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2008 (May through August) Friday, May 2 Dear VTwin Mama, However, one thing is making me nervous. Twice I have gone to start my bike and the starter just clicks, the lights shut off, and the battery doesn't respond. The first time this happened, I charged the battery with the appropriate sized trickle-charger for 12 hours and it never built a charge. So, I assumed I had left the bike in Park on an older battery and I replaced it. The new battery was working fine for a week, but then I went to start it after riding about 25 miles to a remote office and the battery was dead. Any thoughts on what I need to check? Thank you, – A New Rider For A New Life Dear A New Rider For A New Life, We'll start by assuming that you've checked the actual connectors to the terminals for corrosion. In addition, it can be useful to coat the terminals with a dielectric silicone grease to reduce further problems. Given the age of the bike, it's also possible that the wires themselves are no longer in great condition. Did you know that when the charging system is failing, a battery can keep the bike's ignition system running on that alone for about three or four hours? Therein may lie the clue. You were able to run with the new battery but it eventually lost its oomph! So, locate your alternator and check the connections as well as the wires for anything broken, frayed, or melted. Then locate the voltage regulator/rectifier (usually mounted at the front of the bike's frame). Check that. A lot of times, that unit will fail and cause the symptoms you're having now. It can be pulled and brought to the local dealership for testing (double check by making a call first). If those ideas don't solve it, the most likely cause is that you have a wire with an exposed area touching the frame and thus shorting to ground, which will take the battery out eventually. That's a tough one to track down and you may want to then ask the dealer's service department what systems they have available to track down a short. I'm still putting my money on a failing/failed regulator/rectifier or wiring problem to the alternator. – Mama Friday, May 2 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Jim, Honestly, I think your quickest path to understanding how to successfully get this job done is to call your local dealer's service department (weekdays typically are better) and find out what they would do (i.e. remove the fender, etc.). I never hesitate to contact a service department for tips and tricks ... I find if you don't ramble on, but keep it straight to the point, a service person will give you a good clue. Readers with this make/model with experience, please chime in! – Mama Monday, May 5 More for Sherri who was working on adding wind deflectors for her VStar 1300: Any one looking for lowers (air deflectors) that fit the Yamaha VStar windshields should go to Buck's Lowers. These are a well made product. – Anonymous (note from Mama: thanks for sharing ... I see there are solutions for the Roadliner, Stratoliner, and Road Star as well.) Dear VTwin Mama, Also she wants the handle bars pulled back . If you could steer me in the right direction for a set of pull back risers I would greatly appreciate it. By the way, I have used your site for many ideas and information since I run with a short crowd. Thanks for the information. Its the best that I have found on the web. – WTD Dear WTD, You'll find a number of choices for pullback risers at ScootWorks and even a picture with one set installed on a VLX 600. A letter from November 2003 indicated that a short rider on the same model bike simply removed the side covers and rode. Upon buying another bike, the covers were once again removed, but they had crafted custom leather covers so that the "look" was maintained and components sheltered. That may be something to consider, as I do not know of lower profile (narrower) side covers available. – Mama Wednesday, May 7 Dear VTwin Mama, I took the bike to my local dealer and they stated that it's an air bubble in the oil line and that it shouldn't hurt the engine. They told me if it gets louder they would have to drain half the oil and replace it with automatic trans fluid. I don't know if I want to trust running the engine with an air bubble in the oil line, Is this something you run across before, could it be a faulty oil pump? Should I continue to run the bike or get a second opinion from another shop? – Ron Dear Ron, Here's the deal. As oil flows through a line it tends to carry everything it encounters, including air bubbles, with it. It is in other words a self-bleeding system. If it wasn't, every time the engine was stopped, the oil would drain into the sump, air would fill the lines and you'd run the risk of having the entrained air prevent the oil from flowing. There are several reasons why some fluid-carrying systems sometimes get "air-bound" but that normally involves a pocket of air that's trapped in a bend or pocket in the system and those systems typically have bleeding devices located at those points to remove the air. You might think of a radiator or old style mechanically pumped fuel injection system. The second issue would be filling the oil system with ATF. ATF acts as a solvent and is not suitable for use as an engine lubricant. Using it in the crankcase could do some serious damage to the engine. If the information received is coming through an authorized dealer and it's supported by Suzuki, I'd really want to see the documentation. Update: ATF is highly detergent and is sometimes used to help flush out older car engines, especially when gunk and sludge have made the lifters sticky and that's probably why it was suggested to him as a possible cure. However I doubt very much that it'd solve his problem, and he could do some serious damage to his engine by running it with the sump half full of what is essentially a 5-weight solvent. I'd strongly recommend first changing the oil and filter, using the factory specified oil and an OEM filter. If the noise doesn't go away, take it to a another dealer and get their opinion. – Mark Monday, May 12 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Kelsey, Typically one would undo the locknut at the top by the clutch cable and back out the cable at that end until you could remove it from it's pathway in the clutch lever. It's really important to memorize the exact pathway and how it goes together. Then you would follow the cable to the other end and undo it there. That's the easy part. In putting the new one in, you can get the top end threaded in, get the bottom attached, and start taking up the slack at the bottom. The "fine tune" adjustment is at the top then, where you want to leave about 1/8" freeplay ... that's the amount the lever will move before any real pressure is put on the clutch lever. That's done because as the bike warms up, system components expand and you need that freeplay to account for all of that. Then your final tuning is to check that when you have the bike running, that the bike isn't trying to creep forward even with the clutch lever pulled all the way in. You also don't want any dangling of the cable at the top end. Without the service manual, I can't really direct you any more. We'll see if we get any more specific input from a reader of this site; otherwise, you might do better to get on a message board specific to your year/make/model bike and ask the question there. I typed in "Honda Shadow 500 discussion forum" and got a number of hits from Google. – Mama Monday, May 12 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Lil, I would pose the interchangeable question to your local dealer's parts department. They have powerful computers that can look up all sorts of aftermarket items that would fit the bill. – Mama Thursday, June 5 Dear VTwin Mama, I'm a beginning rider, and just bought a used 2004 Honda Rebel. My friend rode it for me to check it out, and it worked fine. I rode it for a couple of weeks and it worked fine. But, I had it in the garage for two weeks until I could get some time to practice riding it and it stalled out once or twice in the very beginning. I revved it up a bit and then it ran pretty stable. THEN, I got it to the corner, and it stalled out and wouldn't start again. : ( I checked to make sure I remembered to turn the fuel on, checked to make sure the kill switch wasn't on, I had gas in the tank, the bike was in neutral, kickstand up, it made a noise when I pushed the ignition button, lights came on...but just would NOT start. I don't have any mechanical experience at all [Daddy wouldn't let girls help with mechanical things...oh boy], so I don't know where to start. Can you give me any suggestions? I'm so sad : ( Thanks so much, – Edie Dear Edie, I'm pretty sure the reason it wouldn't start again at the corner was that it was flooded. That means that gas was accumulating and the spark plugs couldn't ignite the mix correctly any more. So, the spark plugs got overly wet with gas. You would have noticed a pronounced smell of gas (most likely). Why did this happen now?! Well, not so much because it sat, but because it was started, then stalled, then restarted several times and stuff happens! I would do three things: Of course you could elect to bring the motorcycle to the local dealer and have them do this routine maintenance, which would include checking the carb settings for correct idle. But I've give it a go myself ... useful stuff to learn and you don't have to be a mechanical genius to acquire the knowledge! – Mama Dear VTwin Mama, My question is, my mechanic said since my bike is fuel injected that he won't have to do any carb work. I called Vance and Hines and also J&P Cycle directly to see if my mechanic was correct. They both said he is wrong and that I would need to install a Power Commander / Fuel Pack otherwise if this additional item is not installed it will burn up the pistons and it causes back pressure. This would be an additional $300. They also said most mechanics don't know this. My bike might run fine for a couple of years, but without the power commander it would make my engine wear out faster. My question here is do I need the additional Power Commander / Fuel Pack when putting on the new Vance and Hines pipes? Also, my mechanic said that by putting on these new Vance and Hines straight shots (pipes) it should increase my power by about 7%. Is this correct? One last item, my mechanic is also installing a new air filter, a K&E - he said that will give me even more power. Is this correct? Since I am a woman, new rider, and I don't have a clue about what they are talking about, can you help me on the three questions I stated above. I really appreciate your help. – Sheila K. Dear Sheila, So, while I knew that a fuel injected bike could adjust for variations in altitude (less air the higher you go), I did not realize that the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) is not infinitely self-adjusting. It turns out these units look at lots of variables but if the amount of gas and air are changed (i.e. in this case you altered the exhaust parameters) to levels beyond what the ECU computer is looking for, it can't make the right call. So, try it without. If you start getting pinging when you first hit the throttle or a gas smell, the ECU isn't handling things well ... you'll probably also see a color change at the exhaust pipe (yellow or blue). Yes, you'll see some increase in horsepower and torque but it's so dependent on how finely tuned the system is ... fine tuning is accomplished with a dyno tester, which most dealers offer ... they run the bike on a machine that measures everything and provides feedback on performance so that tweaks can be made. About $100 or so. A new air filter, typically called a big air kit or hypercharger, brings more air into the system, which then requires more gas to mix with it to keep the right proportions. Where you'll notice more power is at the higher speeds. Instead of feeling like you're wound out at top speeds, you'll have more oomph available. Again, only a dyno test and fine tuning will bring out the very best in all of this (i.e. even more $$). – Mama Monday, June 16 For Sheila who is changing to V&H pipes and wondering if mods need to be done at the same time: I also have the C50C, only the 2006 model. From all I have read on the subject, on VolusiaRiders.com, the consensus is that when just adding new aftermarket pipes, you don't need a fuel processor. But when you changer your air intake, like by adding the K&N filter, Hypercharger or Thunder Air Kit, you will need one. This is because of what you said, Petra. More air requires more fuel. I didn't want to go the route of a $300 Power Commander, partly because I didn't want to mess with the maps needed to program it. I bought a Cobra FI2000R, which is about $160 if you look around on line. I did have the dealer install it, though someone with mechanical skills could probably do it themselves. Pretty much what you said, but just confirming what other C50 riders have stated. – MalteseYo (note from Mama: thanks for sharing what the Volusia board members are noting and what you chose!) Wednesday, June 18 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear MLattimore, Backfiring occurs when the gas/air mix is not fully ignited ... the remains are exhausted, but any unburnt gas hits the hot exhaust pipes where it is then ignited and creates the backfire noise. Knocking is generally associated with the camshaft, which operates the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves. So, if we introduce foreign material into the system, we could be clogging the carb and hampering the right mix of air/fuel. Or, there could be interference with the precise opening and closing of the valves, or at the very worst, a piece can grind it's way into bearings or even between the piston and the cylinder sleeve. This is where long term damage happens. My first suggestion is to make sure that you've taken care of the internal tank flaking, otherwise you'll just keep adding to the problem. Next, turn the gas petcock to Off and locate the carb float bowl drains ... this is a bolt at the very bottom most part of the carb. You'll want to have a container you can drain the carbs into and it will be very evident if you've got crap in the system. If the problem persists, you may need to pull the carbs and have them inspected and cleaned internally and even rebuilt (new seals and such). At the same time you might want to inspect the gas filter at the petcock or double check if this bike has another inline filter. If small pieces got trapped in the filters, you're not delivering fuel to the carb correctly. It's also possible that something very minute got past the filter and into the fuel line, but I'm hoping it didn't get stuck and made it's way and collected in the carb. If the problem continues, then I'd be talking to a mechanic about pulling the cylinder heads where the cams and valves are. If a piece of tank got into this area it can eventually cause major damage if not corrected. Please do not ignore the noises ... they are telling you that the bike needs help. Start with the basics you can do your self and see if that takes care of it. Otherwise get professional work done before you lose the whole engine. – Mama Thursday, June 19 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Ken, Wednesday, July 2 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Paul, Highway pegs suggest to me that you've got an engine guard/highway bar on that Yami. My idea ... cut out some sturdy cardboard and tape it into position like these Desert Dawgs are shown. The testimonials indicate there is wind relief as well as a reduction in wet leg when it's raining with the installation of a product like this. I bet if you duct taped an old towel (another idea) on one side, you would quickly get your answer! – Mama Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Puzzled, So, the first thing to do is to check both the rear and front turn signal bulbs on the left side, as a blown one in either position will typically knock out the whole side. But when we add into the equation the horn, then it sounds like a short. That means a bundle of wires has rubbed off the protective outing coating and the wire(s) is hitting the frame (and grounding out) when you turn the wheel to the right. In this same bundle could be the wire to the turn signal, which isn't just grounding, but has actually broken. Given the age of the bike, it would not be unheard of. The best I can do is get you to the wiring harness parts diagram and associated electrical parts diagrams for the VS750 or the VS1400 (not sure which Intruder you have). If you trace the wire to the horn you'll also see that wires are bundled with it (and I'm guessing that's to the turn signal). It could be just that the connector has worked itself loose. In some cases one can look under the seat to begin tracing the wires, in others it's gathered under/near the gas tank, and in really old bikes, everything is funneled inside the headlight housing. If you go to RepairManual.com, you'll find a full service manual for $25-$30 depending on which aftermarket (Haynes or Clymer) you choose. It's a great investment! – Mama Tuesday, July 15 From Puzzled who is trying to trace a turn signal problem: Thanks for your help. I took the gas tank off my' 88 Intruder (it's a 750) and traced the wires and found them to be in good shape; no bare spots or anything. But I did find when I take the bulb out of the back I get power and when I put the bulb back in I lose power. I put new bulbs in and still the same thing. I am thinking it may be grounding out some where. I am thinking my trouble is in the front of the bike by the handlebar. If you or anyone has any ideas, please let me know as I am still puzzled. Thanks, – Puzzled (note from Mama: it can happen on older bikes that the socket in which the bulb is twisted in to can corrode. Take out the bulb that continues to cause the problem and take a closer look at the interior. If the interior contacts are not bright and shinny or have some flaky deposits, that could be your problem. Clean it up with some fine grit sandpaper. It could be that the wire is soldered to the socket and the connection could now be what's called a cold solder joint. You can mess with it if you want or get a new socket. Let's see if this clears up the problem.) Tuesday, July 22 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Phoenix, My first thought online is eBay ... but it could be a bear drilling down to this specific item. So, I checked BikeBandit (click on OEM, enter make/year, then select suspension) ... one complete assembly is $567, but maybe you only need specific parts like the outer casing ... check it out. Sorry, but I know of no online comparison tool for parts sourcing and pricing. – Mama Monday, July 28 Dear VTwin Mama, I do have a question. I have been having a problem with the shifting linkage on my bike. I found the area on your site telling how to adjust it for higher boots, etc, and I can adjust it just fine, but it seems to work its way back down. My hubby checked it ... I think the nuts should be to the opposite end of the linkage rod, but he says no. How do I keep it from loosening after I get it set where I want it? It's a pain in the butt. – Valita, aka bikerchic Dear Valita, I'm glad you were able to find notes that the shift pedal in many cases can be repositioned for better boot fit. I would use a product called Loctite, which can be found in any auto department of a superstore or automotive parts store. It's a small, bold red bottle and when you squeeze it onto the threads of a bolt or nut, Loctite will keep things in place. It's typically used in areas where vibration routinely loosen up parts. That doesn't mean you can't break the seal later, should you need to! – Mama Monday, July 28 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Magna Man, If
the problem had been fuel related the engine would probably have sputtered
a few times before it died, and if you’d had a mechanical problem the
rear wheel most likely would have locked, even if only briefly. Since the
engine shut down instantly, and you don’t mention anything that would
indicate a fuel or mechanical failure, I have to assume the problem is
electrical in nature, and may further be compounded by your fouling the
plugs during the attempt at restarting the engine. Your first task is to find out why the engine won’t turn over. To do that you’ll need a voltmeter, and the shop manual. Make sure the battery is up to snuff, fully charged it should read somewhere around 13.5 to 14.0 volts at the terminals. If it doesn’t charge it up until it does and then try to start the bike, if the engine spins and starts great, if not you’ll need to trace the current path to the starter. Make certain battery voltage reaches the starter relay’s (solenoid) battery terminal and that at least 12 volts reaches the relay’s switched terminal. If those tests are positive, and the starter still won’t engage bench test the starter. If the starter engages but the bike still won’t turn over, there’s a chance the engine has seized. To check place the bike on its center stand and engage high gear. You should be able to at least spin the engine over using the rear wheel, it will make it easier if you remove the plugs but that’s not a strict necessity. If the electrical tests indicate a problem, for instance if 12 volts doesn’t reach the starter when you hit the switch, you’ll need to look at anything and everything in the starter circuit. For instance, the bikes kickstand safety switch may have failed or the clutch interlock or even the kill switch may be bad. If
you get the engine to spin but it still won’t start make sure you’ve
got spark, it’s quite possible, in fact likely that the plugs fouled
during your initial attempts at restarting the bike. Once the bike does
start, make sure it’s properly charging especially if you’ve found no
other problems. A bad charging system can create the exact scenario you
are describing. Dear VTwin Mama, Dear D., It does seem odd though that your hubby with passenger can take of just fine and then along the route the bike quits, but then starts up just fine again. The only thing that comes to mind would be something like a kickstand switch, but I'm not even sure if your make/model has one. That's a switch that doesn't allow you to shift into a gear if the kickstand is down (the bike just dies). Could it be possible that the passenger is somehow hitting the kickstand with his/her foot and the switch is deactivating so that the bike thinks the kickstand is no longer up all the way? Or perhaps the kickstand is already jiggling loose and the added weight of the passenger makes it "bounce" enough, perhaps on a bump, so that the switch kills the bike? Otherwise all I can think is that there is a wire running near/under the passenger portion of the bike that is shorting to ground on occasion, but would only happen when the weight is there and the bump/hit if the road positions/shifts the wire so that a bare spot is hitting the frame. It would do a temporary short until the passenger gets off, the wire is away from the frame, and thus the bike can start again. Any readers with more ideas?!?!?!?! – Mama Wednesday, August 20 For D. in Nova Scotia whose Vulcan 500 dies when a passenger is added to the ride: Hi there - I'm not sure if this could be a related problem or not but ... I have a 2000 Vulcan 500 which often loses power when there is about 120-150 miles on a tank of gas. Sometimes the engine just quits, other times it bucks a little to give me the warning. Based on the size of the tank, and the amount of gas I put in it when this *consistently* happens, I know there is still substantial gas remaining. I suspect a problem with the pick-up tube inside the tank. My cheap and immediate solution is to make sure I fill the tank between 100 and 120 miles. It's not ideal, but until the season is over, it works. – Anonymous (note from Mama: yes, it appears that this 4 gallon tank usually runs about 40-50 miles/gal. Similar posts I found online from other Vulcan 500 owners, is to check for plugged atmospheric vent for either the carbs or the fuel tank. Part of this equation is how much of the tank is actually the reserve system ... you can ask the dealer or check the service manual ... if it's about 1 gallon of the overall 4 gallons, then you know you're looking at a possible reserve feed problem. Next time it happens ... quickly open the gas cap to bring the tank to atmospheric pressure ... if the problem clears up, it's most likely the cap (not unheard of, by the way) ... or again, something in the tank venting. Could it be that D.'s bike is doing something similar, and the passenger is just a coincidence? Possible.) Thursday, August 21 More for D. in Nova Scotia whose Vulcan 500 dies when a passenger is added to the ride: I asked my honey/biker/mechanic what he thought... he looked at me a little cross-eyed and started spewing out possibilities. What you see below is what I could make of what sounded a little "greekish" to me in the beginning. After I asked him to slow down, explain that again, etc. I understood some of it - and it even made sense... but I didn't push the inquiry to get ALL the details - but it may give a start. He suggested that it could be several different issues - maybe even a combination. 1) It could be that when the passenger sits on the bike the
starter relay wire is being pinched. The result is that the battery eventually
looses all power. When the power is gone the bike shuts off.
When it shuts off, the passenger & hubby get off the bike, the wire is no
longer pinched. When the wire is no longer pinched the battery
regains power. It will start back up....and the cycle continues. ...in
other words, check the wires that may be affected by the weight in the back,
and act accordingly. Tuesday, August 26 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Renee, Your best friend (in the book version) is a full service manual. You'll be looking for the aftermarket version (about $30) either by Clymer or Haynes. Tips, tricks, tools, schedules, troubleshooting, and point by point instruction (with pictures!) lay between the covers. How many times can a rider prevent or solve a problem on the road because of learning the basics ... it only takes once to convince a rider that knowing your bike boosts confidence and can save a call to a tow truck! Right now I'll stick with the chain. You'll need to lube your chain on occasion. That's just a can of lube spray (you fit a little straw into the nozzle) and squirt the chain. Then you move the bike forward so you can get the other half. Chains stretch over time, so proper tension must be maintained. It's easy to check. Just put a finger under a part of the chain and push up. It should have a little give but not a lot. The manual will call out the specific slack range. If it's time for the chain to be tightened, then you're got a chain tensioner on each side. The nuts must be loosened and then each tensioner turned equally and the nuts retightened. Sometimes the procedure will call for a loosening the main axle nut but that's just a big nut (needs a special socket) and you'll probably need a torque wrench to tighten it the proper amount. At some point the chain can no longer be brought into proper tension. Time for a new chain! Undo the master link, attach the new chain, and pull the new chain through. Good point ... always keep a master link with you while riding. Should something happen with the chain, it sometimes can be put together (to get home) with a master link! You'll also be keeping your eye out on the wear of the sprocket teeth. The sprockets are what the chain revolve around. See the teeth? Ok, if you look at a new bike you'll see how pointy they are ... after many tens of thousands of miles those teeth will wear down ... then it's time for new sprockets! If you get the service manual, you'll be able to go to an auto store (or someplace like Sears) and ask a salesperson to help you to find a basic socket set with spark plug socket, open/closed wrench set, and a few screwdrivers (Phillips head and straight slot ... this is so you can remove the cover to the air filter) to get started! I have a small table and a pegboard in my garage to hold my tools and oil and sundries. It's a very cool feeling knowing I can do the basics! Examples of how this hurt and helped. I was a bad VTM for not checking the water level in the cells of my battery and one time my bike quit on me when I was 80 miles from home on a July 4th. Turns out one of the cells went dry. Thank goodness a rider stopped to help 'cause once a cell goes dry, it's 99% unlikely you'll be able to fill it and it will hold a charge. Another time I was riding and the bike just quit. I knew how to look at the battery and the connections (all was well) and the fuses under my seat (all good). And that's when I saw it ... a connector between two wires had somehow pulled loose. I reconnected and was on my way! Another time my bike started bucking up in the mountains. I pulled a spark plug, saw that if was cruded up (my fault for not checking more often), used an emery board to clean it off (temporarily) and then checked the other one. Good to know where these are. I was on my way! Live and learn ... if you don't do maintenance checks at home, it'll bite you on the road! – Mama Tuesday, August 26 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Cleg, Yes, it will boost power, most readily noticed at the higher speeds where previously you might have felt you were winding the bike out. Biggest names in the business: Kuryakyn and K&N. – Mama
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