Road Star Clinic News Feeds http://roadstarclinic.com 2008-08-07T20:24:25+01:00 http://roadstarclinic.com http://roadstarclinic.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png text/html 2007-08-08T14:31:46+01:00 http://roadstarclinic.com http://roadstarclinic.com/content/view/174/2/ text/html 2008-04-05T15:11:13+01:00 http://roadstarclinic.com http://roadstarclinic.com/content/view/221/132/ Introduction There are many reasons to remove one or both of the wheels on your Road Star: mounting new tires, changing the drive belt, or tending to your wheel bearings -- to name a few. Even if you have a professional mechanic doing wheel/tire work for you, you can save substantial money and feel some 'did it myself' pride by handing over your wheels instead of your whole bike. It's a fairly simple and quick procedure, and doesn't take many tools. This article walks you through the steps, one by one. When all the little details are described, this can sound like a much bigger job than it is. If you can replace the sparkplug in a lawnmower, and change the oil in your bike, you can probably take your wheels off and put them back on without breaking a sweat. The next page gives you a quick overview, in case you just need a reminder or two. The pages following that give more detailed instructions. text/html 2008-05-26T11:20:37+01:00 http://roadstarclinic.com http://roadstarclinic.com/content/view/222/103/ Mark Garetz at www.vstar1100.com originally put this idea together. Mark Cole (Mark7) adapted it to work on his Road Star, and after a very favorable reception on our forum, agreed to write out this set of instructions for the benefit of other members of the Clinic.Parts List: 2 Sealed Beam Spotlight Housings - J.C. Whitney part # 0199602S - $24.99/unit JC Whitney Part Link (http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Product/tf-Browse/s-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2003447/p-2003447/N-111+10211+600014808/c-10111)2 Sealed Beam Spotlights - J.C. Whitney part # 0199622 - $10.99/ unit JC Whitney Part Link (http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ProductBrowse?storeId=10101 Pr=p_Product.CATENTRY_ID%3A2003448 productId=2003448 catalogId=10111 N=111%2B10211%2B600014762 rlid=group_listing)2 Cruiser Customizing 3-piece bar clamp - $7.00/unit Part # CC-FRAME-CLAMP Cruiser Customizing part link (http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/detail.cfm?model_ID=36 Category_ID=5 manufacturer_ID=170 product_ID=11491 related=short)*1 Toggle Switch SPST (optional) waterproof version - $5.00 part(s) 16535, 16536 go2marine.com part link (http://www.go2marine.com/product.do?no=16535F)*1 Toggle Switch SPST (optional) non-waterproof version Radio Shack part # 276-624 Radio Shack part link (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062503 cp= sr=1 origkw=spst+switch kw=spst+switch parentPage=search)Silicone Sealant – Just a dab. 2 Insulated Spade Connectors. *Toggle switch is an optional item and you need only 1: Get either the waterproof or non-waterproof version text/html 2007-11-22T11:23:24+01:00 http://roadstarclinic.com http://roadstarclinic.com/content/view/218/2/ Complete Documentation of a Big Bore Project! Today we are releasing a new series of articles on the Clinic that document a complete engine tear down and reassembly. Randy Fox (associate Publisher here at the Clinic) decided to go big bore on his Road Star and documented the process from start to finish. This is an incredible addition to our Tech Tips library, with a total of nineteen articles from start to finish. In order to make it easy to follow, and to keep the structure easy to navigate, we have created a new category under our Engine (http://roadstarclinic.com/content/section/13/104/) section in our Tech Tips called Engine Tear Down and Reassembly Series (http://roadstarclinic.com/content/category/13/200/104/). As is usually the case with Randy's Tech Tip articles, each is well thought out, easy to read, and easy to understand. Randy has taken the time to create an index (http://roadstarclinic.com/content/view/215/104/1/0/) for the whole series that briefly explains what each article is about, and the order they should read. This series is a must read for any Road Star rider who likes to maintain their own bike. About this series: text/html 2007-10-04T18:40:29+01:00 http://roadstarclinic.com http://roadstarclinic.com/content/view/186/127/ Introduction The stock coils are prone to leaking so much spark that some riders have observed large arcing from their coils to the frame or tank on a dark night. Yikes! As a result, many owners have wrapped their coils with electrician's tape--an adequate, if un-elegant, solution. Idiot Disclaimer: Do not run your engine in an enclosed space to achieve darkness. Do not touch coils or sparkplug wires while the engine is running. I wrapped my coils with electrical tape several years ago, and it did seem to help smooth the idle a bit. But then I read that many owners were tracing various engine difficulties--especially plug fouling and carbon build-up--to sparkplug wire issues. It was discovered that the stock wires have excessively high electrical resistance. In fact, owners that modified their stock plug wires reported easier starting, smoother idle, and less carbon build-up. The stock sparkplug wires are built right into the coils, so you can't replace the the wires without also replacing the coils. When Nemesis Racing announced their introduction of high performance coils and plug wires, I decided it was time to replace mine. There are two, primary, options for aftermarket coils for the Road Star: Dynatech, (Dyna Performance Electronics, Glendora, CA) Nemesis Racing, (Nemesis Racing, g_wicks@bigpond.net.au, Australia, or powdercoatka@aol.com in North America.) I opted for the Nemesis ones, as I have had excellent results with their other products, and, though I am not an electrical guru, I knew that matching component specs was important. Here's what Joel (Odo) Parker (Road Star Clinic author, and professional Yamaha mechanic) has to say: Our coils are rated at 1.53 ~ 2.07 ohm resistance, (99 to 03's), so, getting that rating right in there with how our systems work, is essential. The Dyna coils for our R*'s are 2.2 ohms, (A little too high). The Nemesis coils are 1.5 ohms, ('JUUUSSSTTT' right. :-)). More spark for the system.”