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2004 (Nov to Dec) Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear
Love2Ride, Thursday, November 4 For Love2Ride who is seeking info on V&H and Cobra exhaust pipes: Have never heard the Cobras but my partner has Vance & Hines pipes on her 2002 Sportster 1200 Custom. I have Screaming Eagle pipes on my 2004. Both bikes already had these pipes and the Stage 1 kits installed when we bought them. The Screaming Eagle pipes are loud, but the Vance Hines are LLOOUUDD!!!!!! They sound really cool and I'm sure will let everyone know she is there. Diane in Michigan. (note from Mama: thanks for the input!) Thursday, November 4 For Jay whose bike backfires horribly on deceleration and has tried numerous things: I was just browsing and came upon your website. I noticed that a fellow biker was having similar problems with their Virago like myself. My tank got the bottom end of a petrol station's tank, which inevitably led to the entire tank, fuel lines and fuel cock assembly having to be cleaned and or changed. Since, she is running smooth as always. It's not something you hear about every day but it does happen. The petrol station I had went too was closing down and thus hadn't been up-keeping it's tanks, let alone re-filling them. Thus, beware to anyone who risks stopping off at one that is clearly stating it is closing down soon. Hope this helps. Take care. Corbin (note from Mama: every cautionary note helps someone down the line . . . I've heard of water in gas station tanks, but this sheds even more light on what happens to good people who get bad gas. Oops, was that me making a funny?!) Dear
VTwin Mama, Saw some on a bike at the dealer that were larger, and had a popout heel rest. The concept was really neat but they were obviously designed for a man's foot. I have big feet (size 10) but when my heel was positioned in the rest my foot was nowhere near the brake pedal. Really nice idea . . . now if someone would just make them to fit a woman's foot. Just got my bike 3 weeks ago. I'm in southern Michigan and have been riding any day it hits 49-50, but winter is coming soon. Folks around here say there are usually at least a couple days a month through the winter that are rideable, but for the most part, it will be very cold and snowing soon. My question is: what should I do to prepare my bike for winter? Should it keep a full tank of gas? Does it need a gas stabilizer? Should I start and run it every few days? Anything else I should do? Diane in Michigan Dear
Diane, If you type in "winterizing a motorcycle" into a search engine, you'll come up with lots of well written articles on the subject. Since you feel that you may want to ride on whatever good days you have available, different techniques are in order. Keep the tank full and add stabilizer. Always make sure you bed the bike down clean (chrome, leather, painted parts, chains or belt, etc.) and cover the exhaust pipe ends with a rag and rubberband to keep ickies out. Cover the bike with a breathable cover (I use old hospital blankets, but there are many covers for sale that have proper venting . . . just remember that you get what you pay for). Use a battery tender to maintain the charge properly (I've got a solar powered one listed on my Aftermarket page that works on cloudy days as well!), but keep an eye out on the cell water levels (one dead cell and you're dead in the water). Yes, you could just start the bike once a week, but I'm forgetful on this point myself, so end up pulling the battery to recharge the night before I think we'll have good riding weather. Pain in the you know what! Change the oil while you can, including the filter. And always re-check your tire pressure when you do take the bike for a spin. That seems to all I can think of now. For those days when you can't ride, but need a "fix," consider grabbing your maintenance manual and learning more about your bike, or check my Education Center page for lots of great book/mags on riding. Mama Sunday, November 7 Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear
Yama Mama, Pops from the pipes indicate unburned gas. That's means something is out of whack in the air/gas mixture. Was it recommended to install a new jet kit? Did you do that? By any chance did you add a hypercharger? Could be that the carburetor needs to be fine-tuned. Contact your local dealer's service department to discuss this . . . asking is free . . . and it may be simple enough to fix or require their experience to set it straight. They'll definitely want to know if the pop is at low or high speeds, upon acceleration or deceleration. Make sure you're clear on that before calling. Mama Sunday, November 7 Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear
Tex, So I went to a few of the mfgs. listed on WBW and found that you need to look for the "fitment" guides. Then you choose your make/model/year and they cough up possible tires. For instance, on the Dunlap site, I found the standard recommended front and rear tires, but also found a wider rear tire that might be in line with what you are looking for. It's time to do some homework but visiting mfg. sites, clicking into fitments and calling up your specific bike. Of course, if you're feeling like someone else could be doing this (!), then it's time to head to the nearest dealer's parts department and let them open up the many OEM and aftermarket books they have and let their fingers doing the walking (so to speak). Since this will require some time, consider visiting during non-peak hours so they can give you their full attention. Mama Thursday, November 11 Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear
Snojean, Thursday, November 11 Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear
Nenad (ZMAJ), Congratulations on your new bike and joining the wonderful adventure of motorcycle riding! You are very wise to want to learn how to keep the bike in good running condition. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of this manual. I searched the Internet for a site that could assist you, but did not find anything. VTwin Mama sisters with a Honda VLX 600: please share a site that would be useful for Nenad or, if possible, would you be willing to copy useful pages from the manual and either email or snail mail it to Nenad? Contact me at vtwinmama@vtwinmama.com for the email address and/or mailing address. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear
Geoff, Wednesday, November 17 For Geoff whose friend's Virago 250 is experiencing charging problems: First off let me say I love your website. Thank you for it. It's been a great help in many ways. My Virago 535 also has charging problems. The service manual gives a very detailed description of how to see what's wrong with it. All you need is a voltage meter. With the help of the manual it's pretty easy to check each part of the charging system to see where your problem lies. My stator had a low resistance reading. A new one was out of my price range so I bought a small maintenance battery charger and hook it up to the battery after every ride. My husband also rigged a switch to turn the headlight off, however I think there is a law in some states that requires a motorcycle always run with the headlight on. Joyce (note from Mama: thanks for sharing your experience and how you solved the problem!) Wednesday, November 17 Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear
Lorinda, If you have the service manual for your year/make/model bike, it's easy enough to read through the inspection procedure to see if you have the necessary tools and want to tackle it yourself instead. Mama Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear
Patrick, Thursday, November 25 For Patrick who is searching for used parts for a 1985 XV700: Try www.oldbikebarn.com. Diane in Michigan (note from Mama: thank you for sharing this resource! Note that these are new parts for older metric bikes from the 70s, 80s and 90s) Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear
Tom, Wednesday, December 8 For Tom who was wondering about synthetic oil use in a motorcycle: Per the forum I watch for
SCRC (Southern Cruisers) it can be really bad news to put synthetic oil
into a bike before it gets a few thousand miles on a new engine. New
engines need to be broken in to allow the rings to seat (whatever that
means) and that wont happen with a synthetic oil. Amsoil, for
instance, recommends not using their product for the first 10,000 miles in
a car. The fellow that was discussing this issue says he put it into
his Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad at 3,000 and hasnt had any problems, but he
knows someone else that used it after only 500 and has been burning oil
ever since. Of course, Im not a mechanic & am only repeating
what I read on the forum. This may or may not have anything to do
with what is happening on your bike; but it might be worth while
mentioning it to your mechanic. Wednesday, December 8 For Patrick who is searching for used parts for a 1985 XV700: Hey, it's kind of hit and miss .. and mostly Harley stuff - both new and used and some fairly old ... but you can't beat the prices on some of this stuff if you're lucky enough to be looking for what they've got! http://www.partsbrothers.com Vicki (note from Mama: thank you for sharing this resource! Note that these are new parts for older metric bikes from the 70s, 80s and 90s) Thursday, December 9 Hey
VTwin Mama, Dear
Jeffrey, Dear
VTwin Mama, Here is my question - do any other lady riders out there have problems getting the service they deserve at their local motorcycle dealers/stores? I have had several incidences of being TOTALLY ignored while looking for items in the stores. The last one came with the question "What kind of bike does your husband ride?" Arggggggg!!!! So far I have had one great experience at a dealer out of state and 3 really bad ones here at home. Is this the way it is out there? Any chance we can get a list going of places that are women biker friendly and helpful? Dawne Dear
Dawne, Your suggestion on posting women-friendly dealers is fine, but the criteria would be too objective as each woman would might not have the experience depending on which person they talked with (and personnel change all the time). So I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass on that one. You might want to contact local women's riding organizations to get their input. Hop onto my Women's Sites page for listings. Mama Friday, December 17 For Dawne who is wondering is all dealers are created equal: Hi, I just had to respond to Dawne who said she would be ignored when she went shopping in motorcycle shops. I had the exact same response of "What kind of bike does your husband have?" when I went to a local HD shop and inquired about a part for my Heritage-AARRGGHH!! My response was to look him straight in the eye and say, "It's MY bike." He quickly changed his tune, but for me it was too late and I did not make a purchase. Another local HD shop actually prints on the bottom of their receipts, "Ride free,brother"! That's NOT what I want to see after I dropped a couple of hundred bucks for parts. There are women-friendly shops out there, but you've got to look. I will travel 90 miles round trip to my favorite HD shop where they treat me with respect. If my bike has to go in for a service, the head mechanic will talk to me and not my husband standing next to me. I have a long memory and the shops that don't treat me well do not get my money. I think your best bet would be to ask other women riders in your area what shops they prefer. Remember, it's your money and you shouldn't have to beg them to allow you to spend it in their store! Jani (note from Mama: now that's a strong voice and position you maintain . . . good for you! I agree . . . why should we spend money at shops that don't have a clue that it's been a brave new world for quite some time!) Happy Holidays Petra!! Love the new look to the web site! My experiences have been a wide range of dealer responses from city to city and state to state; everything from downright rude and snotty to sales people trying to talk me into a new purchase!! When I purchased my first bike a little over a year ago, I had to 'enlighten' the salesman! He was younger (mid-late 20s) I'd say, so I was surprised somewhat that he wasn't more enlightened!! My hubby was with me, but I kept asking the questions and he kept responding to hubby!! I was getting very annoyed (to put it mildly) at this behavior! Every time he talked to my hubby, he would say "you need to talk to her, this is her bike, her deal." Finally my hubby just totally left and went outside. The guy finally got the point and was okay then. Since then, I try to wear one of my favorite t-shirts when I go to a dealership in search of information or to shop. It says 'This girl doesn't ride bitch.' I think the sales people 'get it', haven't had a problem since! Oh, got my shirt from mcgwear.com. Lots of great shirts! Glenda in Kansas (note from Mama: thanks for the "atta girl" on the new site look . . . spent a lot of time on that, so glad to hear it's working for you! I want to come over and just HUG your hubby for leaving the shop, thus forcing the sales person to deal with you directly. How insightful! And the shirt is too precious . . . but the website address doesn't seem to be working, so I'll update that as soon as I've got more insight on it. Got it . . . it's http://www.mcgwear.com!) I have been to two Harley dealerships and have to say that my reception at both has been the same total ignore! I park my bike right up front & wear leather into their shop and the guys stand around talking & laughing until I tap on a counter or say excuse me! once or twice. And the condescending attitudes! The Honda dealer closest to our place is the same; when I have called to order parts over the phone (with a service manual right in front of me) they have no idea what part Im referring to. I ask my husband to call and right away they locate the part number and price. I couldnt believe it the first time, so I stood and listened to him say the exact same thing I had just said the second time. It happened with the same results part is found for him that I had just given them the same make, model, serial# and description for. I do believe that I will just talk in my deepest voice next time I call. Unfortunately, walking into a dealership will still be an issue. Maybe $20 bills hanging out of my jeans would work. The dealerships I have had wonderful service at both in parts and sales are Motorsports shops that deal in several different types of bikes and cater more to sport or dirt bike riders. Amy in Washington (note from Mama: ok, that's it . . . I was chuckling over this one soooo much . . . we're all going to adopt deep voices to get service and parts! I just can't believe in this day and age that those *@#&$^#($*& STILL don't get it. We are serious riders. We are smart women. We have money. Maybe we all need to get business cards that we can hand to these clueless people that say, "Hey, I've got money and have a bike. How about some respect before I get you fired!!!" Or something like that! The $20 bills hanging from our pockets isn't a bad idea though!) Tuesday, December 21 Dear
VTwin Mama, I actually wrote to you a while back looking for information or feedback on the National Cycle "Switchblade Windshields" but, to date I guess no one on your site has had any experience with that brand. But
I actually writing about something else this time. I have taken note
that you appear to feel that having the service manual on hand for any
bike you own is a good thing to have. I have some mechanical ability and
actually used to enjoy doing minor projects like changing the oil and
adjusting the valves on my old VW Bug many years ago. However, at this
stage of the game I really don't see myself wrenching on my motorcycle.
So, my question is . . . do you think I should still purchase the service
manual for my year of bike to have it available to me? They seem to phase
out these manuals pretty quickly and if I need one then I suppose I should
get it soon before it is no longer available to me. Dear
Gloria, Yes, I always advocate having the service manual for a bike. The aftermarket versions are only about $20 and contain a wealth of knowledge. Specifically, they offer troubleshooting charts, regular maintenance schedules and then of course, the more in depth stuff. Even if you opt to have the local dealer's service department handle your work, wouldn't it be nice to know where things are, what maintenance your bike requires, and a guide to helping you understand why the bike isn't running quite like it should?! That way, when you do bring it in, you are "in the know" and can have an informed discussion, especially if they are recommending something you were not expecting. Haul out the book and have them point it out to you! Hop onto my Education Center page for Internet sites that offer these manuals or check with your local dealer. Mama Tuesday, December 28 Dear
VTwin Mama, I had a lot of friend that made remarks about me getting a Rebel but reading your letters have made me realize I made a good decision. I feel very comfortable with the size. I am only 5'4" and 102# . Thank you so much for the support you offer to riders. Annette in South Carolina Dear
Annette, A cheap way to make pipes louder is to remove the baffle(s), but be aware that this may impact the power performance. Check with your local dealer. You might also want to hop onto the Honda Rebel Online site (The Unofficial Website for Rebel Lovers). They have lots of useful links and articles pertaining to the Rebel. I checked a parts/accessories link and found Jardine slash cut pipes are available (but are they louder?). At the very bottom of this home page is the 800 phone number to Jack's Cycle and Salvage . . . he is the "guru" of Rebel parts and pieces and welcomes calls if they can't be answered in the service manual (which yours cannot). I'd make that call and see what's what! Mama Wednesday, December 29 Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear
Louie, Now, sorry if I'm not right on this one, but AIC is automatic idle control? Even if I'm wrong, the backfiring signals the same original thought . . . fuel/air mix is not burning off correctly (causing bike farts). As simple as it sounds, sometimes a change to the exhaust/re-jet requires different spark plugs. Has this been reviewed? A heart-to-heart with your local dealer's service department might not hurt. Readers, any ideas? Mama Wednesday, December 29 Even more for Dawne who is wondering is all dealers are created equal: I just thought it would be worth noting that while it is VERY useful to support shops that support you and boycott those that don't, it is equally important to let them know about it. Simply not shopping at a dealership/store that is disrespectful to women riders only leads them to further believe that only men ride (since they see fewer and fewer women all the time!). A letter to the general, or even regional, manager to explain the situation you encountered in the store and a polite statement that you no longer shop there will let the shop know that they are losing your money. If you've found a shop you like, a casual mention of that store and their good service may provide the offensive dealership with a better model. At the same time, a thank you note to your favorite shops, specifically congratulating them on the points you like about them will reinforce the importance of treating all riders respectfully in those shops. While I am generally opposed to trying on in real stores and then buying online, I have to admit I've done this on more than one occasion when shopping for motorcycle gear. Considering the poor service/treatment I received in the real shops (in those cases), I don't feel guilty at all! Happy New Year to everyone at the VTwin Mama site!! Safe riding in 2005! Marina (note from Mama: I think you've brought an excellent point about letting a dealership with less than stellar service know that they are losing business, aka, money. In today's competitive market climate, I don't think any owner wants to lose a sale because their staff is to dim witted to see this. The old adage applies: a person who received good service will tell one other person; a person who received bad service will tell five others. And as women are the biggest and fastest growing consumer base . . .) |
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