Motorcycle Forum / General / Technical / March 2007

I have just acquired a motorcycle jack, the kind that lifts the bike
under the engine.  It's by Sears/Craftsman.
It's designed to lift against a flat surface, but the DL650 has very
little of that underneath.  My plan so far is to add a couple of

Last fall my parents brought my Katana from home to Lincoln,
where I go to school.  Dad started it and drove it onto the truck just
fine.  When it got here, it got rained on a bit, not while driving
down the highway.  The water has never hurt it before.  (I know this

I found some factors that contribute to fork seal leaks.
1. The large diameter of the fork leg makes for a very long
circumference, compared to that of the small diameter rod used in a
telescopic shock absorber.

Hi, I have an 84 Honda Interceptor VF500R that was running just fine
in the fall when I winterized it to store it for the winter.  After
getting it out from storage, there seams to be a problem.  It starts
just fine, but when I try to shift it from neutral to first gear, it

I want to do some repairs on my bike fairings but can tell what the
material is.
Reading this article they mention ABS and fiber glass..
http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_9510_hand/

A question about the grooves in the fiber clutch plate of a KZ engine. When
installed properly, the oil grooves at the top of the plate are supposed to
lean counter-clockwise.. aka "\". Can anyone tell me the symptoms that
might manifest if the plate were installed with the grooves ...

I have an '81 Yamaha XS400 with dual Mikuni BS34 carbs. I cleaned the
carbs once before, but then could never get it to idle right. Had to
play with the choke to get it to idle normally, which I didn't want to
try to fiddle with while riding. So I'm at it again:

why they getting hot for in juss 5 min with the key turned to on
position ? plus my brights and high beam indicator stay on in my 91
gsxr 1100 .

Do all clutches vibrate?  My bike and a friend's car vibrate noticeably
while slipping.  I know that the two types of clutches are different, and
for the bike case, if the plates are out of round, this will happen.  I was
wondering if this was a common thing or if this happens ...

I put some old steel-bodied winged logo Koni shocks that I got at a
swap meet on my Norton Commando.  They were a big improvement on my
worn out NJB's, but they're still a bit mushy I'm thinking they could
use a change in oil.  Good news is that they don't appear to leak at

i have the above bike and need to know if anyone can tell me how
many amps the starter is supposed to draw. it is drawing 50 amps with
new good battery. battery voltage stays above 11 volts when cranking,
but my posative wire at the ignition ignightor is dropping to 4-5 volts

How smoothly should a carb'ed bike idle?  I was B-12'ing my F2 and I've been
wondering: it does a sort of rumbly bit where it sounds like it's a bit
starved for air/fuel for a second or two, then revs up another 50-100 rpm
momentarily, then goes back to starved mode.  It's been ...

In my venture to ready my '69 CL350 (two cylinder) for spring, I've
decided to replace the two stock coils. Problem is, I've done a lot of
searching but can't seem to find the answer to a fairly simple
question.

When I turn my key on my 32 amp fuse blows, and I dont have any power at
all.  Battery is charged.  Would it be my regulator/ rectifier? Is there a
good way to check it with a mutimeter?  I couldn't find any spot where wires
were touching the frame or anything.  But I didn't look ...

Greetings. I have a general question and very much grateful for any
feedback.
I have recently moved from the flat midwest to the hilly san francisco
area.