| Author | Message | ||
     Vicenzajay |
Okay thanks! I'll look at that supplier's offerings in black. For the crowd (and those that have used aftermarket signals on a Blast) - will the ones in my post above (mini stalk amber ones) work on a Blast with its lighting wiring, etc.? It also seems to have two leads from each bulb where I only see one lead coming from the OEM signals. I assume that using just one lead is fine (and taping off the other), but want to be sure before ordering. Jay | ||
| Kenny_gilgore |
Jay, As mentioned before they have dual filament bulbs, one filament is brighter than the other. The brighter of the two filaments is fed by the black wire. The ground wire is black & white. The red wire feeds the weaker filament that is normally the driving light. I suppose you could hook both the red and black wire together and have really bright turn signals. The blinkers that I installed on my Honda have been on for a year and work perfectly. Of course the Honda doesn't shake like a virgin at the prom. KennyG | ||
| Kenny_gilgore |
I park my Blast in my garage and when I attempt to push it down my driveway in gear, with the clutch lever pulled in tight against the hand grip, and the engine shut off, the driveway is slightly down hill, the back wheel locks up. If I hit the starter while it is still in gear, with the clutch lever pulled in the Blast leaps forward. How can I free up the clutch before I attempt to start it? KennyG | ||
| Vicenzajay |
Here's a picture of my chain bolt after adjustment....the gap in between the jam bolt and the chain adjustment bolt (as in empty space between the bolts) is now right at 3/8":  | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
That's in the normal range. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Start your bike in neutral. Why are you starting it in gear? Harley Sportster based products will clutch drag in gear when cold. It's usually fine after fully warmed up. But it is the nature of the beast to do this. A well properly adjusted clutch may alleviate or eliminate this symptom, but as a rule its quite normal. | ||
| Kenny_gilgore |
GearHead, The reason that I have tried starting in gear is that the grinding and clunking when trying to put the Blast in gear after starting in neutral just doesn't sound right. I must admit I haven't owned a Sportster since 1960, but I don't remember any kind of noise like I am hearing now. I guess I am spoiled by riding too many Nortons, BMWs and Hondas. In reference to the picture above, showing the chain adjustment nut, my Blast has a spacer between the head of the bolt and the jam nut that measures exactly .370. Are there any other adjustments that I should be checking? KennyG | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Okay, you still have the factory spacer on the adjustment bolt. That is there until you do the 1000 mile service. Its removed at that time. I would recommend you do a full clutch adjustment, primary chain adjustment and fluid change (use synthetic). Get a repair manual. 12-16 flats on the adjuster bolt rather than the 4 1/2 the manual says to do. Then and probably after a little practice, you can eliminate the crunch. It is very annoying, but you can make it disappear. You can also try shifting into 2nd gear, then shift into first. It is a Sportster trans and takes a firm foot (not a stomp though!) After all that is done, I would recommend drilling out the idle mixture screw plug, adjust it to 2 1/2 turns out. Then make sure your cold and warm idle is not set too high. (Fast and cold idle is set about 300-500 rpms higher than a Sportster, which I dont think they took into account, hence the crunch). Warm idle is 1200 rpms! There is more you can do, but start with these. | ||
| Kenny_gilgore |
Gearhead, Thank you very much for the information. I just purchased this bike, a 2009 Blast with 1854 miles on it, and took it to an independent motorcycle service center to have it serviced by a mechanic that rides a Buell, it cost me $200.00 and included synthetic oil in the engine and primary. I wanted the carb cleaned, the clutch adjusted and oil change. The mechanic told me he saved me an hour and a half labor by not cleaning the carburetor. So within the week I spent a couple of hours cleaning the carb. As I learned many years ago if I am going to ride a motorcycle I better learn how to fix it. I have a factory service manual now, and I must go to the Harley dealer tomorrow. Can I use Harley synthetic oil? Do I need to purchase a primary case gasket? I really appreciate your help! KennyG | ||
| Vicenzajay |
I know one thing Erik is going to ask - why did you clean the carb? :-) | ||
| Kenny_gilgore |
Jay, I cleaned the carb because the bike would not idle and would not stay running. It is over 4 years old and has less than 2000 miles on it, and the only gas ever used in it was unleaded with ethanol. Since cleaning the carb the idle is smooth and it runs much better. I didn't do this for fun because I don't like to work. Kenny | ||
| Kenny_gilgore |
GearHead Rick, I went through my Blast service manual and now understand how the clutch adjustment is done. I have a question, how critical is it to tighten the adjuster bolt to 24 inch pounds? KennyG | ||
| Vicenzajay |
KennyG, Please reference the smiley in my post. I just know that reading Erik's posts, this is a pet peeve of his when folks "clean the carburetor" and then have big issues. So my post is completely tongue-in-cheek. :-) Jay | ||
| Milt |
Kenny, Ever stop by North Texas State (now NTU) to hear the 1:00 band? | ||
| Kenny_gilgore |
Milt, I am from Philadelphia and don't really know my way around North Texas. Please tell me about the band. KennyG | ||
| Vicenzajay |
Where is the rocker box gasket (mentioned above as an oil leak/seep issue)? I've found a place high up inside the left front of the bike - forward of the spark plug and all the way up on the engine - where there seems to be a small cloth hose of some type. It has some "gunk" on it that's thick and oily, and I'm curious to know what's going on. The bike has not leaked at all (it's parked at night on a flattened box so I can see if any liquid leaks) - yet there is some oily residue on this hose and a small bit of the engine around it. Not really sure what I'm looking at or feeling, but I'd like to head off a problem before it really sidelines me at a bad time. Jay | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
24 inch lbs is critical, if at the very least it gives you a consistent starting place as everybody else. Tighter and you risk breaking the shoe. Looser and nobody knows what measurement to give you if you use day 20 inch lbs instead if 24! Using the "by ear" method only can be reliable, but that usually comes with experience or at least a reliable starting point such as the repair manual procedure. *when going by the repair manual, do not use the 4 1/2 flats it states. That is much too tight. 12-16 flats is better. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
As far as the carb, it's commonly the slow/pilot jet that gets clogged, which will give it a poor idle (or none at all). That jet should be replaced with a #45 which will give you a much happier Blast! If I had a dollar for every time somebody took their carb apart "to give it a good cleaning" and it resulted in more problems, I'd be writing this from my summer home!!! | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Jay, that cloth hose is probably the ground strap and the oil is probably coming from the PCV breather grommet. Nothing to worry about (annoying yes). Clean your engine and watch for leaks. The blast rarely develops a leak that will put you out of commission. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
At 14,000 miles that gasket has been replaced. It could start leaking again, but that can wait until winter (unless after more frequent riding you find it is actually leaking quite bad). | ||
| Vicenzajay |
Erik, Thanks yet again - puts my mind at ease! No leaks right now at all, so I'm happy to know where the oil is coming from on the ground strap. The bike is running so much better now - simply fun to drive and it was a beautiful commute this morning (I do a 75+ mile commute twice a week through some beautiful country - WA state). Cheers! Jay | ||
| Kenny_gilgore |
Eric, Thank you! Today I installed Dan's intake system along with the #45 pilot jet. What a difference in how smooth the engine idles and runs. Without even adjusting the clutch the transmission goes into gear a whole lot smoother. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to adjust the clutch and hope for an even greater improvement in shifting into gear. After the engine is thoroughly warmed up I am going to attempt to slow down the idle a bit. KennyG | ||
| Kenny_gilgore |
New Question What kind of glue will stick to the "skins"? I notice on ebay when a fuel tank cover is listed, more often than not the seller mentions that the "skin" is cracked around the hole where the bolt goes through to attach the cover to the bike. I would like to reinforce the cover on my bike to prevent said cracking. KennyG | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Use 1 or 2 fender washers(1 on the outside and 1 on the inside for max effect) instead if the tiny little washer that comes with the bike. It's plastic, so over tightening is the big cause of cracking. | ||
| Vicenzajay |
Another new question...tried to post this in another forum, but I think it's easier to get lost over there. Where is the "sensor" for neutral on the speedometer and how do you tighten it? I've got the same problem others have reported with the Neutral light not working after 30 minutes to an hour of riding - while the actual shifting works fine. Jay | ||
| Kenny_gilgore |
Eric, Thank you for the information about the fender washers for preventing the tank cover from splitting. Eric, I owe you an apology my carburetor probably didn't need cleaning. Let me explain. Before I removed the gas tank I stuck a foot long piece of 1/4" diameter tubing on the vent spout so I wouldn't spill gasoline. The whole time I have been working on the bike I left the piece of tubing on the tank. Today after adjusting the clutch I decided to put zip ties on the tubing from Dan's air intake system. When I was finished I decided to blow air through the vent tube before putting it back on the tank. I couldn't get air to go through it. I removed the tubing and tried to run a piece of wire through it. It wouldn't go more than a foot into the tubing. I cut the tubing and sure enough I found the obstruction. The inner clear tubing was folded in half above the engine. I guess heat from the engine got to it. Where and what can I get to replace this tubing? Removing the foot peg frame to get at the clutch adjustment is a real b*ll buster and I am sure it will be just as hard to put it back on. When I have the frame apart to get it powder coated this winter there will be a change made on that setup. KennyG | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
I couldnt tell you where to buy that vent hose. I'm sure its available, but...? You can use vacuum tubing or clear hose (available from an R/C hobby shop). Instead of running tubing to the ground, you can use one of these on a short 2"-3" hose: http://www.pacificcustoms.com/VALVE-GOLD.html They are available from a variety of motorcycle/offroad shops for about $12. They work well, but do occasionally go bad (they stop venting). (Message edited by Gearheaderiko on August 15, 2013) | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
The neutral safety switch is under the front pulley. Its not easy to get to without removing the pulley. With the right wrench it could be done. It can be tightened carefully by other means. I found mine loose at the racetrack. Without time or the proper 'cheater' wrench,I tightened it up "finger tight" and secured it with RTV silicone. Its held ever since! | ||
| Vicenzajay |
"under the front pulley"....any pictures? Is this also the sensor that you and EZ talked about on the other thread (telling the guy with the same problem to tighten the sensor)? Sorry I'm so obtuse - but I'm only now starting to expand my vocabulary for mechanical terms.... At this point I can only think of the front of the drive belt on the right side somewhere. My issue is that the green "N" for neutral every now and again just stops displaying - usually after riding for a bit (like an hour). Shifting still works fine - just no green N. It never fails to fix itself after the bike's off for a bit. Jay Jay | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Yes, that's it. It's also shown in the repair manual. |
