Hooplehead

$16 my ass !! I realize this topic is a wee bit old, but the price for the tool is now $55? The extra pin is only $6.50, so the price of THAT steel must not have gone up. Personally Im hoping for a logical answer that doesnt include GREED! Someone tell me theres a repesctable reason for this. I wont by SHIT from a store that gouges prices for sheer greed of profit; at least not that obviously and drastically. Again, correct me if Im wrong, before i just dismiss it and NEVER buy from them in the future. Maybe prices tripling in less than 7 yrs is normal. Shouldnt that replacement pin be around $20 then?

just recieved new tank pads in the mail. I had the stomp grip pads, but found them a tad too aggressive for thiner riding pants. Also, they were so large the edges began to peel. So, jerked them off and cussed something about how retarded expensive they are. I searched for something better and found this. Its small circle pads, but the texture is a tipless diamond. Offers plenty of grip, but no too much. The vinyl is a Tad thinner than stomp, so im gna assume it wont try to roll up at the edges as easily. Adheisive is 3m of course. Best part is, they only cost me $15 shipped. heres an image. I found them on ebay from overseas. http://stores.ebay.com/1729mily Installed fine, no bubbles under film after 1 hr. Rode them with my work uniform on, very mild on the skin but plenty of grip. WIN WIN!

After unmounting the old tire, its O SO OBVIOUS how little rubber is left. The casing is very light and incredibly weak. Im guessing this didnt help matters. Found a shop with a spin balancer. Let me balance my new diablo myself. I checked my rim and tire for runout, all looks good. Didnt take too much weight to get her -zero-. I havent had a chance to get it warmed up, or up to speed yet, but It had much easier turn-in, and vastly softer ride. Gna have to wear the new off her before I check the edges, but soon enough we'll ride and check for that vibration. Just got wife that new qwest helmet with resized cheekpads. Hopefully thatll buy me some touring time. Thanks for all the replies, Ill let ya know if the problem comes back or not. O' btw, all wheel bearing and heaset checked out fine. :icon_thumbsup:

Maybe beating a dead horse here, but anyone got a set of these convertibars, before I spend $500 on new with lines? Thanks

Good advice, had nearly forgotten to check the headset too. I wish there was a speed balance shop near me, but I havent located one. I'll do some callin around.

I cant be perfectly sure about the balance. I know that axle balance trick is slightly better than nothing, but if it was a balance issue, woudnt it present itself at speeds of 30,60,90 and 120 ect...? Anyhow, I KNOW how cars react to imbablance, That, and the bike only diid this the one time recently. Im going to replace the tire just to be sure. Ill check the bearings, prolly just think about getting some just for for good measure. Hell, maybe its the chain that has a couple of tight links? Ill replace it and the rear cush's too. Thanks for replies guys.

Running back from asheville a week ago 2-up, I noticed at about mile 60 of the trip; my bike began to shudder while maintaining 120mph. I know its not tire balance, and its definately not that fine machine of mine. Has anyone else noticed that as their tires wear, they become less speed rated? Was this caused by the heat of the road not being properly disapated with a thinner tire? My rear pirelli is damn near new, but my front pirelli is just now getting into the wear bars on the edges. Has anyone experienced this? As my speed decreased, the vibration went away. The longer I maintained a decent speed, it got more violent. When I first noticed, I pushed up to 130's and it got worse. Figd, I'd see if maybe faster would help... it didnt. Tire pressure is fine, me and the wife weigh 150 per. Any suggestions, other than slow down? I have a new front tire, but am waiting to see if someone thinks its the actual tire brand thats at issue. Heres a pic of the front, anyone think I waited too long to change it, or should I wait longer? NO THEY AINT CUPPED EITHER!!!

I run the pirelli diablo, and have for 3 seasons now. I got about 7k out of the front and about 6k out of the rear. I went with the extended mileage rear, hoping to match the life of the front better. I ride in the mountains only, and rarely like an "old man", so I can't complain about the lifespan. I love the way they react in the rain, however at exteded +120mph, I think the get a little TOO soft. Lets just say the rubber likes to ball up a bit. I am just about to replace my front, it has warn to the bar on the edges. I replace sooner than later, spoiled bitch gets new shoes all the time.

Youve wasted more time thinking and typing than this would take to remedy at an auto tire store. I mount my own tires on the standard machine, aside from scuffs i dont care about (got no pads on machine), its gravy. Anyhow, replacing valves is a matter of lining the bead up on a machine, steppin on a pedal and Pop. While the one bead is compressed, a valve is pulled thru (w/a tool EVERY TIRE SHOP has). The machine I use easily holds the rim secure to reseat the bead. Being a tire that aint brand new, you MAY get away with doing it on the floor. Use a water based lube, and its done. Took me longer to type than to do it at the shop on a 10yr old machine. Prolly had charged you $5. Check the balance with the axle and a cpla blocks while its off. Good luck!

Rewiring the headlamp temporarily will work, just remember a couple things. 1: headlamps use a lot of amperage, so run it thru a relay or make sure the temp switch can handle the load. 2: Unhook the stock wiring from the lamp, just so's you dont back feed a poorly isolated or grounded circuit. Or! Ride during the day, and tape on a flashlight?

I wouldnt attempt this in the rain for sure. If you can find a spot to pull the cowl off, checking and fixing grounds is really not that big a deal. Of course, only worth attempting if youve had the cowling off within the last couple years. If not.....drink a few more beers, if you remember the issue, drink a few more.

I went to a local bike shop, dropped $20 on a tank bag, and been using it for 3 yrs. I dont know the brand, but its got magnets down the bottom and one on each of the four corners. It had to be cheap, and it wont fall off. At high speeds im laying on it anyhow. BUT, magnets and electronics make me kinda wonder. Its faded to brown from black. Personaly I dont like tank covers. Had one on a Katana once, and I hated the way it never stayed smoothly tucked at the edges. I do have a sticker for protecting from belts, and that "stomp" pad stickers for the knee area. I must admit however, for the man with the money and loves to travel, that givi shit looks awesome. Think I saw a really cool full tank cover with snap on bag here somewhere. Anyhow, welcome to the club, enjoy the bike, I love my '97. Black IS the fastest, and nothing like the soulful response of a carb'd beast either.

Ive researched and researched and fiddled on suspension crap for years. Ive learned this much.. I can make it work, but thats about it. Everyone agrees that setup is an art form. Im not an artist. Im inclined to agree with redbird. I hate admitting I cant fix my own shit, so im going to claim im too busy. Find a local guy with a good rep and start small perhaps? Im worried when i do an upgrade, Ill spend a fortune and it wont be shit compared to a pros magic-setup wand. let us know what you decide.

fully charge then test the battery (load testing). now you can eliminate it from the equation. After that, I'd strip the plastic off her, clean her well, and check ALL your ground points for rust of any kind of corrosion. After eliminating that, I'd probably get into the starter power circuit and start testing at starter and work my way back towards the handlebars. Pretty much everything people have already said. Always start with a good battery (tested). Anyhow, sounds like a shorted battery cell or ground issue, since it is affecting the instrument cluster and is intermittant. Last I checked, fuses and fusible links STAY blown. Bad wiring, or even a grounding issue within the starter can be intermit tho. Dont fret, theres not much wiring on bikes, and its all fairly connect-the-dot type shit. Break out the schematics and begin to ponder........ :icon_think:

Ship me the bike, Ill get ya a key. Course gna cost ya the bike to pay me. Seriously, let me know if the seat lock is the same key, sounds like a hella try. A girlfriend of mine, called a locksmith to the house, he used a scope on the cylinder, went in the truck and came out with 3 working keys. Cost her $100 if i recall correctly.

You aint kiddin'! I had a set of the stainless and you wanna talk about loud! I traded for the stockers cuz the local cop could hear her warmin up across town, and it gave him time to get in the car. Aside from being heard from behind for about 3miles at night, they really look trick and seemed to open up quite a bit of throttle response. Hope they are well used! Gratz on the sale

Someones gotta say it... Buy a new tire when you can. I repair car tires by the 1000's each year, and a pull thru patch/plug from the inside is almost fail safe. Hell, even the insurance company stands behind it for the life of the tire. HOWEVER, they will not stand behind a push thru plug. But, even my cheap ass would only use a plug as a temp fix. I dont give a shit if the tire has 10miles on it, it gets a hole, it gets a tire.....PERIOD! Ive missed on oportunities before because Im retarded like that. I just cant see me putting my faith in a patch, while running at high temps and high speeds. Maybe im a damn snob and my 20k a yr salary must be too much, but eating 1 guardrail would likely cost more than a new tire. Hey, someones gotta be too fukn paranoid around here dont they?

Hon da bikes, dirt or street, like to start. Need we say more?

Holy crap!! That scares the shit outta me. What if that had come apart at say ummmmm a buck forty-five? Even at interstate speed, that could have been catastrophic. So glad your boy is paying attention to his bike. Sometimes its easy to forget that you're putting your life in the hands of a piece of equipment. Even better, he wasnt hurt, and is probably loving his new set of rubbers. Thanks for the heads up, I was contemplating Avons at one time, glad i didnt buy. A friend had a set on an old ass cruiser. I do believe the rear came apart kinda early in its life. But you know how hard an 80's shadow can be on tires..haha

Only just over 20k here, but the rubber is still 13yrs old. Between this, and a new chain, should be a younger lady again. Thanks for the info!

:icon_thumbsup: +1

Weld that shit. Hell, you could even just brazen it. I wouldnt even worry about taking it off the bike or draining your gas or some time consuming shit like that. Perhaps some duct tape until you can borrow a welder or torch?

Turn it ito a trick bike. some well placed frame shrooms and krylon

Uh oh. I went on a 300 mile trip and got back with cord showing on my rear diablo. WTF! This tire has just barely 2,500mi on it and I have NEVER done a burnout or skid to a stop! I only weigh 150lbs and my rider (20% of the time) weighs the same. This tire had awesome traction and I loved the ride, but 2500mi? Im scared to change because I can't deal with less wet traction . Someone convince me the strata (or another compound) rear will give me better tire life w/o losing the rear as my knee grazes the pebbles. Found this review linky Pirelli tire review

Sounds controlled by speed. Disconnect speedometer and run it. At least then you'll know if its a limiter or not. 118mph, may as well get a ninja 250. :icon_bs: