SuzukiSavage.com - Paranoia (Mechanical)

philjayny

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Paranoia (Mechanical)
08/23/14 at 17:41:33

Hey guys,

I got this bike in mid-July. It's a 98 with about 8.5k on it. I'm aware of all the faults with this bike, and as of today, my tensioner is at 19mm, and I think the valves are ticking hard, I'm not 100% sure the engine is tuned right though it starts firs try everytime and runs well. I guess I'm just too worried that some kind of gremlin will come out and leave me stranded. I'm perpetually taking an ear to my engine out of paranoia, and it's putting a damper on my enjoying the bike..

For example, a short city jaunt almost left me stranded with a frayed and broken clutch cable, which would have been a real nightmare if this was halfway on a 250 mile ride out to a friend's place.

I've already started a conversation RE: the tensioner mod with Verslagen1, and I'm looking into valve adjustments, and changing the throttle cable just in case..

Amongst other things, should I avoid taking say a 250 mile road trip? Let alone a 100 mile road trip so as to avoid needing an extremely expensive tow? I carry my tool bag everywhere, but there's only so much I can do.

This is my first bike so I have no concept of any of this stuff, so what are your thoughts?

Sorry for the rather vague and pointless thread.. I just wish there was some kind of checklist that I could go through, which once I "pass," could confidently go on a ride.

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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Paranoia (Mechanical) Reply #1 - 08/23/14 at 17:49:22 I think the book says 17mms is service time.
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philjayny YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 40 New York City Gender:	Re: Paranoia (Mechanical) Reply #2 - 08/23/14 at 17:53:54 Does this mean I should completely refrain from running the bike?
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Serowbot

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Re: Paranoia (Mechanical)
Reply #3 - 08/23/14 at 17:57:15

well, breakdowns are just a part of life... everything breaks down sometime...

You're doing the Versy mod,.. that's good...
Get a Raptor petcock...
Then,.. just keep your tires good, and keep oil in it...
...and quit worrying... (it don't help)...

After riding for some time,... you'll get to where you notice things going funny without trying...
If you try to notice,.. you'll imagine all kinds of gremlins...
Every time my bike or car has a problem,.. I start paying too much attention.. and notice all kinds of things that aren't really a problem...
Grin

...

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philjayny

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Re: Paranoia (Mechanical)
Reply #4 - 08/23/14 at 18:07:25

I actually just did the Raptor mod today!
Oil change was done last week after I last opened up the clutch cover to inspect the tensioner.
Rear tyre is new, front still has good tread.

Guess I just need to get out there and live a little then? I just don't want to go down because a spring decided to bounce into the drive train..

I'm fairly certain most of the ticking is from valves. Since the bike runs well, would you say the valves aren't so out of wack that I could ride the bike?

Thanks for the advice!!

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Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28653 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: Paranoia (Mechanical) Reply #5 - 08/23/14 at 18:21:42 Yup,.. air-cooled thumpers have ticky valves... especially when it's hot. outside... When you do the Versy mod,... might as well learn to check them, but ticking valves won't leave you stranded... they'll just tick... ...(too quiet valves should be more worrisome)...
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Dave

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Re: Paranoia (Mechanical)
Reply #6 - 08/24/14 at 04:21:52

Over time.....you will most likely get the small issues resolved, and the bike will become reliable and you will learn to trust it.

If you wash your bike, try not to spray water up under the tank onto the electrical stuff, and be sure to dry and ride your bike after washing so that you can dry it thoroughly. Washing and pushing the wet bike into a garage without air flow is a bad thing.....the water can lay in pockets for days and do a lot of damage.

Dave

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ToesNose Serious Thumper Offline Pardon me, do you have Hot Sauce? Posts: 1993 Mooresville, NC Gender:	Re: Paranoia (Mechanical) Reply #7 - 08/24/14 at 04:22:26 If you are terribly worried about taking a long trip and breaking down there are three options. 1) Get road side assistance. 2) Bring along any foreseeable spare parts and wrench it if it does break down. 3) Don't take longer trips because you are scared (not an option in my book)
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philjayny

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Re: Paranoia (Mechanical)
Reply #8 - 08/24/14 at 08:44:18

Thanks guys. I woke up at 4:30am thinking of going for a city jaunt to avoid going too far. Well, I ended up doing about a gas-tanks worth of riding. (Ask me how I know..HINT: I need to practice switching to reserve on my petcock when on a highway..)

Engine runs better than ever once I tuned the fuel mixture to iron out some serious after-firing upon throttle release. This confirms my suspicion that the original petcock's vacuum hose was leaking, leading to counter-intuitive engine tuning (I had to set the mixture as lean as possible, despite having switched to a Dyna muffler, now I have to set it slightly rich.)

The valves ticked, the tensioner didn't explode, and I had the best ride of my life (not hard to beat considering I've done no more than 300 miles..)

Oh and crappity smack potholes big enough to launch asses half a foot off the seat and throw mirrors off whack. Though the NJ Palisades was smooth as glass!

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WD

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Re: Paranoia (Mechanical)
Reply #9 - 08/24/14 at 08:46:29

1. Check and adjust your valves.

2. Order and carry a spare clutch cable, shifter linkage center, and bulbs (H4 headlight, 1157 tail light and front blinkers, 1156 rear blinkers). Put the bubs in pill bottles and/or film canisters and tape the lids on.

3. Order and install a properly lubed clutch cable, and lube your throttle cable. Buy a disposable cake pan at the dollar store, buy a quart of synthetic 75W or 80W based gear oil, and soak the cables in the oil filled pan. Let them soak for a week to saturate the strands. The lube job will then last for a couple years, minimum.

4. Buy and carry a few tools. Something you can afford to replace, as they WILL get stolen. I like the cheap Stanley, or even cheaper blue kit, from "Satan Mart" (Walmart). Pull out the sizes you will most commonly need, put them in a toolroll, and keep them handy. Buy two sets, a travel set and an at home set. Carry 8, 10, 12, 14 mm wrenches and sockets, ratchet and extension (1/4 drive is sufficient). Buy and carry a 17mm-11/16 combination wrench (one end open, one end closed). Buy a pocket knife styled metric allen wrench set.

5. Carry your cell phone and debit/credit card.

6. Understand that you can only handle or expect so much with a bargain basement, used, throw away commuter bike. Ridden and maintained properly, Savages can be great little bikes, but, the average ones are not. They will break down, just like any other mechanical toy.

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philjayny YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 40 New York City Gender:	Re: Paranoia (Mechanical) Reply #10 - 08/24/14 at 12:23:52 Interesting, never heard of soaking cables. I'll do this on a week I know I won't be able to ride.
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Dave

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Re: Paranoia (Mechanical)
Reply #11 - 08/25/14 at 03:39:15

philjayny wrote on 08/24/14 at 08:44:18:

Oh and crappity smack potholes big enough to launch asses half a foot off the seat and throw mirrors off whack. Though the NJ Palisades was smooth as glass!

You might consider a shock upgrade. The stock shocks only have 1.5" of travel....not nearly enough for an encounter with a pothole.

Some folks go with 12" shock and get another inch of travel....lots of threads about which shocks to get. WD knows which one.

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