A Motorcycle Thread About Absolutely Nothing!

[green427]

Regarding steering head bearings: If you have not done it before, be prepared for frustration and be sure you have the right tools handy. PM me if you want some tips that will save you a shitload of time.

In other news...Delaware passed a new law for 3-wheeled vehicle licensing requirements. If you don't have a M license, and you want to ride a 3-wheeled vehicle, no matter whether it is a Spyder or a trike, you will need to bring your 3-wheeler in for the test to get a "U" license. If you already have an "M" license, it is good for both 2 and 3 wheelers.

I think this was set up as a revenue generator as more and more trikes are on the road, and if you don't have the right license, instant revenue for the state.....

 

[Jiro]

Shock....

They do sell one for Cruisers. I've seen one that have knobs for it. They're expensive as well. Harley and many other Cruisers that have two rear shocks have tubes that rigs from shocks to pump to adjust via fingertip or use knob.

yup. expensive bike does have knob to adjust shock setting. mine has one but it's crappy. that's why I just bought Ohlins. It's set up for 190 lbs but has adjustable knob so I'll just set it down to softest level and increase it when I do 2UP or carry heavy sidecases for traveling.

Those who have Monoshock on their bike, it's alot cheaper but shocks tend to be stronger and stiffer to compensate two shocks on other bike.

Some low riders cruiser have pump that lowers bike to ground without kickstanding it when engine shut off and when it's up and running, it raises bike to riding level (similiar to any low rider cars). I don't like it cuz if tube or pump fails, you'll end up grinding bike to pavement

Seat...

Yes, It's true that you'll have to send your seat to have it re-upholstered. I found several of them in Ebay, Gel cushion and the seller say that you'll have to remove leather seat and add Gel cushion then staple it back on. There is one that already Gel cushion and cost more (it's equivalent to send and have it re-upholstered).

You can actually buy a kit (better foam/material/etc.) and do it yourself with a staple gun or you can go to any local shop to do it professionally for you at cheap price. I just shipped my seat out today and it's going to be totally customized. first time for them to do this kind of work and it's still much cheaper than those expensive seat brands! I can't wait to see how it turn out as

They already have it for all Cruiser bike some time ago. Many riders ride long trip and they don't want sore butts

As for back support, it cost $200 for it. I would want one for my bike, not that I have back problem, just that I wanted to re-position my butt during long trip for comfort

Catty

I definitely want to have a back support. It is really nice to have one when you're riding for a long while. It sux that it's $$$$$ so what I do is use my hiking bag with my stuff inside when going on road trip

 

[Jiro]

Ah! Relay chip.

Make sense.

Catty

yea. if you ever want to build a simple fuse panel box where you can connect all accessories into one place and have it automatically shut off if you turn your ignition off.... get a Bosch Relay (either 30amp or 40amp). or however you want it depending on how many accessories and total amp you have but 30 or 40amp is fine for pretty much everything unless you have an accessory that eats up a huge amount of amp

 

[Jiro]

Regarding steering head bearings: If you have not done it before, be prepared for frustration and be sure you have the right tools handy. PM me if you want some tips that will save you a shitload of time.

In other news...Delaware passed a new law for 3-wheeled vehicle licensing requirements. If you don't have a M license, and you want to ride a 3-wheeled vehicle, no matter whether it is a Spyder or a trike, you will need to bring your 3-wheeler in for the test to get a "U" license. If you already have an "M" license, it is good for both 2 and 3 wheelers.

I think this was set up as a revenue generator as more and more trikes are on the road, and if you don't have the right license, instant revenue for the state.....

yep I know. that's why I'm doing it with my mechanic. he's done it many times so I'm going to just watch and learn. he usually prefers to be alone when working on bike because he's a quirky peculiar guy but I asked him and he said "I charge 35% more if you watch and 100% more if you help"



he's, of course, joking and said I can come to watch.

 

[NitroHonda]

Regarding steering head bearings: If you have not done it before, be prepared for frustration and be sure you have the right tools handy. PM me if you want some tips that will save you a shitload of time.

In other news...Delaware passed a new law for 3-wheeled vehicle licensing requirements. If you don't have a M license, and you want to ride a 3-wheeled vehicle, no matter whether it is a Spyder or a trike, you will need to bring your 3-wheeler in for the test to get a "U" license. If you already have an "M" license, it is good for both 2 and 3 wheelers.

I think this was set up as a revenue generator as more and more trikes are on the road, and if you don't have the right license, instant revenue for the state.....

Agreed. It's a pain and there are no shortcuts without the assistance of the proper tools. You can rig something up to help but that's about it really.

I think it's ridiculous the M endorsement is solid enough for both. The Can-Am doesn't even operate like a motorcycle at all! The controls are more like a snowmobile more than anything else. The first time I rode one, I went to go slam the front brake which wasn't... there! I mean... it wasn't really close or anything like that but it was a definite,... *gulp*... moment.

Of course, it's just a revenue generator. No more. No less. Like red light cameras or speed cameras. All in the name of public safetly? My ass...

 

[purplecatty]

yea. if you ever want to build a simple fuse panel box where you can connect all accessories into one place and have it automatically shut off if you turn your ignition off.... get a Bosch Relay (either 30amp or 40amp). or however you want it depending on how many accessories and total amp you have but 30 or 40amp is fine for pretty much everything unless you have an accessory that eats up a huge amount of amp

Yes, I would need to do that once I get highway light bar for my VL800. It is definitely neccessary because of my VL800 situation like I pore over in Suzuki Volusia Forums : Intruder Volusia and Boulevard Forum (my sn there is Deafvl800rider) and learned that most common mistake that some install light bars or some accessories like heated pant, jacket, and gloves that requires lot amps to operate tend to melt contact inside ignition switch. Sending it to dealer for repair for crazy $600!!!. Actually switch cost around $40 to replace. So I must have heavy duty relay and wires installed once I get those lightbar for it.

There were recalls on some VL800 regarding to ignition switch that get hot and contact melted on plastic and bind. Mine isn't on recall list whew!!

Catty

 

[Jiro]

Yes, I would need to do that once I get highway light bar for my VL800. It is definitely neccessary because of my VL800 situation like I pore over in Suzuki Volusia Forums : Intruder Volusia and Boulevard Forum (my sn there is Deafvl800rider) and learned that most common mistake that some install light bars or some accessories like heated pant, jacket, and gloves that requires lot amps to operate tend to melt contact inside ignition switch. Sending it to dealer for repair for crazy $600!!!. Actually switch cost around $40 to replace. So I must have heavy duty relay and wires installed once I get those lightbar for it.

There were recalls on some VL800 regarding to ignition switch that get hot and contact melted on plastic and bind. Mine isn't on recall list whew!!

Catty

yike about repair cost....

but yea - never ever ever touch anything relating to ignition switch or cut-off switch. I've heard too many stories about burnt wiring. leave it alone. any wiring to ignition switch and cut-off switch should always be left alone... it's the most important part of the bike.

all you gotta do is build a simple fuse box (such as Radio Shack project box) with Bosch Relay (optional) and use proper wires with proper rating to handle a certain amount of amperage.

many many many riders are very clueless about wiring. it's amazing how clueless they are about it. it's just as bad as computer users not knowing how to install or delete a program

many people use some cheap thin wires and then simply hotwire it to any wire they can find or simply connect it straight to battery. tsk tsk tsk..... and then eventually, they'll either see their bikes on fire or have to cough up $$$$$$$ towing and repair cost for a new wiring/fusebox/etc.

since you know DIY electronic stuff very well, then you already know you need to calculate how much amperage an accessory (light bar, heated vest, etc.) will need and use correct wiring with correct amperage rating depending on how it's connected - straight to battery or parallel circuit or series circuit. and it's good idea to use a fuse for protection purpose.

another thing that many riders neglect very often - a wiring management. it's very very important to properly wire it from Point A to Point B because most riders just stuff it somewhere and ignore it. Motorcycle creates heat. So that means it will get very very hot inside. Common sense, right? So that's why some wiring will melt and then your bike will be on fire or not work.

A few simple solutions for this -

1. you can use heat-resistant tape (I think this is little expensive but better than burnt-out bike ) and wrap it around the wiring all the way - just the area where it will be close to hot area. Just about all bikes have this kind of tapes on their wiring.

2. you could use wiring with high heat-resistance but I think this option is very expensive and wiring could be very thick. sometimes it can be difficult to try to wire a thick/stiff wire thru somewhere inside your bike that has a very tight space.

3. always use any material with high heat-resistance such as soldering silver, tape, glue, etc. since motorcycle creates a massive amount of heat inside that can go up to around 200+ degree.

I learned my mistake couple days ago :Oops: Since I didn't have anything to properly secure my HID ballast onto my bike frame because Home Depot was closed, I used a poor man temporary solution by using a hot glue. After riding for a couple hours... I found out that the glue had melted off and my ballast fell off and was just hanging on by some wires. Apparently, my ballast creates a tremendous amount of heat and I almost burnt my fingers when trying to put ballast back on. It was definitely much hotter than hot glue. I didn't know it would create that much heat

For now - I'm using some wires to tie it to my bike frame. I need to go to home depot today and find a high heat-resistance, thick double-side commercial-grade tape and some heat foil tape because my tank bag strap is next to it so I don't want my nylon strap to get melted even though my tank bag nylon strap is designed for high temperature but hey.... better safe than sorry!

My mechanic just explained to me that if you use HID kit, it usually comes with ballast because HID requires a large amount of power which is why it's very bright. Ballast converts 12 volts into like 120 volts which is why ballast gets very hot. and you know what's the best part? my HID kit consumes about 50% less amperage than my stock headlight which means I get more juice left over for my accessories. lol I can see how this can confuse some people about the difference between voltage and amperage

I remember in my first year, my motorcycle died several times even though I recharged it several times. It was because both my stock headlight and heated vest depleted the power very quickly. so my mechanic recommended DEKA battery and HID kit upgrade. Now..... NO PROBLEM!

Stock battery is crappy too because it will get quickly depleted if exposed to high heat or cold temperature. it's very sensitive. plus - you have to regularly fill it up with distilled water otherwise it will be permanently damaged as it will get sulfurized I'm not going to waste 15 minutes just to take out my fairing part and check the battery water level. That's just silly and stupid

The previous owner gave me service maintenance receipts and I see that he had bought batteries twice in almost 2 years! I knew exactly what was wrong. Even though my bike battery is brand new right now... I'm getting rid of it so I just bought DEKA AGM Battery from ebay.

 

[green427]

"I charge 35% more if you watch and 100% more if you help"

Here is a preview of what I had to go through to replace my steering head bearings:


Had to take the whole front suspension apart (I also changed the fork oil in the process). All pieces are hanging in place with tie-wraps.

All that to get to this part, which requires a spanner wrench to remove:

Taking the old bearing off was easy, it is that bearing race (ring/collar) on the bottom that was a bitch to take out. I ended up putting the spindle in the vise and used a sawzall to cut it and pry it out:

Putting the new bearing race in required a 1 1/2" piece of PVC and a sledgehammer. I put the spindle in the freezer to shrink the metal beforehand, and it helped a little bit.


Putting the bike back together carefully took me about 6 hours.

Now I know why the bike shop wanted $400 to replace a couple of $40 bearings.....

 

[purplecatty]

yike about repair cost....

but yea - never ever ever touch anything relating to ignition switch or cut-off switch. I've heard too many stories about burnt wiring. leave it alone. any wiring to ignition switch and cut-off switch should always be left alone... it's the most important part of the bike.

all you gotta do is build a simple fuse box (such as Radio Shack project box) with Bosch Relay (optional) and use proper wires with proper rating to handle a certain amount of amperage.

many many many riders are very clueless about wiring. it's amazing how clueless they are about it. it's just as bad as computer users not knowing how to install or delete a program

y people use some cheap thin wires and then simply hotwire it to any wire they can find or simply connect it straight to battery. tsk tsk tsk..... and then eventually, they'll either see their bikes on fire or have to cough up $$$$$$$ towing and repair cost for a new wiring/fusebox/etc.

since you know DIY electronic stuff very well, then you already know you need to calculate how much amperage an accessory (light bar, heated vest, etc.) will need and use correct wiring with correct amperage rating depending on how it's connected - straight to battery or parallel circuit or series circuit. and it's good idea to use a fuse for protection purpose.

another thing that many riders neglect very often - a wiring management. it's very very important to properly wire it from Point A to Point B because most riders just stuff it somewhere and ignore it. Motorcycle creates heat. So that means it will get very very hot inside. Common sense, right? So that's why some wiring will melt and then your bike will be on fire or not work.

A few simple solutions for this -

1. you can use heat-resistant tape (I think this is little expensive but better than burnt-out bike ) and wrap it around the wiring all the way - just the area where it will be close to hot area. Just about all bikes have this kind of tapes on their wiring.

2. you could use wiring with high heat-resistance but I think this option is very expensive and wiring could be very thick. sometimes it can be difficult to try to wire a thick/stiff wire thru somewhere inside your bike that has a very tight space.

3. always use any material with high heat-resistance such as soldering silver, tape, glue, etc. since motorcycle creates a massive amount of heat inside that can go up to around 200+ degree.

I learned my mistake couple days ago :Oops: Since I didn't have anything to properly secure my HID ballast onto my bike frame because Home Depot was closed, I used a poor man temporary solution by using a hot glue. After riding for a couple hours... I found out that the glue had melted off and my ballast fell off and was just hanging on by some wires. Apparently, my ballast creates a tremendous amount of heat and I almost burnt my fingers when trying to put ballast back on. It was definitely much hotter than hot glue. I didn't know it would create that much heat

For now - I'm using some wires to tie it to my bike frame. I need to go to home depot today and find a high heat-resistance, thick double-side commercial-grade tape and some heat foil tape because my tank bag strap is next to it so I don't want my nylon strap to get melted even though my tank bag nylon strap is designed for high temperature but hey.... better safe than sorry!

My mechanic just explained to me that if you use HID kit, it usually comes with ballast because HID requires a large amount of power which is why it's very bright. Ballast converts 12 volts into like 120 volts which is why ballast gets very hot. and you know what's the best part? my HID kit consumes about 50% less amperage than my stock headlight which means I get more juice left over for my accessories. lol I can see how this can confuse some people about the difference between voltage and amperage

I remember in my first year, my motorcycle died several times even though I recharged it several times. It was because both my stock headlight and heated vest depleted the power very quickly. so my mechanic recommended DEKA battery and HID kit upgrade. Now..... NO PROBLEM!

Stock battery is crappy too because it will get quickly depleted if exposed to high heat or cold temperature. it's very sensitive. plus - you have to regularly fill it up with distilled water otherwise it will be permanently damaged as it will get sulfurized I'm not going to waste 15 minutes just to take out my fairing part and check the battery water level. That's just silly and stupid

The previous owner gave me service maintenance receipts and I see that he had bought batteries twice in almost 2 years! I knew exactly what was wrong. Even though my bike battery is brand new right now... I'm getting rid of it so I just bought DEKA AGM Battery from ebay.

As for electricial part...

I know alot about it. I would simply use 18 or 20 guage wire which is suffice. I always require fuse for new connection to battery. I test wire to see if it get hot or not. If wire become hot but not hot enough to melt the insulation, then swap for thicker wire. In my case, I have not encounter any problems. I have 15 watt solder and its barely enough to solder 18 guage wire. I used to have 100 w solder gun. It went bad and old and threw it away. I am going to get 50 watt pencil soldering iron for heavy duty wire work. I always use heat shrink to seal up connection. I do have silver tape and it is very good heat resistant. It is expensive, $14 for a spool and you would have to use scissor to cut length of tape then peel the backing then stick silver tape on. I use that for my upgraded ductwork for tight seal. I love this tape.

I have infared thermometer with laser. It is easy for me to find hot spot on wiring or components.

I would never connect new wire to ignition section. If I am installing light bar, I would rig wire from headlight to relay acuator then from light bar positive wire would go thru relay breaker then fuse to battery and black to ground. In that way if I crank the engine, it will turn off light bar same time head light to allow more juice to starter. But lightbar do have switch allow me to turn on/off when needed for night riding.

I know there are some people do sheer stupidity on wiring. They do scares me when I see their work!!! Some use 24 or 26 guage wire for heavy duty accessory yike!!! (Seriously its like longest fuseable link ) One asked me why motor won't function normally and I simply told them motor need thick wire to operate normally sheesh!! Motors or some heavy duty accessory would not operate if wire is too thin. It's like trying to start a car with 18 gauge wire instead of 8 gauge wire. Depending on how much amperage going through wire, I would make sure that it won't be like accessories trying to "sucking small straw". Sometime if space is an issue, I would use two thin guages wires equivalent to thick gauged wire rig alongside each other from one area to another. I rarely seen some cars using two wires in place of one thick one either to save money or space. I be wondering if you use 40 gauge wire (as thin as one strand of your hair commonly in Hearing Aid or Cochlear Implant processor) and try to start a motorcycle. I bet it'll flash and melt real quickly with 'pop' If you rig high voltage through hair wire, it'll flash and explode with thunder hee hee hee


As for battery

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/5/86/28402/ITEM/Bikemaster-TruGel-Battery.aspx

There are Gel battery for Motorcycle. It may be good or not. I was thinking about this battery but decide to hold off since my motorcycle battery is perfectly fine. Former owner bought new battery a year before I bought it. You might want to check this out.

Battery slowly losing charges after 6 mo... Sometime you might want to find out how much amperage does alternator provides for charging and amperage of power drawn from battery during normal usage. If amp draw from battery nearly equal of alternator amp to battery, itll kills battery slowly. You might want to find out your motorcycle Stator amperage rating. You may either swap Stator for one that provides more amperage than stock one. I haven't check out website if they sell one for your bike. Worth a try

Sometime swapping out blinker, braking and parking bulbs for LED or Luxeon LED lamp to cut down amp use to allow alternator to be able to provide more juices to maintain battery charge.

I hope my suggestion helps lol

Catty

 

[purplecatty]

Here is a preview of what I had to go through to replace my steering head bearings:


Had to take the whole front suspension apart (I also changed the fork oil in the process). All pieces are hanging in place with tie-wraps.

All that to get to this part, which requires a spanner wrench to remove:

Taking the old bearing off was easy, it is that bearing race (ring/collar) on the bottom that was a bitch to take out. I ended up putting the spindle in the vise and used a sawzall to cut it and pry it out:

Putting the new bearing race in required a 1 1/2" piece of PVC and a sledgehammer. I put the spindle in the freezer to shrink the metal beforehand, and it helped a little bit.


Putting the bike back together carefully took me about 6 hours.

Now I know why the bike shop wanted $400 to replace a couple of $40 bearings.....

Yup, I've done the same, freeze the metal and then quickly put it on. I do heat brushing or nut with Mapp torch to loosen it then remove it.

Have you thought of dipping fork end with Liquid Nitrogen for 1 minute or so then drop new bearing in and then warm it up. It'll plop right into seat.. You'll love it. I've seen on tv that someone did solderless copper pipe fittings of same size by dipping one pipe to Liquid Nitrogen then slide in warm copper pipe over frozen shrunk copper pipe then rub their hand to let cold pipe expand inside of it. It's super tight connection.

Liquid Nitrogen is hard to get because you must have Dewar (It's a special big thermo bottle for it) and go to place where they sell Liquid Nitrogen. You don't want to accidently spill LN on your bare hand and accidently break off your fingers like a glass.. :jaw: (perhap you might experiment it by dipping dead mice in LN and toss it to floor and watch it shatter like glass) I must admit that I've read one website that tell you about many uses of Liquid Nitrogen and even lot of pranks used by College students. I find it crazy!!!

Catty

 

[Reba]

Biker squirrel in my local area.

Zipper the squirrel | The Post and Courier | Charleston SC, News, Sports, Entertainment

Yes, she wears a helmet.

http://www.postandcourier.com/artic...-everywhere-even-on-motorcycle&source=RSS

 

[purplecatty]

Biker squirrel in my local area.

Zipper the squirrel | The Post and Courier | Charleston SC, News, Sports, Entertainment

Yes, she wears a helmet.

Pet squirrel accompanies owner everywhere, even on motorcycle | The Post and Courier | Charleston SC, News, Sports, Entertainment

Cute... Would you want with that thing scampering on your motorcycle while you are riding?

Catty

 

[purplecatty]

My new Bilt flip up helmet just arrived few days ago. I put it on and it's pretty snug. I love inner visor flip down and up just press of the button on left side of helmet. I test rode on my motorcycle with new helmet on. I adjusted the air vent and it's pretty good. Though it was 101 degree out, It did keep me cool while riding (not that cool but good enough to keep my head dry). I rode 70-80 mph and it doesn't drag my head back. I'm comfortable .. The only issue I have is cheek paddings which squeeze my glasses (both regular and Rx sunglasses). I it's kinda hard to put it on while on helmet. I was thinking about cut part of paddings and sew the cut part so It won't become frayed. So that both of my glasses won't be squeezed by padding. The flip up metal to metal latching system are excellent. I'm very happy with that and it'll last life of helmet. I would gladly get rid of old cheap TMS helmet but on the second thought, I may have to keep it for my kids to wear it for while until I get 2nd new helmet.

Catty

 

[Jiro]

today @ NYC thru tunnel

 

[Reba]

Cute... Would you want with that thing scampering on your motorcycle while you are riding?

Catty

It appears that Zipper just lays on her little pillow while riding. Hard to imagine with a squirrel!

 

[Jiro]

it's almost done. my bike may be ready today.

To-Do List for my bike
o Install Ohlins shock
o Install RaceTech Gold Valve
o Install Rear Sprocket
o Install Front Sprocket
o Install Chain
o Install Spark Plug
o Perform Wheel Balances
o Check HID wiring
o Grease swingarm
o Replace handlebar
o Adjust handlebar position
o Adjust clutch cable positioning
o Oil Change
o Fluid Change
o Coolant Change
o Realign headlight position
o Check clutch play
o Re-key Top Case & Rear Cover
o Perform Engine Valve Check

a pix of my Ohlins shock installed yesterday by my mechanic. unfortunately, I didn't stick around cuz I had to go upstate with my friends to pick up my Mossberg shotgun that I won.

 

[purplecatty]

it's almost done. my bike may be ready today.

To-Do List for my bike
o Install Ohlins shock
o Install RaceTech Gold Valve
o Install Rear Sprocket
o Install Front Sprocket
o Install Chain
o Install Spark Plug
o Perform Wheel Balances
o Check HID wiring
o Grease swingarm
o Replace handlebar
o Adjust handlebar position
o Adjust clutch cable positioning
o Oil Change
o Fluid Change
o Coolant Change
o Realign headlight position
o Check clutch play
o Re-key Top Case & Rear Cover
o Perform Engine Valve Check

a pix of my Ohlins shock installed yesterday by my mechanic. unfortunately, I didn't stick around cuz I had to go upstate with my friends to pick up my Mossberg shotgun that I won.

Ohlins shock is nice

What you listed..

0 Race Tech Gold valves... Gold plated valves?? J/k

0 Sparkplug--- Try Iridium Sparkplug, I installed couple of em in my VL800 engine. $7.99 each. Lasts long and better firing.

0 Perform wheel balance.. You might want to check inside of wheel to be sure if there's no rusts. Mine does and it's not bad. I had to replace tubing because it was 9 years old (8500 miles over 9 years before I bought it). The rust adhere rubber tube causing it to be hard and brittle. Guy told me that it's safety hazard and need to replace with new one. It's cheap, $16 for rear and $13 for front.

0 Oil change-- There are big discussion regarding "Dino oil" and "Full Synthetic oil" You might want to find out which is which the best for your bike. Be sure Synthetic oil have wet clutch protection. See if it's compatible with your bike. Synthetic oil are expensive, $9 each quart!
Soime riders claimed that Synthetic improves clutch shifting and better performance of their bike.

0 Re-align head light position, You might want it shine up to 25 ft (like any cars setup). Be sure that it doen't shine at the driver from 25 ft but to front of car. Often, I've seen riders had their headlight adjusted wrong, 15 feet!! It's their dumb move because you don't know until you see racoon 15 ft away at night and would you have time to swerve?? nope! You re-align it until you satisfied with it.

Catty

 

[Jiro]

Ohlins shock is nice

What you listed..

0 Race Tech Gold valves... Gold plated valves?? J/k

yup actually it is! - GOLD VALVE OVERVIEW

0 Sparkplug--- Try Iridium Sparkplug, I installed couple of em in my VL800 engine. $7.99 each. Lasts long and better firing.

yup that's what I bought.

0 Perform wheel balance.. You might want to check inside of wheel to be sure if there's no rusts. Mine does and it's not bad. I had to replace tubing because it was 9 years old (8500 miles over 9 years before I bought it). The rust adhere rubber tube causing it to be hard and brittle. Guy told me that it's safety hazard and need to replace with new one. It's cheap, $16 for rear and $13 for front.

no rust. wheels have already been inspected before. tires were changed too.

0 Oil change-- There are big discussion regarding "Dino oil" and "Full Synthetic oil" You might want to find out which is which the best for your bike. Be sure Synthetic oil have wet clutch protection. See if it's compatible with your bike. Synthetic oil are expensive, $9 each quart!
Soime riders claimed that Synthetic improves clutch shifting and better performance of their bike.

it's simpler and easier to stick with OEM oil because BMW engineers designed it that way to work with that specific oil. But you can choose to use other oil.... at your own risk.... which would most likely void the warranty.

For other bikes like Japanese... it's fine to choose any oil you like. It's more forgiving than BMW when it comes to choosing any oil you want.

0 Re-align head light position, You might want it shine up to 25 ft (like any cars setup). Be sure that it doen't shine at the driver from 25 ft but to front of car. Often, I've seen riders had their headlight adjusted wrong, 15 feet!! It's their dumb move because you don't know until you see racoon 15 ft away at night and would you have time to swerve?? nope! You re-align it until you satisfied with it.

Catty

yup. that's why I asked my mechanic to realign it for me. I tried to do it myself but it's hard to tell and it was troublesome so I rather let him deal with it

a common method is to place your vehicle several feet away from a wall. turn on headlight. use a chalk or whatever to mark where it's pointing at. adjust the height as per manufacturer's recommendation. and then you will be able to see if your adjustment went higher or lower than the marked line.

 

[Jiro]

this is what my friend sent to me when he visited my mechanic -

Saw your bike getting a prostate exam at JD's yesterday.

my mechanic's other client complimented about my bike too and he was jealous of my crapload of upgrades. we both have same bikes but his bike is pretty fubar

it's also the reason why my old bike was sold at higher price than it should be. the buyer really liked my custom preferences and thought it was worth an extra bucks. originally she balked at my price and thought it was "ridiculous". after she test-rode my bike.... she was :jaw: and said that my 2003 bike was much better than her 2006 bike

bad news - my bike won't be ready until this Friday so that means I'll be borrowing my friend's Bonnie... I'm not too fond of it...... I might just use... *cough* bus/train instead to commute to work.... *cough cough*

 

[metalangel]

Well, Fazer is now sold on fleabay (here is the listing if you're curious). Less than I'd hoped for but it met my reserve price so that'll do.

Took it for a ride Friday and again today to go to work... I'm gonna miss it! The way it can fling itself up to 40mph from a standing start, or blasting past that slow moving moron in the fast lane, or the 13k redline.

Oh well. In a few years maybe I will be able to afford another one.