saddlebum

The question is......Did he survive or was it a suicide run or did you not get to end of the book yet. I have run one set of E2's one set of E3's and on my second set of E4's. I found them to be a great running tire with excellent tread life. If I had any complaint at all it is that I found near the last 1/4 of their tread life I found the rubber getting harder and road grip in the corners started to fade some.

There is no shaft extension with these starters the gear is a fixed gear which remains engaged full time The mechanical connect and disconnect between the engine and starter is done through what is known as a sprag clutch or in laymen's terms a one way clutch. This something like a large roller bearing that freewheels when the inner ring runs faster than the outer race but locks up when the outer race runs faster than the inner race such as when the starter which is gear connected to the outer race causes the outer race to over run the inner race. once the engine starts the inner race over rides the outer race and the clutch disengages and the outer race becomes stationary as the starter button is released. This is why you sometimes think the starter skips when an engine attempts to fire but its only the clutch disengaging becuase for a split second the inner race over ran the outer race. Getting back to your starter when you run it on the bench even though it turns over does it sound smooth or gravelly. It could still have a bad set of bearings that seem OK with a load on the starter but once a load is place on them they can bind up. I would either replace with a 4 brush if possible now that you have it out or at the very least dis-assemble the starter and inspect the bearings for wear and or smooth rotation, if they feel even the slightest bit of roughness they are done. If the sealed bearings feel smooth but spin so freely they just keep spinning they are also done, this indicates most of the grease in the bearing is gone. they should turn smooth with some drag. clean the armature and brushes if the bearings are OK and reassemble and retest if spins real well and relatively smoothly you may get away with reusing it.

Generally on vehicles other than motorcycles we are only concerned with the cracks, in the groves between the lugs, if we can pry the crack open enough to see the cords. If we are unable to see any cord material we let it go. Now on a motorcycle I am not sure I would leave it go to that point but at the same time If they are only fine hair line cracks with little or no depth I would not be to concerned yet. As stated by Firestone about the rubber between the treads being very thin and does not impact the treads stuck to the belts, is true up to a point. But once the crack penetrates to the cord you now have a point were water can get to the cords. If steel cords they begin to rust and eventually fail and you get a bulge in your tire or you start to work towards a tread separation. Even a partial puncture were the foreign object only penetrates to the cord you also run the risk of moisture penetration we usually seal those holes after removing the object provide no serious damage has begun. Another example of foreign penetration is what is referred to as a stone bore. This were a stone or small pebble gets lodged in the tread or sipping and over time bores its way into the the casing and eventually allow for moisture to attack the cord material in the tire resulting in tread failure of some sort. TIP: every once in a while go around your tires and pick out any stones etc. Truckers are so aware of this that very often while we are working on their trucks you will see them go over their tires while they are waiting with a small screwdriver picking out any and all pebbles lodged in the tires. For them its not just a safety issue but at $500 or more per tire it becomes a cost factor as well.

I use the Ram X cradle https://www.rammount.com/shop-all/motorcycle/phone-mounts

The reason radials and bias are not to be mixed and this applies to all vehicles with the exception of tandem axle highway tractors. bias and radials flex differently. A bias has a stiffer side wall which A) allows for little to no side to side flexing or side to side rolling action ( B) The foot print which contacts the road is smaller than that of a radilal. (C) the tread on a bias due to the stiffer side wall has a tendency to cup in the middle of the foot print reducing even more the amount of rubber contacting the road. As well because of the stiffer side wall this cupping action increases and decreases as the down ward pressure on the tire while moving down the road increase and decreases all of which results in more tread squirm in the contact patch increasing tread temperatures. A radial on the other hand flexes more in the side wall Which A) allows for more side to side roll and B) creates a larger foot print and (C) because of the more flexible side wall and stiffer tread on the radial there is no cupping in the middle of the footprint allowing for more road contact with less squirm in the contact area and therefore better heat handling of the tire. Many will remember When radials first came out the two most immediate and notable features of the radial was longer tread life and better traction, this was due to the differences noted above. So now you come to to the mixing issue. Because of the difference in the way the two tires flex and the radical difference in the amount of rubber contacting the road When this tires were mixed on a four wheel vehicle, Handling became an issue even to the point of being dangerous because while going into the curve when the radial was maintaining a flat contact patch on the road and flexing in side wall due to the g forces the bias was trying to maintain those same forces at the contact patch creating more heat and this force increased since due to the radials ability to absorb most of it bias was forced int dealing with more than if all four tires were bias and due to the difference in one set of tires handling those g forces one way the other handling it another way you ended up with handling issues. The only vehicle that was not effected by this to noticable extend was a tandem axle highway tractor and is why it is legal to have radials on the steer axle while running bias on the eight drive wheels. So now getting back to your bike, here I am making an educated assumption based on my years as a Mechanic and dealing with all kinds of tire issues. My thoughts are that based on the above information and the fact that the scrub pattern on the tire in the second picture appears to be more porous than normal, I am thinking that that tire was running higher than intended tread temperatures for a bis tire due to the mixing of construction types resulting in the tread separation. When we have had an abnormal run of issues on tires in the truck fleets we would set this tires aside and either have a tire rep come out or send the lot to the manufacture to be analyzed as to why a particular issue suddenly started to occur. It may not be a bad idea to see if you can send that tire in so the can determine the cause of the issue. Just don't mention the mixing of tires, let them figure out why it happened If you offer any theory or darkside info on your part they will just jump to conclusions instead of actually looking into the root cause.

Have no fear it will let you know when it has had enough Mine chose to inform me near the top of the Peace Bridge and I had just enough momentum to coast over the crest and down to the border. from there it was a motorcycle rescue ride home via auto club. The sad part there is nothing much you can do to forewarn you. All you can do is not overload your electrical system and maintain proper and clean quality oil in your sump

Most parts stores and some hardware stores have bulk bins for o rings just go in and find the ones that fit right. Make sure they are nitrile and not rubber.

I would start with checking the float in the tank 9x out of 10 this is the culprit in fuel level issues. You can pull the sending unit out and by hand or if you can reach the arm with a coat hanger move the gauge through its sweep and watch the gauge for any irregularities. If you can get your hands on a second sender you can just connect the wires to it and put it through its sweep and compare the gauges reaction with your sending unit.

It is not uncommon to see some slight hair line checking in the grooves known as weathering of most tires but I would definitely keep a close watch just the same

I would start with checking your oil level, and see if it has risen at all. If gas has been leaking into the cylinders, some of it may drain into the oil sump raising your level . Any time you suspect an engine feels hydro locked, it is a good idea to remove the plugs and crank the engine a few times with the plugs out before trying to start it. Once you have run the engine for a few minutes shut it down and extract some oil from the engine. a straw works well for this just reach into the fill hole with the straw then place your thumb on the end and remove the straw. Hold straw over a clean white sheet of paper and remove your thumb leaving a puddle on the paper. let it sit and soak into the paper for a bit usually a few minutes is enough and look at the oil spot There maybe a lighter tiny ring around the outside of the spot but if this lighter ring expands around the oil spot quite a bit you most likely have gas in the oil. In which case I would change oil and filter. If this turns out to be a chronic issue you may want to check your float settings and condition of your needle and seats in the carburetor. If your concerned that you may have suffered some engine damage you can drain of some oil and send a sample plus your filter out for analysis. There are a few places that specialize in analyzing automotive oils and they will give you a break down of what is found in the oil as well as alert you to any warning signs that you may need to take seriously. Often they will ask for a second sample after so many miles/KM in order to isolate normal wear metal amounts from excessive amounts. Here is a link to the company we use at work. we found them to be very good. and there reports are usually very easy to understand https://www.alsglobal.com/en/services-and-products/oil-fuel-and-coolant-analysis/oil-analysis-and-testing

Just Remember that if using a c-clamp to only use gentle pressure. If it requires a lot of force then the pistons and seals will need to be serviced.

You as well

I remember well Also Brad and yes it is a frightening thought when you have only two wheels. Now I may be wrong about this but I seem to recall at some point it was determined that the Metzler failures were confined to the ones made in Mexico. If they were not made in Mexico they were apparently Ok.

Not that I disagree with your decision Mr @Squidley. but keep in mind any brand of tire is capable of having a bad one in the batch. My wife's car started shaking real bad and would bunny hop at slow speeds. turned out all four tires had broken and shifted belts resulting in bulges in the tires. These were Michelin tires a brand many us pretty much consider top of the line tires. So one bad apple should not condemn the whole basket, where as the Metzler 880's, had a whole rash of tire separation failures and Avon not so long ago had a rash of side wall cracking, related to a certain batch and yet both before and after they have been one of the highly recommended tires except for 1st gens were they tended to cause a rear end sway at highway speeds. I would get the batch number off the tire and contact Shinko and see what kind of feed back you get. They may have had a bad batch and if so may be willing to provide a new tire. there may even be a recall on that batch. None of this is to say I disagree with your decision just some food for thought. At the end of the day you gotta do what makes you feel safe.

It might interest you to know the drug was not rushed out as quickly as you may think. They have been working on the drug for a few years, since the last sar's outbreak actually but just added an extra push to it when covid broke out. I had the same reservations myself. But as in my case when you start to look at the numbers and then have two family members that spent a month and half on respirators and survived by the skin of their teeth, you don't so much look at the fears you have regarding the drug, as to which is the lesser of two evils. In my case I decided I would rather gamble on the drug then on the virus.

Same with me I just felt like someone punched me in the shoulder with both shots. I had pfizer for the 1st and moderna for the 2nd but it was gone the next day. That was all my wife felt with the second shot as well were with the first Her whole upper body was in pain for two days. She had the pfizer for both shots.

True there is a big push and I do not know if all the clinc's are the same. But on both occasions when I went for my shots they asked me what medications I am on and what if any drugs I have ever had an allergic reaction to. Also here in Ontario they stress if you have any concerns to see your doctor before getting the vaccine. Now whether this holds true the quick pop up walk through clinics and drug stores etc that have been administering the shots I do not know. I do agree awareness is very important specially when one is already on multiple medications. Even eating the wrong foods such as grapefruit or turmeric can have repercussions with certain drugs. When I was on Clopidogrel which is a platelet reduction drug I would bleed like crazy for every little nick. I decided to check for interactions with other drugs and supplements I was taking and discovered that the turmeric and devils claw in the knee supplement I was taking also had platelet reduction quality's, so for a year I stopped taking it and for a year I had to suffer knee agony. Now I am off the clopidogrel and back on my knee supplement and my knees are happy again.

Now you have me squeamish. Would not want to go through what you went through. P.S. I was not making light of your situation. Just making mention of a few things in hopes that there was nothing more serious going on which apparently is not the case. I hope your doctor finds and resolves what ever the issue is and that your feeling better very soon.

It varies depending on how much electrical load you force it to carry. The more lights/load you put on them the harder it has to work. using LED's will reduce this load substantially I replaced mine in the 89 2 years ago and I have put 160,000 km on it I was running high wattage bulbs as well. Running too long with low or dirty oil can also be a factor since it uses the oil to keep it from overheating.

Really sad to hear that. Not to be unsympathetic, but you would not be the first to pass out for a needle. Some before they even get poked and With all the fear mongering around these vaccines I would actually not be surprised if more people passed out even ones who normally have no aversion to needles as a rule. My wife had upper body pain that lasted 4 days and had her in tears with the 1st shot but had no reaction to the second shot and my neighbor could not get out of bed the next day after the 1st shot, He does admit he is squeamish when it comes to needles but he was fine with his 2nd shot. Either way it is a good idea to check with your doctor and make sure as to why it happened. I am no doctor but I was one of those people in my younger days that would start to get light headed and almost pass out at just the thought of a needle. When I was 15, I had to give a shot to pregnant dog to help her go into labor. Three seconds after giving her the shot I passed out. This is why I am just wondering if the passing out that quickly after the shot could have been a mental response to the needle, , while the pain in the shoulder could have been a separate but normal reaction to the shot like my wife and many others had. Hopefully that is all it was and not an indication of some more serious underlying issue triggered by the shot.

And this is why I said slowwwly apply air. .....Oh and I guess won't hurt to keep your finger out of the way ..... cause it will hurt if you don't.

Hey Brad I am not sure if trial members have access to member profiles.

I apply the brake fluid to the outside of the pistons after cleaning as best I can and before pushing them back in to give the pistons some lubrication so they slide in easier (only use brake fluid other lubricants can swell the rubbers). This is only if I do not intend on rebuilding the caliper and intend only on pushing the pistons back in and reinstalling calipers as they are. Applying air to the brake bleed valve is only if you want to pop the pistons right out, and replace the seals after cleaning pistons and bores. in which case at this point you would have removed the calipers completely from the bike and now have them on the work bench. generally I keep the bleed valve closed and apply the air to were the brake line was attached. place a thin piece of wood were the disc pads sit or set in an old disc pad than slowly apply air until the pistons pop out. A rag covering the caliper and air line during this process helps avoid getting brake fluid in your eyes.

I use a socket and wide punch or two sockets one socket that catches the yoke but the cup can fall into the other slightly smaller than the cup and just drive the smaller socket with a hammer, which drives the opposite cup down and into the larger socket on the otheR side of the yoke. Other times I straddle the open jaws of a vice or two blocks of wood on the floor and drive the joint out that way.

I usually use a c-clamp or channel lock pliers using mild force, after first cleaning and coating with brake fluid. If they are difficult to compress than they may need to be popped out cleaned and new seals put in. keep in mind the excessive effort it takes to squeeze the pistons back in is also additional effort required to apply the brakes. As well they may not fully retract when the brakes are released causing brake drag. When rebuilding the calipers they do not recommend splitting the calipers in two. I generally do anyway though it is not necessary and the proper size and thickness o-rings that go between the halves may be hard to find.