thereisnospoon
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Posts posted by thereisnospoon
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sorry, i can't figure out how to make the image smaller. comparison between the halogen and led.
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10 hours ago, Skids said:
Agree that LED is a better conspicuity aid than either incandescent or HiD-Xenon, but I'm not convinced they put out enough light compared to the others, nor is their beam pattern as good, at least in my experience. The OEM LED headlight on my 2018 Crossrunner stands out very well and because it is split into 2 spots close together, it stands out from cars which are much further apart. The beam pattern is not that good though with just a thin arc of light in front and little short of that. I have supplemented it with a pair of Givi LED spots mounted on the crash bars. Conspicuity is massively increased though even now, there are muppets out there who see 4 bright LEDs and still pull out; this morning there was a prime example of this on my commute.
There are some who are very anti-headlight upgrades unless you change the whole headlamp, and some have done some wonderful conversions but in my experience (and lack of ability) simple bulb changes can make a noticeable improvement as long as you are careful to set them up to not blind oncoming drivers.
Every VFR I've owned I have converted as conspicuity is more important to me and I don't ride that much at night on dark roads that require the best and strongest beam pattern.
Agree. an OEM LED setup is probably far better than slapping in LED bulbs into a housing that was designed with incandescent bulbs in mind. I see being more conspicuous more important than the beam to a certain extent - i want to be noticed more easily and if it's easier for me to see that's a bonus too. I need to take a run out at night where there isn't so much ambient light to see how they really do. it definitely doesn't help in all situations 😕
i don't want to blind people either, that is not a goal. when i've been out, i watch for a hand going towards their rear-view to flip it down and haven't seen one ... but also knowing that many modern rear view mirrors automatically darken when they see light from behind, so I worry a little less.
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didn't come back with much, so if there is a relatively current thread please point me there!
i recently put a cheap LED in one headlight socket but i'm keeping the other side a halogen since it's a known quantity. The led lights are cooled with heat sinks, not fans. to me passive > active in this case.
the light output is a different shape, but the upper edge of the beam of the LED is completely parallel to the halogen, so in my case i'm not really worried about them blinding people
the led just crushes the halogen. the set of LEDs are H4 and clipped off the bottom two prongs, which is what i've always done.
I know there are motorcycle specific bulbs, but i haven't found them to be any more reliable than "automotive" so I don't mind using stuff off-label.
I'm curious what others have learned!
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Hello! I did a search, but couldn't find a thread that I could tack on to ... so.
I recently put the set on that I've seen @Baileyrock and others rave about, the PP front and PR2 rear. Those were from old threads, and maybe there is a newer combo, but I liked the price of these tires and the reviews.
The first time I turned out of my apartment complex, had a good wiggle because i had gotten used to the worn out BT016 (6400 miles to the rear chord) which required a little "shove" to get into a turn. This new combo is just bloody amazing to me for turning. it's like the brain is connected straight to the tires with nothing else in the way. Confidence inspiring. seams between road slabs, grooves, road crown, it all feels flat, it simply doesn't get out of shape.
My question is about straight line stability. my bike is bone stock except for I put a 929 (or 954, whichever is the easy swap) shock on the back. ride height is the same, forks are factory height. tires are aired to the pressure on the chainguard, tires/wheels are balanced to within 1/4 oz, wheel bearings are good, tires are oriented the correct direction, no slop in the head bearings, 80,000 miles and reliable as a 500 lb rock.
They're solid up to about 85-90 mph. after that, the bike feels somewhat unstable, it takes a little extra thought to keep it straight. it's nothing like a head shake, more of an uncertainty.
Is this a characteristic - is there a trade off between turning ability (ability may not be the right word, something like that) and straight line stability? I don't really care in this case because I rarely have space to get to 100+, but I do when I have the opportunity. I haven't noticed this with previous sets of tires, but none turned like these do.
So I'm curious, what are others' experiences with this? Thanks!
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What have you found out?
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i hear ya with the on/off throttle, it doesn’t have the forgiveness of carbs. from what others have said, the PC3 (spelling?) can soften this. i have all the slack out of the throttle cable(s) and it still requires a very light touch. one thing to keep in mind is to make sure you aren’t putting any body weight on your hands, this makes light control input more difficult - like blip-to-downshift.
personally, i love the engine braking but i do dab the front brake lever to turn the brake light on to warn.
what have you noticed in mileage change with your sprocket change?
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this shall solve your battery problems, get the one slightly heavier duty that will be below the stock replacement on the search results page.
the part they say about the battery needing to "warm up" before starting is true, on the second crank you get full power.
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I had this happen too. Replaced it with an ebay R1 reg and been good since then, it actually provides more stable voltage across the rev range and the heat sink is way bigger. You may need to drill one more mounting hole but I don't completely remember.
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76,155 miles as of this morning :)
replaced the r/r so far and check valves occasionally (always measure within range). that's been it. clutch travel is getting a little short so i guess eventually something has to wear.
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Gorgeous bike!
Can these fuel mapping changes get rid of the "on/off" feel between 0% throttle and 1% throttle? I don't know how else to describe it.. as soon as I crack the throttle open at any speed in any gear, there is no "softness" of fuel delivery like there is with a carb'd bike.
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Thank you all for the suggestions! here's my slow progress...
1. new, soft, Superbike grips - and i hadn't realized how worn and thin my old ones were :/
2. covered them with grip puppies - the increase in grip size is great and they're really soft - i found the easiest way to install these is to: cut to length, roll them up like a... well it ends up looking like a doughnut, work the doughnut over the end of the grip, unroll towards the center just like a.. doughnut. Of course I did 1 and 2 at the same time, so I just have the sum, but it's far better.
3. steering head bearings - i replaced the original ball bearings with roller bearings about 25k ago and have checked them a few times since (once for a fork rebuild). the originals had a slight detent right in the center which is now gone and smooth.
4. bar ends - I imagine the rubber in these wears over time so they may be worth replacing. when i put pinky and ring fingers over the bar end weights though, they're-a-buzzin compared to the grip. I'll look into heavier ones though. I need to go through the manual and see how to remove them
5a. i loosened my gloves. i prefer gloves with long gauntlets but may have had them too snug. they're a little looser now but certainly won't fall off.
5b. i didn't change anything with my jackets, but i do pay attention to them more now and wriggle around if i notice any tension or tightness in my shoulders. also re-adjusted my backpacks a little
6. avatar description fixed :/ how many years...
So .. to do...
1. balance throttle bodies - it's been a while and they always need a little adjustment. I noticed there is a particular vibration at 4000 rpms, +- a few, i'm avoiding this range now and it helps.
2. re-balance front wheel - i need to replace pads anyway, so while i have the front wheel off, i'll balance it and replace the wheel bearings. this set of tires only has a couple thousand miles but worth a re-balance.
2a. same as above, i'll re-balance it.
3. I need to replace my gloves, the left has a nice hole in the palm. they're sedici so the exchange is free (frequent too) and i'll see if they have others with thicker palms
4. ugh. x-rings are burned out of my master link. chain/sprockets are only about 5k old but the master has to go. i do keep it lubed and adjusted
It's possible that one aggravation is that I always ride with my pointer and middle fingers over the brake and clutch. so they are always absorbing a little vibration through the levers. I might see if I can find a little sleeve of foam to cover them.
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On 11/13/2017 at 4:17 PM, DorsoDoug said:
omg how did i not think of googling for shit?
"what is your take" - that's the sort of question you ask when you're looking for personal experiences. but thanks for your grade A+ commitment to providing useful input and getting another post count.
to clarify for you, i climb and ride. neither am i willing to give up without a fight. this is why i come to a forum like this to find out if others (see above replies to learn) have had any sort of similar experiences or knowledge that i can learn from. i don't mind throwing money at this but i'm going to try to learn from others along the way.
1. laterally sliced squishy grips
2. look at dirt bike grips
3. heavier bar ends
4. and a link to the first thing everyone found.
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20 hours ago, COS_VFR said:
Have you considered heavier bar ends, some people think that it reduces the vibration. Others think that it just changes the frequency, either one might help your problem.
i didn't know that was an option! thank you. i'll look into it. yes, just a change may help.
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3 minutes ago, MaxSwell said:
Back in the old days of 1969 I bought a set of grips that had lateral sections of gell making the grips semi-squishie. I've not seen anything like them but then I have not been looking.
Have you determined that you have no wrist issues like carpal tunnel syndrome? I had CTS and the same symptoms. The numbness was no longer an issue after surgery which I understand is much easier since I had mine done eight years ago.
Good luck.
hi Max. there isn't an underlying condition, but i started indoor climbing some months back and this has aggravated what already happened on long rides. I remember seeing the grips you describe, but can't find them now. i think i'm going to try a pair of "grip puppies" and see if they work at least as well as my foam.
do you still use softer than standard grips? if so, which ones?
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Hi all,
I'm having trouble with my hands starting to go numb after fairly short rides. If this has been discussed, please point me in the right direction ...
What's your take on the "best" grips for reducing vibration? the rubber and weights inside my handlebars are ok, i definitely feel them vibrate more than the bar does so they're working. they just aren't working good enough for me. I know there are gel and foam grips available but I'm hoping someone has found one that works well to better quell vibration.
My current fix ... is thin foam sheet wrapped around my regular grips. it works, but isn't very sticky so the throttle doesn't stick to my glove particularly well. I have decent riding posture, forearms somewhat flat so that i can't put weight on my hands, and i make sure that i'm holding all my weight with my rather than hands.
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I don't know which is better. I found these at CVS in one lone box.
I re-molded them this morning and they seem to fit a lot better.
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I came across these decibullz yesterday at the drug store when looking for new earplugs. you drop them in hot water for a few minutes, let cool slightly, then mold the warm plastic in your ear.
I'm wondering if anyone else has tried them, if so, what's been your experience?
I'm not completely sold on them yet .. so far the right one moves when i put my helmet on, leaving it only partially effective, but I haven't tried to re-mold it yet. The left one is good. I reckon there is a learning curve to the trade of shaping earplugs...
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On 8/19/2017 at 11:45 PM, VFGRERR said:
I fitted a speedo healer to my 97 VFR800 and adjusted it against a DGPS. My speedo was about 10kmhr out.
Fitting a speedo healer does make your odometer read less kilometres than you actually traveled though.
Good for resale but gets your brains thinking when it comes to servicing times.
It takes about 30min to fit and Is easy to adjust. If you don't have access to a DGPS a high quality standard gps is highly accurate and will give the same results for calibration.
My bike club did a run with the local cops.
The boys in blue did some speedo checks for us with there laser speed guns.
My VFR had the most accurate speedometer on the day
https://www.healtech-electronics.com/products/sh/
Highly recommend them.
same here. I found speedo reading about 7% high. i think it works for mph too :P
install was clean and quick.
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Hi All,
I've been unable to find this information. I have a friend who wants to start riding, and I want to get her this book... but she's a native Russian speaker. Does anyone know if there are russian tranlations of this book available? I've been unable to find anything...
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quick dumb question, where can I find the results of the poll?
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my first thought was air in the system as others have mentioned - is there a burping process described in the manual?
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(since 5th and 6th gen linked brakes are similar in behavior...) parking lot speeds aren't enough for me to notice if the rear brake pedal affects the front at all, to me it all works fine and is super stable. the _only_ thing that I don't like about linked brakes is that you can't "test" traction on different surfaces by seeing how quick the rear locks, because it won't.
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13 hours ago, Samuelx said:
Thanks Fink!
Hey Spoon, yes, the sound bomb came with a relay and I'm using that and a 30A fuse to + battery. Denali makes a mini sound bomb (probably the same as your stebel compact) and that definitely would have been an easier install!
I buttoned everything up earlier this afternoon and found that the wiring to the relay (and some other additional wiring I just added) pushes against the left middle cowling - still fits ok, just a little more massaging needed to align and fit all the tabs/holes. The inner panel (the one I ended up cutting) doesn't fit very well - it was too much of a pain in the butt to get that middle hole (in the picture above, to the left and slightly under the hexagonal mesh area) aligned for the push pin. The other 3 push pins and the one screw all fit ok - I will probably end up cutting a portion of that middle section out to give more clearance to the compressor.
aah i see, yes, it looks the same. FWIW (I just learned what that stands for!!), mine has lasted about 7 years and seems fine. different manufacturer, but if the quality is similar, you shouldn't have any problems.
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I have a stebel nautilus compact tucked in my front fairing ... spilled coffee, dropped cell phones. it's a great addition and helps those driving cars to suddenly become aware of their surroundings.
@Samuelx, you're running this off of a relay, right? don't know about the 8th, but 5th runs the horn and brake/turn/running lights off a 10amp fuse which I (and others who have installed it) don't think is enough for the draw of the horn.
LED headlights search
in Electrical
Posted
I hear that. I didn't know a led projector was a thing... i may try those depending on how the cheapos i got work out. i haven't put in the second bulb yet. figure if the first one can survive a few hundred miles i'll add the 2nd one. they claim 30,000 hours but i don't know how many heat cycles that includes.