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FJ12Ryder

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Posts posted by FJ12Ryder

  1. 4 hours ago, TimC said:

    I'm not generally a fan of lighting like this on motorcycles, but I have to say the lights on @SubyRS's VFR are tastefully done.  It's not the usual blingy look we see on many cruisers.

     

    The placement of those lights reminds me of the the big lifted pickup truck I saw recently that had lights in the wheel wells, highlighting the suspension parts.  And while I'm also not a fan of lifted trucks either, I'll admit it looked pretty darn cool.

    Do what makes you happy and makes the bike look good to you.  I added a small Wunderlich frame button to my Beemer a while back.  Pure bling, just for looks, no functionality really, and it doesn't stand out, but it makes me smile a little when I see it.  🙂

    Many years ago someone was selling a disc that went in the rear wheel that plugged the center hole. It was simply a VFR emblem and letters. No one knows it's there, but me, but it

    makes me smile to see it. To me neon/led lights are a shout of "LOOK AT ME, AREN'T I COOL?" I'm a pretty firm believer in subtlety. A whisper rather than a shout.

    • Thanks 1
  2. I was thinking the last time I had my countershaft sprocket off, there was a certain amount of lateral play. No rotary

    movement on the shaft, but the sprocket was free to move a tad on the shaft sideways. We're talking basically just

    enough movement to feel, and the nut/washer tightened to the shaft, not the sprocket.

  3. 5 hours ago, tbzep said:

    VFR's afik, are all shim-under-bucket.  Being a little loose is better than tight, but more noisy.  As valves slam into seats year after year, they seat deeper and the clearance gets tighter. The lash could eventually get tight enough that it prevents the valve from sealing and you end up with a burned valve.  I don't think I've ever seen a VFR engine that burned a valve.  We have Baileyrock's zillion mile engine and now 3rdgenred's that haven't been checked and are probably tight, but they keep going and going and going.   

    Without pulling an engine, or doing an in-depth leakdown test, there's no way to know if a valve is burnt. A burnt valve will still work, just horsepower will be down a bit due to compression being lower. It's not going to self-destruct, so no telling how many high mileage engines have burned valves. The loss of power would be so gradual as to be virtually unnoticeable.

    • Thanks 1
  4. Bought a new battery. When I checked the old one which had been on a Battery Tender, it showed 12.4 V. Put it in, turned the key

    and nothing. Checked the battery, 12.4 V. Hmmm, checked the battery when I turned the key 0 V. Apparently a bad cell. It woudn't

    even light a tail light bulb on the bench.

     

    So off to Wally World for a new battery. $65 later and I'm back in business. Not sure exactly how old the battery is but got to be 5+

    years old. It goes on the Battery Tender in the winter so that probably helps.

     

    New front tire is next on the list. Already have it, just need to get it mounted and balanced.

  5. Check the bearings for smooth operation while the wheel is off. Clean the axle, and I use a little anti-seize on mine before sliding it

    back in place. I don't use locktite.

     

    And it's a good idea while the calipers are off, to check/lube the caliper slider pins. The lube can get pretty solid over time, and not

    work like it should.

  6. On 1/6/2019 at 6:17 PM, Grum said:

    Tried out my new $20 Vaccum Brake Bleeder Kit, worked a treat. Then the Red Lady needed a wash, while I had one of these :beer:.!!

    Cheers.

     

    image.jpeg

    image.jpeg

    A washer helper is always a great thing.

     

    Do you use pipe tape, or pipe dope to keep the air from leaking around the threads? I tried using my MityVac

    a few times but couldn't stop the air leaking around the threads, and taping all the fittings was just too much

    of a PIA. But when it works, it is a great tool.

  7. Okay, I'm done, you obviously don't have anywhere near an open mind and are not willing to discuss without getting

    very confrontational. I have my opinion, and you have an opinion. They don't agree and I can dig it, but you just can't

    seem to get along with someone not agreeing with you. So take your hyperbole and I'll go my merry way.

     

    I thought you might be open to a discussion, but I was wrong. Have a good one. Maybe see you down the road

    sometime. I sometimes make it out through Denver.

  8. I've been around motorcycles for many years and watched the industry struggle with noise control issues. Very few companies

    allow unrestricted intakes due to noise issues, same with exhaust systems. The VFR is a noisy motorcycle due, in part, to it's

    gear driven cams. I figure the restrictive intake is one of their efforts to lessen the overall engine noise. JMO of course. But I

    also think Honda put a positive spin on it, just because that's what they do. Have lemons? Make lemonade. Have to restrict air

    intake for noise purpose? Make it sound like you're doing it for a reason other than that.

     

    No, I don't want to discount the information in Chapter 21, but there's only about 2 pages of that chapter that refer directly to the

    operation of the flapper valve and snorkel. I'm not discounting any of the information in Chapter 21, I'm just saying the info about

    the flapper valve and snorkel may not be the complete reason. What would be the purpose of explaining that it's there for mostly

    engine noise abatement. If they said that, the first thing anyone would do is pull it all off. Look at what happens to quiet exhausts.

     

    Again, there's lots of good information in Chapter 21, but very little mention/explanation of the flapper valve and snorkel. And the

    reason there's not very much, is, IMO, because it doesn't really do very much.

  9. From what I read Chapter 21 only serves to "explain" why Honda did what they did. No mention is made of noise reduction, which

    I believe is the main reason for it. On almost any engine improving air flow to the engine is one of the first things done to improve

    performance. That, basically, is what removing the flapper valve and snorkel do, allow more, and cleaner, air flow to the throttle

    bodies.

     

    I am curious why you think improving air flow won't help the mid to upper range power. Or is your contention that removing the flapper

    valve and snorkel won't clean up and increase air flow? Or do you feel the ECU can't compensate for increased air flow?

     

    Helping get more air into the engine, is as important as getting the air out of the engine, as with an aftermarket freer flowing exhaust.

     

    We may never agree on this, but I don't mind discussing it. :beer:

  10. Yeah, that's about it. Removing the flapper valve and snorkel, which is what several of the modifications basically

    consist of, gets rid of any obstructions to air flow into the airbox. With fewer obstructions to the airflow into the

    airbox, you could get more air flowing at higher rpm's, possibly resulting in more power at higher rpm's.

     

    IMO regardless of the verbiage in the HSM, Honda did the snorkel and flapper valve to help lessen intake noise, and

    touted it as a "good thing" for power. Maybe, maybe not.

     

    Personally I don't think it makes much difference either way...which of course is why I've never messed with it.

  11. I hadn't read the pertinent pages mentioned above, so I got the ol' HSM out and read them. I don't think "counterproductive" is necessarily correct.

    I also haven't disconnected the snorkel and flapper, just because I've never bothered. From what I read the benefits of the snorkel is very minimal

    since it is saying that restricting air flow slightly at low speeds will help the smoothness of the power output at slow speeds. So if you remove the

    snorkel and "flapper lid" or "variable intake duct", you may cause the low rpm response/power output to not be as efficient. But looking at the

    difference between the snorkel and the "variable intake duct", the difference is pretty minor all in all.

     

    To me it's similar to putting a free flowing intake on an engine: you lose some low end, but gain it back, and then some more, at the top end. It's pretty

    much a non-issue IMO.

  12. 33 mpg for a US bike is pretty horrible, not anywhere near normal. I'd be doing some serious looking into things if my '99 only

    managed 33 mpg in mixed riding. If I wasn't getting at least 40 mpg I'd be really pissed. Unless you're really getting into it a lot.

    And running 10,000 rpm more than 5,000 rpm most of the time.

    • Like 1
  13. It may be a roll of the dice, but it's like rolling 150 dice and having every single one of them come up 7 in the same roll. Those are odds I can live

    (HAR) with. Some things I'll take a chance on and Chinese levers are one of those things.

     

    And people may have thought it over and consider your opinion not really valid.

  14. I did google "Chinese Levers Crash" and didn't really find much that showed horrible problems. Most of what I found were poor fitting

    bushings and people not checking to make sure their brakes were working as they should be. Considering how little force it takes to

    lock up front brakes, I can't see applying the requisite force necessary to actually break the levers. I'm very happy with the ones I have

    and would buy them again.

     

    I'm sure the Pazzo and ASV's are very good.

    • Like 1
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