pedal, and moved it forward and up about an inch each. The results, in all their, (yet unpainted), glory can be viewed in the attached photos. Now the brake pedal is convenient, effective and allows me to use the entire footboard comfortably. All in all, I consider it a great improvement.
  22. JoeKanuck
    I had no idea I had bad diodes other than being told they were a failure item and checking. It was obvious from looking at them that at least 3 were in very bad shape, with at least one other on the way. I was advised as to what diodes can be inserted and replaced all of the stock ones. So far, my bike has been running perfectly. As far as I know, there are usually no symptoms to warn when a diode is failing...it just fails and takes some other part of the TCI with it. Personally, I only advise that one does the diode upgrade if their stock unit is still working perfectly and they, (or whomever they get to do it), has experience soldering electronics...lots of experience. These boards are old. I had a couple of traces lift while desoldering so they had to be dealt with. I took my time and double checked my work to make sure that everything was working up to spec. If your board has already failed, I wouldn't bother trying to fix it. It's probably screwed. I would spend the cash and get an IgniTech box. I won't be opening up my box again...if it fails, I'll just toss it.
  23. JoeKanuck
    I've attached a picture with a better closeup of the 8 diodes. Four of the Blue/Tan diodes on the right side of the board are labeled. There are 4 others on the left side, arranged in a different pattern, for a total of 8.
  24. JoeKanuck
    Well, I have been working out...
  25. JoeKanuck
    Good work. I'm hoping my repaired unit will last forever but it's good to know that there is a new alternative to buying used.
×
×
  • Create New...