Jump to content

MikeZ06Allen

Expired Membership
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    145

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by MikeZ06Allen

  1. MikeZ06Allen
    An air leak sounds about right but I think I can rule out the carb sync as Skydoc_17 just accomplished this with the last round of work we did. Now that I think of it, we removed the charcoal canister from the system too and replaced all of the vacuum port rubber plugs with brand spanking new Yammy parts. Maybe I didn't get one of the plugs on tight enough? Although, an air leak may or may not explain the hard start on warm-up, keep in mind I am saying hard start, not a slow crank. The bike cranks over fine it just doesn't want to fire off for several seconds (I do not crank for more than 10 seconds for fear of burning up the starter). Spark is good and battery has been tested and shows good. All connections have been cleaned and retightened. I wonder if the boost sensor is the culprit? Is this gizmo engaged during cranking or is it only used to adjust timing when the motor is under load....i.e senses a vacuum? Meaning it really isn't a boost sensor per say but rather a rudimentary MAP sensor.
  2. MikeZ06Allen
    Ok a somewhat new development in my saga with the VR. Lately, (yesterday and today) the bike has idled high on initial decel and then slowly drops to around 900 RPM. The choke is off, and the linkage is free, all other throttle linkage is free moving as well. My theory is this could be carb float related as I am having hard start issues when the bike is warmed up and a strong smell of raw gas when the ignition is turned on. Otherwise performance is awesome with very crisp and smooth acceleration, plugs all look good and about 5 oz of Seafoam in every tank of gas. I am puzzled as carbs are not a strong point for me. Give me an ECU, injectors, O2 sensors, a MAF and a laptop and I can get most things purring. So gurus of the carb please enlightened me. I have done a rudimentary float level check, cleaned everything I could with the carbs on the bike and I believe the floats need adjusting but I am curous if this high idle could be related. Thanks
  3. MikeZ06Allen
    :cool10: WOOT
  4. MikeZ06Allen
    Bike is getting to be a real PITA to start when warmed up. On initial cold start the bike starts but only if I give it about 1/4 throttle and then smells strongly of raw fuel. Even then it sputters a few seconds and sometimes needs an immediate restart. I have noticed also that it idles extremely low on cold start now but increases to 900 rpm once warmed up. A thought just occurred (yes it hurt) . I eliminated the charcoal canister but I am fairly sure I got everything routed correctly. So could a misrouted vacuum line cause a hard start issue? I suspect the answer is yes.
  5. MikeZ06Allen
    OK folks I am still having issues with the VR. Here is what I have done so far to diagnose: 1. Battery checked - Static it has 12.9 volts and holds 11.2 @ 300 amps under load, when cranking the volt meter does drop to around 10 volts or maybe higher. I am suspect of gauges as they aren't necessarily linear so I will try to get a voltmeter and test directly from the battery. All fuses and connections to the battery double checked, cleaned and retightened as necessary. 2. Carb sliders and diaphrams checked and cleaned - Diaphrams are new (installed in October 2010) but I cleaned and checked them anyway. Sliders were fine as well. 3. Drained carb bowls and sprayed cleaner into the drain tube, bowls and into the carb where the needle valve and sliders reside paying attention to get all openings. 4. Checked all the plugs and all looked to have a very uniform burn pattern and color, no soot, gas or oil. Plugs are two weeks old. Also forgot to mention in the initial post that there is a strong smell of raw gas when cranking. Which might be due to the fact I have to give it throttle to get started. I will be pouring some Sea Foam down the carbs this afternoon to partially eliminate the carbs as a culprit.
  6. MikeZ06Allen
    Yammer, One thing to remember; your stomach is also much smaller so portion control may help but I understand what you are going through as I was retired from the Air Force with a liver disease and GI tract disease both are chronic. Fatty, greasy foods can have a very negative effect on me so I stick to rice, potatoes (not fried), greens, limited cheese and milk products, limited sweets but I can put a hurtin on a lean cut of steak. Also, quit being a chicken:no-no-no: and call the doc, you big sissy. Trust me I almost bought the farm back in 2000 because I thought things would "fix" themselves. Being hospitalized and told to get your affairs in order (thought I had liver cancer) puts a new perspective on taking care of yourself and listening to the professionals and my wife is a Nurse so I have no respite or excuse. Take care and let me know if you need anything. I am closer than you think.
  7. MikeZ06Allen
    Actually the bike idles great; heck I let it idle for an hour while I was putting all the plastic back on the other night (I was verifying coolant level and fan operation) so I am a little suspect of it being a battery condition. Nonetheless, I will slap the charger on it tonight just to rule that out. As mentioned the speed of the cranking hasn't been affected; just when it finally catches has moved from a couple seconds to almost 20 to 30 seconds with throttle input. I agree with saddlebum that this may be a carb issue and my over zealous dosing of Sea Foam may have worked some trash into the idle circuit. I just hope I can get it cleaned out without removing and rebuilding the carbs. Another thought, since I smell raw gas when cranking, maybe the floats are out of whack. This isn't a path I want to pursue as it requires removal and adjustments and possibly another trip to see Skydoc (although the trip to Skydoc's isn't what I dread )
  8. MikeZ06Allen
    Ok folks my 89 VR has developed a serious hard start condition. The starter spins freely for several seconds and the engine eventually catches and slowly revs up but only if I am giving it throttle input (which I do not like to do). I does this no matter the tempurature hot or cold. Once the bike is running it idles great and runs down the highway with no issues; smooth as glass. This is a very recent development as the bike used to start right up with with no issues. The bike was ridden all winter and never sat more than a week. Even on the 20 degree F days the bike started with full choke. Here are the things I (with Earl's help) have done recently: 1. Mark's Pipe collector and all new exhaust gaskets and clamps 2. Heavy Sea Foam cleaning to prep for spring and summer riding; actually I use Sea Foam in small doses at irregular intervals just to keep things lubed 3. Carb tuneup to include idle mixture and sync to cure popping; have not removed the carb rack as it wasn't an issue until now 4. New (to me) stock mufflers 5. Two plug changes one due to Sea Foam cleaning, the other because I was using heavy choke to remedy some of the aforementioned popping. 6. New valve cover gaskets. 7. Plug wires were replaced last September 8. Battery was replaced with AGM last October As mentioned the bike runs great but it is getting to be a bear to start. I am sure this isn't good for the starter, starter clutch or battery. Skydoc and I have a theory of the problem but I wanted to solicit some more inputs. Thanks
  9. MikeZ06Allen
    Ok 'splain how this helps in removing the fork caps? Just curious as I have never done that and I have had zero problems getting the caps off. Unless this is an inside joke; which went right over my head.
  10. MikeZ06Allen
    The last time someone called me that I was in High School.
  11. MikeZ06Allen
    I believe it is 17 mm. Most auto parts stores carry these as a single or sometimes as a set. I use a 1/2 inch breaker bar with an extension. Just ensure there is little to no air in the fork tubes before removing the cap. On re-assembly clean the cap threads with some WD-40 or other light oil as these are extremely fine pitched threads and can gall very easily. Since you are disassemblying you should consider a set of progressive springs. I did this when I got the bike and I love the way it handles. Recently, I also removed the anti-dive units and used Skydoc 17's block-off plates. Now coupled with the 15 wt fork oil I do not need to use the CLASS on the front at all. Even when riding a bit agressively I get very little dive and I am on the hefty size (240+). So your mileage may vary.
  12. MikeZ06Allen
    With riding season rapidly approaching (although I do commute year round on the scoot) I decided to make a sojourn up to the wilds of PA and visit Skydoc. So a call was placed about three months ago to start the planning and make sure everything was ready for my arrival. So the following was done to get the scoot back to my standards: 1. Valve Cover gaskets replaced with 2nd Gen gaskets; oil is meant to be on the inside. 2. Speedo cable replaced becuase I "lost" the center portion of the cable. Actually the cable came off and the center section is somewhere on I-95 between DC and Woodbridge. 3. Anti-Dives replaced with Skydoc's block-off plates. This really cleaned up the front fork section and got rid of an annoying clicking I was having when the forks were compressed. While we were there we went ahead and replaced the fork oil with 15 wt stuff. 4. New to me mufflers installed. The ones I modified (butchered) were in rough shape before I hacked on them so I was happy to replace them with the ones Skydoc had "lying" around. Heck after a little Naval Jelly and elbow grease this things came out looking damn good. 5. Carb tuning and sync; still chasing a small idle circuit demon and an occasional backfire when slamming the throttle shut from WOT but all in all this is a huge improvement over the way it ran when Skydoc pulled it into the garage. 6. Mink oil treatment to seat; this was a Mrs Skydoc (Jean) special and it really helped the looks and softness of the seat material. Also has the added benefit of repelling dirt and water. 7. Radiator mount repair and drain repair. I can honestly say this is the best the scoot has run since I bought it back in August 2010. A special thanks to Skydoc (Earl) and Jean, they were perfect hosts and I truly felt spolied while I was there; much to the chagrin of the wife . Also, the spare parts (where all First Gen VR Mk II's go when they die) bikes came in handy for the misc connectors and parts. I really could not have picked a better place or people to help get my scoot back to near perfect operation.
  13. MikeZ06Allen
    I have actually done a 30 mph skid on my left side crash bars and neither the front or rear crash bars folded (laid flat) now there are spots that were ground down somewhat but the bars retained their genral curvature and shape. The protection afforded by the bars was enough to keep me from getting seriously crushed by the bike as we skidded along. So not sure how dropping one could fold a bar. That is curious. I would also welcome a bigger bar if for no other reason than to have a better choice of highway pegs.
  14. MikeZ06Allen
    Yep it works now, so it must benn "cleared while checking" or just plain old FM. Thanks
  15. MikeZ06Allen
    There seems to be an issue with the search function. Just tried to search for Skydoc and then myself to no avail.
  16. MikeZ06Allen
    Looks like Colgan is gonna stay in business after all. I was in there the other day looking at the new V-Max and asked if they were still closing and the GM said nope they will remain open. just passing on the info.
  17. MikeZ06Allen
    Last summer I ran a piece of insulated heat shielding between the engine and the side panel with no additonal build up in engine temps. I had to do something as the heat was enough to bake a chicken while sitting in stop and go traffic . I also put a piece under the seat to keep the seat a little cooler. I know there is a joke in there somewhere but I am leaving it alone
  18. MikeZ06Allen
    :bighug:Now everyone sing along Kum ba ya ............ If only the rest of the world could resolve differences so easily.
  19. MikeZ06Allen
    Yeah I knew someone would bring that up and I would love to make the trip. However, work right now is chaos and it seems I am the one armed monkey leading this circus so not alot of time off. Even my weekends are starting to be consumed, well at least the nondaylight hours. Can I claim worker's comp from working too many 18 hour days in a row? Thanks for the reminder.
  20. MikeZ06Allen
    I have installed the PCW kit and at first was pleased but it has starting to slip again in fourth gear. Now my issue may not be the spring entirely but I am switching over to the Barnett setup as soon as I can. P.S - The VR MKI uses the Barnett style clutch setup and with the upgraded EBC springs this may be a cost effective way to get a "Poor Man's Barnet". Just a thought.
  21. MikeZ06Allen
    Does anyone know someone that can pin stripe my VR here in Northern Virginia. Just finished repainting and repairing. Thanks
  22. MikeZ06Allen
    DDDRRROOOOOLLL! Of course mine will be a little more "civilized" After all I do leave my neighborhood at O dark thirty ever morning and they might not appreciate all the racket. Thanks Earl, now I am really itching to get this system together. And to all who said individual filters were not a good idea..... I submit my apologies y'all were correct because the effort to get them to work would not be worth the minimal (if any) gains. So I am sticking with the stock box and putting in a K&N. See I can admit when I am not exactly right
  23. MikeZ06Allen
    Just got off the phone with Mark, builder of the after-market collector for the VR, and what an awesome guy. It is apparent this guy knows his way around the Yamaha V engines and was a heck of a conversationalist as well. I should have a new collector for my bike within three weeks and then the madness begins bbaaawwaahhahhhaaaa ,,,cough cough cough
  24. MikeZ06Allen
    That thought has crossed my mind and eventually I may end up there but for now just trying to get a little more out of an already solid engine. As far as the exhaust is concerned; I thought the head pipes were very similar of course the rear pipes are routed differently due to the monoshock setup on the VR but I believe diameters are very close. Therefore I opted to change out the resonator with a piece that would open up the exhaust. I guess at the end of the day I want to see how much I can get this engine to flow because I find it hard to believe the current configuration is anywhere near optimal. I may be wrong and I will post such if that is the case. Keep the comments coming and any inputs on the part numbers is appreciated.
  25. MikeZ06Allen
    I believe the lighter area on the rod is indicative of porosity introduced when the rod snapped and could be indicative of metal fatigue failure although I am not seeing the striations I would expect which would indciate a pre-existing fracture. However, total failure of the rod could have easily been attributed to a microfracture due ti any number of reasons. To explain the porosity, take a piece of metal, say a section of a coat hanger and bent it back and forth until it breaks. You should see a very similar pattern on the coat hanger wire ends at the break point.
×
×
  • Create New...