An unofficial SabMag collection of various things that I found interesting or, when I read it, I said "Hey, that's something I need to keep." There is no cgi here, no java, no frames, nothing but text. One downside is that URLs must now be copied and pasted into your browser unless your browser automatically formats them. To simplify this, I've tried to put URLs on their own line to avoid copying extra characters. This may make things a little hard to read, but if you're down to searching archives you're already desperate and I'm hoping you'll put up with it. These are almost exclusively from the Sabmag list, but are in no particular order. Whatever you're looking for, figure out a few buzz words and use the "find" function of your browser. For most applications, that's CTRL-F. You should realize that some of these messages are a few years old. E-mail addresses may no longer be valid, links may not work. Don't tell me about it. I don't make 'em, I just save 'em. If you find some of your material here and wish it to be unpublished, or wish to have your personal data removed, tell me and I'll take care of it. It would be extremely helpful if you could include a quoted section from the message to which you object. Otherwise, I may never find it. If you don't like the way this is laid out, you are encouraged to make your own. Search hints: To skip to the next message, use ctrl-f (Subject:), then minimize the search window and hit F-3 to search again for the same word. URLs are not word wrapped to aid in copying and pasting to your browser. ======================================================== Subject: Make your own windshield From: Bob Peloquin Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 12:39:43 -0400 I recently made a replacement windshield for my Rifle Superbike fairing. The one I bought was the 18 inch tinted one which proved to be too dark to see through at night (I couldn't see me headlight beam on the ground in front of the bike). I decided to make my own and here's what I did and learned about it: Materials: Poster-board of sufficient size to make a template of your windshield. One (or more) sheets of Lucite Tuff glazing material of the appropriate size (I got 18 by 24 inch sheets of 1/8 inch thickness for about $7 US Electric Jig-saw and fine plastic-cutting blade Drill and bits Scissors, Tape, Pencil or Felt-tip marker Procedure: Make a poster-board template by taping the poster-board to the INSIDE of the original and tracing it out including the mounting holes (I found that the plastic stretches on the outside of the curve and doesn't compress on the inside so you must make the template from the inside of the curve). Now is the time to "adjust" the template to suit your needs (taller, wider, etc.). After cutting out the template, trace it on the paper covering of the Lucite, make any changes with a ruler etc. and cut it out with an electric jigsaw using a fine plastic blade. Sand the edges to a slightly rounded profile either by hand or with some sort of power tool (I used my Dremel and a sanding drum bit). Sand the top edge tilted toward the outside so you won't be looking through a thick edge. Now for the tough part: The first time I tried this I had a great deal of trouble... Most kitchen ovens are too small to hold an 18 X 20 or so piece of clear plastic, but if you can find a big one it might work (or if your plastic is smaller than mine). The "gotcha's" I found (from scraps and from my first try) are as follows: Don't leave the paper on the plastic sheet... It causes the surface to become rippled and distorted. Don't put the plastic directly on the metal cookie sheet... It causes distortions. Don't be surprised if the once-clear plastic turns milky-white... It will turn back when cooled if you don't overheat it. Always check your temperature and time in the oven on scrap pieces... Oven temps vary greatly. Before heating your plastic: Fill the bathtub with cold water (for cooling the plastic) Pre-heat the oven to approximately 200-225 F. (93-107 C.) Remove the paper from both sides of the windshield and a couple of the scraps from cutting it out (you'll use the scraps as test pieces). Place them on a room-temperature cookie sheet turned upside-down and covered with a clean, cotton cloth. Place the cookie sheet on the center rack in your pre-heated oven (I used an electric oven). After a couple of minutes, take one of the scraps out (with oven mitts) and try bending it to the contour of your fairing... If it's too hard to bend, put it back for a couple more minutes. Don't overheat it as it will be impossible to "un-stretch" a distorted piece that bent too far or at crazy angles and curves because it was too soft (from my own experience). Repeat the tests above until you can bend the scraps around the curve you need with some resistance. Immediately remove the windshield, bend it to the desired shape and dunk it in the bathtub to "freeze" it. If all goes well, you'll only need to drill the mounting holes (using the template on the inside again) and mount your new windshield. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Another way I've heard about to heat Lucite... Instead of using an oven, use a large pan (institutional sized brownie pan would work) filled with boiling water (just under 212 F. or 100 C for you metric individuals). This should give even better results, but I haven't tried it yet. ======================================================== Subject: Cam timing was Re:wrench From: ??michael Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 21:09:39 +0000 curtis hintze wrote: > another wrench tip regarding cams.....timing cams can be > tricky. i just did a set on richards engine. the factory method is > confusing. here's my way. set timing mark on t-1-3. set all cams in > place with all marks up and all index lineseven with cyl. head > surface. i do rear head first, then front head. i may roll engine > over some, but i return to t-1-3. when done, at t-1-3, all cam > marks are either up or either all down, and all index marks are > parallel to cyl. head surface(at t-1-3). so, you say, i may be set up > 180 degrees out, right? after all, the t-1-3 mark comes up twice, at > top of exhaust stroke, and at top of compression stroke. so i could be > off 180 degrees in relation to ignition firing, right?? here is where > this one piece of obscure knowledge pays off......the ignition fires on > compression stroke and on the exhaust stroke. so you cannot set cam > timing out 180 degrees. it fires at both points. see clymers manual on > timing cams to verify. I had an interesting development when I did my cams. Around came the time to do the cam timing. There are three sets of index marks on each sprocket. A set of index dimples and a set of index lines. I rememebered that the index "lines" where both supposed to align with the flat surface of tops of their respective heads at a certain timing mark (according to curtis t 1-3). When I did the individual head cam timing I aligned by index lndex for both heads. The final test of all index lines simultaneously aligned with the head could not be acheived. Re-reading the manual showed that the front cylinders are supposed to align with "dots" @ t-2-4 and the rear cylinders align with "lines" @ t-1-3. All the lines should align @ t-1-3 with the cylinder heads. I hope this clears up some of the confusion I had. ======================================================== Subject: Carb bowl gaskets From: ??michael Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 10:11:11 -0500 Hey all, While helping Grethe with her carb rebuild, I swore up and down that you can not buy float bowl gaskets seperately from the carb rebuild kit. For all VF's EXCEPT the v30 or 500F I've been proven wrong. Check out: http://www.usedmotorcycleparts.com/p0000111.htm This is the site for Cycle Re-cycle in Indianapolis. Any comments on them Mr. Stewart, our Indy ex-patriot? -- ??michael ======================================================== Subject: Fuel Tank repair - POR-15 report From: ??michael Date: Tue, 3 Nov 1998 14:31:43 -0500 Hey all, Update on my rescued Interceptor. I just finished prepping the tank. I DID NOT use crappy Kream. Read on. The Interceptor I've rescued had sat outside with 1/3 a tank of gas for about a year and a half. The internals were definitely rusty though still tight w/o leaks. I needed to do something about the internals but didn't want to use Kream (because it is not a permanent fix and the problems it can cause when it decides to go are *NOT* fun.) My work with restoring my 1970 Chevelle SS had brought me in touch with a company called Restomotive who produce a product called POR-15. This stuff is amazing. All the resto rags rave and car related Internet sites are a-buzz about it. When used properly, it stops rust *DEAD*. It forms a super hard surface that is very hard to scratch or chip. Even my Evil Twin Joey (the ToeCutter) Thorne, who works on boats, knew about POR-15 and had favorable things to say about it. If a rust repair product can work properly in a Marine/Saltwater environment than it has GOT to be good. Awhile ago, I found a tank prep product kit in their catalog. I have been very happy with other products of theirs, so I have been waiting for an opportunity to try this one. Hey, they even show a V65 Sabre's tank in the catalog. I think that this is a sign. The kit contains: Marine=Clean (a water based, alkaline cleaner/degreaser, supposedly environmentally friendly but I wouldn't let it sit on your skin for very long), Metal Ready (a mildly acidic solution which completely turns rust into a neutral Zinc Phosphate. Much nicer to work with than the highly acidic hydrochloric solution in the Kream kit. Also, Metal Ready can be saved and reused.), Tank Sealer (which reminds me of POR-15 Silver), a piece of cloth and a disposable brush (to repair pin holes and leaking seams, which I did not need to use, so I cannot vouch for.) A heavy duty version of the kit also has a step that will completely remove a previous tank lining like Kream. Use of the kit is not as quick as using Kream. YOU MUST TAKE YOUR TIME! If you follow the directions given to you by POR-15 and the suggestions I've outlined here you should be okay. Cleaning the tank: Seal all openings and vent tubes on the tank. Duct tape is suggested, but it kept coming off of the two large openings on my tank due to LOTs of water. I improvised by slipping the gas cap into a surgical glove and installing it the way it would normally go to seal the top hole. luckily had a large cork the size of the fuel gauge sending unit hole to seal that as well. Using the Marine=Clean, mix one part cleaner and one part boiling water. Pour into tank and then seal it tight. I aggitated the solution in the tank by gently rocking it back and forth. Rock and roll. Rock and roll. Make sure the cleaner gets everywhere. The cleaner needs to be in the tank for at least 24 hours, more for heavily varnished or dirty interiors. I would aggitate for about 20 minutes, and then let it sit for an hour or two. Then I'd aggitate some more and let it sit again, but in a different position than before. After 24+ hours I dumped the cleaner out and flushed liberally with water. I used my bathtub as I don't have good access to an open area w/ a hose. Your wives or SO may kill you for this as it's messy, but not damaging. Flush it well. You want to remove as much alkaline solution as possible for the next step, which is more acidic. Rust destruction/ "etching": When I say etching I don't mean like the extremely harsh Kream method. Metal Ready is techincally acidic, but pretty mild in comparison to the Kream Kit's (Phosphoric or Hydrochloric Acid?) Metal Ready's main job is to CONVERT rust to a neutral Zinc Phosphate. Any etching properties are pretty minor. Metal Ready takes about 30 minutes to work for a tank in the condition of mine. Heavy rust will take longer. Again I'd aggitate the tank/solution in a slow rocking motion. Turning and rocking and rolling and turning. Watch a movie that you know by heart when you do this. I watched Mad Max again. When the tank is done, remember that you can reuse Metal Ready, so I syphoned it out of the tank. Again, flush liberally with water. You should see black flakes of particulate now instead of rust colored. That is the zinc phosphate coverted rust. ********THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP********* Okay, you're pretty excited now that the rust is gone. The job is going well and you want to keep the momentum going. Before you go pouring the sealant into the tank STOP! The tank **MUST** be absolutely bone dry. POR-15 cures with water. If a single drop of water (or sweat) drops into your pint can of POR-15 while you are working THE WHOLE FREAKING CAN IS WASTED! This tank sealant is the same. After the flushing out from the Metal Ready step I again syphoned out as much of the water still trapped in the tank as I possible could. Letting the tank sit in the sun won't dry it. Letting it sit for 10 weeks won't dry it. You need to introduce warm moving air to dry the internals. I removed all the tape and stuff sealing the various holes on the tank. I set the tank up with a hair dryer set on low w/ heat blowing into the main hole. I left it blowing warm air into the tank for around 4 hours. The next day I let it blow warm air in half hour intervals about 3 or 4 times. Then, when I was ready to seal the tank, I let it blow cool air for an additional 2 hours. I may have overdone the air thing, but I wanted to take no chances. I wanted this done right. Sealing the tank: After the hairdryer this step seems anti-climatic. I resealed the openings, this time merely with duct tape. I poured the contents of the sealant can into the tank. It is the consitency of paint with a heavy fumes. DO NOT GET THIS STUFF ON ANYTHING ELSE. If you do wipe it off IMMEDIATELY. It won't come off once dry. I'm serious. Wear gloves, because you'll be wearing a for weeks if you don't. Ordinary paint thinners do not work with it. It can be thinned with the POR-15 specific thinner (not availible in this kit as there is no need for it.) Aggitate the tank again in slow motions allowing time for the POR-15 to coat the interior. I took about 45 minutes to be sure. On my tank there was no easy way to get the excess POR-15 out due to a collar around the interior of the main fillng hole. I used a turkey baister to remove the excess. I also blew compressed air into any small diameter tubes/holes to be sure that I don't develop a restriction or clog due to a cured POR-15 blockage. I set the tank aside to dry/cure. A well ventilated area is a must for this. I installed an exhaust fan in my bathroom window and let the tank sit in there for the night while the most fumes were present. I also let the tank sit upside down so that any excess POR-15 that I couldn't remove would puddle in the air pocket that is always present, even in a full tank of gas so my fuel capacity wouldn't be effected. If you have leaks at the seams of your tank, you might want to consider letting the POR-15 cure so that it puddles into these areas, sealing them forever. The tank is fully cured and ready for gas after 4 days. Mine is completed now with a ROCKING coating ready to go. So that is how it went. It is a time consuming process. It is not *DOWN AND DIRTY* quick and easy. but guaranteed, if you do it right you'll never have to do it again. While not being difficult it is also not "simple". You do need to take your time and be careful, especially to fully dry the tank with warm moving air. You *CANNOT* be in a rush. Leave about a week of off and on work to complete the task. But the results are worth it. If this coating/finish is anything like the other POR-15 products I've used that nothing short of an A-Bomb will effect it. This is the only permanent fix I know of short of buying a new tank. At the price of $29.95 and a week's worth of time I'd say it is worth it. here's the info: (full online catalog.) http://www.por15.com RestoMotive Laboratories Division of Por-15, Incorporated P.O. Box 1235 Morristown, New Jersey 07962-1235 TOLL-FREE: 1-800-457-6715 In NJ: 973-887-1999 Fax: 973-887-8007 MAIN OFFICE: M-F 9-5 EST ======================================================== Subject: Re: Honda by Harley? From: ??michael Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 22:25:44 +0000 Anthony Osborne wrote: > > Anyone got more concise info on this subject?? Check you VIN plate. There are three characters at the beginnig of the VIN number that are printed, not stamped. JH2 = built in Japan. IHF = built in Marysville, OH YC1 = built in Belgium 92C = built in Brazil 3HI = built in Mexico VTM = built in Spain ZDC = built in Italy JH3 = ATVs built in Japan 478 = ATVs built in Marysville, OH I got this info from Bob P on the VFR list. For the record. My V30 and Interceptor have JH2. My V65 has IHF. -- ??michael ======================================================== Subject: dipstick length data From: Dave Miranda Date: Sun, 28 Sep 1997 16:45:08 -0400 Concerning V65 dipstick length, here's some data: My `84 V65 Sabre (engine: SC17E-2003442) has a dipstick which measures 152 mm from the underside of the handle (flat portion that mates with the engine case) to the "full" mark. My `85 V65 Magna (engine: SC12E-2207483) dipstick measures 157 mm in the same dimension. This is an accurately measured 5 mm (about 3/16") difference between the two sticks. A very small difference, but indeed an intentional difference. (I doubt that this is a manufacturing tolerance error.) John Van Valkenburgh reports a length of 158 mm on his `84 V65 Magna... Tom Fowler reports a length of 157 mm on his `86 V65 Magna... both consistant with the data from my `85 Magna. Anyone else out there wanna do some measuring? Let's get a few V65 Sabre stick measurements. Let's see who's got the biggest... ha ha. (remember to measure from the underside of the handle to the "full" mark) For those with V45s who are interested, Jack Hunt reported stick measurements of 147 mm to the "full" mark on both his V45s. I will soon try to compare the engine angles of both the V65 Magna and Sabre. Though this dipstick study may be trivial, it would be nice to come to a conclusion. -Dipstick Dave the6andvio@aol.com ======================================================== Subject: Re: Carb cleaning & such From: Dave Alexander Date: Mon, 29 Sep 1997 16:12:15 -0400 >Just lay the part on top of it, scribe the outside, and cut out. Then, >measure the thickness of the sealing area (the width of the gasket), and >cut out the inside. Then mark and cut out the holes and you have your >gasket. For something like our carbs, where you will have several alike, >it would probably be worth using tracing paper to make a pattern. Here's an old gasket making trick taught to me by an old wrench... Take the part you need, and lay the mating surface down on the gasket material. Using a block of wood or something to cushion it, give the part a good smack with a hammer. The part will leave an impression in the gasket material, showing you just where to cut and put your holes for a perfect gasket. - Dave ======================================================== Subject: Re: Carb cleaning & such From: Gustavo Marchevsky Date: Mon, 29 Sep 1997 15:35:04 -0700 Mike Stewart wrote: > > On Mon, 29 Sep 1997 17:17:06 +0100 Ron Butterfield > wrote: > > > Gustavo Marchevsky mentioned proper o-rings > >from K > > & L. Does anyone have part numbers / phone number for them? > > You might check the FAQ. I'm not sure if it got in there or not. If > not, it should make the next revision. > I have the info on K&L but not the part number of the bowl gaskets handy. Anyway, K&L is in Santa Clara CA and the number is 1-800-727-6767 Fax (408) 727-4842 They DO NOT sell to the public directly, but is easy to buy if you have a resellers number...??! Min order 100$ Hope this helps. Gustavo ======================================================== Subject: save this or die, bwuhuhahahahahahahaha From: Jude Federspiel Date: Fri, 3 Oct 1997 07:30:15 EDT Hey everybody, things getting a little crazy around here. Big picture posts? Big Long What-Should-I-Do_With-My-Computer posts? good lawdy! that's not what sabmag is for. Also, a lot of request for unsubscriptions, help, commands sent to the poor overworked (underpaid) list admins instead of the hardy, overpaid, underworked, and tireless automatic stinkin LISTSERVER, etc., make me think it is time to resend the Official Shiny Happy Sabmag Welcome File. It has a few changes in it since last you read (even if you just subscribed today), so please read. Also, anyone caught with their pants down (oops, I mean caught deleting this file and then breaking its edicts with impunity) will be flamed mercilessly, mocked incessantly, and discgraced for generations to come. So grab a coke and a smile and put them readin specs on, we're going for a ryde!! Oh, wait, before our ryde, I changed the list definition on three aspects: a) Mike Stewart is now a third co-list-admin (he calls himself the dirty diaper changer or something like that) b) files (binaries) are no longer allowed, the computer will summarily reject them c) REPRO is now set as a default option so people automatically get their own posts bounced back to them. (thus no mention of it in the welcome file) (file last revised 10.3.97) Welcome! You have been added to _THE_ list for Honda V4 Sabres and Magnas, <<**-----SABMAG@MITVMA.MIT.EDU-----**>> I am your list founder and one of three list administrators, Jude Federspiel. The other two are Phil Ross (pwr@jane.penn.com) and Mike Stewart (mstewart@m1.sprynet.com). This is a customized welcome file giving you a few simple but critical instructions on how to avoid being flamed to a crispy crunchy char of black carbon by the infamous, loving sabmag peanut gallery. This file does the following: + describe the list + show you how to send commands to the list server + describe the most common commands, like: + unsubscribe from the list + subscribe to the list + change your address on the list + get a digest only (versus ~100 posts per business day) + show you how to post to the list + show you how to flame the listadmins or get help in order to do anything else (I don't know half this stuff myself) Therefore you should save this file because no one likes to see posts saying "Hey can you please unsubscribe me???" sent out to the entire list. If you read and save this file we can keep you from becoming the target of the admiration, adoration, worship and praise of the collective sabmag. This prevention is what we in sabmag land like to call a Good Thing (R). ****************************************************************************** ** First, the purpose of the list: The purpose of the list will be to discuss the following as applicable to Honda Sabres and Magnas: + repairs + modifications + anecdotes/horror stories/warnings + requests for info or expertise The better we restrict traffic to that simple summary, the happier we will all be. Chitchat and banter is bound to happen, and the line between what is acceptable and what is not is both invisible and at the whim of the listowners, so best to err on the side of caution. 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In other words, if you have two email accounts, and you would like to subscribe, or set DIGEST, or unsubscribe one of them, you must email these commands from that acount. ** Fourth, to post to the list, send email to sabmag@mitvma.mit.edu ** Fifth, to flame the listadmin (or ask "how do I do XYZ for the list while I'm on vacation?" or any other question not covered in this file..) send email to: jfed@mit.edu, pwr@jane.penn.com, or mstewart@m1.sprynet.com Any one of us (or all three) is likely to be off gallavanting on our trusty steeds breaking world records for stamina (Mike), skill (Phil), inclement weather/snowstorm rydes (Jude), or all three (Mike), and not return your email or offer assistance for weeks on end. In that case... For further questions, send the commands help info refcard info genintro to the listserver; it will respond with some general help files you can read. Thanks for your cooperation, and here's to success, fun, and safe riding for all! Jude Federspiel jfed@mit.edu ======================================================== Subject: Tire repair kits reviewed From: Erik Kauppi Date: Tue, 7 Oct 1997 08:27:44 -0400 Having recently had a flat, I've had an opportunity to examine the subject of tire repairs. 8-( Some of you may recall that I posted some questions about this subject this spring before SME1.9. If you're impatient, skip to the Suggestions at the end of this post. This flat (my first) occured on the freeway, 70+ MPH, 2-up, in the rain. Rear tire. It took maybe 20 seconds or less from the moment I became aware of a problem until the tire was absolutely flat and absolutely un-rideable. I hear that's pretty typical. Fortunately, I kept it rightside-up and was stopped on the shoulder by then. The first indication of trouble was a distinct weave. It got worse fast, and the trip to the shoulder was pretty exciting. Lesson 1: Flats happen fast. Get your a$$ off the road, NOW. We couldn't find the hole, in the rain and dark, using a flashlight. No protruding nail or anything easy like that. I later found the hole by inflating the tire and finding the hiss. It wasn't at all obvious, buried in a recess of the tread pattern. It turns out we (Krysta and I) could have found the hole and repaired it by the side of the road, but we took the easy way out and used her cell phone instead. It does occur to me that folks with a CO2 inflater might not be able to inflate the tire and listen for the hiss, and still inflate after the repairs. That might be lesson #2. There was a rest area 1 mile ahead. I attempted to ride the bike with the flat, at a walking pace on the shoulder. That didn't work very well, and was way too scarey. Plus, a heavy bike with a flat tire is almost impossible to push. Lesson #3, I'm not going to try that again. Get it to the nearest safe place and stop. Accent on "nearest", like 20 feet. Thanks to Troy's generous rescue, compete with rear wheel from his V65 Sabre, we were all home safe fairly soon. Now having an otherwise useless tire, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try out my tire patch kits. In the comfort of my warm dry well-lit garage, after a good night's sleep. After the discussions this spring, I carry on the bike a "tubeless tire plug kit" with inflator hose that attaches to a spark plug hole. I've tried the inflator and it works pretty well. The air that goes in the tire does not smell of gasoline, there is some kind of magic valve that seems to use cylinder compression to pump outside air into the tire. This kit is #28-226 in the Dennis Kirk catalog, $18.88 (DK is 1-800-328-9280) The kit comes with gooey rubber rope type tire plugs and installation tool. I followed the instructions and it worked, at least it fixed the leak. I didn't ride on the repaired tire. Everyone says that these plugs are only a temporary fix to get you home at low speed. The worry is that the constant flexing of the tire may cut the plug or cause it to work out of the tire. Lesson #4, this plug kit works, at least temporarily. Long ago I discussed tubeless tire repairs with Harry The Wheel Man. Harry was a retired engineer from Ford, (where I worked at the time), a rider, and he ran a motorcycle tire and wheel business for many years. He was very experienced at bike tires, wheels, and balancing, and we had several long conversations. I trust his opinions. Harry said that there is one, and only one, plug system that makes a safe permanent repair in a bike tire. He showed it to me and explained how it works. The key difference is that the plug is shaped like a mushroom or a nail with a head. The large head of the plug goes on the *inside* of the tire. Air pressure holds the head of the plug against the inside of the tire, so even if the stem of the plug is cut the head still holds air and can't be forced out of the hole. The really neat thing is that there's a tool that installs this plug from the *outside* of the tire, while it's on the wheel. This kit is now available from Dennis Kirk. Their # 28-472, $38.99 with 50 plugs but no inflator. I got one. The only problem is that the tool is a little big and heavy, so I didn't make it part of my permanent packing plan. Think I will next time. It all fits in a pouch about 9x5x2 inches. The directions say that the process is a little tricky, and you might want to practice first. So, having a junk tire on hand, I did just that. First I tried to pound a big nail into the tire. Ha! Makes me marvel at the forces involved when we're rolling down the highway. I couldn't get that nail into the tire no way, even with a really big hammer. So I got a drill and a 3/16 bit, and presto, I had a flat tire again. It took a little while to figure out the tool and experiment with it. But now that I've done it, I'm confident I could use this system to repair a tire by the roadside with no problem. Like the other kit, the tire could be immediately inflated and did not leak. Again, I did not road test the repair. I would have, except the tire also had the cheapie plug in it, and there was a new tire waiting for me at the shop. The old one was 3/4 worn out anyway. Suggestions: - If you go on trips of any length, carry an inflator and a patch kit. Or a cell phone and a membership in towing club? And a flashlight. - Get the spark-plug-hole type inflator. It works great as long as you have a multi-cylinder bike, and can inflate as many tires as many times as you might need. - I'm going to carry the good patch kit with the mushroom type plugs, so I'm not afraid to ride the rest of the trip after a repair. And so I don't ruin a good tire with a bad repair. If the tire's not nearly worn out I'll probably just trust the patch until the tire is dead. YMMV, and I notice that the instructions with the good plug kit say that the plug is a permanent repair for 4-wheel vehicles but not for 2-wheelers. I suspect the lawyers had something to do with that. But what you do is your decision, not mine. I'd be interested to hear other's experiences with flat tires on the bike. Any stories? -- Erik Kauppi ======================================================== Subject: Rogues From: Zachary Volpicelli Date: Tue, 7 Oct 1997 13:23:21 -0400 Just for general information in RE: to Rogues Gallery here at my office we have a nice speedy ISDN line so if you want to attach larger unedited image files to emails, and send 'em my way that would be no problem. In fact almost preferable. If you want to mail me actual photos (include an SASE) I can scan 'em and send 'em back to you lickety split. I can then even send you the scanned raw image for you to do whatever you like with. you can mail hard copy to Zachary Volpicelli 211 Wachusett St Boston MA 02130 or attach them to emails and send them to either of the following crashman@pobox.com fusto@softexport.com thanks, Zachary ======================================================== Subject: Re: Arend in Europe or FAQ info From: Kenneth Thompson Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 02:42:48 -0400 In a message dated 97-10-24 00:05:18 EDT, you write: << There is a small circuit board inside the instrument panel. It is about 2 inches by 2 inches [ 5cm by 5 cm ] in size. There are 4 wires going to that circuit board with the following colors: Yellow / Blue Goes to CLOCK SET Button Yellow / Red Goes to CLOCK SET Button Yellow / Green Goes to CLOCK SET Button Green / Black GROUND Wire Note: The CLOCK SET BUTTON is located on the panel between the handlebars. Also have Check; Lamp Reset; and Trip Reset nearby. There are two others wires associated with the CLOCK circuit. They are located in the plastic housing near the Clutch and choke actuator. The Sabre has a feature called Elapsed Time Clock. It can be used for timing how long it takes to get from point A to point B. For example: from mile marker 1 to mile marker 2. A switch at this housing controls whether you are in CLOCK MODE or Elapsed Time Mode. This select-switch has 3 wires going to it: Green GROUND Red / Blue Goes to MAIN circuit board in Instrument Cluster Yellow / Blue Goes to MAIN circuit board in Instrument Cluster I have a VF750S UK [ united kingdom ] Model , Colorized Wiring Schematic. It is hard to decipher the Power wires that you need identified. There appear to be a few that go into the instrument cluster and the related CLOCK circuit board. Black / Brown appears to be a power wire as it comes from the fuse box Yellow / Red appears to be a power wire Red / Blue appears to be a power wire Yellow / Black appears to be a power wire Red is a power wire coming from the main 30A fuse EXAMPLES: Black / Brown is a Black wire with a brown stripe Yellow / Red is a Yellow wire with a red stripe Red / Yellow is a Red wire with a yellow stripe BEFORE going into the Instrument Cluster again; you may want to check the wiring in the small electrical panel between the handlebars. Check the wiring for the CLOCK SET switch for good connections. Next check the wiring in the wiring-box that is located on the left handlebar. Open it up and check the wiring for the CLOCK and ELAPSED TIME toggling switch. Then go into the instrument panel for a check of those wires. I think that the Black / Brown wire might prove out to be the power wire that feeds the clock. The Black / Brown wire feeds power to the TACH; FUEL & TEMP UNIT; NEUTRAL LIGHT and SPEEDOMETER as well as the TRIP CLOCK circuit. From what I can decipher; any color code with GREEN in it appears to be a return path or GROUNDING wire........ It may well be that your Clock Instrument is toast.......... if power is getting to it and its' ground wire is okay...... then it simply doesn't work anymore. If true...this should be archived in the FAQ. (editor's note: Here ya go!) Ken T. from Ca. ======================================================== Subject: Interactive Motorcyclist From: Phil Ross Date: Fri, 14 Nov 1997 14:21:57 -0500 >From a tip on the LDRider list from author Ron Ayres, check out: http://www.activebike.com/index/features/MOTORST.HTM and enjoy. Check out the rest of the site too. This is the best motojournalism I've yet seen online. -- Phil ======================================================== Subject: Re: Warm From: Michael Walt Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 09:53:04 -0500 >The woman's article is already on a web page someplace. I've got it >bookmarked . . . on my machine that's still in Indy. An Alta Vista >search should find. Search on "make your own electric clothing", I >think. http://homepages.luc.edu/~shuff/electrics.html ======================================================== Subject: MCN Website From: Michael Hampton Date: Wed, 26 Nov 1997 14:50:54 -0600 Don't know if anyone else has spotted this yet or not, but Motorcycle Consumer News now has it's web page up and running. It's at http://www.mcnews.com It has a used bike price guide on-line which you may find entertaining. I mean...I know my bike is worth that much, but who will I get to pay that for it....er...that is IF I were going to sell it. ======================================================== Subject: wrench From: curtis hintze Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 17:45:18 -0500 a warning about head bolts on the v65. i assume all sabmag same.. the outer 8 head bolts are not in an oil bath. they are in a blind pocket hole. after 12 years or more, i have had mixed results when i go to pull heads. i have had 5 of them come out stripped out of 6 engines in last 2 years. they come out real hard, and the threads are loaded with aluminum. there is no way to presoak with wd40 or other similar products. so a suggestion....if you run across a stiff bolt, stop, drill thru head of bolt to allow penetrant to soak the threads for a day or two. an even better way may be to drill all 8 bolts as a matter of course a month before disassembly. soak, etc. use new bolts. another wrench tip regarding cams.....timing cams can be tricky. i just did a set on richards engine. the factory method is confusing. here's my way. set timing mark on t-1-3. set all cams in place with all marks up and all index lineseven with cyl. head surface. i do rear head first, then front head. i may roll engine over some, but i return to t-1-3. when done, at t-1-3, all cam marks are either up or either all down, and all index marks are parallel to cyl. head surface(at t-1-3). so, you say, i may be set up 180 degrees out, right? after all, the t-1-3 mark comes up twice, at top of exhaust stroke, and at top of compression stroke. so i could be off 180 degrees in relation to ignition firing, right?? here is where this one piece of obscure knowledge pays off......the ignition fires on compression stroke and on the exhaust stroke. so you cannot set cam timing out 180 degrees. it fires at both points. see clymers manual on timing cams to verify. i guess i'll know tomorrow when we fire up richard's bike. stay warm, curtis ======================================================== (found on rec.motorcycles ) If you're looking for OEM colors, this may be worth a try. Then again, maybe not. I don't know anything about this guy. In rec.motorcycles, toddub@wi.net wrote: >If anyone is interested I have a couple hundred bottles of NOS Honda Touch Up >Paint. Most of them are no longer available from Honda. Most are from the >70's and 80's with a few from the 90's. > >If interested E-Mail me the color code of your bike. If you can't find the >color code let me know what the year, model, and primary color is. I have a >refrence list going back to the early 60's. If I have the color your looking >for and the bee-bee inside still rattles it can be yours for a very low price. > >I don't really want to throw it out, as it has been in my basement so long it >seems like part of the family. > >Todd >toddub@wi.net ======================================================== (From Carr Strong) Uh oh..... Okay, it was the 70's. I was just out of college with my first big bike (a Wing). The bike needed a fairing. Back then, it seemed cool. Now it seems like bait. But I'm not proud, I can handle abuse. Sooo.... Wanna see another Jacwal Superwedge? Check this out from my web page: http://www.ghgcorp.com/cstrong/bikes/gl1000.jpg Wish I still had it to put on one of my Magnas. Just kidding! ;) Really. I promise never to do it again. (....running for cover!) -- Carr Strong ======================================================== (from How Great Thou Art) At 08:26 PM 4/2/98 -0800, JEDWARDS wrote: >Can someone tell me whether my voltage regulator MUST be insulated from the >frame (ie NOT GROUNDED). I know it comes insulated but is it necessary or >can I mount it grounded(ie with bolts through the metal mounting holes tied >to a bracket on the frame)? I can't tell from the wiring diagrams in the >Clymer manual, except on page 409 of the manual there is no direct ground. >I'm asking after having done it( I know, asking for advice after the fact is >a flamable offense) and I get a battery warning light which comes on when I >start up but it goes off again after a few minutes. Since I'm the one who moved this regulator (from under the seat to below the right side cover, into the moving air for cooling), I should help look into this. Checking with an ohmmeter showed no continuity between any wire and the heat sink. OTOH, an SCR or similar semiconductor would show the same results. Someone else on this list moved their regulator for the same reason to the same place (that's where I got the idea), but I have no idea who. Please speak up: did you insulate the regulator heatsink from ground, or just bolt it to the new bracket? > >Did anyones else see the recent ad for a credit union on a Seattle TV >station which shows a Harley(I think?) rider who cannot get his bike going >as his buddies ride off . Afer numerous kicks, he has to resort to >borrowing a dime from an elderly lady in order to make a call for help on >the pay phone. Funny stuff - as long as it doesn't happen to a SAB MAG. > Believe everything you see on TV? Yup. At least this time. Tee hee :-) Later, Art ======================================================== (from Bob Peloquin) Dan... VASCAR works quite easily from aircraft. I ought to know, I've been ticketed this way once and used to be a private pilot so I know how easy cars are to see from altitude (and how hard it is to spot a small plane from a moving car). The plane (usually a high-wing) flies a slow counter-clockwise oval of about 2-4 miles length and stays about 1500 feet above the road and maybe 1000 - 1500 off to the right so the observer can see the cars easily The pilot usually sits in the right seat (not the usual place, so they may both be pilots) and keeps the plane in your blind-spot, hidden by the roof of your car. The cars pass a contrasting mark or under a bridge overpass and travel a pre-measured distance down the road to another mark, bridge, or other easily spotted landmark. The observer judges which car (or sometimes cars) to clock by their relative speed to other cars on the road. Sometimes, like when you're the only one on a stretch of road, they time each car they see. Any accurately measured distance will do, but accuracy increases as the baseline gets longer (therefor the time to travel is longer). A simple stopwatch and calculator or pre-figured lookup table tells the observer how fast you went between the marks and Mr. tax collector radio's the ground units to stop you. In most (but maybe not all) locations, the aircraft must continue to fly near the suspect vehicle until stopped and verify the ground unit has the correct vehicle for the ticket to be legal. RADAR on the other hand, does not work well from moving aircraft for the following reasons: Moving RADAR must have two reflected signals to work properly, one from the subject vehicle and one from the moving terrain immediately next to the police vehicle. The RADAR antenna is designed to have both a primary and secondary lobe of maximum sensitivity, one directly out the end of the antenna horn (like a flashlight beam) and another at about 30 degrees from the primary in a much wider funnel-shaped pattern. The angle at which the secondary pattern strikes the ground makes it's Doppler-shifted signal indicate 0.866 of the true speed (cosine 30 degrees) so the RADAR gun is set up to adjust automatically. This is important if fighting a ticket as the RADAR gun must be level on the police vehicle. This won't work from an airplane because: (a) the distance from the RADAR gun to the ground and back is much too great for the weak secondary radiation lobe to reflect back to the RADAR, and (b) the airplane is not following the same "exact" track as the road, I.E. ascending or descending, drifting toward or away from the road. Also, the primary beam of the RADAR would have to be aimed at a downward and leftward angle toward the subject vehicle which tilts the secondary beam along with the primary. No chance in hell this is gonna work as the RADAR's "cosine 30 degrees" adjustment is fixed by the manufacturer and so is accurate only when the unit is level. Very advanced Doppler-RADAR, like that on an F-16 fighter (which costs many millions of your hard-earned tax dollars), could, conceivably, figure out how fast your car or motorcycle is going with great accuracy but I've never seen an F-16 manned by the police, have you?. In short, I think you've been mislead by someone if they told you they used RADAR from an airplane to clock you. They CAN, however, use the highly accurate stopwatch and tachymeter (sp?) built into the RADAR gun to simplify their VASCAR calculations in the airplane (most K-band RADAR guns have a VASCAR function built-in as they're designed to be hand-held). I hope you don't get stopped by any high-flying county-mounties but if you do, examine the citation carefully and see if you can use any of this information to find a loophole. Sometimes, in court if you research the procedures and sound convincingly like you "know" they couldn't have accurately measured your speed because you can demonstrate how it can and cannot be accomplished, the judge or clerk/magistrate may dismiss the ticket (I've successfully beaten a ticket this way). Judges don't like the unfair revenue-collection tactics some police officers use any more than you do and will try to assist you if your properly prepared, polite, neatly-dressed, and all-around a nice-guy. ( know it's not really fair that looks affect the outcome, but life is seldom fair). Bob Peloquin (Virtual cesspool of knowlege, with great taste in motorcycles) 96 VFR750F, 84VF700S ======================================================== (from Cliff Koch) Awhile back I posted about getting a powdercoating kit from Eastwood and Co. I finally got around to trying it out this last weekend, and here's some of my experiences. Unfortunately a digital camera I have on order hasn't shown up yet, or I'd put some pictures on a web page. I'll try and do that on the next round of experimentation. For those that aren't sure what powdercoating is, it's a dry powder that you apply to a metal surface and then cure in an oven. In order to apply the powder to the item, a clip is connected to the part that grounds the part. The particles are sprayed out of a gun at low velocity and are given a positive charge, so they are attracted to the grounded part and adhere to it. Then you heat the part and the powdercoating melts and bonds to the metal. Once it's cured and allowed to cool, you end up with a very tough paint-like surface. My first powdercoating victim was a V45 carburator graceously donated by Joe Thorne. This is probably one of the tougher things you could pick to powdercoat because of all of the nooks and crannies around the outside of the carb. Before anyone whines about me attacking perfectly good carbs to experiment with, these look like they've been in the bottom of a lake for awhile. There were a total of 3 carbs still attached to a broken airbox. I went after the worst of the three first, but was unable to free the slide from the carb (and broke out the side of the carb venturi trying to get it out). Next carb. Not as bad, but the slide was still _awfully_ tough to get out and the throttle shaft/butterfly just about as bad, but I finally got it apart. I treated this carb as though it was a perfectly good carb because one of the things I'm thinking of doing is powdercoating the carbs for my V65, and I want an accurate representation of what the powdercoating process will do to the carb. I dropped the stripped carb carcass and float bowl cover into a can of Gunk carb cleaner for awile, scrubbed, and rinsed, leaving a cleaner, but still very coroded carburator. I then screwed the float bowl on, masked the slide opening and air openings, put rubber plugs into all of the important holes, and bead blasted the carb. Lets back up a step. Hi, I'm Cliff, and I'm a tool-aholic. (chorus: Hi, Cliff!). I have a lot of tools, one of which is a sand blast cabinet. Off in the corner of my workshop is a 60 gallon 5HP compressor to run things like sandblast cabinets, among other pneumatic tools. This isn't exactly you're normal home tool, but I've found it to be _great_ at prepping parts for finishing, painting, and now, powdercoating. As you start opening cabinets around my shop, you start finding things like mig welders and all sorts of esoteric hand tools. Ok, anyway, I bead blasted the carb. I used a very fine glass bead along with relatively low pressure, and the carb came out looking pretty clean. It turns out the rubber plugs and taping job did not completely keep out the blasting media, so if I do a real carb. I'll have to be carefull to get _all_ of the media back out of the carb or I'll have jets plugging up on me for the rest of my life. Once the bead blasting was done, I retaped the carb with a special high temp masking tape and plugged all non-dead end holes with special high-temp silicone plugs (both are also sold by Eastwood). I hung the thing with a piece of coathanger poked through the tape on the inlet/outlet of the carb. I left the float bowl (sans gasket) screwed on for protecting the float bowl innards and also coating the float bowl cover. I then put some powder in the gun, got out a air pressure regulator, and went at it. The powder coating gun takes very, very little air to run. An airbrush compressor should manage pretty well. I have one of those, too, but it has the wrong fittings on it, so I used the big compressor and a moisture trap. The airbrush compressor would probably have been better for this because it's oiless, but with the moisture trap and really low flow rate everything worked fine. The gun puts out a small cloud of particles. I didn't exactly see the particles getting sucked to the carb from the electrical charge, but a fair amount of the powder got deposited on it. In the end, I had a hanging carb body that seemed to be completely covered with the powder. Cool. If I had totally managed to mess this up somehow, 10 seconds with a blowgun would have cleaned the carb up again. I have an oversized toaster oven to do the curing with. I used an oven thermometer to check the temp of the toaster oven with and was surprised that once it reached equilibrium, it maintained a very steady temp. I need to find something a bit larger than this oven for things like valve covers (one of the other things I plan to powdercoat that would be a very tight fit in this oven). The powder I was using called for 15 minutes @ 400 degrees to cure. I carried the carb using the bent coathanger piece that it was hung with, and the coathanger piece was bent such that it could be folded to the side inside the oven without having to remove it. You absolutely cannot touch the powdercoated surface until after curing or you'll wipe the powder off. I also made sure the donor coathanger was not plastic coated so it wouldn't contaminate the powder coating by dripping on it. After about 5 minutes in the pre-heated oven, you could see the powder start to melt. Eastwood warned of mildly toxic fumes, so I had a chemical paint mask handy. I really couldn't detect much in the way of fumes while it was curing, but I used the mask anyway. After 15 minutes I turned the toaster oven off and propped the door open slightly to let it cool slowly. The results: I am not entirely displeased with the way it looks. That's actually a pretty good review from me. Especially for a first try at doing this. There was a noticable amount of bubbling of the coating around the air inlet. The Eastwood directions warned about this possibility with porous metals (like cast aluminum), and to get rid of this I should have pre-heated the carb to burn contaminents in the metal out before coating. I'll try it next time. Otherwise, the carb turned out pretty well. The coating seems to cover 100% of the carb, no runs, very hard, and not at all smelly. Except for the bubbling in a couple of areas, it turned out real well. Essentially ready to go as soon as it cooled down. Damage to the carb: Very little. There's a fuzzy seal that seals the end of the throttle shaft that I eyed suspiciously before I coated the carb, thinking it might not survive the heat. It didn't. It was flattened permanently into the shape of the rubber plug I had stuffed into that hole. Unfortunately it looks like the seals are not removable without destroying them, so I 'll have to check into their cost and availability before doing a 'real' carb (where's my fiche when I need it, hint, hint :). I did not remove the pilot needle screw (it's still under the factory plug, whichever one that is), and it probably had a rubber seal that is toast. I'll need to locate and inspect that, but I'd remove it before doing a 'real' carb. The throttle plate and slide still moved freely in their bores after reassembling and seemed to be a tight fit (I had cleaned those areas up prior to powdercoating), so it doesn't appear that the body warped any during the heating (one of my major worries). I'll probably cut up the basket case carb and check for anything like lead slugs in passages, but I don't expect any. The color I used was "cast aluminum". It turned out a bit too grey for my tastes. I also have "satin black" and "gloss black". I think I'll try the satin black on the next test carb. Hopefully the digital camera will come REAL SOON NOW so I can document before/during/after with pictures on the next carb, but I can't wait too long because not finishing the carbs is a major stumbling block in reassembling my V65 Magna. Questions? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? -- Cliff ======================================================== (from Bob Peloquin) I feel I should share some useful information I've picked up about the general operating principles of our alternators and regulator/rectifiers. There has been a lot of recent list activity lately with some rather strange conclusions being drawn and I'd like to help set the record straight. Please don't flame me if you disagree, I'm trying to HELP, not piss people off. The V4 (and most of Honda's other motors, I think) has a 3-phase, delta configuration, permanent-magnet alternator. This means that alternator voltage and current are directly proportional to engine RPM. There is no built-in method of regulating the output of this type of alternator as the magnetic field comes from rotating permanent magnets and not from a controllable electromagnet (as in a cage alternator). This type of alternator does not produce enough voltage/current to run all the accessories and lights at idle speed but it is small, simple, well-proven technology which has served Honda and most other M/C companies well over the years. BTW, some of the newer Suzuki's use a small, cage-type alternator driven off the top of the transmission input shaft which has a rotating field and stationary 3-phase stator coil so it IS controllable (bet they don't have regulator failures & meltdowns). The V4 has a combination rectifier and regulator which "shunts" the excess voltage and current produced by the alternator directly to ground through internal TRIAC semiconductors. These have a low resistance when active but some resistance still exists which is why the regulator/rectifier gets hot. At low engine rpm's the regulator portion does nothing at all and allows all the current to pass through the rectifier portion and into the battery and lighting systems of the bike. As RPM increases, so does the voltage and current coming out of the alternator. At a preset voltage, usually around 14 - 15 volts, the TRIAC's are gated (activated) and begin chopping off the peaks of the sine-wave AC voltage coming from the alternator by connecting the windings to ground. At above 5000 RPM, most of the current produced by the alternator is being shunted to ground. Where does all this current go, you ask. It heats up the alternator windings (which are cooled by engine oil), the regulator/rectifier, and unfortunately it also heats the electrical connectors and cause meltdowns when corroded connectors are present. On the late-model VFR's the regulator is inadequately cooled as Honda eliminated the finned heat-sink and just bolted the metal case to the frame in hopes that it would dissipate enough heat to keep it from frying. (in solid state electronics, cool = good). This is an extremely simple design but it has several weaknesses that can cause catastrophic failure when components fail. 1. Bad regulator/rectifier can either short ALL current to ground causing alternator overheating and connector meltdown or it can short NONE to ground allowing unregulated high voltage to feed the rest of the system and burn up your battery and lights in a big hurry. 2. Bad connectors (high resistance) causes all the waste energy to heat the electrical connectors instead of the alternator windings until it melts and/or burns up the connectors. 3. Weak battery can cause regulator/rectifier to be overworked causing overheating and failure (battery acts as an additional regulating component as it's low internal resistance tends to try to keep voltage constant relative to it's state of charge) Now, as for the other questions I've seen: Some of you seem to be having difficulty with some of the concepts and terms, so here the explanations: > >> I understand what a diode does. the clymer drawing shows a voltage >>regulator >> with rectifier and seperatly a rectifier. The question came in cause the >> drawing uses the symbol for a diode in the place labeled rectifier. What I >> have previously seen labeled as a diode is a solid arrow that butts up >>against >> a line perpendicular to the line that the arrow is on,like >> -------->|------- A diode is a one-way valve for electricity. A "bridge-rectifier" is a combination of 4 or more diodes in a configuration called a "Whetstone Bridge" which make AC voltage into pulsing DC voltage. This is also called a full-wave rectifier. Often, you'll see the two terms "diode" and "rectifier" used interchangeably. The Sab-Mag rectifier uses 6 diodes The little symbol -->|-- is the schematic representation of a diode. The rule of thumb for current flow through a diode is that current flows against the direction of the arrow and current flows from negative to positive (none of you physics professors need jump in here with any of your "hole conduction" crap). If you look at the wiring diagram for your Sabmag you'll see a little diode symbol in the circuit between the clutch switch, neutral light, and the starter solenoid. The diode keeps the clutch switch from turning on your neutral light whenever you pull in the clutch. > >IIRC, the alternator produces >three-phase AC. >This needs to be first converted into pulsing DC. This is acomplished >by a "rectifier bridge" or rectifier for short. This is normally a set >of diodes in a >specific patern. Then, there has to be a way to regulate this. >So you create an electronic device that feeds back to the alternator, >controlling the fields to keep the voltage somewhat constant. Well, almost, but not quite right... See above: The permanent magnet alternator on a SabMag has no such feedback capability. >And then you have the battery that acts as a huge capacitor that >smooths >the >DC to a nice stable output. Yup. (except it's more like a constant voltage capacitor) OK, now I've got to get back to work. -- Bob Peloquin Worcester, MA ======================================================== (from dyoung@pacbell.net ) My apologies for the non sabmag content, but I've noticed we have some Juno users and I thought I would share a little trick I learned to get rid of those pesky ads that clog up the program. You can't stop Juno from downloading them onto your computer, but you can easily remove them yourself with this command line in your autoexec.bat: deltree /y \[full pathname] Example, if your using Win95 and have installed Juno into the default directory the command line would be: deltree /y \progra~1\Juno\ads You have to use the DOS short names for it to work. If you already know about this, Stop, delete this message, accept my apology (please) and continue reading your other messages. :) Otherwise...Every time you boot up your computer this command line will delete the Ads directory and all its contents. Not to fear though, Juno will replace it the next time you get your mail and if you open Juno more than once between reboots then the ads will be back again till you reboot and delete the ads folder again. It has been my experience that the ads do not reappear till you have opened Juno the second time after booting up. If you're unsure about doing this *don't* :) If you have a question contact me offlist and I'll try to answer it :) If the ads don't annoy you, don't bother:) Again, my apologies for the non motorcycle content, just passing some possibly useful info to other members. Speed Safe, Don ======================================================== Subject: Re: Oil filter information From: Brian Sydness **NOTE: invalid address** Date: Tue, 5 May 1998 23:49:21 +0900 Bob Sunley has offered up some web space for my oil filter information. Its located at http://www.cyberspc.mb.ca/~rsunley/index.html If the info is worthy of the SabMag FAQ, feel free to insert. Once again, thanks Bob. ======================================================== Subject: (fwd) Evolution of a "List" From: Michael Hampton Date: Tue, 5 May 1998 20:07:38 GMT Got this from the Wings List and thought it appropriate with recent events of this list. While not SabMag related, it IS list related. >Every list seems to go through the same cycle: >1. Initial enthusiasm (people introduce themselves, and gush alot about how >wonderful it is to find kindred souls). > >2. Evangelism (people moan about how few folks are posting to the list, and >brainstorm recruitment strategies). > >3. Growth (more and more people join, more and more lengthy threads >develop, occasional off-topic threads pop up). > >4. Community (lots of threads, some more relevant than others; lots of >information and advice is exchanged; experts help other experts as well as >less experienced colleagues; friendships develop; people tease each other; >newcomers are welcomed with generosity and patience; everyone -- newbie and >expert alike -- feels comfortable asking questions, suggesting answers, and >sharing opinions). > >5. Discomfort with diversity (the number of messages increases >dramatically; not every thread is fascinating to every reader; people start >complaining about the signal-to-noise ratio; person 1 threatens to quit if >*other* people don't limit discussion to person 1's pet topic; person 2 >agrees with person 1; person 3 tells 1 & 2 to lighten up; more bandwidth is >wasted complaining about off-topic threads than is used for the threads >themselves; everyone gets annoyed). > >6a. Smug complacency and stagnation (the purists flame everyone who asks an >'old' question or responds with humor to a serious post; newbies are >rebuffed; traffic drops to a doze-producing level of a few minor issues; >all interesting discussions happen by private email and are limited to a >few participants; the purists spend lots of time self-righteously >congratulating each other on keeping off-topic threads off the list). > > OR > >6b. Maturity (a few people quit in a huff; the rest of the participants >stay near stage 4, with stage 5 popping up briefly every few weeks; many >people wear out their second or third 'delete' key, but the list lives >contentedly ever after). > ======================================================== Subject: Valve adjustments made easy From: Ron Butterfield Date: Tue, 5 May 1998 21:21:35 -0400 Richard Wainwright posted an abridged version of this a little while ago; I ran across the original from Dave Dodge while poking about the V-65 BBS http://207.158.198.85/wwwboard/v65.html and thought the added detail was worth reading. If you don't agree, your delete key works, doesn't it ;-) --------------------------------- Posted by Dave Dodge on April 14, 1998 at 21:28:13: In Reply to: The valve thing... posted by DJ on April 14, 1998 at 11:35:28: Over the years I have developed a method of adjusting the valves on V-4's that is accurate and quick. The crank and rotor position is the same using the rotor TDC marks. Make sure that the cylinder you are adjusting the valves for is on TDC compression stroke. On the rear cylinders the cam lobes will be pointing AWAY from each other, and on the front cylinders the lobes will be facing UP and slightly towards each other when the particular cylinder to be adjusted is at the correct position. **IMPORTANT** Note revised measurements below. Loosen and back off the adjusting nuts on the intake and exhaust rockers. Place a .004" feeler gauge between the cam lobe and rocker arm. Snug down the adjusting screws (with your fingers) until each screw just touches the valve tip, then move the feeler gauge back and forth to make sure there is drag (not tight/not loose) and tighten the nuts with a wrench. Now recheck the clearance at the valve with a .006" feeler gauge. The feel should be a snug .006" or a loose .005". Re-adjust the screw if you dont get this feel on all four valves. Use same procedure on remaining three cylinders. There is a 1.5 to 1 rocker arm ratio, so .004" at the cam gives you a snug .006" at the valve. This procedure reduces the risk of uneven rocker adjustment. Once you get the feel of a snug .006" clearance, you will find you have proper setting for long cam life and minimal (if any) clatter. IMPORTANT: I always torque the adjusting nuts to 15 ft.lbs. Tighten the nuts with a wrench enough so they wont come loose, then rotate engine until rocker arm depresses valve about half way. This will allow room for the torque wrench and the pressure against the adjusting screw will keep it from turning while you are torqueing. Ron Butterfield ***REVISED MEASUREMENTS*** DRP has tightened the tolerances by .001" since the procedure was placed on the net. You now want .003" between the lobe and the rocker, which equates to .005 at the valve tips. In the end you want no less than .004 (tight) and no more than .006 at the valve tips. He posted this to the list on 10-7-99. -update contributed by LAWRENCE ZOIA ======================================================== Subject: Re: need help From: David Dodge Date: Thu, 7 May 1998 08:03:08 -0400 Over the last couple of weeks I have received numerous cam installation questions. The factory manual assumes that the wrench knows the theory and evolution of the four stroke engine. This is also compounded by the fact that you are actually working with two completely different engine configurations (i.e. front and rear head). Shaft drive and chain drive engines rotate in different directions so the procedures are reversed. This is a very confusing task for the average technician, not to mention do-it-your-selfer. Greg, the VF750F (Interceptor) guy in trouble, received a 2-page e-mail from me to explain the process. I have been adding this info in my new catalog (reason for delay) to provide this technical step-by-step info. If anyone out there needs info on installing cams, degreeing cams, head prep, transmission repairs or engine rebuilds, you will want the catalog! If you need help right away, feel free to contact me off-list and I will forward some info to help. ======================================================== Subject: Radials And (Lots of) other Issues From: Tony Donisi Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 12:00:08 -0500 A lot of stuff all at once, since I have little time to write, so here goes... About 15" radials: Forget it, they don't exist. I was telling MTFK, if 15" Metzler 99A's are not available, then IMO the next best tire to run would be the SE11's. See my website for details on each tire I have tried on the Magna. Avon makes a 140-80 Radial that may be suitable for the V45. It is the same one that Grethe may be using on her V30. Talk to me in private for details. Also, I forgot to mention last week that Joel & I went to the Junkyard from hell, and what did he have? Two original Hondaline fairings for the Sabre. One was in great shape, the other was not as good as it could be. If anyone is interested, I will e-mail them the phone number and address. I just picked up some 3M Scotchcal paint protective film up last Saturday. One word--Expensive!! A 6" by 76" roll was $50! I will give a report later as to how it works on the just finished paint job. TPM is coming along! I can't wait to mount the Pichler fairing and the rest of the painted parts!! I don't think that there's anything left to chrome!! (thank Ged! -.ed) The New Metzler MEZ2 Radials are great!! There is not much clearance between the caliper arm and the tire, but it does not rub at all! The handling is fantastic!! MEZ2 150-80-ZR16 Rear, and 110-80-ZR18 Front. If anyone has an interceptor that is running with radials, please contact me off-list. http://www2.xtdl.com/~tonyd/magna/mcpage.htm ======================================================== Subject: Re: Intercepter cams are screwed From: David Dodge Date: Mon, 25 May 1998 17:50:36 -0400 Cliff Koch wrote: > I just popped the rear valve cover off the '83 V45 Intercepter I recently >picked up, and the cams don't look very good. All of the lobes show damage, >the exhaust worse than the intakes. And this is a bike with only 8500 miles >on it. Damn. It may not be enough to change the profile much, but there's >noticable scoring on all of the lobes. By comparison, my '83 V65 cams with >an unknown milage on it ( >38K) look quite good, even though they have minor >pitting. The early '83 Intercepters were supposed to be the worst of the lot >for camshaft damage due to an extra oil restriction, and this is probably one >of those. It's a very early production model (serial number 0000106). > What are the current options for cam replacement? Dave Dodge, do you have >anything in the way of cams? I know of the stealer and the canadian fellow >that regrinds the cams. > > Does anyone know what the cam profile is supposed to be? I have all of the >tools necessary (degree wheels, dial gauges, etc) to measure the cam lift and >would like to do so to see how bad of shape they really are. > > For the moment I think I'll just install the oil mod and synthetic oil and >cross my fingers that things don't get a lot worse for while. I'll try and >deal with cam replacement this winter or maybe after my V65 is back on the >road. Cliff, The very early Interceptors had very soft cams, weak cam chain tensioners, and a need for an oil mod. Do the cams installed in the motor have a hole drilled in the base circle (bottom) of the cam lobe? These engines would also spit out the occasional rod bearing when flogged hard. I do have cams for all V-4 engines. My cams are hardwelded and nitrided to provide the correct (and proven) cam hardness. To my knowledge, the Canadian fellow only regrinds the same stock cam, without hardweld. If you need valve springs, titanium retainers, bronze guides, rocker arms, chain tensioners, slotted cam sprockets, or whatever, I HAVE IT! I am currently building an Interceptor engine to Stage 4 for a new drag bike, and have two engines, an '83 and '84 plus a bunch of parts. I recently published a step-by-step V-4 cam installation and degreeing sheet for the Sabre and Magna's. I will revise the steps to accommodate the Interceptor and mail you a copy. I will also include the degree specs for the stock cams, and a sheet covering how to adjust the valves. Now for the oil system. I have a couple tricks to improve oil pressure throughout the motor. If you can send me your oil pump and pressure relief valve, I will do them for you. It's worth about 20 lbs. of pressure at higher RPM. I have always used my drill and tap oil mod on these engines. It is different than any other method, and works very well. TO ALL ON THE LIST: I HAVE CAMS, that work!!!!! ======================================================== Subject: '87 VF700C Super Magna fiche on CD-ROM From: Gerardo Fisanotti Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 08:29:04 PDT Let me introduce myself, I've subscribed to the List a couple of weeks ago and I've been reading-only until now. My name is Gerardo Fisanotti, I live in Csrdoba, Argentina and I own a couple of bikes, one of them a beautiful '87 VF700C (sometimes referred as SuperMagna). I've read some of you talking about a CD-ROM version of the V65 micro fiche; does anybody know of a version for my Magna? I'd love to get one, I already have the original Honda Service Manual (bought directly from Tokyo) but would like to have the exploded views with all the part numbers. I invite you all to visit my web page at: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Track/5870 (this link may not work) there you'll find some pictures of the bikes and some info about my other interests. Regards to all the bikers, ride safe. Gerardo. ======================================================== Subject: Re: Temperature Gauge Findings From: Brian Sydness **address not current** Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998 09:03:23 +0900 At 10:05 AM 6/2/98 -0400, you wrote: >Hey all, > >After seeing "Heart of GOld" running hot (according to the bar gauge), I >decided to do some investigating. I bought myself a candy thermometer >for $5.00, grabbed my multimeter and went to work. Here are my >findings: Bryan, I did the same thing a few years back on my Sabre. I'm sending it to the list for all to use. ------------------------------------------------------- Well I finally broke down and borrowed the thremocouple probe from work....ssshhh. Several people including myself are interested in what the LCD bars on instrument cluster represent. First step: simulate temp change/resistance with LCD display. Disconnected sensor lead and attached a 0-500 ohm variable resistor, --> ground. Ignition on, adjust resistor to register display change(bars). Measure resistance at each change. Results follows. Bar display Resistance(ohm) none >205 1 203 +/-4 2 153 +/-3 3 83 +/-3 4 43 +/-2 5 33 +/-2 6 23 +/-1 7&8 <16 The resistance readings indicates the display transistion from one bar to the next. The second step required using a temp probe in a solution of anitfreeze. The temp sensor is attached to a DVOM and placed in the solution. Heat is applied and the following readings were observed. If I was married, my wife would "string me up" for using the kitchen in this manner. I used a poly-ethylene glycol (non-toxic). Temperature C/F Resistance(ohm) Temperature C/F Resistance(ohm) 30/86 370 90/194 47 40/104 270 95/203 40 45/113 210 100/212 35 50/122 180 105/221 30 55/131 150 110/230 26(20.3) 60/140 120(104.0) 115/239 23 65/149 105 120/248 20(16.1) 70/158 90 125/257 18 75/167 75 130/266 16 80/176 65 85/185 55(43.9) NOTE: () Readings according to Clymer. I seriously doubt their readings. Unusual to see readings consistent and repeatable to tenths of an ohm. My readings indicate a smooth curve (upper left to lower right), slightly shifted to the right of the curve represented by the readings per Clymer. A left shift would display a high temp indication. The clymer manual suggested a kitchen type thermometer. I tried and it wasn't even close. | * | * R | * e | * s | * i | * s | * t | * a | * n | * c | * e | * | * ----------------------------------- Temp Putting all the info toghether. My display may differ slight than others. Variance in temp sender and sensitivity in LCD display. Bar Temp C/F Conditions ---------------------------------------------------- 1 46/115 Warm-up 2 54/129 Warm-up 3 72/162 Warm-up, highway speed. 4 93/199 City speeds, some stops. 5 102/216 Heavy traffic, fan off/on. 6 115/239 Only balancing carbs, fan off/on. 7&8 130/266 R&R fan switch Brian Sydnes '85 VF700S ======================================================== Subject: Re: Dealings at Deal's Gap From: Brian Sydness **invalid address** Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 09:52:54 +0900 I visited the Frog Farm FAQ a few years ago and came across some information on dealing with tickets and being arrested. Also if you are being questioned or detained by a Federal Official, check out the Public Servant's Questionnaire. I've used it during a security investigation once. At the beginning of the interview the agent was very condescending. By end of the interview he was calling me Mr. and Sir. http://vax1.bemidji.msus.edu/~plumer/fffaq16.html#psq http://vax1.bemidji.msus.edu/~plumer/fffaq16.html#arrest Brian Sydnes ======================================================== Subject: Re: Ring & Pinion From: David Dodge Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 23:04:53 -0400 A VF700 Sabre or Magna primary gear and clutch housing will increase your your RPM by approx. 500 in each gear. These two pieces will fit your V45 and install without special tools. Takes about the same amount of time as a clutch replacement. Example 40 MPH at 3,000 RPM would become 40 MPH at 3,500 RPM. The V45 Magna has a 3.18:1 rear-end ratio. You could use the ring/pinion gears out of a V45 Sabre or the VF700 Sabre or Magna, which is 3.4:1 ratio and good for about 750 RPM more in each gear. You would need to install these into your V45 Magna rear case. Sabre does not have the shock mount lug. As you know, the rear-end gears would need to be set-up. The Interceptors are chain driven with 5-speed trans ratios. The primary gears are way too low for the Sabre/Magna, though they will fit. The lower gear ratios were used in the 700 to make up for its' lack of torque. You might also consider the spark boxes from a 700 which provide 5 degrees more initial timing at idle, with the same 37 degrees full advance. I am always looking for parts and potential trades for them. Regards, Dave Dodge - DRP drp123@mindspring.com ======================================================== Subject: fastener info From: Ted Fulmer Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 14:37:11 CDT I'm still looking for a source for the bolt - honda dealer says that it's on "back order" which he says is a polite way of saying "not available". I found this info on the BMW page - thought it might be handy for you to have as well: Fastener Sources All-Metric Company . . . . . . . 206 624-3850 FAX: 206 622-3057 Gardner-Wescott Co . . . . . . . 800 521-9805 Hi-Strength Bolt Co . . . . . . 206 622-6360 FAX: 206 622-3057 McMaster-Carr . . . . . . . . . 908 329-3200 Seastrom Manufacturing . . . . . 213 245-9121 FAX: 213 246-6803 Tacoma Screw Products . . . . . 800 426-8156 206 572-3444 FAX: 206 272-2719 -- Ted Fulmer ======================================================== Subject: Re: charging system question From: Bob Peloquin Date: Sat, 8 Aug 1998 07:34:48 -0400 Ok... Picture a sine-wave with the peak just above 14 volts... This is one phase of your alternator's output at idle... Now picture the same wave at 8000 RPM... Probably, the peak is over 40 or 50 volts!!! The regulator measures the voltage and triggers the triac (a triac turns on and stays on till the voltage across it reverses) which shunts all further voltage directly to ground... So, at idle you get almost 50% of the time where there's a possibility of charging. Since the voltage hits 14 much sooner at 8000 RPM than at 1200 RPM, there's much less time where the voltage is not shunted to ground. This means almost all the charging current goes to waste at high RPM. At low-mid RPM the slope of the sine wave is gentle enough for good charging to occur but at high RPM's the slope at the 14 volt point is practically vertical leading to only 5% of the time charging before the triac is gated and shuts down the charging system for 1/2 a revolution. This is a simplifed example, of course, as the real sabmag alternator is 3-phase and has multiple poles. Also it doesn't take into account how your battery and lights load the system. A bad battery, which has a high internal resistance, will cause all sorts of regulation problems with this type of system. Some modern bikes (Gold-Wings, Valkyries, Big Suzukis etc.) have automotive-type regulated field alternators which can put out serious current at just about any RPM... This type is more powerful, but not necessarily "better". Simplicity and ruggedness are good things in the harsh operating environment of motorcycles. There are no sliding brushes, drive gears, or extra bearings to wear out on your sabmag and the permanent-magnet alternator will probably outlast several conventional alternators. >---------- >From: Kevin Draz[SMTP:kevind@POGO.WV.TEK.COM] >Sent: Saturday, August 08, 1998 2:46 AM >Subject: Re: charging system question > >> >>Tell me why my V65 makes 12.5 volts at 4500rpm, but makes almost 14 volts at >>only 1200 rpm. I changed the rectifier but that didn't help. The charging >>system is soldered, no brakes in the wires. Tell me, what next? >Okay, now getting serious: I understand the way the voltage regulator >works >on a SabMag and many other bikes, is instead of varying the strength of >the >alternator's field to correspondingly change the power output, like an >automotive system; the regulator instead acts to shunt power to ground >through a varying resistive device (a triac? Plastic eatin' Bob P., >help me >out here.), in effect providing a variable load on the electrics which >holds voltage and charging current steady. ======================================================== Subject: Spam: Arial Photo of Deal's Gap From: Mike Stewart Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 13:42:19 -0400 Since the Terra Server is now functioning at a decent level of service, I thought some of you might find the following link interesting: (editor's note: copy and paste this URL in its entirity for best results) http://terraserver.microsoft.com/GetPageByXY.asp?XId=8834&YId=3275&SrcId=1&ImgDate=03/16/1992&ImgSize=1&DSize=1 If you click on the small rectangular blob toward the bottom, you'll zoom in on the store and campground. The interesting thing is, I never knew there were that many house hiding up in the trees. You can try to follow the road, but it gets lost in the trees in some spots. Okay, for our next trick: http://terraserver.microsoft.com/GetPageByXY.asp?XId=8832&YId=3278&TileX=0&TileY=0&SrcId=1&ImgDate=03/16/1992&DSize=1&ImgSize=2 Can you find the dam and overlook on the other end? It's a pretty cool site. However, don't surf it at work or you'll never get any work done. "Let's see if I can find my childhood home. Hmm, what about the Fontana dam? Hey, fellow coworker from India, let's see if we can find your house back home." Mike Stewart ======================================================== Subject: Re: Headlight modulators From: "WO nospam" (from the SE riders list) Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 09:32:49 -0700 http://www.mindspring.com/~wayne.orwig/stuff.html >Didn't you post a URL for a modulator and a vest controller (or more?) >a while back ======================================================== Subject: Re: First time out From: Jack Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1998 22:20:21 GMT On Thu, 27 Aug 1998 16:09:50 -0400, Bob Peloquin said: >When you say you've changed the flasher, do you mean the electronic unit >under the seat that flashes the bulbs, or do you mean the turn-signal >bulb... > >The switch not-only operates the signals but also turns off the running >light on the front signal so it'll show up better. If you have problems >with this then you should clean the switch. OEM Honda flashers are >kinda pricey if I remember... Have we forgotten already? There's a fix for the notoriously fickle and expen$ive Honda flasher. Total cost is less than $10. Dave Berkey first posted this fix back on 10/13/96, I used it for a while until I found a working stock unit, and I still have my "fix" in case the stock goes bad again. It works and it's easy to do, and you can always go back to stock if you want to. Here it is in Dave's own words: :I had the same problem a while back, including heart stoppage when I found :out what Honda wanted for the replacement flasher. Actually, at least on my :'83 Magna, the signal circut is pretty simple. The Green/White wire supplies :power and the Gray wire feeds the signal lights. A 2-terminal cage flasher :will do the job, part #536/552 littlefuse. The power wire connects to one :terminal, the lights to the other. It doesn't seem to matter which one :connects where. : I didn't want to chop up the Honda wiring so here's how I "rigged" it up. :A 3-prong headlight socket from the parts house will provide a place to plug :in the new flasher. By opening up the existing flasher and cutting off a :little of the circut board, you will have a socket which will plug into the :Honda wiring and a place to solder the leads from the headlight socket. :Shorten and strip the headlight socket socket leads and solder one to :correspond with the Green/White wire and one to correspond to the Gray wire. :Cut off and discard the third headlight socket lead. Use hot glue or :something like it to connect the 2 sockets together to prevent breaking of :the leads, plug in the new flasher, mount and plug in the assembly to the :Honda wiring and you're done. -- Jack Hunt ======================================================== Subject: Another new lister introduces herself From: Katherine Becker Date: Tue, 3 Nov 1998 21:30:28 -0500 Hello SabMaggots! I've decided to follow the example of some other new listers, and introduce myself. My name is Katherine Becker. I'm from Ypsilanti, Michigan, and I've been lurking for a week or so. I never rode a motorcycle, except once in awhile as a passenger, until this year. But I'm no stranger to the troubles one encounters on two wheels. I spent three years bicycle commuting year 'round. When people asked me what kind of cyclist I was (racer, mountain biker, etc) I would say "One who always gets where she's going." :-) I also taught Effective Cycling (sort of like the pedal bike equivalent of and MSF course) for a couple of years. If you think motorcycles are invisible to the cagers, try being a bicyclist! A lot of the Effective Cycling techniques focus on things like choosing the best road position, and I find that a lot of it translates very well to motorcycling. I've been commuting by motorcycle for the last couple months, and I've had remarkably little trouble with the cages. I took the MSF class in June. The book stuff was easy, I knew half of it from Effective Cycling already. The range stuff was harder. I was really scared, and I had a hard time keeping all the different motions straight. When I reached for the front brake, it was the clutch. I had to do unfamiliar things with my feet, and mine are both left feet. The bikes were so tiny I kept banging my knees on the handlebars. Also, it was over 90 degrees and sunny out there on the range, and there we were riding five miles per hour on air-cooled bikes while wearing coats, long pants, boots, and helmets. I thought I would pass out, and I failed my road test. I thought maybe the fates were against me, that I'd never be a motorcyclist. So I bought a beat-up, cheap Yamaha Seca 550, as a small bike to get started on. I thought it would do for me for the rest of the riding season. It was a week before I left my subdivision. At one point I was pursued by two children on mopeds and I was too scared to speed away from them. But then I started to get the hang of it. Erik Kauppi, who is on this list, was kind enough to be the licensed rider my learner's permit required to supervise me. The first time I left my neighborhood (the first time I went over 40mph!) I got hit in the head by a bird, about five miles from my house. I didn't crash, or go out of my lane or even weave very much, though I was quite startled. Maybe I could do this after all. I took the road test again and passed. This was in July. Since then I've ridden about 5000 miles, first on the baby Seca, and then on a Yamaha Maxim 750. I decided that the 750 was better than the 550, but that I preferred the standard to the cruiser. With a little advice and help from Erik, I disassembled the carbs on the Maxim, cleaned the pieces, and put them back together. I've also weathered a few mechanical problems on the road. I've taken two weekend trips on the Maxim, and I have trip reports on my web site, at http://www.hamjudo.com/~kbecker/stthomas.html http://www.hamjudo.com/~kbecker/midohio.html They're long, and they aren't on a SabMag bike, so I won't send them to the list. Earlier this month, I went out for a ride with Erik, and I tried his Sabre, Dogbreath. It was very nice. I asked Erik to help me find my own V65 Sabre. In case you were wondering, no, the Sabre is not too tall for me even if I am female. I'm almost 6 feet tall, long legged and sturdy. I can easily put both feet on the ground while sitting on the Sabre. The bike feels like it was made for me. Erik found me a Sabre much more quickly than I had expected him to. We rode two-up to Naperville, Illinois, and bought a V65 Sabre from Greg, who is also on the list. We rode back. Erik (who always drives fast) was chasing this Jaguar, and I stayed right on his tail, fringe and braid flying behind me. The bike has no windshield, but I discovered that if I put my feet on the passenger pegs and rested my chin on the tank bag it was quite comfy and the wind hardly bothered me. Greg and Erik worked on the bike at Greg's house. I would have worked on it too, but I deferred to them since they know more, and we needed to be getting home sometime that weekend. I watched, and saw the cams, which are kinda messed up. Erik is good at explaining these things. I'm untrained but mechanically inclined and learning fast. Last week I got new tires, the Avon Roadrunners, but the wheels still aren't back on, because the fork seals leak and oil has gotten on the front brakes. Sunday Erik and I worked on the forks, and soon we'll do the brakes. This winter we will do the oil mod. I've ordered the POR15 tank kit, and I'll probably do that by myself, it looks easy enough. Anyways, this is getting kind of long, and I'm late for dinner, so I'll stop now. I look forward to riding the Sabre to some of the SabMag gatherings and meeting some of you! -- Katherine Becker kbecker@stilyagi.org ======================================================== Subject: Fuel Pump Internals From: James F McFaden Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 09:23:54 -0600 Hi All, I fried my Sabre V65 fuel pump back around 1986 when installing an on/off/momentary switch in the pump circuit (The momentary side bypasses the relay to fill the carbs before pressing the starter). I bought a new one and later took the fried one apart. It has a diode in parallel between the contacts and the servo coil. I think it's to reduce arching at the points caused by hysteresis in the coil when the field collapses. If you wire the pump, even just for an instant, with reversed polarity, this diode instantly becomes a permanent resistor, making the coil useless. I replaced the diode with a Radio Shack one (polarity must be correct) and epoxied the body back together and it worked fine. It's been on my TDM850 now for about 4 years with no problems. Much cheaper than buying a new one. Jim in Dallas ======================================================== Subject: Re: Filters/Mods, was Honda by Harley? From: David Dodge Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1998 09:43:20 -0500 On Nov 20 Phil Ross said: >>It was apparent in 1985 that development had ended on the big V4 when >>the 1986 VF700/750 engine (unchanged for the "Super" Magna except for >>the grey paint) debuted with line-bored cams--a running change >>not shared with the 1986 VF1100 engine. Ron Rosensweet wrote: >Oops. Does this mean that my '86 V65 Magna does not have the line bored >cams? >I had been led to believe that Honda corrected their cam problems (via line >boring) on the VF1100 by then. This is the reason (plus the fact that my cams >looked good on the valve adjustment this spring) that I have not installed >the oil mod. >I believe Zimbob -- who has the same model -- also goes along with this. >Have we been living in dreamland? I have mentioned before that the primary problem with cam failure has to do with the oil system (design) and the proper valve clearance settings to allow the cams/rocker area to be lubricated properly. Correct valve adjustments and frequent oil changes can prevent cam wear. The design of the oil system allows the top-end oil lines and components to drain if the bike sits for a while causing a dry start-up condition. I have recently seen bikes with 40,000 miles on them without problem, all of the sudden have cams go bad. This is caused by lack of oil. In most cases this has been on bikes that are put back into service after sitting for years, or a long winter. There are ways to pre-oil the engine before start-up after long down-time. And here we go again about oil mods, listen carefully. Aftermarket oil mods provide an oil system that eliminates the above mentioned design flaws, as follows: 1) Oil pressure to the top-end is increased 2) Supplies clean and filtered oil to the cams 3) Drawing oil from the filtered side of the system prevents line drainage If not clear, install an oil mod for improved top-end life. It can be a bolt-on style, or the drill-tap style. I have also recently combined the styles for a customer that is using a bolt-on adapter with a line running back to a plugged trans fitting and uses the stock head lines (via Paddlefoot mod). I am currently porting a set of '85 and '86 heads. Both had bad rockers and were supplied with worn cams. Additionally, the cam journals were grooved caused by crap (not filtered) passing through the oil system. Align-Boring the heads would not have helped this. Probably the biggest improvement made to the later engines was the gear-driven cams, which I might add made it necessary to align-bore. OIL FILTER NOTE: There is absolutely no aftermarket oil filter on the market that works as good as the stock OEM original Honda filter. Filter area and internal back-valving is superior and designed for the engine and oil system. Using aftermarket filters will pass more crap to the top-end, especially if you do not have an oil mod. Cut a few filters apart, and tear-down a few dozen engines (like I have) and it becomes very clear which filters work best. I personally think you guys need to quit worrying about saving $6.00, and use the correct components. Cages can get away with cheap parts, because they dont see 9,000 RPM or have clearances as tight as .0005" (1/2 thou.). If $6.00 every 3 mos. breaks the bank, then you really shouldn't be riding a motorcycle. The opinions expressed here are based on experiences of the author, and reflect no attacks on anyone, tight-wads. Dave Dodge - DRP drp123@mindspring.com AMA, SCRA, ProStar, NHRA ======================================================== Subject: Re: Valves revisited From: David Dodge Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 08:34:12 -0500 Tim Kennedy wrote: >My question, is how do you know which cylinder is supposed to have the >valves adjusted on which turn of the crankshaft? Can you tell by the way >the cam lobe is turned? Use the marks on the alternator rotor for crank position, then verify cam position by lobe plcement and/or cam sprocket marks. Crankshaft rotation is required to adjust each of the four cylinders. On the rear cylinders with the TDC 1-3 rotor mark aligned the cam lobes should be faced away from each other before adjustment. On the front cylinders with the TDC 2-4 rotor mark aligned the cam lobes should face up and slightly towards each other before adjustment. This is for Sabre and Magna, the Interceptor is reversed. Also note that not all cam sprockets have alignment marks at 45 degrees for the front cylinders. >I noticed one side of the cam lobe has a little hole/indentation in it. >Is that how you can tell? NO, these holes have been placed in different locations on different years, models and revision levels to improve oiling. I have printed "Cam Installation/Degreeing" and "Valve Adjustment" instruction sheets available for those who want them. I have them for the Sabre/Magna and Interceptor. Just e-mail me your mailing address, and I will send you a set for FREE. Hopefully soon (when I'm not working 18/7), I'll get this stuff up on a web site. Dave Dodge - DRP drp123@mindspring.com ======================================================== Subject: Re: Wire Splicing From: Erik Kauppi Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1998 00:29:12 -0800 I like to twist the wires together end to end, solder carefully, and apply adhesive lined heat shrink tube. The shrink tube is important as it supports the connection mechanically, and seals out the weather. Adhesive lined shrink, like EPS 300 from 3M, is much better than the ordinary shrink tube, but a little harder to find. I don't trust the ordinary aftermarket crimp connectors at all. Aircraft crimp connectors or genuine OEM connectors are OK but *only* if assembled properly with the correct tooling. If I have to use a regular crimp connector, I solder after crimping, and use shrink tube over the connector and wire to reinforce the joint. Overkill perhaps, but one lost race due to a $0.19 connector failure will do that to you. You can get EPS 300 shrink tube, along with lots of other cool stuff, from Digikey. 1-800-digikey for free catalog. They cheerfully take small credit card orders. Sort of the McMaster-Carr of the electronics world, but it's easy to get their catalog. BTW, as long as I'm rambling, I've been off the list for a while due to extreme busyness and family troubles. Please send to me personally if you need to reach me, I may not be checking list digests much. --------------------------------------- >From: Uncle Milt [SMTP:mrmilt@EARTHLINK.NET] >Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 1998 6:11 PM >Subject: Wire Splicing > >Oh great electrical wizards of SabMag, and even Ryder too, what is the >best, most permanent, most conductive way of splicing the ends of two wires >together inline, and sealing it from corrosion? Has anyone had any >experience with connectors that have solder built into them? > >Milt > -- Erik Kauppi ======================================================== Subject: Re: another day at the races... From: David Dodge Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1998 23:30:41 -0500 Dick Malsbury wrote: >Excuse my ignorance, but does the clock start when the light says go or >when the bike moves or what. Never been on a 1/4 mile track. >Could you explain the whole process. Staging lights, redlight; I've >heard the words but don't know what they mean. Let me try to give the start-to-finish Readers Digest version of the processes. First we have the staging beams. These are two lights shooting across the starting line called Pre-Stage and Staged. As you roll to the starting line, your front wheel will interupt the Pre-Stage beam. As you continue to roll forward another 6-8" (depending on tire dia. and radial thickness), the front wheel will interupt the second Staged beam. When both the Pre-Stage and Staged lights on the Christmas Tree (starting lights) are lit, the front wheel is interupting both beams meaning you are in the proper location on the starting line, and the tree can be activated. On a more technical note, there is also something called roll-out. This is the amount of forward movement (10-12") the bike can roll, still keeping both beams interupted. Most tracks use a Pro-Light or a Full-Tree start. The Pro-Light is timed to flash all yellows, then green in .4 of a second. On a Full-Tree, each of the yellow lights (3) is timed to light at .5 second intervals to green. If your bike rolls forward or begins movement before the green light, your will get a foul or Red-Light start. This means that the Pre-Stage beam is uncovered too early and you automatically lose. The trick is to launch the bike as close to green as possible without red-lighting. This is called reaction time, which means the reaction timers start timing from the last yellow to the time the front wheel uncovers the Pre-Staged beam. A perfect reaction time is .500 second. Some timing systems subtract the first .500 second (from last yellow) and give you only your reaction time from full green. At any rate, the timers for your lane do not begin until your front wheel rolls forward, un-covering the Pre-Stage beam. An excellent reaction time would be .500 (.000) to .540 (.040), good would be .550 (.050) to .590 (.090), and you need practice if your reaction times are .600 (.100) or worse. Example: you cut a .590 light and your opponent cuts a .540 light, this means that your opponent has a .05 advantage which equals about two bike lengths at the end of the track if you are running 10 second bikes. If it is a heads up race you would need to run a 10.45 to his 10.50 to run even with him at the end, or a 10.44 to beat him. As you proceed down track there are beams located at 60', 330', 1/8 (660'), 1000', and 1/4 mile. When your front wheel first breaks these beams, a time for that interval is recorded. MPH is calculated by the timers as time you cover a measured distance. On 1/8 mile tracks, the MPH clock starts at 100' before the finish line and stops at the finsh line. On 1/4 mile tracks, the MPH clocks start at 100' before the finsh line and stop 100' past the finish line. On 1/4 mile tracks you would not want to shut off right at the finish line because your MPH would be slower. Instead, "run it out the back door" to the last MPH clock beam for a true MPH reading. These are just some of the basics. There are many more stratagies that can be used when racing. Plus the actual riding of the motorcycle to be a consistent winner. ======================================================== Subject: Re: Backfire. From: David Ryder Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 21:14:59 -0500 On 15 Jan 99, at 20:12, Anthony Osborne wrote: > David, I have a hard time believing that you, of all people, have never > done that. *Smile* I'll take this as the implied comment I'm sure it was, Oz. No, I've never done this. I've ridden with many a notable list personage over the years, and learned many things: >From James Stoehr I learned that when your riding partner says, "You first, I'll follow," he *really* means, "Yes, I do believe we *could* get around this inconveniently closed bridge by riding our motorcycles over that 3-ft. wide pedestrian walkway. And, if there happens to be a cop on the other side who sees the entire thing, I'll stay back in the woodline and see what happens to you." >From Richard Wainright I learned that there's really no limit to how much you can annoy your neighbors without being lynched. >From Carl Custer I learned you can *never* go to far. But if you do, there's a dumpster somewhere that holds the solution to your problem. >From Ron Rosensweet I learned that going down hurts a LOT more the second day. >From Tony Donisi I learned that brake calipers look really ugly when they're chromed. >From John Bock I learned that money can't buy everything, but trying sure looks like a lot of fun. >From Jack Hunt I learned that if you run twisties all the way to the top of the Smokies, in the middle of the night, with a group of Sabmaggots, Tennessee's not so hard to take after all. >From Lee Gerkhe I learned that, if you're gonna go down for the first time in your 10-year riding career, make sure you've *just* started wearing protective gear the month before. >From Yarema I learned that, just because those 18-wheelers outweigh you by a factor of 200, that's no reason to let them intimidate you. >From Jeremy I learned that stubbornness and a really strong neck can substitute for a windshield. >From Harvey Hexnut I learned that stubbornness and a strong neck are not a good substitute for a windshield if you like to ride with your visor open in an area populated by bees. >From Mike Stewart I learned that people really *do* chew tobacco above the Mason/Dixon line. >From Katherine Stewart I learned that turn signals and mirrors make really bad choices for grasping points to pick up your fallen motorcycle. >From Dan Jones I learned that there are apparently people who find even an Econo-Lodge to be too expensive on a rainy night. >From Bob Peloquin I learned that there's nothing sweeter than the sound of someone *else's* bike falling over in a parking lot. >From Milt Oberman I learned that a cute dog, cool motorcycle, and a career as an actor STILL can't get you laid in most of the lower 50. >From Russell Stephan I learned that those admonishments not to put anything in your ear farther than you can see are total bullshit. And last, from Phil Ross I learned that no matter how much you annoy people, ownership of a Sabmag almost always guarantees you a free meal when you drop in on a listmember. But no one ever taught me how to make my bike backfire. ======================================================== Subject: Re: Paint Codes From: ??michael Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 20:22:23 +0000 Paint codes used on bikes by Model and by each year: Year Code Color name as it appears in parts fische v30 Magna --------- 84 NH1Z Black-Z R131CU Candy Andromeda Red 85 NH1Z Black-Z R114CU Candy Wineberry-U v45 Magna & 700 Magna --------------------- 82 NH1 Black R115CU Candy Maroon R118CU Candy Imperial Blue 83 NH1Z Black-Z R115CU Candy Maroon 84 NH1Z Black-Z R131CU Candy Andromeda Red 85 NH1Z Black-Z R130CU Candy Scorpio Red 86 NH1Z Black-Z R101CU Candy Glory Red 87 PB161CU Candy Wave Blue-U R107CU Candy Bourgogne Red *Note: codes for '88 and new 750 Magna's missing v65 Magna --------- 83 PB123PA Pearl Siren Blue-A R115CU Candy Maroon 84 NH1Z Black-Z R131CU Candy Andromeda Red 85 NH1Z Black-Z R137PA Pearl Vintage Red 86 NH1Z Black-Z R101CU Candy Glory Red v45 Sabre & 700 Sabre --------------------- 82 NH1 Black R107CU Candy Bourgogne Red 83 NH1Z Black-Z R114CU Candy Wineberry-U 84 NH1 Black (this is the only paint code given for ordering a new fuel tank) color schemes offered: NH1K Black/Pleiades Silver Metallic/Candy Red accent stripe (stickers) NH1E Black/Canopus Red Metallic (brownish)/Light Silver accent stripe (stickers) 85 NH1 Black (this is the only paint code given for ordering a new fuel tank) color schemes offered according to fische: Black/Candy Red stripe (stickers) Black/Candy blue stripe (stickers) **Note: Pleiades Silver Metallic and Canopus Red Metallic are mentioned by name, but no codes are given. Information is confusing. v65 Sabre --------- 84 NH1 Black (this is the only paint code given for ordering a new fuel tank) color schemes offered according to fische: NH1E Black/Silver/Red accent stripes (stickers) NH1K Black/Red/Silver accent stripes (stickers) 85 NH1 Black (this is the only paint code given for ordering a new fuel tank) color schemes offered according to fische: NH1K Black/Silver/Red accent stripes (stickers) NH1H Black/Silver/Blue accent stripes (stickers) **Note: I believe that the Silver used for all is "Pleiades Silver" (no code listed) and the red listed for 84's color scheme NH1K is the same Canopus Red used on the 84 700 Sabre with the same color scheme code. Little information is given in the Parts Fische for all Sabre models. Information is confusing. v45 Interceptor & 700 Interceptor --------------------------------- 83 no code White (no code given, possibly NH138 - "Shasta white") PB127CU Candy Aleutian Blue (w/ Red accent stripe stickers) R107CU Candy Bourgone Red (w/ Blue accent stripe stickers) 84 no code White (no code given, possibly NH138 - "Shasta white") PB127CU Candy Aleutian Blue (w/ Red accent stripe stickers) R107CU Candy Bourgone Red (w/ Blue accent stripe stickers) 85 no code White (no code given, possibly NH138 - "Shasta white") PB127CU Candy Aleutian Blue (w/ Red accent stripe stickers) R124CU Candy Alamoana Red (w/ Blue accent stripe stickers) **Note: White was a major color element on all bikes. Colors were used in the following schemes: White/Blue/red accent & White/Red/blue accent. Information for the Interceptor 500 was not availible. Their color schemes were similar so chances are their colors are identical for the same years as the 700-750's. VF1000F ------- 84 NH138 Shasta White **Note: Accent colors are made using stickers. No further information availible. VF1000R ------- 85 R134H Fighting Red NH134 no name given 86 R134H Fighting Red NH134 no name given **Note: Tank color ordering information only lists R134H. NH134 was only listed in color chart in the begining of parts Fische with no name or useage listed. Fairing body panels were hand laid fiberglass. Fairing color was a colored gel coat actually part of the glass laying process. Two domestic color schemes were availible. I've only seen the mostly red version. There were also European only color schemes availble. I have no further information. Try asking JoeyT, he has one and knows much more about color schemes as he does a lot of body work and painting. His email is jthorne21@aol.com -- ??michael ======================================================== Subject: SPEEDING TICKET From: Cory Vokoun Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 21:28:02 -0600 Just learned of this web site. In case you ever have the need! SPEEDING TICKET http://www.speedingticket.net You've flown halfway across the country to attend a friend's wedding. You grab a rental car and are high-tailing it desperately to get to the church on time. Suddenly, in your rearview mirror is that horrible sight: the flashing lights of a police car, pulling you over for speeding. You really don't think you were going that fast, but you've never visited Kalamazoo before and don't have the slightest clue how to find a good traffic lawyer to contest the ticket and save some points on your insurance. No problem. Call up this site for a nearly countrywide listing of lawyers, insurance agents, and--if need be--bail bondsmen to help you out of the jam. Enter the county and state in which you were issued the ticket, and detailed listings are only a click away. ---------------------------------------- Returning to lurk mode. Cory Vokoun `86 Magna VF700 ======================================================== Subject: Service/Owners Manuals From: Bob Sunley Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 00:28:13 -0600 Helm now have online ordering for all their publications at http://www.helminc.com/ for Honda, Ford, Kia, Isuzu, Suzuki, GM and Subaru no need to even phone the local dealer. -- Bob Sunley ======================================================== Subject: Attn: Race Fans From: Kenneth Thompson Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 21:01:42 EST For Race Donks and Wannabees Check out these sites for the latest almost live Daytona doins. http://www.amasuperbike.com/newind.htm An actual reporter at the track! http://www.daytonausa.com/dis/pitnotes.shtml Lap times, finishing order, rider quotes. All the stuff that's printed up nice and neat and available in the press room for any 'journalist' to pick up and reword. http://www.cyclenews.com/cycle/daytona99/index.html Couple of sound files of interviews. Race results. Maybe they'll do their live update during the race again??? http://www.hondamotorcycle.com/racing/daytona/index2.html Looks like they're going to be updating the site right from the pits. -- Ken T. from Ca. ======================================================== Subject: Re: come one, come all, big money, big money From: Uncle Milt Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 13:25:25 -0800 >On Thu, 4 Mar 1999 23:29:18 EST, Jude Federspiel wrote: > > >> collection of sabmaggots to secure a discount (5% even) at wing >> things, a mail order company. The way it works is this: > >What do they sell? We don't ride "No Stinking Wings" ;-) > >- - - - - They acutally sell a bunch of good stuff. Check them out: http://www.wingthings-texas.com Milt ======================================================== Subject: Re: Winter gods take a hint (I hope) From: Carol and-or Ralph East Date: Sat, 6 Mar 1999 08:08:09 -0800 ---Jeff Gent wrote: > > Bob Peloquin wrote: > > > > > I'm asking for opinions from other electronics types as the simplest > > possible temp control I can think of would be to use an electronic > > directional flasher to give me a 50% duty cycle for the low setting. > > Since there's no transistors in-line it seems to me this would give me a > > pretty cheap pre-built off/low/high setup. Any guesses on future > > problems, longevity, or other detrimental effects to this idea? > > > In my usual style I can't remember his name to save my life, but one of > our very own made a very nice controller that I believe was available > commercially at one point. It's a pulse width modulator driving a > MOSFET controlling power to the various electrics. He had it in a small > project box mounted on the left bar with a small pot to control the > pulse width and an LED to let you know when it was turned on. It looked > clean, functional, and cheap. > >(snip) I believe the unit your looking for was first suggested by our electronics wizard Erik Kauppi. Bought two kits and made them up, and am waiting for a weather break to test out - they do control the "test" motor nicely though. Units do not come with a box. Quoted from the catalog: 12V DC motor or lamp control kit. Will control any 12V DC load up to 10 amps, uses pulse width modulation to give 5% to 98% control range. Kit contains all parts and a 12v DC demo motor. Price $15.95 Part # 4057-MD Dimensions 3" x 2 3/8" x 1 3/4" Marlin P Jones Co, 1-800-652-6733. -- Ralph East ======================================================== Subject: Replacing Heads and Cams From: "Donisi, Tony" Date: Mon, 8 Mar 1999 09:48:09 -0500 Brian from Everett wrote of head-changing woes: Brian, I am surprised at you! Replacing the heads and saying that there is no literature without first checking my site?? For Shame!! First off, I just received the Dave-Dodge special ported and polished heads. What beauties! They were a little late, so my anticipation was building. Boy, were they worth the wait! I opted for the 'works,' titanium retainers, better valve springs, multi-angle valve job, and a 10% increase in airflow through the heads. This was accomplished through DD's flow testing, and time will tell how this works on the bike! The heads arrived with rockers already assembled, for ease of installation. Also, since the cam gears were slotted, DD was kind enough to install the gears in a nominal' position so that I wouldn't have to guess. The heads I sent to DD originally had slight scores in the cam journals. This was obviously due to the previous owners 15,000 mile stint with the stock head oil lines, since it sends unfiltered oil to the heads. The heads I removed from TPM were almost perfect! The cams were like new, and the journals were untouched. Anyway, I am currently installing the ported and polished heads and cams in TPM. So I am in the process of writing a photo how-to. It is in its beginning stages, but tune your web browser to http://www2.xtdl.com/~tonyd/magna/tech%20section%20and%20issues/cams/cam%20page.htm For the beginning of the tutorial. So Far I have: Removed the cams, heads (see how easy!) using the Dave Dodge 'Pop goes the camshaft(tm)' method. Cleaned the block (or Joel H did, anyway!) Re-installed heads, cams (Watch out for those dowel pins!) Now I am waiting to degree the cams Well, I sort of lied. I went to install the New front ported and polished head, and the dowel pins stuck in the old head! They would not budge. I tried wd-40, hot & cold, vise grips, and everything short of a nuclear weapon to get those $#!&*% things out. I have reached the conclusion that the only way to remove these particular uncooperative dowels is to completely destroy them! New ones are on the way! BTW, I have to admire people who have chosen to change the heads without removing the engine from the frame. Cleaning the mounting surface with the engine out is bad enough, but while it is in the frame?? I shudder at the thought!! Or better yet, Joel H is shuddering at the thought, since it was he who so kindly scraped the front head mounting surface last night! There are a lot of little techniques and methods which make life a lot easier. As the project progress, I will include them all! Feel free to contact me offlist with any specific questions! -- Tony Donisi ======================================================== Subject: Ketchin' up From: "Custer, Carl" Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1999 12:31:51 -0500 I'm on digest and have been away so: Clutch bleeding: Monsters pigtail. SME 4.0: 'Stich fitting: Temperature control Bonuses Clutch bleeding: According to the local wally mart, they no longer carry the Mighty Vac. On installing Lagniappe's engine in Rocin, curtis and I used the following: Attached 1/8 clear plastic hose to the nipple clutch slave, cracked the nipple open, I "Monica'ed" the hose while curtis kept the reservoir filled. Being a pointy headed bureaucrat, I overdid it and was pulling in tiny bubbles through the threads. curtis wiped a thick grease seal on the outside of the nipple threads, another pull, and that was that. No pumping the handle into the wee hours of the night. Perch Monsters pigtail. Bob P grumbled, "I installed a headphone jack on my helmet and I can't seem to find one that lasts long enough to make it worthwhile. They're always breaking or getting dirty so I get intermittent contact. Then Bob P counseled, "If any of you are thinking of doing this, I'd recommend not wasting the effort and just letting the Bass Monster's pigtail hang out of the helmet." I let mine hang and they worked well, so long as I took the few seconds to hold both parts when unhooking. But, after several nonsupported disconnects, one of the wires "kinda separated" inside the insulator. If you wiggled it just right It'd reconnect. If you let it dangle, I recommend either: Resolve to always hold the helmet side when disconnecting or Attach the helmet side to the helmet, maybe with a small U bolt or epoxy. SME 4.0: Bob P proposed, "Joey, ??michael and I are planning on riding to SME 4.0 this June... Any other takers riding down with 3 crazy sportbike riders?" Me! You're welcome to use Bethesda as a staging area, roll in Thursday afternoon-night. Roll out early Friday morning to beat the @#$% DC traffic. I've promised first dibs on beds to ZimBob, ZimJeff, & Bob P. But, we've got couches and floor space. Wainwright just confirmed "him too (bed space)" (He'll likely trailer) And we can arrange other accommodations. 'Stich fitting: Re Hiler's tale . . . I think the 'Stich fitting table assumes you exaggerate your height and have neither a butt nor balls. I had to return the short for a regular - and add an "Ellipse" ($40) ;^( and later add 2" to the thigh length ($50) because of pain from knee pressure. Plus the cost of shipping. But -- other than sizing, the suit and service has been great. Temperature control: Bob P, "I'm asking . . . the simplest . . . temp control . . . an electronic directional flasher to give me a 50% duty cycle for the low. (who) made a very nice controller that . . . looked clean, functional, and cheap." East replied, " . .. first suggested by . .. Kauppi. Bought two kits and made them up, and am waiting for a weather