New bike, new questions

[Bob Kelly III]

I've had ignition switches mess up in a big way on me before anything from the headlight turning off while going down the road , to
intermittent on and off position..... they need to be cleaned real good and lubed periodically too... so the switch itself could possibly be the culprit. ( unlikely however)
Bob.......

 

[NastyBeads]

It may not be the factory switch then. When I applied power to the switch it was hot on both the first and second positions. I will verify when I get a chance. Would there be any issue with putting everything on the same switch position? This is a bare bones type bike with no other switches besides ignition, and I didnt want to have the lights on at all times.

 

[Bob Kelly III]

in my opinion there is nothing wrong with having everything operating with one switch,....But what your asking is it ok to put all the wires into ONE position of the switch and that is very doubtful.
Having the light on is a safety thing, so other Car drivers can see you and it works very well, motorcycle fatalities dropped a large amount per year when they made that a requirement.... I strongly suggest that you DO have the headlight on when riding , but it's your life do what you want !.
......
Bob.......

 

[650Skull]

I'm confused about only the one switch............a single on/off ignition switch that switches all power on is ok, (some people use a toggle switch to eliminate the key), a single, 1 turn, keyed or toggle type switch is going to run the power to the headlight, (headlight on all the time and before starting). You mention no other switches on the bike. ............Not wanting to have the light on at times with the single circuit switch, there will be a need for a bar on/off light switch.

I like having the light on when riding, We had the on/off option on our bikes here till the end of production, (81), and Europe went a year or 2 later with the same on/off switch. Seems the US and Canada got rid off that in 79.

 

[NastyBeads]

I appreciate the safety breif Bob, but that's not my intention. I always ride with lights on. I want the bike to be able to run (warm up, time, diagnose) without the lights always being on. Anywho, going to dive into the switch today and set timing. When I got it together last night, I couldn't help but get her running and drive down the road about a 1/8 mile for the first time!

 

[NastyBeads]

Skull,

Whatever switch is on this thing is a 2 position keyed switch. First click right now powers ignition to kick start the bike. The idea is, once it's running and warm, click to second position to turn on lights and be on your way

 

[Bob Kelly III]

Makes perfect sense to me , but I don't think the wiring diagrams will give you that option so your going to have to sort out what and where to put each wire I think..... but if you can pull it off it'll be great !
I agree with the headlight off in warmup.... that's always bothered me ...I wish my bike had an on /off switch on it for the headlight but just high and low is all... New fangled contraptions any hoo ! LOL
....
Bob.....

 

[NastyBeads]

So I took her for another shake down run and set the timing. Almost had the brake light fall off because I forgot to tighten it..haha. Only issue right now is it will only run/idle with the choke on. When I take it off, it dies instantly...so now, lights and carbs problems...

 

[NastyBeads]

This is how i got it...I think it's a nice improvement.

 

[650Skull]

hey NB, Off course it looks better, it's now yours........

On the ignition switch, i don't think your idea will be practical. When you turn the key to the second setting for the lights the contacts will disconnect then reconnect. The wiring is not the issue because all that is needed is a jumper wire to keep the loom involved as you go onto the light setting. There is no way to do that without cutting the power to the engine as the key moves across the contacts, it will only be for a split second, but not really a good thing...........Used to do the key off and on again to make the car backfire when cruising around the streets in my youth to scare the shit out off pedestrians........A toggle switch built into the headlight bucket would solve this issue and would look cool on your of bike...........solves the wiring problem

 

[650Skull]

Never could figure the rational behind the headlight on at all time...........Safety........... Bollocks............ when there is no law, (in some states), to make it compulsory to wear helmets................ and in some states where it was compulsory, they rescinded the law............Safety........????.........Yea keep you headlight on not the head protection.............

I feel way more comfortable with a headlight on at all times, and if for some reason the headlight is off i ride more cautiously knowing there is less chance a cager will see me...................I Can't ride without a helmet, even test riding without one i feel vulnerable.

Good to see you are ok with speaking out about safety issues now Bob...........I remember when i was abused for making safety an issue on a thread even if the op was ok with it.

 

[NastyBeads]

Skull, thanks for all the input. I got the wiring sorted out. I ungrounded the headlight and all seems fine now. First click and a kick starts the bike and second clicks brings the lights! Happy with the way it turned out.

Im so pissed about the carbs though. The bike was daily driver and didn't sit long without running. When I got it I pulled the bowls off to check them and they looked great. Used carb cleaner and air just to make sure and checked the floats. It idles good with choke on for a few minutes, then will rev on its own to prolly 3k. I really don't want to pull them off again

 

[NastyBeads]

So I pulled off the carbs to check cleanliness and float height. Floats were a bit high so I set them properly...for sure this time. The bike now idled without the choke. Took her for about a 30-40 mile ride today and everything was great except the high idle. When I got home I went through everything again. Checked the cam chain tensioner, set valves, set timing. When I was doing this I realized when I blipped the throttle it was staying at full advance and giving me the high, hanging idle. Ordered some new advanced springs from mikes and I'm hoping this is another electrical issue masking as carbs.

My other issue/question is, when I pulled the cover off to check the cam tensioner, there was oil in the cover. Is oil supposed to be in there? Once I set it on my last one, I never looked again and don't know if this is normal. I know there is a gasket on the base, so I'm hoping that's ok.

 

[gggGary]

yes the tensioner cover normally has oil Read up on advancer R&R, you may not need, want those mikes springs

 

[NastyBeads]

Gary, ill read up on that. I hope its the springs, I don't really have good "snap" back when I pull them. You can visually see one of the springs doesn't have tension at all when they are relaxed.

 

[5twins]

Even good springs can look that way. The key to proper advance function is to keep it all lubed up, including and probably most importantly, the advance rod that runs through the head. That rod turns in bushings pressed into the ends of the cam and they need to be greased. That allows the rod to turn back and forth easily and smoothly, advancing and retarding the timing. Your old original springs may still work fine once everything is all lubed up. Mine do and they look just like yours, loose when the unit is retracted.

Don't throw your old springs out. There's a good chance you may be putting them back on. There are many reports that the replacement springs from Mike's are no good, too weak right out of the package.

 

[NastyBeads]

great.....cant wait to get them What type of grease do you recommend on the advance rod? I just cleaned and lubed it up when I put everything back in place.

 

[5twins]

The manual recommends a moly grease of some sort. I use VW CV joint grease. It has a very high moly content. With the rod out of the head, if you look at the bushings in the end of the cam, you'll notice the outer one has grooves cut in the I.D. Those are to hold grease so fill 'em up. That will provide a reservoir of lube for several years to come. So, this isn't a service that needs to be performed often (maybe every 5 or 6 years) but it does need doing occasionally.

Smear the entire length of the advance rod with grease too. It's not lubing anything per say, just protecting it from rusting.

 

[NastyBeads]

Thanks twins! When I get the new/and possibly unimproved springs, ill pull the whole thing out again and make sure its got plenty of grease. I'm hoping it is the springs though. Like I said, when you release the weights, they couldn't be much lazier getting back to their spots

 

[gggGary]

A note; the advance mechanism springback will look weak if the points cam has a set of points on the downhill side. I've noticed this a time or two. The spring back has to work against opening the points spring. I kind of think heavy grease on the advance rod may also slow spring back action I tend to use a very light grease, the rod should be clean and smooth also.