Well I did some of my service stuff to the Ole Magna.
I changed the Oil and filter. I used Rotella T 15W-40
I bought it by the gallon which was way less than buying motorcycle oil buy the quart.
Anyway I rode the bike about 100miles before parking her for the last 2 weeks. I tried to make the clutch slip so if a 300lb guy pulling hard on her won't make it slip I don't think there will be any problem. It isn't energy saving oil.
The only side effect i have found, if thats what it is, is that I can pull the clutch when cold but can't push the bike in gear cause the clutch is still sticking on. It may just be due to the cold.
It would do that a little in the summer when it had been sitting for a good while.
Anyway I want to buy a new chain. If anybody here has the tools to make it I would be willing to have it done for a little extra $$.
I have a little over 18K so i figure I should change the chain and drive sprocket.
Just give it a good hard roll using the backlash in the chain to break the clutch plates loose. That's what I used to do, but of course it won't work on gravel.
Curtis
For those planning on replacing a chain I found a great product from EK. It's a rivetless master link and so far it has worked flawlessly for me. Anyone that knows me can attest to how I ride and if it works for me then it will work for just about anybody.
http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/Screw-Type_Connecting_Links--506314.html
This is NOT a clip style master link (I don't trust those as far as I could chunk one) but rather one that you screw on two supplied nuts and they flange the pins to the proper depth as you tighten them. Basically you put this on your new chain, screw the nuts onto the exposed threaded pins, tighten with a 8mm wrench until they completely bottom out, remove the nuts, snap off the excess parts of the pins and you are done! No expensive rivet tools to buy or anything. I found this when I bought my last chain and figured it was worth the shot. So far (about 4 months now I guess) I have nothing but praise for it. It takes the hassle out of chain replacement and for $11 you can't beat it. I would highly recommend this to anybody.
That link of the link is neat. I'll have to look into it.
BTW I just went out there to start the Ol girl after sitting for a week and she just about didn't start.
Choked and all, she just turned and turned and finally a sputter that i milked into a rev and finally a run.
Took her about 20 minutes to warm up poor cold natured thing. Not to mention that damn ethanol fuel.
Need to find me a good real gasoline for winter starting.
I gotta buy a new chain and sprockets for my Project 96, (spent this much might as well get all the maintenance done while I am at it LoL).
Jimmy ya got any advice on sprockets? Chain? Where to get em? I have checked the usual places such as Dennis Kirk etc.
QuoteFor those planning on replacing a chain I found a great product from EK.
Jimmy, that looks like the best thing since sliced bread. Why didn't we invent that? We could be riding instead of working!! Almost makes me want a chain again (NOT!!).
Quote.........start the Ol girl after sitting for a week and she just about didn't start.
Just goes to prove Magnas are female: Leave one alone for a week and it's hard to get 'em to rev. Actually, don't you think she deserves some heat out there? Or better yet, build a ramp so you can get her in the living room! LOL
Seriously though, keep the battery tender on her so the spark is good and hot, and go easy on the throttle at first and she'll get going. I was usually able to get off choke and ride away on cool mornings without much warm-up.
Curtis
Well Cyclegear has had a sale for a bit on the RK xso 530 chain I got mine for 80 out the door not a bad deal for an Xring chain !!!!!
Will the link work on all brands of chain? The website refers to EK.
Quote from: TLRam1 on November 25, 2007, 09:21:09 PM
Will the link work on all brands of chain? The website refers to EK.
In theory it should. I know when I had an RK chain and needed to remove a couple of links I used an EK rivet master and it worked fine.
Quote from: Greg Cothern on November 25, 2007, 07:27:06 PM
I gotta buy a new chain and sprockets for my Project 96, (spent this much might as well get all the maintenance done while I am at it LoL).
Jimmy ya got any advice on sprockets? Chain? Where to get em? I have checked the usual places such as Dennis Kirk etc.
Greg, I have a "used but good as new" standard drive sprocket for a 3rd gen. Bought a new one, and I absolutely cannot measure any difference between the new one and the one I set back. New one cost ~$25, and sending it back would cost about half that, so I just put it on the bike.
You are welcome to the old one if you want it.
I am leaving on a business trip tomorrow morning early, but will be back a week from today. If you are not in a hurry for it, I could get it to Devin, and he could bring it when he comes home at semester break.
Quote from: Greg Cothern on November 25, 2007, 07:27:06 PM
I gotta buy a new chain and sprockets for my Project 96, (spent this much might as well get all the maintenance done while I am at it LoL).
Jimmy ya got any advice on sprockets? Chain? Where to get em? I have checked the usual places such as Dennis Kirk etc.
Greg, I have been getting my sprockets from Dennis Kirk and my last chain from KneeDraggers.com. DK seems to be about the lowest and I like how you can see what they have in stock before you order.
FWIW the last two chains I had were RK X-ring's and they didn't last worth a damn no matter how anal I was about lubing and adjusting. I went with an EK this time and so far so good.
Are you running stock ratio Jimmy was going to do a 41/17 but damn it is hard to find that 41 it is out there just no one carrys it except JT and the only place I found that was the dist !!!!
Len, I have the tool to use when removing/replacing the chain, if you want to come by some evening or weekend it is doable in about an hour. Just make sure you have the right size chain. I bought one from Honda once after giving them the bike numbers and they gave me one too short. (is this what you meant by making a chain?)
Bob
My RK chain didn't last long either but think it was more the installer than the chain.
I seem to have a problem with the installer riveting the master link too tight and guessing that's the only link that doesn't move fluidly and thinking it is the first link to sound like it doesn't release (kinking) when the chain is lacking lube.
Does or has anyone else noticed this problem with the master links being too tight? I have never riveted one on myself so I assume you can not rivet it on as tight and leave it somewhat free, yes/no?
I used the heavy duty rivet tool from MotionPro, on advice from Alan, with the adapter for soft head rivets (not hollow). It doesn't bind at all -- at least not so far. The master link is almost indistinguishable from the factory staked links. :smile:
It is certainly more expensive than the self staking links described above. Wish I had know about them before I bought the tool. :sad:
Anyone is welcome to use this chain tool. Just make sure I know you are coming.
Quote from: roboto65 on November 26, 2007, 07:09:40 PM
Are you running stock ratio Jimmy was going to do a 41/17 but damn it is hard to find that 41 it is out there just no one carrys it except JT and the only place I found that was the dist !!!!
This last time I went to the 16/42 to help offset the effect of the oversized rear Metz (1780/80). Why would you do a 17 and a 41? That would be kind of working against each other. A 17 and a 41 basically would not change from stock since a larger front sprocket lowers rpm's while a larger rear raises rpm's.
Well as you know we divide the 2 numbers and get the ratio like stock is 16/40 which is 2.50 the lower the number the better the gas mileage but what a dog off the line.. Now 42/16 is 2.62 so that means your bike is reving around 5500 or so around 75 and you are quick off the line. I was going for something close to stock but wanted the mileage being that I put 120 miles aday on my baby 60 miles one way. So I figured 17/41 is 2.41 which is close whith out giving to much off the line!!!!!
Quote from: roboto65 on November 26, 2007, 10:19:43 PM
Well as you know we divide the 2 numbers and get the ratio like stock is 16/40 which is 2.50 the lower the number the better the gas mileage but what a dog off the line.. Now 42/16 is 2.62 so that means your bike is reving around 5500 or so around 75 and you are quick off the line. I was going for something close to stock but wanted the mileage being that I put 120 miles aday on my baby 60 miles one way. So I figured 17/41 is 2.41 which is close whith out giving to much off the line!!!!!
Hmmm. What rear tire are you running?
I'm probably wrong but I still think what you will end up with is the same as stock gearing. I always thought 16/40 was great with the stock size rear.
I tend to agree with Jimmy, I was running the higher ratio (17 front sprocket) when I first got my 97. I thought the Magna ran great except for the sluggish take offs, all the higher revs and clutching slipping on starts pretty much off set any mileage increase I might have got out on the highway. After I changed it back to a 16 it made all the difference in the world in take offs and I can't tell any difference in mileage. As I said before there is no way I would go back to a higher ratio..Gas milage increases are usually so small that they rarely offset the cost to achieve it..Just my uneducated observation, :-?
Well right now the 170/80/15 but I am going to have to go smaller when I put a new tire on so trying to figure that out too Was thinking about the stock size Metz on the rear should give me great turn in. I am also going to get rid of my forward controls and put the stock pegs back on.... The forward controls I have on now do NOT MOVE as in if I am not careful I will find myself with the bike sliding out from under me not a good thing and I enjoy leaning so they got to go !!!! Would love to figure out how to mount them back like sportbike style. I will save that for another post LOL....
Quote from: roboto65 on November 27, 2007, 11:19:21 AM
Well right now the 170/80/15 but I am going to have to go smaller when I put a new tire on so trying to figure that out too Was thinking about the stock size Metz on the rear should give me great turn in. I am also going to get rid of my forward controls and put the stock pegs back on.... The forward controls I have on now do NOT MOVE as in if I am not careful I will find myself with the bike sliding out from under me not a good thing and I enjoy leaning so they got to go !!!! Would love to figure out how to mount them back like sportbike style. I will save that for another post LOL....
I don't know bro. If you are wanting a stock rear tire then I don't understand the 17/41 gearing. Maybe 16/41 if you want more take off without losing too much mileage but then if you're liek me the quicker take offs just make you twist the throttle more...lol. Best way to help gas mileage is just do the hardest thing, stay out of the throttle. Honda pretty much nailed the stock gearing with the stock size tire IMHO.
SO you have the older stype Mapam's with the non folding pegs? Yikes!!! I can imagine how those would lever a bike up at angle. Not a good thing!!! I have actually thought several times about going back to stock pegs but just never do. I mean, after all I have put my forwards through it kind of seems mean to take them off 8-)
Well my back does not like them either hunched over with your legs out not a good combo !!!!
Quote from: rjb on November 26, 2007, 07:24:06 PM
Len, I have the tool to use when removing/replacing the chain, if you want to come by some evening or weekend it is doable in about an hour. Just make sure you have the right size chain. I bought one from Honda once after giving them the bike numbers and they gave me one too short. (is this what you meant by making a chain?)
Bob
Yep thats what I meant. Sounds like a good Idea. I just need to by the chain.
Len, let me know when you plan on going by Bob's to do the chain. If my schedule allows I'll drop by and visit while ya'll work. 8-) :P :shock:
Let me know also...
I just got new Sunstar sprockets (16/40) from Dennis Kirk $86.93 wiht shipping (front 25.99, rear 53.99, both steel) for front and back and a RK-530XSO chain from Cyclegear $75+tax and a chain breaking riveting tool from Pit Posse (through ebay) for $52.
I'm fairly pleased with prices...although we'll see how long the RK chain lasts. Do you guys know what chain comes Stock? When I got my bike it had less than 4K on it, but it had a D.I.D. chain on it.
I just did the same thing from Dennis Kirk LOL went with stock also got front wheelbearing and seal kit !!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote from: Herman on December 01, 2007, 12:21:32 PM
I'm fairly pleased with prices...although we'll see how long the RK chain lasts. Do you guys know what chain comes Stock? When I got my bike it had less than 4K on it, but it had a D.I.D. chain on it.
Manual shows two chains:
DID 50V4/118
RK 50 MF0Z1/118
DID 50V4 would be the one. Got just about 24K out of it. I wish I could get that out of a rear tire!
Len, congrats on the chain stuff. Hope you got what you needed with the chain break tool, I know when I was shopping around there were a lot of variations and prices for what they were offering and it was hard to tell what was in the kit, some kits had this and some had that. The $100 kit was the one I knew had all I needed to do the job.
If you need any advice or run into issues while doing the job give me a call, any time... My cell is 9723587079. I have done about 5 chain jobs on my Magna and others.
Bob
My 95 Magna has 25K on it. Not sure if it's original or not. Anyway to tell if it's a stock chain?
Don't worry whether it's stock or not
1) is the chain adjusted correctly?
2) is it lubricated every 500 miles or so
3) is the indicators on the adjustment bar at or beyond the limit mark
4) are there tight and loose spots in the chain, and IF so, are they bad? (some tightness in spots is inevitable.
IF 3 is true or 4 is true and bad.. Replace the chain.. Inspect the sprockets for wear (side to side or uniformity in the teeth), Consider replacing the sprockets too.
Thanks for the reply. #3 and #4 are fine. I oil it often and I have lots of adjustment space left. Just a touch of wear on rear sprocket teeth. How disastrous would it be for a chain to break while riding?
Quote from: patty2sage on June 29, 2015, 08:29:03 PM
Thanks for the reply. #3 and #4 are fine. I oil it often and I have lots of adjustment space left. Just a touch of wear on rear sprocket teeth. How disastrous would it be for a chain to break while riding?
It rarely happens.. Usually only if the master link comes apart..
When it happens, usually nothing happens except you just get stuck on the side of the road (no power to the rear wheel).. The chain usually just slings out the back of the bike..
It's possible for it to get wrapped up in the rear wheel, but I've never heard of it actually happening..
Thanks for putting my mind at ease. I thought someone had told me once that it could damage the engine or something of that nature.
Quote from: patty2sage on June 29, 2015, 10:31:39 PM
Thanks for putting my mind at ease. I thought someone had told me once that it could damage the engine or something of that nature.
It is possible for it to crack the case but follow what Hootmon said and I think it is even more rare that the case would get damaged.