Years ago when I rode a lot of miles, I used to run full white touring fairing and wear a white helmet. It was amusing how uncharacteristically polite some drivers were when they saw me. Sad really, but true.
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Jim's 1980 SG Miss September
- Thread starter Jim
- Start date
Yep. Of course, when every rider tints their headlight we'll be back to square one.So it's been 3 weeks and change since I added the yellow fogs. Since then I've managed to get a ride in every day at various times... morning, full sunlight daytime and evening/dusk. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I firmly believe I'm more visible now.
Riding in the city, cars just naturally pull out in front of you... everyone's in a hurry to go somewhere. It's just a fact of life... 'round these parts anyway. Maybe it's the fogs making me appear closer than I am... dunno. For whatever reason I'm more visible.
Just come back from an hour of puttering around down and in all that time, not a single car forced me to slow down... or even back off the throttle. First week or so I just figured it was my imagination... or wishful thinking, if you will. Now I'm convinced they help.
...and jus' maybe the extra loud exhaust helps a bit...
Just a heads-up to anyone who saw Jim's engine guard and running lights set-up in post # 2476, and was tempted to do the same --More "Tales From the Annual"
The astute among you will remember I took off and sold off the highway pegs I had on the bike.... goin' a different direction....
So here's what I did. Picked up some crash bars from @willis a year or two ago... thanks again Rob!
The primary reason for the change is visibility. I'll explain...
Living in the city has it's benefits and drawbacks. One drawback is traffic. Country roads are close enough to get to, prolly only 4 or 5 miles north and I'm on country roads. But to get there is 4 or 5 miles of city traffic... and fuckin' idiots everywhere. Missouri finally passed a no cell phone while driving law this year. Fuckin' idiot politicians... about time, but it didn't change a thing. people are so used to talking/texting while driving now that it's baked in... didn't stop 'em, not in the least. So it's like a demolition derby out there. Anyway...
LED fog lights now installed and ready to blind any idiot in front of me. And yes, these suckers are bright. Wife watched me come down the road and said they're too bright, they'll piss people off. To which I said, GOOD!!
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They're Amazon specials, so longevity might be a concern, but right now they do exactly what I want 'em to... get an idiots attention. They get excellent reviews, so I'm hopeful. Also picked up an amazon special switch. 'Bout 5 bucks or so.
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While I understand this ain't helpin' the aesthetics of the bike, stayin' alive is more important to me than looks... for obvious reasons.Now I need to find/fab a set of highway pegs that'll work on these bars.
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The reason for the yellow fogs is contrast. From what I've researched, having a white headlight and yellow fogs is the most "attention getting" contrast you can have.
So there you have it... she gets uglier every day... but so do the idiots out there. Self preservation, doncha know?
There's pretty nice condition engine guard that just came up on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/355842033909
I'm tempted to put a bid in, but I have to keep telling myself that the guard would make it very difficult to get my bike through my front door and into my living room, which is also know as my shop...
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Tales from the annual. Ver. 2025
It's that time of year again. Riding season is about here. A few weeks ago I blew all the dust off her and set the petcock to prime. Voltage was 11.2v, so I wasn't hopeful. Like the good girl she is though, she lit off on the first press of the starter... just like she'd run all day yesterday and had a full charge. Was impressed I was. Anyway, time for the annual inspection.
I've had a few little niggles with the clutch last year, so I decided to see if I can make it better. Don't get me wrong, the clutch works better than most, but there's always room for improvement, especially if you're a born tinkerer, right? The main niggle is the system stiction. Anytime you're feathering the clutch it's got a little "hitch" in it when you try and pull it in slightly. Makes it hard to do stuff like riding off a curb or somesuch.
So, off with the pegs, brake lever and shifter so I could pull both sidecovers. First thing I notice is my homemade stomp shifter has rust spots on it. Then I realized I'd never sent it out for chrome after I made it. That was 3-4yrs ago and all it has is spots. I can live with that. For the cost of chrome these days, I'll just polish it up every annual.
Next up I pulled the covers and pulled the clutch apart. As I suspected, there's some grooves worn into the basket where the plates ride. I don't think that's the entire source of the stiction, but at the least it ain't helpin'.
Took a Sharpie and marked both sides of the basket thingies.... their name escapes me at the moment, but marked 'em to keep track of which ones I filed down. Then gently cleaned 'em up with a fine, single cut file.
That done, I put it all back together. Didn't mic the plates. Visually they looked just fine, so back in they went. I remember a few days ago a forum member put up some pics of the basket holder he made for torqueing the countershaft nut. It was a thing of beauty. Mine is outright caveman tooling in comparison, but it does the job. I give you the ubiquitous modified vise grip basket holder.
Torqued to 50 ft-lbs, bent the tab over and put it all back together.... remembering to align the dot and hole even.
Forgot, while it was apart, I removed the two piece pushrod and installed the single piece aluminum rod I made.
Did a few other odds and ends.. desulfated the battery and topped it off. Still strong after 5+ yrs now. Lubed the clutch cable with a drip of my brew of tungsten disulfide powder and 2 stroke oil, though that may prove redundant. Stay tuned.
This annual is a bit different... or at least it feels that way. I'm not sure what this season holds. I've issues I won't go in to right now. If I'm lucky, I'll get another season's fun out of her. If not, she'll go up on the market so someone else can enjoy her... she's not built to sit in a garage in the summer. Either way, she's due an annual.
And Tink wasn't out there with me like she always was. Dogs make the best company. You talk to them like people and they listen attentively... almost like they understand. She's been my garage sidekick for so long I forgot what it's like out there by myself.
I miss you, Tink.
It's that time of year again. Riding season is about here. A few weeks ago I blew all the dust off her and set the petcock to prime. Voltage was 11.2v, so I wasn't hopeful. Like the good girl she is though, she lit off on the first press of the starter... just like she'd run all day yesterday and had a full charge. Was impressed I was. Anyway, time for the annual inspection.
I've had a few little niggles with the clutch last year, so I decided to see if I can make it better. Don't get me wrong, the clutch works better than most, but there's always room for improvement, especially if you're a born tinkerer, right? The main niggle is the system stiction. Anytime you're feathering the clutch it's got a little "hitch" in it when you try and pull it in slightly. Makes it hard to do stuff like riding off a curb or somesuch.
So, off with the pegs, brake lever and shifter so I could pull both sidecovers. First thing I notice is my homemade stomp shifter has rust spots on it. Then I realized I'd never sent it out for chrome after I made it. That was 3-4yrs ago and all it has is spots. I can live with that. For the cost of chrome these days, I'll just polish it up every annual.
Next up I pulled the covers and pulled the clutch apart. As I suspected, there's some grooves worn into the basket where the plates ride. I don't think that's the entire source of the stiction, but at the least it ain't helpin'.
Took a Sharpie and marked both sides of the basket thingies.... their name escapes me at the moment, but marked 'em to keep track of which ones I filed down. Then gently cleaned 'em up with a fine, single cut file.
That done, I put it all back together. Didn't mic the plates. Visually they looked just fine, so back in they went. I remember a few days ago a forum member put up some pics of the basket holder he made for torqueing the countershaft nut. It was a thing of beauty. Mine is outright caveman tooling in comparison, but it does the job. I give you the ubiquitous modified vise grip basket holder.
Torqued to 50 ft-lbs, bent the tab over and put it all back together.... remembering to align the dot and hole even.
Forgot, while it was apart, I removed the two piece pushrod and installed the single piece aluminum rod I made.
Did a few other odds and ends.. desulfated the battery and topped it off. Still strong after 5+ yrs now. Lubed the clutch cable with a drip of my brew of tungsten disulfide powder and 2 stroke oil, though that may prove redundant. Stay tuned.
This annual is a bit different... or at least it feels that way. I'm not sure what this season holds. I've issues I won't go in to right now. If I'm lucky, I'll get another season's fun out of her. If not, she'll go up on the market so someone else can enjoy her... she's not built to sit in a garage in the summer. Either way, she's due an annual.
And Tink wasn't out there with me like she always was. Dogs make the best company. You talk to them like people and they listen attentively... almost like they understand. She's been my garage sidekick for so long I forgot what it's like out there by myself.
I miss you, Tink.
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Is that two brake light modulators I see installed there? Do you/we need two? I just bought some, and enough to install two if need be. I did have one question about the install though (no wiring instructions came with them). I figured that you just connect the red wire in-line with the yellow brake light wire but do you do the same with the ground wires? I ask because the ground also runs to the tail light bulb. Although, come to think of it, I can't see any other way to do it, lol. Unless maybe I ran a separate ground wire to the frame and passed that through the modulator. I was wondering if tapping into the main ground would affect the tail light at all, I guess.
Yes, 2 boxes. The instructions "recommended" one box per bulb. My reasoning was these are cheap assed Chinese boxes. If one failed and killed a bulb, I'd still have the other modulator/bulb working to get me home without a soccer van stuck up my ass.
Yeah, pretty much only one way to wire 'em.... power in, power out. Ground in, ground out.
Fwiw, it's prolly the best ten bucks I ever spent. I've even had cars pull up beside me to tell me just how "irritating" the flashing is. To which I say "yeah, but they got your attention, didn't they?"
Yeah, pretty much only one way to wire 'em.... power in, power out. Ground in, ground out.
Fwiw, it's prolly the best ten bucks I ever spent. I've even had cars pull up beside me to tell me just how "irritating" the flashing is. To which I say "yeah, but they got your attention, didn't they?"
I made a pigtail so the original wiring is untouched.
https://www.xs650.com/threads/product-review-fxc-brake-light-strobe-controllers.58264/
Don’t know why someone would think the flashing is irritating. I have the gizmo on my XS and like it. I’m single bulb though. I should probably put on on the Moto Guzzi before the season begins. I think I saw a spare in my toolbox. Btw they work with led bulbs too.
The ones I used specifically said LED ONLY. No incandescent bulbs. I haven't tried to see if they're tellin' the truth.
I think they're designed for LED bulbs, at least that's how they're labelled. Oh, and thanks for the link to your install Jim, I'll be doing it the same way. I bought a 4 pack of them and now I'm glad I did, lol.
Tales from the annual. Ver. 2025
It's that time of year again. Riding season is about here. A few weeks ago I blew all the dust off her and set the petcock to prime. Voltage was 11.2v, so I wasn't hopeful. Like the good girl she is though, she lit off on the first press of the starter... just like she'd run all day yesterday and had a full charge. Was impressed I was. Anyway, time for the annual inspection.
I've had a few little niggles with the clutch last year, so I decided to see if I can make it better. Don't get me wrong, the clutch works better than most, but there's always room for improvement, especially if you're a born tinkerer, right? The main niggle is the system stiction. Anytime you're feathering the clutch it's got a little "hitch" in it when you try and pull it in slightly. Makes it hard to do stuff like riding off a curb or somesuch.
So, off with the pegs, brake lever and shifter so I could pull both sidecovers. First thing I notice is my homemade stomp shifter has rust spots on it. Then I realized I'd never sent it out for chrome after I made it. That was 3-4yrs ago and all it has is spots. I can live with that. For the cost of chrome these days, I'll just polish it up every annual.
View attachment 346891
Next up I pulled the covers and pulled the clutch apart. As I suspected, there's some grooves worn into the basket where the plates ride. I don't think that's the entire source of the stiction, but at the least it ain't helpin'.
View attachment 346892
Took a Sharpie and marked both sides of the basket thingies.... their name escapes me at the moment, but marked 'em to keep track of which ones I filed down. Then gently cleaned 'em up with a fine, single cut file.
View attachment 346893
View attachment 346894
View attachment 346895
That done, I put it all back together. Didn't mic the plates. Visually they looked just fine, so back in they went. I remember a few days ago a forum member put up some pics of the basket holder he made for torqueing the countershaft nut. It was a thing of beauty. Mine is outright caveman tooling in comparison, but it does the job. I give you the ubiquitous modified vise grip basket holder.
View attachment 346896
View attachment 346897
Torqued to 50 ft-lbs, bent the tab over and put it all back together.... remembering to align the dot and hole even.
View attachment 346898
Forgot, while it was apart, I removed the two piece pushrod and installed the single piece aluminum rod I made.
View attachment 346908
View attachment 346909
Did a few other odds and ends.. desulfated the battery and topped it off. Still strong after 5+ yrs now. Lubed the clutch cable with a drip of my brew of tungsten disulfide powder and 2 stroke oil, though that may prove redundant. Stay tuned.
This annual is a bit different... or at least it feels that way. I'm not sure what this season holds. I've issues I won't go in to right now. If I'm lucky, I'll get another season's fun out of her. If not, she'll go up on the market so someone else can enjoy her... she's not built to sit in a garage in the summer. Either way, she's due an annual.
And Tink wasn't out there with me like she always was. Dogs make the best company. You talk to them like people and they listen attentively... almost like they understand. She's been my garage sidekick for so long I forgot what it's like out there by myself.
I miss you, Tink.
View attachment 346918
Jim, those grooves in the clutch basket didn’t look so bad. I get cleaning them up while you have the opportunity to do so but will that amount of wear noticeably affect clutch performance? When I had mine apart this winter I had similar wear patterns and did clean mine up too. I wish I had thought of the sharpie to help mark the liw spots when filing.
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I don't know the answer to that, Vic. With the bike not running I could feel the notchiness in the lever when I pulled it in. Whether or not the basket was the cause of the stiction is an open question right now.
K thx Jim. I’m hoping on mine it will improve the complete separation of the plates. I’ve always felt the clutch was dragging a bit when the lever was fully pulled. I looked for pics of mine but it looks like I didn’t take any. Maybe that fancy new one piece clutch rod will help too!
Jus' a minor update...
I've been carrying the GN250 igniter box and pigtail in my fork bag. Moved it to the tool tray under the left sidecover. Wrapped it in foam and pushed it in. Nice and snug. And that just happens to be where the TCI connector sits. If the TCI box ever fails out on the road, it's a simple matter of pullin' the cover off, disconnecting the TCI box and plugging the Gonzo box in. A 2 min roadside repair.
I've been carrying the GN250 igniter box and pigtail in my fork bag. Moved it to the tool tray under the left sidecover. Wrapped it in foam and pushed it in. Nice and snug. And that just happens to be where the TCI connector sits. If the TCI box ever fails out on the road, it's a simple matter of pullin' the cover off, disconnecting the TCI box and plugging the Gonzo box in. A 2 min roadside repair.
Originally, Yamaha used a thick o-ring to hold the tool kit in .....
I tried a couple but they didn't last long before breaking. Granted, they were cheapo Chinese o-rings, lol. Then I found the perfect solution at the Dollar Store (should be called the "$1.25 Store" now, lol), heavy duty hair ties .....
These fit perfectly but more importantly, they last.
I tried a couple but they didn't last long before breaking. Granted, they were cheapo Chinese o-rings, lol. Then I found the perfect solution at the Dollar Store (should be called the "$1.25 Store" now, lol), heavy duty hair ties .....
These fit perfectly but more importantly, they last.
On my '76 I did this operation, plus the clutch basket filing that Jim describes, and I can now pull the clutch easily with one finger:
.
Now I want to take my clutch apart to try doing this. It will have to wait a bit until I get some other major tasks out of the way. If careful, could you do this eith a small stone on a Dremel tool?
I knocked the sharp edges off the teeth on the steel clutch plates using a bench mounted wire wheel. I wasn't about to spend the time filing all those little teeth by hand, lol ......
When I install them, I face the rounded edge out. I figure the plates will "float" apart easier that way when you disengage the clutch. I've never filed the sides of the "fingers" on the main hub, I may have to try that.
When I install them, I face the rounded edge out. I figure the plates will "float" apart easier that way when you disengage the clutch. I've never filed the sides of the "fingers" on the main hub, I may have to try that.
Just pulled the clutch back apart. Vic, those plates appear to be made from aluminum. At least mine do. It's easy to round thedges with nothing more than a pocket knife. Just drag it across the edge of the plate tabs and it rounds them off quiet nicely.
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