Turn signal cancel button hard to work

[treybrad]

Just thought I'd chime in on the 2 weld bars.. they really are great. I read this post last night and then today when I was out riding I made a concious effort to pay attention to how my hands and wrists and everything were aligned. The 2 weld bars are great.

Basically stick your arms straight out and make fists. Rotate them outward not even 1/4 turn and bend your elbows a bit and there you go. Don't have to chicken your wrists back or anything, everything is in a straight line from your elbows on. It really does feel natural.

Anyway. That's obviously not the topic here, but since we were talking about the 2 welds feeling natural.. thought I'd give my pennies worth... definitely worth the 4000 I spent on them.

trey

[geekonabike]

Hey, I'm glad you chimed in.  I may give them a try.  So out of curiosity, can you recall how they compare to the stock bars?  Srinath feel free to chime in again.

I see a research trip to Austin on the horizon!  Well, there is the wife unit to convince.  Probably easier to just buy the bars.

This is a fun and interesting thread.  FWIW my signal button does work better.

Next on the list for me might be a new headlight bulb.  Lots of stuff already in the archives.  Sylvania Silverstar H4 is what everyone likes, IIRC.  I think someone stuck something in there which doesn't belong.  Very wide radius, less in front than I like, and high beams are a joke, pointing very little straight forward.

Got to go.  Thanks for all the chimes, and feel free to add more!

--Mike D.

[The Buddha]

Yea severe research went into the 2 weld ones...  :lol:
Mostly consisted of me sitting on the bike with the bars on saying, ok turn this that way and this this way and bring it here and take that there and it be perfect, then a week later, oh we did too much of this and not enough of that ... and so on till my welder just about wanted to kill himself...
Cool.
Srinath.

[geekonabike]

That's the way to do ergonomics.  BTW, so how long are your arms, Srinath?  (My sleeve length is 36".)  Are you tall? (I'm 6'2".)  Do you sit upright when you ride with the bars?  Sorry I know you probably answered all this before, but some days I feel like a research archivist, and some (most) days I'm too lazy.  Well, and what someone thought in February '04 might not be what they're thinking evolved into by December '04.  At least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

--Mike D.

[treybrad]

I have no clue what they feel like compared to stock. When I bought the bike the stock bars were bent pretty bad.. enter the 2 weld bars. I don't know where you are, but if you're ever in Austin, defintely let me know and we can meet up.

fwiw- I'm not that tall (5'10") and I sit a little crouched over. I'm not hugging the tank by any means, but I wouldn't call it sitting upright. Now.. if I had a little longer arms that might be more true...

If I get bored of studying today and you think it'd help, I can go take some pics of me on the bike to give you an idea.. I know there aren't that many pics of Srinath's bars.. I tried to find some when I was looking.

trey

[The Buddha]

That's the way to do ergonomics.  BTW, so how long are your arms, Srinath?  (My sleeve length is 36".)  Are you tall? (I'm 6'2".)  Do you sit upright when you ride with the bars?  Sorry I know you probably answered all this before, but some days I feel like a research archivist, and some (most) days I'm too lazy.  Well, and what someone thought in February '04 might not be what they're thinking evolved into by December '04.  At least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

--Mike D.

I am 5 ft 10 and 33 sleeve ... rotator to the wrist right ... My welder is closer to 6ft 1, and probably closer to 36 sleeve ... his helper also pretty much 1 inch taller and prolly similar extra length sleeve ... On a GS ... there is no other bar ... all 3 found it the best fit, the thing though I perfered it higher, they wanted it turned a bit down. ... rotate it and angle and reach change a bit. making it a better fit than anyhting else. davipu managed to get it on a 01 by turning it into some ungodly angle.... and rode across the country twice in 3 weeks that way ... and then he did it again 2 months later ... Did you man ...
Cool.
Srinath.
Cool.
Srinath.

[Kerry]

davipu managed to get it on a 01 by turning it into some ungodly angle.... and rode across the country twice in 3 weeks that way ... and then he did it again 2 months later ... Did you man ...

For pictures of that wild angle, see http://www.bbburma.net/MiscFotos/SrinathBars/

[geekonabike]

Thanks for the pics Kerry.  It is interesting to see how very different the bars look from the different camera angles.  One has them looking like they lie in a plane perpendicular to the vertical plane containing the "length" of the bike.  That's the last picture.  The first picture has them looking more V-like, and like you'd be leaning relatively forward compared to stock bars.  I guess one has to put them on loosely and see how they can be adjusted.  I do get the impression they would sit you forward an inch or two.  I don't know how much that matters, except that the bike magazines get all excited by much smaller modifications on bikes from model year to model year.  
--Mike D.

[treybrad]

Ok.. here's the result of my study break. Got done with one of my books so I thought I'd put on my "Kerry Hat" and go takes some pics... (j/k!)

Beautiful pics of me in my full riding gear   ...



^^ Riding posistion.. in retrospect I think I'm sitting a little further back that usual so I may seem a bit more hunched over...



^^ Gives you an idea of how straight your wrists and arms stay... No weird angles are bends.



^^ Just a view to show how much I have them turned down.. which is more than I thought. I didn't remember putting the down really, but I just played with them until they felt "right" and that's where they ended up I guess.

Anyway. Gives you a really general idea of how it should all feel with you on it w/o being able to go try them out. Keep in mind my enormously muscular frame is only 5'10", but meh, it's better than nothing. My truck is only so useful as a tripod..

There are more, full-size pics HERE.

And yes. Those are polar bears on my boxers. And no. I haven't been out in public today  

trey

[geekonabike]

Trey,

Thanks so much for posting those pics.   Blacked out engine?  Cool.  And it looks like good riding weather, which I suppose it always is when you have to take finals.

In fact what I'm trying to avoid by getting on here so much is WRITING tests.  And grading some other tests.  Finals week is when I really earn my paycheck.

I'm going to have to wait just a little while on the bars just because I need to replenish the bike budget.  This month it's (re-)registration in fact.  But I want to be armed with enough information that I know what to expect if/when I "order" some, assuming they are still available.  These stock ones are the second set I had on there, since I didn't like the replacement bars someone else put on there.  I don't really want to have a collection before getting what I keep on there forever.  Then again, Srinath needs to eat.

Thanks again,
Mike D.

[treybrad]

It's funny that you like the blacked out engine. That's how they came pre-98 (?). I've toyed w/ the idea of painting the lower half silver to match the newer bikes.. just looks better to me. Oh well. There's plenty to do on my list ahead of that...

and yes. It was a really nice day. thanks for rubbing it in.  :guns:

trey

[geekonabike]

Maybe we should just trade bikes.  Heh heh.

FWIW I'm in Weatherford, OK, about 70 miles west of OKC on I-40.  Still a good haul from Austin and vice versa.  Sigh.  Are you from around Austin?

--Mike D.

[treybrad]

Well. I grew up around the DFW area but came down to Austin to go to UT 2.5 years ago. With work and school down here I don't get up that way much.

Maybe we could find a good ride somewhere in the middle? The guys over at http://twtex.com seem like they have quite a few rides out of DFW, maybe we could both catch one.

Or.. we could just have a big super duper awesome GSTwin get together.. I know there's quite a few of us from TX and OK. ugh... I need to find out why my gas mileage sucks before trekking across the state.

trey

[geekonabike]

Lousy gas mileage?  There's a thread and a half.  Mine was pretty down too.  Never did figure out exactly why but when the mech rejetted (after I put STOCK exhaust on it I traded the D&H it came with for), fixed the floats, replaced jet needles, needle jets (at that point I got confused), and whatever came in the carb rebuild kits (I forget the link), and did some more fiddling, it went from mid-upper 30's(!) to upper 40's-lower 50's.  So many things can mess it up.  I'm sure Srinath woudn't mind rebuilding your carbs.  (Somehow all threads lead to Srinath.)

We'll see about get-togethers.  I don't have the flexibility I used to, physically as well as regarding schedules, since there's a wife unit and two young kid units involved.  Some day I'll buy a trailer, and then on one of our Dallas trips maybe I can have a junket your way.  The OK fellows I might have an easier time riding with, particularly for a morning (a.k.a. COLD) ride that could get me back home in the early afternoon.

We'll keep these things in mind!

Thanks,
Mike D.

[milo]

OMG you're in Weatherford?! Man, I stopped in Weatherford while driving cross-country last year. Had breakfast at Jerry's diner. I ate a dinner-plate-sized cinnamon roll that's gotta be the best thing I ever tasted. Everyone was incredibly friendly -- it was one of the (many) high points of that trip. I still tell people about Jerry's in Weatherford, even though most people up here think I'm crazy.

Re my sticky choke lever: yeah, I know, it's not a big deal. I've been riding the bike and it's fine, so I'm not upset or anything. It's just that they charged me a buttload of money for the carb cleaning, and if I'm gonna find mysterious problems after maintenance tasks, I might as well cause them myself, for free.  

Re riding weather during finals: I want to know how it gets into the high 50s in NY in December, while I have finals. It's a crime against nature. Or rather, a crime against me, by nature.  

[The Buddha]

Gas mileage ... biggest factor ... floats too high ... they will spit gas into the air filter area where it will get sucked back in as atomised fuel ... making for a softish power band... especially under acceleration, making you accelerate longer... and when you settle into cruise mode... it will automagically be OK ... You'd not even notice it ... and you do some accelerating and slowing and accelerating and your gas mileage takes a nose dive ... The bars ... yea I believe I have 7 left, and I am selling clip on's now, I dont want to leave the 01+ bikes to fend for themselves... the whole excercise started out with trying to make stuff for the GS ... I now discover, Mine dont fit 01+ for bars, exhausts, and dont fit 04 for case guards ... equality man, equality...
Cool.
Srinath.

[treybrad]

Well.. I wasn't going to drag this even MORE off topic.. but since Mike and Srinath acknowledged my mileage problem..

I'm consistantly getting ~40mpg give or take a couple. I ride pretty hard.. If I'm accelerating, about half the time it's almost full throttle, and i'll wind it up to 9-10k.

I have a 15t front sprocket, and my highway speed is around 70-75 so I'm sure that doesn't help. Puts my RPMs around 7-7.5k

Does that sound reasonable? The bike has almost 28k miles on it.. so it's well "broken in" we'll say. Slip on pipe, stock air box..

I'm just a little disappointed. I'm a small guy (~135lbs), if anything I figured I'd get better gas mileage than most... I've searched this to death and other lightweights like Roadstergal were getting close to 70mpg.. That sure would be nice.

Bike seems to run great, but.. it does smell like gas a little. No apparent gas leaks, but when I get off of work and walk out to my bike I always am greeted by the familiar smell of gas... I've always been around older bikes, and they've always smelled of gas.. should it not at all? Is that a sign my floats may be a bit high and blowing some gas in the air box?

I'll double check my floats again before I tear down the carbs to rejet for my lunchbox filter this weekend. How close should it be to the gasket? If it's off a mm or two is it going to hurt?

If I remember right, mine looks about like Kerry's in this pic. Seems like it's a bit over where the two parts meet, is that considered "high"?

Eh. Like I said. Bike runs well, plugs look good, starts right up on the 1st try, doesn't burn oil hardly at all despite the punishment I put it through.. just the mileage is a little low. If I'm steady in 1st at about 6k and crack the throttle the front end will pop up a little, so I feel like I've got a pretty healthy throttle response and power.

I really don't even mind the poor mileage as much as the nuisance of having to fill up every 115-120mi when my RES needs to be switched on. I definitely fill it up using the "Maximum" technique.. Sometimes I'll sit at the pump for an awfully long time just to get 3gal of gas b/c I'm so intent on getting every last drop I can in there...  :lol:

I'm going on a cruise with some people on Sunday, I'm sure it'll be a pretty subdued pace. I'll try to take it really easy and see what my numbers come out to be. Maybe I just have too heavy of a foot (wrist   ?).

Sorry to stray even more off topic.. but you asked for it  

trey

[The Buddha]

Yea you might be spilling into filter ... or you might have a leak from the tank ... and I am heavier ... by 100 lbs, and I have traffic cos I only commute and other wise I fairly rev it up ... and I have 46K... and still make 42-45 ... Soon I'll use more oil than gas... and of course K&N pods and pipe ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[treybrad]

The lunchbox is only going to hurt me right? Since I'm jumping up another couple jet sizes it'll (gas mileage) only go down from there I assume... I'll give everything a good look-see when I take it apart for the jets on Sunday.

trey

[The Buddha]

Well lunch box = 150's ... did I do your carbs ... trying to remember ... Now if you are popping wheelies you might well get gas out into the air box, but that's not like regular high floats ... Yea a 10% loss with Lunch box and pipe os possible over stock ...
Cool.
Srinath.