What did you do to your Yamaha today?

I'd like to have my rear turn signal lights come on when I hit the brakes. Can I do some splicing and get this to happen or do I need one of those boxes they sell on the Internet?

I'm going for more visibility. I need that because there are tailgate drivers galore on the highways that loop Boston. So having a lot of light back there, when I hit the brake pedal, would be a good thing.

I want to do this on-the-cheap, because I'm not too sure if they can stay hooked-up that way and still be street legal.

What's the best way to get around this without a hole deal of fuss. I'll buy a flasher unit to make the turn signals flash if that can be an option.

 

Hey Rick: why not pick up a set of used saddlebags and trunk cheap - lots of extra lights, no legal worries and lots of extra space. More to clean though.

 

Rick-o-matic,
I did the mod your talking about on my Seca. I used a tailight controler used to hook up a trailer to a vehicle that has a separate turn signal curcuit (separate amber turn signals) and a curcuit for just the brake lights.
The adapter makes the brake lights on a trailer work as signal lights by sparating the signals form the brake light curcuit fromt he signal light curcuit.
I just hooked the signal lights up so they work as brake lights when I hit the brakes and work as a turn signal when I need them. All three ights come on when I hit the brakes, but when I use a turn signal, that light blinks like it's suppose to. It's relatively easy to figure out how to hook it up because the wires are labled.
You will have to tap into the brake light hot wire and each turn signal hot wires and a ground wire, so 4 wires.
You can find them at your local automotive supply store (Checker auto, etc.)
Mine is just a small box (2" X 2" X 1/4" thick) so it can be placed just about anywhere under the seat. Mine had a peel-and-stick pad on it so it was easy to mount on the cover of the air box, out of the way.
>PD<

 

BINGO!

 

What did I do today? New back brakes and rear turn signal mods ( I de-stalked them.) I had been wanting to do the turn signal mods for a while. Now they look just like the fronts, without the goofy stalk.

 

Funny story. I discovered that the headlight on my bike was burned out. Want to know how it burned out? I'm just guessing here, but here are my clues...

Yesterday while I was working on my bike, I had my headlight off. I set it on the ground inside my shed so I wouldn't trip over it. At some point, while I was inside writing my latest How-To, Tucker, my dog, picked it up and wandered off with it. The whole headlight!


It wasn't me!

By the time I found it, he had managed to bend all the metal tangs out of shape on the back of the bulb. I straightened them out as best I could and hoped that the headlight was still good. Unfortunately, that's not the case. It popped sometime right after I started the bike up, today. I'm just glad I noticed it before I got too far down the road. I had to swap the headlight with the one in my wife's bike. I'll need to pick her up one before she notices.

If she does, I'm blaming the dog!

 

hehehe.....
But honey, the dog ate my headlight .....
hehehe

 

My teacher never bought into that story!!

Man are we easy! I believe it!

 

High Speed weekend.
Visited friends in New Hampshire.
Did a Plug read after the adventure. To Lean and Clean.

Tweaked OUT the Mixture Screws the width of a Nickel. I'll run 'em like that for awhile and re-check 'em at the end of this week.

Idle: Great
Power: Great
Cruise: Great
Plugs: Clean without deposit
Oil: Clean and No level change noted.

I think it's within the Power window ... I'm Tweaking Out for Cold weather riding. I figure the Oil Cooler is keeping the heat down.

 

Made a bracket to move my rear turn signals that bolts to the license plate mount so I can use my Tourmaster soft saddlebags. Going to Yosemite tomorrow for 3 nights, camping in the valley. Woohoo!!

 

I replaced the battery, and found that a "battery plus" store is two blocks from where I live. They had better prices than I could find on the web - $29.95 for the 12-A-A. I also picked up a Battery Tender Jr., for $29.95. That is a GREAT thing to have, btw.

I solved the problem of a leaky front brake master cylinder. In removing the top, the screws were frozen and had to be drilled out. There was not enough "stub" to screw out, so we had to drill out the stubs. Sadly, though, on one of them the drill bit broke.

Amazing the things you can do with a tie wrap.

Cleaned air filter.

The rust/crud/oxidation process is now officially started.

 

Changed out motor over the weekend. New one is runningsweet, though now I get to start tweaking it. I need to find someone nearby with a colortune, or break down and buy one.

 

Search: Colortune on the web.

I have seen a few places that have them on Discount and on SALE!

 

Finaly started rebuild after a long holiday and lack of motivation.....

 

You seem to be missing a few parts.

 

Just slap a seat on there and have some downhill races

 

j5) Morgan Colortune Tuning Spark Plug ....brand new, no display box, includes all accessories and instructions:

NOTE: 12mm plugs are used on all XJ550 and XJ700-X models.
14mm plugs are used on all XJ650/XJ700 non-X/XJ750/XJ900/XJ1100 models. No XJ bikes from this era used 10mm plugs!


HCP95A Morgan Colortune Spark Plug Tool, for 10mm spark plugs:
NOTE: NGK plugs that begin with the letter "C" are 10mm.
$ 49.00 plus shipping

HCP95B Morgan Colortune Spark Plug Tool, for 12mm spark plugs:
NOTE: NGK plugs that begin with the letter "D" are 12mm, and are used on all XJ550 models and all XJ700 "X" model bikes.
$ 49.00 plus shipping

HCP95C Morgan Colortune Spark Plug Tool, for 14mm spark plugs:
NOTE: NGK plugs that begin with the letter "B" are 14mm, and are used on all XJ650, XJ700 non-X models, and all XJ750/900/1100 models.
$ 47.00 plus shipping



j2) Morgan Carbtune Pro 4-column Synch Tool-Gauge-Stick....brand new, no display box, includes all accessories and instructions. This is the one that everyone recommends using. Uses damped stainless steel sliding dowels instead of mercury, giving accurate, safe, and easy-to-read measurements. More expensive than other synch tools and worth it. Use it even once and you'll wonder how you lived without it.

HCP96Q Morgan Carbtune Pro 4-column Synch Sticks:
$ 109.00 plus shipping

j3) Storage/Transport Pouch for the above carbtune pro synch stick....very nice zippered and clasp-closure storage case to hold the gauge and all the accessories neatly and safely. You REALLY want to have this to safely store and transport the (somewhat fragile) synch gauges!

HCP1287 Morgan Carbtune Storage & Transport Pouch
$ 19.00 plus shipping


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Day before yesterday, I replaced the tires. Still have plenty of tread left on them but the sidewall started cracking. IF that happens again I am writing Continental and letting them know that there tires start cracking at the sidewall at 11,000 miles. Truthfully I do not know if I should be upset or not. First time I have ever replaced tires because of that, usually it's because they are bald. Actually I would not have replaced them but I am trying to ride to Denver, which for me is a 1000 mile ride from Ca. The last thing I need is to be stuck in Utah somewhere where help is 100 miles away.
Today I replaced the forksprings and the steering bearings. Yeah no more self centering steering!!!. First time using Progressive springs so hopefully they do there job, the stock ones would probably be better on a xj400 instead of the seca turbo.

 

I imagine somewhere in that 1,000 Mile journey ... you ought to be over at the right hand side of the tach.

Never been over 600 Miles.

I envy you ... I think?

 

Kenbo, how did you painted the rims? They look really good and that is exacty what I need, since my midnight is all black but still has the stock golden rims.

Thank you!