A Michigan Rider's Motorcycle Blog

Aluminum Brazing

2011-01-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

I guess you'd call it brazing anyway. I got these Alumniweld rods from Harbor Freight the other day and decided to try them out last night. Alumniweld is a brand but I think there are a few different brands all selling the same so who knows who the original maker is. If you look at Alumniweld's website you'd probably never buy a rod from them because it looks and feels like an elementary kids did it but they worked fine as you'll see below. This looks like the same product with a little better site: http://durafix.com/ and some videos if you wanted a little more info. on it.

I started with some aluminum angle I had that had a notch cut out of it. I cleaned it with a stainless steel wire wheel before starting.

This is after I was done filling with aluminum.

This is after I ground it down smooth with a angle grinder.

I was very impressed at how well it held up and filled. Honestly, I was expecting the filled area to go flying out when i touched my grinder to it but it was solid and ground down just like the aluminum would have. There was a little bit of a learning curve to get the part heated just right to get the rod to melt but it took me about 10 minutes tops to get the hang of it. I have no clue on the structural strength of this stuff but I'd feel comfortable using it on anything cosmetic. I have a chunk missing on part of my motorcycle motor casing that I'm going to try this procedure on to fix, as long as I can get to the area easily.

Route for 2011

2011-01-04T13:30:00.001-08:00

I found this route online and think it might be the first route I try out this year. Looks like a nice quite back road sort of route so it should be fairly nice.

The Blue Gang

2010-12-22T04:55:00.000-08:00

This seems all too common anymore.

http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/state-police-lieutenant-under-investigation-by-own-department

At least someone out there is not letting it slide. Props to that at least.

Building a workbench

2010-12-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

I finally got sick of using the shaky, flimsy, junky workbench that was in the garage when we moved in so I decided to build a new one that was more sturdy and bigger. I took the plans from here: http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/workshop/bench/below20xl.html and tweaked them for what I wanted and added more bracing and made it out of 2x6. Basically I made two benches. Both 30" wide but one is 8' long and the other 5.5' long. I'm putting the two together to form an "L" shape for a corner bench. On the 8' section I will have a shelf under it to store items on but on the 5.5' section I braced it a little different so the front is open without a shelf. I'll use this to store items on the floor like my floor jack or welding cart. I'll get some pictures up once it's all complete. Oh, and I cut up most of the old 2x4 bench and used some of the wood for bracing.

Originally I was planning on making the bench out of steel. This would of made a heavier and sturdier bench for sure but it would of also cost 6 times what a 2x framed bench cost. This one will be plenty strong for the work I do.

Sonny Barger's "Let's Ride"

2010-12-07T07:57:00.001-08:00

I just finished reading this book. It's a great book for anyone new or thinking about motorcycling and a good read for even the advanced riders. Sonny Barger, one of the founders of the Hell's Angels M/C, writes about everything from what to look for when buying a new bike, beginner and advance riding techniques and even tips on joining a motorcycle club. This was the first book by Barger that I've read and I'm looking forward to reading more of his books.

Cold!

2010-11-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

Bikes all done and now it's too cold to ride. Too cold for me anyway.

Almost done

2010-10-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

Well, my winter project looks to be done before winter even hits. Knock on wood. This weekend my dad and I got the carbs back on the bike, the coolant system back together and got it running. At first the bike did not want to start and the battery was pretty dead. But once we got it running and got the idle speed adjusted properly it ran really well, knock on wood again. It seems to fire up instantly now and the throttle seems much more responsive. I need a new choke cable, mine is busted, but luckily it seems to start up without the choke now so I might just wait on that and just get one when I get the new battery. Hopefully when Spring comes the bike fires right up and I can head out and enjoy it without having to do a single thing to it. Fingers crossed. I'm hoping to get it out a few more times this year. I for sure want the carbs synced but I have to find either someone I trust to do it or someone with a carb sync tool that trust me to use it. It was a learning experience for sure and not only did I learn how to almost tear this bike down to the frame but I also learned I need to look harder when buying a used bike. LOL Although i still would of taken this bike because I love it. Hopefully no more surprises.

Honda East in Toledo Ohio

2010-10-20T04:50:00.000-07:00

I have to give credit to Honda East in Toledo Ohio. I've bought a few parts from them over the years and they are always very helpful and easy to deal with and just generally on top of things. I live around Detroit, MI and refuse to do business with any of our local dealers any more. Our local dealers are rude, pushy, and never helpful. And if you have to order a part or drop something off for service, like wheels or tires, good luck getting a call to tell you they are in or done. Honda East always called me when the part got in and I'd go get it and was always met with great service. I just ordered some carb parts off of their site. It was the first time I've ordered from them online. I got an email every step of the way and it was fast! Got an email to confirm the order, got another one to say the ordered had been processed, another one to say the shipping label was printed and the last one saying the package shipped. I did not need to call them every day to find out what was going on, it was nice.

Check them out if you need ANYTHING and that includes new and used bikes. I've never bought a bike from them but I know a lot that have and keep going back.

http://www.hondaeasttoledo.com/

p.s. Their prices are the lowest I could find as well so that is a huge plus!

Publish Post

Front End

2010-10-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

Got the front end of the bike back to stock height. No more flat footing at stops but I think it'll handle better and the front and rear are what they should be now. We'll see how it goes. It might get lowered again. LOL

Front Axle Tool

2010-10-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the little 19mm tool I made. The head of the bolt goes into the axel and the two axel and a 19mm socked goes on the bolts. Or visa versa.

I did not want to spend the time or money hunting down a 19mm hex socket or an actual axle tool so I threw this together from what i had in the garage, complete with paint to math my frame. :p

Painted the frame

2010-10-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

Since I had the bike pretty much torn apart I decided to paint the frame. I chose to go with Dupli-Color "Graphite". it was close to the stock frame color but a little more silver/grey. I'm really happy with the way it came out. I also got a set of stock dog bones from a guy on the FZ1 forum and raised the bike back up to stock height in the rear. This weekend I'm going to try and get the front raised back up to stock as well.

Here are pics of the frame paint:

Bike is done for the season...

2010-10-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

I've been having a gas leak problem on the bike so I finally decided to put the bike away for winter already and start pulling it apart. Got the carb bank off and found that ALL 4 carbs had cracked float bowls to to over tightening of the drain bolt. The #3 bolt was in so tight I can't get it out and the #4 bowl had silicone in it to try and seal the cracks. WTF?! Of course the bowls are like the only part on the bike that you can no longer buy so it looks like this winter I'll be trying to find either new bowls or new carbs.

FZ1 "Project"

2010-09-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

Not really a project but here is a list of things I've done to the FZ1 so far and some plans to come:

Wired the rear brake light to act as tail, brake, and turn signals
Got a set of bar end mirrors
Added a Fiamm Highwayblaster horn
Fixed the throttle from sticking

Things on the way

Have a new clutch lever and perch coming, the stock one was loose
Have a set of Driven grips on the way
Have a set of LED front turn signals coming

This winter

I plan to rip out the emissions junk and while I have the radiator off I'll change the plugs
I might do a new handlebar or repaint the current one, if so I'll do it before I do the grips
New brake lever

And I think that is it. I want to do as little as possible on the bike because I want this to start a street fighter / naked bike and don't want a lot of junk on it and I don't want to get into modding it and dumping a bunch of cash into it. Then hopefully come Spring ride it more. LOL

Carbon Fiber Is For Strength And Weight Reducion

2010-09-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

A little ranting...

I sort of thought that the carbon fiber fad was dying, until I was reading a motorcycle forum today. One guy is using stick on vinyl carbon fiber looking decals over a bunch of parts and another guy is applying real carbon fiber over his fuel tank and other various parts. I could see if you were actually replacing your stock parts with pure carbon fiber parts and was doing it for weight reduction. But these posers that use it just for looks drive me nuts. Ok, sure, it used to be cool to see carbon fiber parts years ago because they where expensive and rare. Then you had every kid in a Dodge Neon and Honda Civic getting junky carbon fiber hoods off eBay for $300 shipped and the rest of them buying rolls of carbon fiber decals. And I'm willing to bet less than 1% of those ever TRULY got the hoods for weight reduction. Now it's not even "cool" to see a REAL carbon fiber parts on a car or bike so why are people still doing the fake thing?

The guy was not a flake!

2010-08-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

Hahaha! The guy I traded bikes with ended up riding his FZ1 an hour down to me last night. Very nice guy and I love the new FZ1 so far. I won't be able to really take it out until this weekend after it's registered though. :( I've never really been attached to a bike but I will admit it was sort of sad seeing the Vulcan driving off. I always knew it was loud but never really how loud until we listened to the new owner riding off for blocks. LOL Well, here is the new bike, 2001 Yamaha FZ1.

Possibly a new bike coming...

2010-08-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

After putting in all of the work into my Vulcan and getting it to where I wanted it, it makes sense to get rid of it and get something else right? Seems to be my pattern anyway. I think I've liked working on bikes more than riding them but now I'm getting to the point where I just want to ride and not have something that I feel the need to modify year round. My goal was to sell my bike and use the money to build an early 70's Honda chopper for a winter project. But a guy emailed me this week that got me thinking in a totally new direction. He offered to trade me for his 2001 Yamaha FZ1. I almost said "no thanks" but after thinking about it and reading up on the FZ1 I think it'd be a perfect bike for me. He's done some modding to it already and I don't see myself doing much more to it. It'll be a bike I can walk past in the garage and say, "I'm going for a ride!", instead of "What can I do to the bike next?" I love projects but sometimes the bikes end up being in constant project mode. So, I'm really hoping this guy does not flake out on me and hopefully the exchange happens this weekend. I've never been on a FZ1 but I can't find a single bad review on it so I'm excited to get on it. If I hate it I'll sell it come Spring and be back to square one.

But what to do this winter when I'm stuck in the house? I think I'm going to try my hand at building custom handlebars. I was going to build a set of ape hangers for the Kawasaki this winter but instead I might just start tinkering with building some generic bars and see how they turn out. Who knows, maybe I can end up selling them and having a little side business.

To be continued....

Michigan riding roads

2010-07-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

Man it sucks to hear people coming back from vacation in the southern states bragging about how great the roads are for riding on and how scenic the rides where. We have VERY few of those roads in S.E. Michigan and the ones we do have end up being packed with cars, motorcycles and bicycles on any given nice day.

Police and Fireman

2010-06-18T04:46:00.000-07:00

I'm sooooooo sick of hearing cops and fireman piss and moan about taking pay cuts and layoffs lately. If you would not of milked the cities dry for years, with your pensions and b.s. over time, you'd not be in this situation. It's funny to see all of these cops out writing tickets and actually getting out and doing work to try and justify their jobs.

Weather finally breaking!

2010-05-19T11:58:00.001-07:00

Finally it looks like the rain is going away and the nice weather is finally starting to get here! I can start riding in my shorts and flip flops again!
Kidding!

I need a helmet or jacket to match my bike...

2010-04-22T04:59:00.000-07:00

These people crack me up when they are more interested in finding a helmet or jacket to match the color of their bike over a helmet or jacket that offers any function. I had a yellow and black helmet for years and never had a yellow and black bike. But here is a little tip...If you REALLY want to have gear that matches the bike you ride.....Buy a Harley! You'll be in heaven! You'll be able to get "riding" gear everywhere from the Harley dealer to K-Mart! You'll be able to suit up so that EVERYTHING matches from your sucks to your helmet.

Finished!

2010-04-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics from tonight that I promised.

Been a while

2010-04-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've had the time to update this blog. Since my last update I've done a few things to the bike.

Got a set of Avon Venoms in wide white wall from and installed by DTP Muscle in Northville, MI.
Installed a Tour Master tool bag I got from a guy selling it on one of the forums. I've actually had this bag for a long time now and just could not make up my mind on where I wanted it mounted. I ended up mounting it right above my headlight, which I think was the best choice.
Removed the 4" baffles. The bike was blowing some black smoke (running rich) so I figured it had to be from the baffles. I removed them and instantly the smoke went away. So the bike is running on straight pipes only. It's loud but sounds sweet. Hopefully I can get by without a ticket.
The bike was running like junk so I drained the tank and put in fresh gas. Seems to run fine now. Why I don;t drain the tank and carb every winter I have no idea. It's so easy to do on my bike but yet I don't. I've tried Stabil and Sea Foam but still have troubles come Spring, although Sea Foam does seem to work the best.

I've also learned a very important lesson. When using Dyna Beads to balance the tires...they are NOT all equal. I picked up some Dyna Beads from the local Jeep store and found out the hard way that the Dyna Beads for cars are HUGE compared to the ones for bikes. I somehow managed to get 2 ounces in the front tire though but had the rear balanced old school.

I should have pictures to upload tonight of the bike, as it now sits, ready to ride.

Finished....for now

2010-02-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

Here is the bike all done now. New Harley headlight and rear Blue Collar Bobber rear fender. If I still have this bike next winter I'll probably lower it.

License plate bracket

2009-12-17T10:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my new welds with my Hobart 125EZ. It's for a license plate / brake light bracket for my Vulcan.

Hobart Handler 125 EZ Review

2009-11-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

I got my 125 EZ Friday night. I must say, I love this machine. It's been about 14 years since I've welded, if not longer and I'm picking it back up pretty well. My dad is a welder for a living and he came over to get me going and he was really impressed with it too. It didn't do 22 gauge too well, blew right threw it for the most part, but it did 16 gauge to 3/16" really well. I ran a small bead on some 3/16" I had and tried to break the weld by putting it in the vise and smashing it with a hammer and it would not budge. I also welded some motorcycle exhaust together, it came out really bad looking but it would not bust apart. I just need more practice welding on curves / pipes I think.

Self Assembling Suzuki GSXR

2009-11-10T17:03:00.000-08:00

Are all HD riders fags?

2009-11-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

According to Southpark they are:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/251889/

Exhaust is completed

2009-11-02T07:26:00.000-08:00

Here is the exhaust on the bike. I'll try and get some video this weekend. We ran the exhaust without any baffles and then installed these 4" baffles I got from JC Whitney. Without the baffles the bike sounded really mean and really loud, however it popped some. After installing the baffles the bike got a tad bit quieter but sounds mean still. I'm really pleased with how it all came out, looks and sound.

As you can see I've also removed the emblems from the tank. It looks so much cleaner now.

Pipes

2009-10-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

Got the pipes back from sandblasting and got them primered and painted in Dupli-Color Engine Paint. I ended up going with semi-gloss black. They came out really nice. All the new hardware is in as well so this weekend I plan on getting the pipes wrapped in heat wrap and on the bike. I'll try and get pics tonight.

Exhaust

2009-10-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

Here is the exhaust cut and ready for the sandblaster.

Fender and Exhaust

2009-10-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

Got the new fender in. I ended up with the Blue Collar Bobber fender kit. Was more than I wanted to pay but it's direct bolt on and looks the best I think. I was a little worried about it being fiberglass but it's really thick and rigid. I'm happy with it. I got it test fitted and everything and now just need to wait until I can get it to my buddy Todd for paint. He's going to paint it the OEM color that's on the tank.

I cut the chrome off the exhaust this week. The exhaust looked all chrome but it was just one long heat shield basically. So now I'm left with 2 rusty pipes. This weekend I'm cutting the pipes down to the size I like, thinking of cutting them on an angle but not sure yet. Then I'm going to have them sand blasted. after sand blasting I'm goign to paint t

Publish Post

hem with high temp black paint and wrap them in black heat wrap so just the ends are exposed. I'm also going to try and find some removable baffles so that I can quiet it down when I want.

I'll try and get updated pictures this week / weekend.

License plate / brake light bracket

2009-10-19T17:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the license plate / brake light bracket I made. Just used 16 gauge flat steel and bent and cut on it. Painted it gloss black and bolted it up. The light is a simple trailer light that acts as a daytime running light as well. I've been told that I'd need a gusset or it could eventually break. I'll keep my eye on it next spring and see how it holds up.

Fender

2009-10-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

I've been heading toward the direction of doing a 6" flat fender from a fender blank and having it painted to match the bike. But the more I think about it and the more flat fenders I see on Vulcans I think I'm going to bite the bullet and just get the bolt on fiberlgass rear fender kit from Blue Collar Bobbers. That way I don't have to worry about not being happy with it after it's all been painted and done.

Blue Collar Bobbers

2009-10-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

I have to give HUGE props to BlueCollarBobbers.com ! i emailed them to tell them that the kit did not fit the Drifter. I got it to fit with some work and could not use two of the parts but it was just not direct bolt on. I just wanted to let them know in case another Drifter guy came through. They gave me a $50 credit because of it and told me don't worry about sending the other parts back! I'm not going to do that though. I'm going to send them the parts I could not use back so they can use them and toss in some of the products I make in too to show my appreciation.

New seat

2009-10-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Ordered a Vulcan seat kit from Blue Collar Bobbers . The quality of their kit is awesome but the Drifter is different from a standard Vulcan so I had to do some cutting and stuff. Also you can see how I relocated the stock turn signals.

Bobber Project

2009-10-04T17:52:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics as the bike is right now:

Bobber Project

2009-10-04T17:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics as the bike is right now:

Bobber Project

2009-10-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well I've got the rear fender off my Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter and I'm officially done riding for the year. I sold my stock seat within an hour on eBay and will be ordering a LaRosa seat for it this week, if not tonight. Since I'm doing this project on the cheap I did not want to go out and spend $100+ on some tail light and license plate relocate bracket. So what I decided to do is buy a round 4" trailer light with the clear window to light up a license plate. For the bracket I'll attempt to make one myself with a sheet of steel. I don't want to be one of those riders that thinks the more money you dump on parts the better they will be or the better the bike will be. I'n my opinion there is no need for a $100+ steel bracket with a Chinese made brake light when you can get the same thing at the trailer store for $5.00 and make a bracket the cost of a piece of sheet metal.

I'll try and get pics of the bike as it sits now up this week.

Grip Tuning Body Kits in our eBay Store!

2009-09-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

We are now selling Grip Tuning Body Kits!
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Daniels-Customs__W0QQ_armrsZ1

Clean Your Interior Before Winter

2009-09-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't keep a clean interior year round I highly suggest giving your interior a really good cleaning before winter comes. Your car will be a mess after winter so the cleaner it is before the easier it will be to clean after. Also, I highly recommend some QUALITY rubber mats. The kind that won't let snow and salt onto your carpets.
Of course, this is not intended for you people who are lucky enough to never see snow. :p

2009-09-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

We are now a dealer of Kraft / Tech Motorcycle Parts. So if there is anything you guys need from Kraft / Tech let me know.

You can see most of their parts here.

http://www.krafttechinc.com/

If you need anything just email us at orders@danase.com

Danase Detailing Products

2009-09-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

WebBikeWorld reviews Danase Detailing Products. These are the only things to touch my cars and bikes.

Cycle Source Magazine

2009-09-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

I just picked up a copy of Cycle Source and it's a really good blue collar grass roots style magazine. I highly recommend it.

So long Milwaukee Iron

2009-08-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.milwaukeeiron.com/ I've always loved their bikes and just found out they are closing their doors. We wish you all the best in whatever the future brings.

Sons of Anarchy

2009-08-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

Sons of Anarchy Countdown

Harley to sell in India

2009-08-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

Harley-Davidson to sell motorcycles in India

By DAN STRUMPF (AP) – 6 hours ago

NEW YORK — Harley-Davidson Inc. said Thursday it will begin selling motorcycles next year in India, the world's second-largest motorcycle market, where the company hopes its iconic, heavyweight bikes will find a niche among the country's rising middle class.

The Milwaukee-based company said it has established a subsidiary near Delhi and has begun scouting the country for dealers.

"Given the rapid development of India's economy and physical infrastructure, this is exactly the right time to bring the world's greatest motorcycles to one of the world's largest motorcycling nations," said Mark Levatich, Harley's chief operating officer, in a statement.

India is the world's largest market for motorcycles behind China, but it is overwhelmingly dominated by smaller, inexpensive bikes used primarily for transportation, said Dilip Chenoy, director general of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

Still, Harley said the country's growing economy, rising middle class and expanded highway construction has created a market for leisure motorcycle riders.

"Motorbikes, scooters in India are family commuting bikes," Chenoy said. "They tend to be more robustly built and the focus is on fuel economy, but there is an increasing market for leisure and high-end bikes which is beginning to happen here in India."

The move marks Harley's latest push into developing markets overseas, where it hopes rising incomes and the company's strong brand identity will spur sales and help offset flagging business at home.

International sales have made up a growing part of Harley's business. In 2008, motorcycle shipments in the U.S. fell 15 percent to 206,000 units while international shipments climbed 9 percent to 97,107.

Shares of Harley-Davidson closed Wednesday at $21.95. The stock has gained 29 percent since the start of the year, as investors begin to see a recovery in demand after a wrenching drop in sales during the U.S. recession.

Gloves

2009-08-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

My gloves arrived yesterday evening and of course it's beenr aining all day today. Hopefully tomorrow I can try them out.

Olympia Gloves

2009-08-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

I just ordered up a set of Olympia Gloves. I've never used them but they seem to get good reviews. I'll keep everyone posted. I ordered large which is the size I wear for my Joe Rocket gloves so hopefully these fit...like a glove. HAHAHAHA! Ok, I'll shut up. Here are the ones I got:

760 - AIR FORCE GEL

Washable synthetic leather palm offers great durability
Full Mesh back that allows maximum air flow while riding
Padded, nylon stretch knuckles & fingers for flex and protection
Gel padding for maximum comfort
Perforated neoprene cuff & strap keeps your wrist cool
Terry cloth sweat wipe on back of thumb
Reinforced nylon stitching
Adjustable Velcro strap

Sons of Anarchy Returns September 8th!

2009-08-19T06:55:00.000-07:00

Sons of Anarchy Returns September 8th!
I can't freaking wait!

Dyna Beads

2009-08-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a short ride. Nothing over 50 mph. The Dyna Beads seem to be doing the trick. No shaking or anything.

Kawasaki Drifter 800 Rear Fender For Sale - Complete!

2009-08-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

I was planning on selling my rear fender this winter but figured I may as well post it up now in case someone is looking for one now.

It's the complete rear fender for a Drifter 800. Fender is OEM Kawasaki Pearl Black. The turn signals, brake light, wiring harness, chrome "bumper", is all included.

I'm asking $450 OBO for it all plus whatever shipping would be, unless you wanted to pick up Downriver. For shipping I will only ship this through UPS and will insure it for the full cost.

Rider Perception Test

2009-08-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

Take the Rider Perception test from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF).
http://www.msf-usa.org/riderperception/

UPS

2009-08-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

UPS is supposed to be delivering the Dyna Beads today! We shall see how well they work. I'm going to attempt to put them in my rear tire, with a 90 degree valve stem bend, while installed on the bike. I have a feeling this won't be fun with my huge Drifter fender, which is for sale by the way!.

I'll keep an update.

Michigan Motorcycle Community

2009-08-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know about our web forums.

TwoWheelMichigan.com

Dyna Beads to balance wheels

2009-08-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm putting my bike back together this week. I took off the wheel weights to clean the wheels up nice and decided to give Dyna Beads a try. I've read a hundred post about them online and not one bad thing. http://www.innovativebalancing.com/motorcycle.htm
I'll keep you posted with my reviews once they arrive and I get them in.

Front fender

2009-08-10T18:39:00.001-07:00

I took the front fender off and put the front tire back on without it. I think it looks pretty good. I'll probably run it this way the rest of the season and see how I like it. The bad part about the rear is that if I go with the bobber fender I'll either need new exhaust or need to cut the current ones. I totally did not think about it but the current exhaust is made to go to the rear of the fender. With the big fender gone the exhaust would stick out past the rear tire like 6"-8". We'll see how it looks on Thursday. I plan on getting the rear wheel back on then and see what it looks like without the fender.

Front fender

2009-08-10T18:39:00.000-07:00

Am I nuts?

2009-08-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

I have a 2002 Vulcan Drifter 800. I love the bike. I love how it draws a ton of attention and everything. However, I have a love hate relationship with my fenders. you know, the huge Indian looking fenders. They look alright but they make checking the air pressure, cleaning the wheels and tires, checking the brakes, inspecting the chain and lubing the chain and huge pain in the rear. I LOVE bobbers so I'm thinking of ditching the fenders for smaller bobber style ones. I'm thinking of running no front fender for the rest of the season and if I like that then working this winter to get a bobber fender mounted in the rear along with mounting a new rear brake light, turn signals, and license plate holder. So far everyone has told me I was nuts and I should sell the Drifter and get a regular Vulcan to do that stuff to. The thing is, I have the Drifter, got it for a song, and put a lot of work into cleaning the bike up and getting it ready. I don't want to have to deal with selling and buying a new bike to work on. Anyway, I'm sure a lot of think I'm crazy for wanting to chop up a Drifter but I'm really thinking it'll look sweet when I'm done.

Drifter fenders

2009-08-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

I love my Vulcan Drifter 800 because there are not many on the road and it stands out amongst the other bikes. But, I'm starting to hate the fenders more and more. It makes it a paint to lube the chain, check the tire pressure, inflate the tires, clean the wheels and tires and so on. Right now my bike is sitting in the garage up on the stand with the wheels off. I REALLY liked the look of the bike without the rear fender. I'm thinking this would make a really sweet bobber bike.

Finally, new tires coming!

2009-08-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Well, this week I found a coupon for the Harbor Freight motorcycle jack and went and got it. It lifts the bike up fairly well too. This weekend I'm going to pull the wheels off, hopefully remembering to take pictures and do another writeup, and post a how-to article. Hopefully next week I'll be able to get the new tires thrown on at Honda East down in Toledo.

Installing a jet kit on a Kawasaki Vulcan 800.

2009-08-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

This process is what I had to do on my 2002 Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter 800. It should be the same for all 800 models from what I can tell. Also, some Harley Davidson bikes use this same carb, or a very similar one from the same manufacturer, so this should help the Harley crowd out as well.

I used a DynoJet jet kit part# 2186. I have a K&N filter and Hard - Krome pipes on the bike. For the most part, any jet kit you get will be done exactly like this.

Your first order of business is to remove the carb from the bike. Sorry I do not have a write up for that but it wasn't that hard.

With the carb off the bike take it to a work bench or table. There will be some springs and smaller parts so don't do it over grass or gravel or something silly where you'd lose a part if it fell to the ground. Or maybe stopping in the middle of your product to crawl around on the ground for an hour looking for a part the size of a needle is your thing?

Now, let the fun begin!

Needle Installation

The first step in removing the needle is to remove the black plastic cover, outlined in yellow in the image. It's held in by 4 phillips head screws. Be sure to use the correct size screwdriver on these. Mine were a little tight and I could see these being a possible disaster is you stripped them.

Once the cover is off here is what you'll see.

Remove the spring, shown above, and the vacuum piston, shown below. Inside the vacuum piston there will also be a needle and a plastic needle holder.

This is what you should be left with.

In this picture I've outlined in yellow, the needle, and needle holder. The vacuum piston is the item in the upper right corner of my work mat.

Next you'll take the new needle, spacers, and e-clip, included with the jet kit, and follow the instructions. The new needle will have several grooves cut into the top of it. For my application, it called for an e-clip in the #3 groove with 2 washers resting on top of it.

You can now reassemble the vacuum piston, needle, needle holder and cover. The installation is simply the opposite of removal.

Jet Installation

Now for the installation of the new jet.

First, turn the carb upside down and locate the 4 phillips head screws, circled in yellow below, holding the float bowl on. Remove the screws using the proper screw driver making sure not to strip them.

Once the screws are removed simply remove the float bowl. Below is what the carb will look like with the float bowl removed. I've circled the jet in yellow.

The old jet is easily removed using an open wrench and the new jet is simply screwed right back into the same threads the old one came out of. Some kits come with different size jets so be sure to read the instruction to determine what jet to use. The jet size should be stamped right on the jet.

Put the float bowl back on and secure it with the 4 screws and move onto the next item.

Pilot (Fuel Mixture) Screw Adjustment

The final step to the jet kit install is to adjust your pilot screw. If you skip this step you'll have a very poor running bike.

First, turn the carb upside down and locate the metal mixture screw cap ,circled in yellow in the next two pictures. Once the cap is located drill a hole in it (the jet kit comes with the drill bit). NOTE: STOP DRILLING THE SECOND IT GETS THROUGH THE CAP OR YOU'LL DAMAGE THE MIXTURE SCREW UNDER IT!

Next screw a screw (the jet kit came with a screw) into the hole, just enough to bite into the cap.

The yellow box in the picture below shows the screw in the hole.

Next, use a pair of pliers to grab onto the screw and pull. The cap should pop right off with ease.

Once the cap is off adjust the screw per your instructions.

Ta-da! Your new jet kit is in and all that is left to do is toss the carb back on and enjoy a smooth running bike!