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darthandy

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Everything posted by darthandy

  1. There are a number of threads on this including a current one in the 2nd gen section. Baasically, it amounts to this - 4th and 5th are Extremely overdrive on the 2nd gens and if you use those gears at speeds under 100 kph (62 MPH) you are lugging the engine and falling out of the power band. So - when that happens, most people crank on more throttle thereby shoving more gas through the carbs to get going. You wind up running rich which of course wastes gas. The name of te game is to stay in the lower gears and rev the engine - remember, these are 4 cyl. motors not v-twins. They have less torque at lower r.p.m.'s so require more throttle to get moving. The V-Max rear end has lower gears (Higher numerically) which keeps the motor spinning at slightly higher revs at all speeds so that torque is available sooner even in higher gears so you don't have to crank the throttle as hard to get more power to the rear wheel. There are probably better explanations elsewhere in the forum, but this should give you a good idea as to what's happening. If you check out the thread in the 2nd gen section, you'll find that pretty much everyone who did the switch is happy with it and many are getting better gas mileage. Andy
  2. It's still a hell of a ride ... and for an 18 year old to boot! From the recent GWRRA Wing Ding. Nice to see some youngsters take their riding skills seriously. Andy
  3. Yeah, I had an Adventure Power battery in my Triumph. Died within less than 2 years. The previous Yuasa lasted a lot longer. I have now picked up a Deka and will be using that in the Triumph and I already have one in the Venture. Andy
  4. Oops! This is a 2 year old thread! I think he may have this worked out by now! Andy
  5. Yeah, I don't think I quite have the reach for that. I had thought of dropping the front a bit once the rear was back up to stock level. I assumed that ground clearance would stay about where it is or still be a bit better. Then I would have the bike at a more level stance - basically the same idea as the leveling links but without the increase in ground clearance. I'm not too worried about ground clearance since I rarely scrape the boards these days unless I've dropped the air pressure in the rear shock a lot. Gettin' old, you know! Andy
  6. Thanks Mike. I had a suspicion it wouldn't be that easy. Probably best for me to just get the stock links. Good idea for the brake, too. Cuts down on what I need! Andy
  7. Thanks for the offer. I'll keep it in mind. Right now, I'm thinking in terms of keeping the lowering kit available as a possible selling point since I may be looking at selling the bike. Andy
  8. My bike came with a lowering kit that I would like to remove. I don't need the extra leg room but I would like to improve the low speed handling. I haven't taken a look at the kit's links yet, but I wonder if I could just drill holes farther up the link to raise the bike. This is based on what I've read here saying that you need longer links to lower the bike and shorter links to raise it. Now of course, if the links are the type that widen at the spot where the mounting hole is then this won't work since the link will be too narrow. But, if it's the same width all the way up, can I do this? Also, could having the extra length of link hanging down cause a problem? And, finally, what else would I have to do to complete the "raising"? I know the caliper required a new bracket to change its mounting position so would I need a new bracket to return the caliper to the stock position? Thanks, Andy
  9. Well I didn't have time to bleed it yet, but I did squirt a bit of Deep Creep to (Hopefully!!) dissolve any crap in that area and then put some lithium grease on it and worked the lever back and forth a bunch of times. It seemed to help and when I went out to fill the bike the action was now quite smooth. Of course, I have no idea how long that will last, but as I plan on doing more work anyway, I'll drain the system and clean that piston Steve mentioned then do some bleeding. That, I hope, will be a long lasting fix. Again, thanks all for the advice. Andy
  10. Thanks guys. I'll try both cures since I'm going to be bleeding the brakes anyway. Andy
  11. I'm getting ready to bleed my front brakes, but I'm not sure that will solve the problem. What happens is this - when I apply the brakes, the lever gets stiff, as if it's sticking then it suddenly pulls in a bit more and seems to stick again and then lets go again. Obviously, trying to brake smoothly is almost impossible. If I head out to the highway and pull a few near-max effort stops (Well, slowdowns, actually as a full stop would be a dangerous move), it seems to improve for a day or so but then starts again. Still have plenty of pad material but I have no idea when the brakes were last bled. I'm just wondering if this might indicate a caliper problem since heating the brakes up with the high speed slow downs seems to help. It's as if something is melting then hardening back up. Anyone have this problem before? Andy
  12. Add my "You betcha!" to the Skydoc clutch upgrade. As a matter of fact, I ordered the rest of the friction plates and replaced it all. Much, much better than stock. As for the ignition switch, the Yamaha item is quite expensive (Last price I heard was $280.00 - just for the switch!). You can often find them on Ebay through some of the motorcycle wreckers. Problem there, of course, is that you don't know just how good (or bad) the condition is> When mine died about a year or so ago, I took it out and repaired it myself. It has worked fine ever since. And whichever way you decide to go, be sure to put the ignition, headlight and driving lights (If you have a set) on relays and an auxiliary fuse box (Otherwise you have too many wires coming off he battery terminals). That way you can avoid any further ignition switch problems. There are some excellent threads on the site describing how to do some of these jobs as well as info in the technical section. If you have any questions, just ask - we'll be here! And yes - join up now - it will be the best $12.00 you ever spent. figure by now I've saved enough money to pay my dues over the rest of my life and possibly one more life after that - now that's a bargain! Andy
  13. It was a great day and ride. The weather even cooperated for most of it. Thanks for a great time guys (and gals!). Andy
  14. Check out the "Settings" option. There are choices available such as avoiding highways, toll roads, etc. Andy
  15. Say ... here's a thought. I could rig up four small spray bottles aimed at the pipes. Then I could hook up 4 GoPro cameras also aimed at the pipes and hooked up to 4 small monitors at the dash level. Then I could rig up a contraption to squeeze the four handles on the bottles and watch the screens to see if the water sizzles off at the same rate. Of course I'd need a seeing eye dog mounted on the tank to bark when I approach something (Car, truck, fence on the other side of a "T" intersection) to avoid hitting it. Hmmmm. Andy
  16. Yeah, just imagine going around a corner in town and the cord goes up onto the sidewalk where the boy scout is waiting to help an old lady cross the street. Definitely wouldn't be making any new friends there! Andy
  17. Thanks, but I was thinking along the lines of a constant dash display that you could see as you ride. Andy
  18. Would it be possible to wire up some LED's to indicate when the coils are firing? The idea would be to know when a coil was failing or had failed. I have noticed on the forum that a number of members have stated that it can be hard to tell when a coil fails since the motor doesn't necessarily run much worse. You only really notice by way of decreased gas mileage or inability to go over 120 to 130 km per hr. I thought that wiring up some LED's to the coils and putting a small panel somewhere on the fairing would make that info easier to spot. Thanks, Andy
  19. They're having the Canada Day parade from Victoria St. to Crysler (Yes that's how it's spelled!) this year and the party in Victoria Park doesn't start till 8:00 p.m. so if you plan on riding by the falls you should only have regular tourist traffic - although that can get ugly on a long weekend in the summer. Also, there was construction on a small bridge just south of the falls which was reducing lanes from 4 to 2 and occasionally 1. If that is still going on, you could be in for a long, long wait to cross that bridge. If that's the direction you want to take, I'd be tempted to get off the Parkway at Bridge St. and head over to Stanley Ave. Then go left to Marineland Parkway and follow that into Chippewa. From there you can get back on the Parkway and head out towards Fort Erie with a very nice view all the way. You can take it all the way to Garrison Rd. which is Hwy 3 and that will get you heading home. Or if you're in a hurry there are some other roads (Netherby Rd. for instance) that can get you headed back home sooner. This way you'll miss seeing the falls, but that may not be such a bad thing given what the traffic situation may be like at that bridge construction. If the stars align (Decent weather, no digestive system problems) I may head out to Caledonia to join you. I'll be solo as my wife can't ride anymore. If I go I'll have hot dogs and see about some homemade dessert. Andy
  20. I usually remain civil with the average telemarketer. They are, after all, only doing their job and these days in some areas (Like this one!), it's the only job they can get. But ... some smaller outfits encourage their people to get very pushy or rude. Those I treat as they deserve. As for those phony calls telling me I have a computer problem, well... that's a straight scam and they get both barrels directly in the face, so to speak. I hate thieves, bullies and con artists and don't feel the least bit guilty in reaming them out but good. Andy
  21. Be extra careful if you get into wet weather. If those tires are from '07, they may have hardened up quite a bit depending on where and how the bike was stored. That could seriously reduce traction in the dry and even more in the wet. You usually can't tell until you try an emergency maneuver and suddenly find yourself sliding along the ground. Traction can break very, very quickly compared to newer tires and can easily catch you off guard. Don't mean to scare you but it's good to know just in case. Andy
  22. If there were such laws, I'd be in a lot of trouble by now. The way I see it, since they call without our requesting it and they are trying to scam us then pretty much anything we say is OK. If they don't like being yelled at or sworn at, then they shouldn't be trying to rip us off - which is exactly what calls like that are about. So - enjoy!! Andy
  23. Naw, they'd eat the 'gators and use the hides to make boats and paddle across. You'll need a better plan! :rotf::rotf::rotf: Andy
  24. Just keep in mind that many of those free WIFI spots are not secure! You want to avoid using apps that require important passwords such as bank accounts, charge cards, etc. And avoid sending personal info (address, telephone number, etc.) and you should be OK. Just assume that strangers are "listening in" (Even if it's not a voice call). Andy
  25. Well there is one at Stanstead, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont. Here's an interesting article written by a motorcycling journalist who visited the town(s) in 2010. Get this - there's an opera house where the performances take place in Canada and most of the audience is sitting in the U.S. Cool or what? http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/ja10/stanstead-border-town.asp Makes for interesting reading. There are others but this is a good place to start. Andy
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