TOPIC:

I've used the cheapest crap automatic tranny fluid I could find to clean freshly bored and honed cylinders, line bored blocks and cases, car manual transmission and differentials. Etc!
Works very good..... even better when mixed with 20%-30% acetone.

So excellent news today, completed the Basic Riding Course...with a perfect score. Doin' the happy dance...oh yeah!

I also went and bought the eBay speed sensor for $110, and it works just fine. Not as in good condition as mine though as the rubber protective boot is half ripped off and there's small cuts in the outer insulation of the wire (the inner wires are intact though with no damage or exposed copper). Looks like the rubber lip was to keep grease out, so hopefully I'll find a weekend to clean my original one enough for it to function properly and then resell the new crummy lookin' one for a far more reasonable price. So glad I can verify my speed now.

Still need to replace the rear gear oil though. :/

Pack the grease in it this time. Put a gob of grease in the palm of your hand and drag the part through it all the way around until it squishes out every time.
Steve

So after 2 1/2 months I've logged nearly 600 miles on the bike, and felt it was a good time for an update.

Sorry Swest, I packed the sensor bearing up really good, but have yet to install it

I was going around a sharp corner on the highway a couple weekends ago, and saw a crow in the middle of the road. It of course started to take off onto my side of the road, and all I could think about was "oh NO....it's that scene from Wild Hogs!" It came a couple feet from my head (I could've reached out and grabbed it), but it still shook me up a bit.

I also got a real solid taste of the bikes power just yesterday going to work. The last set of lights out of town, I'm in front with lots of cars behind me. "Alright, don't stall" I told myself....light turns green- stalled it. Fired it up....stalled it again. "Alright get you're sh*t together, let's go" and I finally got it to take and just rolled the throttle out, and went through the rpms quick I'm guessing around 6-7,000 rpm. I was like "OK that's really loud....time to shift!" I think my hand position was a little off so I was giving it more throttle than I thought I was (hand was in a normal postion, but the throttle was twisted more than usual). I released off the throttle and went from 2nd to 5th, finding myself at 50mph in what felt like about 3 seconds, and cars a good 1/4 mile behind me. The cagers probably thought I knew what I was doing and was doing it on purpose, lol...if they could've only seen my face!
I usually top off my revs to about 5,000 rpm when I really need to take off.

A man must know his limitations. (Dirty Harry)
Steve

I have to say...this has been a fun read. I certainly hope that as you own the bike longer and ride it more, you decide to keep the bike as factory original as possible.

What did you do with the shaft drive oil change?

You know, it'll actually do the motor some good to get it up to 9000 RPM occasionally. Keeping it below 5000RPM, you're really missing the fat part of the power band. Just keep an eye on your oil level.

Shabba wrote: I have to say...this has been a fun read. I certainly hope that as you own the bike longer and ride it more, you decide to keep the bike as factory original as possible.

What did you do with the shaft drive oil change?

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that. I changed the drive oil about a month ago, it was in suprisingly good shape and definately didn't look like it'd been sitting for 10 years. I bought way too much oil though, I bought 4 quarts, enough to last me several years. I thought it'd take a quart or so but it's more like a third of a quart. I did flush it with some cheaper gear oil a couple times just in case before filling it properly.

I do plan on keeping it factory, but I do want to get larger saddlebags. I got them all picked out, and will likely/hopefully get them next spring: Saddleman midnight express, the slant with the single belt loop in Jumbo size.

BAH! Looks like I was a bit overzealous with the gear oil having overfilled it too much, and now the thing is spraying all over the side of the rear tire. Looks like it's being forced through the main seal, but not sure as the spray is pretty much everywhere. I didn't think I added all that much extra, maybe 1/2 inch overfilled. I figured the level lowers significantly when the wheel spins anyways, so putting in a bit more wouldn't hurt....looks like I was wrong. Watched a youtube video on how to do it, and the guy did the same thing. The leaking itself isn't very much, and it doesn't leak when the bike isn't moving. The leaking oil has some very very black crud in it, like small globs of it where the new oil is rubbing off the very old oil and mixing it in, so I'm considering having to take it into a shop for proper cleaning and new seals.

On a second note, I noticed shortly after I changed the oil and the oil settled in the little clear porthole....it was still black. So I'm probably going to be changing the oil again before winter after probably less than a thousand miles.

I did manage to slap 100 mph on the highway today going to work, kinda proud of myself. 5th gear at 6,000 rpm. That "Gearing Commander" site was quite helpful. www.gearingcommander.com/ Wasn't sure if I had hit the mark when I did it, but I just wanted to hit 6k rpm at the time and get some distance from the traffic clog behind me.

I got one good thing going for me though, I have a really nice view at work...

SmokyOwl wrote: BAH! Looks like I was a bit overzealous with the gear oil having overfilled it too much, and now the thing is spraying all over the side of the rear tire. Looks like it's being forced through the main seal, but not sure as the spray is pretty much everywhere. I didn't think I added all that much extra, maybe 1/2 inch overfilled. I figured the level lowers significantly when the wheel spins anyways, so putting in a bit more wouldn't hurt....looks like I was wrong. Watched a youtube video on how to do it, and the guy did the same thing. The leaking itself isn't very much, and it doesn't leak when the bike isn't moving. The leaking oil has some very very black crud in it, like small globs of it where the new oil is rubbing off the very old oil and mixing it in, so I'm considering having to take it into a shop for proper cleaning and new seals.

On a second note, I noticed shortly after I changed the oil and the oil settled in the little clear porthole....it was still black. So I'm probably going to be changing the oil again before winter after probably less than a thousand miles.

I did manage to slap 100 mph on the highway today going to work, kinda proud of myself. 5th gear at 6,000 rpm. That "Gearing Commander" site was quite helpful. www.gearingcommander.com/ Wasn't sure if I had hit the mark when I did it, but I just wanted to hit 6k rpm at the time and get some distance from the traffic clog behind me.

This bike should be able to do 80MPH in 1st gear man! Wind that sucker up to 9000PRM and see how it feels. Blow some of that 30 year old smoke out!

He's new at this. Don't want to lose him now.
Steve