What did you do to your Yamaha today?

To be clear, I havent manage to get the springs OFF yet! I was taking them apart to polish them.

 

What you studying K-Moe?

 

Funny you can't learn anything from osmosis and if we can I sure hope that it would be math!

 

You and me both. Annotated bibliography is on schedule for the weekend. What was I thinking going for another degree at my age?

Great looking bike, Dave. I wonder how many tickets one could get with that bike - grin.

 

Bravo in going back to airbox...the engineers knew what they were doing ...PODS suck!!! try riding in the rain had a buddy get stuck under a bridge for 2 hours waiting on a monsoon to quit so he would not fill his engine with water...and it was sunny when he left... he put airbox back in afterwards. He thought he had his Suzuki running good after putting back in airbox and synching and adjusting his bike ran like it was new.. No more flat spot or adjusting idle

 

I plan on riding mine today.

 

Just staring into the cold and possible snow later today grrrrrr.
Need to do the "ton" to get rid of winter blues asap !

 

I've had that though a lot recently. Then I remember that my pension is tied to my pay rate, and my pay rate is determined more by by level of education than it is my years of service. Master's degree it is then.

 

Osmosis is the key to life, and so-called chemiosmotic coupling ---the pumping of protons, stripped off from the Hydrogen atoms in food and then driven across the bacterial or mitochondrial membrane, which in turn drives the synthesis of the ATP energy fuel used in cellular metabolism --- is how all (every last one) form of life on this planet operates. It's a very curious way of creating energy, and the discovery of this process and its probable evolutionary roots neatly solves the "which came first chicken-or-the-egg?" problem.

 

Whoops, wrong forum.......

 

Indeed as I have realized also that it is not the amount of years but the three highest years you where paid that determines what your pension us.
I am also onto a higher degree as well currently AAS in Diesel Technology, now going for a BS in Human Services- then onto a Masters but we will see one term at a time!

 

Asked wife if there is anything she needs for me to do? response no dear go play with your other girlfriend

1/4 through garage in search of the illustrious stock air box
finding things that I forgot I had. Probably why I have two or three of the same darn thing!
Finds for the bike several oil filters yeah original handle bar end caps
shorty grab bar
Ok extra tutoring for math done!
3rd coat of clear on engine head done!
Crud DMV time that probably means an hour or two.
After that Sothern Oregon University Appt.
hopefully continue with search of garage or reassemble of the valves into the head- probably that reassembly of valves into the head then search of garage.
Grandbabies with their parents and off I go.

 

No idea whet the rest of the post is about, way above my pay grade, but egg definitely came first. By definition, a chicken would be a creature that came from an egg, no? Not borne of egg, then it's not a chicken! And now I'm thinking of Macbeth and the whole "not of woman born" thing. This forum takes me down some strange roads.

 

By the sweat of your brow you will eat food until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return.
- Genesis 3:19

 

The religion debate is a Pandora's box which I choose not to reopen. Krishna is still looking for revenge for the last time...

 

None..... they don't go fast enough--- kind of like a Harley...... lol

 

What did I do with my Yamahas today?-- I moved them out of the way so I could get the Green Monster out for a spin.

1999 Suzuki Roadkill VL1500lc

 

The last spirit to escape from the box was a creature named Hope.

 

Kroil to the cylinders and swapped the clutch cable. Seeing if I can get the rust bucket to unstick. 3 cylinders seem free-ish 4th is just holding the Kroil/penetrating fluid mix for the last 3 days. Trying to get it out of neutral to rock it. How's everyone's day going? New to the motorcycle world. Looking for homies.

 

No idea what other forum you meant that for, but by gods that was brilliant!

Ted: [clears his throat, to Socrates] "All we are is dust in the wind," dude.

 

One of my favorite songs.

 

Obviously it was meant for the XJ Modifications forum, not the technical chat.


But as long as we're here, we can further discuss the "from dust/back to dust theory" in Genesis.......the ancients very nearly got it right, depending on what the meaning of "dust" is.

Seafloor alkaline hydrothermal vents is where "life" is theorized to have developed. These are not the much-celebrated "black smoker" vents you see on those Discovery Channel or NatGeo/Nova PBS specials, but a related type of seafloor vent that produces intricate sponge-like structures with a microscopic "cellular" structure within.

The alkaline (high pH) fluids seeping out of the seafloor into these structures are (barely) physically separated from the slightly acidic (low pH) seawater by an ultra thin semi-permeable membrane (a "skin" of sorts).......semi-permeable membranes are a requirement for Osmosis to occur, as you surely recall......and it is this difference in pH values, from one side of the membrane to the other, that creates the ability for energy generation to occur.

By the way, pH = "pondus hydrogenii" or "the power of hydrogen", and merely tells you (basically) whether the atoms that make up a fluid is relatively positively charged (more protons) or less positively charged (less protons) compared to a neutral level (no excess charge). An abundance of positive (proton) electrical charge makes a fluid ACIDIC, and the reverse makes it ALKALINE (also called a "base", for some odd reason.........). And since all this "charged fluids" experimentation and discovery was done with the most common fluid available.....water, or H2O for us chemistry freaks (and note that water is made up of --- you guessed it --- lots of "H x 2 atoms" (meaning Hydrogen atoms), that's why the "electrical charge state" of fluids became known as "pH" (the power of Hydrogen). Of course it applies to any fluid or material, not just water with its hydrogen, since it's a statement of the electrical charge properties of the component atoms, not just of hydrogen in particular.


The point (if there is one) is this: a pH difference across a semi-permeable membrane results in an electrical charge difference (one side of the membrane has more protons, thus greater positive electrical charge, than the other side). An electrical charge difference can, in the presence of a conductor (copper wire, anyone?), create an ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT, and a flow of electrical charges might ensue. Although we normally think of ELECTR-icity as a flow of negatively charged particles (the ELECTR-ons), the exact same idea applies to a flow of positively charged particles: PROT-icity, or the flow of positively charged particles (the PROT-ons).

In fact, a pH difference of about 4 units across a membrane (example pH on one side = 4, pH on other side = 8) results in an electrical potential of about 150mV.....not much, you may say. But remember that this is at a molecular (almost atomic) level, so if we were to scale this up to human size conditions, this is about equal to the electrical potential available in a bolt of lightning!

This electrical energy can be "put to work" to force atoms to join together into simple and complex molecules, thus creating the basic precursors of life (amino acids, proteins, RNA, etc.) within the alkaline vent "cells". From there it's just one small step for the process and components to "break free" of the constraints of the NON-LIVING vents and move into the wild and carry those process along with them.........i.e. the self-replicating harnessing and generation of energy to create more of "themselves".....in other words, life.

So which came first, the chicken or the egg? "Neither" is probably the correct answer. Natural chemical processes, resulting in lifeless cell-like structures with a natural energy (electrical) potential led to free-living "cells", which of course then went on to create chickens and eggs and humans who eventually developed REALLY important things, such as motorcycles and also websites to explain all of this.

Like I said, a curious development.

An entertaining 33 minutes: Matter and Energy at the Origins of Life by Nick Lane

 

Gosh. All I did was sit in the saddle and go vroom-vroom. Y'all got brainy on me.

 

......and all I did, was sit in the saddle and let the BIKE go vroom-vroom------

 

Wow Len. How is it you sell motorcycle parts again? That was awesome.

 

I got bored with quantum theory and its "spooky things at a distance" rejection of Einstein's theories of relativity. And what better way to relieve boredom of that sort than with fast bikes and their beautiful precision of both form and function. That's why I like taking things completely apart (even down to the sub-atomic level, if necessary---I find quark theory to be fascinating) in order to understand better what makes things "tick" (including properly set valve clearances). And of course, once you take something all the way apart, then you must have a reliable supply of replacement parts to put all those Humpty and Dumpty components back together again.........

 

This is the best bunch of weirdos that I have ever been associated with.

 

All right as I said earlier I am midway with valve reinstall. 8 more I'll let you folks figure which ones I have left LOL.
Still Looking through garage for original air box keeping my hopes up being as I can remember my daughters cleaning the garage and who knows what they have thought was just garbage that dad keeps hanging onto?
Still got 2 hrs. and 42 minutes to go this day.

 

A

absolutely, you should never judge a book by its' cover, one must open it up to see what lays in inside.

 

That's the real beauty of being an XJ owner.

 

And approach people with respectful kindness as you never know what chapter they are on . . . .

 

Then you are aware that none of the parts inside our motors are actually touching? Also I thought the documentary "What the bleep do we know" was a great way to introduce the theories of relativity, and quantum physics to folks. And bikes are Zen. No question. Like Dave Kavanagh said.....running out of things to fix on these bikes, seems to lead to the purchase of another project...

I whole heartedly agree K-Moe!

My bike was aquired sans airbox.....However I believe I have parts of it, if you need them.

 

That would be great, just to clarify though I have the maxim X version and I am not sure what other XJs air box are compatible. Yet if they are What I am missing is the main air box I got the chrome covers and the crank case vent tube and the metal clamps.
Just let me know where to send the shipping $ and a Very Big Thank You Sir!
private message me and we can continue.

 

Maxim X airbox is unique to tha model AFIK.

 

I'm gonna have to check on that----I think the airbox for the 85-86 airhead and X are the same.......

 

They do look alike on the fiche, but have different part numbers. Might be different, might not.

 

being a part of this wonderful site is actually saving me money as I am purchasing the correct parts! Very grate full for all of your knowledge that you are bestowing upon us noobs.

 

Got 50 miles in through the metro parks and found a great new neighborhood to ride through. 75 degrees yesterday, snowing today.

 

Very nice bike well done. The weather were you are changes just as much as here in Southern Oregon. Just wait a few
minutes and it will change. LOL

Just would like some clarity of the sans air box ?

 

Meaning, I don't have an airbox. But I have many of the related parts, cover, boots etc.

 

So.... Today I reinstalled the pipes all shined up. Started to pull the carbs apart. Discovered a very saddening problem.... Cyl 3 and 4 slides frozen in the bore. Got 3 out to find pitting. 4's Slide is one piece wit the carb body. Soaking in wd40 now. Hopefully tomorrow it'll relax, but in the back of my mind, I've already condemned two carbs. $$$$$$$$$

 

Well that it not good. Hope the WD-40 works. Possibly a real good cleaning may straighten things up.
Hope for the best yet plan for the worst.

 

Agreed. I just don't think I want the added variable. Even if I get them to slide, a few thousandths clearance increase could potentially cause an imbalance at the diaphragm. Anyones opinions here would be appreciated. So much for my statement about parts not actually touching in these things lol.

 

Slides just have to be able to move freely. As long as they don't rattle in the bore (which could cause binding) they'll be fine.

 

Always here to calm my nerves. How's that flu? In the corner sucking its thumb yet? You feeling better?

 

Also the diaphragms look excellent. Supple.

 

I am so glad to see people able to use so many words from the English dictionary to described a friendship in the kindling.

 

Better but not well. I'm going to visi the doc agin Monday. I suspect there's unfriendly bacteria in a lung.

 

You smoke Moe? I've been hand rolling cigs all winter

 

Nope, never (my parents sure did though).
I'm asthmatic and have been fighting bacterial infections since I was 10. It's just all part of the fun.