Why do motorcycles have a petcock? I understand that they cut of the flow to the carb, but am not sure to what end.
I was pushing the bike into the garage after turning it off, I had the clutch in and could hear the motor rotating? Is my clutch cable still too loose? I also get a little grab, when shifting into 1st from nuetral while stopped. not referring to the expected bit of clunk, but a just bit of grab.
What is the best brand of Vespa Manual to buy. Haynes ,Chilton etc?
Is ScooterWorks a good company to deal with?
I noticed there is a kit with all inner and outer cables, how often do the shifter cables need replaced? I was thinking to order one complete cable kit, plus an extra clutch cable to keep with the bike.
I read talk of cold and hot spark plugs, how important is this. I was planning on getting a replacement for what is in the bike and keeping it on hand, but the hot and cold thing is new to me.
A few More Newbie Questions.
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vantage
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double-o-soul
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Ill get back to this thread a little later but a few answers for ya:
Lower and higher number plugs refer to running hotter and colder respectively. Most round the town stock people run a 6, while longer distances warrant a cooler plug like a 7 and I know some people who even run 8's although I believe there's some hiccuping to their bikes at lower speeds and when the bikes warming up.
Scooterworks is an established and dependable store and I think they're basicly run by genuine. Many people complain about the price and you can often find things cheaper elsewhere. Oftentimes they will have an arrangement with your local shop so you can order things through your shop and you won't have to pay shipping plus your shop makes a little cash on it. They are better with inventory than say scootermercato.
Haynes p manual is the holy grail, there are also some web resources ill link later that are extremely useful.
I keep a front brake and clutch cable with me at all times as well as tools to do the job, I have yet to mess with my shifter cables which id like to do soon since my shifting feels a bit muddled.
Get back to you in a bit...
Lower and higher number plugs refer to running hotter and colder respectively. Most round the town stock people run a 6, while longer distances warrant a cooler plug like a 7 and I know some people who even run 8's although I believe there's some hiccuping to their bikes at lower speeds and when the bikes warming up.
Scooterworks is an established and dependable store and I think they're basicly run by genuine. Many people complain about the price and you can often find things cheaper elsewhere. Oftentimes they will have an arrangement with your local shop so you can order things through your shop and you won't have to pay shipping plus your shop makes a little cash on it. They are better with inventory than say scootermercato.
Haynes p manual is the holy grail, there are also some web resources ill link later that are extremely useful.
I keep a front brake and clutch cable with me at all times as well as tools to do the job, I have yet to mess with my shifter cables which id like to do soon since my shifting feels a bit muddled.
Get back to you in a bit...
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double-o-soul
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JohnKiniston
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I keep a spare clutch inner with me if I'm going on a trip, It wraps up nicely in my tool bag. I never carry the outers with me, outers are a replace them at home kind of thing for me.
And honestly you can ride without a working clutch cable, It's hard on the bike but it's possible to revmatch.
Speaking of which, Always try to stop in neutral at a light, when your ready to shift into first roll the bike forwards or backwards while you shift to 1st, it's easier on the cruciform that way because the gears will be moving. Try to never shift with the bike still.
If you want to be completely prepared you could carry one clutch cable, one shift cable and a throttle cable. The throttle is inner + outer because it's captive but the other two you could carry the inners only.
In a pinch if your broken down you can use bicycle cables.
Bring a spare Knarp or two, I've lost more Knarp's than I have broken cables.
The Petcock turns your fuel on, off and to reserve. Not all motorcycles have fuel gauges so when your engine sputters out you flip from on to reserve and find a gas station with the fuel you have left.
You don't want to leave your fuel on all the time as it is constantly pressing on your float, it could cause the float to fail eventually if the gas is always on.
If your in gear and pushing the motor you might be hearing the gears turn, You could take off the cowl and watch to see if the flywheel was spinning. If the flywheel is spinning still with your clutch in and the bike in gear when pushing it then yeah it's not fully engaging.
Order the manual from Scooterworks for your bike, It's less than $35 and has everything for the 4T, The Haynes and other books wont cover any of the 4T stuff.
Scooterworks can be slow, they can be expensive, but they have never screwed me and have made things right when they have gone wrong.
With your 4T you probably wont ever have to mess with the plug.
And honestly you can ride without a working clutch cable, It's hard on the bike but it's possible to revmatch.
Speaking of which, Always try to stop in neutral at a light, when your ready to shift into first roll the bike forwards or backwards while you shift to 1st, it's easier on the cruciform that way because the gears will be moving. Try to never shift with the bike still.
If you want to be completely prepared you could carry one clutch cable, one shift cable and a throttle cable. The throttle is inner + outer because it's captive but the other two you could carry the inners only.
In a pinch if your broken down you can use bicycle cables.
Bring a spare Knarp or two, I've lost more Knarp's than I have broken cables.
The Petcock turns your fuel on, off and to reserve. Not all motorcycles have fuel gauges so when your engine sputters out you flip from on to reserve and find a gas station with the fuel you have left.
You don't want to leave your fuel on all the time as it is constantly pressing on your float, it could cause the float to fail eventually if the gas is always on.
If your in gear and pushing the motor you might be hearing the gears turn, You could take off the cowl and watch to see if the flywheel was spinning. If the flywheel is spinning still with your clutch in and the bike in gear when pushing it then yeah it's not fully engaging.
Order the manual from Scooterworks for your bike, It's less than $35 and has everything for the 4T, The Haynes and other books wont cover any of the 4T stuff.
Scooterworks can be slow, they can be expensive, but they have never screwed me and have made things right when they have gone wrong.
With your 4T you probably wont ever have to mess with the plug.