darthandy
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Everything posted by darthandy
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According to the Sea Foam / Deep Creep site, it does a very good job of penetrating through rust, tar, oil, etc. and uses a non-flammable propellant so that you can use it around items heated with a torch without turning yourself into a certain member of Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four. As for Sea Foam, a member of another bike forum I belong to, had occasion to pull a float bowl off a recently purchased bike's carbs because it was running poorly. It was full of crud and as he didn't have the time to pull the carbs off and clean them, he ran a couple of tankfuls of gas with Sea Foam through them. When he later pulled the carbs off and disassembled them, everything inside was clean and all that was required were a few adjustments. I recently bought a very low mileage Altima that had only run 94,000 KM in 10 years (about 59,000 mi.) and had spent a lot of time running at low speeds or just sitting. It was running poorly so I ran through 3/4 of a tank of gas with Sea Foam in it and it now runs quite nicely. Some people have criticized Sea Foam as "snake oil" but it my experience, it has done a great job. Oh...almost forgot...Sea Foam also works as a gasoline stabilizer in case your bike (or whatever) is stored for a while and it "dries" out gas which is nice if you're in an area that has a lot of alcohol in the gas. Alcohol loves to attract water. Andy
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Fork work
darthandy replied to darthandy's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
Thanks for the pics. That top spring looks a lot like mine but I just did some measuring and discovered that about one third of the spring has coils spaced about 2.15 mm apart and the other two thirds has coils spaced about 3.61 mm apart. A very small difference but it still seems to be dual rate. The springs do look heavier than the stock Yammy's. I attached a picture of my spring. I note though, that the top spring in your pic seems to be more tightly wound at one end than at the other. Was it a progressive rate spring or a dual rate? Andy -
Oops. I may not have expressed myself correctly, Gary. By progressive springs, I meant the progressive rate type rather than springs from Progressive (Couldn't they have picked a less confusing name?). Anyway, I checked my springs and while they look quite different from the springs shown in the manual, they still seem to be dual rate. That is, about one third of the spring has the coils spaced about 2.15 mm apart and the remaining two thirds has coils spaced about 3.61 mm apart. A very small difference mind you...I had to use my calipers to make sure. Either way, they do not seem to be the stock Yamaha springs and they seem to be a good bit stiffer. I certainly didn't notice any bottoming when I was using the bike last fall, but then I also didn't have it heavily loaded. I think the springs will still cause a reduction in the amount of fork oil required since they are probably thicker than the originals, but without more info on their size or who made them, I'm not sure what to do. If I could find some original springs, I suppose I could put them in a tub of liquid and see how much liquid each type displaces but that seems a bit overdone to me. Andy
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Given the amount of money I've spent on parts so far, I think the question may break the $10 barrier. I'll take a closer look at my springs to see if the spread between coils is constant or if there is a change from end to end but I would think that the progressive springs would also be of heavier stock and therefore require less fork oil. But, as you asked, how much is enough?
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Thanks a lot guys...I appreciate the info. By the way, from the pictures I've seen in the Yamaha manual and the various rebuilds, it would seem that the Ventures came with progressive rate springs (Note the tighter winding at one end than at the other end). The springs in mine seem to be single rate (same winding from one end to the other). I guess that explains the plastic spacers...a previous owner must have replaced the springs. I wonder if the anti-dive is really worth keeping at this point. I don't have anti-dive on my Triumph which had progressive rate springs that I replaced with single rate springs (Of a higher rate) last year and I've noted little fork dive since then. Previously, I would get a good look at my front fender when braking hard. I think I'll do more searching on that topic in the forum. This "quick and dirty" job has turned into a still dirty but much longer job, so I may as well look into any other changes I should be making. Anyway, thanks again. Andy
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Thanks again MiCarl. So I guess the metal on metal sound is the two bushings getting together! And my next question was going to be ..."How do I reassemble it?" No surprise there, right? Now ...another question. I note in Freebird's description of seal and bushing replacement in the tech section that he did not remove the upper tubes and reassembled everything with them still tied to the triple clamps. I would love to avoid removing the rest of the fairing and the air ride collars if possible, as I am living in fear of trying to reassemble this mess as is and trying to fix some broken and missing tabs. His plan seemed to involve holding parts together with a bit of grease and moving slowly, which is the speed I've been using so far. Is this doable or should I just set fire to the bike and try to collect the insurance? (Oops...did I say that out loud?)
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Thanks MiCarl, I took my electric impact wrench to it and both bolts came out nicely. I guess you answered before I could change my thread to detail the new problem!
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Following Freebird's Tech section instructions, I have the fork springs out (Plastic spacer - did Yamaha use a plastic spacer?) and the bottom bolts out. I tried to remove the lower tubes as instructed, but while they broke loose from the "pressure hold", I seem to be hitting something solid and metallic right at the bottom before they come apart. Anyone know what I'm hitting? I don't want to keep slamming the lower tubes against this without knowing what's happening. Thanks Andy __________________
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Following Freebird's Tech section instructions, I have the fork springs out (Plastic spacer - did Yamaha use a plastic spacer?) and the bottom bolts out. I tried to remove the lower tubes as instructed, but while they broke loose from the "pressure hold", I seem to be hitting something solid and metallic right at the bottom before they come apart. Anyone know what I'm hitting? I don't want to keep slamming the lower tubes against this without knowing what's happening. Thanks Andy
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fork seals
darthandy replied to darthandy's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
That is food for thought Carl, but I think I'm looking at a lot more than a 1/2 hour...plus, I'm not used to taking apart forks with so many bits and pieces in them. I've also got some time constraints which is why I was doing the "short form" version in the first place. Thanks for the info Twigg. There are enough cracks in various parts of this bike that when time allows, I'll have a fair amount of plastic repair to get to. But...that may have to wait for the next layover period (also known as winter) and hopefully, I may even have a heated workspace then. -
fork seals
darthandy replied to darthandy's topic in Venture and Venture Royale Tech Talk ('83 - '93)
Thanks Bob, but I had to drain the oil anyway since I'd lost a bit due to the seal leak. Those air forks just keep pushing it out once it starts don't they? I had a real surprise when I drained the left fork leg...hardly any oil came out! I would guess that the leg had less than half it's required volume...and that's not the one that was leaking!! I'll have to fix the fender as well as it is cracked around the bolt holes ... fortunately, I got the last Plastex kit from our local hardware store since they have discontinued carrying it. Always a little something! -
I'm in the process of doing a fork seal replacement and was wondering...is it best to pull the anti-dive leads out at the "dash" and route them back in afterwards or can I remove the unit on the fork tubes and re-install it? This is a "quickie" replacement and I won't be taking the tubes apart. I'll just be sliding the old seals out along the tubes and the new ones back in the same way after pulling the fork tubes out of the "tress".
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The quickest easiest way to solve the problem is to install resistors made for these lights. The flasher is flashing "fast" because the LED's use far less electricity than the incandescent bulbs did so the flasher is now too "strong", so to speak. The guys at http://www.superbrightleds.com have these resistors for sale but you may have to tell them what the details of your bulbs are to ensure you get the right resistor. I'm sure there are other places to obtain thme but Super Bright is who I have dealt with so I'm more familiar with their products. Hope this helps.
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Granted our laws differ somewhat from those in the U.S. but it seems to me that what they are planning must violate some of our rights somehow! This might be a good time to talk to a lawyer who specializes in civil liberties cases. Do they also plan on stopping everyone driving a Corvette or other sports car or, for that matter, anything painted red as well? ( Pardon me sir, but your bright red Smart car seemed to be moving in a hazardous fashion so we decided to pull you over and advise you that you are in danger. Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!!) Must be nice to live where the crime rate is so low that the police have nothing better to do than harass people over their choice of transportation!
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When I was researching what to buy in the way of an older touring bike last year (Since I couldn't afford a newer one!), I ran across some interesting info in the Cavalcade owners forum. It seems that these machines have some kind of rubber covered metal plug in the rear drive that can come loose and allow the lubricant to leak into the outer case. This leads to the gears heating up and seizing which locks up the back wheel at speed. Also, the lubricant stays in the case ... there's nothing that shows up outside. You have to check the fluid level every 150 miles (If I remember correctly ... getting old, you know) to know if it's leaking. It seems that there is some kind of fix for it, so it might be worth checking into whether or not the fix has been done to this bike.
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According to the "RoadRules" site, from Sept. 30, 2007 (Start date) to April 12, 2010 (A year ago today!), the Ontario Provincial Police (Equivalent of U.S. State Police) had issued 12,000 stunt driving charges! Then of course, there are the various municipal police forces! How can our provincial government still be in a deficit position?
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This is the info from the Ontario Ministry of Transport: "The legislation includes tough measures for those who choose to race on Ontario’s roads, including higher fines and longer suspensions: The maximum fine increases from $1,000 to $10,000 upon conviction for street racing, making it the highest penalty in Canada. The minimum fine increases from $200 to $2,000. Police can issue an immediate seven-day driver’s licence suspension and seven-day vehicle impoundment for street racing, participating in a driving contest or stunt driving. Courts can impose a driver licence suspension of up to 10 years for a second conviction, if the second conviction occurs within 10 years of the first. For a first conviction, the maximum licence suspension period remains at 2 years. The definition of a “driving stunt” includes driving a motor vehicle at 50 km/h or more above the posted speed limit. The Act also bans driving a motor vehicle on a highway with a connected nitrous oxide system. Some street racers use nitrous oxide to enhance the acceleration capabilities of their vehicles." Some have challenged and won their case as the law can be triggered in ways that weren't meant to be included - e.g. passing a semi on a two lane road with an 80 KPH speed limit and reaching a speed of 130 KPH or more during the maneuver. Doing so at a much reduced speed would actually be more dangerous as the driver is in the oncoming lane for a greater length of time. (This actually happened to a 62 year old grandmother and the charge against her was overturned.) So...beware when riding in Ontario.
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Yeah, nice idea. Unfortunately, the only road I could find around here that had been surveyed and marked properly like that, only had 3 km (Just under 2 miles) marked. I found it kind of short for getting a decent reading.
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This has probably been done before but since I haven't yet seen it mentioned, I thought I'd pass it on. I wanted to do a quick speedo check on my Triumph using my Garmin 255. While looking for a way to do a "quick and dirty" temporary attachment, it occurred to me to use the included suction cup bracket and attach it to the face of the tach. Worked like a charm and puts the GPS unit in a great line of sight position! Unless I'm racing (Wife says I'm too old for that anyway!) or looking for a problem at a specific RPM, I don't use the tach much since by now I can shift by ear (As can any of us who've been riding for a while). I tried it on the Venture and the only other thing it hides is the volt meter and that can be seen by rotating the unit on it's bracket. It's also a good idea to attach some type of line just in case it somehow vibrates loose, but for a short hop such as a speedo check, it works quite nicely. It might even work for a longer haul, although the lack of waterproofing could be a problem. Oh, I couldn't test the Venture as it's jacked up awaiting a fork seal change...boy that oil does come up nicely in an air fork doesn't it? As for the Triumph, it was about 5.5% optimistic - 85 KPH on the GPS at an indicated 90 KPH. Not too bad since I've heard that many bikes are as much as 10% optimistic.
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I seem to remember reading a similar thread a few months (?) ago where someone stated that changing from dino oil to synthetic on a higher mileage bike could lead to some seepage at some gaskets or seals. I don't remember if a reason was given. They did specify that it only seemed to occur on higher mileage machines which would imply that switching back and forth might not be a problem, but a change after a lot of miles and years on dino oil only could potentially cause problems. I was wondering if anyone has had this experience?
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I agree! Something similar happened to me last summer on a 50 KPH (30 MPH) four lane exiting a village. A deer suddenly shot out of the bush on the left side and was across all four lanes before any of the cager's brake lights came on! He was already reaching the far shoulder by the time I hit my VR's brakes. I was being very careful because of the way people drive in that area, but the speed at which it all happened was incredible! Sure glad he didn't decide to stop all of a sudden! If you watch the video closely (Blowing it up to full screen helps) you can see the deer's shadow, especially as he jumps over the 2nd bike. Also, it looks as if the rider on that bike on the left ducks his head just before the video ends. Doesn't look fake to me!
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Really glad it wasn't worse and everyone is OK. And three cheers for good riding gear! Two seconds is OK if you're 25 and race every second weekend, but as we get older and slow down a bit (Not implying that either of us is "old" - more like "oldish", right? Right?) it's a good thing to give ourselves a bit more time to react, if possible. My riding club has a "three second rule" on our group rides and, while it does occasionally get us spread out a bit, it gives us more time to act in the event of an emergency. The only problem I've had with that is the occasional cager who figures he (or she) is OK to "squeeze in" between the bikes to make that next (sudden) turn that they suddenly realized they needed to do. But then again, those nits would probably "not see us" and move in anyway. At least this way I can start braking as soon as they move - and wish that I had a Star Trek phaser mounted on the front of the bike to remove some "excess" metal from their car.
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Hmmmm! I got 20 out of 20. I guess that means I'm old and watched too much TV as a kid. Well...it's nice to know I'm not alone. Odd that Mighty Mouse wasn't in there...you know... Her I come, to save the day...that means - what?
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Thanks for the advice and info. Do you know if all those parts are available as a kit or is it "a la carte"? I checked on the Bike Bandit site and they only show individual parts. I would really like to avoid ordering everything only to discover that I left out some items...or worse, that I ordered items I didn't need. Ahhhh...I sometimes miss the "good old days" when there were a few less parts to motorcycles. The performance may have been lower but the wrenching was a lot easier.
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...by the front tire with oil having run down the fork. Looks like an oil seal has gone - has it really been that cold? Just kidding...they do have to be replaced eventually! I noticed a nice explanation (By Freebird) in the Tech section on how to replace the seals without removing the forks and it seems to apply to the MKII two models as well as the MKI's. Does anyone know if there's anything new to be added to the explanation? Can the anti dive be disabled at this point? If I do disable it, should I replace the springs? I only put a few hundred miles on the since I got it last October (We have this ugly thing called winter around here that has precluded more riding) so I really haven't had much of a chance to see how it will handle a larger load than just me. The previous owner thought that the bike only had 60,000 KM (about 37,500 miles), but judging from the wear and tear on various bits and pieces I suspect that the mileage may be more like 160,000 KM (100,000 miles) but I don't know what has been replaced other than tires and brake pads. (Who produces a long distance touring machine with only 5 digits on the odometer - plus the tenths, of course? What were they thinking?) On my Triumph, the practice has usually been to replace the bushings at the same time as the seals, since a bad bushing has been known to shorten the seal's life. Is this a good idea for the VR as well? Well, that should be enough questions for now. Time to start sourcing parts and wishing I was rich...and handsome and 30 years younger and...oh never mind. That line of thought just gets depressing!