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2005 (October 20 through December) Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear Bertus, Friday, October 21 For Bertus who is wondering how to properly check the oil on a Honda Shadow 600: Bike should be level, on a flat surface, to do this shove a piece of wood under the sidestand (make sure the bike is in gear, so it won't roll) You check the oil level by unscrewing the dip stick, cleaning it, then just putting it back without screwing it back down. That's normally how one uses all dip sticks, in cars also. Engine hot or cold? Now that's interesting because some manufacturers recommend checking oil when it's cold and others when it's hot. When it's cold most of the oil will have settled at the bottom of the engine. When it's warm some of the oil has circulated around the engine, so the reading will be slightly different. I check the oil when it's cold, because if it's low then, then IT IS low. If I check the oil when the bike is warm and the oil comes to the halfway point on the stick then I figure that's ok. If I check it warm and it only comes a quarter way up the stick then I still figure it's low and will add some. Hope this helps. – Kevin in Sydney (note from Mama: okey, dokey . . . dip without screwing back in. On my Beemer, I run the bike like normal, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then check the oil level with the bike centered. Folks, believe it or not, it IS important to follow instructions specific to a make/model . . . and the best way to do this is to have a service manual handy. While the abbreviated owner's manual is useful for basic things, it's the service manual that will see you through more maintenance procedures, troubleshooting, and complicated tasks. Check my Education Center page for Internet sites that offer these!) Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear
Tracy, The owner's manual has some procedures, but as you're finding out, it's limited. It's the service manual you need, either the full factory version, or depending on the year bike, there may already be an aftermarket (like Clymers or Haynes) available. Here you'll find more detailed drawings, pictures and procedures. I'm not sure of your bike's year, but for 2004, the factory book is $60 and the Clymer is $30. This was at Repair Manual, an Internet site for service books. You can find Internet sites for service manual on my Education Center page. In general, drain screws (it could be a plug instead) are located at the lowest point of the float bowls. The most modern versions have a small hose attached to the drain. You turn the petcock off, loosen the screw or undo the plug until fuel runs out (obviously you want a catch container underneath it). When fuel stops flowing, snug everything up again. Then you can examine the liquid for water and dirt. Screws found at the midsection of the carbs are the ones that adjust air and gas mixes, so it should be easy enough to discern the ones at the very bottom for draining. Hope this helps! – Mama Monday, October 31 For Tracy who is looking to drain the carb float bowls for winterizing: The absolute easiest way to drain the carbs is to just run the bike out of fuel. Not the tank but the carbs. While the bike is running, turn off the petcock, and then just let it run until it runs out of fuel (out of the carbs) and dies. Anytime I think my bike is gonna sit more than two weeks, I make sure the tank is topped off (to prevent condensation [water/rust build up] in the tank) WITH a fuel stabilizer (Stay-bil or Sea-Foam brand), then run the carbs dry by running the bike outta gas (as mentioned above). I've kept happy carbs for many years using this method. BTW . . . sorry you have to winterize your bike. I ride year round here in SW WA. Oh yeah . . . I've been out in temps of 27 degrees, but I'm riding! – HammerLady (note from Mama: excellent solution . . . and with minimum work you're showing it's possible to ward off future problems! Hee, hee on cold weather riding . . . it's definitely individual, but yesterday I found that despite a colder night run from a fund raiser ride, I decided it was worth it . . . really felt alive! Thank goodness the deer appeared to have gone to sleep!) I'm a newbie having turned 50 this year and decided to try riding. I bought a beautiful '05 Yamaha V* 650 Custom in May and passed my MSF in June. I've been reading the posts on your website and want to compliment you on a great resource for women riders. It's so great to see all the women who have taken the plunge and learned to ride. (thanks!) I want to comment on Tracy's post about winterizing her new Yamaha V* 650. She should go to the following link: http://650ccnd.com/winter.htm. It's a great website with a forum where V* 650 owners share a lot of great information. So far I have just been lurking on the forum reading posts but I'm amazed at all these people do with their bikes. They share some great tips. Keep up the good work! – Carol "CycleCat650" Pesti (note from Mama: Congrats on getting started this year, passing your course, and working on your riding skills with the new bike! I'm glad you're finding the VTwin Mama site a useful and enjoyable place to visit, and thanks for sharing this winterizing site page . . . the more we know, the smarter we are . . . well, usually!) Thursday, November 3 Hello
again
VTwin Mama, Dear
Puneet, Monday, November 7 Dear
VTwin Mama, It's been running great for a couple of months. But now it's suddenly not starting right up like it used to. It takes literally 20 or 30 times to fire up. And it takes a good 10 minutes or so to warm up before I can actually drive it. It used to just start right up and be smooth when we first got it going. I haven't changed anything since then, so I'm not sure what's up. I have to keep on trying to start it until it catches. And then I have to keep the throttle revved up high to make it stay on long enough to warm up. I've tried adjusting the choke to various levels and nothing seems to help. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have! Thanks! P.S. I'm learning how to ride for the first time, so your website has been very helpful and inspirational! :) – Jax Dear
Jax, Keeping the KISS principal in mind, I'd start by yanking those plugs and taking a closer look. It sounds like they're not sparking correctly. So, check the gap end for crud build-up and the white ceramic end for cracks. Double check with the local dealer's parts department that you've got the right plug in (yes, it makes a difference). Reving the bike to keep the bike running is a clue . . . and might be that you've finally burned off the excess deposits from the plugs or you finally shook lose a mini piece of crud in the system (carb, gas line, gas filter, etc.). That you don't run down the battery while doing this is a small miracle! Also, double check your air filter . . . a dirty air filter will alter the air/gas mix to the carb and you don't mention checking it. Otherwise, KISS tells me that you might have simply gotten a tank full of crap gas or you've got a small amount of water in the system, possibly from condensation. You might want to drain the gas tank and carb float bowls again and see if globs come out (the water will be separated from the gas and easily identified). Or, you could add some carb cleaner (be careful of the ratio) to a full tank of gas and see if it helps. While it may seem that your hard start happened suddenly, it's probably more a function of something slowly eroding over time. If all these things don't solve the problem, a general tune-up by a professional may be called for . . . things like valve adjustments, etc. but I'm thinking a review of KISS items will clear this up. – Mama Monday, November 14 Dear
VTwin
Mama, Dear
Karen, A note of caution, It's most likely that you have a lead-acid battery, hence the above stuff. If it's sealed, it's probably a gel battery with gelified electrolyte. That takes a specific type of charger. According to Mark Z., author of The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance, it could also be that the battery is sulfated (if it's lead acid). Here is a page that talks about the condition, what to look for, etc. This can happen when a bike sits for a long time. Still, I'm hoping that the dealer would have pointed this out when they charged your battery. But maybe not. You also need to check the lead from the bike's frame that hooks up to the battery's ground (black, negative) terminal. It's possible you just have a poor connection to the frame or there is corrosion. Otherwise, it's possible that that the rectifier/regulator unit, or the alternator, isn't working any more (yes, they do go bad) and so you can charge the battery, but while the bike is running, these units aren't keeping the charging process going. If you have a service manual, I'd locate these items and check that their connections are tight first. If you don't have the service manual (this is different than the owner's manual) go to my Education Center page for Internet sites that offer them. It's a useful thing to have anyway! Checking these units, or checking for a load (drain) on the battery takes more electrical know-how to solve. Still, given that the bike is only two years old, this would be the very last thing and KISS tells me it's probably something simpler than a melted wire grounding to the frame or an electrical component (lights, etc.) that are causing the drain. But it's not completely unheard of. So, start with the simple and work your way up. Decide how much you want to take on yourself (it's excellent to learn!) and if necessary, contact an independent bike shop or the dealer for their labor rates and parts prices to solve this. – Mama Tuesday, November 22 Dear
VTwin
Mama, Dear
Joanne, Dear
VTwin
Mama, Dear
Tegan, While I could chronicle all sorts of things for correct winter storage, this article from Total Motorcycle really does the job well and I don't have to retype everything! If you type in "motorcycle winter storage" in a search engine, you'll find more articles as well. How very VTwin Mama sister smart of you to research this subject . . . the PMS (Parked Motorcycle Syndrome) season shouldn't result in a bike not ready for the spring season! – Mama Tuesday, December 6 For Tegan who is looking to winterize the bike, but here's another thought: The TW 200 is one of the few bikes that are actually great fun to ride in the snow due to the very wide tires. Not on the road I grant you, but on dirt trails and forest tracks. If there are any wilderness areas near you, you might want to have a go at snow riding before you put the bike away. Loads of fun, you'll be enjoying yourself so much you won't notice the cold. – Kevin in Australia (note from Mama: sounds like fun to me!) Hey
there VTwin Mama, Dear
Melissa, Friday, December 9 For Mark whose 1973 Sportster was missing on the rear cylinder: Another cause of the rear jug remaining cool would be (worst case) a burnt valve or a burnt piston. Mark needs to get a compression test done. Easy things to check first : Head gasket, intake leak or valve adjustments. Sportys are infamous for burning the rear piston because of cooling problems, however this would be accompanied by smoke and spitting. Since he didn't mention that, my vote is for checking the valve adjustments first, because after so many miles the valves will tighten themselves up, and hold open. They are supposed to be checked every 1000 - 1500 miles. – No Name (note from Mama: thanks for sharing additional thoughts!) Tuesday, December 13 To Melissa who is wondering about her Honda Magna 750 clutch: The Magna is more than likely a hydraulic clutch not cable. When the clutch basket bolt fell off my Magna I was able to get this diagnosed over the phone no less by a very good mechanic. So I opened up the case, torqued the nut down to spec, no problems since. – W. (note from Mama: omigosh, I just assumed a 20-year-old bike would have a cable! Silly me! Thanks for sharing the fact that the nut holding the clutch basket together can loosen up and should be checked.) Monday, December 19 Dear VTwin Mama, Well we've been on our bikes a few times so far, I've been brave enough to venture out of the subdivision to check out the ride to a local school parking lot (geez, these boulevards truly are nice bikes to learn on . . . very natural). Okay, so I now hate my work schedule, which I have always loved (10:30-7pm) because I don't get home before dark. Oh well . . . even though it's Florida I guess we also have a PMS (Parked Motorcycle Syndrome) season of sorts . . . haha. Wasn't sure on your site if you have any posts regarding cleaning/polishing kits. Any products that you recommend? Wanted to get something as a Christmas present, but there are so many products out there . . . I also have some interesting reading for you. This person evidently posts on a newbies rider website, and my girlfriend found it. THANK God our first times out were nothing of the sort . . . good Lord . . . but she's a good writer . . . hahaha. http://forum.motorcycle-usa.com/default.aspx?f=21&m=225787 Happy Holidays – Kat Dear
Kat, Tuesday, December 20 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Mike, The most direct route designed specially to increase horsepower that I know of is to add a hypercharger kit. Ask the dealer's parts department or search the Internet and you'll find them! This usually involves rejetting the carb, and those parts will be included, with instructions, with any credible kit on the market. – Mama Tuesday, December 20 Hi
Petra, I noticed VTM member "Penney" rides a Triumph Speedmaster. She needs to know about the site because of the wealth of information about her ride. BonnevilleAmerica.com is dedicated to the Triumph America and Speedmaster models, with great wrenching techniques, modifications and well organized forum. There are also many women members for Penney to bond with. Thanks, And Ride Safe, – Dennis Call from Florence, Alabama (member name on that forum: Skillet) Dear
Dennis, Thursday, December 29 For Patty who has opted to ride an older bike: Almost any large city has several motorcycle graveyards. Some are listed in Yellow Pages under motorcycle parts/etc. Most motorcycle repair shops know where these are and sometimes an old (biker) will be happy to tell you. That is where I would look for older bike parts. Ride safe, – Patricia in Florida (note from Mama: I know I see the car graveyards, but didn't think that there would be bike ones too! I use to go to big motorcycle swap meets for older stuff. In both cases it takes time and patience, but little gems are sometimes the result!) Thursday, December 29 Dear
VTwin Mama, While riding yesterday about 40 miles from home I went to downshift at a light and realized that somewhere along the way my shifter arm and pedal had gone away! Yikes! Eased off the throttle, gently applied both brakes and pulled off the road into the bicycle lane. Got off, locked the bike up and trudged back up the road about 3/4 mile before finding the long bolt in the left traffic lane, finally found the arm and pedal itself laying in the flower beds of the median. Hiked back to the bike, pulled out my tools and fixed it right there. Completed my ride and headed home where I disassembled the entire thing and put on some Loctite. While I was doing all this about 50 bikers passed me by and only one stopped to see if I was ok or needed help.( he told me he had no tools and wouldn't have a clue what to do anyway). Message here is to periodically check your machine to be sure all nuts and bolts are tight and also to be self reliant if you plan on riding alone. If I had not known what to do and called a tow truck, it would have cost me about $120 or so. As it was, a wee bit frustrating but manageable. – Dorathy Biddinger Dear
Dorathy, As to those bikers passing by, it's my experience that when whizzing by at higher speeds, I'll slow down to give the rider a chance to signal me for help if needed. Otherwise, I assume they have pulled over for a break or feel they can handle the ickie on their own. – Mama Friday, December 30 More for Patty who has opted to ride an older bike: Motorcycle graveyards? We have heaps of them, call Motorcycle wreckers . . . don't they call them that in the USA? Wait, found them on net search, u guys call them motorcycle salvage yards. Ta da. – Kevin in Oz (note from Mama: I looooove when my readers do research! I typed in "motorcycle salvage" in Google and voila . . . lots of listings!) |
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