New trick

[kiawrench]

when doing a frame up restoration on your vision-- have a dry work environment, this will allow you to properly position and secure your sleeping pad and sleeping bag, as the wife (version 2.0 esp) may refuse to allow the use of large quantities of wobbly pop and foul language as work progresses.
  Also , a secure storage point for the then required items of sustenance, as she will also most likely refuse to cook anything until you are either done with the bike, or it has been parted out and is truely gone.

[Aelwulf]

One reason I don't have any version of wife.  Not yet anyway... :-\

[Tanno]

Been doing this for many years in all my cars and bikes: (1) Put 1/4" layer of baking soda on the floor of the battery holder box.  (2) Before or after installing the battery (I prefer before) dump copious amounts of baking soda all over the top of the battery. Leave baking soda in place until next time battery is removed.  Baking soda kills battery acid=no rust/corrosion.


VERY IMPORTANT TIP:  Before opening the battery cell caps for any reason, throughly wash all baking soda off of the top of the battery.  Then, open the cell caps.  Failure to remove all traces of baking soda from the top of the battery could lead to baking soda falling into an open cell with bad ju ju results.

I found it easier to ensure the connections are always good. Corrosion is caused by bad connections. I've never had corrosion issue at any battery in my van, motorcycles, truck, jeep, quad, lawnmower, etc...

Loose caps (maintenance type batteries) are the causes of acid on top of battery. Ensure they are tightly closed.

[kiawrench]

tip of the day - JUMPER CABLES for a motorcycle  under 12.00 us

instead of trying to get the huge auto cables clipped onto your bike, use a set made for a bike! less damage to paint, and less chance of popping a battery !

as for how to get a set of these wonderful cables, make them!

buy two rolls of 10 ga wire, on white , one black   (red and black look too much alike in the dark sometimes)
buy 4 heavy duty marine battery clamps   pincer type ,not aligator clips

meaure out 12 feet of each color wire, cut and mount the 4 clips to the wire, i crimped, soldered and shrink wrapped my set .

once the cables are made, measure 24 inches from each end ,and apply a wide zip tie , to hold wires snug ,then use smaller ones, or tape to secure the wires to each other in several places along the remaining wire( mine is taped every six inches to keep it tangle free)

  when you hook these up, white (or red) is the positive side, black is the ground

a set of jumpers made like this will roll up into a very small space, provide you with the ability to start your bike in almost any situation(with a source of power)
and stow away in a very small space!!

my cables, 14.00 at auto parts store and my workbench , harley cable set  62.50 at the stealership - making th esame thing and having it on my bike when i travel--priceless!!!!

[YellowJacket!]

VERY VERY good tip Kia!!  Two Thumbs UP!

David

[Lucky]

I did that a while ago, keep 'em in my bag.

[Night Vision]

yep, homemade jumpers wrapped around the tool kit will insure you never need a jump  ;)

[kiawrench]

hands cold?  buy a set of gloves  ,a set of silk glove liners (or lamb's wool)from your local hunting supply store, and put on in this order-
glove liners, one latex or butyl rubber glove (from pharmacy or where you can buy) and then your normal outer glove (i use military surplus ones in winter, elkhide ones for summer )
then spray outside of gloves with camp dry, snow seal aerosol, or even silicone spray lube  to waterproof the setup .

this setup lasts for quite a while and isnt that costly. just ask 90 percent of the military, they have been doing it for years . (does not conform to military clothing guidelines, but who really checks ?


for those that dont know, silk insulates you better than neoprene and takes up very little space inside a glove

for extreme cold weather- silk liners, frogskins diving gloves, and a set of military issue glove shells, ( black horsehide )  a bit restrictive, but ok on a bike.

[zore]

For those of you who are in to tinkering and tuning.  Write down changes you make, no matter how simple.  I'm not sure how many times summer has come around and I've wondered what jetting I put in the bike.  Keep a good log of changes you make.  It will pay off in time saved.

[kiawrench]

tips for riding in extended hot climate areas-
1. never ,ever put sun block on your face or head, it will ,sooner or later end up in your eyes, and that means stop now or wreck- instead wear a bandana over head and across your face for sun protection(it still fits under a helmet)

2. riding jacket help - these things are hot, doesnt matter who makes them, so use a micro fiber towel soaked in water as a neck roll, tucking ends into thecollar of the jacket, the wind from riding will cool the towel, evaporate the water ,and in effect, air condition the rider,until towel is almost dry, then just rewet it and resume the ride .
3. switch your riding gloves to wal mart mechanic gloves, black or brown, depending on hand size... these things are an open weave on the back of hands, and will allow hands to stay cool while you ride.

4. if you need to get a lighter boot, army surplus stores sell viet nam era jungle boots, for under 25.00 per pair, and newer models are even cheaper,as they dont have the steel shank in them .

5. switch from those old wayfarer sunglasses, buy a set of fishermans sunglasses at any sporting goods store, they are polarized, and the tint prevents haze from clouding the view .( i am speaking of the full wrap around type) they may be ugly, but light coming in from the sides is just as bad as direct light in the front .you eyes will thank you for it as the night sky darkens too .

[kwells]

REI also sells those polarized glasses...for 18 bucks.

[YellowJacket!]

I got a set of really cool (although my wife disagrees) fishing glasses at wal mart for 9.99.  I get a new set every year just because they are so cheap and work so well. I use them in the yard for mowing etc. and while riding my V.

David

[QBS]

Very important safety tip regarding polarized lens sunglasses:

For me, a critical part of riding safely is paying constant attention to the road surface and the traction it offers.  Often times shiny spots on the road equal slick/low traction areas.  Think tar snakes, slick asphalt patches and, of course wet spots.  Polarized lenses remove the reflective appearance of these dangers and make them disappear.  Not good.  I love the visual comfort that polarized lenses provide, but not on my bike.  To ride safely, you need every advantage.

[zore]

Very important safety tip regarding polarized lens sunglasses:

For me, a critical part of riding safely is paying constant attention to the road surface and the traction it offers.  Often times shiny spots on the road equal slick/low traction areas.  Think tar snakes, slick asphalt patches and, of course wet spots.  Polarized lenses remove the reflective appearance of these dangers and make them disappear.  Not good.  I love the visual comfort that polarized lenses provide, but not on my bike.  To ride safely, you need every advantage.

One thing to be aware of, many of the full faced helmets I use have come with a form of polarized visor.  Put that in with polarized glasses and you've got some trippy stuff going on.  Gives it sort of like a rainbow effect.

[BREWSKI]

Don,t forget "high dielectric grease" on all of your electrical connections, and anti seize lube on your spark plug threads.   Brewski....

[Coil Coyle]

You can avoid using the 22MM cast-in hex shape on the cams when removing cam drive sprockets. Simply line up the holes in the cams that are directly over the head bolts and insert your 8MM allen wrench into the head bolts. the inserted allen wrench is now holding the cams and you can remove or re-fasten the cam sprockets easily. I used this method after trying to use the hex shape on the cam and gouging the gasket surface on the head.

???
       Nice trick, but a copper brass or aluminum rod would protect the cam bearing surface. Even with that change there remains the risk of deforming the aluminum cam bearing cap if you don't keep the rod centered when you torque.
       I use the sprocket and wedge wood between the teeth and the head.
$0.02
;)
Coil

[kiawrench]

when i worked on cars,,, ( i know) we used fast setting glass filled resin and made cam locks as we neded them .

mix up the compounds, fill a zip lock bag about half full
zip the bag almost all the way, squeeze out air and close
gently pres the outside of bag into the cams and between the cams and secure until cured (24 hrs )
once cured, remove the bag and now solid resin ,open bag and remove your new mold.
take it over to your work bench and remove all but the area that is going to wedge in between the cams -- prior to work, set this into space between cams ,and slowly apply pressure to remove(or torque ) cam bolts

i have not tried this on a vision yet, but if needed, will try it .


   this stuff basically locks both cams into one unit, and if it doesnt break, allows simple removal and installation and will last six or seven timing jobs - after that ,they begin to break down