ReconRat

If you drain the coolant system, don't flush it with water. Don't do that until you are ready to replace the coolant. This will prevent possible freezing, and possible flash corrosion. FOD= foriegn object damage. Cover all openings well enough to prevent critters, dirt, missing parts, rain, nuts&bolts, etc from getting in. This also needs to try and prevent air(oxygen) from causing corrosion inside. I like duct tape, but you have to check it often to see if it's still attached and doing the job. Fluids including oil will eventually flow off of the interior surfaces and no longer protect them. Protecting the cylinder walls, and cam lobes, is the biggest worry. You can squirt oil in the cylinders to help out. Turn the crank to coat the cylinder walls. Put the spark plugs back in, etc. Corrosion is an oxide compound of metals. Exposure to the air creates it. It's the same hardness as sandpaper (harder than metal). The less of the stuff floating around on the inside of the engine, the better. If it were me, I'd avoid tearing the engine down until I was ready to put it back together. This shouldn't take more then a few days to a week if all the parts and materials are ready to go. Then you'd have no worries. I want to take my valve cover off and mess with it. But I'm not going to do that till the Springtime when I will probably do a valve adjust at the same time. I don't want it off the engine for very long.

lol, you mean slower vehicles keep right, I hope... unless you're suddenly in Britain or something and I missed it....

I used to ride on New Year's Day, no exceptions... dunno if I still want to try that....

Yup, I rode again today. Weather report was way off. No rain this morning, just wet roads. And again, wonderful on the way home. Figured it might be near the last great day of 2008, so did sprints and decelerations on the freeway to annoy the cagers.

I rode today, it was a really nice day. To work and back, and a little shopping around. I'm not even wearing the heavy cold weather gear yet. I wasn't the only one, I saw a few others. It's getting close to the end, I noticed many looks of "ohmygodwhatishedoingridinginthecold". I haven't even frozen any body parts yet.

Satan likes Fords better than Chevys... Honestly, under these market conditions, it's called gambling.

I fear bankruptcy would allow the corporations to re-negotiate the union labor wages. The root problem is prices that are too high at the market place for consumers, against the competitors. Note that GM is trying to setup and build cars in both Russia and China. Value of stock could go either way, with no way to tell yet which way. I don't think the market in general has seen it's bottom yet, and that will have it's effect on GM and Ford stock also. Some of the GM and Ford current strength is people doing exactly this, buying because the prices are low. Conditions are not currently conductive to making predictions.

Saw a sheriff doing 100+ mph on Saturday on 270 (Easton). A note to the red SUV driver, use your rear view mirrors if you're going to drive in the fast lane... dork...

Still riding here. It's not Winter yet... Winter doesn't start till Dec 21-22.....

If you just want to do a quick spyware removal, use these two: AdAware http://www.lavasoft.com/ Download at: http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-2008/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj=dl&tag=top5&cdlPid=10903602 SpyBot http://www.spybot.com/ Download at: http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Spybot_Search_and_Destroy/1043809773/1 Scan in safe mode if you can, works better.

Just about the best spyware/malware/virus/trojan removal list I've run across: http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407 Starts with setup prior to actual removal. In step 3 it goes on to the removal procedures. Just follow all the instructions. Note that there are not only free scanners to download, there are several on-line scanners that work well too. Some will remove the bad stuff, others will only tell you what it is. Also consider removing or shutting off yahoo and google toolbars in your browsers (especially Internet Explorer), as well as un-installing any other toolbars. It's ok to put them back later, but google toolbars are sometimes infected, and once and a while a yahoo toolbar can be infected also. If a toolbar refuses to shut off or be un-installed, it is probably infected.

lol, use them Church's coupons... 7.99 gets you 10 pieces of chicken. 8.99 will get you the whole chicken. or 9.99 gets 8 piece, 4 biscuits, and 4 sides. or lighten up and do 4.99 for 5 pieces with 3 biscuits. Most of those are 2 or 3 meals for me... besides, you can get the spicy even hotter now...

oops, 4T oil.... Just looked this up. Excruciating details. The 4T refers to 4-stroke motorcycle oil, and references the JASO T 903:2006 standard. 4T does not appear in this specification. Neither as a method, a type of oil, nor as an acceptable marking on containers. Oil manufacturers apparently decided to use 4T and 2T to reference the difference between 4 stroke and 2 stroke motor oil. The markings of MA1, MA2, MB1, MB2 are shown in the specification as part of the necessary JASO T 904:2006, which is the Motorcycle four-cycle oils JASO test procedure. i.e. the Test procedure for friction property of clutch system. MA is high friction (heavy duty), and MB is low friction (light duty). The good news is that Iron Pony sells JASO MA2 oil. I didn't find anything else when I looked. Autozone, of course, didn't have an JASO MA2 oil that I could find. edit: Autozone does indeed now sell motorcycle oil. Look over to the left and up in the oil display.

(what JRMMii said:) Yes, it's in there, I just didn't make it as clear as you did. As long as it has the JASO MA2 it's ok for motorcycles. Regardless of whatever automotive ratings it might have. Interesting that the 4T part of the JASO is coming into play. A 4T oil can be either an MA1, MA2, or MB1 or MB2. And more as revisions come out. (3,4,etc) It's still the MA2 specification that most of us want to use.

You are correct. The vehicle manufacturer is seldom wrong.

Bad: and anything that looks like it. Good: In case of on-file as MA1 or MA2 (Y = 1 or 2) The MA is the important part, the red letter after that is a revision mark. So right now most will say either MA1 or MA2. Unfortunately, the oil often doesn't have a nice little graphic. It might only say "exceeds JASO MA2" somewhere on the container. It is the JASO MA2 that you want to see on your oil. Granted, some oils might have both markings, auto and motorcycle. That's ok.

continued from part 1: Types of oil: Group I: Solvent frozen mineral oil. This is the least processed of all oils on the market today and is typically used in nonautomotive applications, though some of it may find its way into low-cost motor oils. Group II: Hydro-processed and refined mineral oil. This is the most common of all petroleum oils and is the standard component of most petroleum-based automotive and motorcycle engine oils. Group III (now called synthetic): The oils start as standard Group I oils and are processed to remove impurities, resulting in a more heat-stable compound than possible as a standard Group I or II oil. Some examples are Castrol Syntec automotive oil and Motorex Top Speed. These are the lowest cost synthetics to produce, and generally do not perform as well as Group IV or V oils. Group IV: Polyalphaolefin, commonly called PAOs. These are the most common of the full synthetic oils, and usually offer big improvements in heat and overall stability when compared to Group III oils. They are produced in mass quantities and are reasonably inexpensive for full-synthetic oils. Since they are wax-free they offer high viscosity indexes (low temperature pour point) and often require little or no viscosity modifiers. Examples include Mobil One, Amsoil and Motorex Power Synt. Group V: Esters. These oils start their life as plant or animal bases called fatty acids. They are then converted via a chemical reaction into esters or diesters which are then used as base stocks. Esters are polar, which means they act like a magnet and actually cling to metals. This supposedly offers much better protection on metal-to-metal surfaces than conventional PAOs, which do not have this polar effect. These base stock oils also act as a good solvent inside the engine, translating into cleaner operation. Esters are the most expensive to produce, and oils manufactured with them usually cost much more. Due to this higher cost, many companies only fortify their oils with esters. Some examples are Bel-Ray EXS, Torco MPZ Synthetic and Maxum 4 Extra. Motul 300V, however, uses 100 percent ester as its base oil, and is one of the more expensive oils. ---------------- Honda technical bulletin in 1988 on SH and higher oils: "This type of oil was developed to optimize the kilometres per litre attained by automobile engines. To achieve this, most SH oils contain friction modifiers that significantly reduce frictional losses on internal combustion engine components. [...] While SH oil is fine in automobile engines, the situation is different for motorcycle engines. "The use of SG rated oil with friction modifiers in Honda motorcycle engines may cause the following problems: * Wear between the camshaft lobes and rockers arms due to the lubricant breaking down between the two components. * Slipping and deterioration of wet multi-plate clutch systems. * Slipping of one-way starter clutch systems. * Possible wear and pitting of transmission gear teeth due to the decreased shear-stability of the oil "Not all SH rated oils use friction modifiers. But since oil producers are not required to state if their oil contains friction modifiers, it is difficult to tell which brand may cause a problem. With this in mind, we recommend that SH rated oils not be used in Honda motorcycles." --------------- A research study [2] published by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and written by researchers belonging to the four Japanese motorcycle makers looked at then-new SH-rated car oils to evaluate their suitability for motorcycles. Among their conclusions: 1. The motorcycle manufacturers recommend SE, SF, SG-rated oils. 2. The manufacturers observe gear-pitting with viscosities less than 10W30. 3. Low-friction oils can cause wet multi-plate clutches to slip too much. 4. Low-friction oils can cause one-way limited slip (or back-torque limiting) clutches to slip too much. 5. Low-friction oils can cause starter motor clutches to slip too much. ------------------ recommended oils for 4cyl 4stroke motorcycles: (my choice) all are specifically 4stroke motorcycle 10w40 oils, except the Castrol R4 5W40, none are meant for use in automobiles full synthetics can be 5W40 instead of 10W40 1. Castrol R4 SuperBike (full synthetic) 2. Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W-40 (full synthetic?) (some users complain of clunky shifting with it) 3. Castrol GPS (synthetic based) 4. Honda HP4 (synthetic/mineral blend) (two types?-some have molybdenum additives-don't buy-eek!) 5. Castrol Actevo 4T (synthetic based - cheaper basic oil) 6. Honda GN4 (mineral based?) 7. Spectro Golden 4 10W40 (synthetic/mineral blend) 8. Repsol 4T Racing 10W40 (synthetic/mineral blend) Amsoil is pretty high rated oil as well. edit: add Shell Rotella to this list. A low cost oil. (WalMart by the gallon.) Shell Rotella® T3 SAE 15W-40 Shell Rotella® T6 Full Synthetic Both will say JASO MA on the container. Safe for motorcycles. edit: confusion... Shell Rotella has dropped the JASO-MA specifications from their website for Rotella T3 and Rotella T6. It now shows JASO-MA for "Rotella T Triple Protection". I won't be using Rotella any more, not if they can't make up their minds... -------------------------

I see the thread on oil, and a while back I did research on oil for myself. I wrote it all down at the time, so I wouldn't forget it. It might not be perfect, but it's close enough for me. I thought I'd share it, but I really don't want to argue about it. I have one for filters too, but it needs a little work. Maybe later. DO NOT BUY: 1. Any oils with ratings higher than SG. (Basically don't use car oil, no SH, SJ, SL, SM) WHY: All oil with a rating higher than SG is considered low friction (friction modifiers). Manufacturers are not required to indicate what they have added to the oil. THEREFORE: It's impossible to tell if something the bike won't like has been added. 2. Oils that claim Teflon or PTFE, graphite, organic molybdenum compounds, or other special slippery stuff. i.e. Slick 50, WHY: The clutch will slip, the starter will not engage, etc. 3. Oils that claim friction modifiers, or "Energy Conserving" and/or "Energy Conserving II" (organic molybdenum compounds) WHY: The clutch will slip, the starter will not engage, etc. 4. Oils with the 15W-xx rating. i.e. 15W-40 WHY: It's diesel engine oil. It behaves completely different in the engine. BMW might be an exception, but be careful to get motorcycle oil not diesel oil. (BMW oil or Golden Spectro) 5. Racing oil if you are not racing. WHY: Street bikes stop a lot, racing bikes try hard not to. THEREFORE: Different type oil requirements. 6. Additives or cleaners for your oil. WHY: Unless it's sold by the vehicle manufacturer, it's BS. STP in your motorcycle engine will be one of the biggest mistakes you'll ever make. DO BUY: 1. Oils with the motorcycle JASO MA rating. 2. Oils with high viscosity ratings. See the short list below. 3. The correct wieght oil for your motorcycle. i.e. 10W-40 Why: This is the basic viscosity rating. 5W-xx oil will pit the gears. Bad. Correct wieght supports bearings, resists against consumption due to volatility. 4. Good quality/brand SG or JASO MA oil, can be mineral, semi-synthetic, or synthetic. WHY: Type I and V are the wrong types. (Type II, III, IV, but not type I or V) 5. Synthetic oil for use in cold weather. 6. Cheap oil for storing the bike in the Winter. (either Rotella, or basic cheap SG) 7. Better oil or different oil if your clutch slips or the gears are hard to shift. 8. Better oil if it looks beat up when you drain it. WHY: It should still have viscosity when you drain it. A good oil will will finish up by streaming out in a fine flow. A broken down oil will finish up with a drip drip drip. I.E. It should pour out like it poured in. 9. Oils with zinc (ZDDP; zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate) as an additive. WHY: good anti-wear additive for motorcycles. 10. Oils with Phosphorus from ZDDP as an additive. WHY: Prevents gear wear, protects transmission. (Bad for catalytic converters, but I don't have one in Ohio.) NOTES: 1. SE SF SG SJ SH SJ SM SL oil ratings on the container, will not always have the official circle emblem. The official certification requires that an oil meets current ratings. (SL) Thus a new oil meeting older motorcycle ratings of SG, will not receive any official rating at all. It will simply say somewhere that it meets or exceeds SG. Another reason is that the certification is very expensive, and some oil companies won't do it. 2. The lack of ratings for motorcycle oils, is now covered by the Japanese JASO MA and MB ratings. MA is heavy duty, MB is light duty. 3. If the viscosity of the oil is broken down when it's drained, change it more often, or use a better oil. The oil should stream out when it's done draining, instead of dripping. (if it's reasonably hot oil) i.e. it should pour out like it poured in where possible. 4. Some engines, for example the early Honda V4s, and any turbo, needed better-than-average oil such as semi- or full-synthetics. (note: modified engines with extremely high compression ratios can destroy oil in just days or weeks.) 5. Mineral oils generally have a higher viscosity than synthetics, but they can't keep it that way. 6. There is no such thing as a pure 100% synthetic. Synthetics are made from mineral oil or ethanol, etc. Synthetics are generally a mix of both mineral, and mineral enhanced to be considered synthetic. (Type IV oils, PAOs, are the closest to a true synthetic. Mobil One, (use motorcycle type only), is the only one I can think of.) 7. It's ok to add a mineral to a synthetic, or a synthetic to a mineral. Not a problem. 6. Don't get obsessed with oil: the best advice you can find is in the owner's manual 7. Special application oils are for special application motorcycles, you don’t have one, forget it. 8. Honda HP4 oil, which is a mineral/synthetic blend, appears to have molybdenum additives. Opinions differ as to whether molybdenum is bad for the clutch plates. If it's not so bad, why did Honda take it out of their HP4, and have two types, one with and one without? Also, SportRider tested the HP4 without molybdenum and found it had significant amounts in it. 9. Some bikes have no problems with the molybdenum additives. Likewise, some bikes have no problem with car oil. Even the ones with the slippery energy conserving additives. ----------------- Viscosity ratings from independant testing: Notable here, is that a petroleum based oil can out-perform a synthetic. Also notable, is that the oil breaks down the viscosity very fast in a motorcycle. Relative Viscosity Retention (as a percentage of initial viscosity retained after normal use in the same motorcycle) 0 mi 800 mi 1500 mi 2500 mi type ---- ------ ------- ------- ---- Mobil1 100% 86.6% 83.0% 79.1% synthetic/automotive oil Castrol Syntec 100% 78.1% 74.5% Not tested synthetic/automotive oil Castrol GTX 100% 72.2% 68.0% " " petroleum/automotive oil Honda HP4 100% 69.2% 65.6% " " synthetic/Motorcycle oil Spectro 4 100% 68.0% 63.9% " " petroleum/Motorcycle oil Most of these are automotive oils, this list is just to show how some petroleum oils outperform synthetics, when you wouldn't expect it. --------------------- continued in part 2

Aerospace isn't much of a steady job. Paycheck is good, but too project oriented. Politics change, and then everyone gets laid-off. But they do pay well for additional education. We used to call ourselves technical mercenaries. Always having to move around to stay working. Research institutions are more likely to offer a life long job. All companies now have the bad habit of getting rid of people just before they hit the 5 years of employment, when the company owes retirement to the employee per federal law. Thanks Congress, messed another law up beyond belief.

Yeah, I noticed the ouch flat seat. Love the headlight mask though.

Ok, I had to add this. The wording of the law is a bit tricky. In the state of Ohio, if the title (showing rebuilt markings) isn't available at the time of sale, the sale is void if: http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4505.181I take it that would mean a buyer would have to ask to see the title before committing to a purchase agreement. I'll remember that...

Actually, before we make you all nervous, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just keep it in mind and keep an eye on things. I used to ride bikes through deep water all the time. Up over carb intakes even, the wake keeps them in an air pocket, just don't stop. Didn't do anything more for it other than re-pack wheel bearings in the winter. Worst case is trying to start a bike that has gotten water in the one of the cylinders, without taking the plugs out first. Even then, damage isn't likely unless it actually fires or starts.

Including check and replace brake fluids as needed. It's hard to spot water in hydraulic brake fluid. You'd have to let it set, the water tends to go to the bottom. Then drain a sample into a glass jar, and let that set, and see if water separates out in the bottom. Or if the brake fluid is dirty, just change it. Don't hit the brake lever before you drain a sample, that instantly disperses the water throughout the brake fluid from the pressure. Sort of like vaporizing it. It settles back out and falls toward the bottom after a while. Even the smallest amount of water in brake fluid is not acceptable. Is it possible to get a list of what work was done by the re-builder on the bike? BTW, good job on getting that adjustment. I thought it was illegal in Ohio to pass off a re-build title as normal. And not just marked on the title, I thought they had to tell you, and/or advertise it that way. Dunno...

Alternate to Rat Bike: The Survival bike http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_bike