Perky

Hot diggity!!!!

I'm looking to buy a rear cowl for my 2003 bird. If anyone has a scratched (not broken) rear cowl laying around, I'd be interested in taking it off your hands. Doesn't matter what color.

If mrhappy doesn't take the shock, I'll take it. -Steve

Joe, I can bring you my old turn signals to PRIXX. I'll have to dig them out, but they are yours if you want them. -Steve

Howard, I'll be out of town over the weekend, so I may not get back to you until early next week. Just didn't want to leave you hanging. -Steve

Do you still have the seat? If so, what kind of condition is it in and what are you asking for it? -Steve

RC, I don't mean this as a hijack, and I don't have any overpants for sale, but I did just pick up a pair of these LINKY and I have a pair of these 2nd LINKY brand new/never worn in size 36, that are too big for me. I really like the quality of the Cost is Clear pants. I like the high back and adjustable knee inserts. I haven't had a chance to ride in them yet, but they feel very well constructed and with the zip out section, air flow should be outstanding. A couple of things to point out on them is they do not come with a zipper for a jacket and the large was too big for my 33-34 inch waist. I'm going to take mine to the tailor and have the jacket zipper installed. As far as the Chicane Pants, if you are interested, PM me and I'll send you pics. FYI...I received these as a gift a little over a year ago and they have just been sitting in a box. -Steve

Thanks for all the replies. But unfortunately, the solution was simpler than I had imagined. I called CA today and they explained the connectors coming off of the tail light aren't really connectors. They are bulb replacement connectors. So, I don't have to do any splicing at all. I do however have to pull the bulb sockets off of the old tail light and connect the bulb replacement connectors to them and then plug the connector from the bike into the old connectors. It sure would have been nice if CA would have just included a little note in the box. I guess they just like talking to their customers and do this so they can chat with us. -Steve

I'm having the same issue. I bought the integrated tail light from CA and the connectors on the light don't match up with the connectors on the bike. Any suggestions? -Steve

add my name to the list

Finally had the opportunity tonight to work on my bird. The bike came on again like normal, but as soon as I hit the starter, I heard the pop again and it all shut down. I removed the battery to check the terminals and I noticed the positive terminal was hot to the touch. I put the battery back in and turned the key on. Nothing. I moved the wires above the ECM again, and it came back on. I still had the cover off of the positive terminal and I watched it as I hit the starter. Sparks shot out from the positive terminal on the battery. That was my electrical pop. I pulled the battery out, and dropped my girls battery in and my baby started right up...my bike, not my girl. It seems XX_Rider and Stan were right. Battery is bad. I don't know what caused the battery to go bad after 3 months, but I will be replacing it as soon as I can. Just for my own knowledge, does any one know why sparks would come out of the positive terminal like that? The cables are in good shape, no corrosion on them at all. Connection is tight and solid. Battery is showing 12.67 volts on the volt meter. If any one knows why or thinks they know why, I would like to know. Thanks everyone for all the help. -Steve

The bike is not even coming on now. Last night before I went to bed, I pulled the rear cowl, and tried it again. I put the key in and turned it to the on position, and nothing. No lights, no fuel pump, a completely dead bike. I moved the wires above the ECM in the rear of the bike, and the whole system came on. I hit the starter, and the same pop and everything went dead. I've been unable to get the bike to come back on since. The pop is coming from near the ECM on the right side of the bike. I don't know if it is the regulator/rectifier, the ECM, the tail light wires, or what. I've narrowed it down to the back of the bike. I will try what Stan said to do and see if I can locate the short, if the bike will come back on. I will check the ground connection as well tonight. -Steve

Pulled the fuses in the fuse box and all are fine. Any ideas where else to look? I've never dealt with electrical problems before besides dead batteries and blown fuses. -Steve

Checked the terminals and all is secure and clean. I'll try to swap batteries with my girl's battery out of her 600RR tomorrow. -Steve

Rode to my girlfriend's house today and all was fine. I went out to start the bike to move it into the garage. Turned the key and nothing. No lights, no fuel pump, nothing. After about 10 seconds, all the lights came on and the fuel pump came on. Hit the starter and then there was a pop from under the seat and everything shut down. I turned the key to the off position and then turned it back on. The same thing happened. Nothing at first, then after about 10 seconds everything comes on. Hit the starter, another pop and everything goes dead. My girl and I push it into the garage and I turn the key to the on position. Nothing happens. I try it again and this time the lights come on after 30 seconds and then the pop sound without hitting the starter. Now nothing comes on. Checked the battery, and the battery is fully charged. I have been doing some routine maintenance the last few months, so here is a list of the things I have done. 1. New battery - 3 months ago 2. New sprockets - last week 3. New spark plugs - 2 weeks ago 4. Coolant change - last week 5. Oil & Filter change - last week 6. Air Filter change - last week I don't think any of the things I have done would cause any of this. The battery might have been an issue, if I had just replaced it, but I've been running the bike for the last 3 months on this battery and I haven't had any issues at all. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks. -Steve

Thanks Tim. I didn't even know the dampers are in the wheel until I started taking the sprocket off. -Steve

I was changing my rear sprocket last night, and I discovered one of the damper rubbers in my rear wheel has separated. When should these be changed and what kind of problems can these cause by separation? Anybody have this happen to them before? -Steve

Up for sale is a pair of vintage Kenwood KL-777A speakers. I'm the second owner of these speakers. The original was my father, and I can attest to the usage of these speakers. They have not been abused, and have been well maintained. The minor damage on the cabinets is from being moved across Europe and the US in the 1970's and 1980's. From Kenwood: The KL-777A employs 6 speaker units which perfectly cover the entire 25 - 22,000 Hz audio frequency range. These consist of an ultra-super 15 inch free-edge type woofer, to 5 inch free-edge type squakers, two horn type tweeters, plus a cone type super tweeter. Designed for high power amplifiers, KL-777A allows music power of 110 watts, which permits use of this system in large auditoriums. furthermore thanks to its extra high sensitivity (97 dB), it can be satisfactorily driven with small output amplifiers. According to your individual preference or room acoustic condition, the most suitable tone character can be obtained with the 3-step tone selector. Impedence is 8 ohms. Cross-0ver frequency 700 Hz, 5,000 Hz, 10<000 Hz. Cross-over network 12 dB/oct. Weight 38.1 pounds.

My girlfriend is selling her learner bike and has since graduated to a 2007 Honda CBR600RR. This was a great bike for her, and she loved it......but alas, first loves only last a short time. So, here is an opportunity for someone new to fall in love with this beauty. Here's the link to the add I placed on Craigslist for her. If you have any questions about the bike don't hesitate to PM me or just email her. 2005 Suzuki GS500F on Craigslist -Steve (Wouldn't it be great if we could do this with our SO when the relationship goes south?)

Can't wait to see the revised one.

I know this is reviving an old post, but I have an update. I finally changed out the front tire today. The damn thing just wouldn't wear out. I now have 19,500 miles on the bike, and when I posted the front end wobble originally, I only had 13,500 miles on it. When I replaced the rear tire, the wobble became less noticeable, but was still there. Well, today I put on a Shinko 005 front, and the wobble has disappeared entirely. So, the conclusion is Dunlops suck!!!! The wobble was due to the tire developing waves in the rubber. I don't know if the right term is cupping, but on the outsides of either side of the two center lines, the tire had humps. Basically, the tire wasn't round any more, but was wavy like the wave rotors. Two lines of humps with varying hills and valleys running the circumference of the entire tire. The left side of the tire was more worn than the right, and the humps were less defined on the left side also. Now I know for certain the wobble was caused by the front Dunlop tire. What I want to know now, is do any of you think that this phenomenon was caused by improper tire pressure, or do you think it is inherent in the design and construction of the tire? I was running 42 psi in the tire. After speaking with a local bike shop owner, I am lowering the pressure to 39 psi. I'm hoping never to develop the wobble again. -Steve

I know a few of you out there are running Shinko tires, and I would like to know what you think of them, and which models you recommend for someone who lives in FL and sees a corner every 1500 miles or so. I am in need of a new front, and I am running a Pilot Road in the rear right now. -Steve

I can't say the pilot road I have on now is exactly slippery, but this is the only tire that I have broken loose under acceleration. I lost traction while accelerating around a car in Texas while in the rain. Lost the back end accellerating in 6th gear at about 65. I didn't whack the throttle or even attempt a hard accelleration. I just rolled on like I had been doing for the past 4 hours. I attributed the slippery-ness to the 4 hours of rain I had been riding in, but then last Wednesday night, I had the back end slip again. I was racing a GSXR 1000, and I was under full load, and twice during the races, I felt the back end wiggle a bit, like I was spinning the back tire. It might have been the road, but this is the second time I have felt it lose traction. I am still very satisfied with the tire, much better than Dunlop. And as far as sticking in the corners, the Pilot Roads do an exceptional job for my riding habits. Just my $.02

Carl, Check out this thread. I hope it helps some. I changed my coolant earlier this year, and I became obsessed with finding the best coolant. Here ya go... Linky -Steve

Ed, You want me to go punch that clown in his nose for you ? It can be arranged. Just give the word Ed, and I'll be over at his place in half an hour. I'll bring my LEO friend with me,and scare the shit out of him. -Steve