http://kawiforums.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=49827
Originally posted by: wzfst1ce
Tricks Universal:
1. Hammer Phillips screw heads back in shape.
2. Find fork axle and handle bar caps with divots and arrows.
3. Setting fork and handle bar caps without divots and arrows for vibration free feel.
4. Assemble front end cap tightening sequence.
5.Remove head with cotton twine to save cooling fins from damage.
6. Remove carb limiter caps.
7. Never burn out another main fuse to find a short.
(1).Take a flat round punch that is equal to the diameter of the Phillips screw head, and pound the cross hatch back into shape. Place the correct numbered Phillips bit in the cross hatch and hammer to renew the cross. This will give the 'bite' back around the Phillips bit so it can be removed without drilling. It will both shock the threads, and save the screw for reuse.
(2). The half caps on Honda front fork and handle bars are stepped. Place the flat sides down, and look for the "gap" on the other end of the holding cap. The side (with more material) faces forward. This step design is how the bars and axles are clamped. You will find a punch mark on top of the cap or an arrow on the side of the half cap for easy recognition, and proper direction. Place these (divots/arrows) "forward on assembly." Torque the forward (divot/arrow) side first. Tighten the rear last.
(3). If you have a bike other than a Honda, some manufacturers use "even sided" half caps. Use a multi bladed feeler gauge, and clamp down these caps with precision evenness. Vibration at the axle and handle bars will be highly eliminated.
(4). A.Tighten front axle.
B.Tighten right side pinch bolt caps.
C. Push down on front suspension 2/3 times.
D. Tighten left pinch bolt caps on static return.
(5). If you have a stubborn head that won't come off, you can stuff cotton twine inside the cylinder chamber through the spark plug hole. Lower the piston, and keep stuffing twine inside. You will have to find TDC compression first, or you will bend an open valve(s) on a TDC stroke that is not on the compression stroke. Simply turn the crank, and the piston will compress the rope and crack the seal on the gasket. Remove the cotton rope and pack the other far cylinder on TDC compression. Break the gasket and theoretically, the head should come off without banging off a bunch of cooling fins. If the cylinder is not bolted down, consider this trick rendered useless. NOTE: If you find heavy resistance, then this may cause the rod to bend. Work accordingly.
(6). Use a soldering gun tip to melt the glue on the pilot screw limiter caps. They will drop off or can be carefully pulled off.
(7). Take two wires and two alligator clips, then connect them to a two pronged turn signal relay. This is now your fuse that will never burn out. Connect the alligator clips to each side of the fuse clip holders. Find the short until the relay stops clicking.
Bearing Packer:
Take a baggie, fill a corner with bearing grease. Drop bearing in corner with grease. Remove the air out of the bag by squeezing the bearing into the grease. Then spin the bag by twisting grease back down onto the bearing. Do not unwind the twist.
Begin squeezing the grease into the bearing until you no longer hear any air popping out of the bearing. Untwist the bag and pull out bearing.
Squeeze air out of the bag, and begin pushing the excess grease to the corner of the bag. Twist the bag again closed. Push grease as you pack the corner into a pastry decorating bag filler. Cut a small corner of the baggie. Squeeze grease to pack/lube selected areas.
Very close type measurements. Make two measuring tools out of welding rods.
1. Rear Wheel Alignment Tool.
A. Bend one end to a short "L" configuration. Slide on the other end, a small rubber hose (cut from a carb drain bowl) and notch or paint the center of the rubber piece.
B. Place the "L" in the center of the swing arm bolt. Drill a shallow hole in both ends of the swing arm bolt, if you can do it accurately.
C. Adjust chain slack. Then set "L" in shallow hole, then slide rubber (center mark) to the rear wheel axle. Do not move or bump the rubber tube. Place the rod on the other side of the swing and axle bolt centers, and turn adjuster screw in or out to match distance of the rubber's center.
D. Ignore (the offset) production cast and stamped markings on the swing arm and adjuster tangs. Tighten axle and recheck alignment. Theoretically, the rear axle is square to the swing arm pivot.
2. Fork Fluid Leveling Tool.
A. Bend one end of the welding rod into a short "U" shape. This will act as a static "hook" that lets the welding rod to drop and stop inside the fork tube.
B. Paint section of welding rod with white paint. When dry, mark incremental levels with a darker color. Other option is to "V" file notches in a section of the rod.
C. Pour factory recommended amount of fork fluid in one fork. Anti-dive type fork(s) my vary with amounts, and may not work well using this tool. Test to find out.
D. Measure fluid without spring installed. Extend or compress fork tubes. Length of welding rod will vary...your choice. Now simply match the fork fluid level of the first fork for equal fluid level against the second fork.
Small Hardware:
Frustrations abound when working with miniature ignition, instrument, or handle bar switch screws. They keep falling off the screwdriver’s tip right at the worst moment. Try this very old trick.
Cure for this is to take a magnet, and stroke down the shaft of the screwdriver. Do not scrub the shaft with the magnet, but start from the handle and end at the tip. Just glide it right off, and the electrons will (- + - + - + - + -) line right up.
What this does is lightly “Magnetize” the handle shaft. Place the screw on the blade tip and it should stay in place. Now you have at least a fighting chance to start the screw threads a few turns, rather than it falling off the blade, and then spend time searching for it somewhere hidden on the bike, or floor.
Demagnetize the screwdriver blade by tapping the blade with a few sharp blows to scatter the electrons back in the metal.
Finding TDC:
You really don't need to know how a 4-stroke engine works to work on your bike. About the only thing you want to remember is how to find TDC to set the cam timing or adjust valves.
Take a pair of chop sticks home the next time you go out to eat. A chop stick does less damage than a screwdriver or metal pointer/scribe.
Remove the spark plug(s) and be ready to place the stick down the plug hole.
Simply watch the intake valve go down. When it starts to come back up, carefully set the chop stick vertical (into the hole and let it move up through your fingers. Make sure it does not kink against the threads or be cocked where it will be crushed in the cylinder. The cranking can move faster than you can hold the stick straight.
Once the piston stops moving the chop stick, basically, you are at TDC. If it begins to fall back down, you went to far.
Engine Knocking Trick: Say you can hear a knocking noise coming from the engine? You want to eliminate as many variables before you tear the engine down.
Remove the spark plug(s) and find TDC as stated above. Remember when you went past TDC and felt the stick go down? This is where you want to be. Move the piston back down (after TDC) and then stop.
Some engine knocks can be caused by a burnt piston (smell that hole/read the s/plug), to a bad small end bearing, to a big end bearing about to weld itself onto the crank. The noise you want to chase, is one of these stated above.
Take the chop stick and press down on the piston. You want to make this subtle, because the only thing that is holding the piston up, are the rings. See, when you turned the crank, you pulled the con rod to move the piston down, the rings prevent the piston from falling onto the rod/crank. So when you push the chop stick on top of the piston, and it moves down (without moving the crank) you found your knock.
As long as you don't reach BDC (bottom)... you can recheck piston movement a few more times. No movement is a good sign.
Liquid Preservation:
Ever bump over a can of oil, polish, two-stroke mix, and make the Exxon Valdez almost look like an eye drop?
One trick, is to take a pointed metal scribe, and make a simple hole-- in the can or tube-- as big as the shaft of the scribe. Make the vent hole even smaller if need be.
Sealed brake fluid is great for this application. Do not pull the seal off. Make a hole instead. Now that most fluids come in plastic bottles, you treat it now like a bottle of catsup....
Speaking about catsup cap designs....they now have a 'diaphragm' incorporated in the squeeze hole. Though you have to regulate the finger pressure to over-ride the diaphragm, the cap-- or whole container-- would work great for distilled water fills, precision fork oil level top-off, and other creative ideas for fluids. The diaphragm would most likely hold back the fluid if tipped over.
Back to the basic idea.... Having the smallest hole possible in a liquid container, will spill less fluid if the bottle/can does happen to accidentally tip over......Less clean-up = saved product content.
Clutch Plate Road Repair:
Stranded on the road because your engine is moving faster than the bike itself? Burned the clutch so bad, the bike is going nowhere... Now what? If you have tools, you can pop out a steel plate, warp it at a few places and reinstall it in the center of the pack. If the clutch still slips, bend another steel, and then stagger both that will split the plates in 1/3rd increments. This should load enough plates to lock up the clutch to get it home.
One thing though. You'll need to step up the dexterity factor. Better find neutral before you come to a stop, and maybe fall over. Better roll the bike forward before placing the bike in gear, and possibility stalling the engine at the same time. We are talking a sprint car transmission here. It's either in gear, or it ain't!
Stay off the bike, and pay the tow bill if you find this above and beyond your current skills. Disclaimer over.
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