Just picked up an 82 Manga v45. A few questions

[DJ]

I just checked and JC whitney has the front and rear turn signal stalks they are 8.49 a piece.

Sweet.  The other ones were very close, but needed a small mod to get them to fit.

[John Luttrell]

Welcome aboard DJ..........

[DJ]

Welcome aboard DJ..........

Thanks for the welcome.  Are there any members in Maine?

[trapper]

Jerry...You can bet I'll be checking out JC Whitney right away..!!!

[trapper]

OK... If it worked, I've attached the photos of the JC Whitney Stems.  The top photo of a rear stem is what I buy for my '84 except from  Dennis Kirk.  The mounting stud is the correct length.  It has a separate wire conduit which extends a little out of the back of the stem, and this is what I have to grind flush.  I only need to do this for the '84 V45 and I presume would be necessary on the '82 & '83 models as well since the fender and side rails are the same style.  The fender is wider on the '85 & '86 V45's and the mounting of the stems is different.  Now I believe these stems will work OK on my '83 V65 with no modification.  The second photo of a front rear stem will mount flush, but...the moounting stud is way too long.  You cannot bolt it up with out creating some type of sleeve.  I did out of a 1/2 close nipple, but, the wires go THROUGH the stud and so, i needed to cut a notch in the nipple to route the wires through so I wouldn't sever them when I tightened everything down.  The install looked great, but the mounting stud, because it was too long would rub on the back tire, especially if I hit the rear shocks a little hard or was carrying a heavy load, like luggage or my wife.........oops....now I've gone and done it...!!!        

Anyway...this has been my experience.  Thought I would pass it on...

BTW...please don't anybody tell Tina I called her a heavy load.....Thanks a bunch...!!!

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[DJ]

The blinker stalks are on order.  Still messing with the screws on the clutch master cylinder.  The dremel disks are way to big to make the slot.  And I can't find my reverse drill bit set.  I may have to just suck it up and buy another set of them to get those darn screws out so I can drain and refill/bleed the hydraulics for the clutch lever.  I'm hoping that fixes the problem.  I'll keep everyone posted of my progress.  I hope to be able to get the bike on the road soon.  The weather the past few days has been absolutely beautiful.  It should be in the upper 60's this weekend.

[Charles S Otwell]

I'm not sure how many aftermarket signal stalks are available but the ones I bought were  so flemsy that it let the signal lights droop and bounce, very unattractive.. If you have good luck with the purchase of the stalks, please let us know, it would be helpful. I actually bought mine from Honda, but they weren't oem, Honda said they could no longer get the oem stalks. Just thought I'd mention it ..

[Jamtndll]

DJ have you ordered your manual yet?  I have one.  I also recently acquired an 82 Magna. let me see about getting it copied and sent to you.

[dgc67]

DJ,
Getting a copy like that may be your best bet.  Everytime my download gets to 25% it times out.

[DJ]

DJ have you ordered your manual yet?  I have one.  I also recently acquired an 82 Magna. let me see about getting it copied and sent to you.

Thanks for the offer.

So, here is the current update.  I've gotten the two pesky stripped out screws out.  Checked the level of fluid in the master cyliner and it was extrememly low, not empty and not sucking air yet but very low.

How do I go about bleeding the system?

[trapper]

It is possible to bleed the air out of the system a couple of ways.  You can bleed it similarly as you would an auto's brake system.  Cycle the brake lever by 'pumping' it 3 or 4 times,hold the lever in on the last pump; loosen the bleeder valve on the caliper Ofor the front brake) or slave cylinder (for the clutch) until the fluid runs out.  Tighten the bleeder valve before releasing the lever.  Unfortunately, you'll have brake fluid all over which is not good on painted or clear coated surfaces or plastic parts.

I have a brother-in-law that insists you can compress the brake lever then tie it off so it doesn't release and the hydraulic system will self bleed.  It may work, but I wouldn't bet on it.  The very best way to bleed the brake or clutch hydraulics is to use a brake bleeding pump.  A hand held pump can be bought at any auto parts store or on the internet.  I think I gave about $25 for mine and have used it plenty.  It's nice because it catches all the brake fluid in a resevoir so no mess, and takes about 2 minutes and 31 & 1/2 seconds to bleed the system.  I recommend it

[DJ]

Trapper - thanks for the explination.  I've tried bleeding it, but I don't have one of the hand pumps.  Tried bleeding it twice, but there is still air in the line somewhere.  I'll check with the autopart stores in the area to see who carries them and for how much.  Thanks for the tip.

[Magnatic]

I have used the zip-tie the lever to the handlebar method on at least two occasions,
and it does work. After bleeding attempts still left a spongy lever, I tried zip-tieing the lever tight against the handlebar, left it alone for 2-3 days and voila, all was well. It is
worth a try because it involves almost no effort except having to leave the bike alone
for a couple days. That might be too hard to do in the Spring though.

[DJ]

That's really not that big a deal right now as I can't ride with the clutch not working.  Still waiting for the blinker stalks to come in.  And I need to take apart the rear brake to find out why it is locking up.

After that I need two new tires and a state inspection/registration/insurance before I can rider her.  So, although I have been getting the urge to ride a lot lately, I don't have a bike that works right now.

My yamaha has a messed up petcock, so it doesn't run properly right now.  It is such an obscure old bike that new parts don't exist for it and it is getting pretty hard to find even decent used parts.  I'm still trying to find and aftermarket replacement for the petcock, but haven't had any luck yet.

[Greg Cothern]

A Mity-Mini-Vac works wonders!  But you will have to gain access to the add in fresh fluid.  Find an easy-out or such and remove those pesky stripped screws so you can clean things up and get some seat time..