Jump to content

twigg

Expired Membership
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,423

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by twigg

  1. twigg
    Nope ... You are supposed to let your wife or kids learn to ride on it
  2. twigg
    It's a solution for a problem I didn't know I had Much like most "As Seen On TV" ads
  3. twigg
    I like the Viragos .... They are very easy to ride, completely non-scary and great for those "vertically challenged". They make great learner machines too. Once their issues are resolved they are pretty reliable.
  4. twigg
    This!
  5. twigg
    The problem with Harley sites is that they are populated with guys who like Harleys. Most of those guys are perfectly decent, perfectly reasonable folk, but they do have a higher proportion of those who are neither decent nor reasonable, and they make a lot of noise. On the other hand .... if it is technical info you want, those guys know their bikes. They kinda have to because they get their hands dirty, a lot So ask your questions and you'll get good information .... Start giving opinions and .... It is worth bearing in mind that there are no good technical reasons why HD exist. They don't make the best bikes, they never have. They are slow to innovate and they are frighteningly expensive for what they are, When the other US bike makers went bust, HD should have gone with them, but with Govt. support and some very good marketing, they survived. Right now they look like they might not survive next time around. On the other hand ... A motorcycle is a motorcycle ... ride what you like and welcome to the club
  6. twigg
    lol ... yeah it's easier Mainly because pretty much everything quotes power consumed in Watts. Once you have worked out the watts you have to spare once the necessities are taken care of, you instantly understand whether or not you can power an item. All those little things, like GPS etc ... you can pretty much ignore them, the current draw is either tiny or not continuous. So your bike spec will quote the maximum amperage of the generator ... multiply that by 14 ... the running voltage and after that it's easy
  7. twigg
    Work it out in Watts ... it's easier. Find the amp output from the generator and multiply it by 14 (volts). That is the total power produced .... Then make the subtractions (do this once and remember the power you have to play with. (Watts). Allow about 30 Watts for battery charging, maybe 50 for the ignition. Then you have to add up the power consumed by all the lights that are perm. on ... Head, Tail, etc. Don't forget the panel lights ... Yheyt are 3.4W each, and there are a lot of them on some models. Ignore the brakes and flashers ... If you plan to use the hazard lights while driving, then add up the bulbs and divide by two. Take the total from the power produced and there you have the spare capacity. You might want to reduce it by say 10% for a safety margin. Also ... a good voltmeter in the circuit will actually tell you when the battery is discharging.
  8. twigg
    Expect to pay around $80 for the springs, plus the oil. The job can be done almost in minutes rather than hours. I exaggerate, but not much.
  9. twigg
    eBay sellers usually have them too, from around $70.
  10. twigg
    All you can really do is look at the Seller's Feedback. If it's good you are unlikely to be ripped off. Most eBay problems stem from poor descriptions and poor buying choices .... high shipping costs are a no-no for me. I would think that if an eBay trader is selling Progressive springs, then Progressive spring are what you probably will get. Paypal offers pretty good protection.
  11. twigg
    Seems to be the correct part #, and the price is decent ... but fairly typical. What's the concern?
  12. twigg
    Thanks Earl. I'll take you up on that offer, but it can wait a little while. Getting the covers off wasn't that hard with a decent 10mm ratchet wrench. I'll buy those gaskets from you, and you have a few other bits I will want too, so a decent order can be put together. It has taken 56000 miles for my valves to wear "just" out of spec ... The good news is that the bike, although sadly neglected in the last few years, has been fairly well looked after. The Progressive fork springs were another nice surprise. I will be needing a set of braided brake lines and possibly the anti dive covers too. I haven't done a compression test yet, but I am really not expecting any nasty surprises. The priority now is to have it running and get 50 to 100 fast freeway miles under the wheels. That will tell me a lot more. Cosmetically the thing is a mixed bag, and it might stay looking a bit rough for a while until I can replace or repair some plastic parts, but it will run like a sewing machine ... only faster.
  13. twigg
    I have one of those .... Her name is Jodie
  14. twigg
    I have the cam covers off, and the gaskets need replacing. I read somewhere that the gaskets from a later model (RSV?) were better than the original VR versions. Does anyone know what part is best? The valve clearances themselves are just a fraction under the minimum clearances .... maybe .01 to .02mm all round. The engine has 56k on it. That's actually not bad, especially the very even wear aspect of it so I will leave them alone for the summer and check again in the Fall. By that time I can find out which shims I'll need, and won't mind waiting for them. In the meantime it will come to no harm. Thanks.
  15. twigg
    Volkswagon can test all sorts of things in secret. They have a private test facility that includes, among other things, a five mile straight.
  16. twigg
    heh! We were tping at the same time EDIT: A four post lift with a cross beam would take the trike
  17. twigg
    Just the ease of removing the back wheel makes it all worthwhile I think they all have a removable plate there ... make sure the one you get does. Second the Mig Welder ... I'd add a lathe and milling machine, but I wouldn't use them enough.
  18. twigg
    If you could add one tool, or piece of equipment to your shop, what would it be. Add a second choice too if you like In my case I would like a motorcycle lift. I am way past the point where kneeling on the floor is fun. Please feel free to link this thread to anyone who might consider you at Christmas and Birthday
  19. twigg
    Those German engineers have had some very good ideas over the years. That was one of them
  20. twigg
    Looking through the windshield is okay, if that's your thing, but threre are very real problems with it. They are plastic, so they scratch and age ... it really doesn't matter how careful you are, looking through plastic isn't brilliant. They are not optically clear, whatever the manufacturers say and they give a distorted view. None of that matters very much, until you really need it to matter, when it's too late. They are compromised by dust, rain is a nightmare and they keep off so much wind that you roast in summer. Cutting a screen to the point where it gives the maximum benefits while reducing the disadvantages to a minimum makes sense for most folk ... even if not most folk here, I dunno. Clearview make an excellent screen, with a very large vent ... but it's not cheap. I have never really suffered much in the way of buffeting with a well set up screen, except in strong cross winds, where the bigger screen actually hurts not helps. The normal wind you experience is just part of the reason for riding. The VR, by the way, has about the quickest detaching windshield I ever saw. It must take at least 40 seconds to remove it
  21. twigg
    In most cases it's just a matter of setting the windshield up correctly. The top of the windshield should be roughly at nose height. To get it right: Get the bike on a level surface and place an object on the ground, fifty feet in front of the bike. Sit one the bike in your regular riding position. The correct screen height is where the top of the screen, your eyes, and the thing on the ground are all in a line. Mark the screen and cut it, or have it cut, at that height. This is the screen height that gives you the best of both worlds. It provides near 100% protection from wind, rain and insects because the airflow lifts that stuff up and will strike your helmet at forehead height, with most going right over you .... That is, you will be able to ride with your visor up and have no wind in your eyes; yet you can also see straight over the top of the shield for the clearest view. For me, for example, at six foot ... The ideal screen height is between 19 and 20 inches from the bottom of the screen to the top. The stock VR screen is 22 inches, with the tall screen coming in at 25 1/2 inches. Both are too tall and force me to look through plastic at the road. There is nothing good about that. Fortunately, cutting screens is very easy. You buy clothes that fit ... why settle for a screen that only comes in a couple of sizes.
  22. twigg
    If it's made of ABS then yes, it will. For mending cracks you need an applicator, or the stuff will run everywhere. They sell small plastic bottles with thin, needle-like, tips. They are used for applying the solvent to acrylic when making fishtanks. One of those (web search) would be very useful. If you want to know what kind of plastic you have ... or at least id MEK will weld it, then just put a drop on a hidden surface and see if it dissolves it. If it does, you are good to go. When you are repairing a crack or split tape the pieces together and run a thin bead of the chemical on the reverse side. Capillary action draws the fluid into the crack, and that's all you need to do. The tape will prevent the stuff damaging the face and it only needs a few minutes to set up. A plastic syringe with a #25 needle will work well too. Unlike other methods where you are trying to reinforce a glued joint, like with adding glass-fiber, etc ... this method literally makes good the original piece. Bear in mind that the original piece broke So you might want, in many cases, to strengthen it. Do this by adding ABS and using the solvent to bond it. If you have a missing tab .... Get some modeling clay and make a mould from a good tab. Grind up some ABS (A plumbing fitting or some sheet stock). You can do this by grinding, filing or simply collecting hacksaw shavings. When you have enough, add a few drops of solvent and make a paste. Push the paste into the mould you made and leave it to set. Finish shaping the new part then use more solvent to glue it in place of the missing tab.
  23. twigg
    Let me rephrase that ... People who ride without crash helmets would be breaking very good laws in most States and countries. Laws put there to protect people who lack good decision making skills, from themselves. I know some donMt like that. Tough. I don't like subsidising your health care or providing benefits for the family you leave behind when you smear yourself across the road. Wear a crash helmet. One day, your wife, kids, grandbabies might just thank you for it.
  24. twigg
    There is no discussion to be had about crash helmets. If you ride without one you are stupid ... End. Wind preference is simply a preference.
  25. twigg
    That's what I did! I hadn't anticipated just how fast that stuff could squirt out
×
×
  • Create New...