Well, hope everybody had half as much fun as I had this weekend!
I headed down to The Woodlands at noon on Friday. Stopped for gas in Corsicana and smelled something funny, thought it was just the neighberhood. Well, 2 miles N of Fairfield started loosing power and whenever I honked the horn (to check voltage differences) the bike would cut out completely and then run again. Half a mile from the Fairfield exit it died completely and I was able to coast down the exit to the gas station. Same smell, different town, I thought-battery. and sure enough when I pulled the seat off the battery was boiling. I have been exeperiencing battery trouble for about 3 months. I had bought a voltage meter so I could monitor the activity and saw times when it was charging up to 19 when running back and forth to work.
I saw a guy go by on a Goldwing and waved him down and he took me to Napa to get a new battery. Got it hooked up and was on my way again. This time the readings were normal all the to the Woodlands and back home to DFW yesterday. I had talked to Greg and we thought it might be the regulator. Time will tell.
That was the half I hope no one has to go through.
This is the good part. Returning from the Woodlands I got gas N of Huntsville and decided to take 75 N from there and ended up riding it all the way to Fairfield. Wow, what a fun ride! Nice open two lane roads with some nice curves and empty straight a ways. Speeds in excess of 100 in the clear areas, maxed out at 115, that was the best I could get, but it sure was a fun ride and got me along to my destination without the highway boredom.
This raises a question: when you try to get a high speed do you need to do the whole accelaration bit, speed through each gear until you get to top end or do you get the same top end cranking down until you don't go any faster? One time I downshifted to 4th and ran it up to 9k in that gear and up as fast as it would go and still ended up at 115 in 5th gear again.
What do you think?
Bob
Hey Bob, Maybe your battery has been trying to short out and finally did? Hope the new battery fixes the problem. I've never had mine over 115 mph but not because of the bike, :shock:. When Billy Stone rode your old bike he said the top end was 130 mph but it didn't have a windshield. Billy drag races Hyabusa's so I'm sure he was probably laying down on it. I know 115 is a rush if you get it in a hurry!! 8-). Sounds like you had a real Bob Barram kinda weekend.
My very recent experience is that for maximum top speed you need to run up through the gears to redline. Or at least downshift to a gear that puts you above 7-8k rpm. I was unhappy with the addition of a windscreen because I just could not seem to get the bike up to 100mph with it. Hit 125 before. So, just the other day, I got on it to redline in each gear. Easily crept up near 120. However, if I am doing 80 in 6th gear and roll on full throttle I am lucky to hit 95. Mind you, this is on an 84 vf700.
Glad your newfound friend with the Goldwing was willing and able to help you get a new battery, Bob. I hope the new battery is the solution. I think I'm gonna toddle out to the garage tomorrow evening after work and check the water level on mine. It hasn't been giving me any problems but I also know I haven't check it since I bought the bike two years ago! :shock:
But at least you rode this weekend, which is more than I can say I did...