Few questions for the noob..

[rice_rocket]

First stupid question.. then the harder one

I wanted to know when it's "okay" to put your bike cover on. I bought a generic cover from Walmart... to cover up the bike when I park it, especially at my condo lot. Now I see a lot of people downtown pull their bikes in, and throw on the cover right away. The thing that worries me is the muffler is blazing hot.. even though the cover is "heat resistant" I don't see this being a good thing.

Is it really okay to throw it on this fast?

Second more challenging question:

I am trying to get my first bike on the road. (1999 Katana) So.. I'm missing my license plate light. The wire that was hanging off my fender is just hanging out there (previous owner got rid of it or smashed it.. and left a few wires hanging) Anyways I traced it with the multimeter and it's only giving out 1.5V Any reason why it's so little? I bought some LED bolts that should light up the plate well, and get this bike passed inspection... These are 12V lights, and look pretty good when I hooked it up to test. But.. 1.5V is not going to trigger them.

I may have to run the wire into the tail lamp or something... unless the bike must be on to get more voltage going to it?

Any help would be great.. or if someone can confirm I need to get the power from another source, ie the tail light?

[noxin]

In terms of the cover, it's up to you

If you have the heat shield on there and the vents at the top, you can toss it on right away. If not, you may end up with condensation inside the cover which can lead to rust and other issues.

When my bike lived outside, I always covered it right when I got home or I'd forget to come back out and cover it later, or remember right when I was heading to bed.

[Degsy]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8330/4.5.0.160 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

If you have 1.5V you have a short circuit. There is no 1.5v circuit on a bike.

[Sportygurl131]

rice rocket!!! do not put in on ur bike when its hot.... i have the same one... it is not designed for heat....from the muffler... wait till it cools... even the expensive ones suggest u wait for the bike too cool off

["Dangerous" Dan K]

My cover (cheapie) has a section that's much thicker than the rest, insulated for the heat from the exhaust. I throw the cover on right when I park the bike, every time. Never had an issue.

[rice_rocket]

Righto... just as I thought.. that cover has to wait until I can rest my hand on the muffler...


As for the darned lights.. I'm going to go tap the tail light then. I thought it really odd to have that weird voltage. Not sure if you can remember those two pesky wires hanging off the back end Degsy..

I have a speedo sensor from ebay that I picked up for $15, it should be here today and I hope that solves the issue. I also had a set of levers on order, but I'm not sure if there is a problem with the shipping. Really hope to get this bike on the road for longer distances.

So far I've only really driven it 30 mins give or take to different local destinations... so I'm pretty used to it so far!

Found an oil filter at duncanmoto and got some oil... need to locate one more qt since they only had 3 I hope to try to change that oil soon... get the bike past inspection so I can take it to work! Hehe. Not sure how the little doggy is going to like the ride. She loves sticking her head out the car window. The bonus is the Kat's back end is so huge, her doggy crate will probably bungee cord on very nicely for the ride.

[IsleofManTT]

If I'm worried about forgetting, I'll put it on but make sure the cover is off the muffler. This way, the muffler doesn't burn the cover and 80% of the bike is covered. If I remember later to bring it down, bonus.

[KRae33]

Righto... just as I thought.. that cover has to wait until I can rest my hand on the muffler...


As for the darned lights.. I'm going to go tap the tail light then. I thought it really odd to have that weird voltage. Not sure if you can remember those two pesky wires hanging off the back end Degsy..

I have a speedo sensor from ebay that I picked up for $15, it should be here today and I hope that solves the issue. I also had a set of levers on order, but I'm not sure if there is a problem with the shipping. Really hope to get this bike on the road for longer distances.

So far I've only really driven it 30 mins give or take to different local destinations... so I'm pretty used to it so far!

Found an oil filter at duncanmoto and got some oil... need to locate one more qt since they only had 3 I hope to try to change that oil soon... get the bike past inspection so I can take it to work! Hehe. Not sure how the little doggy is going to like the ride. She loves sticking her head out the car window. The bonus is the Kat's back end is so huge, her doggy crate will probably bungee cord on very nicely for the ride.

Please tell me you're kidding about using a bungee to hold your dog and crate in place on your bike..

[rice_rocket]

Nopers.... I don't see why not?

Hard plastic crate .... tie down bar on the passenger seat... what other good way to transport my little dog?

I'm talking.. 4 lb dog.. not 40 lb dog here!

[rice_rocket]

I see they sell little backpacks for dogs... I'd certainly feel happier putting her in her nice padded crate than strapping her to my back!

[KRae33]

Nopers.... I don't see why not?

Hard plastic crate .... tie down bar on the passenger seat... what other good way to transport my little dog?

I'm talking.. 4 lb dog.. not 40 lb dog here!

I don't care if your dog is 2 ounces.. It's just a bad idea. Do you really want to see the crate bouncing down the road and a car hit it because a bungee slipped... If you want to cruise around with your dog, get a convertible.

[Vulcan1500]

I don't care if your dog is 2 ounces.. It's just a bad idea. Do you really want to see the crate bouncing down the road and a car hit it because a bungee slipped... If you want to cruise around with your dog, get a convertible.

[RyanNicholson]

yea, seriously.... don't put a friggin dog on your bike dude. Take a ride on the hood of my truck if you don't see why its a bad idea.

[Rambunctous]

About that low voltage. Is the battery dead?

[DuncanMoto]

DUDE!!! Why risk killing your dog?
Seriously. Read some of the threads on this forum and other forums.
This is your first bike?
YOU WILL GO DOWN.

[Mondo]

[butcher bergs]

Do you really want to see the crate bouncing down the road and a car hit it because a bungee slipped.

Which reminds me, can I take Mittens for a ride this weekend? I'll have Phil follow me in my truck just in case anything happens.

what other good way to transport my little dog?

Have the SPCA pick him up because now would be a good time to find a loving home for your dog.

[rice_rocket]

Ouch that's some hating... yes I understand the consequences of everything, but it certainly doesn't ban me from thinking ahead and doing something. Some people give slack for me letting my dog sit in the passenger seat to sleep while driving to work. Some say I can't let her stick her head out the window. I've been out looking at all the supply stores and options of transporting things.. from backpacks to tail bags. The dog solutions seem to be backpacks to hold them, which I certainly am not going to do.

The plan certainly isn't to go out tonight and strap her down to the bike and joyride.

I'm lucky enough to be able to take my dog into work with me every day instead of leaving her at home to fend for herself. I'm merely trying to work out a good solution for me.


And the other answer to the low voltage.. the battery isn't dead, that's just the signal I am getting off those two mystery wires hanging off the back fender which I thought was the light for the license plate that doesn't exist anymore. I'm going to try to get into it as soon as I get a chance to find another source of power.

[gixerhp]

As far as the license plate light, what colors do you have hanging there??

[rice_rocket]

Looks like a black wire as well as a grey wire with a black stripe.

[KRae33]

[QUOTE=Butcher Bergs;792728]Which reminds me, can I take Mittens for a ride this weekend? I'll have Phil follow me in my truck just in case anything happens.QUOTE]

As long as she's wearing some kitty goggles, I think she'll be just fiiiiine

Maybe next weekend I can strap Devo to the back of mine??

[schleppy]

As far as covers go, I've used the Dowco Guardian and the Nelson Rigg something2000 cover. I put both on as soon as I get home. No issues in the past three years...

[hqp921]

I don't care if your dog is 2 ounces.. It's just a bad idea. Do you really want to see the crate bouncing down the road and a car hit it because a bungee slipped... If you want to cruise around with your dog, get a Ural.

Fixed.

When I was using covers, I'd pretty much throw it on right away: Pull bike in driveway, turn off bike, lock up bike, take off jacket, helmet, gloves; put cover on.

Now I use a Bike Barn (A great solution if you don't have a garage). So much easier than playing with a cover.

- HP

[rice_rocket]

That bike bark is really badass... I don't think the condo is going to approve that one though.

I think I have a storage solution for the winter, and I'll just leave it with the bike cover for now. I don't mind going inside and coming out to cover it if I remember. It certainly has saved the bike from a lot of rain lately. I got the XL cover so it covers up the entire bike to the floor, so it's as well protected as I can hope for. It's no show bike, so it'll do for now.

[rice_rocket]

I traced the wire all the way back into the tail section and found that one of the wires had a bad ground to the frame. Stripped it all the way back to the plug and did new wires... works like a charm, have to see how bright it is at night!