New to riding, got my bike working finally, friction zone and throttle questions.
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2016 1:18 pm
To start off, I have no background in vehicle mechanics of any kind but I seem to be acquiring bikes that have issues. My first was an '82 Virago that I never got running (lots of work put into it but could never get the engine to STAY running). My current bike is a 2008 V Star 250. The guy I got it from must not have put any maintenance into it because I had to replace the airbox for damage from the bike being dropped, I had to scrub off something like 3 inches of dirt and grime under the chain cover, the choke cable was burned through inside the casing, and I have just picked up parts to replace a seriously cracked intake manifold. As a temporary fix to the manifold I covered the cracks with electrical tape so I could test my other repairs. It was like magic, really. She'd been idling at 3500 rpm and that tape brought it down closer to 1500.
Anyway, I changed the choke cable but the OEM part seems like the casing is too long, do they give a little after some use? My choke lever doesn't move all the way to the closed position because of the tension. It rode fine today, though.
Finally got to ride around the neighborhood today. I noticed my friction zone is about 1 inch WAY out at the tip of my fingers. I'm 5'1 with slightly short fingers. I feel like I'm stretching near to slipping off the bar when I travel into the friction zone. Is there an adjustment I can make bring the lever closer to me?
The throttle seems very sensitive. I don't think I had to move it more than 1cm the entire ride. Just a mm or two had the engine roaring. Is this normal? Can it be adjusted by a novice mechanic?
It would be nice to someday be able to take a bike out and just ride the damned thing. I have taken 2 MSF courses over the last year but only just managed to put tires to pavement on my own.
Any and all help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Yvette
Anyway, I changed the choke cable but the OEM part seems like the casing is too long, do they give a little after some use? My choke lever doesn't move all the way to the closed position because of the tension. It rode fine today, though.
Finally got to ride around the neighborhood today. I noticed my friction zone is about 1 inch WAY out at the tip of my fingers. I'm 5'1 with slightly short fingers. I feel like I'm stretching near to slipping off the bar when I travel into the friction zone. Is there an adjustment I can make bring the lever closer to me?
The throttle seems very sensitive. I don't think I had to move it more than 1cm the entire ride. Just a mm or two had the engine roaring. Is this normal? Can it be adjusted by a novice mechanic?
It would be nice to someday be able to take a bike out and just ride the damned thing. I have taken 2 MSF courses over the last year but only just managed to put tires to pavement on my own.
Any and all help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Yvette