Successes, gratefulness, and confessions...

The Dark Shadow

The Dark Shadow

Joined
Aug 23, 2022
Messages
321
Age
53
Location
Nova Scotia
I would be remiss if I didn't make this post. It touches on both recent threads I started - brake fluid change and fuel economy...

1. First, THANK YOU ALL!! For any of you who have followed my "journey" on brake fluid change, you'll be familiar with some of the psychological challenges I faced through this project. Your (collective) support has helped me get from zero to go, and helped me persevere through both my stupid brain-f@rt challenge of not removing the rear reservoir diaphragm (that had gotten sucked fully into the reservoir, and just looked like the reservoir lining to these eyes) and the psychology I became beset with due to my brain-f@rt with the rear diaphragm.

So, sincerely and emphatically, THANK YOU ALL!!

2. Confession #1...

Okay, so you were all correct... Changing the brake fluid is easy... (As long as you don't make a stupid mistake like I made.)

Apologies.

3. Fuel economy / Brake condition

So, these are linked (just like the braking system - linked brakes... Get it...?? I made a funny!)

It was Larry Igofar who last season suggested to me that there's a good chance my SMC isn't working well, and that's why the back rotor was getting hot and reducing my fuel economy.

Since changing the SMC and clearing/refilling the brake lines, AND doing a deep clean of the back brake, it took a few days for the back brakes to settle in... One of the earlier nights (first or second night) I took it for a test drive, it was still cold and foggy (7 degrees Celsius with a good ol' east coast fog), and that may or may not have had an effect on the brakes settling in.

Anyhow, after a few more test rides, I can tell quite clearly by viewing my fuel economy and just at stop signs, and backing down my driveway, that my bike rolls freely now! I won't say that I'm a brake expert, but I sure did a better job than the local "pro" shop that told me my brakes are fine and don't have any problems!!

I don't know (and likely never will) if it was the final rear brake piston cleaning or changing the SMC that cleared the problem, but it is nice to know I'm driving on a brand new SMC and that the back brake pistons are working well.

Again, I'm thankful to everyone for helping out and not cursing at me in the midst of my own personal psychological challenges, during which I KNOW I radiate darkness. Thank you for your patience and perseverance!

4. Confession number 2:

Regarding fuel consumption numbers, Sadelsor in the other thread on Fuel Consumption mentioned about doing manual fuel fill-up/usage versus distance driven calculations.

I did a correction for fuel consumption, but I only did a one-part correction. My odometer is 6% off (likely because my bike has a Speedo Healer installed, which likely corrects the Speedo but throws off the odometer the equivalent amount). At any rate, I was doing the correction for the odometer different (6%) but I did not add the FCD correction to this, which is an additional 5%.

So, even though based upon my former calculations last season (which I repeated several times to ensure and confirm consistency), this year I ONLY used my odometer 6% correction. So, with the total 11% correction, my bike seems to be getting a standard fuel economy. I need to remember, my bike has full wind deflectors (fairing + mirrors), and it has a Puig after market shield (which, while it is just as narrow side to side, it is SLIGHTLY taller and has some interesting bump-outs on the lower corners, which will add slightly to the wind resistance, ESPECIALLY when the screen is raised...).

So, after driving 90% or more highway miles, I got about 40 US mpg at 110-120kph. My temporary mpg is about 44mpg @ 110kph.

So, thanks Sadelsor for reminding me to do a manual calculation.

(It would be pretty nice if the FCD could be calibrated, eh...??)

5. I'm still making inquiries to see if I can find some people to regear the final drive. Just like my Shadow 750 that I first re-geared with a different sprocket, then re-geared with a custom (for my bike ONLY) gear ratio belt drive conversion kit, I hope to re-geared this bike with 12.5 to 15% ratio. You can all think I'm nuts... I really don't care!! But the proof will be in the pudding... I expect I'll improve fuel economy at high cruising speeds, and it's not just that... It's the busy-ness of shifting out of first and second in the city... A longer pull in first gear to get through turns without getting into high rpms would be really nice... That was a GREAT result of re-gearing my Shadow... Nice LONG pulls in each gear!! Much more fun to ride!

Okay, I think that's all my thoughts for today.

Again, thanks everyone for sticking with me, and sorry for my sometimes very dark psychology.

Rubber side down!!
 
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Mellow said:
The site is here to help, heck I could have burned my house down changing the oil once lol.
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Speaking of which, i forgot to mention, I changed my oil today (second time) and changed oil filter (first time)...!! Yay! No cursing, just a few "geezus" when I was looking for the oil filter socket I just bought and couldn't find it because I had already stuck it onto the filter under the bike... lol
 
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Couple of thoughts, now that the dust has settled, and the fog of war has dissipated...

I like PICTURES.
If any of us, and I mean nearly ANY of us had seen a pic of your rear brake cylinder diaphragm fully extended like that, we would have pointed it out immediately.

I'm a crappy mechanic, but still better than most paid "professionals" when it comes to the ST1300.

Give me my ST1300 service manual, this forum and maybe a couple YouTube videos, and get back out of my way. Oh, and the White Courtesy Phone, of course.

And in my recent experience I'm better - already - than the service techs at the local BMW / Yamaha store down the highway.

Next thought is, here we have a new owner of the 1300, having just completed his first brake system overhaul, and he's ready to change the final drive gear ratios?

Uh, ...ok. There's certainly a lot to be said for confidence, but still, do you really want to tackle this unicorn?

Those one-horned animals can prove to be elusive.

Congratulations on your win, no one will try to take that away from you, nor should they.
 
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Sadlsor said:
Couple of thoughts, now that the dust has settled, and the dog of war has dissipated...

I like PICTURES.
If any of us, and I mean nearly ANY of us had seen a pic of your rear brake cylinder diaphragm fully extended like that, we would have pointed it out immediately.

I'm a crappy mechanic, but still better than most paid "professionals" when it comes to the ST1300.

Give me my ST1300 service manual, this forum and maybe a couple YouTube videos, and get back out of my way. Oh, and the White Courtesy Phone, of course.

And in my recent experience I'm better - already - than the service techs at the local BMW / Yamaha store down the highway.

Next thought is, here we have a new owner of the 1300, having just completed his first brake system overhaul, and he's ready to change the final drive gear ratios?

Uh, ...ok. There's certainly a lot to be said for confidence, but still, do you really want to tackle this unicorn?

Those one-horned animals can prove to be elusive.

Congratulations on your win, no one will try to take that away from you, nor should they.
Click to expand...
See, here's the thing... When I changed the gear ratios of my Shadow, I purchased a pre made sprocket and had the shop (in Japan where pros really ARE pros) change it for me. Then, I had a company selling belt drive conversion kits make me a custom ratio kit (based on my experiences with the sprockets) and had the same pro (Konishi-san at Red Baron motorcycles) install it (and he let me watch as I translated the instructions, and we had a great conversation). Done in 2 hours flat! He was beautiful and efficient to watch! A TRUE PROFESSIONAL!!

Even though I was born in Nova Scotia, I'm more Japanese of spirit and character

But regarding the motorcycle stuff... I'm actually good at doing things, but I have A TERRIBLE psychological barrier to doing things I haven't done before, nor seen done before. Already, after about 175 thousands dollars of losses hiring contractors who fukk3d up multiplicatively, I have become a better drywaller, mudder, door hanger, plumber, and painter than most contractors in my area.

But I CANNOT manufacture the gears necessary. I need someone who designs with CAD, and a CNC milling company to make 2 gears. Then, I can install these in an extra final drive unit I already purchased for the project. Trouble is, I'm in the @rsehole of the Earth here.
 
Aside from *that* trouble, I'm unaware of anyone successfully re- gearing an ST final drive.

You know, as do we all, this ain't exactly changing sprockets, and it's no belt drive either.

Not saying it can't be done - not saying that at all - but how much $$ are you willing to throw at it, and for what return?
 
So, your going to try and manufacture gears/gearing, purchase an extra driveshaft assembly, pay someone to try and build you a one of a kind rear end, for a bike that was not designed for it, to save a few dollars in fuel? For a bike that has been discontinued, and parts that are starting to become unavailable etc.?
I'm all about fabricating stuff, building motors, drag bikes, and have several friends that own machine shops, and know many famous people who build custom bikes, and I wouldn't even entertain the thought for a minute about what your considering.
changing sprockets and chains on motorcycles was a very easy and common way to change gearing.
Even changing pulleys and belts on Harley's was easy, but what your considering may just be considered foolish, since you've pointed out your Terrible Psychological barrier, and limitations.
Forgive me when I say, are you trying to push yourself over the edge?
I've never seen an ST1100 or ST1300 modified in such a manor, nor heard of anyone thinking it was needed.
Your a better man than I if you pull this one off.
 
Igofar said:
So, your going to try and manufacture gears/gearing, purchase an extra driveshaft assembly, pay someone to try and build you a one of a kind rear end, for a bike that was not designed for it, to save a few dollars in fuel? For a bike that has been discontinued, and parts that are starting to become unavailable etc.?
I'm all about fabricating stuff, building motors, drag bikes, and have several friends that own machine shops, and know many famous people who build custom bikes, and I wouldn't even entertain the thought for a minute about what your considering.
changing sprockets and chains on motorcycles was a very easy and common way to change gearing.
Even changing pulleys and belts on Harley's was easy, but what your considering may just be considered foolish, since you've pointed out your Terrible Psychological barrier, and limitations.
Forgive me when I say, are you trying to push yourself over the edge?
I've never seen an ST1100 or ST1300 modified in such a manor, nor heard of anyone thinking it was needed.
Your a better man than I if you pull this one off.
Click to expand...
1. It's not just to save fuel... In fact, the cost might be more than the fuel I could save on 5 years or more.

2. It's about multi faceted satisfaction.

3. Why did Edmond Hillary climb Mount Everest - because it was a beckoning challenge.

You don't understand... But I don't need you to understand. You understand one area of weakness I have, but you don't understand my areas of strength. And that's okay...

Some people choose to put solar on their roofs, others don't. Some people like skydiving and free climbing. Others don't.

It's all good...
 
Sadlsor said:
Aside from *that* trouble, I'm unaware of anyone successfully re- gearing an ST final drive.

You know, as do we all, this ain't exactly changing sprockets, and it's no belt drive either.

Not saying it can't be done - not saying that at all - but how much $$ are you willing to throw at it, and for what return?
Click to expand...
Some people spend tons of money to go mountain climbing... And for what return...?

We motorbikers spend tons of money to go zoom zoom... And for what return...?
 
It all comes down to what skill set you have at your disposal. For someone that designs gear boxes for a profession, it’s just a matter of plugging in the pitch and ratio into whatever CAD program you prefer and then loading the gear parameters into your favorite machineing center. We’ve come a long way from setting up a machine to hob one tooth at a time.


John
 
Nashcat said:
It all comes down to what skill set you have at your disposal. For someone that designs gear boxes for a profession, it’s just a matter of plugging in the pitch and ratio into whatever CAD program you prefer and then loading the gear parameters into your favorite machineing center. We’ve come a long way from setting up a machine to hob one tooth at a time.


John
Click to expand...
What would it cost to make a ring and pinion gear set?
The Dark Shadow said:
1. It's not just to save fuel... In fact, the cost might be more than the fuel I could save on 5 years or more.

2. It's about multi faceted satisfaction.

3. Why did Edmond Hillary climb Mount Everest - because it was a beckoning challenge.

You don't understand... But I don't need you to understand. You understand one area of weakness I have, but you don't understand my areas of strength. And that's okay...

Some people choose to put solar on their roofs, others don't. Some people like skydiving and free climbing. Others don't.

It's all good...
Click to expand...
You had issues with repairing you brakes, got it fixed but questioned and refused to believe it was the SMC, first it was bleeding, then it was brake pads but you never believed at first it was the SMC. How much are you willing to spend for a gear set? Setting up pinion depth is a lot more complicated than replacing brakes. Do you know how to set pinion depth? Do you know what gear marking paint/grease is? or how to analyze it?
 
@The Dark Shadow I understand the challenge! Sucess and/or failure are not as important as the Challenge! Kind of like a 5 frame sudoku puzzle but much more $$$. Good luck and keep us up to date with your progress.
 
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