No doubt these bobbers really are attention getters. As for the jaded Harley rider smirking at the made in China aspect, just politely remind them that a great deal of their bikes were made in China as well.
/M
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No doubt these bobbers really are attention getters. As for the jaded Harley rider smirking at the made in China aspect, just politely remind them that a great deal of their bikes were made in China as well.
/M
do any of you guys use locks or alarms? I am thinking about getting a gorilla alarm or xena disc break alarm
the DF comes with a lock for your front forks, it uses the same key as the ignition and the gas cap. i use it every time i park it. it'll keep someone from riding off on your bike cause they won't be able to straighten the front wheel. i guess if someone really wanted to steal though, it would only take a couple guys to hoist it into the back of a truck.Quote:
Originally Posted by mattbujor
yea the 250rtc has the same lockQuote:
Originally Posted by hooliganboy
Thieves will kick the bars and break the fork lock or a couple big guys will pick it up and run into the back of a van with it.Takes about 3 to 5 seconds.A large bolt cutter will take care of chains or cables if the bike is anchored to something.It only adds 3 to 5 seconds to the theft time.An alarm can be disabled fairly quickly by cutting either battery cable.This adds another 3 to 5 seconds to the theft time.Using all these deterrents,it still only takes 15 to 20 seconds to steal a light weight bike.our local PD had a couple convicted bike thieves demonstrate their techniques.The bigger bikes take a little longer but the same techniques apply.
Wow.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by ben2go
I know.I never had any idea until I attended that demonstration.I was shocked but I learned a lot.My bikes are my escape, and when I am out,I never get out of sight of it.I rarely stop when I ride, except for a stretch, fuel, and food.Quote:
Originally Posted by ktmracer
Bike thieves in Daytona run around in bread delivery vans (like a UPS truck). They spot the bike they want, the rear doors pop open and 4-5 guys jump out, literally pick up the 800 lb bike and 'toss' it into the van. True.
I think the smartest security solution in an urban setting is a rotor lock with a siren. This way, if someone tries to move the bike, a siren will go off drawing unwanted attention (to the thief). And a rotor lock makes rolling the bike away a chore.
Bottom-line, if you can't afford to lose it... don't leave it.
/M
someone commiting a felony for a 2 grand bike seems silly
DanDa ManQuote:
Originally Posted by DanDaMan
Worked for years fighting wrong, "silly" too forgiving of a word. If you think thieves are not serious about wanting your stuff, think again. I gave up to live a normal life. Ten years of ugly was my duty served.
Watch your DR, it represents what many folks desire, simple beauty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DanDaMan
You would be surprised what dope heads will steal to sell or trade to get there fix.I've seen crack heads steal potted plants off peoples porches to try and trade for crack.My friend went on vacation, and when they returned home,all there fresh planted trees and shrubs were gone.Pulled right out of the ground in the wee hours of the morning.No one saw anything.They were in and out in minutes.That's why most of us in the south carry guns.Damn thieves!I'd like to retire the guns and take that weight off me when I go out.
This is so true! Recently in my sister's neighborhood in a middle-class community north of the Golden Gate Bridge, all of a sudden the whole area sounded like a bunch of Harleys converging on Sturgis. Overnight, dozens of cars parked in driveways or on the street had their mufflers disconnected. This was not to steal their mufflers, but their catalytic converters, which crackheads know contain small amounts of platinum and other precious metals and can be traded for maybe $20 down on the waterfront in Oakland.Quote:
Originally Posted by ben2go
Free enterprise being what it is, there's now a shop in her town called The Cat House whose principal business is replacing stolen catalytic converters (and welding them in line) at about $400 a pop.
That's some sick shit.
cheers
in my opinion, people that steal things from other people should have thier hands cut off so they can't steal anything else, and if that's the penalty for theft it might prevent someone from stealing something that might be thinking about it.
on another note, i just ordered a west eagle seat, and some mounting brackets, and some 5 inch springs off of ebay, along with a handlebar mount for my GPS from amazon, pics will be coming as soon as i get them. i should have them all installed by christmas.
has anyone ever done a valve adjustment on this bike or any other similar engine or same engine?
Of course we have.
video at http:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=KVmO9pVFYN8
aye quite easy , open the top make sure find top dead center and adjust valves till you can barely make em "tick" when forcibly rocking em by hand , tightn lock nut , make sure they still "tick" when rock em , put top back on for another thousand miles
tighter is good , but to tight is bad , thats why I say make sure they still tick at least a bit
funny story I called sunny depot and told them about the problem I was having with my bike chugging along then shutting down after riding too long, they told me I needed a valve adjustment and when I asked them about the procedure they told me it was something only a proffessional mechanic should do. what do you guys think?
Here is my recap of what I understood for what I should do:
1/2. make sure engine is very very COLD
1. remove battery connection and turn gas nob( full/empty/reserve ) to empty
2. remove fairings and gas tank if necessary
3. remove spark plug (is this necessary?)
4. remove the big side and smaller top side cranckcase cover
5. remove top engine case.
6. turn the nut in the cranckcase counterclockwise until you see a t mark ( or second mark meaning top dead center ) and align it with another line that will be seen in the top hole that is stationary
7. at this point can take a look at both the valves and check their clearances with a filler gauge ( scooter depot told me intake .006 exhaust .008 )
8. tighten or loosen valves to recommended specs
9. put everything back on and start up
Is this the procedure? necessary to take spark plug off? also is number 6 and 7 correct? I feel like those two steps are the most important and I dont want to mess it up
yea sorry guys just fixing up the bike and almost done gathering everything for the rtc information thread
also which is the exhaust and intake valve? Im assuming the exhaust is the one to the front, the intake the one towards the back
the motor used in the DF bikes and the CCW bikes are very similar, adjust for the different clearances for the bikes but the procedure should be the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by mattbujor
just remember that the intake valve is closest to the carb and the exhaust valve is the one closest to the exhaust pipe.
Good luck
Valve Adjustment
so it sounded right? also before all of this drain the oil right? I just found out the hard way lol by pulling off the flywheel cover and oil started slowly leaking out also thanx a lot for the document looks promising, so how would i know if I am in the compression stroke when setting the timing mark? there is only one tdc mark that I have to align right?Quote:
Originally Posted by Gardo
also what do you guys think about iridium spark plug upgrade? ngk copper plg -2.50 ngk iridium plg -9.09 not that much but my bike does have a very hard time of getting up to temp, even with choke on
NGK Iridium plugs work very well. Any HP gains on what is honestly a fairly mild 250cc would be negligible. That considered, maybe the $3 stock plug is the wiser choice. Mill the head... up the cc... bigger carb & exhaust, then yeah, an Iridium is dirt cheap compared to those other mods.
/M
honestly I did mine like this at 450 miles , I now have 1500 miles on it runs like a dream (had to readjust again about 1200)
1/2 - make sure cold
6 - make sure top dead center
7 - I do this by hand I always have with every pushrod engine ive had tightn till you cant rock and get em to tick anymore , losen 1/8th a turn at a time till get em "ticking" slightly when rocking em vigorusly , tightn down check again to make sure can still make em slightly tick
ride for another thousand miles , or the valve ticking gets unusually loud (there loosening up)
hard getting up to temp , hmm is your plug tip dark ? sound like your a bit rich , tiny screw bottom carberator front side top of the float bowl , give it a 1/4 to 1/2 turn IN , keep adjusting till stop getting a performance boost and back it off 1/2-3/4 a turn as not to be to lean (maybe a full turn or a bit more if run at high rpm's alot)
= to rich bike runs cold to lean it runs hot = to rich it lacks Horse power to lean has best horsepower = but to rich will only foul plugs to lean will damage the valves = have to find the mix between the 2
but be4 all that , did u ever pop the gascap right after it chugged to a stop to have it start right back up ? if so its vaporlock fixed with a hairtie
so you measure the gao by feel? turn the carb screw clockwise right? so your saying the leaner the better the perfomance up until it causes a problem? And yes I have taken the gas cap off but still chugging, if it was a vaporlock issue though how would you fix it with a hairtie?Quote:
Originally Posted by DanDaMan
carb screw IN , really dont recall direction , just make sure in counting turns so can easily be put back as it was
yes the leaner the fuel air ratio the better performance the bike will get but itll run hotter , to lean is very very bad , thats why they set em rich WAY to rich causes no problems except fouling plugs
fuel cap has a baffle on it , put hairtie on it to keep it from seeling tightly to stop vaporlock , but thats not your problem
and yes instead of a gauge I just do it by "Feel" , tight/lossen untill when VIGORUSLY rocking the individual valves they barely tick
will try this method and gauge method to see which one runs betterQuote:
Originally Posted by DanDaMan
mattbujor,
When the engine dies take a small screw driver and open the float bowl drain screw and see if gas runs out.
And so the fun begins...
alleycat,
Nice crate.:lol8: looks better than the one I got with my DF.
Lots of photos please.
if gas runs out? and if it doesnt?Quote:
Originally Posted by barnone
check everything on the bike for warranty/shipping damage claims, loctite everything and dont forget oil change, have fun :)Quote:
Originally Posted by alleykat