New rider needs advice

[williamruck]

hey, if you are still looking for a haynes manual try amazon. That's where I got mine. It is nice to have pictures and instructions on how to put everything back.

[vadasz1]

I dont mean to poke a bees nest, but; i know the lucky cd is awesome, and full of every piece of information possible to find and some thats impossible, but its not a paper book, and you cant hold it in your hands and read specifications for systems, parts, you cant highlight things, and most people dont have a laptop they can have on hand while working on something. Not saying you shouldnt get the lucky cd, im just saying that having hard copy in your hand to look at is useful in a different sort of way.
They sell haynes manuals all over the place for xz550s, you kinda almost trip over them, not sure what you were searching for but heres one: http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Vision-V-Twins-Owners-Workbook/dp/1850107610

inane: have you ever heard of a printout?   ;D

As soon as I got my DVD I copied the files to my hard drive at home and at work and then proceeded to printout all the manuals.  I now have the Haynes, Yamaha service and fairing manuals in a binder.  If I ever was to wreck a page I can simply reprint that page only.......... 8)


just my $0.02 worth of Canadian thinking..............hehe

[Brian Moffet]

I actually have both hard-copy (including the parts micro-fiche, someplace) and the CD.  (which I need to update sometime...) If I'm referencing parts, or stuff I will go to the online version (copied the CD to my hard drive).  If I'm outside and want to know a torque setting, or when I was putting carbs/forks back together, I used the manuals as an instruction manual (recipe of sorts).  Either way, I look at what I am doing on the computer before hand, so I have an idea of what is coming up.

Must be why it took 10 months to rebuild my bike...

Brian

[inanecathode]

I dont mean to poke a bees nest, but; i know the lucky cd is awesome, and full of every piece of information possible to find and some thats impossible, but its not a paper book, and you cant hold it in your hands and read specifications for systems, parts, you cant highlight things, and most people dont have a laptop they can have on hand while working on something. Not saying you shouldnt get the lucky cd, im just saying that having hard copy in your hand to look at is useful in a different sort of way.
They sell haynes manuals all over the place for xz550s, you kinda almost trip over them, not sure what you were searching for but heres one: http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Vision-V-Twins-Owners-Workbook/dp/1850107610

inane: have you ever heard of a printout?   ;D

As soon as I got my DVD I copied the files to my hard drive at home and at work and then proceeded to printout all the manuals.  I now have the Haynes, Yamaha service and fairing manuals in a binder.  If I ever was to wreck a page I can simply reprint that page only.......... 8)


just my $0.02 worth of Canadian thinking..............hehe

You can send me 20 dollars in paper if you want :)

[inanecathode]

I dont mean to poke a bees nest, but; i know the lucky cd is awesome, and full of every piece of information possible to find and some thats impossible, but its not a paper book, and you cant hold it in your hands and read specifications for systems, parts, you cant highlight things, and most people dont have a laptop they can have on hand while working on something. Not saying you shouldnt get the lucky cd, im just saying that having hard copy in your hand to look at is useful in a different sort of way.
They sell haynes manuals all over the place for xz550s, you kinda almost trip over them, not sure what you were searching for but heres one: http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Vision-V-Twins-Owners-Workbook/dp/1850107610

inane: have you ever heard of a printout?   ;D

As soon as I got my DVD I copied the files to my hard drive at home and at work and then proceeded to printout all the manuals.  I now have the Haynes, Yamaha service and fairing manuals in a binder.  If I ever was to wreck a page I can simply reprint that page only.......... 8)


just my $0.02 worth of Canadian thinking..............hehe

You can send me 20 dollars in paper, and a 30 dollar ink cartridge if you want :)

[h2olawyer]

Over time, you manage to collect things related to the Vision.  I bought a Haynes in the mid 90s, and got a .pdf file of the factory manual about the same time I joined the ROV.  I printed it out & used somewhere around 200 sheets of paper.  I now have a printer and software that would allow me to print on both sides of a page, keeping everything in proper order.  However, it still would be expensive from an ink perspective.  I still may reprint it so it takes less space in the 3 ring binder.

I'm also moving my old IBM PII400 machine out to the garage soon.  This will allow me to have web access while working on the V.  Plus, I can have Lucky's CD at close hand without needing to go back in the house, clean up & then get on the computer.  Should make things easier if I have problems or questions.  It will also make photo documentation of projects easier.

If you go to any office supply place, you can get 500 sheets of paper for under $5 - on sale.  I recently bought a 500 sheet pack for $4.50 & it was combined with a buy one, get two free - that makes 1500 sheets for $4.50.  It is 20# bond and has a 92 brightness rating.  Pretty good deal.

H₂O

[vadasz1]

And you can now buy laser printer for home use too.  I've seen laser printers from Brother and Samsung for under $100.  Lasers are much more economical when printing large batches.  Even a colour laser will only run you around $250, which isn't too bad.  I remember about 12-15 years ago when a colour laser printer, for offices only at that time, was around $7000 - $8000. :o

[kiawrench]

ha ha ha   ha ,,,,,,   i set up an old laptop that serves only to be my bike service center ,,, but i did do one thing that made life easy.  i took my cd to kinko's and had EVERYTHING on it printed , @50.00 (make a friend,, offer 50.00 to night shift worker and kick in a bottle of patron silver-- never know what little wonders that will do )

now i have a pocket pc,, nice little dell axim x30 624 with wi fi and bluetooth,, so i downloaded all of the manuals as pdf files onto a sd card , small screen, but can still use it
makes for great peace of mind on longer rides,,, plenty of space for a pda with answers .

[bdutro]

Hokay, so i havent worked on the bike in a couple days, had to sling a few dirnks and wait a few tables to work up the green, but the manual is on its way. I found, as i moved my bike today, i have a small oilspot where is was sitting, maybe the size of a quarter.

Don't know if its related or not, just an observation. In any case, looking forward to getting work done on it soon, i really wanna get riding again...

[YellowJacket!]

Small oil spots are somewhat of the norm.  I get one every now and then.  Ususlly comes from the grommet that the stator wires go through or the oil sender.  Unless, the oil is dripping fron where your starter is on the FRONT of the engine.  Thats NOT normal.

Don't give up on your bike.  Mine was a total basket case when I got it and now its absolutely fantastic.

David

[bdutro]

So, more bad news. Oil is leaking, albeit slowly, but nonetheless, from what appears to be a couple bolts on the bottom of the engine assembly, one very near the throttle control assembly on the underside. Thoughts? Ideas?

[Lucky]

on the left? that's your clutch, not throttle.

your DVD went out today..

don't sweat the small shit, not yet anyway, get the bike fixed up first  ;)

--Lucky

[bdutro]

Upon further inspection, i have found that i am leaking oil/fuel from 4 points. Several bolts on the underside were -wet- to the touch, and where the fuel line meets the switch that selects main/reserve/prime appears to be too short, it looks to be crimped just on the front side of the switch, that junction reeks of fuel and was also damp...

Just some observations as i prepare to do some work to it.

Which brings me to my next question.

Going shopping tomorrow. Need tools, I have none. I know I'll need a multimeter and a socket set... please, enlighten me as to some other tools i may need...

[motorcyclezen]

Blane,

Metric sockets and box-end wrenches, hex keys, a combo screwdriver (flat-blade and phillips) and a sparkplug socket for motorcycles are all important. Breaker bar, torque wrench, circlip tool, and needle-nose pliers are all nice to have. I also have a metric hex-key socket set so I can re-torque my side covers etc. Soldering iron, wire stripper and crimper have come in handy too.

There are a lot of folks out there with more suggestions I'm sure.

Me, I kind of buy them as I need them, and I enjoy needing them, if you take my meaning--something like: "Woo-hoo! Looks like I need a crimper to re-do some wiring...." I even manufactured a tool from a hacksaw blade to undercut grooves on my commutator while re-building my starter (that's per the shop manual).

Enjoy. The riders on this website are the best resource.

Ed--

[bdutro]

Thanks, theyve all been added to my list... gonna go shopping tomorrow, and im really kind of excited

[Rick G]

The spark plug socket for the vision is an 18 mm one , some 18 mm spark plug sockets are too thick walled , so you may need to buy and return several , until you find one that fits. The more expensive ones seem to be thinner.

[motorcyclezen]

Ditto on the spark plug socket.

It took me 3 tries.

Ed--

[Night Vision]

The spark plug socket for the vision is an 18 mm one , some 18 mm spark plug sockets are too thick walled , so you may need to buy and return several , until you find one that fits. The more expensive ones seem to be thinner.

agree on last two posts.... you may find that a particular 18mm (deep) socket will fit one, none or both plugs  :P

[h2olawyer]

The socket from the OEM toolkit is fantastic for spark plug R&R.  If you don't have one, look for a lawn mower socket.  I've tried a thin walled socket & ratchet & the OEM system is superior to it.  Look for an OEM tool kit & be willing to spend up to $50 for it.  The only other tool worth having the kit for is the preload adjusrer.  Otherwise, the OEM tool is junk for anything other than collectible value. 

Just my $0.02

H₂O

[bdutro]

mmk, so here is what ive done so far. Ive adjusted the fuel line to where its nto pinched... no go. got a backfire. Both front and rear cylindars are getting juice. I yanked off my cables and shorted them to the fram and got spark... Gonna pull my plugs now and make sure theyr enot fouled..

What should be next on my list?

Was checking out that electric problem flow chart an it requires my bike to be running at 2500 rpm : /