My Vmax performing like a 500cc

[radley]

in case the pic didnt load up

ok i'll cut the red hot positive and tape it off. see where it goes into that "junction" if you will...?

should i cut that tape crap off away too and see what under there? if that red wire is now obsoltet (cuz i am wiring the positive directly from R/R - which that wire provided the old R/R), shouldn't I try to get rid of it ocmpletely?

nevermind the grammatical errors, a few cocktails do that to a guy.... lol.

just trying to be thorough here. thnx

 

[Bill Seward]

Get rid of all that crap. All you need to do is insulate that red wire...

 

[radley]

got the R/R ready to go. fuse is NOT in yet.

now see the bad wires. i cut them off that connector - it burnt up.

what are these 5 wires for?

what shold I do? just go ahead and solder them for a permanent fix, and insulate them well from each other. i usually double shrink wrap anyways... then just tape them all up? i'll have to add a few inches of wire so they can reach the other end there... but you can see how bad they were in that connector... maybe they had somptin to do with my vmax performing like a 500cc..

anyways that, or do the posi-lock thing. or use a 5p connector... couildn't find much on Ebay jsut now when I looked... but not sure if they should have more separation / insulation from each other they way they cooked up like that... thoughts?

how does the R/R setup look?

 

[Fire-medic]

Seems everyone finds the R/R connector gets overheated, eventually, if they don't eliminate it, it just gets worse, and can eventually short-out, worst-case.

Soldering w/heat shrink, pozi-locks, whatever you want to do, just be sure to put that fuse on the 12 V hot lead from the battery, as-close as you can make it. Your wire harness will live longer in the event of an accidental grounding of that lead. You don't need an exact # of connectors filling all the spaces or pins in the new connector, if you choose to go that route, you'd just have fewer wires going into a six-conductor plug for example.

When the wires get corrosion on the crimped connectors, it builds resistance, and heat, discoloring the plug, and sometimes melting it.

 

[radley]

got those 5 wires hardwired in and insulated. cut back the positive from R/R a few inches to bring fuse closer.

while i'm in there.. see the battery box pic? rusted out screws on the bottom..worth replacing? i noticed there's 2 things (dunno what they are) fastened to it on engine side... one has a phillips I THINK screw holding on a bracket that holds something there.. what is that thing? and how the heck does one get that out and put it back in? dang.. close quarters!

notice the Negative from battery.. i see that it grounds out in 2 places.. one close to the fuel pump, and another goes down and grounds to engine. should I replace the whole works? i know good ground is important...

also, what should I do with the kickstand situation...the Previous Owner just gorunded out the positive (?) wire.. it's blue and stripe i think.. he disconnected the plug, and ran a loop from top connector metal piece to the other metal piece in same connector - hence grounding it out or whatever you call it.... been like this since i owned it but didnt notice til someone told me what it was.. which makes sense cuz I have been able to go in gear, and start driving with kickstand down... on accident but makes a guy get a little concerned for a moment....

all for now.... thnx

 

[radley]

here are the pics

 

[sdt354]

The battery ground has seen better days. I'd replace the cable and any grounds that look bad. Everything looks good. Nice connections. The box bolts you can replace with stainless, while you're in there. Nice clean job.

 

[radley]

Thanks! I should have posted a final pic. There's that "black" wire that i still had to pull the shrink wrap up, and then you can see 2 pieces of shrink wrap over ALL the wires, one that I pulled up and kept one down...only had to tape a 4" section to fully insulate everything.. Each connection is soldered, painted with Liquid Shrink Wrap stuff, and shrink wrapped twice, then all 5 wires wrapped together. Took me hours, but, whatever.

I'd like a longer ground from Negative on battery, cuz that one is kinda short anyways... tough to hook up to battery.... so I'll go ahead and replace that and shrink wrap the ends a bit more to protect.

Not sure what to do with the kickstand ordeal.... hardline fix it and hook it back up or not... I dunno why the P.O. would do that in the first place... maybe there was/is some other thing going on and this is a way to band-aid the problem...

 

[Bill Seward]

Congrats! Nice job. Did the PO connect the 2 sidestand wires together? That's the way to "fix" a bad sidestand switch. Most times they just stick. Shoot it with some WD40 see if it frees up.

A tip. Seeing you have an 85.. Put this away for possible future reference.. A few of us have had the ignition suddenly die. I had it happen to mine. Checked wiring, even got a test ignition box from Sean. No good. I got a tip here that it might be the sidestand relay. Just unplug it. That's what it was, and the bike has run fine since. This only works on the early bikes, as the wiring was changed around 1987 or 88. If you ever get this problem, try the relay first.. It's a little relay with a blue base, tucked in near the ignition box. It's not needed to run, however the sidestand interlock does not function with the relay unplugged.

 

[sdt354]

Thanks! I should have posted a final pic. There's that "black" wire that i still had to pull the shrink wrap up, and then you can see 2 pieces of shrink wrap over ALL the wires, one that I pulled up and kept one down...only had to tape a 4" section to fully insulate everything.. Each connection is soldered, painted with Liquid Shrink Wrap stuff, and shrink wrapped twice, then all 5 wires wrapped together. Took me hours, but, whatever.

I'd like a longer ground from Negative on battery, cuz that one is kinda short anyways... tough to hook up to battery.... so I'll go ahead and replace that and shrink wrap the ends a bit more to protect.

Not sure what to do with the kickstand ordeal.... hardline fix it and hook it back up or not... I dunno why the P.O. would do that in the first place... maybe there was/is some other thing going on and this is a way to band-aid the problem...

The P.O. only had to unplug it on early Gen 1's. I'd want it functional. Got the relay?

 

[radley]

Congrats! Nice job. Did the PO connect the 2 sidestand wires together? That's the way to "fix" a bad sidestand switch. Most times they just stick. Shoot it with some WD40 see if it frees up.

A tip. Seeing you have an 85.. Put this away for possible future reference.. A few of us have had the ignition suddenly die. I had it happen to mine. Checked wiring, even got a test ignition box from Sean. No good. I got a tip here that it might be the sidestand relay. Just unplug it. That's what it was, and the bike has run fine since. This only works on the early bikes, as the wiring was changed around 1987 or 88. If you ever get this problem, try the relay first.. It's a little relay with a blue base, tucked in near the ignition box. It's not needed to run, however the sidestand interlock does not function with the relay unplugged.

yeah he simply connected the black to the blue wire with a couple of connectors soldered to a 1" green wire jumper.

so, SDT354 - do I have the relay? well, everything I am doin to my bike is new to me so I have no idea what that even looks like... or where it would be..... like you I'd like to get the sidestand fully functional... been caught riding off with it down couple times and now I know why....

also where is the side stand switch? i'm assuming by the pivot point of the side stand.. ?

I need to put oil in the bike, charge battery, hook up new electricals I did and try to fire it up. Still need to replace that ground wire mentioned and deal with this side stand issue, but I'll get some voltage readings at rest, with key turned, and with bike running (if it runs - carbs are probably clogged up by now..). hope no oil leaks as I did put in new mid gear cover gasket and also alternator/generator cover gasket and torqued all to spec.

 

[Bill Seward]

First thing is to check if the switch is there. you're right, it is up by the sidestand pivot. it should freely move - you'll figure out how it works when you see it. (if it's there..) If it is there, check if it sticks, and give it a shot of spray lubricant to make it move, or keep it from sticking. If it is stuck, and you get it moving, reconnect the wires and have a go at testing it.

Tell me about forgetting to put the sidestand up.. Early in my riding career, from 1967 to 1973, I rode small Hondas -S65 and a CB160. Neither of these bikes had sidestands, so I never had to learn to be sure the stand was up before riding away. Well, I got an RD350 back in 1973, which had a sidestand. Had the bike exactly 4 days before I rode off without checking the sidestand, and dropped it when I made the first left leaning turn. In front of all my riding buddies..

Is sounds like you're gonna be fine. I certainly wouldn't NOT ride the bike because of the sidestand.. Just remember to put it up before you ride off.

Glad I was able to give you some advice. Now go for a ride!

 

[sdt354]

Under the left scoop there should be three. The one in the middle is for the side stand.

 

[radley]

Alright guys I'll look into that stuff later. probably going to work on rebuilding the front forks soon here starting this week... but... here's an update...

Started the bike... it's starting really tough... I think the battery is shot and crap...cuz it doesnt have any good initial starting power..just pulses trying to start the bike up, but she did fire up and I let it warm up a little bit....

check out the vids...

https://youtu.be/KNwqatR6kJA
https://youtu.be/A9SDnvhrt4Y

Same issue as before. Don't say carbs as this problem was the case before and even immediately after i rebuilt them, new jets, gaskets, the whole bit and fully cleaned twice over. This problem is deeper so I gotta figure out what's actually wrong with my engine... Running like a 500cc still... let the saga of this never-ending thread continue!!

no spark you say? I can check that again but I think I did this summer with a tester and they were all good... don't remember if that was before or after installing the COPS, but assume I'm getting good spark, cuz I think I am. Fuel filter filled up quick when i turned key on. I can drain carb bowls and make sure not dry, but if I recall I did a lot of that stuff before and it checked out. I dont care about float level, it was set before and it's close enough and that's not the problem.. forget about the carbs.. I think a cylinder is not working.. why? I dunno.

 

[radley]

Alright guys I'll look into that stuff later. probably going to work on rebuilding the front forks soon here starting this week... but... here's an update...

Started the bike... it's starting really tough... I think the battery is shot and crap...cuz it doesnt have any good initial starting power..just pulses trying to start the bike up, but she did fire up and I let it warm up a little bit....

check out the vids...

https://youtu.be/KNwqatR6kJA
https://youtu.be/A9SDnvhrt4Y

Same issue as before. Don't say carbs as this problem was the case before and even immediately after i rebuilt them, new jets, gaskets, the whole bit and fully cleaned twice over. This problem is deeper so I gotta figure out what's actually wrong with my engine... Running like a 500cc still... let the saga of this never-ending thread continue!!

no spark you say? I can check that again but I think I did this summer with a tester and they were all good... don't remember if that was before or after installing the COPS, but assume I'm getting good spark, cuz I think I am. Fuel filter filled up quick when i turned key on. I can drain carb bowls and make sure not dry, but if I recall I did a lot of that stuff before and it checked out. I dont care about float level, it was set before and it's close enough and that's not the problem.. forget about the carbs.. I think a cylinder is not working.. why? I dunno.

Hey buddy, yeah make sure you got spark, switch out the COP and plug if you don't in one cylinder, if all COPS are fine, and plugs, then the issue will be back further. if you got 2 bad cylinders, most likely a pick up coil.... see if you can test the pick up coils for resistance with multimeter... maybe someone on here knows. remember you got those 3 stator wires coming out from generator cover..those are hooked up to your R/R. also you have more wires coming out of your generator cover via that other grommet.... these are those 5 wires that had that burnt up connector everyone saw... those 5 thin wires that you soldered up and shrink wrapped for good... those are the pick up coil wires... i think... maybe someone else on here can confirm.. but it'd be good to test the pick up coils.. i'm not sure how.. but pretty sure those 5 wires (gray, white with green stripe, white with red stripe, black and orange) are your pick up coiil wires....

if good COPS and plugs but no spark in one cylinder.. could be your CDI or ECU thing... that'll start dropping cy linders when they go bad as well... so best way to see if it's that is to replace with a different one... not sure about aftermarket options/costs but it'd be good to get a hold of a used one and just to test it out... good luck keep us posted. thnx

 

[radley]

Hey buddy, yeah make sure you got spark, switch out the COP and plug if you don't in one cylinder, if all COPS are fine, and plugs, then the issue will be back further. if you got 2 bad cylinders, most likely a pick up coil.... see if you can test the pick up coils for resistance with multimeter... maybe someone on here knows. remember you got those 3 stator wires coming out from generator cover..those are hooked up to your R/R. also you have more wires coming out of your generator cover via that other grommet.... these are those 5 wires that had that burnt up connector everyone saw... those 5 thin wires that you soldered up and shrink wrapped for good... those are the pick up coil wires... i think... maybe someone else on here can confirm.. but it'd be good to test the pick up coils.. i'm not sure how.. but pretty sure those 5 wires (gray, white with green stripe, white with red stripe, black and orange) are your pick up coiil wires....

if good COPS and plugs but no spark in one cylinder.. could be your CDI or ECU thing... that'll start dropping cy linders when they go bad as well... so best way to see if it's that is to replace with a different one... not sure about aftermarket options/costs but it'd be good to get a hold of a used one and just to test it out... good luck keep us posted. thnx

yeah i wonder if any other peeps on here ahve aftermarket cdi/ecu thing and/or had theirs go out on them at all dropped cylinders etc... i mean.. if cdi/ecu thing is droppin cylinders, then there will be no spark even if plugs and COPS are good... right"?

 

[radley]

yeah i wonder if any other peeps on here ahve aftermarket cdi/ecu thing and/or had theirs go out on them at all dropped cylinders etc... i mean.. if cdi/ecu thing is droppin cylinders, then there will be no spark even if plugs and COPS are good... right"?

yo Radley, let's get into that when it's warm enough to work on the bike a bit more. Let's focus on some cosmetic and other things you gotta do..

so..

stock 1985. gonna rebuild front forks soon. got all the new parts i need and fork fluid from what I recall. looking for best, completely thorough, for beginners, tutorial or write-up on doing this procedure... Also, looking to replace handlebars with black ones. Would like drag style, or really limit out to maintain stock steering/turning ability without controls hitting scoop or anything like that. ideas thoguhts? recommendations?

 

[caseyjones955]

Morley has a great fork rebuild tutorial on Youtube. I did mine accordingly and even used the fluid he recommended and I'm quite happy with it. Use ONLY OEM seals/covers on the forks.

As far as COPs and TCI, some of them require resistors in the COP harness to avoid burning out the TCI, I may have missed what sort of TCI you have, but they vary some in their requirements for COP resistors. I have an Ignitek on my Venture, they tolerate straight cops w/o resistors but not all TCI brands do.

 

[[email protected]]

As noted, Seans video is a great tutorial. Check his channel on YouTube.

As far as bars go, a straight "broomstick" will most likely cause interference between the faux cover and controls. A riser setup will fix that.

They make a drag bar with just a touch of pull back. Those typically require you to rotate them just slightly upward to clear the tank.

Sean sells a super bike bar that many folks seem to like. It's a little lower and straighter than stock but clear the tank just fine.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[42Below]

I put a pro taper SE bar on and it is SO much better than the stock unit. The bar could be wider where the m/cyl goes on but its ok really. The bar end mirrors had to be updated as the alloy bar has a thicker wall but my mirrors were fugly anyway.