Recent content by apratt

Want to have motorcycling fun in Northern California on a Saturday? Want to meet with other LDRiders and interested people and share the spirit of the sport? Want to help Bob Mutchler, PolioPlus and Rotary International eradicate polio worldwide? Then come to the second annual NoPolio rally...

But that's the point: there should not be ANY liquid oil or residue (sludge) in the exhaust headers. They should be perfectly clean and dry, because the only thing going through them is (very) hot exhaust gases. Any oil there is coming from where it shouldn't be, like getting through the valve...

When it comes to Yamaha paying, there's something more you need to know: because the excessive valve guide wear causes unburned oil to escape into the exhaust system, this is an EMISSIONS-SYSTEM issue. Due to environmental regulations, problems with the emissions system are covered for a longer...

I strongly agree with this. If you go to a dealer who does NOT have experience with the ticker issue, you'll spend a lot of time convincing them this is real - that you aren't an Internet hypochondriac - and they won't really be able to go to bat with Yamaha for you. There was never widespread...

I don't think it works that way. Can you just put a GenII head on a GenI engine? The standard repair is to order the proper (new) exhaust valve guide seals and all the other necessary parts, and remove and replace the valve guides and seals and all in the existing head. That's how my second...

Historically, the sound of the tick has been extremely difficult to capture. Microphones and recorders just don't do it justice. Captured in a garage, the echoes and general noise tend to overwhelm the signal. Even in other places, there is a lot of stuff going on acoustically, and when it's new...

I had one of the first 2004 tickers Yamaha ever heard of - they sent my whole cylinder head back to Japan for study. Yamaha replaced the head, but the second one ticked too. I got a second repair, this time with the new valve guide seals, and I've been tick-free ever since. Here is what I tell...

Come ride the No Polio! Rally Saturday May 22 2010 Folsom, CA The No Polio! Rally is an eight-hour fun motorcycle ride and Ride-to-Eat banquet to raise money and awareness for fighting polio. The ride part runs from 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM and will be followed by the banquet. At the banquet we...

Years ago, I had Progressive on another bike when I wadded it up. (Pilot error for me too...) They were very good to me, fast and no problems at all. They paid the dealer's original estimate, plus towing and storage because the crash was far from home, plus more when the dealer found more...

The State of California has seen plenty of these: many municipalities installed and enforced red-light cameras abusively, and the state had to step in and ban certain practices. There are now state laws (well, regulations) concerning what cities are and are not allowed to do when it comes to...

I just tried this on my scrap. Utter failure. It cut OK, but the heat of it was enough to melt the plastic and the cut actually "healed" behind the blade! I was using Vermont American blade #30026, "Thin Metal/Plastic." 21 teeth per inch...

I've updated my web page with this "wider" route, going up the east side of Oregon. It requires some over-500-mile days, but remember there will be many daylight hours. https://www.bestbits.org/wfo6_trip_2007.htm Haven't heard back from JB or Waaane since Monday. Since we're all local, I'd love...

I got a PM from James Burleigh that he was interested still/again. It would be great to make three or more. Camp or no camp? My latest thinking adds more time in Oregon than the original plot: # Sat to Happy Camp, far-northern California. 430 miles, an early start from the South Bay. # Sun to...

Am I doing it wrong? I got back to looking at this windshield vent cutout project in advance of summertime riding. I practiced on a scrap bit of windshield using the flexible extension and a reinforced cutting wheel. I am seeing a lot of melted Lexan piling up ahead of the cutter. Also, there...

You could take a look at my web page: https://www.bestbits.org/wfo6_trip_2007.htm I'm planning my trip to Park City from San Francisco, looking to take six days (!) via the northern route. Run that backwards (heading north and west from Park City) and you get the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone...