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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 1st October 2010 17:26
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I've got a quick question for all of you knowledgeable types & Bike gods, is that enough flattery...? The bikes started squeeking a bit, lives outside. Everytime I brake the suspension squeeks, whats the best lube to put on it, should I use WD40 or is there something more specific/ better ? I've got tons of WD40 & chain lube as the bike is an outside beast. Thanks!
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 23rd August 2010 20:19
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It's unlikely to be the suspension itself squeaking - very common is a bit of squeal as the brake pads bite. This happens as the suspension compresses under braking, so it's easy to confuse the two. It's quite easy to fix if you don't mind getting the spanners out. And FFS don't put WD40 near the brakes (not that you would).
--
2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 16th May 2010 15:09
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| Doesn't hurt to keep the suspension springs WD40'd. Wouldn't have thought they'd be squeaking, either, but it stops them rusting up and pitting. Could well be the pads, could also be something mechanical rubbing as the suspension compresses. Depends on how you brake (front only or front/rear) and what kind of a squeak it is! Brake cleaner spray on the rotors and/or anti-squeal compound behind the pads should cure it if it's brakes (plus, brake hard to take any glaze off the pad surface). If not, have a visual check for bare/shiny metal which would indicate something rubbing where it shouldn't - swingarm area's a good place to start looking - and make sure all your bearings and bushes are in good condition (usual checks for excessive lateral freeplay in handlebars/wheels/suspension mounts etc - they'll all be in the "routine" checks section of whatever manual you have).
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Forum Member
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Last Login: 17th May 2009 00:58
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Update on this week's damage:
Going round a roundabout on Sunday, the bike suddenly lost drive. A quick inspection revealed the nut on the rear wheel spindle had come off, allowing the wheel to skew and throw he chain off. Half an hour's diving in front of traffic yielded the lost adjuster and nut. Luckily, neither was too badly munched. Chain re-fitted (sprockets look hooked, but so far have continued to work fine) and spindle nut re-torqued over and above the listed torque - I'm not relying on The Book of Lies again!
Monday: Running late as usual, I was overjoyed when the kick-start fell off, spewing the sprung latching mechanism into the undergrowth. Reattached using a paper clip circlip and seems to be fine, if a little more likely to flop out at inconvenient moments (Oooo-eeer!)
On the way home today, I noticed that under certain vibration conditions (i.e. most of the time) the left hand indicator flickers. Both bulbs are okay (naturally, I broke a lens checking them), so I'm guessing there's an earth earthing somewhere that it shouldn't be. Right hand side is fine.
In short, I hate this infernal machine so much right now!
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 1st October 2010 17:26
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Don't worry BD even I am not stupid enough to put WD40 on the brakes  , she seems to be fine now with a quick WD'ing but if it doesn't rain this weekend I'll give her a good clean & check my pads.Ahh Roop, I feel like my bikes out to get me some weeks.
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Forum Member
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Further investigation has revealed the indicator fault is not exclusive to the left hand side, as I had first thought. In fact, they work fine at idle, but the frequency of the indicator flashes increases with engine speed, eventually becoming a constant flicker at high revs.
So what do we think? Voltage regulator (again)?
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Supreme Being
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| Regulator wouldn't be my first thought, I have to say. Could be bad contacts or one of the bulbs, but that should usually give you permanent double-speed flashing rather than rev-sensitive problems. Duff earthing or corroded switchgear is a possibility, but I'd probably start by checking the indicator relay. Doesn't sound like you've been having the best of luck recently - is there something out of whack and causing excessive vibration? Seems like a lot of bits seem to be working loose or shaking themselves to pieces!
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Forum Member
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Bulbs are all working fine and seated properly in their holders.
No excessive vibration, that I've noticed, however everything got a good soaking with oil when the head came loose, so that may be a contributing factor to everything falling off.
I'll check the relay tomorrow, it's been exposed (and covered with oil) for a while, since the side panel fell apart. Any idea how to test it?
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Supreme Being
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| To be fair, there isn't much that can be checked. Voltage either side of the relay should be the nominal 12 - 14 at idle. Lower input voltage indicates the problem could be battery/charging system. Big loss across the relay suggests that's been fried. You should be able to hear the solenoid clicking away, if that's irregular with steady voltage, the relay's probably at fault. At higher revs, obviously, if the input voltage drops or rises excessively that's likely to be the reg/rec. If it doesn't but the relay solenoid increases pace dramatically, it's probably be the relay. Any other results are most likely back to bad earthing or a duff connection in the indicator harness or at the switchgear. You should be able to check the earthing by running a wire directly from one of the bulb holders to the frame: if it all settles down to a steady flash, that's the problem.
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Supreme Being
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I wopuld agree with Endo's analysis and diagnostics. At first glance, it really does look like the regulator, though. If the indicator relay is just a simple old-fashioned bimetallic strip, then it will flash pretty much with the voltage - OK at idle speeds and bonkers at higher voltages. That would suggest the output of the alternator is not being regulated. If the speed of flashing is proportional to the revs, I'd say it was pretty certain.
--
2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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