What have you done for your bike today????

[madjak30]

Nice pic adidasguy, black&white is a nice way to go...and the pic shows the last year or so worth of work that you have done...very nice...

I haven't done anything for my bike since I crashed it...probably should get some fuel stabilizer into the poor thing before it gumms everything up...I won't be getting to the tear down until I get my garage cleaned up and organized...this weekend is planned...then I will get a bike hoist and start the tear down...rebuild won't happen until next year...

Later.

[Paulcet]

I will be putting in the MosFet's on my bikes. I plan to make a video showing the difference. I looked at the voltage at the battery today on my Tektronix oscilloscope to see what's there now. Lots of little voltage spikes. I'll video the scope screen before and after changing it out.

Looking forward to this... Gonna get my geek on!

It still blows my mind that the terribly inefficient shunt SCR circuits are still used, since what, the 70's?

[rebel_rocket]

Reworked my headlight bracket and installed a new side mount license plate bracket.
Picked out a paintjob to do over winter. Flat black with red/white pinstriped along with Painting my wheels black with red wheel stripes with painted white wall tires. Should be reminiscent of a rat rod 

[NorwayGT1]

sanded, primed, sanded again, then base coat, then sanded, then two coats of flat black... now shes resting while im getting everything together to do the side fairings and 3rd and 4th coat for tank and tail  ohhh yeah dont forget more sanding!
yay for sanding! .... NOT lol

[adidasguy]

My bikes and bike cave are now models? 
My bikes are happy with the publicity  (except Suzi - she's not in the photo  )

[gtscott]

found the diode, the plug was a fair bit corroded, tried turning it around and no luck, so i now just dont have the neutral light, so thats better than having one on all the time

[adidasguy]

found the diode, the plug was a fair bit corroded, tried turning it around and no luck, so i now just don't have the neutral light, so that's better than having one on all the time

Time to replace it - its blown. Since it's connected to the side stand switch and the neutral switch, then controls the bike running (kills it if not in neutral and side stand down), it could short out and stop your bike. If that happens, remove it until you can replace it. You'll lose some safety items, so be careful with the side stand - bike would keep running if side stand down and in gear - a dangerous way to ride.

The dual diode isolates the neutral lamp from the side stand. That's about all it does. However without it, bike would never know you were in neutral.

Basically: side stand UP or bike in neutral: side stand relay energized and bike will run.
Another way to say it: Side stand down AND not in neutral: bike turns off.

[gtscott]

does the diode do anything except the neutral light, and can i just goto a electrical hobby shop and pick one up?

[adidasguy]

It is a dual diode, so you need 2. Something like a 1n4001. It is a 1 amp diode which is enough. Diode ratings can always be higher, like a 1n4002 is 2 amp.
Look at the wiring diagram and make something to replace it. You can get those wire clips to connect it without cutting off the original connector.

FYI: OEM's are $15. I suggest you go that route rather than making something. You might find one cheaper. The newer bike's dual diode is not the same package.

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

Repaired the burned out bits of my harness and installed a second hand regulator.  It doesn't seem to have cured the problem, although revving the bike does slightly increase the voltage so that's promising.  I don't fully understand the diode test mode on my multimeter to be able to follow the GSResources stator paper instructions.  I'm doing what they're saying but I can't get a reading that in any way resembles their instruction.

Still the possibility of a dodgey battery, but the battery has been holding up like a champ even though I've been starting the motor up and then only running the motor for a few seconds and turning it off again.  I put it back on the trickle charger tonight and all it's vital signs are good.   Just can't get to the magic 13 volts with the motor running at any RPM.

I'm going to have to give it a 20 minute ride anyway, cos I've got a 3AM start and no other way of physically getting to work with trains not running that early.  I'll just have to see if it makes it and catch a cab the rest of the way if it doesn't.  I was really hoping the regulator swap would resurrect it. 

[Kms254]

I changed my front tire out to a new one and balanced. The old one was quite bad, it had dry-rot and the middle surface was wavy. It was probably the original tire with 12K on it from 2004. I also replaced/placed some missing and broken nuts and bolts that I sourced from adidasguy!

[gtscott]

found out the diode was pretty f%&ked and trying to swap it around yesterday was enough to finally kill it....bike would only start and run in neutral, put it into gear and it would turn off...fkn great, so i shorted the wire, did what i needed to, then disconnected the wire now...makes a great kill switch. yet ill fix it on the weekend...and probley put a little switch there anyway

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

What did I get done today?  Well I've learned that I can still ride my bike on short trips, it gets some charge but not enough to properly charge the battery.  Means I've got my work transport back and I'm keeping it on the trickle charger between gigs.  This battery has been an absolute trooper about the whole situation.  It's good for as many quick starts and shutoffs as you do when you're tinkering with your electrics, and it never hesitates to start the bike again.  I can run around town with a slow drain on it, and it still starts first crank.

So after getting some more wires and connectors, I started today's work by snapping the seat key off in the lock (for the second time, all out of keys now).  Fortunately the broken half is in the right position to trip the tumblers, so now I can just pop the seat with a screwdriver which suits me fine.

I wasn't happy with my negative lead, particularly where the black and white wire splices off from the main ground cable.  It was a bit loose and crappy and the negative battery lug was old and crap and required a washer to seat properly.  If you look at the wiring diagram you'll see that just about everything on the bike bar the starter motor and ignition coils feeds back to that black and white common spliced into the battery ground, rather than being grounded to the chassis like I'm used to with cars.  Makes that black and white cable fairly important and I suspected it of costing me half a volt between the RR and negative battery terminal.

I'm pretty sick of cutting old cables and crimping on new connections so I went to an electrical supplier and got the heaviest looking lugs that would fit my battery, then got the heaviest gauge multi strand copper cable that would fit in my new lugs. 



I had to hit my ratchet crimper with a hammer to get these to clamp down, they're brutal, but after some more beating with a hammer to reshape the ends I'm really happy with my new negative cable.  Didn't solve my charging situation, but I got rid of that half a volt drop so I achieved something today.  I think I'm going to have to put all this into it's own thread, I've ended up posting in this one quite a lot.

The ground lead by the way couldn't not be in a stupider place, you have to get it through the ignition module bracket, through the frame under the tank, down under the airbox, behind the swing arm pivot and then to a screw on the engine casing.  You've got to be your hand between the rear shock and the exhaust to reach it at all.  There's got to be an easier path that could take.  A small 10mm ratchet ring spanner is your friend if you ever need to remove it.

[adidasguy]

Not charging:

1. Bad wiring
2. Blown voltage regulator
3. Bad stator

When running, you should see 13.5 to 14.5 volts at the battery - that shows it is charging.

WIKI has a thing to test the stator with an ohm meter. if that is OK, then replace the regulator.

[steezin_and_wheezin]

I determined last night that the engine in my newest project is seized. I haven't split the case yet, but I did fixed all the small problems.  When i attempt to turn it over I get a heavy metal cluck(guess its the piston dropping?) and then it won't turn over anymore.

Hoping to find a well priced 06 engine to get this thing back on the road. I'd really hate to put this thing on my chop block to part it out

[Kms254]

Changed my oil and oil filter last night. I used Mobile 1 10w-40 full synthetic.

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

Not charging:

1. Bad wiring
2. Blown voltage regulator
3. Bad stator

When running, you should see 13.5 to 14.5 volts at the battery - that shows it is charging.

WIKI has a thing to test the stator with an ohm meter. if that is OK, then replace the regulator.

I think I'm back at point #2, and the replacement regulator I put in on monday may be crap too.  I seem to be building a collection of paperweights.  It's definately got enough AC voltage going into it and the resistance readings on the stator are all bang on what they should be.  I guess it's a bit hit and miss with second hand parts.  I was hoping I'd find the bad connection that explained everything, I wouldn't be the first to throw a whole lot parts and labour at a problem only to find a corroded end on a ground wire.

Still it's rideable now provided I leave it on the charger between trips, so that takes a bit of pressure off me.  I have transport to work while I sort this out.  My wiring is starting to look a lot better if nothing else.

What did I actually get done today?  Fixed an oil leak and filled it up with fresh Motul goodness. 

[adidasguy]

Cosimo: You might consider buying a used wiring harness from a bike breaker. $25-$50 depending on who has it and condition.
If you harness has that many problems, replacing the whole thing might be better than trying to locate shorts. I have found some 2004+ harnesses for as low as $5 (powersportsnation.com) in sale. Needed a newer one for that 2006 engine.

To my surprise, I looked at a 1989 harness carefully. I found old style cotton braided insulation wires! I didn't think they type of wire was still available in 1989. Then, here in Seattle we have heard about Boeing having problems in older jets with plastic insulation and fuel making it hard and brittle. That can't happen with cotton braid. Then I think cotton braid could soak up oil and stuff and start conducting through the insulation. haven't looked at 1992 or a994 harnesses on my bikes. I winder how long they used that insulation?

A short or excessive load can blow the regulator. Probably the regulator was good. You've got shorts somewhere that may have killed it. Junior blew his after I installed Denali fog lights. I think the 1992 regulator was just old and tired. The extra load may have made it go bye bye. Put in a spare and all is OK.

[mister]

Following on from achieving All The Threes



I have now, just minutes ago, completed All The Fours



I have put them all on the bike. The bike remains 100% stock and so far, no oil leaks and no problems. 

Next installment: All The Fives 

Michael

[steezin_and_wheezin]

^ that's awesome! i'll have to remember to snap a shot when i roll across 2's

tonight i..