Broke down vision, again....

[Waapman]

Got home from work yesterday and rode the bike for about 30 minutes.  Ran great if fact I thought it was running better than ever!.  Woke up this morning and cranked it up, let it warm up and it just wasnt running right.  (Was not cold, about 50 degrees)  I took it for a spin around the block and it seemed to almost stall alot.  Left my street and it chugged and chugged and then just died about 2 miles away.  Checked the spark plugs for fire and it didnt.  Put in NEW plugs and tried to crank it.  Barely ran and if I hit the throttle it dies.  Unless I lightly roll back on it then it will throttle, but not good.  Checked my spark on the new plugs and it seemed to be just barely sparking still.  
Fully charged the battery and tried it, same results.  Put in my spare TCI box, same results....I dont think its  a carb problem as It will idle ok, but it seems like when I hit the gas it floods the spark and it dies??
I fixed an oil leak yesterday and added some STP engine treament to the bike last night , after I rode it. (not alot, maybe 1/5 of the bottle)  could that be the source of my troubles???

[Waapman]

well shes a runnin.  Wasnt electric related at all,  YICS box was the culprit.  I was real worried that oil treatment I added had F--- my S___  up!   I was gonna strangle my friend that recommend I put it in!

[Walt_M.]

Don't give up on strangling your 'friend' yet. STP may cause your clutch to slip and you probably need to do an oil change right away. Use motorcycle oil, without friction modifiers and don't put STP or anything else in!

[Waapman]

what happens if I dont do an oil change?? Is the slipping clutch the only damage.  All I have is regular motor oil.  Nearest dealer is a trip.  Rode it a while after I fixed it and the clutch didnt slip any.  

[kiawrench]

hmmmmm stp in vision,, not too good
  best you change that out ,, maybe even twice to get all the car product out .
   slipping clutch may not sound bad to you, but once it starts, it wont stop until clutch pack is just junk.
  I would bet a month's pay that it is easier for you to go buy a case or two of motorcycle oil than it will be to buy a clutch pack and get it installed correctly .
   save time and money, go buy the right oil for the bike, if can do it, buy a case or two , shop you bike store, maybe they carry other things you need, gloves,new helmet, brake pads, cleaning products-- make it a shopping trip. it would sure beat trying to find a new clutch pack

[joevacc]

As far as oil goes I would give Spectro oils a try.  I have been using it for about 18 years now and I wouldn't dream of using anything else.

The wet clutches will work remarkably better with the Spectro and the bike will shift like you just put a different transmission in.  Spectro is a little more expensive than most oils but I would rather spend the money on oil than any job that requires opening a Vision engine!

Here is a link to their site with dealer locations:  http://www.spectro-oils.com/

I am pretty sure you will be able to find someone that will sell it online.

Good Luck,

-=[Joe Vacc]=-

[jasonm.]

Get Golden Spectro 20w50 for full time use. the regular dino Spectro is no better than any other 20w50. I live down the road from Spectro. I have tried all their products. And get most at low prices you guys would die for. Also friction modifiers are used mainly in oils lighter than 10w40. So any 20w50 is good for a flushing or short use. And will not likely have the car friction modifiers.

[jasonm.]

If the YICS box is leaking. Take it off. Whack it on the side with a hammer. It pops apart. Then use JB Quick Weld to glue it back together. Use the weld also on the center of the YICS chamber, to keep the 2 inner chambers seperate as they should be.

[joevacc]

    jasonm. wrote: "Get Golden Spectro 20w50 for full time use."

I second that statement.  I have only used the Golden Spectro in my bike.  It works.

[Walt_M.]

For what it's worth, go ahead and change the oil with whatever you have to dilute the STP contamination, then put motorcycle oil in it.

[Waapman]

changed the oil today with some Yamalube. Used a little bit of engine flush before I drained it also.

[Blake]

I may be the only one here to believe this...



theres no significant difference between motorcycle and automotive oil (EXCEPT PRICE).  I was worried about this a few years ago when i first got my 98' v-star, and of course the dealership tried to sell me on a years supply of oil changes for an outrageous price, but after looking around, its simply repeating facts that are no longer valid.  even motorcycle consumer news did a story on it.

http://www.xs11.com/stories/mcnoil94.htm


yes there are certain additives, but as in the article.. they only make a difference at the point of metal to metal contact.  if you do your oil changes regularly, therse absolutely no reason not to use automotive oil.  Personally i use castrol syntec (synthetic BLEND) in all of my bikes. aout 2.50 a bottle as compared to the 8 bucks a bottle the shops around here want for "honda" oil.  I've never had a problem, and neither has my dad who uses it in his 02' intruder 1500.  The only thing i would suggest is to use the synthetic blend.  the pure synthetic will make you clutch slip some, but the synthetic blend gives you the best of both worlds (synthetic/non slip).


I pretty much change my oil twice a year since i rarely ride more than 2,000 miles a year(but if i do, its around the 2000 mile mark).  first change is right before i stop using the bike for the winter (dec) to get the bad stuff out of the engine (blow by, etc) and then once usually around june or july (which seems to help cooling wise a little..my personal experience).  I figure for about 20 bucks a year total for the two changes, its definately worth the safety.   But all in all.   you can use the automotive oil for the 2000-3000 mark with no problem (change at the end of the season no matter what..you're bike will thank you.)


anywho,  just my 2 cents on mc vs auto oil.




Blake (many a 6 pack bought with the savings  ;D)

[Blake]

One more thing..



look further down on that page there's a second article:


Relative Viscosity Retention Comparisons Among Five Brands of Automotive and Motorcycle Oils
by John C. Woolum/ Ph.D.
Professor of Physics
California State University, Los Angeles



quote from that report

"Bottom Line:
It could appear from this data, then, that there is no validity to the constantly-used argument that motorcycle-specific oils provide superior lubrication to automotive oils when used in a motorcycle. If the viscosity drop is the only criterion, then there is certainly no reason to spend the extra money on oil specifically designed for motorcycles. There does, however, appear to be a legitimate argument for using synthetic and synthetic-blend oils over the petroleum based products."

[Lucky]

There is a similar artical mirroring those thoughts here:
http://www.yft.org/tex_vfr/tech/oil.htm

my personal choice  is Castrol 20W50 m/c oil at about $2.50 a qt  at the local hardware store.  I primarily ride in the spring & summer months, rarely in the fall (wet leaves abound...) and when the temps dip below 50 degrees, the thick oil makes it hard to start.  

If I plan on riding into the cooler weather, then on the second oil change of the season, I'll use 2 qts of the 20W50, and one Qt of castrol 10W30. since the amount of riding time with that blend of oil is rarely more than a month & 2K, I don't worry about it too much.

This is in an engine that sat outside, unprotected for 9 years, and had a frozen clutch pack in it. (Same clutch, untouched is still in there)

Other than a valve adjustment and the usual left side fixes, the motor is trouble free, Quiet and strong.

-My $3 Monopoly money
--Lucky

[Walt_M.]

Lucky, that was a good article. I had read a warning about using the SL spec oil and had felt that the SG or SF and the JASO were necessary for bikes. At least we know to avoid the 'energy conserving' oils, both articles agreed on that. And don't add STP(or anything else).