ah, of course...i feel like a dummy asking what a fuse was...its in my manual...BUT...i will check tomorrow but if the spare is already gone where could i buy another?  a motorcycle shop?  

and to test to see if any cables are pinched i should try running the bike and all before i tighten everything down, yeah?


- alex

Quote from: alexXxif the spare is already gone where could i buy another?  a motorcycle shop?

Any auto parts store will have them; they're standard items.  In fact, the "auto aisle" in my grocery store has them.  Look for yellow pill boxes or blister packs with the word BUSS on them.  Rather than buy an assortment pack with 5, 10, 20 and 30 amp fuses, try to find a multi-pack of 20 amp units.

Quote from: alexXxand to test to see if any cables are pinched i should try running the bike and all before i tighten everything down, yeah?

Yep, good idea.  

ok so i jumped ahead of myself...i was all ready to replace the fuse and mess w/ the controls and cables...BUT...it turns out i did NOT blow a fuse...i checked it and it was fine...so...WHAT DID I DO?!?!?


- alex

Does the bike come on now(I mean the lights)? If so, I would just think that it was one of those electrical flukes. If it doesn't, replace the fuse anyway, you may have a hairline failure in the current fuse. The only way to be sure is if you can check for continuity on the suspect fuse.

Quote from: alexXx...what does it mean that the cables were too tight?  i screwed 'em in too tight?  i accidentally pinched the wires or...?  i'm a little confused on the reasoning behind why this happened...

Yes, when you changed handlebars, and you didn't adjust the cables for the new bar, the slack may have been taken out when you remounted the cables to the new bar, because the new bar may be longer/taller/wider/whatever it may pull the cables more taught.

Since, you stated that the rpm's increase when the handlebars are turned to the right which would supposedly pull the choke cable tighter. Check around the left forktube to see if the cable is being pulled really tight around the forktube.

Quote from: scratchDoes the bike come on now(I mean the lights)? If so, I would just think that it was one of those electrical flukes. If it doesn't, replace the fuse anyway, you may have a hairline failure in the current fuse. The only way to be sure is if you can check for continuity on the suspect fuse.

uhm well...i replaced the fuse and the bike still had no lights or anything whatsoever...i guess i will try to buy brand new fuses and put one in, but...its not looking good guys...so...now what?  im almost ready to just call a tow and get it to my local motorcycle shop, but i would really like to try and fix it myself first...


- alex

Check your battery contacts, side stand switch, and battery.  If you don't  have a multimeter, you might consider getting one, as they're around $10 for a cheap one and invaluable for sorting out electrical problems.  

My guess though is that one of the contacts on the battery is loose.  Make sure the screws are tight.

ok i changed the fuse and retightened my battery contacts...the bike lights DO come on now...

BUT...now the bike won't start...i hit the starter and the engine tries to start but ultimately wont turn over...kinda like if the battery was drained...but i just had the battery recharged a week ago...could it have been drained again so quickly?  the mechanic at my local shop said the battery still looked good after he charged it for me...


- alex

Anything is possible...try jumping it off your car.

OK take out the spark plugs and see if you have the cylinders filled up with gas ...
Cool.
Srinath.

question about the cables...how could the be pinched since the cables have MORE slack now that i have srinath bars in?  that doesnt make sense in my head...


- alex

See one occassion I installed the bars and the cable had somuch extra slack it ended up getting stuck in the nook between the headlight bolt and the triangle bracket, then when I turned it the other way it started binding ... You might have a cable that is just tight ... aka no free play ... also nothign is catching on the bar right ... they all spin free ... that was a issue ... OK mercdude had painted ones ... OK I forgot. cable routing and where the slack is is important ... youmight have to push in the cables and let there be more slack near the carbs.
Cool.
Srinath.

okay...my bike is ALL GOOD...turns out that all i needed to do was mess with the cable tensioner (is that what its called?  that thing with the nut about a couple inches from where the cable meets the controls)...and it turns out that my bike wouldnt start since the throttle cable tension was screwed, it was like the throttle was always on, and so the bike couldnt start when it was too cold...it worked this afternoon when it was oddly warm enough and yeah...so things are cool...

ONE MORE QUESTION THOUGH...

so i bought 7/8 lockhart phillips bar ends but they dont exactly fit into the srinath bar...how would i go about filing the bar ends down?  

THANKS Y'ALL


- alex

OK the press fits ... do the ends look like they have been drilled ... feel inside and see if there is a step ~ 1 inch inside the end ... That might be not there, I made drilled and un drilled and I believe I was giving people a choice ... Mercdude must have bought un drilled ... or that was all I had at that time or somehting ... You can drill it, but it will be a mofo to drill ... cos the wall is extra thick and its not easy by hand ... or you can get a nut welded in there and screw the end to that ...
If its drilled and you still dont fit ... OK that does happen ... you might have to sand the metal shank part a little and the rubber will get squished and press in ... Dont try to open up the bar more ...steel is harder to sand than Aluminum ...
Cool.
Srinath.

srinath - they're drilled bars, but what would i use to sand down the metal shank?  is there anything i can buy at a hardware store?  i dont have access to powertools and the like, so something i can file it down by hand would be awesome...


- alex

I had somepics I put up where I sanded them ... using werase's bar end's  :lol: ...
Take the rubber part off and you just need to sand a tiny bit off the metal part of the weight that sticks inside the bar ... I used 80 grit sand paper, there is that kind they sell with adhesive backing ... advantage of that ... it sticks to your hand ... so I take a narrow strip of it and glue ti to my index finger and spin it wiht the other hand ... 5 mins or less per side ... You just probably want to fit it a few times ... then spray with some sticky substance like soap or rubber glue and put the rubber thing back and the nuts on it and stuff it in ... mallet or other soft object to tap it in ... remember the harder it is to tap in ... the impossibler (Yes that is a word now) it is to take out. Sand the rubber too a bit if its not fitting.
Cool.
Srinath.